Mike Dixon

„I saw it come in.‟
„Yeah,‟ David nodded.
„Daryl wasn‟t there to meet it.‟
„No,‟ David shook his head.
„He usually is,‟ the old man continued. „He gets all dressed
up in his smart shorts and shirt and goes out there an hour
or more before they arrive.‟
David reached for his
binoculars and looked
down at the homestead.
The Volvo was
parked in front of the
concrete blockhouse at
the rear of the house. It
was impossible to see
details but the general
impression was one of conflict. He recognized Noelene with-
out the slightest difficulty. There was no mistaking her and
the big man was easy to identify. He seemed to be having a
heated argument with Daryl and the slim man who were
standing off to the side as if they were intimidated by him.
It started to rain. David retreated back into the cave. Janet
and Humphrey were due in a few hours and he wanted to
rest before going out to meet them. The original plan had
been to return south immediately. That was no longer possi-
ble. A tropical cyclone was approaching. Hurricane-force
winds would soon bear down on them. The rain would bucket
out of the sky and the roads would turn to slush. He sank
down in a rocking chair and nodded off to sleep.
Gunfire ripped into his dreams. There was no mistaking it
for the sound of thunder. David ran to the cave entrance and
looked down at the airfield. The runway lights were on and a
plane was speeding down it, caught in the headlights of a