Red Centre (7 page)

Lisa and Chris squinted to see if they could
make out anything. For all they knew it was just some underfed
kangaroos, rummaging about the camp.

Lisa gripped her small flashlight,
contemplating whether she should go out there. A chill ran down her
spine.

“
Do you have a gun?” Chris
asked, not taking his eyes off the site.

Lisa looked over at him. “What? Why?”

Chris looked back at her with concern in his
eyes. His look unnerved her even more.

Lisa slowly sat back in her seat. Without
warning a gray face flashed outside her window. Her body instantly
stiffened with fear, chills biting all over her body. Chris jumped,
grabbing the dashboard with one hand. The image of that face
instantly burnt into their minds—oversized, black, almond-shaped
eyes; gray, shiny skin. As quickly as it was there, it disappeared
back into the darkness. Only a split second glimpse. Chris and Lisa
weren’t sure what they had just seen, but they were terrified.

She gripped the flashlight against her
chest, her eyes fixed straight ahead. Like a child terrified of the
dark in her bedroom, she was too scared to look directly out the
window, or to even move.

Chris reacted quickly, lunging across her to
lock the door. “GO! GO!” He shouted orders at her.

The large engine turned over. It roared as
Lisa tore backwards in the old four-by-four. She slammed the
brakes, skidding to a stop, punched the accelerator and ripped a
u-turn. Dust and small stones peppered the air as the back tires
skidded in the loose gravel. Her body shook. Chris whipped his head
back to see if he could catch sight of anything back at the site
through the cloud of dust.

The campsite was soon far behind them.

“
What was that?” Lisa
gasped. Panicked. She glanced at the rear view mirror, hands
gripping the wheel, knuckles white. “What. The. Hell. Was. That?
Holy shit.”

The four-by-four bounced over potholes and
small mounds of dirt and rock as it ripped along the sandy road.
Chris quickly secured the seat belt tight around his waist. They
tossed about the cabin. The truck airborne with each mound, the
shock absorbers taking a beating.

The truck hit a large mound, twisting the
vehicle to its side slightly. It smashed hard on three wheels.
Chris’ head slammed against the window—fortunately not hard enough
to crack the glass, or his head. He grabbed the side of his head to
tend the pain.

“
Just don’t crash,” he
said through clenched teeth, his eyes on the side mirror. A wake of
dust trailed behind them in the darkness. He looked over at Lisa.
Moist lines from tears streaked her pale cheeks, her eyes still
tense, just like her driving. He reached across, resting his hand
on her shoulder. “It’s okay. You can slow down now.”

“
I’m not going to stop
until we reach civilization.” She stared straight ahead.

Chris smiled. “It’s the Northern Territory;
how far are you going to drive?”

She shot a glare at him, not in the mood for
sarcasm. Her foot eased off the gas slightly. Her eyes drifted to
the rear-view mirror again. The tail lights cast a red glow on the
clouds of dust trailing the four-by-four. Beyond that—the dark,
empty void of night. She had often heard people share stories about
things they had seen out here, like the old couple’s story the
night before: lights in the dark, shapes in the sky, that short of
shit. But this was the first time she had witnessed anything like
this herself.

Her eyes snapped back to the road, quickly
swerving to dodge a pothole and upcoming mounds.

Then a slight movement in the rear-view
mirror drew her eyes back. “What the hell was that?” She was sure
something moved in the back of the enclosed truck bed. It took her
a second to process the information, but someone or something was
in the back of the truck!

“
What?” Chris glanced back
over his shoulder to see what she was looking at. The enclosed bed
made it hard to see. “I don’t see anything.”

Lisa sat up in her seat, stretching to get a
higher angle from the mirror into the dark bed.

Glancing back to where she was driving, all
Lisa saw coming were roadside trees, the dirt road already curving,
the truck still going straight. She pumped the brakes; the truck
slid several feet on loose road. It stopped, the hood inches from
smashing into the skinny, tall trees. Dust blanketed the
four-by-four.

Lisa slowly turned her head to look at a
rattled Chris. A chill swept over her entire body.

Chris grabbed the flashlight and unlocked
his door. Someone had to take a look. It was probably nothing
anyway. At least, that was what he was telling himself. “It’s just
some guys goofing off,” he said as he climbed out of the truck.

The wind blew hard as Chris slowly stepped
out onto the sandy road. His clothes wrapped his body, whipping in
the wind. He clicked the flashlight on.

The bright beam lit up the empty night and
formed a lightsaber in the swirling dust. Chris’ heart pounded. He
slammed the door closed. Lisa quickly slid across, locking the door
behind him. She had fear in her eyes, almost tears. And she was
supposed to be the ranger—the protector out here. He gave a small
nod to say “it’ll be okay.” If this had been happening in the US,
at least she would be packing some heat. But nope, not out here in
the sunburnt country. With all the stories of strange lights out
here, it wouldn’t hurt to be packing a couple of guns. Hell, even a
.22 would be something of an insurance policy.

He took a deep breath. His
mind was racing.
What to do?
he thought.

Chris took the flashlight in his right hand.
He banged on the side of the fiberglass roof with his open left
hand. “Hey, asshole! I’m coming for you. You better take off.”
Chris waited to see if anyone would bolt down the road. You never
knew. It could be some dumb ass who got drunk and found a place to
sleep it off—like that fat-ass Roy.

Chris leaned in close to
the truck to see if he could hear anyone in there. Nothing. He took
a small step toward the back.
This is
stupid. No one’s in there,
he told
himself. He inched forward a little further, then stopped.
What if someone, or a wild animal, was in
there?
What was he going to do if there
was?

His heart beat more quickly. Rapid breaths.
Nerves were getting the better of him.

Lisa looked back, trying to see what Chris
was doing. She could see he was still. Then he turned and came back
to the door. She quickly unlocked it. He climbed in, slamming the
door closed and locking it behind him. Lisa raised an eyebrow.

Chris turned around, facing the small, rear
window. “There’s nothing in there.” He placed the flashlight flush
to the rear glass, clicked the light, and swept the bed of the
truck with the light. The back window was dirty, covered in dust
and muck. It was difficult to see into the bed. Chris leaned in
close, trying to see. Lisa leaned in as well. Fog circles formed on
the glass from their warm breath.

A few small boxes and other tools—ax,
shovel, rope—lay scattered around. No sign of a dumb ass. Although
something could squeeze up in the corners against the bed wall, out
of sight. Chris got up onto his knees. He really wanted to cover
every inch of the bed, just to be sure. His forehead pressed to the
cold glass, trying to see around the corners. Trying to see deep
into every part. Then something shifted. “Shit.” Chris jumped, and
so did Lisa. Maybe it was just a possum, or some little freak of
nature getting out of the light. He wasn’t sure.

“
What?” Lisa grabbed his
arm.

“
I’m not sure.”

Still without a positive ID on anything,
Chris moved the light around, changing his position. Suddenly a
large, gray, open hand slapped the glass. Chris fell back against
the dashboard out of shock, the flashlight dropping to the truck
floor. Lisa screamed.

Chris fumbled for the light, trying to
compose himself. He felt cold air rush into the cabin. Lisa’s door
wide open. Night invading his space. He caught sight of Lisa
bolting into the darkness, overcome with fear. Chris watched as she
disappeared into the night. Running blind. Shit.

Chris groped again for the flashlight. He
felt the truck shift, as though someone was rocking it—moving
around in the bed.

Finally snatching the
flashlight he lit up the back of the truck again through the back
window. A slender figure, one he had never seen before, slipped out
the back of the truck. He could hear it moving on the gravel road
around to the driver’s side. His eyes were drawn to the open
door.
Holy shit!

Chris lunged, grabbing the door, slamming it
shut and hammer-fisting the lock. The movement outside stopped. All
was still. Just the blowing wind and the sound of Chris breathing
hard, lowered in his seat, almost on the floor.

He tightly gripped the light, shining it
through the driver’s window, his mind racing. He didn’t want to
look, but he had to. He had to know what was really out there. Was
this just some sick, outback, hillbilly practical joke? Did they
know about his son? And if it was a joke, someone was going to get
a serious whoop ass. He could feel his fear turning to rage. He
took two quick breaths. “ARRRGHHH!” he yelled, the scream so loud
it ripped his throat raw.

He clenched his fist, tucking in all his
fingers, making a tight wrecking ball. “WHERE’S MY SON,
MOTHER—”

His war cry was dampened by the enclosed
truck and whipping wind.

Chris kicked open the door, ready for a
fight. Adrenaline replaced fear. His flashlight searched for his
enemy. The truck sat alone on the empty road, its headlights
shining into the sparse trees. Chris spun around. No one was there.
He ran around the truck, shining the light in the back and
underneath. Nothing.

Lisa exploded through the
trees, smashing branches and twigs, dodging in and out, only the
moonlight to guide her way. Branches struck her body and face like
thousands of tiny whips. Her bare arms and legs absorbing the
punishment. As she pushed forward, a short, razor-sharp twig sliced
her right cheek; adrenaline suppressed the sting. She pressed
on.
Gotta get away.

She glanced over her shoulder, blood
dripping down her cheek. Breathing hard, her lungs craved oxygen.
Her body shook uncontrollably; every part trembled with fear.

Hard dirt mounds tripped her. Stumbling, she
braced herself as both hands skidded on rocks and sandy dirt.
Wincing in pain she dusted grazed hands, which burned like
fire.

Summoning her last remaining energy, she
climbed up a small, rocky embankment. Had to find a place to hide.
To hide long enough to make sure it was safe. Her eyes glanced
around in front of her.

Just the open wilderness.

She’d always loved nature. Even as a child
she loved animals and the great outdoors. Never fearful of even the
creepy crawlies. Other girls would be terrified by the spiders and
snakes, but she was fascinated. She seemed to have a connection
with them. However, now she found herself running from something
she didn’t understand.

She stopped to take a breath, get her
bearings.

Dry leaves crunched on the ground behind
her. Someone walking? Hopefully Chris coming to find her. She spun
to see what was there.

Nothing.

Her heart pounded, as if it would give away
her position with its deep thumping. She tried to calm herself,
taking a deep breath. She reminded herself that the adrenaline
surging through her body, shaking her core, was there to help. It
was the only thing she could do to get a grip. It worked, a
bit.

She reached into her
pocket. A ranger always kept a Swiss army knife on them for all
occasions. She fumbled with the knife, still looking up to scan the
area, while trying to open the three-inch blade. Her shaking
fingers couldn’t get the little blade out.
Come on you bitch-of-a-bastard!

Finally her nail caught the little slit and
folded out the blade. She held the little knife in front, taking a
fighting stance, ready to fight for her life. Her head moved from
side to side, searching, waiting for the impending attack.

The sound of movement felt as though it was
all around her, as though something was circling, hiding amongst
the trees, stalking her. Her body naturally followed the movement,
to face whatever it was head on.

The movement stopped. The predator yet to
show itself. Her eyes darted around; she held her breath. It seemed
eerily quiet. Not even the crickets were chirping, as though all of
nature was lying low, disturbed by this unknown visitor.

Air slowly escaped from her partly opened
mouth as she exhaled. She breathed in again through her nose,
filling her lungs; out through the mouth, trying to calm herself.
She repositioned her fingers around her knife. Sweaty palms made
the small knife slippery. A chill ran up her back, down her arms to
her fingertips and over her head. Her arms felt heavy and weak, as
if they would fail her if she had to use them. Fear gripped her
body as the creature came into view, its slender frame silhouetted
in the moonlight. It stood maybe six feet tall. Its lean build was
that of an extreme athlete. Its black, oversized, almond-shaped
eyes glistened in the blue light. Darkness made it hard to see its
strange face, but it appeared to have a very small mouth; a couple
of holes for a nose.

It slowly advanced toward her, head slightly
turned as though it was examining her. She froze, wanting to run,
but unable to. She could see it better now—not that she wanted
to—its gray skin the look of rubber. It had what appeared to be a
skin-tight bodysuit over its slim body, covering its arms to the
wrists and to the end of its toes. Its movement very calculated and
unnatural—between human and machine. Its arms moved with the same
corresponding leg as it walked.