Mike Dixon

CHAPTER 17
Cruel awakening
he monsoon rains had started again. Without warn-
T ing the sky opened and colossal drops pounded
against the roof of the van. David rolled over and looked at
his watch. It was difficult to keep track of time. He tried to
work it out. Tim had been killed on Thursday and he had
spent Friday in the water before being rescued. Two or
more days had passed since then but he couldn‟t be sure.
So much was a blur.
The people who had rescued him said he‟d suffered jelly-
fish stings and was being treated for them. Their name was
Longboat and there were four of them. Mum had medical
skills and was competent in everything she did. Dad hardly
spoke. Rebecca was about his own age and little brother,
Daniel, was much younger. The family was on holidays and
had pitched camp in this remote location to enjoy some
peace and quiet before returning to the hustle and bustle of
modern life. Earlier, he‟d heard Rebecca arguing with her
father, saying it was stupid to have gone off to such a wild
place without a phone.
He placed his arm over his eyes and tried to re-enter the
world of sleep. Being awake brought back cruel memories.
The taste of blood still hung in his mouth. He‟d had to swim
through a cloud of it to escape Footsie‟s bullets. He curled
up and tried to think positive thoughts. But the effort was
too much. His mind kept drifting back to the terrible few
seconds following Tim‟s death. The incident had been replaying
in his mind over and over again. Tim‟s body had