Page 36 of Lost In Kakadu

He was grateful when he spied the tan-coloured satchel, taking his mind off macabre thoughts. Wedged by the toilet wall, the satchel’s broken strap lay like an outstretched arm as if reaching for him. He squeezed below the corpse on his hands and knees to reach it. He pulled it onto his lap, resisting the urge to open it and see why Charlie wanted it so desperately.

The toilet door hung open and the seat dangled above from one hinge. He reached up and removed the toilet roll. “I’ll come back for you later,” he said, without looking at the body. Then he retreated from the cabin with the satchel under his arm. He trotted back along the path, only pausing to gather the tin of powdered milk and the can of oil.

Arriving back at the clearing, Mackenzie checked on Charlie who had a damp cloth over his forehead and looked quite comfortable as he slept. Abigail was by the fire, knees to her chest. He could tell she’dbeen crying.

“I found his satchel and I brought back those tins of food we found yesterday.”

“I can’t do this anymore,” she sobbed. “The waiting. And all this death …” She cried into her hands.

He sat cross legged on the grass beside her. “Abigail, I need you. I can’t do this alone.”

She shook her head, her face still concealed by her hands.

He put a hand on her wrist. “Hey,” he whispered as he gently pulled her hand into his.

She blinked rapidly at him, flicked away her tears, then after a moment of pause, nodded her head. “Okay.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. I found this for you.” He reached into the backpack and removed the toilet paper.

Smiling, Abigail took the roll. “Thank you.”

“You know we still have to bury them, don’t you? We can’t wait another day.”

ChapterFifteen

Abigail rested against a large tree as she watched Mackenzie. He had chosen an area away from the fire to dig the graves. It was the greatest distance from the plane without venturing into the forest. His biceps bulged as he pulled out several reluctant shrubs to clear the site, then he fell to his knees and began to dig with the cooking plate as a shovel.

Within minutes he was lathered in sweat. He stripped off his shirt and the muscles in his back bulged and flexed with each drive of the metal into the solid ground.

After a while he paused, sat back on his haunches and rolled his shoulders. “Can I have some water?”

“Of course.” She raced to the luggage and returned with a bottle.

He gulped it down and then wiped his face on his shirt. “It’s your turn.”

Her hand went to her chest. “Me?”

Mackenzie’s eyebrows shot up. “Yes, you. No-one else’s going to help. They’re all dead, remember?”

Reluctantly she removed her expensive shoes and stepped into the fresh hole, surprised at how cool the earth was. “Well, out of the way then.” She picked up the sheet of metal.

Abigail cringed as she knelt. Holding the plate above her head, she shoved it into the dirt with a loud groan. A quarter of the tindisappeared into the dark earth, and she lifted it, removed a handful of crumbs and tossed them onto the growing pile beside the pit.

“They’re not all dead,” she said between shovelfuls. “Charlie’s still with us.”

Her pulse pounded in her neck as the oppressive heat smothered her sweat-soaked body like an unwelcome blanket.

But she found the manual labour therapeutic.

She focused on her timing, trying to establish a rhythm, just like riding a horse. She wondered if Krystal had thought to take Avalon for a ride, but at the same time knew this wouldn’t happen.

The last time they rode together was about four years ago. It’d been a wonderful day, a time when her daughter still laughed freely and enjoyed her company. But Spencer had ruined it, like he did with everything she did with Krystal.

On reflection, that was about the time she began to lose Krystal as a daughter, replaced instead by the spoiled little bitch that, under Spencer’s guidance, gave Abigail much heartache.

When Abigail could dig no more, Mackenzie replaced her and they alternated turns, gradually increasing the size of the grave.

The sun was a blazing furnace, and she shielded her hand against it as she looked up into the trees. She stifled a laugh. The labyrinth of twisted branches reminded her of the lightshade that dangled above their king- sized bed.

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