1 Life 2 Die 4 Read online

  I guess Jessica’s shield-field thing didn’t have enough oomph to protect us from the missile, since she didn’t even try using it. Instead she kept dragging me towards the front of the bus faster than I’d have thought possible. When we were almost there and it seemed like the missile must just about be in my back pocket, she veered round the front of the bus and launched herself forward, lifting me into the air with her so that we sailed up over the gutter and past the open bus door.

  We were in mid-air when the 335 to Carseldine exploded in a raging inferno of flames.

  I was astonished at how much devastation such a tiny missile could cause. The percussion wave hit us while we were still in the air, blowing us sideways while the smoking fireball expanded up and out from the driver’s side. The sound was mind-numbing, and the added noise of about fifty bus windows shattering simultaneously didn’t exactly lessen the throbbing in my eardrums. Then we were plummeting towards the pavement with Jessica still firmly gripping the back of my red hoodie.

  I’d expected to feel a skin-grating, bone-jarring impact. Instead I felt her arm expertly manoeuvre me round so that, when we hit the ground, we both rolled smoothly back to our feet and were running again before I’d even worked out what had happened! I don’t know how she did it, but it made me realize she was more skilful than any Olympic gymnast I’d ever seen. I’d like to see one of them grab some dorky spectator from the crowd and take the poor dope though their routine with them!

  I turned my head away as thousands of window fragments rained down over us. Once they’d hit the pavement, I looked ahead again and my eyes were drawn to the left. Amidst the chaos of fleeing people, the thin, black leather clad figure walking calmly towards us stood out like a priest at a ‘Living Dead’ concert … even before he’d raised his gun.

  This time Jessica didn’t need to drag me into a crouch – I knew her field-shield was our only chance so I was already dropping. Two seconds later, the man’s bullets fell harmlessly onto the pavement in front of us. Then, for the first time since Jessica had grabbed me, she let go and I watched her lob something over the shield towards our new enemy.

  Everyone else had started running a while back. Now bad guy number two finally worked out that they had the right idea!

  And so did we.

  I’ve never moved so fast on foot. I was putting in everything my adrenaline-packed muscles could muster, yet Jessica was always a step ahead, always dragging me on. I heard the grenade blow behind us and could only hope we’d put sufficient distance between ourselves and the lethal shrapnel I knew would be blasting out through the air behind us. That wasn’t our only problem though. The flames and smoke from the gutted bus to our right were already thinning, and I could only pray their fading cover would be enough to hide us from Baseball Cap man, who was undoubtedly lurking somewhere just beyond it.

  Thankfully, as we flew along the pavement and ducked left down a wide flight of stairs into the Post Office Square underground mall, our luck held.

  *****

  2

  There were only a handful of confused-looking people still milling about down in the mall. I figured most had done the smart thing and were racing for their lives, heading for the exit at the far end, away from all the gunshots and explosions! I hardly touched the stairs at all on the way down, and once we reached the floor of the mall, Jessica didn’t slow at all. Together we raced on, veering left round the big circular staircase leading from the centre of the mall up to the grassed Square above, before flying on toward the Adelaide Street exit at the far end.

  Before we got there, we were finally forced to slow as we caught up to the mass of terrified people trying to escape. Even so, we were ducking left and right past them so fast I only caught blurred glimpses of their frightened, confused faces. Then we were through the mall and I spotted Anzac Square on the far side of the road with Central Station looming up behind it.

  On our way through the mall, I’d finally had a few seconds to think, and it hadn’t taken long to realise my best chance of survival lay with getting as far away from Jessica as soon as I possibly could. If she and her friends wanted to play rough with each other, that was up to them, but it was obvious I’d be safer somewhere else. Anywhere else.

  Still, I’d also realised it wasn’t that simple. I had no idea why Jessica had decided to use me as a human shield, but I had to admit that some part of my twisted teenage mind was actually thrilled to be with her, no matter what the reason. Whether she was an innocent victim trying to escape some criminal organisation, or a murderer on the run, I couldn’t shake the memory of her pulling me tight against that amazing body of hers each time we were fired at by one of those goons. If I went my own way, she’d be gone forever. If I stayed with her, I might be killed; but I might also be able to help her stay alive, and it surprised me to realise the thought of those guys catching up to Jessica and blasting her to hell was almost worse than the thought of them doing it to me.

  I glanced about, sizing up our options. We could go left or right along Anne Street, or across the road at Anzac Square. I figured Jessica would go straight ahead, seeking to extend her lead over her pursuers. Instead, she caught me by surprise by dragging me left along the sidewalk and I began to suspect my personal debate about whether to stay with her had been a waste of time. She was so strong I felt sure I wouldn’t be able to break her hold even if I tried! Like it or not, for the moment I was stuck with her.

  While we ran, I noticed Jessica glance up and realized she was trying to stay under the cover of the overhanging roof. Of course! The bad guys might not have followed us down into the mall. If they knew the area, they’d be aware that we could only come out either here or back at the top of the spiral staircase, and that both exits could easily be covered from the grassed rooftop of the Square. If they’d been smart enough to run straight across, they’d already be waiting up there with guns at the ready. I swallowed uncomfortably. If I’d decided to go my own way and had somehow managed to break free of Jessica, I’d probably have been gunned down in seconds!

  Keeping under cover as best we could, we sprinted along the concrete pavement till we were directly under the pedestrian overpass. Then Jessica veered across the road, horns blaring and wheels screeching as the traffic tried hard not to flatten us. A big green BMW 4WD, tyres squealing, ended up sideways next to us and the driver and I were exchanging startled looks when its back window exploded. I didn’t bother searching for the source of the bullets. It was obvious that at least one of the bad guys had a bead on us and that pausing to see who it was would probably prove fatal. Instead, Jessica and I crouched as low as we could and kept running.

  A heartbeat later the bitumen ahead and just to our right erupted as a cascade of bullets started slamming into it. While I ran, I watched in horror as the line of tiny explosions closed in on us. Then we were off the road, racing past one of the thick concrete pedestrian bridge supports while I listened to the slightly changed tone of bullets smashing into concrete instead of bitumen. I couldn’t help thinking how much better it sounded than the sickening thud of them slamming into our bodies.

  Two strides later I heard something metal hit the ground behind us and nearly had a heart attack! It sounded like a grenade bouncing along the concrete path! I heard a hissing sound and when I glanced back there was smoke pouring far more quickly than I’d imagined possible from a small metal cylinder on the ground behind us. A surge of relief ran through me - Jessica must have dropped it to give us some cover from the sniper.

  When the shooting stopped, I guessed it had worked. The guy must have lost his line-of-sight and would be coming after us now, hunting for a clearer shot. We sprinted on along the path beneath the walkway while Jessica tossed a couple more smoke grenades further out to our right. Then I felt my pulse quicken as she unexpectedly dragged me out towards them, heading across open ground towards the steps to the Shrine of Remembrance.

  While I sprinted over the grass beside her, I glanced up at the Shrine
and recalled being there at the Anzac Day dawn ceremony a few years back. I’d only gone because my dad had insisted, so I’d been amazed when the emotion-charged atmosphere had actually brought tears to my eyes while I’d thought about all those guys who’d died in wars over the years, fighting for my right to live free in my own country. Now, as we neared the stairs leading up to the eighteen columns of the memorial (symbolizing the year World War I had finally ended, I recalled out of the blue), I suddenly wondered if I would be joining all of those brave, lost soldiers far sooner than I’d ever imagined.

  I’d just started to worry about the fact that we’d be even more exposed while we raced up the steps, when Jessica veered towards the area beneath them. She tossed another smoke bomb ahead, and by the time we skidded to a stop under the staircase, there was smoke everywhere. A moment later – inexplicably - a square hole began opening in the paving right in front of us!

  “Follow me,” she said with surprising calm. It was the first time I’d heard her speak and I was shocked at how smoulderingly sexy she sounded, particularly under the circumstances.

  After she stepped into the hole and dropped from sight, I realised there was simply no way I could have stopped myself from following her. The sudden hail of gunfire that strafed through the billowing smoke and raked swiftly across the sandstone wall towards me just added that extra little bit of incentive. I didn’t know how far I’d fall, but right then the one clear thought in my mind was that there was no way I was letting this incredible woman out of my sight!

  *****

  3

  As it turned out, my head had barely dropped below ground level before my feet hit solid ground. While I bent my knees to absorb the impact, the access hole above me was already closing. I looked ahead and felt slightly dizzy when I found Jessica’s stunning face inches from mine. A dull, greenish glow from several small circular lights embedded in the stone walls reflected off the glossy red lipstick smeared precisely across her gorgeous lips while her concerned eyes peered directly into mine.

  “Are you okay?” she asked in an oddly husky tone.

  I really tried to make sound come out of my mouth. But it was hopeless. Hell … it was easier staying calm under fire than while I stared into those mesmerising brown eyes of hers!

  As time stretched out uncomfortably, I finally gave up trying to speak and just nodded dumbly instead. Then I saw her smile for the first time and, incredibly, I suddenly knew that I’d do anything for this woman! More than that - I desperately wanted to do something to impress her. For a moment, I actually thought of asking for her gun so I could cover her escape! Then I thought of those hoodlums following us and realised a kid who’d never fired a gun in his life wasn’t likely to slow them down much. Her best chance of escaping was to keep her gun and keep running, and whether she liked it or not, she wasn’t getting rid of me until I knew she was safe.

  While all this flew through my mind, Jessica turned away and crouched down on all fours.

  “Good - let’s go,” she whispered over her shoulder before crawling off along a narrow tunnel.

  From its direction, I realised the dimly lit tunnel must go under the Memorial. But that was about the last sensible thought I had as I obediently followed her. As incredible as it seemed, I discovered there was something even more visually stunning about this woman than the things I’d already noticed from the front … and I was getting a perfect view of it while she crawled cat-like along the gently sloping shaft in her tight-fitting rust-coloured leather pants!

  Lord have mercy, I thought as my heart-rate accelerated and I fought to remember my manners. I couldn’t recall my mother covering this particular situation in any of her uninvited etiquette advice over the years, but somehow I suspected ‘don’t touch’ might be appropriate. Still, I knew that trying to follow the more gentlemanly restriction of ‘don’t even look’ just wasn’t possible. It’d be like visiting the Louvre without bothering to see the Mona Lisa!

  Suffice it to say that, with two gun-wielding killers hot on our tails, those were thirty of the best seconds of my life. Then, all too soon, Jessica was climbing out into a dimly lit, underground railway tunnel and I abruptly remembered the rest of the world and how nasty it had turned.

  Struggling to put some of the pieces of this bizarre puzzle together, I dropped down beside her. Then, after straightening from a crouch, I looked her in the eye and felt myself frown heavily.

  “Who are you?” I demanded more bluntly than I’d intended.

  Jessica peered back blankly for a moment before a sudden look of understanding crossed her face and she gave me what I can only describe as a deeply caring smile (though it made absolutely no sense that she should care for me at all!)

  “I’m sorry, Dan,” she said, inexplicably knowing my name. “In all the excitement, I’d forgotten how confusing this must be for you.” Then her smile changed to a look of deep concern as the distant sound of an explosion carried from the far end of the tunnel. Her head snapped round and she peered back into the now pitch black void. “I’m Veronica …” she continued in a far-off voice, clearly more focussed on what was going on at the other end of the tunnel.

  When her eyes widened suddenly, I glanced back into the tunnel. Way back, a tiny swaying pin-prick of light had appeared – a torch beam! I turned back just as Veronica launched herself off along the railway tunnel.

  “… I’m you wife,” she added, and I would have fallen flat on my face if she hadn’t been firmly gripping my hoodie while she once more dragged me after her!

  *****

  4

  If it wasn’t for all the other crazy stuff, I’d have felt certain Veronica had a few screws loose in that gorgeous head of hers. As it was, I didn’t really know what to think. The only thing that seemed crystal clear to me was that something extremely weird was going on and that, like it or not, I was smack-bang in the thick of it.

  While my brain did cartwheels, we bolted on along the track, our footsteps echoing hollowly about the enclosed tunnel. Then the hairs on the back of my neck slowly stood up as I registered a dull rumbling coming from somewhere ahead. I felt Veronica lift her pace, even as I began pulling back.

  “What are you doing?” I asked incredulously. “Can’t you hear it?”

  “I hear it,” she replied simply.

  Was it possible she was hearing something different?

  “There’s a train coming straight for us!” I elaborated, understanding that now was not one of those times when you chuckled afterwards about how you’d both been unwittingly talking about different things.

  “I know.” She glanced at me and added: “Trust me,” before turning back to watch her footing while we raced on over the rough rocks scattered between the lines.

  I stared incredulously at Veronica a moment longer before turning back to peer ahead along the dim tunnel. What should I do? I’d already endured all sorts of dramas during the last few minutes, yet she had somehow managed to keep me safe. Did that mean I should trust her again? On one level this seemed reasonable. While on another (the one where a speeding train weighing about a hundred tonnes was bearing down on us and she’d decided we should charge towards it!) it made absolutely no sense at all.

  It was a pivotal moment … one of those times in your life when you recognise that the wrong decision will probably cost you your life. If I’d been on my own, there’s little doubt I would have turned and run. But I wasn’t. And crazy as it seemed, I realised I’d rather run headlong into a train with this crazy, beautiful woman than go back alone only to hear the sound of her being smashed to a pulp behind me.

  So on we ran; racing together towards oblivion…

  Butterflies filled my gut and I could feel my hands shaking. I noticed Veronica’s shoulder-length hair start flying madly about as the approaching monster’s blunt nose shoved cold, stale air towards us along the confined tunnel. The flurry of wind whipped up a chip packet and I turned away sharply as it nearly hit me in the face. When I turned back
, my eyes widened and my heart stuttered as the train roared round the bend not more than a hundred metres ahead of us, its powerful light beaming towards us like one huge, soulless eye.

  Until now, in the back of my mind I’d been hoping Veronica knew of a platform nearby; that we could beat the train to it then somehow jump up out of the way before being smashed to a pulp. Now, as the train’s dazzling headlight lit up the straight section of tunnel between us and it, my heart sank. Not only was there no platform, the curving concrete sides and ceiling were bereft of anything that might even suggest salvation. Not a single door or recessed area; not even the smallest grill hinting at a ventilation shaft. Just one long archway of solid uninterrupted concrete curving up over our heads like we were sprinting madly through some gigantic mausoleum!

  I wondered if Veronica was planning on us flattening our bodies against the side wall as the train sped by. If so, I knew she was sadly mistaken. There’d be barely enough room for an anorexic stick insect. And that was assuming it somehow managed to keep still as the huge metal monster charged past. Gritting my teeth, I thought grimly of the time I’d nearly fallen off my bike after being buffeted by an air gust from a passing bus. How much stronger would the gust be from a hundred metre long train inside this enclosed tunnel?

  It was like some kind of surreal dream, racing towards the speeding train with zero chance of survival. And I was caught completely off guard when I abruptly realized I was totally at peace with it all. Incredibly, I felt convinced I’d be happy to die with this goddess by my side. Just the two of us together on a mad dash for freedom. The ultimate freedom of death.