Page 70 of Taking the Heat

Miles went on. ‘On the surface of the river below us are keys—tied to buoys so they don’t wash away. There’s only a handful of you who haven’t earned keys yet, but for the rest of you, each key can be traded for a name of someone not in your fantasy cabin, or an additional fifty thousand dollars, placed immediately in your account. All you have to do to earn one is bring it back up with you. Just, like, this …’

A heavily tattooed young man leaped off the edge of the platform and everybody gasped. Peering over the sides, we watched him hang on the air, screaming, ‘Bungy!’ He fell slowly, dropping towards the water, his hands and head dunking under the surface as he reached the bottom of his jump.

The thick cord attaching him to the bridge pulled taunt and yoinked him back up again, almost to the height he’d started from. As he reached the apex of the rebound, he waved at us, a shiny wet key in his fist.

He fell and bounced several more times before dangling over the water. A small boat chugged out to collect him and we turned back to Miles. ‘Easy, right?’

‘Bring it on, bro!’ yelled Nik eagerly, and there was some nervous laughter.

‘Lucky for you, Nik, you’ll be up first—along with Jen, Tara and Dante.’

So many conflicting emotions swirled up inside me: I needed to be strong for my friend, who murmured helplessly against my shoulder in fear, but I also felt revulsion and dread at the thought of being grouped with Dante.

Chris spoke in my ear. ‘You can do this. I’ll keep an eye on Fuck-knuckle, you just take care of Jen.’

‘Thanks, baby.’ I rubbed Jen’s arm. ‘Mate, you know you don’t have to do this, right?’

‘I do, I do,’ she moaned, her face stricken. ‘An extra fifty thousand dollars could do so much good back at home. I have to jump.’

‘Okay.’ I admired her bravery, in the face of her agony. ‘I’ll be with you, every step of the way.’

I held her hand as we sat on the narrow bench at the platform, while the bungy dudes strapped our legs tightly with the harnesses. The space was tiny, and the four of us plus the instructors were packed in tight.

Cords were attached and safety instructions given, but I barely noticed, expending all of my energy into ignoring Dante’s leers and supporting Jen.

‘Tell me what you’ll use the money for, Jen.’

Her voice trembling, she said, ‘A HIV awareness clinic. Where people can go for treatment and education, a place where they won’t be judged.’

‘You’ll save lives. Keep thinking of that.’

We watched as Nik jumped first, sailing out into the clear air like a pro. He grabbed a key and bounced up grinning.

‘I can go next,’ I told Jen.

‘No, if it’s okay, I’ll go. That way, you’ll still be up here to encourage me.’ She smiled weakly at me.

‘Saving lives through bungy, Jen.’

‘Saving lives through bungy, Tara.’

I released her hand as the bungy guy beckoned her forward. Her legs trapped together, Jen waddled over slowly.

‘Okay, man,’ yelled the instructor cheerfully. ‘Watch out you don’t bump your cord—if that goes over, so do you. You can jump whenever you’re ready.’

Jen leaned over, looking down. Her face filled with terror and she flailed backwards, tears rushing over her high cheekbones. ‘Oh god! I cannot! I can’t do this! May the people forgive me!’

‘Alright, alright,’ soothed the bungy dude, clearly used to last-minute back-outs. ‘Just step back and we’ll get your leg harness off.’

Jen relaxed slightly, but before she could hop away from the edge, movement caught my eye. Dante was stealthily pushing at the coil of bungy rope with his foot.

I tried to cry out, but it was too late; the cord dropped over, its heavy weight falling away. The other end attached to Jen yanked fiercely, ripping her legs from under her. She smashed to the ground, then slid screaming, over the edge into the abyss.

Chapter 23

People screamed and rushed to the edge, myself included. Peering over, I watched as Jen fell feet first, her arms clawing at the air. As the still-attached cable pulled tight, she was viciously ripped upside down, her neck snapping, limbs flailing limply. Dunked into the water, she travelled up again, and as she drew closer to the bridge, we could see she had passed out.

The little boat pulled out swiftly and as Jen was unhooked, people on walkie-talkies communicated within my earshot. ‘Yeah, good. Just shock, you think? Okay. Keep us posted after she’s seen a doctor.’

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