Lost In Kakadu (27 page)

“Look what I found?” Abi presented the snails to him in an old bean can.

He plucked out one of the snails and as he nodded approval, she knew he’d already be thinking of ways to prepare them.

Abi was worried about Mackenzie. He looked lost and without purpose. But she’d seen him like this before and refused to let his melancholy upset her. This was only their first night and they had no idea how many days it was going to take to walk out of this jungle. With pursed lips she did a mental summary of what needed to be done before the sun set.

“I’ll get the fire going,” she said. “You set up the bed and then we can do the food together.” She put her hands on his shoulders and caught his eyes. They were dull with failure. It was heartbreaking. “Okay?” Abi knew he’d feel better once he started cooking, but they had other things to do first.

He handed the snails back to her. “Okay.”

The ground was a carpet of rough rocks, both large and small, and no matter how often she adjusted her seating she couldn’t get comfortable. She tried to ignore Mackenzie’s exaggerated grunting as he secured the cargo net between three sturdy tree trunks high off the ground. When he returned to her side, she pushed to her feet and fetched the metal pan from the suitcase and the bean can full of snails.

The temperature dropped as the sun set and the fire gradually reduced down to bright orange coals. As Mackenzie sharpened a long stick with the axe, his demeanour began to change. His expression softened and he started humming his favourite tune. Cooking gave him a sense of purpose and contentment. It made him happy. She was eternally grateful, as she had no doubt she would’ve died out here if it wasn’t for his hunting and creative cooking skills. When he reached for the lizard, Abi looked away. She knew he was about to skewer it and despite the many rugged animal preparations they used out here, this was something that still made her squeamish.

“Here you go.” He handed the thick end of the stick to her. The lizard was threaded onto the other end and the stick bowed under the weight of the animal.

Abi eased onto the ground, pulled her knees to her chest and held the lizard over the fire. As the skin began to smoke and sizzle, its rank smell made her nauseous. She looked away from their dinner and fought a tide of emotions as she watched Mackenzie preparing the snails. She already missed their plush seats by the fire and their comfortable beds in the wreck. As she turned the lizard over, she forced her longing for their old campsite from her mind. She must only look forward from now on, because no matter what happened they could never turn back.

The lizard’s skin was crusty and burnt and the meat dry and tough. With each mouthful she had to force herself to swallow. The snails on the other hand were delicious. Mackenzie had quickly pan fried them with a dash of oil and they were juicy and sweet. She easily could’ve eaten ten more.

Once the meal was over and the dishes cleaned, there was nothing else to do but try to sleep. Abi put on an extra layer of clothing and Mackenzie helped her into the cargo net. He passed up the blanket they’d made out of the parachutes and she held it aside while he climbed in beside her. They shuffled the blanket over their bodies and lay on their backs side by side trying to spot stars through the canopy. She felt the tension in all her muscles unravelling as she stretched out. But it was impossible to stop their bodies from wedging together as if they were in a human cocoon. Abi knew she couldn’t sleep like this and rolled onto her side with her back to Mackenzie and rested her hands beneath her cheek. “I miss my king sized bed.”

Mackenzie’s hand curled under her arm and cupped her breast. “No, you don’t.”

She giggled. “Okay. No, I don’t.”

* * *

On the fifth afternoon a brief storm led them to shelter under a low hanging tree that was almost completely engulfed by a well-established strangler fig. The tree’s dense branches created a comfortable sanctuary from the rain and the flat dirt beneath, devoid of rocks, was pure bliss. Abigail checked for bugs and spiders before she nestled in a nook created by the tree’s giant exposed roots. She closed her eyes, listening to her surroundings. Mackenzie’s dry, raspy breathing contrasted against the therapeutic sound of raindrops on the forest floor, but another sound caught her attention; a deep grunting noise that chanted to an odd rhythm. As it grew louder Mackenzie sat up and indicated to her to keep quiet as he removed the axe from the backpack.

Abi froze with anticipation and her heart skipped a beat when a pig entered their tree haven. It was as tall as a terrier dog and its dirty snout nudged the ground as it grunted in time to its movements. Coarse black hair covered its entire body and one long yellow tooth jutted from the left side of its snout. The pig’s backside was caked in thick red mud giving it a bizarre two toned pattern.

Abi held her breath watching Mackenzie’s eyes as he readied for the kill. She caught the glint of metal as the axe flew through the air and hit the pig in the middle of its rump. The pig released a shrill squeal and then dashed from their hideout without even a scratch on its back. It darted into the underbrush with Mackenzie racing after it yelling obscenities, but a tangle of vines stopped his chase. He yanked at gnarled branches, snapped them off and tossed them in the direction of the escaping pig.

He returned to their hideout with sagging shoulders and a demeanour that admitted defeat. Abi followed behind him and eased herself back into the tree’s root system. They sat in silence for a long time, the tension as thick as the roots she leant against.

“We’re fucked,” Mackenzie finally said without lifting his eyes from his knees.

Abi was determined to remain positive. “No, we’re not.”

“Our friggin’ dinner just ran away.” He flicked a speck of dirt from his knee. “You do realise we’re down to our last two cans of beans.”

“I know, Mack, but we’re going to be okay.”

Mackenzie juggled the axe in his hand and then slammed it into the ground. The blade wedged deep into the red earth and he kicked the handle with his shoe. A slab of dirt released beside the blade and he picked up the chunk crumbling it in his hands.

Abi felt his despair and crawled towards him. She spied an irregular white shape next to the embedded axe and recognised it immediately.

“Look!” She pointed into the divot.

Small white creatures with distinctive scalloped bodies and tiny bent legs curled up in the dirt. One of them had been sliced in half by the axe and brown liquid oozed from its body.

“Holy shit!” Mackenzie flashed white teeth through his thick beard. “Looks like we’re eating witchetty grubs for dinner.”

“See? I told you we’d be all right.” Looking at the wriggling insects, she couldn’t believe she was prepared to eat one. Ever since their first discovery of the grubs while digging the grave, Mackenzie had joked that one day they’d have to eat them.

Together they dug out over two dozen of the plump white grubs and tossed the writhing creatures into a bowl. Mackenzie then snapped dry branches off the tree and, once the sun pierced the clouds again, he started a fire. Washing the grubs with a small ration of water, they tossed them into the hot pan. Their dinner initially curled into tight balls but they flattened out when the pan began to sizzle.

“You found them. You go first,” Mackenzie said with a sadistic grin.

“Okay.” Abi was full of bravado but a dry knot wedged in her throat. She pinched one of the grubs between her fingers then, closing her eyes, she tossed it onto her tongue. Her teeth pierced the crisp outer skin and she was surprised at how bland it was, just a slight nutty flavour. She tried to imagine eating a chicken drumstick as she chewed quickly and then swallowed. “It’s not too bad.”

“Of course it isn’t. Aborigines have been eating these forever.”

She pointed at the plate. “That’s because they don’t have lobster or lamb racks to choose from.”

“No, it’s because they’re free and also highly nutritious.”

She slapped him on the shoulder. “So shut up and eat one then.”

He tossed a couple of grubs into his mouth. “Mmm, tastes like chicken.”

That night one of the parachutes served as their bed. The ground beneath it was as hard as rock but, without an alternative, Abi crawled onto the fabric, lay flat on her back and allowed her aching muscles to unravel. She turned to face the fire and nestled her back against Mackenzie with her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. He pushed his free arm beneath her elbow, reached for her hand and squeezed it to her chest.

His hot breath on her neck was intoxicating and she nudged tighter to him. He released his grip and drew his finger over her palm in slow sensuous circles that tickled her hand and stirred another exquisite sensation deep within her. He smelt of sweat, dirt and full-blooded man. His scent stimulated a primal need within her. She rolled over to face him and glided her hands up under his T-shirt to help him remove it.

“What are you up to, Abi?” His voice was a sexy whisper close to her ear.

A shiver ran along her neck at the sound of her name. Her body tingled and her nipples hardened.

“Shhh,” she said with her fingers to his lips. He gently kissed them one by one. When she traced her finger over his thick beard and down his neck his hips began to move in slow, rhythmic movements. She pushed her fingers up through his coarse chest hair and tugged gently. His nipples were hard pebbles and she circled them with her tongue, tasting his saltiness. She flicked her tongue and he gasped. A delightful tingle stirred within her at the control she held over him. He lifted her leg over his hip and as his hand traced up her thigh, she savoured the tightening radiating through her. When he sucked on her earlobe, an acute shudder ran through her whole body.

She rolled to her knees, parted his legs, knelt between them and tugged his jeans to release him from the fraying denim. As she rose above him, she devoured the sight before her. His manhood was heavenly, his gaze heated and intense and his toned body glistened in the firelight. She removed her clothes allowing him a full view of the body she was now proud of.

Her chest rose and fell with deep burning want.

He reached up to her and his roughened hands clasped her hips and guided her down onto him. She gasped as he slid inside her.

His hands on her breasts were gentle yet firm, caressing, tugging, teasing. She rocked back and forth. Slowly at first. The flickering glow from the fire completed the exotic sensations running through her body. Their rhythm increased and the intensity clawed at her insides. When every nerve in her body was ready to explode, she cried out with a shattering climax and Mackenzie stiffened to release with her.

She collapsed onto his chest and sucked in ragged breaths as she listened to Mackenzie’s raging heartbeat. His fingers still trembled when he hugged her to his chest and she snuggled into him. After a while, she rolled off and pulled her slacks and T-shirt back on. Mackenzie tugged on a pair of shorts but when he decided to leave his shirt off, she curled up against his naked chest and drifted into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Mackenzie woke with a start and a sting on his foot convinced him something was wrong. The fire had long ago died and he scanned the blackness, listening for a clue to his fear. His arm was numb from the weight of Abi’s head and he flexed his fingers as he gradually slid it out from under her neck. She rolled onto her back but remained asleep.

Complete darkness heightened his senses and he sat up shaking his hand to fend off the tingling sensation down his arm. He brushed his legs but snapped back when he felt something hairy on his thigh. Cringing as he strained to see what it was, he gingerly felt along his leg until he touched it again. He flicked at it, but it remained stuck. He soon realised it was a large hairy caterpillar like the ones they’d seen the other day. Pinching it between his fingers, he peeled it off and tossed it into the blackness. Then he felt another one. “Abi, wake up!”

She snapped awake. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve got caterpillars on me.”

“What?”

“I’ve just found a couple of those hairy caterpillars on me so check your legs too.”

She jumped up and seconds later began cursing as she stomped her feet. The creatures clung to him everywhere, his arms, his legs, his chest. He ripped them off but each one left dozens of tiny spines in his flesh like he’d been wrestling a cactus.

“Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed Abi’s arm and led her out of their tree shelter. His outstretched hand searched the blackness for invisible obstacles. They crouched down to avoid the low hanging branches and he sensed rather than saw when they were in the open.

“Keep checking,” he said as he brushed his backside.

“Jesus, they’re everywhere.”

When he was certain he’d removed them all, he reached for Abi and as he checked her back he heard her sobbing.

“It’s okay, honey.”

“No, it’s not. This’s shit.”

“They’re just caterpillars. It could be much worse!”

“Yeah. How?”

“Um … they could be scorpions.”

“Jesus, Mack! You didn’t have to tell me that.”

Mackenzie ran his hands through her long hair, cupped her neck and then kissed her forehead. “Sorry.” He hugged her as she wept into his chest.

Their pitch black surroundings meant it was still some time before sunrise, but he knew it would be impossible to go back to sleep. Certain they’d ridded themselves of all the caterpillars, they reluctantly sat down in the dirt, backs together, and anxiously waited for the darkness to fade. Mackenzie began to pull the tiny spines from his skin with his fingernails and teeth. With the sheer numbers he found, it was likely to keep him entertained until morning.

He started scratching just before the sun cut a golden sash across the horizon and he didn’t stop even when he began to bleed.

“I chose the wrong night to sleep with my shirt off.” His skin was crawling with fire and he curled into a ball on the dirt, closed his eyes and willed the nightmare to be over.

* * *

Abi sighed with relief when the birds sung to the arrival of the morning sun. She twisted from side to side to loosen her back and ran her dirty hand over her aching neck. The water bottle was at her feet. She reached for it and sipped a small ration.