John Marsden - Tomorrow 2 - The Dead of the Night

8/12/2019 John Marsden - Tomorrow 2 - The Dead of the Night

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THE TOMORROW SERIES

JOHN

MARSDEN

THE DEAD

OF THE

NIGHTPAN

Pan Macmillan Australia


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John Marsdens website can be visited at:

www.johnmarsden.com.au

First published 1994 in Macmillan Hardback b Macmillan !ublishers "ustralia

#his !an edition published 199$ b !an Macmillan "ustralia

1 Market %treet& %dne

'eprinted 199$ (twice)& 199* (three times)& 199+ (,our times)& 199- (twice)&

1999 (si times)& /000 (,our times)& /001 (twice)& /00/& /00 (twice)& /004& /00$ (twice)& /00*& /00+& /00-

2opri3ht J5M !t 5td 1994

#he moral ri3ht o, the author has been asserted.

"ll ri3hts reserved. 6o part o, this book ma be reproduced or transmitted b an person or entit (includin3

7oo3le& "ma8on or similar or3anisations)& in an ,orm or b an means& electronic or mechanical& includin3

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writin3 ,rom the publisher.

6ational 5ibrar o, "ustralia

catalo3uin3inpublication data:

Marsden& John& 19$0.

#he dead o, the ni3ht.

%;6 9+-00$*4+.


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. #itle.

"-/.

!rinted in "ustralia b Mc!hersons !rintin3 7roup

#he characters and events in this book are ,ictitious and an resemblance to real persons& livin3 or dead& is

purel coincidental.

!apers used b !an Macmillan "ustralia !t 5td are natural& recclable products made ,rom wood 3rown in

sustainable ,orests. #he manu,acturin3 processes con,orm to the environmental re3ulations o, the countr o,

ori3in.


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To my brother Sam, a loved and loving man.


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"cknowled3ements

Man thanks to: %ean Mc%ullea& 'osalind "leander& Melanie %mith& 5aurie

Jacob& Jessica 'ussell& John 2onnor& and apolo3ies to those whose names ve ,or3otten& or didnt

record.


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2hapter >ne

?amn this writin3. d rather sleep. 7od how d love to sleep. ;ut cant. ts

been a lon3 time since had a peace,ul ni3hts sleep. 6ot since went to Hell.

%ince went to that complicated place called Hell.


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time. m crouched inside m sleepin3 ba3 like a hunchback& trin3 to balance

the torch& m pen& and the paper without eposin3 too much skin to the ni3ht

air.

AM pen. Funn& wrote that without noticin3. A#he torch& Athe paper& but

Am pen. #hat shows what writin3 means to me& 3uess. M pen is a pipe

,rom m heart to the paper. ts about the most important thin3 own.

=ven so& the last writin3 did was a3es a3o& a,ter the ni3ht @evin drove

awa ,rom us in the dark Mercedes& with 2orrie wounded and unconscious in

the back seat. remember thinkin3 a,terwards that i, d had one wish& it would

be to know that thed made it to the Hospital and were welltreated. , d had

two wishes& it would be to know that m parents were still >@& locked up in the

2attle !avilion at the %how3round. , d had three& itd be ,or everone in the

world to be >@& includin3 me.

" lot has happened since @evin and 2orrie le,t. " couple o, weeks

a,terwards& Homer called us to3ether.


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and 3uarded it jealousl ,rom snoops like me. He was writin3 mainl poems

still& think. #here was a time when he used to show me all his stu,,& but hed

been seriousl o,,ended b what d written about him& and hed hardl talked

to me since. didnt think d said anthin3 too bad& but thats not the wa he

saw it. d liked his poems too& even i, the ba,,led me. ;ut d liked the sound

o, the words.

#rucks 3rumble in the dark cold&

>n the road to despair.

#heres no sun& no clouds&

6o ,la3s anwhere.

#he men walk with bowed heads.

#he have no love to spare.

#hat was one bit remembered.

6et to me sat 'obn& the stron3est person knew. " ,unn thin3 seemed

to have happened with 'obn. #he lon3er this terrible thin3 lasted& the more

relaed she became. 5ike all o, us& shed been devastated b what happened

to 2orrie and @evin& but that hadnt stopped 'obn 3ettin3 calmer with each

passin3 da. %he smiled a lot. %he smiled at me a lot& which appreciated.

6ot everbod smiled at me. 'obn was so brave that in the middle o, one o,

our tou3hest times& drivin3 a truck throu3h a bullet storm at ninet ks& shedkept me sane. 5e,t to msel, think mi3ht have pulled over to the slow lane&

to let all the enem vehicles overtake. >r stopped at a pedestrian crossin3& to

3ive wa to a soldier with a machine 3un. drew a lot o, coura3e ,rom 'obn

that ni3ht& and other times too. just hoped didnt leave her leeched dr.

>pposite Homer& sittin3 with her slender ,eet and her per,ect ankles and

her ballerina le3s dan3lin3 in the water& was Fi. %he still looked like shed

alwas done: read to pour tea ,or our 3randmother& and hand it over in a'oal ?oulton cup. >r read to step onto the cover o, a


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make our own ,ather 3o red and lau3h and chatter awa like he was twent

ears oun3er. Ces& that was Fi: cute& prett and ,ra3ile. #hat was Fi& walkin3

alone throu3h the dark ni3ht lookin3 ,or enem patrols& li3htin3 a petrol

soaked ,use to blow up a brid3e& ridin3 a motorbike across countr in a wild

scramble to escape bullets.

d been aw,ull wron3 about Fi.

"nd still hadnt 3ot her ,i3ured out. ",ter wed blown up the brid3e shed

been 3i33lin3& sain3& A cant believe did thatD 5ets do some moreD ",ter

@evin drove awa with 2orrie unconscious in the back seat she cried ,or a

week.

More than anone& it was Fi who was hurt b what d written about our

eperiences. 2hris had been an3riest& but Fi had been hurt. %he said dbroken con,idences& made her and Homer sound like dorks& like children& and

that d cheated her b not tellin3 her how ,elt about Homer. know what

wrote had a bad e,,ect on their relationship. #he 3ot reall sel,conscious

with each other& reall awkward. should have realised that would happen.

dumbed out.

Homer had been upset too& althou3h he hadnt said anthin3 directl to

me. #hat was a bad si3n& because wed alwas been able to talk so easil.;ut hed become sel,conscious with me too. , we ,ound ourselves alone

to3ether he mumbled some ecuse and Euickl went o,, somewhere else.

was ver upset about that& mabe even more upset than was about Fi.

>h& the power o, the written word.

;ut thin3s had improved a3ain. n such a small 3roup we couldnt sta

enemies ,or lon3. nl 5ee and 'obn had been prett much

una,,ected b what d written. #he treated me the same all the wa throu3h.

M problem with 5ee was di,,erent B it was how he kept disappearin3 inside

himsel,& ,adin3 awa in ,ront o, m ees. t was 3ettin3 harder to 3et him back

when that happened.


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run them most o, the time& we were all prett eEual and we said what we

wanted.

;ut this was our slowest start. t was obvious that Homer was the onl one

with much to sa. "nd he seemed nervous. t was a while be,ore he pulled the

choke out.


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He sEuatted& and picked up a dr old twi3 and started chewin3 on it. He

was lookin3 down at the 3round& and even thou3h ou could see he was sel,

conscious& he kept talkin3. More Euietl but with a lot o, ,eelin3.

AMabe this stu,, is obvious to everone else. Mabe ou all ,i3ured it out

when ou were kneehi3h to 3rasshoppers& and m just stru33lin3 alon3 in the

distance trin3 to catch up. ;ut ou know& its onl occurred to me the last

week or so how this coura3e business works. ts all in our head. Coure not

born with it& ou dont learn it in school& ou dont 3et it out o, a book. ts a

wa o, thinkin3& thats what it is. ts somethin3 ou train our mind to do. ve

just started to realise that. ne is to 3o and ,ind some other people.#heres 3ot to be other 3roups like us& and all those radio reports keep talkin3

about 3uerilla activit& and resistance in the occupied areas.


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link up with them and work to3ether.


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2hapter #wo

"lread& just a couple o, months since the invasion& the landscape looked

di,,erent. #here were the obvious chan3es: crops not harvested& houses

li,eless& more dead stock in the paddocks. Fruit rottin3 on trees and on the

3round. "nother ,armhouse& the ;lackmores& had been destroed& mabe b

accidental ,ire& mabe b soldiers shells. " tree had ,allen onto the roo, o, the


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nothin3 much le,t to attract the soldiers. d thou3ht d ,eel depressed at the

si3ht o, the wrecka3e& but was too nervous at the thou3ht o, what la ahead.

#o be honest (there 3o a3ain) d alread stopped dreamin3 noble dreams o,

rescuin3 2orrie and @evin instead was thinkin3 more about keepin3 msel,

alive. even had the 3rim idea that m bod mi3ht soon be lookin3 like

2orries house& splattered across the landscape.

#he worst thou3ht o, all thou3h B the one stamped on ever time it reared

its dark ,ilth head B was that 2orrie mi3ht be dead. didnt think d be able to

cope with that. was scared that ,indin3 2orrie dead would be the end o, me.

didnt know how it would ,inish me just had this deep belie, that could not

continue livin3 i, m mate 2orrie had been killed b a bullet ,ired b an

invadin3 arm in the middle o, a war. %urel couldnt survive thatG %urel no

one could survive that. t was too ,ar beond normal.

From the moment Homer had su33ested we 3o into town and ,ind @evin

and 2orrie wed banished the thou3ht that either or both o, them mi3ht have

been killed. #he Euest ,or them had 3iven our lives meanin3 a3ain we werent

in a hurr to rip that up and throw it awa.

"t eleven oclock we started out ,or


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As itG Have ou been countin3G

A6o. ;ut ouve seemed so sad.

A%adG suppose have been. %till am. suppose we all are.

ACes ... ;ut with ou it 3oes so deep& and cant reach ou.

A%orr.

Ats not somethin3 to be sorr about. ts just the wa ou are. Cou cant

help that.

A>@& m not sorr then.

AHe& thats two jokes. "t this rate oull be doin3 standups at the


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was like d become a robot. asked ou and ou just looked at me ,or a sec

while ,elt like a complete idiot& and wondered which tact,ul wa oud ,ind to

sa no. #hen without sain3 anthin3 ou 3ave 2orrie the can o, drink and

ou 3ot up and we had our dance. was hopin3 ,or a lon3 slow son3 but it

was I2onvicted o, 5ove. 6ot too romantic. #hen at the end 2orrie dra33ed

ou o,, to the dunnies and that was the end o, it.

M hand had become damp and sweat& but so had 5ees think. t was

hard to tell whose hand was providin3 the damp. just couldnt believe what

was hearin3. Had 5ee reall ,elt that wa about me ,or so lon3G Knbelievable&

wonder,ul.

A5eeD Coure so ...


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how 'obn would ,eel as she passed it.


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#he trouble was that we didnt know how much thin3s had chan3ed since

the invasion. #he adult prisoners wed talked to once had told us that our

people were still bein3 treated at the Hospital& but we had to epect that the

wouldnt be in the best private rooms. n the car park& more likel. ;e,ore the

invasion the entrance ,oer was in the crossbar o, the H& with 2asualt and

>utpatients and L'a and all that stu,, on the ri3ht& and the wards on the le,t.n the crossbar o, the # were the o,,ices& and in the lon3 row behind them

were the wards ,or the old people.

%ee& our Hospital was as much an old peoples home as it was a hospital:

we didnt 3et a lot o, openheart sur3er and kidne transplants in


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with stra33l red wall,lowers& and towards a side door in the main win3.


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heard it too& at that moment. t was the sound o, a door openin3. peeped

around one corner o, the shed 5ee looked around the other. t was the door

that wed been hopin3 to ,ind unlocked. " man in militar uni,orm was comin3

out. nl when his hand went to his mouth did realise what he wasdoin3. t was a ci3arette. Hed come outside ,or a smoke. Just like us& these

people werent allowed to smoke in hospitals. 3ot Euite a shock d been

thinkin3 o, them as animals& monsters& but the had rules& codes o, conduct&

too. 3uess it sounds naive& but it was the ,irst time ,elt an common 3round

with them. t was odd. t was ,rustratin3 to crouch where we were and look at

that open door. #he ellow li3ht ,rom the corridor made it seem as i, was

peerin3 into a 3old mine. desperatel searched m mind ,or some wa to 3et

in there. #hen m thou3hts were interrupted. From awa to our le,t& in amon3the trees& came a cr& a 3roan& like a bunip havin3 a bab. M skin 3oose

bumped all over. turned and 3rabbed 5ee and looked at him in horror. know

m eebrows were somewhere up above m hairline& and still risin3. #he cr

came a3ain& even worse& and more prolon3ed. #he bunip was 3oin3 to need

stitches. 5ee whispered in m ear& Ats Homer. "s soon as he said it& realised

everthin3. Homer was trin3 to 3et the soldier awa& leavin3 us a wide open

door to stroll throu3h. 5ee and let 3o each other and turned back to our

lookout points.


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wild and cra8 3u lurkin3 inside.

A>@& 3o on& everone have a 3o at me& he said& be,ore could 3et out

more than hal, a sentence. At seemed like a 3ood idea at the time& thats all. ,

he had come lookin3 ,or us& 5ee and =llie could have 3one strai3ht in and ou

3usd now be kissin3 me on both cheeks and buin3 me beers.

A


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2hapter #hree


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A


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;ut now did a tour o, the room& swattin3 the blind cord& spinnin3 the piano

stool& rubbin3 out Homers 3ra,,iti& strai3htenin3 the books& openin3 the ,ront

o, the 3rand,ather clock& then closin3 it a3ain.

A5ets have an instant repla& 5ee said& watchin3 me.

A6ot ver instant& said& sittin3 on the piano stool and ,acin3 him. A;ut >@&lets.

A"ll ri3ht. dont think we said much till the 3u was back throu3h the door

and closin3 it.


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door and li,ted it 3entl o,,.


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oclock in the mornin3.

nl one

person had come ,rom there& a soldier& and he or she had ,lun3 the door shut&

but so hard that it bounced open a3ain.

set o,,& hal, a stride ahead o, 5ee. was hopin3 we could sneak across

the car park& not bein3 noticed& but once we entered that 3reat bare black

desert realised our onl chance was speed. put m head down and

sprinted& hopin3 the ,ootsteps behind me were 5ees. #he ni3ht air was cold

on m ,ace& but colder was the chill down m neck and back the ,ear o, the

rippin3 bullets. 3ot to the door pu,,in3& 3aspin3& and 3rate,ul to be alive.

#ime was so short. "ll could do was stick m head throu3h the door and

look to le,t and ri3ht. #he old wooden corridor was empt o, people so in

went& trustin3 to 5ee to ,ollow me. He did& so closel that could ,eel his

breath around m ears.

"lthou3h the corridor was empt ou could sense that the buildin3 was ,ull

o, people. dont know what it is: the little sounds mabe& the creaks& the

shu,,lin3 noises. >r mabe its the smell o, human bodies and breath& or thewarmth that ,ills the place& the close humid warmth that heaters and ,ireplaces

can never 3enerate. %o knew ri3ht awa that there were people everwhere&

behind all the closed doors alon3 the corridor. made an instant decision to

turn ri3ht& not ,or an reason in particular just did it& walkin3 Euickl alon3&

trin3 to decide which door to 3o throu3h& wishin3 ,or Lra vision.


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nside all was dark. 6ot onl were the li3hts o,, but the curtains were drawn

too. Cet a3ain knew it was ,ull o, people. t seemed such a small room& but

so ,ull o, people. #here was a lot o, heav breathin3& some slow and deep&

some Euaver and lon3. stood there& trin3 to 3et used to the darkness& not

knowin3 whether to risk speakin3 or not. ;ut 5ee tapped me on the shoulder

and ,ollowed him back into the corridor.

A#his is blood risk& he said. He was sweatin3 heavil.


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li3ht on. 7awd& cant believe this.


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suppose ou want to know how our mates are.

ACes please& whispered.

A@evins all ri3ht now. Hes back at the %how3round. !oor little 2orrie ...

%he paused. ,elt an aw,ul& impossible wei3ht inside m chest. M heart.

A


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her over here ,or us to take care o, her. #he soldiers kept sain3 she was a

Ibad 3irl& bad 3irl. Mabe she was luck& bein3 unconscious. Cou know& better

o,,. ;ut the poor kid& she just lies there. #he ,inall 3ot a drip into her& but she

doesnt seem to be 3ettin3 an better.


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sstem couldnt cope o,ten there wasnt enou3h ,ood to 3o around. #here

were a couple o, showers in the horse pavilion ,or the 3rooms& but no one was

allowed to use them& so the all stank and itched. %cratches and cuts 3ot

in,ected easil& and there were epidemics all the time. #he current one was

chickenpo the last one had been mumps. !eople were depressed and bad

tempered and tired. #here were ,i3hts all the time some people not talkin3 toother people a ,ew attempts at suicide a do8en deaths. Most o, these were

old people& some whod been kicked out o, the Hospital& but one had been a

bab& and one a 3irl o, twent& named "n3ela ;ates& whod been murdered.

6o one knew much about it: thed ,ound her bod dumped outside the

dunnies one mornin3. =verone was sure it was the soldiers o, course& but

complainin3 to them was a waste o, time. #he murder remained unsolved.

#here had been some rapes while people were bein3 rounded up and

brou3ht in to the %how3round& but none since. 6ell said the soldiers there

were well disciplined most o, the time& but thed bashed do8ens o, people

whod disobeed orders. " 3u called %pike Farada& a oun3 cockie ,rom out

near 2hampion Hill& had been shot in the kneecap ,or assaultin3 a soldier&

and si people whod tried to escape had been bashed& and dra33ed o,, to the


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6ell lau3hed her little bitter lau3h& that was 3ettin3 used to. A5isten love&

she whispered& Am a hairdresser& and hairdressers are all amateur ps

cholo3ists.


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heard them easil enou3h B the werent makin3 an special e,,ort to be Euiet.

#he opened the door to the room and ,lashed the li3hts on& then turned them

o,, a3ain& a second later. t was so lon3 since d been in a room with electric

li3htin3 that ,elt like d been bashed over the head. t was so power,ul. 5ee

and ,lattened ourselves& breathin3 in dust and the smell o, old wood.

A#he dont normall turn the li3hts on& 6ell whispered a,ter thed 3one.

ACour ,ire alarm mi3ht have spooked them a bit.

%till& was sure the couldnt have worked out the source o, the smoke& or

there would have been a much more ,ren8ied search. Homer had carried a

sack to throw over the smoke bomb when the burst into the room above him.

"ll the would have ,ound was a room ,ull o, smoke& with no obvious cause.

Hed been aimin3 ,or the L'a ?epartment& because with its complicated

electrical eEuipment the wouldnt have known what to blame.


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6ow just leaned weakl a3ainst the door& m head pressed into it. #hat

was not a smart thin3 to do& not Euite as bad as ellin3 cooee or 3oin3 ,or

rides in the wheelchairs& but not ,ar o,, it. 5ee put his arm around me and

turned and buried m head in his chest. didnt cr& but was 3rate,ul ,or his

stron3 hold and his silent understandin3. ?eep inside 5ee there seemed to be

a place that didnt think had. Mabe it was the place his music came ,rom.hD 5eeD %he jumped up& knockin3 somethin3 over.

h Mrs %laterD %he made me lau3h& and thumped her in the chest inprotest. #hen she hu33ed 5ee.


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3uess wed been livin3 to3ether so lon3 we didnt notice how bad we

smelt.


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her on the ,orehead& then la m head on the pillow beside her. didnt sa

anthin3. didnt reall think anthin3 either. Her skin was cool& but didnt

notice that at the time& just thou3ht about it a,terwards. #hrou3h her cheek&

net to mine& could ,eel her breathin3. staed like that ,or some time& a lon3

time.

Finall 3ot up a3ain and whispered in her ear& #ake care out there 2orrie.

5ook a,ter oursel,& and slipped out into the corridor and waited ,or 5ee.

didnt even sa 3oodbe to Mrs %later& which was a bit rude.

5ee was Euite a while& so hid behind a laundr basket& but eventuall he

came out. popped up and went ahead o, him back to ;- to sa 3oodbe to

6ell.

A"re ou >@& loveG she asked. A?id it upset ouG ;ut didnt answer that.nstead asked her a Euestion that had been bu33in3 me.

ACou know how ou said be,ore that @evin was all ri3ht InowG asked.

A>h& did G

ACes& ou did.


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ACou cant do that =llie.

A


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2hapter Four

Homer was Euite impressed to hear that we were so wellknown& so notorious.

A5ets show them were still in business& he said& smilin3 his slowest& most

dan3erous smile.

shivered sli3htl. ?espite m murderous impulse in the Hospital still

couldnt 3et used to eposin3 msel, to dan3er& to standin3 up and wavin3 at

death the wa Homer seemed to enjo. ?id he enjo itG remembered how

hed said coura3e was a state o, mind ou had to think brave& so tried to do

that. t actuall worked& a bit. ,ound msel, joinin3 in the conversation like

was talkin3 about a 3ame o, 6etball or a 2hem test.


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3oin3 throu3h the routines that we now ,ollowed ,or sel,protection: travellin3

in pairs& checkin3 each intersection& keepin3 silent throu3h the streets o, the

town. r to the river& to be more accurate. t had

been an old wooden thin3& and a,ter the eplosion it must have burnt so

,iercel that no one was able to do much about it. #here were just a ,ew

blackened pillars stickin3 out o, the water and the mud& and no other evidence

that thered been a brid3e there. >n the bank thou3h& on the town side& were

lon3 rows o, concrete slabs. t looked like


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little smile.

#he other important chan3e was that the patrols were much smaller.


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at least hal, an hour& but ten minutes later m ees were creepin3 round to it

a3ain.


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drunks. wished was a bab a3ain. was hu33in3 m stomach now&

because thats where thin3s seemed to hurt most. wondered what would

happen i, 3ot appendicitis.


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A#he sound like a 'ussian rock band.

%he lau3hed. A6uh uh. 6ot Euite.

A%o tell me the stor. 3uessed itd be ,rom the ;ible.


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,or his own 3ood reasons.

AHmm.

#here was more knockin3 on the door: Homer.

A2ome in& we both called& and he did.

AHonestl& he said. A7irls in bathrooms. %omeone could write a # series

about 3irls in bathrooms.

He wanted to 3o throu3h his checklist ,or the ni3ht. #here were a ,ew

thin3s we needed& that we had to pick up ,rom ,armhouses& thin3s more likel

to be ,ound in ,armhouses.


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and landed about two metres awa. couldnt see the others. 2hris and

Homer were behind me& and 'obn ahead somewhere& with Fi. "lmost as

soon as was in hidin3 heard the scrunch o, the boots: three soldiers in

sin3le ,ile walkin3 Euite casuall alon3 the road above m head. crouched

even lower and hoped that the others were well hidden. #he soldiers ,oot

steps seemed to be slowin3& and then the stopped completel. risked a3lance and saw just the back o, one o, them movin3 slowl awa ,rom me. t

was a woman& thou3ht& and an instant later she was out o, m si3ht.

didnt know what to do. couldnt ima3ine wh thed stopped& unless

thed seen one o, us& but there were none o, the ur3ent sounds d epect i,

the had. ?esperate thou3hts rushed throu3h m head.


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Fi 3asped.


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ran back with 2hris.


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M ears were rin3in3 with the noise o, the shot3un. i3nored that and i3nored

what d just done.


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#he sure did accelerate. #he seemed to be there in an instant. #he roar o,

the en3ines was suddenl comin3 strai3ht at us& unobstructed b an more

trees or banks. had a 3ood view o, the ,irst three& all o, them trucks& dark

3reen in colour& tratops& with 3ates and tarps. #hen everthin3 went wild.

#he ,irst truck seemed to blow both its ,ront tres at the same moment. t was

like a bomb 3oin3 o,,. #here was an almi3ht eplosion. couldnt believe howloud it was& nor how much smoke. ;its o, rubber& strips o, rubber& went

shreddin3 across the road. #he truck slid strai3ht across the road at hi3h

speed& back tres screamin3& and slammed a3ainst a tree. #he second truck

must have missed all the nails& because it kept its tres intact but in trin3 to

miss the other vehicle it wobbled wildl across the road as the driver ,ou3ht to

keep control. t ,inall strai3htened up a3ain ,i,t metres past us and

accelerated awa. was dis3usted. couldnt believe that the driver would

desert his mates like that. ;ut was more interested in the net ,ew in theconvo. #he third one blew out a ,ront tre with another hu3e ban3& and so

much more white smoke poured out that it became hard to see anthin3. ;ut

saw enou3h to satis, me& as this truck ,ollowed the same route as the ,irst. t

slewed wildl across the road and slammed heavil and hard into the back o,

the other one. #he ,ourth one blew a rear tre and did a *0& endin3 up ,i,t

metres awa and in the middle o, the road. #he ,i,th one stopped so hard that

it sat there shudderin3 ,or a moment be,ore the one behind it slammed into its

rear. heard a couple more crashes back in the cuttin3& but it was nowimpossible to tell what was happenin3. #here was so much smoke& and the

noise was like the end o, the world.

saw a ,lamin3 torch ,l throu3h the air towards the ,i,th truck& and realised

5ee had 3one into action. needed that to spur me back into li,e. lit m ,irst

cocktail& waited a second& and threw it in the same direction as 5ees& then

,ollowed ,ast with m second one. #he others had joined in. For a minute the

air was ,ull o, hot shootin3 stars. could see plent o, ,lame throu3h thesmoke& so somethin3 was burnin3& but there were no eplosions. " 3un

opened up an automatic weapon o, some kind& ,irin3 wildl at ,irst& throu3h

the trees above us& but 3raduall lowerin3 its aim until it was just above our

heads.


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eplosion so vast that the 3round heaved under m ,eet. t took me a second

to realise that the eplosion was behind us& and hadnt come ,rom Homers

bottles at all. #hen a shock wave hit me& almost knockin3 me over& ,ollowed

b a blast o, heat& a dr airless heat. t ,elt like someone had opened the door

o, a steel ,urnace. steadied msel,& 3ot m balance a3ain& and started to run.

#he others B the ones could see B were doin3 the same. heard treesscreechin3 as the split and ,ell behind me.


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2hapter Five

was ,eelin3 prett unusual& walkin3 back across the paddocks. ima3ined a

hu3e shadow o, me was movin3 across the sk& attached to me& and keepin3

pace with m little bod on the earth. t scared me& reall scared me& but

couldnt escape it. t loomed over me& a silent dark creature 3rowin3 out o, m

,eet. knew that i, reached out to ,eel it would ,eel nothin3. #hats the wa

shadows are. ;ut all the same& the air around me seemed colder and darker&

as the shadow clun3 to me. wondered i, this was the wa m li,e wouldalwas be ,rom now on& and i, ,or ever person killed the shadow would 3row

lar3er& darker& more monstrous.

looked across at the others. tried to ,ocus m 3a8e on them& and

3raduall& b doin3 that& m shadow ,aded awa. #hen& as thou3h d had a

rush o, blood to the ees& suddenl started seein3 them ver stron3l.

became ver aware o, everone& o, the wa the all looked. Mabe it was the

li3ht or somethin3. %uddenl the were on a hu3e movie screen& with the

clouds and the darkenin3 sk behind. t wasnt like was seein3 them ,or the

,irst time it was like was seein3 them as others would have. was seein3

them the wa stran3ers& outsiders would.


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ehaustion walked 3race,ull& as thou3h her ,eet needed onl to brush the

3round on each step to keep propellin3 her ,orward. %he was lookin3 around

as she walked& like a wild swan searchin3 ,or water. 6ot ,or the ,irst time

wished had a Euarter o, her stle.


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>ccasionall he looked across and smiled at me& or winked. didnt know

whether to be pleased that he was ,eelin3 so proud& or worried that he was

enjoin3 killin3 people and wreckin3 thin3s. "t least it made li,e less

complicated ,or him.

"s ,or me& m mind was so crowded that thou3hts were bein3 sEuee8ed

out o, m ears. wouldnt have been surprised to ,ind them drippin3 ,rom m

nostrils. #here was just too much to cope with. nstead shoved it all awa

and started 3oin3 throu3h French irre3ular verbs. Je vis, tu vis, il vit, nous

vivons, vous vivez, ils vivent. Je meurs, tu meurs, il meurt, nous mourons,

vous mourez, ils meurent. t seemed sa,er doin3 that than thinkin3 about our

ambush& and it seemed to keep m hu3e dark shadow ,rom hauntin3 me ,or a

little bit lon3er.


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#he scene there was the usual depressin3 si3ht. ?ecain3 buildin3s and

,ences& too man carcasses& a paddock ,ull o, hun3r sheep whod eaten all

the ,eed in it and were ver thin and wonk. "t least we saved them b

openin3 their 3ates. hoped the work parties were allowed to ,eed and move

stock: a lot o, animals would need hand,eedin3 to 3et them throu3h winter&

and some places should have started alread& i, the wanted the stock kept inprime condition.

d hal, thou3ht the @in3s mi3ht have still been there& hidin3& but there was

no si3n o, them. think Mrs @in3 had some o, her violin students per,ormin3 at

the %how& so thed probabl 3one into town that da and been cau3ht. ;ut in

the house& and in the shin new 3alvanisediron shed behind it& we struck a

jackpot. ;a3s o, spuds and ,lour& jars o, preserves& a carton o, canned

peaches that thed 3ot cheap because the cans were dented. 2hook ,ood&

tea and co,,ee& and a do8en bottles o, homebrew& which 2hris ea3erl carried

to the car. 'ice& su3ar& rolled oats& cookin3 oil& homemade jam& chutne.

#ra3icall& no chocolate.


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used to it.

"nwa& in the little li3ht we had& saw a couple o, pairs o, ees peepin3

curiousl towards us. Most o, the stock we passed these das was alread

3ettin3 Euite wild and runnin3 awa& but these little critters didnt. ;ad luck ,or

them that the didnt. #he were two lambs& about si months old& black wool&

and probabl twins. d 3uess their mother had died& but not till the were old

enou3h to wean themselves. #he were in 3ood nick.

A'oast lambD said& and braked. t was just an impulse& but then thou3ht&


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msel, to round up a posse. was thinkin3 o, the sheep& mainl& and wanted

to prove to the others that was still use,ul& that wasnt a bad person& even i,

did kill people.

;ut it was hard work persuadin3 them to come. 2hris just whined& t can

wait till tomorrow& cant itG


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and ordered lamb cutlets& because all those 2hinese names looked too

stran3e to me.

A6ot 2hinese. #hai and ietnamese& 5ee muttered& then& more loudl: A

remember when m ,in3ers ached ,rom hours o, violin practice& and m

teacher told me to do another hour.

A remember when thou3ht Mr >ates said thered be ,ire crackers a,ter

church and was ver ecited and rushed outside& and then ,ound out hed

actuall said choir practice.

A remember the ,irst time saw tra,,ic li3hts.

A>h =llieD Coure such a ruralD

A remember makin3 jell& ,ollowin3 the instructions care,ull& and step three

was I%tand in ,rid3e& and thou3ht I


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At had been spaed o, course. Fi 3ave her little li3ht lau3h& like wind

chimes.

A remember 3oin3 into the 3irls chan3in3 room at the pool b mistake.

A" mistake. %ure 5ee& sure.

A remember when was in love with Jason and used to rin3 him up all the

time and talk to him ,or hours& and one da a,ter d talked ,or a while

stopped and there was nothin3& just a lon3 silence& until ,inall hun3 up& and

net da at school asked him what had happened and he admitted hed

3one to sleep while d been talkin3.

A remember bein3 so ecited about m ,irst da at school that wore m

uni,orm to bed& underneath m pjamas. sure had chan3ed m mind aboutschool since those das.

A remember m parents wanted to send me to boardin3 school and went

and hid under the house ,or ,our hours& until the chan3ed their minds.

A remember swappin3 m violin ,or a Mars ;ar when was in Cear /& and

when m parents ,ound out the chucked the bi33est mental and 3ot on the

phone to the kids parents to cancel the deal. cant even remember who the

kid was now.

A remember& Fi said. At was %teve.

A#hatd be ri3ht& said. %teve& m %teve& m e& had alwas been a

smooth talker.

ACour turn 'obn& Fi said.

A>@& m still thinkin3. >@& remember 7randpops pickin3 me up to 3ive

me a hu3& and he ,or3ot he had a ci3arette in his mouth& and it burnt me on

the cheek.

A remember when we were little watched Homer take a leak and

decided wanted to do it standin3 too& so pulled down m pants and tried. t

didnt work ver well& added& probabl unnecessaril.

A remember the last time saw m parents& Fi said. AMum told me that justbecause was 3oin3 bush didnt mean shouldnt brush m teeth a,ter ever

meal.


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A remember m ,ather sain3 we were the most disor3anised bunch hed

ever seen in his li,e and i, we were jackaroos hed sack ever one o, us&

said& 3oin3 out o, turn. was startin3 to ,eel dismal a3ain. A#hen he char3ed

o,, on the motorbike without even sain3 3oodbe.

A remember ?ad bein3 so anious as was 3oin3& 5ee said& Aand tellin3

me to be ver care,ul& not to take an risks.

A"nd ouve been so obedient& 'obn said. A


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to their own wild rules. t was the ri3ht place ,or us.


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2hapter %i

5ee and were sittin3 outside the door o, the Hermits hut. n this tin shelter a

man whod ,led ,rom a dark and horri,in3 world had ,ound some kind o,

peace. Mabe.


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Homer not tellin3 us about his 3un& Homer shootin3 the soldiers& me killin3 the

wounded soldier. #he were so intimate that couldnt talk about them. t

would have been like talkin3 about m own blood.

%till& at least that da 5ee and did talk about real thin3s thin3s that

mattered.

A"re ou >@ since the bi3 shootin3 matchG he asked.

A dont know. dont know how ,eel an more.

A;ut ou still have ,eelin3sG His hand was under m #shirt& strokin3 m

stomach.

smiled. A>h es. Just one or two. ;ut the mostl seem bad ones

nowadas.

#here was a pause o, a minute or so be,ore he asked& A%uch asG

AFear. "n3er. ?epression. Hows that ,or a startG

A6o 3ood ones at allG

A6ot a lot.

A6oneG

A>h know what ou want me to sa. 5ove ,or ou and all that stu,,&

suppose.

A6o& didnt want ou to sa that. He sounded hurt. A wasnt even thinkin3

o, that. was just worried about ou.

A%orr. %orr. dont seem able to think like a normal person an more.

=verthin3s distorted. 2an ou believe those other countries wont do

anthin3 ,or usG

A


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AMmm& tell me about it.


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A


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A6o& but weve 3ot our own thou3hts& which do the same job. #he wa

weve kept our heads to3ether proves that. bet a lot o, people would have

epected us to be into an or3 o, se& dru3s and chocolate& but weve been

prett strai3ht. %o ,ar.

A>h esG


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A",ter what wrote about them theve hardl touched each other.

ACeah& the did 3o a bit ,unn. He& wait a minute& are ou 3oin3 to be

writin3 down this conversationG

A, do wont be showin3 anone.

ACou better not. %o. He turned to me and picked up m hand and be3an to

stroke the back o, it. A%o& whats the stor =lG


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about. 2ant ou understandG

A 3uess so. Cou mean& i, we lose those thin3s well be de,eated& no matter

what else happens& no matter what militar victories we win.

A=actl. Cou do understandD


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better to wait and let it cool. ;ut we hacked o,, the ,irst chops& with some

rou3h bush butcherin3& and onto the ,ire the went. t was midni3ht be,ore our

hun3r mouths closed on the hot pink meat& but it had been worth the wait.


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2hapter %even


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japaras. nstead o, tents we took a ,ew ,lies and 3roundsheets& which were

li3hter& and 3ood enou3h ,or what we wanted.

#here was a bi3 ar3ument about how to walk the creek. Homer& who was

3raduall returnin3 to his usual assertive sel,& said we should wear boots

because wed be less likel to slip on the rocks. said we should use bare ,eet

so our boots would be dr and warm when we ,inall 3ot out o, the creek.

h ohD Coure askin3 meG #r this mornin3 at break,ast& when ou

stopped 2hris li3htin3 the ,ire. #r two hours a3o& when ou wouldnt let 5ee

open a can o, peaches.

ACeah& and ou notice somethin3 about both those timesG m trin3 to do


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the ri3ht thin3 b us& b this 3roupD m trin3 to keep us aliveD , anone sees

smoke out o, here& were dead. , we pi3 out on all the ,ood were in bi3

trouble. m not just sain3 stu,, ,or m own sake& because like to hear m

own voice& ou know.

ACou ou3ht to listen to others more =llie. Cou keep wantin3 to be a one

man band.

6ow was reall mad.

A#hanks ver much& d never want to be a oneman band a onewoman

one mabe. Coure just provin3 what said be,ore. "nd b the wa& this is

prett 3ood comin3 ,rom ou. Coure the moron who secretl cut down the

shot3uns and secretl took them with ou a,ter wed all a3reed we wouldnt

have ,irearms. Cou put our lives at risk Homer& b bein3 a oneman band& andou did it in cold blood. ve never done anthin3 like that. Coure so sure

oure ri3ht on ever little thin3& ou dont care what anone else thinks.

A"nd was ri3ht& wasnt G 2hris and d be dead now i, hadnt had those

3uns. "ll o, us mi3ht be dead. saved our li,e =llie. He& m a hero.

A#rust ou to cash in just because ou 3ot a luck call. Cou were so blood

luck Homer& ou havent even started to ,i3ure it out et. , those blokes had

taken their ri,les with them when the went into the bush& theres no wa oud

have had time to 3et our precious shot3un out.

A had it in m hand =llie. m not that slow. was read.

A"nd suppose a patrol had jumped usG %uppose wed been cau3ht with

sawno,, shot3unsG


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AHomerD Coure cra8D "nthin3 could have happened out thereD ?ont

believe in ,lukesG Cou dont understand li,e. ts all ,lukes. Coure actin3 like

ou can control everthin3. Cou think oure 7odD Jee8& even in 3ol,& the ball

can hit a tree and bounce o,, into the hole. How do ou eplain thatG "nwa&

thats not the point& said Euickl& in case he could eplain it. A#he point is that

ouve 3ot to 3o alon3 with 3roup decisions. Cou cant i3nore us and do whatou want.


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stron3 and 5ees much stron3er than people realise. %o theres bound to be

clashes.

A=verones stron3 in di,,erent was. didnt think @evin was stron3 until he

drove o,, with 2orrie to the Hospital. Cou were so tou3h when we blew up the

brid3e.

Am not stron3 with people thou3h.

A?o ou still hate me ,or what wrote about ou and HomerG

A6oD >, course notD t was just a shock when read it& thats all. Cour trouble

is oure too honest& and that was the shock. Cou wrote down the thin3s that

most people think but never sa. >r else& people write them in their diaries

and never show anone.

A;ut ou and Homer still havent 3ot it back to3ether.

A6o& but dont know i, that was because o, what ou wrote. Hes so

di,,icult. %ome das hes so lovin3 and beauti,ul and other das he treats me

like dont eist. ts ver ,rustratin3.

%eemed like had a lot o, si3ni,icant conversations that da. Mabe it was

the ,act that we were on the move that 3ot everone talkin3 suddenl. #he lastone was with 2hris and that was even tou3her than the one with Homer.

went down to the creek deliberatel to ,ind him& because ,elt 3uilt about

ne3lectin3 him latel. #he more morose he became the more avoided him.

=verone did. "nd suppose that just made him worse. %o %aint =llie decided

to ,i thin3s& and awa she went& determined to do somethin3 3ood ,or once.

,ound him sittin3 on a rock lookin3 at his le,t ,oot& which was bare. For a

moment couldnt see what he was lookin3 at but then saw this nast blackbul3e on his skin& like a lon3 u3l bloodblister. looked at it& shuddered&

looked a3ain& and realised it was a leech. 2hris was sittin3 there calml&

watchin3 it 3row ,at on his blood.

A=r& uk& said. A


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leech staed there& 3ettin3 bi33er and blacker. t made it hard to have a

conversation. couldnt take m ees o,, it. ;ut tried.

A2an ou make sure ou check ,or e33s behind that ,lat rockG ;lossoms

been lain3 there occasionall.

;lossom was a rather depressed lookin3 red hen who wasnt popular withthe other chooks.

A%ure.

A%o how are ou 3oin3 to spend the time while were awaG

A dunno. ll ,ind thin3s.

A2hris& are ou >@G 5ike& ou seem so cut o,, these das. ?o ou hate us

all or somethin3G s anthin3 3ettin3 ou downG

A6o& no. m ,ine.

A;ut we used to talk& we used to have these 3reat conversations. How

come we dont do that an moreG

A dunno. 6othin3 to talk about.

A%o much is happenin3.


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A


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,ollowin3 'obn who was ,ollowin3 5ee who was ,ollowin3 Fi who was

,ollowin3 Homer. %ometimes the creek widened and rippled over 3ravel&

which was nice and eas sometimes slipped on smooth rocks or ,elt the

pressure o, sharp ones sometimes we had to clamber around deep pools. n

one place the creek ,lowed strai3ht and dark ,or about ei3ht metres& with a

sand bottom& and we were able to walk alon3 it with our heads up as thou3hwe were on a hi3hwa.

d alwas thou3ht o, Hell as bein3 a basin& a bowl& but had no real

evidence o, that. From #ailors %titch the ,ar side o, Hell looked to be a rid3e

o, rock and trees& a lot lower than #ailors. t certainl 3ave the impression o,

,ormin3 one side o, a basin& with Mt #urner the onl reall hi3h point. ;ut

beond that was the Hollowa alle& and the creek had to reach there

somehow.


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#o a lot o, people suppose it wouldnt have been beauti,ul. t had been a

dr summer and althou3h the river ,lats were a so,t 3reen& the paddocks

beond 'isdon had burnt o,, into the ochre sameness that seemed part o, m

li,e& part o, me. #he lush 3reen o, our sprin3s and earl summers never lasted

lon3. was more used to that dr monotonous ellow so used to it that at

some sta3e it had soaked into me& till wasnt sure i, there were boundariesbetween me and the landscape an more. remember Mr @assar at school

sain3 that hed come home a,ter livin3 a ear in =n3land and his heart had

ached with love when he saw the sunburnt plains a3ain. knew what he

meant bo did know what he meant.

=ven the ellow wasnt all ellow o, course. #here were dark 3reen dots o,

trees and lines o, windbreaks& the ,lashin3 o, 3alvanisediron roo,s like little

sEuare pools o, water& the tanks and sheds and stockards and dams& the

endless borin3 ,ences. t was m countr& even more than the bush and the

mountains& and de,initel more than the cities and towns. ,elt at home in

those hot& rustlin3 paddocks.

;ut between us and the valle were a line o, cli,,s and a lot o, bush.


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A


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,ull stretch ,or a ,ew seconds. needed to take a leap o, ,aith. " slide o, ,aith&

anwa. took a breath& swallowed& and let 3o. #he slide onl took a second

but there was that horrible lon3 thou3ht that mi3ht miss the tree and slide

,orever. pressed msel, into the 3ravel harder and scrabbled at the rock,ace

with m ,in3ers. #hen m ,eet hit the broken trunk and almost immediatel m

le3s were wrappin3 round it. let msel, slip a little ,urther and hu33ed the oldwhite wood with m arms as well& closin3 m ees and restin3 m ,ace

a3ainst it.

A"re ou >@G 'obn called.

A%ure. opened m ees. Am just not thinkin3 about 3ettin3 back up

a3ain.

looked down& searchin3 ,or a place to rest m ,eet. #he spikes o, woodwere arran3ed neatl below me& all the wa to the bottom. t seemed prett

strai3ht,orward. put m le,t ,oot down to the ,irst spike and rested m wei3ht

on it& strai3htenin3 a little in relie,. #he branch immediatel snapped. hu33ed

the tree a3ain& as advice started pourin3 down on top o, m head. A@eep our

,eet close to the trunk. A?ont put all our wei3ht on one branch. A#est the

branches ,irst #he were sensible enou3h su33estions& but could have

,i3ured them out ,or msel,. could ,eel the sweat startin3 to make m shirt

stick and m ,orehead hot 3ritted m teeth and searched ,or the netbranch.

; keepin3 m ,eet so close to the trunk that the soles o, m boots were

twisted a3ainst it& made pro3ress. ;oots werent ideal ,or this kind o, work&

but the were all had. t took me ,ive minutes& it ,elt like ,i,teen& but at last

was standin3& wild with relie,& at the base o, the trunk& m back to the bush.

A2ome on& elled.

A


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A


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2hapter =i3ht

>ur ,irst view o, Harves Heroes was ,rom a rid3e o, rock overlookin3 the

camp.


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out more about these people& anwa.

had to be content with that. Homer stood& and we ,ollowed him.


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a camp stretcher covered b a mosEuito net& a table and three chairs& and a

,ew boes and trunks.


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obvious that d missedG ",ter all& now that we were back with adults& we

epected a bit o, praise& a bit o, reco3nition. ur job is to harass the enem as much as possible& causin3 maimum


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inconvenience to him and disruptin3 his activities at ever possible point. nl then did it strike me

that the major hadnt even asked us our names.

"t least the captain seemed harmless enou3h a tall thin man with a so,t

voice. He had a prominent "dams apple which bobbed up and down as he

talked& and he kept blinkin3 all the time. He was a man o, ,ew words thou3h.

He spent a minute with us outside Major Harves tent& pointin3 out the laouto, the camp& then said hed show us our sleepin3 Euarters. He led us throu3h

the camp a3ain& to the western ed3e& and stopped outside another bi3 tent.

A#he two bos& he said& pointin3 at the openin3. Homer and 5ee hesitated&

and looked at us. Homer raised his eebrows& rolled his ees and

disappeared into the tent. 5ee& his normal impassive sel,& ,ollowed. 2aptain

@illen was alread walkin3 awa and we three Euickl cau3ht up with him.


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#he captain stopped and called out AMrs Hau,,D t sounded like a cou3h&

the wa he said it. From the ,ront tent Mrs Hau,, emer3ed. %he was a bi3

woman& about ,i,t& and heavil made up. %he wore a black sweater and blue

jeans. %he looked at us a bit like a shop assistant looks when oure trin3 to

echan3e a top ou dont like.

A%o oure the 3irls ve 3ot to ,ind room ,orG she said. A"ll ri3ht& just come

with me. #hank ou ;rian& she said to 2aptain @illen& who nodded and turned

on his heel. 6ervousl we ,ollowed Mrs Hau,,. %he allocated us to separate

tents& me to one net to Fi& but with a sleepin3 ba3 in it alread. 'obn was

ei3ht metres awa.

A6ow we havent 3ot an 3irls our a3e& Mrs Hau,, said to us as she

pointed out the tents. A"nd we dont want an nonsense. ve raised three 3irls

msel, and know what 3oes on. Coull pull our wei3ht the same as everone

else. ?ont waste our time epectin3 it an other wa.

was too subdued b all these adults to sa anthin3. crawled into the

tent& pushin3 m pack ahead o, me& and un8ipped it. "ll wanted to do was

sleep. moved the sleepin3 ba3 that was alread there& be,ore pullin3 out m

own one and lain3 it down the ri3hthand side. %tu,,in3 a ,ew clothes into a

shirt to make a pillow& la down slowl& like a tired old lad with arthritis. For

a ,ew minutes was too wear to think about anthin3. watched the li3ht3lowin3 3reen throu3h the sides o, the tent. #he da was endin3& and as la

there the li3ht chan3ed Euickl& to a darker& dimmer shade. " shadow& lar3e

and distorted& passed across the ,abric as someone went past outside.

shrank awa ,rom it& rememberin3 the shadow that had clun3 to me a,ter d

shot the soldier. "s m mind be3an to settle asked msel, what was

thinkin3& what was ,eelin3. %lowl realised it was relie,. didnt care how

stupid these people were& how unreasonable& how prejudiced. #he were

adults& the could do all the worrin3 and make all the decisions. could leaveit to them. didnt have to ,i3ht with these aw,ul choices an more. d just do

what the told me: be a 3ood 3irl& shut up& ve3 out.

M ees were closed b then and welcomed the slow dri,t into sleep.

was woken b someone bumpin3 around in the tent beside me. opened

m ees abruptl& but unwillin3l. t was too dark to see anthin3 ecept ,or

occasional 3limpses o, a ,i3ure stru33lin3 with the bits and pieces scatteredaround the tent: the boots& the toilet ba3s& m pack.


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smell o, mist the ,aint eucalptus tan3 ,rom the 3um leaves: knew these

varied ,rom tree to tree& ,rom place to place& but never seemed to have the

time or patience to eplore them properl. %uddenl curious& 3ot down on all

,ours and snu,,led at a heap o, damp leaves. ,elt like a wombat& and started

wonderin3 i, mi3ht turn into one. scuttled across the slope ,or a ,ew metres&

trin3 to imitate the rhthmic trot o, a wombat on a mission. du3 m snoutinto another pile o, brown and black wet leaves.

#here was a cou3h behind me& unmistakabl human.

t was 5ee.

>@& ,elt reall stupid& but m sure people do stu,, like that all the time

when there on their own. ;ut mabe not pretendin3 to be wombats. Mabe

not sni,,in3 at lea, litter either. >@& mabe the dont do anthin3 like that.


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A#he women wear makeup.

ACeah& noticed.

A 3uess livin3 on this side o, the mountains& its not the same as


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2hapter 6ine

#wo das later we were at a meetin3 called b Major Harve. was sittin3

towards the back& separated ,rom Fi b m tentmate& %harn& and Fis tent

mate& ?avina. 'obn was two rows ahead o, me and the bos were ri3ht up

the ,ront. "ll the males sat in the ,ront section o, the meetin3 area and the

,emales at the back. Major Harve stood on a stump& with 2aptain @illen at his

ri3ht hand and Mrs Hau,, at his le,t.

For those two das m onl conversations with the other ,our had been

brie, and unnatural.


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ACoure lookin3 ri3ht at me& so assume oure seein3 me. >r perhaps its

darker here than realised.

3round m teeth. His sharp ees 3lanced at me& then looked awa a3ain.

A


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slack& weve become so,t& weve lost our wa. , ou ask me& these people

have done us a ,avour b invadin3. h es.

A#hen there is no 3reat ur3encG

A


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and told me to 3o clean his tent. 5ookin3 back now can see it was a setup&

but didnt realise that at the time. nstead trud3ed o,, to his tent ,eelin3

resent,ul. was thinkin3 about Harves Heroes& and thinkin3 that their

problem was that the were trin3 to pretend there was no war. Knderneath

all the militar dis3uises was just a 3roup o, ordinar middlea3ed

townspeople who were trin3 to live out here in the bush the wa the hadalwas lived in their nice brickveneer houses in 'isdon. #he 3ossiped the

swapped 3ardenin3 tips and talked about their children the cleaned or

cooked or pottered around doin3 odd jobs. >ne o, them had asked me the

da be,ore i, plaed brid3e. >nl Major Harve was di,,erent. He was driven

b some lust that the others didnt have. think he enjoed his power over

them but at the same time was ,rustrated b the ,act that the werent combat

hardened troops whom he could throw into the ,ront line o, some hu3e battle.

#hinkin3 all this& be3an m cleanin3 job in a mood o, resentment& hostilit.

t just seemed too ridiculous to be dustin3 and sweepin3. "nd ,elt humiliated

that & =llie& who blew up brid3es& should be at the beck and call o, this little

imitation Hitler. "33ressivel& swept out the leaves that had blown in& pulled

down a cobweb in the back le,thand corner o, the tent& and polished the two

visitors chairs. didnt even look at the bed there was no wa was 3oin3 to

touch that.

moved around to his side o, the desk to start work there. saw a pile o,

papers the top one a manila ,older with Confidential written on it. didnt

hesitate.


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At seems that ouve remembered nothin3 ,rom our conversation last

ni3ht.

didnt answer& just kept scrubbin3.

ACou have a lot to learn about discipline& oun3 lad.

%crub scrub.

AFor3et the cleanin3. 7o back to Mrs Hau,,. dont want ou in this tent

a3ain.

M skin was burnin3. picked up m 3ear and walked towards him. #here

was a problem when 3ot there thou3h Major Harve was blockin3 the

doorwa and didnt look like he was 3oin3 to move. "nd there was no wa

known that was 3oin3 to shove past him. %o stood and waited. ",ter a

minute he turned to one side and stood there& still with arms ,olded. #hat was

obviousl the onl concession he was 3oin3 to make& so sEuee8ed throu3h

the 3ap and out into the ,resh air& without lookin3 at him a3ain.

t was a relie, to 3et back to %harn. %he could be rou3h and boss and

badtempered& but wasnt scared o, her. %he wasnt sinister.

didnt have time durin3 the a,ternoon to write the application to 3o andretrieve 2hris& and when told Homer he said to leave it till the net da& when

Harve mi3ht have calmed down. %o went to the meetin3 instead.

Major Harves meetin3 wasnt much like our meetin3s back in Hell. t

consisted o, Major Harve makin3 a lon3 speech. #he ,irst part was about the

threat to our countr and the need ,or coura3e.

A#hese are terrible times& he said. A5ike man brave people be,ore us& we,ind ourselves havin3 to de,end our shores& to protect what is ri3ht,ull ours& to

sa,e3uard our women and children.

bviousl all the brave

people he had in mind were male. swallowed& then breathed out hard

throu3h m nose. Mabe it was another lesson in discipline ,or me. Major

Harve added a ,ew words about patriotism& then went back into histor a

little.


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AMen like , course

would not put msel, in the same class as nce a3ain ,ind msel, pain3 tribute to Mrs Hau,, and her band o,

helpers. #he campsite continues to be maintained in immaculate condition

and meals are served on time and beauti,ull presented. "s 6apoleon said&

I"n arm marches on its stomach& and the present 3ood morale o, HarvesHeroes is in no small measure due to Mrs Hau,,s 3irls.

Mrs Hau,,s epression didnt chan3e but ,elt as thou3h a wave o,

approval was slowl ripplin3 throu3h her lar3e bod. continued to prickle.

hadnt seen an males doin3 housework. For two das d done little else&

scrubbin3 pots and pans& washin3 sheets B no joke in cold water B and

darnin3 socks. #he 3us were occupied doin3 3u thin3s B di33in3 drains&

collectin3 ,irewood& and makin3 a small wooden cabin which was meant ,or

Major Harves headEuarters. #he thin3 that pu88led me most was that

everone seemed so happ with these arran3ements. =verone ecept us


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,ive& anwa& and wasnt at all sure about Homer. , we hadnt constantl

bullied him back in Hell& hed have had his slippers on ever ni3ht and sat in

,ront o, the ,ire waitin3 to be served.

AFinall& said Major Harve& Awe welcome our ,ive new recruits. ts a

pleasure to have some oun3 people join us& and m sure the will soon 3et

used to the discipline o, a militar operation. "s have said on a number o,

occasions to the lon3er established members o, Harves Heroes& Ilive. %harn watched us 3o& but

didnt tr to ,ollow. think she thou3ht was sa,e with >live& but decided to

take a risk and sa somethin3 irreverent.

A was trin3 to think what that meetin3 reminded me o,& said. A"nd

worked it out. t was like bein3 back in a school assembl.

%he lau3hed& then looked around 3uiltil.

A?o ou know what Major Harve did be,ore the invasionG she asked. As

that wh ou said thatG

A6o. snt he a soldierG

%he lau3hed a3ain. ACou must be jokin3. He was the ?eput at 'isdon

Hi3h %chool.

A>hD ,elt cheated. "ll this time d thou3ht he was an "rm superstar.

A%o whered he 3et his militar knowled3eG asked.

A


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A%o is that all it isG #alkG

%he shru33ed. Ane was the

power 3rid ,or %outh 'isdon and the other was the telephone echan3e ,or

?ucklin3 Flat. #here wouldnt have been an enem soldier within ten

kilometres at the time. #here neither o, them nuclear reactors. >ne was the

si8e o, an outdoor dunn& and the other wasnt much bi33er.

A"nd the vehiclesG


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2aptain @illen 3ot on the stump this time& to address us. wondered what hed

been be,ore the invasion: an accountantG #here was no si3n o, Major Harve.

A>peration !hantom is read to be3in& he announced in his thin dr voice.

could hardl hear him& thou3h was onl twent,ive metres awa. A"lthou3h

just a small number o, men will be reEuired ,or active service& others who wish

to watch the operation ma do so ,rom a vanta3e point on the ,irebreak above

the 2unnamulla road.

%pectatorsD

AHow much will we have to pa ,or our ticketsG wanted to ask. ;ut still

had enou3h smarts to sta silent. looked at Homer& trin3 to catch his ee&

but he was 3a8in3 epressionlessl at 2aptain @illen& and re,used to look

around.

A>peration !hantom will hit the enem at his so,t underbell& 2aptain @illen

continued. Alsen& "llison& ;abba3e ...

#here were a do8en names alto3ether. "pparentl that was 2aptain

@illens de,inition o, a small 3roup. 6either Homer nor 5ee was amon3 them&

was 3lad to hear. "nd there was no chance o, 'obn or Fi or me bein3

chosen. 7irls didnt rate with Harves Heroes& ecept ,or cookin3 and

cleanin3. ;ut didnt hesitate when %harn asked me i, wanted to 3o and

watch. t seemed Euite comical to me& but %harn and the others werent

lau3hin3: there was a serious and silent air throu3h the camp as people made

their preparations. >, course it was serious& reminded msel, an3ril B an

contact with the enem was serious B but just wished thed stop actin3 likecharacters in an "merican war movie. =verthin3 seemed so di,,erent to the

wa wed done thin3s. >ur violent ,i3hts with the enem were startin3 to seem

like bad and impossible dreams so much so that was havin3 trouble

believin3 the had happened at all.

#here seemed to be no reason ,or spectators& ecept to make 2aptain

@illen and the other heroes ,eel bi3 and important. ;ut that didnt bother me.

,i3ured could 3o and watch without havin3 to accept these 3us as le3ends.

%o joined the 3an3& hopin3 that Major Harve wouldnt notice me there and

stop me ,rom 3oin3. #here were about ,i,teen o, us& includin3 Fi and 'obn


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and Homer and 5ee& but o, course be,ore we could leave we had to be 3iven

the ;i3 #alkin3 #o b 2aptain @illen.

A6ow& he said& lookin3 at us severel& as thou3h we were 3oin3 on a

school ecursion to a museum ,ull o, ,ine porcelain. A want it clearl

understood that we are on active service. #hose o, ou allowed to accompan

us must understand that ou are to obe orders nstantl. Cou must sta Euiet&

not 3et in the wa& and keep all conversation to a minimum. 'emain under

cover at all times. "nd ou kids& meanin3 us& realised with an an3r ,lush&

Aou kids in particular& dont want to hear a word out o, ou. %ta out o, the

wa& and behave ourselves.

dont know what he epected& that wed start plain3 hide and seek& or

sin3in3 7irl 7uide hikin3 son3s. didnt dare look at Homer this time. He must

have been seconds awa ,rom meltdown.

was waitin3 ,or Major Harve to appear but then the others started

movin3 o,,& and had to hurr to catch them. >nl then did realise that the

Major wasnt comin3. was so an3r started 3rindin3 m teeth. didnt trust

msel, to speak. %ome leaderD despised him. "ll he could do was talk.

#he do8en 3uerillas were led b 2aptain @illen the soon branched o,,

and went down a dr creek bed that took them strai3ht downhill.

>ur leader was a serious lookin3 older man with 3lasses. His name was

#err. He didnt sa a word& but he seemed to know his wa around. He took

us alon3 a rid3e throu3h the trees. hoped he knew the wa well because it

would be dark b the time we 3ot back. walked with Fi and her minder&

?avina. >live was just ahead o, us& and 'obn at the rear with her tentmate.

%harn hadnt come. !hsical eertion wasnt her scene. Homer and 5ee

were up the ,ront& behind #err.

live was sure thered be a minimum o,

contact with the enem.

7raduall the bush thinned out and we started to 3et 3limpses o, thevalle. Far below saw ellow pieces o, a dirt road& like one o, those tracks ,or


103/212

batteroperated racecars when ou break it up to put back in the bo. %oon

we could see Euite lon3 stretches o, road& as the valle spread out into wider

and ,latter countr. 6ow we had to avoid open 3round and hu3 the line o,

trees ,or cover. spent most o, the time walkin3 with m head tipped back. t

was nice to see lots o, clear sk a3ain. #hered been a bit o, conversation as

we walked throu3h the thicker scrub& but out here people were Euieter& so didnt have to listen to anone an more. #hat was ,ine b me.

#he ,irebreak was a lon3 u3l stripe down throu3h the bush: a bulldo8ed

trail o, cla and weeds and some re3rowth& beside an old postandrail ,ence&

#err made us cross the ,irebreak in pairs& runnin3 with heads down& which

was sensible. #hen& with everone over the other side& we climbed the hill.

#he sun was startin3 to drop the air was 3ettin3 colder Euickl and the

shadows o, the trees were so lon3 that the were lost in the bush on the other

side o, the trail. ;ut the hard eercise kept us warm. #he hill was steep and b

the time we 3ot to the top we were all red,aced and pantin3. t was worth it

thou3h.


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tank.

AKnbelievable& muttered.

=ven ,rom our hei3ht ou could see that the tank had met with some sort

o, disaster. t was tipped to one side and thou3ht could see 3ou3es in the

road where it had 3one out o, control. #he top was open and there was nosi3n o, li,e around it.

AJust like their troop carrier& said.

A


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A dont know how o,ten. ;ut >live 3ave me the impression that all their

attacks are the same.

Homer started 3ettin3 Euite a3itated. A;ut ou mean the ... ?o the think

the enems 3oin3 to let them keep walkin3 up to vehicles and wipin3 them

outG He twisted round and stared down at Harves Heroes& aniousl&

an3ril.


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'obn was a second ahead o, everone else.

A2>>>>>>>>================D %he was on her ,eet& hands to

her mouth& and her call rolled around the hills like the cr o, a 3iant bird. #he

e,,ect was dramatic. t reminded me o, times at home when d shaken a tree

to send the bron8ewin3s rattlin3 out and beatin3 awa into the distance. ;ut

now there wasnt just movement ,rom one tree. #here was sudden scramblin3

movement everwhere. %oldiers started standin3 and saw 3uns turnin3

towards us. #he obviousl hadnt known the had anone behind them. #err

came runnin3 out ,rom the scrub like a demented sheep. He had no idea what

was 3oin3 on. He must have thou3ht 'obn had 3one mad. >r else that we

were the stupid irresponsible kids that 2aptain @illen had thou3ht. ;ut hardl

noticed him or the soldiers. M ees were on the 3uerillas.


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@G we all said simultaneousl.

He just nodded.

A


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time ,or apolo3ies.

A5ets think this throu3h& Homer said. A@ 'obn said& Awell 3o to the camp. #hen well come back and ,ind ou

3us.

A#hats not 3oin3 to work& said. A


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All 3o. Cou sta here.

;e,ore he could object stood and started creepin3 down the side o, the

scar. Funn how with a 3roup o, people Homer nearl alwas took the lead&

and with Homer took the lead. went almost the whole wa down to the

road. #here was nothin3 worth lookin3 at. 6o bodies& no soldiers& no 3uns. 6o

tank either. ;o& had Harves Heroes been stupid to ,all ,or that one. ;ut&

had to remind msel,& d ,allen ,or it too. d thou3ht we were 3oin3 to see a

,ree bon,ire instead d seen a ,ree shootin3 3aller& a sickenin3 useless

massacre.

ed3ed alon3 to the ri3ht& till was nearl at the corner. could see dark

patches on the road and stared at them with a kind o, 3ruesome ,ascination&

not sure i, the were patches o, blood or shadows ,rom the trees. Had

everone been killedG started wonderin3 what would have happened to

survivors& and that be3an a chain o, thou3hts that sent me scramblin3 back

up the hill to ,ind Homer.

A5isten& panted& as came round behind his bush. A%upposin3 the

werent all killedG %uppose some were onl woundedG

A


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knee. nearl brou3ht Homer down with me.

A"re ou >@G he asked.

A


111/212


112/212

2hapter #en

#here was a hint o, li3ht in the eastern sk. >r was it m ima3inationG d

looked ,or dawn so man times alread& but with no satis,action. Homer was

asleep on m le,t& mouth open& snorin3 sli3htl. M ees ,elt heav and dull

as thou3h the would look 3la8ed and opaEue to anone starin3 into them.

5uckil no one was starin3 into them. looked around listlessl. " ,aint bree8e

tickled the leaves o, the trees& made them move and whisper and pla

around. n the bush ahead o, me a branch cracked and ,ell. t soundedsurprisin3l loud& thou3h didnt hear it hit the 3round. " lar3e bird& a white owl

think& ,lapped across the top o, the cli,,.

#hen came the unmistakable sound o, human ,ootsteps. >nl a cow

sounds as heav and purpose,ul as a human& and there wouldnt be cows in

this dense bush. ,elt sick with ,ear and hope. 3rabbed Homer b the

shoulder. "s he stirred into li,e& leant over ,urther and clamped m hand on

his mouth. He 3ur3led a bit& then& as could tell b the sudden tenseness o,

his bod& he woke.


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re3istered what it was ,or. %he just held it loosel& without li,tin3 her arm. 3ot

msel, a rock too. 6one o, us was sure what to do we were just actin3

instinctivel& but instinctivel we looked ,or weapons.


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'obn lost her smile suddenl she ran to the soldier and knelt beside him.

A


116/212

been lost ,or nearl an hour. #hen we saw them at last& throu3h the trees.


117/212

bush& headin3 at last ,or the tree& but not knowin3 i, she would ,ind onl the

silence o, the ni3ht there& knowin3 onl that she was too tired to 3o an

,urther& knowin3 that when she reached the tree she mi3ht have to turn and

,ace her death. #his had been a terrible ni3ht ,or all o, us& but perhaps ,or Fi

most o, all.

#hat was assumin3 5ee was >@.

'obn started speakin3 a3ain.

Ats still prett dark.


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probabl wouldnt remember where he was or what happened.

6o one bothered to point out all the ,laws in the plan.


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A5eeD >ver hereD


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3ave a little hiccup. Her ees were wide open and she was starin3 at 5ee as

thou3h he were a monster& Jack the 'ipper. was scared o, him msel,&

wonderin3 i, hed chan3ed ,orever& i, hed become a devil. 'obn was

hperventilatin3& with her hands to her throat. Homer backed awa& ees

starin3& his hands behind him as thou3h lookin3 ,or support. #here was no

support there. just stood with m mouth open& lookin3 at the oun3 bod onthe 3round. Homer had dropped the torch and bent down and picked it up.

5ee stood and walked awa a couple o, steps& then came back. A5ets 3et

rid o, him& he said& but all the an3er and harshness had 3one out o, his voice.

He sounded almost normal& ecept that didnt know i, hed ever be normal

a3ain.

A


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,eral do3s and other carnivores& but we had to hope that i, there was a search

it wouldnt last more than a da or two. #hat seemed a reasonable hope.

%oon we seemed to arrive at an a3reement that wed done enou3h. #he

3re amon3 the trees was li3htenin3 Euickl as the da spread into the bush.


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2hapter =leven

%o o,ten its the little thin3s that are the hardest.


124/212

A 3ot him ,rom our tent.

A


125/212

women thed cau3ht.

Homer started climbin3 the tree.

A


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moment be,ore reappearin3& standin3& at the top& lookin3 down and smilin3.

A!iece o, cake& he said.

'obn ,ollowed& doin3 it ver Euickl& 3oin3 up in one continuous burst till

she too rolled over the top. ; then Fi was at the top o, the tree and lookin3

up aniousl.

A2ome on Fi& called ,rom the bottom.

5ee started up the tree as Fi be3an tentativel to reach out and ,eel ,or a

handhold. Homer and 'obn were like stereo speakers& ur3in3 her on. %he

went ver slowl& usin3 the sides o, her shoes instead o, her toes& and

hal,wa up she ,ro8e. could see her le3s shakin3. A2ome on Fi& we were all

callin3. A cant& she cried. A2ome on Fi& 'obn said ur3entl. #he soldiers arecomin3. #he werent& but it worked. Fi 3ained another metre with a little

scramblin3 movement& then ,lun3 her arm up and 3rabbed at 'obns. 5uckil

she cau3ht it. hate to think what would have happened i, she hadnt. =ven so

'obn had to haul and haul be,ore Fi& han3in3 like a dead wei3ht& was

dra33ed over the top.

Fi had been brave so man times& shown such stren3th& but it seemed like

shed been wiped out b the last twelve hours.

5ee 3ot up Euite easil. t was a de,inite advanta3e bein3 tall. was at the

last branch b then and watchin3 him. worked out m route& a bit ,urther to

the ri3ht than 5ees& and with a bi3 3ulp o, pure ,ear le,t the securit o, the

tree and started out. #he main thin3 was not to panic. =ver time started

3ettin3 the wild ,eelin3s that would ,all& must certainl ,all& told msel, to

think brave& to 3et control o, m mind& to be stron3. ;ut ,ound msel, 3ettin3

phsicall tired. was hun3r& m knee was hurtin3& and was takin3 too lon3

to make the climb& usin3 up m ener3. accelerated a bit& 3lanced up& and

saw Homers hand outstretched towards me& just within reach.

A dont need an help& said crossl.

"t that moment ,ell. t was so Euick& without warnin3. M ,in3ers all lost

their 3rip simultaneousl. knew was too ,ar across to catch the tree and

knew Euite clearl that had two choices: to use m hands to brake msel,&

and rip up m hands doin3 it& or to 3o into ,ree ,all and break m le3s. usedm hands. was so close to the cli,, ,ace that could deliberatel press into it&

3rabbin3 at it& scrapin3 a3ainst it& usin3 an point o, contact possible& knees&


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toes& chest a ,ew times& and hands& all the wa down. landed at the bottom

without ever havin3 reached outo,control speeds& but hit heavil& jarred m

knee a3ain& and rolled across the 3round till ,etched up a3ainst a rock. la

there 3riml& hatin3 everthin3. didnt dare look at m ,in3ers. 3ot up and

shook the dirt o,, m clothes& then walked back to the tree. "n3ril started

climbin3 it a3ain& i3norin3 the stin3in3 in m hands& the dull pain in m knee&the ache in m back. #here were cries o, distress above me& the other ,our

leanin3 over and callin3 out& like lonel cockatoos. Am >@& muttered&

knowin3 that the couldnt hear me. 3ot to the top o, the dead& white trunk

a3ain and paused there ,or a minute& hu33in3 it& shakin3 a bit.

A2huck up the ri,le& Homer called. realised the automatic weapon had

slun3 across m back was still there. #hat was the ache in m back. was

luck the ri,le hadnt started ,irin3. clumsil slipped it o,, and held it balanced

in m hands ,or a moment& then ,lun3 it hard and hi3h up over the top. t onl

just 3ot there& but 'obn 3rabbed its butt as it started to ,all a3ain& and hauled

it up. " minute later she reappeared over to m le,t.

A2ome this wa =llie& she called.

#here was an eas led3e over there but it didnt lead anwhere& so none o,

us had used it. ;ut saw what the were trin3 to do. #hed ,ormed a human

chain. 5ee was holdin3 'obn and she was dan3lin3 over the cli,, holdin3 theri,le. couldnt see who was holdin3 5ee. ed3ed m wa over there and

reached up. could just 3rab the barrel o, the 3un.

A>h =llie& our poor hands& 'obn said.

A hope ouve unloaded this thin3& said.

ACes& we have actuall. 2an ou hold onG

ACes& 3o on.

ACoure sureG

AJust do it.

%he be3an to shu,,le back& as we both held on 3riml. For a moment she

had all m wei3ht but then was able to use m ,

John Marsden - Tomorrow 2 - The Dead of the Night

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Transcript of John Marsden - Tomorrow 2 - The Dead of the Night