Page 33

Eventually, they came across one of the dirt tracks created by the electric buggies as they navigated their favourite routes over the terrain. Michael stopped.

“What is it?”

Steph asked, reaching down her leg to feel the top of the knife under her trousers.

“I don’t know,”

Michael said, crouching lower. Steph walked up beside him to see what he was looking at. It was tracks. Tyre tracks. They were fresh. Fresh enough anyway. The buggy had clearly sunk deep into the mud as it drove along suggesting that it had been driven when it started to belt it down.

“You think it could be Martina and the others?”

Steph asked.

“It could be. But I’m not really sure where it was going. I suppose there is another gate out that way. It’s not used much but…”

Steph watched as he got up. He seemed to hesitate for a moment as to which way to go. Then he turned to follow the tracks in the direction of the tread.

“Not used much but what?”

Steph asked. He didn’t answer. He was a little further ahead and maybe he hadn’t heard her. She suspected that wasn’t the case.

They walked with their heads down. At one point, a lone deer crossed their path but that was all they saw. Everything else seemed to be seeking shelter from the rain. Then Michael stopped again. Steph saw why. His small circle of light from the torch still shone on the tyre tracks, but they began to lose definition now. They were becoming one long streak that started to vary in width.

“They lost control!”

Michael said. “But why?”

Steph shadowed him as he followed the tracks more slowly, periodically looking up and shining his torch at random spots. Then they saw it. Steph noticed it first and let out a gasp. She didn’t mean to; it escaped her before she’d registered her feelings.

New tracks met the tyre tracks which were curving completely off their usual route. These tracks seemed to slide slightly too. However, one part of them was unmistakable. That of a paw. It was huge. Steph watched Michael instinctively flick the torch in the direction the tyre tracks had gone.

“Ah, shit!”

he muttered. In front of them was one of the buggies, its bonnet hugging a tree, its doors wide open and its seats empty.

Steph had to fight her instinct to shout out names. Instead she reached down and pulled the knife from its sheath. Her heart felt as if it would explode. The darkness around them now seemed somehow gloomier than it had before. She was sure there had been some light before, but now she realised she could not see a thing beyond the torchlight.

At this point, for reasons Steph could not understand at the time, Michael then shone the torch back down to the ground again, crouching low.

“What are you doing?”

Steph hissed, spinning her head around in wide circles and seeing nothing beyond her nose. She turned back to look at Michael. He waved a quieting hand.

“The bear didn’t chase them,”

he said slowly, standing up.

“What do you mean?”

“Look!”

Steph looked down at the ground as Michael slowly followed the tracks. They were spaced evenly and reasonably close together. There was nothing to indicate a running gait. The tracks meandered towards the stranded buggy for a few paces before veering off and carrying on their way.

Michael snorted as he looked at the tracks swerving off into the mud, already somewhat full of water where the animal had sunk deepest. Then he carried on towards the buggy. Steph followed.

There was nothing in the buggy of note. What was more interesting were the three sets of footprints that headed in the direction away from the path and the buggy. These did have an exaggerated gait suggesting they’d tried to move at speed. Steph thought it only suggested their intention because one set of tracks seemed to be a little streakier on the left leg as if they were dragging their leg slightly until the other pair of tracks joined them and the speed increased a little.

“It looks like they all got out,”

Steph said.

Michael grunted.

“We should go after them; make sure they’re all right,”

Steph said, heading out in the direction of the beam of light that illuminated the tracks. Then the light disappeared. Steph turned around. Michael was walking back towards the pathway.

“What are you doing!”

Steph hissed, trotting after him and trying not to slip on unforeseen patches beneath her.

“Heading back to the house like we planned.”

“What about the others?”

“They got away; us going after them won’t make a difference. We’d be playing catch-up.”

“But… they could be in trouble!”

“Then getting to the house, retrieving the necessary equipment and bringing a degree of control to the situation would likely be a big help to them.”

“One of them is clearly hurt!”

Michael didn’t answer straightaway. He stopped and turned before striding towards her. Steph instinctively squeezed the hilt of the knife tighter. He was marching towards her with purpose. She was almost certain he was going to hit her. But why?

Michael stopped right in front of Steph. She winced slightly. Then she felt something thrust into her hand. She looked down. It was the radio.

“If you’re so concerned, you go after them!”

he said. He turned around, walked a few paces and then came back, rummaging in his pocket. “Here!”

He thrust something else into her hand. It was a torch.

“You had a spare this whole time?”

she snapped.

“I might have needed it,”

he replied, then he turned and walked off into the sodden darkness.

For a moment, Steph thought she was going to follow him. He was probably right; what could they do? They would probably be playing catch-up and there was no guarantee they would find the others before they encountered something less friendly. The fact the giant cave bear was meandering about didn’t fill her with reassurance. Then again, perhaps that was why they had not encountered any of the other predators.

Steph turned on the torch. She shone it briefly in the direction of Michael, his own light already starting to become engulfed in the distant night. She shook her head and turned towards the buggy. She shone her torch down, found the tracks and began to follow.