want to be a warrior. I want to be a videogame technician.’
She ignored that. He was relieved that she ignored it. He did not think he could even begin to explain to her what a videogame was. Let alone a technician.
She watched as the boat rowed out of sight. Then she got to her feet.
‘Come on. We’re going to steal that boat.’
‘You never listen, do you?’ said Mike. ‘You never ever listen to me!’
She was already moving away. He picked up the hang-glider and followed.
They had to make their preparations in the dark. They had followed the River Yobbies through the afternoon, and watched them as they set up their camp for the night.
Then Katrin explained to Mike what her plan was, and together they made the necessary preparations.
Now all that was left was the dangerous bit. Mike felt as he felt just before every flight. He knew he could not go through with it. He also knew he had to.
For Katrin was the most aggravating young woman he had ever met. She could out-run him, she was trained with weapons, and he suspected that she was just as strong as he was. Admittedly he could swim and she could not, but that was counter-balanced by the fact that she thought people who swam were stupid. They were stupid to do it in the first place, and doubly stupid afterwards because of the Dark Ones eating their brains.
To his own way of thinking, Mike had never had much trouble in impressing girls. With Katrin he could not get to first base. And this aggravated him more than even he himself realized. Still, he thought, he would show her when it came to getting to this stupid Island. He could use a hang-glider which was more than anyone else in this century could do.
There was, however, something they had to do first. They had to steal a boat from four men who looked as if they lived on a diet of barbed wire, bottles and babies.
There they were, sitting by the fire, roasting meat on skewers. They had pulled their boat halfway out of the water and had run a mooring line to a tree. Clearly, Mike thought, the Dark Ones had not eaten their brains up entirely.
Mike and Katrin lay in cover in the undergrowth, watching them.
The four River Yobbies were occasionally turning the skewers of meat, and whiling away the time until it cooked by passing a bulging leather bottle from hand to hand. Judging from the way they handled it, the skin contained some kind of booze. They slurped, let the drink dribble down their chins, wiped their hairy mouths on the backs of their hairy hands, and belched gently to show polite appreciation. They reminded Mike of his father’s friends at backyard barbecues.
He pondered wryly on the fact that even a nuclear holocaust could not wipe out this one great Australian tradition. Meanwhile, the smell of the sizzling meat was making him feel very hungry.
Now Katrin nudged him. It was time to get moving. They both wriggled backward away from the fire, and then he headed for the river and she turned inland.
The four Yobbies sat passing the wineskin.
Katrin moved silently through the forest which ran down to the riverbank.
And Mike moved to the river, slipped silently into the water, and swam into the darkness.
A Yobby leaned forward and turned a skewer. Then looked up as he heard a footfall. They all looked up.
A girl, dressed in the style of the plains clans, was standing grinning at them.
One of the Yobbies beckoned to her.
She made a face at him, then turned and ran. The Yobby who had beckoned jumped to his feet and set off after her. He was big but he was fast. She was faster. She seemed to flicker through the dark forest ahead of him. She skirted bushes as he burst through them, but still she stayed ahead.
Then she stumbled and fell.
The Yobby grinned, and rushed toward her.
One foot went down, a twig snapped, a running noose ran tight round his ankle, a bent sapling sprang upward, and the Yobby suddenly found himself hanging upside down, suspended by one foot, his head a metre from the
She ignored that. He was relieved that she ignored it. He did not think he could even begin to explain to her what a videogame was. Let alone a technician.
She watched as the boat rowed out of sight. Then she got to her feet.
‘Come on. We’re going to steal that boat.’
‘You never listen, do you?’ said Mike. ‘You never ever listen to me!’
She was already moving away. He picked up the hang-glider and followed.
They had to make their preparations in the dark. They had followed the River Yobbies through the afternoon, and watched them as they set up their camp for the night.
Then Katrin explained to Mike what her plan was, and together they made the necessary preparations.
Now all that was left was the dangerous bit. Mike felt as he felt just before every flight. He knew he could not go through with it. He also knew he had to.
For Katrin was the most aggravating young woman he had ever met. She could out-run him, she was trained with weapons, and he suspected that she was just as strong as he was. Admittedly he could swim and she could not, but that was counter-balanced by the fact that she thought people who swam were stupid. They were stupid to do it in the first place, and doubly stupid afterwards because of the Dark Ones eating their brains.
To his own way of thinking, Mike had never had much trouble in impressing girls. With Katrin he could not get to first base. And this aggravated him more than even he himself realized. Still, he thought, he would show her when it came to getting to this stupid Island. He could use a hang-glider which was more than anyone else in this century could do.
There was, however, something they had to do first. They had to steal a boat from four men who looked as if they lived on a diet of barbed wire, bottles and babies.
There they were, sitting by the fire, roasting meat on skewers. They had pulled their boat halfway out of the water and had run a mooring line to a tree. Clearly, Mike thought, the Dark Ones had not eaten their brains up entirely.
Mike and Katrin lay in cover in the undergrowth, watching them.
The four River Yobbies were occasionally turning the skewers of meat, and whiling away the time until it cooked by passing a bulging leather bottle from hand to hand. Judging from the way they handled it, the skin contained some kind of booze. They slurped, let the drink dribble down their chins, wiped their hairy mouths on the backs of their hairy hands, and belched gently to show polite appreciation. They reminded Mike of his father’s friends at backyard barbecues.
He pondered wryly on the fact that even a nuclear holocaust could not wipe out this one great Australian tradition. Meanwhile, the smell of the sizzling meat was making him feel very hungry.
Now Katrin nudged him. It was time to get moving. They both wriggled backward away from the fire, and then he headed for the river and she turned inland.
The four Yobbies sat passing the wineskin.
Katrin moved silently through the forest which ran down to the riverbank.
And Mike moved to the river, slipped silently into the water, and swam into the darkness.
A Yobby leaned forward and turned a skewer. Then looked up as he heard a footfall. They all looked up.
A girl, dressed in the style of the plains clans, was standing grinning at them.
One of the Yobbies beckoned to her.
She made a face at him, then turned and ran. The Yobby who had beckoned jumped to his feet and set off after her. He was big but he was fast. She was faster. She seemed to flicker through the dark forest ahead of him. She skirted bushes as he burst through them, but still she stayed ahead.
Then she stumbled and fell.
The Yobby grinned, and rushed toward her.
One foot went down, a twig snapped, a running noose ran tight round his ankle, a bent sapling sprang upward, and the Yobby suddenly found himself hanging upside down, suspended by one foot, his head a metre from the
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