Lily stepped outside her shop and stared up into the smoke-filled sky. The sun was causing the light to take on a dull orangey tint. Wherever the fire was, it was close. The smoke made her eyes smart and tickled the back of her throat. She turned her head towards the sound of sirens approaching and saw several fire trucks speeding down the main road and out of town to the west.
Lily frowned: they were heading in the direction of Flynn’s place. She could only hope that he wasn’t in harm’s way. She pulled out her phone from the pocket of her jeans and dialled his number. Her frown deepened when the call went straight to voicemail.
Lily was about to try his number again when her phone sounded. Looking at the screen, she saw it was Violet.
‘Hey,’ she said.
‘Hi, Lily. Listen, I just wanted to make sure that you were all right.’
‘I’m fine, but it looks like the fire is pretty close.’
‘Oh, you don’t know? Of course you don’t.’
A sliver of fear spiked through her. ‘What do you mean? What don’t I know?’
‘That the fire is at Flynn’s.’
Lily sucked in her breath. ‘Oh my God, is he okay?’
‘As far as I know. He rang Mac a while ago to tell him what was happening.’
Lily’s head was spinning and she found it difficult to comprehend Violet’s words. ‘Why would he ring Mac?’
‘Because if the fire goes through Flynn’s place, McKellan’s Run is just a stone’s throw away.
‘Of course, sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight. Listen, I’d better go.’
‘Lily, you can’t go out there – you know that, don’t you? It’s dangerous, and the CFA and police will have the road out of town blocked off. If you want to help, meet me at Holly’s school. They’re setting up an evacuation centre in the school gym.’
‘Evacuation?’
‘Yeah, for anyone who lives on that side of town and feels the fire is getting too close.’
‘Where’s Mac?’
‘He’s already headed over to Flynn’s.’
‘I’ve got to go,’ Lily said. ‘I’ll talk to you later.’
‘Lily, I mean it, don’t try to—’
‘See ya,’ Lily said as she hung up. She raced back inside and grabbed her car keys. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to get through but all she knew was that she had to try.
Clattering over the old wooden bridge out of town and heading in the direction of Mac’s place, she slowed down. The smoke was thicker here and it was harder to see; everything was enveloped in a brown haze. Ahead there were flashing hazard lights and several cars parked on the road. Lily hit the brakes and slowed down to a crawl. A guy in high-vis gear waved her to a stop.
Lily wound down her window; the heat from outside and the smoke wisped into the cabin and made her eyes water.
‘Sorry, miss, the road is closed. If you need to get around you’ll have to go back through town, over Calsey’s Bluff and then over the flats at Moonlight. Once you get to the old Duke of Cornwall mine, follow the old road left and it will get you to the highway.’
‘I’m just trying to get to the Grange.’
‘That’s the last place you want to be. The fire is eating its way through that area at the moment.’
‘Listen, my friend is up there.’
‘I understand, but I still can’t let you through. Best if you go back to town and wait.’
‘But …’ Lily stopped. It was obvious that there was no way he was going to let her through. ‘All right, but can you tell me anything about the Grange or Flynn Hartley?’
He shook his head. ‘Not really. The fire started accidentally at old Harry Turner’s place but the wind is blowing it in the direction of the town. It’s jumped the road and crossed into the Grange, but to what extent, I don’t know.’
‘Okay, thanks.’ It was all Lily could say. Turning the car around and driving back to Violet Falls, she let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. If she just knew he was safe – he needed to be safe. Lily’s stomach churned as a dozen scenarios ran through her brain, none of them good.
Just as she reached the outskirts of the town again she pulled over to the side of the road. Digging her phone out of her pocket, she tried to ring Flynn again.
‘Hey, this is Flynn. Sorry, I can’t talk right now. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.’
‘Damn!’ Lily said as she shook her head. All she could do was wait for the beep and leave a message. ‘Hi, Flynn – it’s Lily. I’m worried about you and the fire. Are you okay? Just give me a ring when you can and be safe.’ Lily hung up and then chucked her phone onto the passenger seat.
God, please let him be safe.
***
Flynn’s heart sank when he looked towards the ridge and saw the first flickers of orange flame. Damn it, that meant the fire had probably burnt through the top paddocks, and the house stood in its direct path. There were several firefighters already up on the ridge; he could only hope that they would be able to stop the fire’s progress.
The air was thick with smoke, the scent of eucalypts, and flying embers. Flynn attacked another ember with a shovel as it landed near his feet. He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Jack Sullivan heading his way.
‘Flynn, if the fire makes it over the ridge, I’ll need you to get out of here.’
Flynn pulled off the wet scarf he’d tied across his nose and mouth and straightened up, staring Jack in the eyes. ‘I have to let the sheep out of the pen – hopefully they’ll make it to shelter somewhere, but I’ll be staying to the very last minute.’
‘Flynn, it would be better if you left. You know we’re going to do everything in our power to save your house, but unless the wind shifts we’ll be fighting a losing battle. We’ve managed to get it back at its heel and the eastern side,’ Jack said as he pointed to the east. ‘But the rate the fire is eating up the ridge, unless there’s a miracle or a wind shift, it’s going to head straight through here and then onto Mac’s place. I’m sorry, mate, but that’s how it is.’
‘I know you’ll do what you can, but I need to stay.’
Jack held his gaze for a second and then shrugged. ‘Okay, I can see you’re going to be stubborn about this. I understand – I get that you need to try to save your house. But just remember, as painful as it is, you can always replace a house. Not so a life.’
Flynn nodded. He knew Jack was right but he still needed to try.
‘We’ll keep fighting and monitoring the situation but I can’t promise anything,’ Jack said before he swung around and jogged back to the fire line.
‘Got it,’ Flynn said to his retreating back, as another half a dozen embers hit the dry ground. He retied the scarf and started putting the sparks out before they could take hold.
***
Lily looked around the school gym, rubbing her arms. It was filling up with the families from outlying farms. She hoped against hope that if she searched the growing crowd for long enough, she’d find Flynn among their number. Stupid, really, because in her heart she knew that Flynn was still out at the Grange trying to save everything he’d worked for. She glanced at her watch: another hour had dragged by and she still hadn’t heard from Flynn. Time seemed to be creeping slowly. Whenever she checked her watch the minute hand had hardly moved.
‘Could you hand these out?’ Violet asked, coming over with a large tray of sandwiches. ‘The Hummingbird Café just arrived with a heap of food.’
Lily jumped at the sound of her sister’s voice.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’
Lily gave her a slight smile. ‘I was miles away,’ she said as she took the tray from Violet.
‘He’ll be fine, Lily. Flynn isn’t brainless; he won’t put himself in danger.’
‘Yeah, you’re right. Have you heard any updates?’
Violet dropped her voice and tilted her head towards a young family sitting not far away. ‘The Hendersons have lost their house.’
Lily glanced over. The two little girls of about five or six years old sat playing with a little blue heeler puppy. Their parents were locked in each other’s arms. John Henderson’s jaw was set in grim determination while Lucy had tears shimmering in her eyes.
‘Oh no! That’s awful.’
Violet glanced across the room and Lily followed her gaze. ‘Mrs Bailey said the fire was close to her place but she decided not to wait around. She packed up Mr Tibbs, her cat, and came into town. So far there’s talk that several homes have been lost, but the only one confirmed is the Henderson place,’ Violet said. ‘Why don’t you take the sandwiches around that side of the room? Holly and I will do the other.’
‘Okay,’ Lily said. Looking up she saw Jill and Hailey coming through the door, both carrying bags and boxes. They hurried over to where she was standing and dumped everything on the long table against the wall. ‘What’s all this?’ Lily asked.
Jill gave her a grim smile. ‘I’ve brought some things from the supermarket. It’s just bits and pieces, but Mum and I thought that it might be useful.’ She opened a bag and peered in. ‘This one is tissues, sanitary products, nappies, toothbrushes and toothpaste. That one Hailey is holding has colouring books for the kids. There’s juice and snacks, and that bag is fresh fruit. I wasn’t sure what you needed so I just kind of grabbed stuff off the shelves.’
‘That’s brilliant, Jill.’
‘And I’ve been sent by the council,’ Hailey said with a shake of her head. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be here and help out any way I can, but the mayor wants to be seen as being involved.’
Lily smiled. ‘That’s a bit cynical, isn’t it?’
‘Nah, the election is right around the corner and he’s determined to keep his position. Oh, speak of the devil. Give it another ten minutes and the local paper will be down here so he can capture the photo-op.’ Hailey rolled her eyes as Grant Somerville and his daughter, Charlotte, appeared in the doorway.
‘Is that a bit harsh?’ Jill asked.
‘Are you kidding? Just wait until a camera turns up. I bet he’ll suddenly be handing out cups of tea and pretending that he actually gives a damn about the town and its population.’
Lily looked over her shoulder at the newcomers. Charlotte scanned the room, her gaze landing on Lily for a second. She gave her a brief nod of recognition before turning away.
‘Hmmm, that was interesting,’ Jill whispered beside her.
‘Was it?’ Lily said sceptically. ‘Hey, I haven’t heard from Flynn and I’m really worried about him.’
‘The fire isn’t near his place, is it?’ Hailey asked as she started to get the colouring books and pencils out of the bag.
‘Yes, it is. Violet got a message from Mac.’
‘Shit,’ Jill said.
‘I tried to go out there, but the emergency services had closed off the road and they wouldn’t let me through. I’m not sure what’s happening or just how bad it is.’
‘I’m sure he’ll be fine,’ Hailey said with a smile. ‘He’s been through fire seasons before. Try not to worry too much.’
Lily gave a nod. ‘Anyway, these sandwiches won’t give themselves out,’ she said as she took a step away from her friends. ‘Come on, people need a bit of help and comfort.’
But even though she was keeping busy, Flynn was never far from her mind.