‘We have to get to higher ground,’ said Devin. She was only saying out loud what everyone already knew, but someone had to make it official. ‘And we have to go now.’
‘But what about Rocky? He can barely walk,’ said Eva, looking without enthusiasm at the deluge outside.
‘But what about Evs? She might melt in the rain,’ said Rocky sarcastically. He was fed up with his leg. He didn’t need Eva going on about it.
Devin darted outside, grabbed the fishing spear and found a suitable stick that would help Rocky to keep his balance. She collected a few lightweight branches and long sticks, bundled them up and dived back under the shelter.
Eva and Rocky were still bickering. Devin listened with half an ear while she lashed the sticks together with the remains of the flax they’d used to bind the roof together.
‘We’ll have to float down,’ said Eva. ‘There’s cliffs all around. We’re not billy goats. Especially not old Limpy here.’
‘So you want us to slip on our togs and sunnies and gently drift downstream, merrily, merrily, in a raging torrent of water to God knows where?’ said Rocky.
‘Well, we can’t swim upstream. The current’s too full on,’ said Eva.
‘I think we need to head back to where the bus came down.’
‘We can’t swim upstream! It’s too full on!’
‘But what’s the point of going downstream?’
‘It’ll be easier on your leg for a start–’
‘I’ll decide what’s easy on my leg, thank you very much.’
‘–and eventually we’ll get to the sea.’
‘The sea? How long are you planning to be in the water for? A month?’
‘Oh, shut up,’ said Eva furiously.
‘You shut up!’ Rocky said, just as furiously.
‘Can you guys take off your clothes and stick them in the bag?’ Devin stood in front of them, goose pimpled in beige bra and ladybird undies, proffering the backpack. ‘We should get going.’
‘Well, that’s the point!’ said Eva crossly. ‘Where the hell are we going?’
Devin looked surprised. ‘Back to where the bus fell in,’ she said, as though it were perfectly obvious.
‘We can’t go upstream! The current’s too–’
‘Too full on, yeah, yeah,’ interrupted Rocky. ‘You’re a bloody broken record.’
‘I’m staying. It can’t rain forever.’ Eva chucked the bag hard at Rocky. ‘Here. Get your gear off and get out.’
‘Don’t look, then. You might stop being gay.’
‘As if!’ shouted Eva.
Devin coughed, cleared her throat, ‘Okay, hi. Hi?’
Eva and Rocky glared at Devin. She flinched a little in the face of their mutual resentment, even though she knew it wasn’t directed at her. Flinching was just from habit.
‘We need to go. All of us need to go. There might be flash floods.’
‘Oh, of course. Just another bloody thing to have to worry about,’ snapped Rocky.
Devin hesitated for only an instant, but then continued with renewed determination. They needed to take this seriously.
‘All this rain is running down all the hills for miles around. That’s why the river’s gone up so quick. We’re not safe. We can’t climb the cliff or go upstream–’
‘Thank you,’ said Eva, crossing her arms and glaring at Rocky.
‘–and there’s no point going downstream. The searchers will be where the bus went off. We need to cross over to the other side. The current should take us downstream, to where it’s flatter. See how the cliff slopes down over there? We’ll head into the bush, find shelter, and then Eva and I can hike upstream and get some help. Now come on,’ she said, tying the last lash in place, ‘before the river gets any higher. Chop, chop.’
Eva and Rocky blinked. When you have an image of someone in your head for a long time, it’s very disconcerting to have that image jerked away and replaced with something else. Still, thought Rocky, it was much nicer to have someone exceed all your expectations than go the other way and disappoint you. He pulled his hoodie over his head. Eva struggled out of her pants. There was no need to argue. There was nothing more to say.
