Chapter 60
Chapter Sixty
O nce her eyes adapted to the darkness, she was able to make out the road behind their house, and the bush behind that. As she clutched her small bag of belongings, she wished she had grabbed a torch. At least she would be able to see where she was going. For a split second she thought about going back for a torch, but panic drove her forward. Stepping carefully so as not to make any noise, she walked quickly across the backyard and, after looking up and down the road, she crossed the dirt surface and slipped silently into the cover of the thick bush behind.
She had no sooner moved further back in the bushes to make sure she was hidden when car headlights flashed around the corner and lit up the street she had just been on. Her heart thumped so hard that she crouched down to keep her balance, her mouth dry and her eyes wide with shock as she watched four men get out of the car. They weren’t that far from where she was hidden, and she recognised Ziggy’s voice. ‘He’s in there. I can see the light on in their bathroom.’
Another voice she didn’t recognise, spoke. ‘What about the bitch. He might have told her what happened.’
‘No, he can’t have,’ Ziggy said. ‘He said she’s at the resort tonight. She works and stays over there every Saturday night. It’s only him we have to worry about.’
‘Good. That makes it simple.’ The man mumbled something else she couldn’t understand, although later on she realised he had been asking someone to pass him the kerosene.
As the men walked away from where she was hiding towards the flat, Evie decided not to hang around any longer. Clutching her bag tightly against her chest, she pushed her way through the bush and onto a track that ran around the back of it. Not many people used the paths, only kids who were wagging school, or sometimes people walking their dogs. The bush paths were familiar to her though, as she often went this way to the beach. Now she jogged quickly, her breath raspy and her legs shaking. When she reached the beach, she was pleased for once that there was only a sliver of a moon, just enough light to let her see where she was going.
She had only gone a short distance, when she was halted by a deafening explosion. Whirling around, she stopped and cast her gaze back along the path she had just travelled. Flames erupted into the night, casting an ominous glow that illuminated the sky, as debris and sparks shot up into the air. She watched the fiery glow as she bent over gasping for air, a stitch stabbing her side.
She felt an urge to scream at the sky, overwhelmed by the turn of events. Nausea churned within her, a sickening realisation dawning as she recognised the source of the explosion. Had Bob managed to escape before the men arrived? The thought gnawed at her. What if she hadn't fled when she did? The unsettling possibilities sent shivers down her spine, and she took one last look at the red glow that had been her life for the past ten years.
Struggling to steady her trembling body, she clenched her fists tightly and climbed the dune to the grassy edge of the beach. Up there, amidst the tall grass, her footprints would be invisible, although she doubted anyone would come looking for her. Determined, she lowered her head and took deep, steadying breaths, fixing her gaze on the vast expanse of ocean before her. Then, without hesitation, she began to run, each stride propelling her forward, away from her tumultuous past and the haunting spectre of Bob. She ran for her life, fleeing the scene of a crime. Running, leaving her past and Bob behind. Running. Running. Running towards the safety of Matilda.