The Road to Winter (13 page)

His voice is different now, less aggressive, almost friendly. But I'm still on my guard.

‘Who are you and where are you from?' I ask.

The three of them laugh.

‘What kinda language is that?' says the leader. ‘You sound like a wild animal. And I reckon we'll be the ones asking the questions.'

I slow right down and try to make the words come out without growling.

‘Name's Finn. I've been living rough just the other side of the junction.'

‘Yeah, and I'm Jesus Christ and these are my apostles,' says the man, pointing at the other two.

They all fall about laughing like this is the funniest thing they've ever heard.

‘You haven't been living rough, not by the look of you. You've had a roof over your head, I reckon. And that sleeping bag hasn't been out in the weather, either.'

His voice is more serious now.

‘Personally,' he says, ‘I don't give a rat's arse where you've come from, long as there's no Wilders following you.'

I stay quiet.

‘These parts there are bands of Wilders on the lookout for anyone of use to them. Women, in particular. They work out of Longley. Rough mob.'

‘Ramage,' I say, and they all turn to look at me at once.

‘What'd you know about Ramage?' the leader says.

‘I know what he does.'

He stands over me, trying to figure me out. ‘If you're on the run, you're travelling in the wrong direction,' he says. ‘You're heading
towards
Longley. Want to tell us exactly what you're up to, boy?'

It sounds like they're against Ramage, but that doesn't mean they aren't as bad—or worse—than him. But I don't feel threatened. There's something about the leader that
makes me want to trust him.

‘Got any food?' I ask. ‘I'm starving.'

They look at each other and leader nods. One of the other two rummages in his bag and pulls out what looks like a piece of bread. I have to blink to make sure I'm not imagining it.

‘Bread?' I can't believe it.

He breaks off a piece and tries to hand it to me before he realises my hands are still tied behind my back.

‘Untie him,' the leader says. ‘Let him eat.'

The tall, thickset man with long hair and a scraggly beard unties me and hands me the bread. I tear at it like I haven't eaten in months. It's strange; it's not the taste that hits me first, it's the texture, something I haven't felt for so long I've forgotten it. The way it kind of breaks down into that grainy feel in my mouth. Then the taste kicks in and I have this flood of memories about school lunches and toast and crusty bread from the bakery on Saturday mornings.

‘Ease up, eat slow. You'll make yourself sick.'

‘Sorry,' I say, spraying crumbs out onto the ground. ‘It's been a while.'

They're still eyeing me, but I sense they are relaxing.

The man in charge starts talking again. ‘I'm Harry, and this is Tusker and Jack.'

Tusker is the big bloke that untied me and Jack is smaller and thinner, but wiry. Strong.

‘So you're not Jesus, then,' I say and they all laugh again.

‘Funny bastard,' says Tusker. When he turns into the sun I notice a scar that runs from his forehead down across his left
eye to his cheek, where it disappears into his beard. The eye is partly closed.

‘You lot with Ramage or against him?' I ask.

‘We got nothing to do with Ramage,' Tusker says. ‘We stay clear of him. Given the chance, though, I'd tie the bastard up to a tree and shoot him through the heart. If he had one.'

I have to be careful what I reveal, but I need these men to help me.

‘I saw him yesterday,' I say.

‘Who'd you see?'

‘Ramage.'

‘Where?' Harry says.

I shrug. ‘South.'

‘He on his trailbike?'

‘Kinda.'

‘What'd ya mean, kinda?'

‘He met with a bit of an accident.'

Tusker shakes his head and spits.

‘What sort of an accident?' Harry says.

They're leaning in towards me now. I give them a rough account of what happened, but I limit the detail: nothing about Rose or Angowrie. When I finish they lean back and I can see they're trying to figure out whether I'm telling the truth or not.

Tusker speaks first. ‘Well, ain't you full of surprises. I don't know if what you just told us is complete bullshit, but I hope to Christ it's not. If it's true there'll be a lot of people who'd like to thank you. Ramage is a dangerous bastard—kill you just for the fun of it.'

Jack speaks for the first time then. His voice is low and deep. ‘How many men with him?'

‘Four or five. I reckon they'll be tracking me. If Ramage can travel.'

‘They'll get word to those blokes at the junction soon enough,' Harry says. ‘We'd better get moving. We'll stay off the road.'

‘What do we do with him,' Tusker says, pointing at me.

‘Sorry, young fella,' Harry says, ‘but we travel light. And we got no extra food. I wish you the best of luck.' He puts out his hand for me to shake.

‘Which way are you going?'

I'm taking a chance here but I don't have much option.

‘You're still not making sense to us, boy,' Jack says. ‘You haven't explained why you're travellin' north. Ramage is behind you and you're heading further into his country. Doesn't figure.'

‘I'm looking for someone,' I say. ‘A girl.'

Harry turns and walks over to where I'm standing by the side of the road.

‘We're all looking for girls,' he says. ‘But Finn, there's hardly any women left, you know that, yeah?'

‘I know. But this girl's alive. At least, she was a few days ago.'

‘How do you know?'

‘A friend saw her.'

‘A friend? Where?'

‘Near Swan's Marsh.'

Tusker and Jack come over and the three of them stand in a semicircle around me. The sun's behind them and they cast long shadows.

It'd be hopeless trying to look for Kas on my own. I don't know the country this side of the range and she could be anywhere. I have to take the chance that these men know something.

Tusker says, ‘Swan's Marsh is no place for a girl. The Monahan clan live there and they take their orders from Ramage.'

‘She was escaping from them,' I say. ‘She was on horseback. Her name's Kas. She's got a birthmark on her face.'

I've got their attention now. The other two look to Harry, expecting him to make a decision.

‘What're you thinking?' he says to Tusker.

‘Dunno. He just appears out of nowhere. Tells us some story about Ramage. He could be working for him, for all we know. Could be leading Ramage right to us—'

Jack interrupts. ‘Scrawny little prick. Dunno how he's stayed alive for so long. He's got to have been living somewhere. Someone older looking after him.'

I'm losing them.

‘Been holed up on the coast,' I say. ‘In an old shack. Living off rabbits, fish, crays, anything I can catch. I wouldn't slow you down and I'm a good hunter. I'm not with Ramage. I hate him.'

I try really hard to hold them back, but tears have started to run down my face.

Everything seems to go quiet then; the wind drops away like it's holding its breath.

‘All right, listen up,' says Harry. ‘You can come with us, but we're going to have to blindfold you. We've got a place. It's a good day's walk from here and there's some rough country in between.'

Tusker's not happy. He swears under his breath and spits again. ‘I'm not dragging him,' he says.

‘Me neither,' says Jack.

‘I'll lead him,' Harry says. There's a solidness about him that reminds me of Dad. He leans in and ties a rag around my head, covering my eyes.

‘Not too tight?' he says. Then I feel the rope around my wrists again, but in front this time. There's a gentle tug and we're on our way.

The first hour or so isn't too bad. We're still on the road. I can feel the even surface under my feet and we move at a good pace. No one is saying much, but every now and again Harry asks how I'm going. Tusker and Jack have either dropped back behind us or they're out in front, maybe scouting for danger. I can't hear their footsteps.

Harry starts talking low, like he doesn't want the others to hear. ‘How do you know this girl, this Kas?' he asks.

If he is anything like my dad, he'll be able to tell when I'm lying, so I need to stick pretty close to the truth without giving too much away.

‘Her brother turned up on the coast a few days ago,' I say. ‘He was being chased by Wilders.'

‘Her brother?'

‘Yeah. Tom. He'd done something to them back in Longley and they tracked him to the coast.'

‘I thought there was no one down there—on the coast, I mean.'

‘There's not. It was quarantined early on.'

‘You got family?'

‘Had. All dead,' I say. ‘Dad went first, then Mum. Got no brothers or sisters.'

‘And you've survived how long?'

‘I dunno. Maybe two years.'

‘That's pretty right. We've been trying to keep track of time, but the seasons aren't what they used to be. Long summers. Wild winters.'

We've fallen into an easy conversation, but I know he's still trying to suss me out.

‘The coast's changed too,' I say. ‘The king tides come right up and flood the rivers and swamps.'

Harry goes quiet. Maybe he suspects I'm not telling him everything.

‘This fella, Tom,' he says after a while, ‘where is he now?'

‘Down on the coast. He didn't want to travel north again.'

‘So why are you so keen to find his sister?'

I'm painting myself into a corner. I have to think fast.

‘He saved my life,' I say. ‘Saved me from Ramage.'

‘So now you have to find his sister? Is she on the run from Ramage too?'

‘I guess so.'

‘Strange that Ramage would worry about a boy and not go after the girl.'

I can tell he's getting more and more suspicious. But just as I'm trying to work out what to say next, I hear a sharp whistle and Harry pulls me off the side of the road into the bush. He's
got his hand in my back and he's pushing me down onto the ground.

‘Stay quiet,' he says, urgent.

I hear heavy, shuffling footsteps and the squeaking of wheels. Low voices. Harry breathing, close to my ear. We stay down as the voices gradually drop away.

‘Drifters,' he says. ‘There's still a few of them on the roads. Just men and boys. There were only five in that group. Looked half starved and edgy. There's nothing we can do for them.'

There's shuffling in the bush behind us and I hear two heavy bodies drop to the ground. I recognise Tusker's voice.

‘We'll never get there pulling this kid blind,' he snarls.

‘Nearly time to leave the road anyway,' Harry says. ‘We'll wait here till dark, then move on.'

Harry takes off the blindfold and undoes the rope around my wrists. Tusker and Jack move off on their own, not quite out of hearing range. Harry passes me my backpack. I open it, pull out the last of the chicken and offer him a small piece.

‘Bloody hell, boyo,' he says. ‘Chicken!'

I'm working hard to keep him onside. I feel safer with him than the other two. The sun is low in the sky now so I know we won't be resting for long.

Harry sits with his back against a fallen log and stretches out his legs. It's the first chance I've had to really look at him. I guess he must be about forty, but living rough can age a man quickly. He has a long face, a high forehead and thinning hair. His clothes are well looked after, no holes or split seams. When he eases his boots off I see his socks have been darned. He's
either a good sewer or he knows someone who is.

‘You got kids, Harry?' I ask.

‘Yep. A girl, Willow.'

‘She okay? Survived the virus, I mean?'

He glances towards the others and says, ‘I had two. Another girl. Holly. She passed away early on.'

When he turns back to me I can see the hurt just saying that brought to his face.

‘And I'm sorry about your mum and dad, son,' Harry says, his voice softer. ‘It's been tough all over. Families broken up and kids left on their own. Most have died, I reckon. You've done a bloody good job just to stay alive.'

Then he says, ‘I know you're probably not telling us everything, but it pays to play your cards close to your chest these days. Anyhow,' he adds, ‘you'd best get some kip. We've got a long night ahead of us.'

He picks his hat up and covers his face, and I know the conversation is over. I lie back into the bracken and close my eyes.

It feels like I've only been asleep a couple of minutes when someone kicks my boot. I wake with a start and look up through the trees to the night sky. There's a half-moon and it casts just enough light to see through the bush.