Faster Than Lightning Read online

  ‘Well, of course I’ve got mine.’ Hannah reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone. ‘See? Oh. I’ve got a phone. The broken one. I must’ve picked up the wrong one. E.D., have you got yours?’

  E.D. went red. ‘Yeah, I’ve got it. It’s just not working at the moment. I ran over it on the bike.’ He shrugged. ‘Probably better to go out past Gabby’s, anyway,’ he said. ‘The same way that we went in the ute before.’

  ‘I’ll just leave a note for Dad,’ Angus said, heading inside. The others gathered by the front door.

  ‘Where’s Sean?’ Angus asked as he came back out of the house. Hannah looked around.

  ‘I guess he’s gone off home.’

  ‘Lucky him,’ Gabby said.

  ‘Okay, who wants to ride with me? The rest of you will have to walk to my place. Angus, take ’em the short cut by Phil’s, okay?’

  ‘I’m game,’ Ling said, stepping forward to take the helmet E.D. was offering. Gabby gasped.

  ‘Ling, are you sure?’

  ‘C’mon, Gabby,’ Hannah called, racing off after Angus.

  Ten minutes later, the five of them were staring at E.D.’s treasured Ghost—a rusting, flaking, off-white relic of a ute, covered in old drop sheets and housed in the meanest and dirtiest of the three spaces reserved for all the vehicles E.D. tinkered with in the old garage behind his house. Only E.D. knew that it actually went. Not even his brothers had seen it run.

  ‘We just have to make a quiet getaway,’ he said, pulling open the wooden shutters at the far end of the garage. A stream of sunlight burst in from the lane.

  ‘The Ghost?’ Gabby choked, the dust and smell catching in her throat. She covered her mouth and nose.

  ‘Let’s do it,’ Hannah said.

  ‘Maybe you can just drop me home after all, E.D.,’ Gabby said, watching the others climb in.

  ‘Good idea,’ Hannah said, pushing herself up alongside Angus. Gabby glared at her.

  ‘Just so I can pop in and get the phone,’ she added smugly.

  They waited at the bottom of the long driveway to Gabby’s house, the Ghost rumbling and growling, as she ran towards the front door.

  ‘Two minutes!’ Hannah called. Gabby didn’t acknowledge her.

  She reappeared exactly two minutes later, her designer label white T-shirt exchanged for a darker one.

  ‘What?’ she said, noticing the others staring. ‘The white one would have just got dirty.’

  ‘You got the phone?’ Hannah asked. Gabby held a bright pink mobile up for all to see, then squeezed herself in next to Hannah. E.D. revved the engine and cranked the gear stick. The car spluttered and leapt forward.

  Mindful of his passengers, E.D. didn’t go beyond third gear. The track was rough, dusty and full of potholes that caused the car to shake and vibrate. It ran along the edge of a series of paddocks, a forest of gum trees to the right. Apart from the odd black crow and a flock of white cockatoos, nothing moved except the cloud of dust that slowly settled in the car’s wake.

  ‘E.D., stay to the left!’ Gabby shouted.

  ‘Bloody back-seat drivers,’ E.D. muttered, deliberately moving to the right and crashing over an especially large pothole. Angus’s head banged against the roof.

  ‘Nearly there,’ he called, rubbing his head. ‘Pull over here.’ Angus pointed to a line of trees beside an enormous gate. The gate was closed.

  ‘Okay, let’s stick together,’ Angus said, creeping towards a large stone wall that ran either side of the gate. E.D. scaled the wall, took a quick look over the top, and then gave the others the thumbs-up sign.

  Gabby groaned.

  Sean counted to sixty, then to forty, just in case. His whole body was aching. He’d run so fast to get to the ute before the others that his legs had felt like jelly. And he’d only just made it. Carefully he lifted the rubber tarpaulin that covered the back of E.D.’s ute, and peered out. There was no one in sight. He unhooked one of the ties and lowered himself down onto the ground. It felt good to be standing up again. The rough ride had left him bruised and battered.

  He looked around, then slowly walked up to the enormous wooden gates. Just as his hand touched the handle, he heard a loud crack of gunfire. Birds screeched overhead. Sean yelped and ran back to the ute. He squeezed himself into the small space in the back and dragged the tarp over his head. He lay quietly, shivering despite the warm, still air around him.

  Chapter 17

  Angus had already decided that this time they’d approach from a different direction.

  ‘Follow me,’ he whispered, as he led them the long way around to the back of the building. In the gloom of late morning, with dark, heavy clouds closing in from the west, they could see a wide verandah, dimly lit by two overhead lights. There was no noise or movement coming from inside.

  ‘Sssh! What was that?’

  Ling had stopped and the others froze.

  ‘Horses,’ Angus said. ‘And they sound agitated. C’mon.’

  Quickening his pace, he sprinted across to the cover of a huge oak tree, the others joining him a moment later.

  ‘Stressed,’ he muttered under his breath, listening to the horses’ anxious neighs.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Hannah asked.

  The panic in the air was real. A man shouted and suddenly there was the sound of thundering hooves. Angus had moved forward in front of the tree; the others were a few steps behind. To their right, a horse neighed in terror, charging towards them.

  ‘Back!’ Angus cried, darting behind the safety of the tree.

  An enormous black beast sped past them, Angus noticing a flash of a white nose and the gleam of the horse’s bared teeth, its mouth covered in white spittle and foam.

  He threw a hand over Gabby’s mouth to stop her screaming. He stared at her, slowly shaking his head, then took his hand away.

  ‘W-was that Lightning Strikes?’ Gabby trembled.

  No one answered. The horse had quickly disappeared and the morning was now eerily quiet.

  ‘Angus, this is ridiculous,’ Hannah said firmly. ‘We can’t do this alone. We have to call the police.’

  A sudden crack, like the sound of a gunshot, shattered the silence. They jumped. Angus ran off in the direction the black horse had come from.

  ‘I’ll go with him,’ Ling said. Before anyone could speak, she had raced off after him.

  Hannah grabbed Gabby’s arm. ‘Head back out to the road and ring the police. Ask for Sergeant Malroy. Tell them where we are.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘And hurry! E.D., you go with her. I’ll help Angus keep looking for King.’

  Gabby nodded, pulling the phone out of her pocket, then shrieked in terror as it started to ring. The jingly ring-tone pierced the morning gloom. A horse neighed loudly.

  ‘Shut the bloody phone up,’ E.D. hissed.

  ‘Hello?’ Gabby said timidly, pressing the phone against her head. ‘Sarah? Oh, hi. I can’t talk now.’ She looked across at Hannah.

  ‘Who’s there?’ a harsh voice called. Jim, Hannah realised, as a large man in a blue singlet strode towards them. He was carrying a stock whip and a bridle.

  ‘The phone!’ Hannah hissed, moving to shield Gabby from his view.

  Gabby stared wide-eyed at Jim standing in front of them. She slipped the phone into her pocket, followed by her hand. Then her other hand.

  Don’t make it so bloody obvious, thought E.D. He cringed, unable to drag his eyes away from Gabby’s jeans. Jim had also noticed.

  ‘What the hell’s going on?’ he growled. He took a step forward. ‘And what’s in your pocket, girlie? Here.’ He held out an open palm to Gabby. She started to tremble. The man took another step closer. ‘Now!’ he bellowed.

  ‘No,’ said Gabby, lifting her chin. She started dialling 000.

  ‘Why, you little—’ The man grabbed for the phone.

  ‘Leave her alone,’ said E.D., surprising himself. He had no idea what he was going to do to stop the man, but he threw himself at
him. Suddenly, Hannah made a lunge for the phone. The man pushed her and E.D. aside and snatched the phone from Gabby’s shaking hand. The smaller man appeared, the one with the tattoos.

  ‘Bloody pests.’ He snatched the leather whip out of Jim’s hand and deftly tied E.D. and Hannah together using lengths of hayband.

  ‘You start running, girl, and I’ll bleedin’ flog you,’ he snarled at Gabby.

  ‘Take ’em up to the lab where they can be locked in,’ Jim said. ‘Ain’t nothing they can do in there now.’

  The short man dragged them up to the house. Gabby stumbled along a step behind, the man’s vice-like grip on her wrist making sure she couldn’t get away. She was determined not to cry out in pain.

  They were bundled into the laboratory and the man tied Gabby to a sturdy metal table leg. The door clicked behind them. Gabby looked from Hannah to E.D. They were tied together to another table. ‘I’m sorry. I am—’

  ‘Forget it,’ Hannah said. ‘It wasn’t your fault.’

  ‘What do you mean, wasn’t her fault?’ E.D. kicked at the locked door.

  ‘Shut up, E.D. It was just bad luck that the phone rang then.’ Hannah looked at Gabby. ‘You were really brave back there.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Gabby. She smiled at Hannah.

  ‘Well, we’ve got to get out of here,’ Hannah said. She took a deep breath. ‘Think, guys. There must be a way out of here. If only we weren’t tied up.’ She pulled at the ties in frustration.

  ‘Hey,’ said E.D., ‘I’m attached to that.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Look at those rabbits,’ said Gabby softly.

  E.D. and Hannah shuffled around to see what Gabby was looking at. On the bench above their heads were cages and cages of rabbits. Black rabbits with white patches that all looked the same. Black and white cloned rabbits.

  Outside, horses neighed and voices shouted.

  ‘I wonder what’s happened to Angus,’ Hannah said quietly.

  ‘And Ling,’ Gabby added. ‘What’s happened to my cousin?’

  ‘What now?’

  Ling had caught up to Angus. They hid behind a small shed that backed onto the bush.

  ‘I heard the shot and thought of King. I just freaked.’

  ‘I know. What now?’ Ling oozed calm. Angus looked at her.

  ‘I just want to find King and get out of here.’

  Shouts rang out across the yard. They ducked further behind the cover of the shed.

  ‘Someone’s coming,’ Ling whispered. ‘Time to move.’

  Ling took Angus’s hand and they ran, keeping the wooden shed between them and the house, hunched over as though escaping spotlights. They scurried through dry bushland, desperately trying to avoid crunching the brittle sticks and branches that lay scattered about.

  After twenty metres they arrived at a track. Pausing a moment, they listened for the sounds of anyone following.

  Angus looked along the track. No one was there, but in the distance a man called out.

  ‘This is taking us further away from the others,’ Angus sighed, looking helpless.

  ‘But maybe this track is taking us closer to the truth?’ Ling replied. ‘C’mon.’

  There was something about her quiet ease and determination that gave Angus a sense of confidence. He took one more look behind him, then followed Ling deeper into the bush.

  After a couple of minutes of jogging, they came to a sharp bend and a sudden drop. Angus stopped and reluctantly pulled his hand free of Ling’s. There was a familiar smell coming to him from down the track. He looked at Ling and she nodded.

  Angus ran quietly on ahead of her. Suddenly he knew what was there. He could smell the rich aroma of horse stables. His pace quickened.

  As soon as he saw the place Angus knew something wasn’t quite right. The stables were enormous, twice as big as any he’d ever seen. And modern. They were totally out of place in the bush.

  Angus and Ling pressed their bodies against the warm wall and froze, straining their ears for sounds other than the soft whinnying of horses and the occasional screech of birds.

  ‘You reckon the little one’ll make it?’

  Angus closed his eyes in disappointment as he heard a male voice call out. They waited for an answer.

  ‘And which little one would that be?’ Female.

  ‘I’ve got a plan,’ Ling whispered. She smiled and suddenly took off. After a moment’s hesitation, Angus followed.

  ‘Police! Police!’ Ling cried, waving her hands about. She had come around to the front of the building. Two startled faces looked over at her.

  ‘Boss told us to come down and warn you.’ Ling hoped they couldn’t hear the tremble in her voice.

  ‘What the hell?’ the male said, dropping the bucket he was holding.

  Angus added to the confusion.

  ‘Hurry. Gotta let them out,’ he shouted, running over to the first stall with his heart pounding.

  ‘But why didn’t he ring us?’ the female asked, suddenly looking anxious.

  ‘Police have got everyone in the house bailed up,’ Ling said.

  ‘In the lab,’ added Angus.

  The male swore. ‘C’mon. I knew we’d get caught one day.’ He darted over to a motorbike. The girl paused, staring at the two kids. She took a few steps towards Angus.

  ‘Hurry, let’s go,’ the guy said.

  ‘Who are you anyway?’ she asked.

  ‘Tom Bentley sent us,’ Angus lied.

  The sound of a car engine made everyone turn. The girl took one last look at Angus, then spun around and ran over to the bike. It took off along a narrow dirt road.

  Angus ran into the building. Stalls lined both sides of the laneway. Two horses looked over their gates at him. Angus stopped. The horses were absolutely identical. He stumbled back.

  ‘King?’ he called, moving along the stalls.

  A third horse looked at him. Angus couldn’t believe it. All the horses were Lightning Strikes. They were all Gale Forces too. A horse that had died half a century ago.

  ‘King?’ he shouted again.

  ‘Angus! It’s time to go.’ Ling came in behind him, looking back at the approaching car.

  ‘King?’ Angus sobbed, rushing blindly from gate to gate. Every stable held the same horse. The same jet-black horse with two white-socked hind legs and white snip on its nose. There was something dreamlike about them. As though they weren’t quite real. Exact replicas, stall after stall. The only difference was size. And health.

  Some of the horses lay in their stalls breathing shallowly. One stood with its head down, not even looking up when Angus rattled its gate. It was obvious that these horses were sick, really sick.

  Angus had got to the third-last stall. This one held the largest of the horses so far. A huge beast with bulging veins pranced about, agitated. Angus stopped.

  ‘Angus!’ Ling shoved him from behind.

  It was only then that he became aware of the car. It was slowing down as it got to the main door of the stables.

  Ling whispered in Angus’s ear. Angus nodded, then moved slowly and expertly towards the horse. Was it the Lightning Strikes? Maybe they were about to find out.

  Chapter 18

  There was one computer left in the lab. Hannah knelt down beside it, pulling E.D. along, and started it with her nose. The screen ran through its start-up. Then a word appeared.

  Password?

  ‘No good!’ muttered Hannah. ‘Can anyone see a phone?’

  ‘No,’ said E.D., twisting around and dragging Hannah with him.

  ‘Help!’ screamed Gabby suddenly.

  ‘Gab, that doesn’t help us!’ Hannah glared crossly at her friend.

  ‘Scared the wits out of me,’ said E.D. ‘Hey, I’ve found something.’

  E.D. used his knee to open a desk drawer.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Pens, pencils, rubber, matches, teabags—’

  ‘Matches?’ Hannah tried to turn around.

  ‘Yeah. Matches
. So?’

  Hannah scanned the ceiling.

  ‘I’ve got an idea.’

  ‘Hold on!’ Angus yelled, giving the horse a kick. He felt Ling tighten her grip on his shirt.

  ‘Angus, I’m not sure this horse—’

  Ling felt herself sliding off as it reared. Clutching Angus even more firmly, she tried to haul herself back up but the horse was flinging itself around its stall.

  ‘Angus!’ she screamed.

  Gripping the horse’s mane tightly with his left hand, Angus swung round, just managing to catch Ling’s arm. He heaved her up onto the horse just as a four-wheel drive screeched to a stop outside the open shed door.

  ‘Easy,’ Angus called, his head bent low and his lips almost touching the horse’s neck. ‘Easy, boy.’

  His calm voice seemed to be having an effect. The horse settled and for a moment all four hooves touched the ground. Angus reached forward and pushed the gate open. Then all hell broke loose.

  A woman was calling out from the doorway. At the first sound of her voice the horse bolted.

  It charged straight towards her. With the two children hanging on in desperation, Natasha Miller threw herself out of harm’s way as the horse careered past her and into the day.

  They bolted haphazardly down the dirt road, in the opposite direction Angus and Ling had come from a few minutes before. Angus felt the horse tremble under him. Something was wrong. He glanced at his arms as the horse snorted, spraying something wet over the boy. Blood.

  ‘Whoa,’ he called, rubbing the horse’s neck.

  ‘Angus?’ Ling called. ‘What’s the matter?’

  The horse’s hind legs suddenly buckled and Ling was flung off. She crashed to the ground, pain shooting through her left ankle. The horse staggered on a few more metres, then, almost in slow motion, wheeled around to the left, shaking and shuddering.

  ‘Steady!’ Angus cried, clutching the horse tightly, trying desperately to calm him. ‘Steady on.’

  ‘Get off him, Angus,’ called Ling, hauling herself up and turning at the sound of a car approaching.

  The horse fell, Angus underneath its writhing neck. He felt the air being punched out of him.