Page 91 of Lost In Kakadu

“No way.” He pushed to his feet and stepped back from her.

“Why not? It’s pretty clear no-one’s coming for it, or us.”

“But we agreed to leave it.”

“That was months ago. Well before we knew how long we’d be here.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Things have changed.”

Mackenzie saw the naive inquisitiveness in her eyes. He’d lived through the consequences of drugs and had vowed long ago never to touch them again.

She squeezed his arm. “We’re not smoking it. Just burning it.”

He rolled his shoulders and breathed deeply, smelling damp leaves and wet dirt. It made sense, but the fear of being near the drug again weighed heavily on his mind. Abi stared up at him, her eyebrows raised in silent anticipation. He let out a slow steady breath. “Okay.”

She slapped his arm and grinned with childish glee.

“But you must keep away from the smoke. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” She saluted.

“Don’t mess with this, Abi. I’m serious.”

Her eyes darkened as she studied him, and he could tell she wanted to ask questions. Thankfully she didn’t. The bundle of black plastic had been sitting on the far side of the plane since the day he removed it. He carried it to the fire and dropped it with a dull thud onto the wet ground.

With Abi’s help, they scooped the slushy soot and ash from the fire pit. Their hands were as black as coal miners’ when they finished. Mackenzie sat back on his haunches and as he peeled the plastic back from the slice he’d made all those months ago, he tried not to inhale its distinct aroma. Thankfully the drugs had remained completely dry, and he tugged at the compressed leaves, removing handfuls at a time.

Soon the marijuana pile was about two feet high. He chose the wood to put on top carefully, ensuring they were thin twigs that would dry quickly in the heat and catch alight.

He angled the camera lens to catch a ray of sunlight through the last of the clouds. “Stand back, Abi.”

“I’ll be okay.”

He turned to her with gritted teeth. “Stand back. I don’t want you anywhere near the smoke.”

She opened her mouth, poised to say something, then changed her mind and stepped back. The flames ignited readily, and a thick plume of pungent, grey smoke swirled heavily into the air. Mackenzie kept one eye on Abi as he continued to feed the fire and it wasn’t long before an enormous inferno raged. He placed several large logs on top, confident it was now hot enough to burn them.

As the night rolled in, his mind drifted from past to present and he was unable to shrug off his discomfort. Abi must’ve sensed his uneasiness and stayed well clear of the smoke. It was only when there was nothing left but the burning logs and the breeze had carried the familiar smell away that he began to relax. He sat beside Abi and draped his arm across her shoulder.

“That wasn’t so bad.” She flashed a smile. “Was it?”

He huffed. “No, it was okay.” He pulled her to him. “But from now on, we keep a stack of wood under cover.”

“Might as well use this up first.” Her grin was cheeky. “No point only burning half of it.”

He thought about this for a moment and sighed. “Okay then. Like you said, nobody’s coming for it … or us.”

Chapter Forty-One

Mackenzie stared up into a gum tree of Jurassic proportions. Its dizzying height nearly tipped him off balance. It took a couple of days of serious searching to choose this tree from the hundreds around them. Its sheer size and evenly spaced branches made it perfect for climbing.

Abi placed her hand on his shoulder. “Be careful.”

He cupped her cheek and when she pressed against his palm and closed her eyes he bent down and kissed her. She always tasted so lovely. When he pulled back, he noted her frowning.

“I’ll be okay, Abi.”

She chewed on her bottom lip and nodded.

Mackenzie gave her another brief kiss before he reached toward the first branch and hauled himself up. He clambered up the tree like an expert, gripping with his toes and following a line of tiny black ants on a mission skyward. A grey plant that hung from a branch like an old man’s beard caught his eye and touching it, he noted it would make ideal kindling.

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