Page 50

Chapter Fifty

M ackenzie opened his eyes and propped up on his elbow. The morning sun cast a honey glow as it crested the horizon, seeping into their dark cave. Beside him, Abi looked peaceful as she continued to sleep, her mouth half open, her long, deep breaths rustling a section of hair that had fallen across her face.

He crawled to the cave edge, sat cross legged and scanned the sky. Seeing the helicopter yesterday was exciting, but as they’d learned last time, it didn’t necessarily mean a rescue.

But again, they had a dilemma: how long to wait before they made a decision to leave?

The sun became a golden ball in the distance. The giant floodlight raced across the tundra to wake up the forest and like a magical illusion, a river suddenly revealed itself. It snaked along the valley floor, a glistening golden necklace winding in endless curves.

He turned to Abi wanting to share the moment, but she looked content in her sleep. Turning back to the panorama he shielded his eyes as he studied the river’s sweeping turns. It gradually narrowed as it disappeared into the green carpet and its northerly direction was a promising sign. Mackenzie reasoned that if they maintained a heading of north, they’d ultimately reach the Australian coastline. Hopefully following the river would lead them to civilisation somewhere along the way .

Abi stirred.

“Abi, come look at this.”

She opened her eyes, rolled to sit up and cried out.

He crossed the cave in three long strides and crouched down next to her.

Distress flickered over her face. “I’m all right.” She massaged the sides of her knee.

Pride swelled inside him at her clenched jaw and piercing eyes. “It’s okay.” He ran his hand down her arm. “We’re not going anywhere today, so you can get plenty of rest.”

A mischievous smile lit up her eyes. “How can I rest when you keep ravishing me like last night?”

He cocked his head. “Do I detect annoyance?”

“Not at all. I am but your humble servant, take me as you wish.” She opened her arms.

He pressed his lips to hers for a brief kiss. “You’re a bit cheeky for early in the morning.”

“I had the best sleep.”

“Me, too. Everything’s always better in the penthouse. Here let me show you.” He helped her to her feet and led her to the edge. Leaning her shoulder against him, they surveyed the valley below.

Mackenzie pointed northwards. “See the river? It’s showing us the way.”

“Really?”

“You’ll see. At least it’s heading north.”

Mackenzie led her back to bed and busied himself making breakfast. The fire sprang to life with the help of the sun’s intense rays.

As Mackenzie ate his meal, a wisp of smoke drifted into a tunnel at the back of the cave. He pointed it out to Abi. “See that?”

She followed his outstretched finger and shrugged her shoulders.

“The smoke’s going into that gap at the back.”

“So?”

“So, I bet there’s an exit to this cave. It might lead us to the top.” He pushed to his feet and took her empty plate from her.

“It might also trap you in a maze of tunnels for all eternity.”

“Thank you, Miss Positive. You’re just jealous you can’t explore with me. ”

She nodded her head. “What am I going to do? I’ll be worried about you.”

He knelt beside her and placed his hands on her face, drawing her eyes to him. “You, my sweet, need to rest.”

Her shoulders sagged.

“Read Charlie’s letters.”

She lowered her eyes and he saw her disappointment. “I won’t be gone long.” He kissed her forehead, placed Charlie’s letters next to her and stood up again.

He plucked a long stick from the fire, but with the flames blazing along most of the length, he wouldn’t get very far before it burned his hand. He tossed it back into the fire and picked through the pile of unused firewood until he found a stick so thick that his fingers only just wrapped around it.

Using the axe, he cut a cross into its jagged end and prized the slits apart, careful not to snap the carved pieces off. In the slits he wedged small twigs, alternating direction each time. The resulting torch looked like a caveman’s club, rough but effective. He made two more.

He picked up several small stones and tested their chalkiness by marking the cave wall. Then he tossed the best two into the backpack along with water and the axe.

In a deep caveman voice he said, “I’m off to explore the mighty cave.” He held up the unlit torch and beat his chest.

Abi laughed. “Well, don’t go getting lost, or I’ll have to save your ass again.”

“I’ll follow the wall markings. Hansel and Gretel, remember? You just relax … enjoy the view and see if you can spot any planes.” He pointed out at the sky, scanning the vast stretch of blue, but saw only clouds. Determined not to show his disappointment, he crouched beside Abi and kissed her forehead. “I’m off then.”

“Yes, you are, you big stinker.”

“Mmm, I agree. Get used to it, baby. Can’t see a decent shower any time soon.” He turned, gathered his backpack and the other two fire sticks, then held his torch over the flames until it ignited. Marveling at his creation, he walked with purpose to the back of the cave.

The cave narrowed to a point where an opening formed a natural doorway. When he stepped into the tunnel, both the drop in temperature and dampness that hung in the air were noticeable. The glare from the torch made it difficult to see into the darkness. White flames danced across his eyelids each time he blinked.

The tunnel was surprisingly consistent in height and width, giving him the eerie feeling it was somehow man-made. Images of an old mine shaft crossed his mind. The light from the cave behind him weakened with each step and he held the torch low to the ground worried about what he might tread on. He approached a right angle turn and imagined he was now travelling parallel to the cliff face. But the tunnel floor sloped downwards and not toward the cliff top like he’d hoped.

A marking on the wall caught his eye and as he brought the torch up, his breath caught in his throat. The smooth rock was decorated in hundreds of small dots and lines. Cave drawings . He recognised many of the creatures—goanna, crocodile and kangaroo. There were also dozens of handprints stencilled in white paint and his excitement grew.

I could be the first person in centuries to see these.

I have to show Abi.

He retraced his steps and was stunned that he hadn’t gone very far. When he stepped back into the cave, Abi visibly jumped.

“You scared me, you idiot.”

“I’ve got to show you something.” He helped her to her feet. “Come on. It’s not very far.”

She draped her arm over his shoulder, and he held the torch ahead as they hobbled along. “Check these out.” He raised the torch.

“Oh … wow!” She reached up to touch a painting. “Aboriginal drawings.”

“Aren’t they amazing?”

Abi freed her arm from Mackenzie’s shoulder and braced the wall to stand. “A kangaroo and look, a crocodile,” she whispered as if relaying a secret. She pointed further down the wall. “Look at this one.” Her voice filled with awe. The scene depicted a creature with a body of a man and an oversized crocodile head. His torso was decorated in white tattoos and in one hand he held a spear, poised to throw at an enormous goanna.

“These are beautiful. So intricate.” She ran her fingers along the wall, barely touching.

A gust of wind tousled the flames as it whistled through the tunnel, convincing Mackenzie the passage led somewhere outside. He stepped around her, but even with the torch it was impossible to see more than a metre in front. Mackenzie found himself holding his breath as he walked toward a black hole.

Abi’s voice followed him into the dark. “Wait for me.”

“You’re supposed to be resting.” But even as he said it, he knew Abi wouldn’t leave him now. He hooked his arm around her waist and helped her along the narrow tunnel. “You’re a naughty girl.”

“You can spank me later.” She giggled and the echo of the musical sound in the tunnel had Mackenzie laughing with her.

The Aboriginal art continued to decorate the walls and he caught glimpses of elaborate drawings of men, animals, weapons, the sun and the moon. Suddenly the tunnel opened into an enormous cavern that extended so far, the torch light failed to find the opposite side.

“Wow!” Abi’s voice was full of awe.

“Look at that!” Mackenzie pointed at the sunlight that shone through a hole in the cave roof creating a natural skylight.

“This is amazing.” Abi’s voice echoed about the room as she hobbled toward the middle.

An unusual shape against the side wall caught his eye and Mackenzie crouched to examine it more closely. He was unprepared for the discovery. Clay crockery, pots and plates varying in sizes, some shattered into small pieces but some in near perfect condition, were stacked against the wall.

These must be hundreds of years old.

He reached for one of the plates. “Abi, you have to see this.” The weight of the plate surprised him.

“No, you have to come here.”

Mackenzie placed the plate on the ground and as he walked to Abi, she held up a long, curved bone. “Dinosaur bones.” She laughed.

“Yeah, funny.” The bone was as long as her arm and as thick as three of her fingers.

“That’s a rib bone.” Trying to picture the size of the animal, he frowned. “It’s huge, must have been one hell of a big cow or maybe buffalo.”

As he scrutinised the walls for an exit to the cavern, the room suddenly darkened, and he stared in horror at his torch. “Oh shit.” With all the excitement, he hadn’t noticed it going out. He reached for Abi’s hand.

She squeezed his palm. “It’s going to be a fun trip back.”

The natural skylight only provided enough light to make out basic shapes. “Okay, I’ll go back and light the other torch. You stay here.” He guided her to the wall and helped her sit down. “Now, don’t move.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I mean it.”

“Well, hurry up and get going then.”

He ran his hand along the cavern wall until he found the tunnel entrance. “I’ll be back soon.”

Inside the tunnel the dim light behind him quickly faded and within a couple of paces he couldn’t even see his hand in front of him. Keeping constant touch on the walls he felt the ground with his toes before taking each step.

It was painstakingly slow. A cool breeze tickled the back of his neck and he frowned. He’d expected to be heading into the breeze, but he pressed on regardless.

The blackness around him was like swimming in a tar pit and his ragged breathing and his thumping heartbeat sounded loud in the closed space. The upward slant of the smooth floor grew steeper with each step and the whistling wind seemed to get louder as it raced along the narrow tunnel. An uneasy feeling twisted in his stomach.

I should’ve reached the right angle by now.

Or at least see some light from the cave.

His heart thundered.

Just twenty more steps , then if nothing changes, turn around . One, two, three.

His mind raced as he wondered where he’d gone wrong. Nine, ten, eleven.

His right hand lost touch with the wall and he assumed the tunnel widened. Then his outstretched foot kicked something. He reached forward and touched a cold stone wall.

A dead end. Fuck.

Fear gripped him, a cold sweat oozed from his forehead and as he groped the wall, Abi’s joke about being lost for all eternity echoed in his mind. But he caught sight of a faint light high up to his right. He kept one hand on the wall as he walked toward it. The tunnel rose sharply, and the light grew brighter with each step. When he could see in front of him, he started to run, casting aside all sense of caution. His legs pounded up the incline and with instant relief, he saw blue sky.

The opening was as large as a door, remarkably rectangular in shape and at odds with its natural surroundings. He stepped onto a narrow ledge and waited for his thundering heart to settle. Below him, a carpet of green grass stretched out, dotted with pools of water that glistened in the sun.

But his heart sank at the vastness. Still no signs of civilisation.

The ledge skirted the cliff and he side-stepped along it with his back hard against the rock face. The rough path followed a series of hairpin turns that wound its way down.

Finally, he breathed a sigh when his feet reached the flat ground.

And yet, the change in terrain didn’t offer any relief.

They were still a million miles from nowhere.