Page 11 of Lost In Kakadu

I’m a very long way from civilisation.

Charlie hauled himself up, stepped over a mass of colourful wires and staggered away from the wreckage. The smell of burned rubber and pine mingled together. Cool air teased his thin arms, and he tried to rub warmth in.

But with each painful step, fear inched into his brain. He couldn’t see the other half of the plane. He was all alone.

For a brief, horrifying moment, he wondered if he was dead, but the agony in his chest confirmed he was alive.

He took another step. Stabbing pain ripped up his back.

Charlie fell to the ground, and fighting excruciating pain, he turned around and crawledtoward the plane.

His tongue was like leather as he clambered over the shredded edge of the wreck.

He slumped against the wall and pain ripped through his body like an inferno.

Charlie vomited, screamed at the agony, and passed out.

Chapter Six

Mackenzie’s watch beeped at six o’clock and his thoughts drifted to what he should be doing. Instead of sitting by a cosy fire sipping the icy cold beer that the brochure had offered, he was grappling with a situation beyond belief.

Shaking his head, he tried to focus. He needed to keep busy. “I think we have about twenty hours before they find us. We should do a few things to get ready for the night.”

“Such as?” Abigail sat on the grass, staring into the bush. Blood from the gash on her forehead had dribbled over her nose, staining her alabaster skin. Her red eyes looked sore, black mascara semi-circles smudged below them.

“For starters we should see what we have to eat and drink.”

She groaned and shaking his head, he walked around her, forcing his gaze to the back of the plane, rather than Rodney’s lifeless body.

The shredded edge of the cabin was suspended off the ground at shoulder height and he needed all his strength to haul himself up. As he lay on the floor, he spotted a bag trapped beneath Toni’s seat and crawled forward.

An agonising scream pierced the silence.

“Help! Help!”

His heart launched to his throat at the terror in Abigail’s voice. He jumped to the ground and ran to her. “What’s wrong?”

She spun in circles, slapping her arms. “I’m covered in ants. Help me! They’re biting me.”

Masses of tiny ants scurried over her back and angry bites already dotted her neck. He yanked off her suit coat and tried to slap the ants away without hurting her.

When they’d flicked them all off, Abigail stared at the red welts along her arms and whimpered like a puppy wanting company.

He felt her pain. “Come on. We might find a first aid kit.” Placing his hands on her shoulders, he guided her toward the plane.

The floral scent of her hair seemed so out of place.

They stood beneath the cabin and stared into the shattered wreck. It was a miracle they’d survived and a sudden recollection of fighting with Rodney over who’d take the window seat crushed his heart. Losing that debate had saved his life.

“What do we do with them?” Abigail whispered as if they could hear.

“I don’t know.” He scanned the mess. “Let’s see if we can find something to cover them with.”

Mackenzie pulled himself into the cabin, opened the only overhead locker and clutched a small case that tumbled out. “Here, catch this.” He tossed the bag toward Abigail’s outstretched arms, and she grunted as she caught it. “Take it outside. We’ll check it in a minute.”

She obeyed in silence, disappearing from his view.

Avoiding the bodies, he searched along the aisle and at the very front, he braced against the damaged doorway and inspected the cockpit. The pilot was unrecognizable. It was hard to believe the scattered blood and flesh once belonged to a human.

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