Into the Fire (3 page)

Hannah tried again to contact her mother. Now the phone went straight to message bank. Before, it had rung at least a few times before dropping out, though never long enough for her mother to answer. She picked up her own mobile phone but it wasn’t registering any service.

Sean looked up at his sister. The gyroscope was finished and he held it so tightly Hannah thought he might break it in two. ‘You can’t get through to Mum?’

‘No. It looks like the mobile phone network’s down. And there’s still no one answering at Gabby’s.’ Hannah smiled at her brother but he didn’t smile back. The smile dropped off her own face. ‘Right. We’ve got some decisions to make.’

‘Like what?’

Hannah eyed the dull skies through the window. ‘The fire is probably heading towards Teasdale. But which part of Teasdale? And will it reach here?’

‘What if it does, Hannah? What if the fire
is
coming this way?’

Hannah opened her mouth, to point out that fires don’t usually come into suburban sections of towns, when she saw Sean’s face. He was nervous. ‘We have to think what to do, Sean. We’ve talked about bushfires at school; every Grade 4 has had a visit to the fire station. Can you remember what they said? That was only last year for you.’

‘I remember they said you had to get out of your house early or plan to stay. But they talked a lot about farms and houses near the bush. We aren’t near the bush, Hannah.’

‘We aren’t right next to the bush but it’s only about four blocks away. If it’s a big enough fire, I guess it could get here. But listen, Sean—we’ve got time to get out. I don’t think we should plan to stay. I don’t really know how to fight a bushfire and I don’t think it’s a good time to start learning.’

‘Should we go to Angus’?’ Sean stood up.

Hannah shook her head. ‘He’s not home either and, anyway, he’s too far away. I think
we should go to the police station. We can explain that Mum and Dad are stuck on the highway.’

‘Okay.’ Sean looked around. ‘What should we take with us?’

Hannah went to the kitchen cupboard and took out two water bottles. ‘We have to keep drinking lots of water—I remember the fire officers saying that dehydration is a real danger in fires. Get your backpack. Oh, and put on some long pants and grab a woollen jumper. I remember them saying to keep covered up.’

‘It’s too hot, Hannah. I’ll need more water if I have to wear a jumper.’

Hannah hesitated. She couldn’t quite remember when you had to wear the jumper. ‘I think it’s only if you’re really near the fire. So carry it in your bag, just in case.’

Sean ran to his room to get a backpack. Hannah grabbed hers from the laundry and stuffed it with drink bottles and muesli bars. She put her phone in and, at the last minute, lifted a photo of her mum and dad from the windowsill and stowed it in a side pocket.

‘I’m ready, Hannah.’

‘What have you got in there?’ Hannah pointed at his bulging bag.

‘A jumper. And some other things I couldn’t leave behind.’

Hannah almost took his bag from him but there was something about the way her brother gripped its handle that stopped her. I wonder what I should be taking? she thought. What if the house does burn down? What if my things are destroyed? What will I wish I’d taken with me? She shook her head. ‘I hope it’s not too heavy. We have to go while we can, Sean. I don’t think we have a lot of time.’

They went out the front door and Hannah stopped. The wind was gritty and hot and there was a strong smell of smoke. She looked up and down the road but couldn’t see anyone. Either the neighbours had already gone or they were taking refuge in their houses. Next door, Mr and Mrs Spurr’s house was closed up: they’d gone on holidays two days ago. Hannah wished they hadn’t. Mrs Spurr would know what to do if she’d been around. ‘Come on, Sean. Let’s go. We’ll have to walk.’

They started down the footpath towards town, heading to the centre where the police station was. It was boiling hot and Hannah felt the sweat trickling down her neck. Her backpack was heavy and sticky and rubbed her back
through her T-shirt. She took a swig from her drink bottle. I’ve only gone half a block, she thought, and I’m already thirsty.

It took 20 minutes to get to the centre of town. Several cars passed them but none stopped. The people driving them were anxious—you could tell by the way they hunched over the steering wheel and concentrated on the road without noticing anything else. They didn’t even seem aware of the two kids walking along the footpath in the smoke.

‘What’s happening, Hannah?’ Sean stopped to stare at the crowd of people in front of the library.

Hannah frowned. ‘I’m not sure. It looks like people are leaving the library—and in a hurry. I wonder why there are so many people there.’

‘The Hidden Treasures exhibition. Remember, Han?’ Sean slung his backpack off his shoulder and undid it. ‘See? I brought the gyroscope with me.’

‘Sean! No wonder your bag was so bulky.’

‘It’s not that big and I couldn’t leave it behind. It took us all morning to make!’

‘Attention, please.’

Hannah and Sean looked in the direction of the sound. A man in an orange vest was calling
through a loud-hailer. ‘Attention. If you could make your way to the community centre in a calm and orderly fashion. Please move along now.’

‘Come on, Sean. Let’s go and see what’s happening.’

They ran to the crowd of people. People were talking among themselves and Hannah heard snippets as they went past. ‘Biggest fire ever…’, ‘Getting close…’, ‘Evacuate’.

‘They’re getting people to go to the community centre,’ Hannah said after listening closer. ‘I guess we should go with them.’

‘Hannah!’

Hannah turned around. The voice had come from the back of the crowd but Hannah knew it straight away. ‘Ling!’

A small, dark-haired girl pushed her way out of the throng of people and ran to them. ‘Hannah, am I glad to see you. I can’t find Gabby!’

‘What do you mean? Where was she?’

‘She was here with me. We went to the exhibition. She got bored—you know what she’s like—so I think she went outside before the opening was over. Then the emergency services came and told us to leave. Have you seen her?’

Hannah shook her head. ‘Maybe she’s gone home?’

‘She wouldn’t go without me. I don’t know where she could be.’

‘Maybe she’s in the toilet,’ said Sean.

‘They’ve got everyone out of the library. They looked everywhere. If she’s anywhere, she’ll be out here.’

‘She can’t be far away,’ said Hannah firmly. ‘Maybe she’s already at the community centre. If she left the library early they might have made her go there straight away.’

Ling rubbed a hand through her hair anxiously. ‘I hope you’re right.’

A sudden shout made them look up. The crowd had thinned but there was still a little group of people around the entrance.

‘I am not going anywhere,’ a woman was shouting. ‘I need to find the thief who has taken the brooch.’

‘That’s Mrs Hastings,’ said Hannah. ‘The librarian. What’s she talking about?’

‘When they went to unveil the brooch, it was gone. Someone’s stolen it.’

‘Oh, no.’ Hannah stared at Mrs Hastings. ‘It was valuable, wasn’t it?’

‘I’d say priceless would be more accurate. Still, they can’t do anything about it now. At the same moment they discovered the brooch was
missing, an SES person came to evacuate us. Looks like we’ve got more problems than a stolen bit of jewellery.’

Even during the time they’d been standing together, the sky had darkened. New plumes of smoke rose from the horizon.

‘Come along, kids,’ said a woman with a radio controller in her hand. ‘Walk down to the centre. Don’t forget to give your names to the people at the front before you go in.’

Hannah put her hand on Sean’s shoulder and directed him down the footpath. It wasn’t far to the community centre but by the time they got there, it looked like it was full. Hannah could see a lot of families she knew from school and some shopkeepers from the Market Square. It seemed that they were among the last to arrive.

They stood in a queue to have their names taken.

‘Where are your parents?’ asked the woman behind the desk.

‘I’m staying with my cousin,’ said Ling. ‘My aunt and uncle have gone out visiting some friends just out of town. But I can’t find my cousin. Do you have her name there? Gabby Hunter.’

The woman studied her list carefully and shook her head. ‘There isn’t a Gabby on my list. Don’t worry,’ she added, looking at Ling, ‘the SES are evacuating everyone to this meeting point. When they find her, they’ll bring her straight here.’

Ling nodded.

They walked inside and tried to find a place to sit. Most people had taken up areas of the floor, and rugs and pillows were stretched out everywhere. Sean found a space against the wall and sat down with his legs crossed.

It wasn’t until Ling and Hannah had slid down beside him that Ling spoke.

‘And what if they don’t find her, Hannah?’

Hannah didn’t know what to say.

At Brookwood Stables, Angus backed the last horse off the truck and led it to the empty paddock next to King. He unclipped the lead rope and the horse turned around and galloped to the fence line, neighing loudly. Angus bit his lip, hoping that the frightened animal wouldn’t go straight through the wooden rails, but it propped to a stop, spun around and galloped back again.

‘She’s okay, Angus,’ said Mr Mac. ‘She’ll settle down in a bit. The others are beginning to.’

They had the four rescued horses in four separate paddocks. Surprisingly, the black mare settled first, putting her head down to smell the dirt and flopping to her knees before rolling over and rubbing her neck along the ground. Angus smiled. The mare was rubbing the sweat from her
neck and body—a sign that she was relaxing. Sure enough, when the horse had finished rolling, she stood up, shook the dust off, and started grazing at wisps of hay in the paddock.

Angus looked at the sky. It was hazy and a dirty yellow colour but the smoke on the horizon wasn’t any closer to them than it had been this morning. ‘Do you think we’re safe here, Dad?’

Mr Mac didn’t answer for a moment. He took his hat off and wiped his forehead before jamming it back on his head. ‘I don’t really know, Angus. The wind’s turned once; the fire would have to travel a long way to get here. We’re okay at the moment and I guess that’s all we can think about right now.’ He turned back to the truck and lifted up the ramp. Angus helped him, bolting the platform tight. ‘I’ll go down to the racecourse again and see if there’s anyone else we need to help.’

‘I’m coming too.’

‘No, Angus. You need to stay here and make sure these horses are alright.’

‘But Harry and George will be here soon. You said they were just getting some horse rugs from George’s house.’

Even before he’d finished his sentence, Harry’s four-wheel drive turned down the
driveway. It pulled up beside the truck and Harry and George got out. ‘Everything alright?’ asked George, scanning the horses.

‘They’re fine,’ said Mr Mac. ‘I’ve got some more hay in the shed if you want to throw them some. That might make them feel at home.’

George nodded and went in search of the hay.

‘It’s good of you to take them in, Mac,’ said Harry. ‘Our place looks like it’s right in the path of the fire. We got the rugs and some other gear but we didn’t stay long. The smoke was pretty bad. Dad was coughing a lot.’

‘How does he feel about leaving the place?’

Harry gave a short laugh. ‘You know Dad—as long as his horses are safe, he doesn’t really care about anything else. He only goes into the house to eat and sleep and then I have to drag him in. If the place burnt down, he’d sleep in the paddock with the horses.’

‘What about you, then?’ Mr Mac put a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

Harry shrugged. ‘Julie and I have got our house in town. If the old home burnt, I’d be a bit sad but since Mum died, Dad’s neglected it. He’d get a lot of insurance money—maybe it’d be a good thing if the whole lot did go up in smoke!’

The men laughed but Angus got the feeling that they didn’t really mean it. Losing your whole house in a bushfire? Angus shifted his gaze to his home. It wasn’t much to look at but it was the only home he’d ever known. He couldn’t stand the thought of it burning to the ground. No amount of insurance money would make up for it.

‘I’m going back to the racecourse,’ Angus’ dad was saying.

‘Take me with you, Dad. George and Harry are here if things go wrong.’

Mr Mac looked at his son. ‘I guess there’s no stopping you, is there?’ Angus shook his head. His dad ruffled his hair. ‘We’ll take the truck and see what needs doing. Back soon, Harry.’

Angus climbed into the passenger seat. He waved at Harry as they drove off but Harry was walking over to his father. George was wheeling a barrow full of hay towards his horses. They had come over to the fence and were standing impatiently waiting to be fed. ‘Looks like they’ve been here forever, Dad.’

‘Yeah! Amazing what a bit of hay can do.’

That was all they said until they reached the racecourse. The smoke there was thicker than ever, and at the entrance gates a police car with
flashing lights blocked the way. Mr Mac pulled up beside it.

‘Hello, Colin,’ the constable said. ‘Have you got any horses here?’

‘No,’ said Mr Mac. ‘I’ve
just taken four of George Butler’s to our place. Are there any more to go?’

‘I’ll check.’ The police officer walked over to his car radio and came back a moment later. ‘There are still seven horses to take out to safe paddocks on the other side of town. If you take your truck in, it’ll make the job quicker. I’d say they’ll be evacuating in ten or 15 minutes. That wind’s strong.’ He looked over at Angus. ‘I don’t know about taking your son in, though.’

‘I’ll be okay,’ Angus said quickly. ‘I can help with the horses.’

‘He’s pretty good with them, Dan,’ Mr Mac explained. ‘He’s sensible too.’

‘Okay, but stick with your dad.’ The police officer waved them through.

They drove to the back of the racecourse, where George’s horses had been. Most of the people had gone—hopefully with their horses, thought Angus.

‘Stay here,’ said Mr Mac. ‘I’ll just check.’

Angus watched his father clamber out of the truck and run behind the first lot of stables. From where he sat, he couldn’t see any horses. One truck rumbled past, its load hidden behind high, dark windows. Angus started to relax. It looked like they weren’t needed and all the horses were safe.

A man appeared from the stables Mr Mac had passed. Angus recognised Alan Hopcroft, a friend of his father’s. He leaned out of his window and called to him. ‘Mr Hopcroft! Dad’s gone down to check the stables at the back.’

‘I think they’re all out, but it’s been a bit of a rush,’ said Alan. ‘We’ve had trainers and strappers going everywhere. It’s worth a last-minute look.’

‘Do you know whether Kenny Jones got all his horses out? When I went to catch George’s black mare, I saw one horse left in his stables.’

Alan frowned. ‘Kenny Jones had an injured horse—it cut its leg—and he left pretty quickly. His strapper was meant to check but he was very upset about the injury. I didn’t see him go back for a last look.’

Angus opened the truck door and got out. ‘Then the horse I saw earlier could still be there.’

‘Alan!’ Mr MacDonald was running towards them. ‘Are all the horses out that you know of?’

‘Did you check Kenny Jones’ stables?’

‘No.’ Mr MacDonald stopped alongside his son, puffing. ‘I did the others.’ He pointed.

‘I saw a horse there, Dad. Mr Hopcroft’s not sure that Kenny Jones got them all out.’

Mr MacDonald ran a hand through his hair. ‘One last look then we’d better go.’

Angus looked around at the buildings in front of them. The smoke was yellow and covered the area like a toxic blanket, but he couldn’t see any flames. ‘I’ll come with you.’

‘No.’ Mr MacDonald reached for his son and put a firm hand on his shoulder. ‘You get the ramp down on the truck, Angus. We’ll be back in a few minutes.’ He ran off, Alan following.

Angus got out of the truck to put the back down. The ramp was hard to get loose and he had to hit the bolt with his fist to move it. He finally got the incline lowered then glanced at his watch. His dad and Alan had been gone for almost five minutes. No one else was around. The smoke swirled around him, making him cough. It was definitely thicker—and getting increasingly hard to see even the stables. Angus tried to make out the shape of his father or Alan or even the missing horse, but there was nothing.

Another long minute passed. Angus went over to the cabin of the truck and climbed in. Twelve months ago, when he could at last reach the pedals, his dad had begun to teach him how to drive. It was handy to be able to drive the farm ute around the paddocks with feed or tools. The old truck was familiar to him. He turned the key in the ignition and put the engine into neutral, making sure the handbrake was firmly on, and sat there, staring again into the haze.

It was another two minutes before he saw anything. By then, a police car was cruising towards him and a man was calling over the car’s announcement system for everyone to move out. Its lights flashed eerily in the dullness.

Suddenly a man ran out of the smoke, hunched over, with his hand covering his mouth. Angus jumped out of the truck and ran towards him. It was Alan Hopcroft.

‘Where’s Dad?’ Angus started to run in the direction Alan had come from but the man caught his arm.

‘Don’t go in there, Angus! The fire’s caught on.’ Alan fell to his knees, letting Angus go, and coughed violently.

‘But where’s Dad?’ Angus bent down to his
father’s friend and waited until his coughing had subsided.

‘He’s trapped in the stable. We have to get help. It’s too smoky. I couldn’t open—’ Alan started coughing again.

Angus looked up. The police car had gone out of sight. A slow-moving ambulance came into view and started to come towards them. Alan raised a weak hand to signal them over. ‘We’ll have to wait for help.’

‘But the fire’s coming! It might be too late!’

‘Angus!’ Alan Hopcroft’s voice was hoarse and his chest heaved as if he couldn’t quite get enough oxygen.

‘I’m going to get Dad.’ As soon as Angus was sure that the ambulance had spotted Alan, he headed for the burning stables, running as fast as he could despite his sore knee. He vaguely heard someone calling out behind him but took no notice. He had to find his father.