just retrace the path it’ll lead us, more or less, above a good point to make an
exit. With any luck, the trail might naturally turn south at some point. Skaite can’t be that far. A day, day and a half tops at a very limited pace.’
Luke lit another cigarette. ‘We cannot . . . cannot risk staying lost in this wood for much longer, H.’
‘Spark us one up, mate,’ Hutch said. Luke placed his cigarette between Hutch’s lips. He took another out of the packet for himself. Hutch squinted through the smoke at Luke.
‘The trail must go somewhere. It was cut out of this wood a long time ago. We didn’t follow it from its source, we just kind of happened across it yesterday and followed it east. We
originally came in on the far westerly side of a narrow band of forest. I brought us east to correct our position. Out west it gets really thick again. About thirty kilometres deep, I’d say.
But if we stay on the track we came in on for as long as we dare, we’ll move faster and avoid all of the fallen logs and shit that made Domja bitch like a baby yesterday. If we can then cut
south at some point, we could be out by late afternoon.’
‘But then . . .’ Luke rested the tip of his tongue between his teeth.
Hutch looked at him, surprised Luke would object to his idea, again. ‘What?’ He heard the irritation hardening his tone.
‘That’s if the woods south of the track clear up at all. And following the track further west will mean new ground again. The unknown. Going somewhere else in this wood that might
not be an exit. Our precise downfall yesterday.’
‘Why would you make a track that just endlessly snaked around inside a wood?’ Hutch asked. ‘It has to be the vestige of a way in and out. There’s no sensible alternative,
Chief.’
‘I think there is. It’s total ball-ache, but we go back in the direction we came in, then try and pick up from where we crashed through yesterday. Or take that track north and hope
it leads to the top edge of the forest.’
‘Oh, fuck off!’ Dom cried out. ‘We’ve been through this! We’d have another day walking across those pissing boulders to get to where we started from. Or another
day’s walk to Porjus in the opposite direction.’
‘But we know the way we came in leads out of here for certain. This path might just stop two miles deeper inside this shit. Or run in a straight line to Norway. As soon as we put one foot
on it, it’s already leading us in totally the wrong direction.’
Hutch blew out another geyser of grey smoke, and winced. ‘We got so turned around in there, mate. I honestly cannot say whether we will pick up our tracks again. And these two won’t
make it back through that crap. We have to stay on the level as much as possible. Phil, how’re your feets?’
‘Not good,’ he said, without turning his head. He’d put his hood up.
‘Fucking fucked up is what they are, like my knee,’ Dom snapped.
Luke turned to face Dom. ‘Well, if you’d hit the gym like we agreed, Dom.’
‘Oh, listen to the gentleman of leisure. I’ve got three kids, mate. Try hitting the gym when you work sixty hours a week and have a family to support.’
Hutch raised both hands. ‘Boys. Boys. We’re wasting time here and we’re getting pissed on. At least on the path we’ll have a bit of purpose. If it goes nowhere, we make a
judgement call. And either break south through the crap again or we try and find our way back the way we came in yesterday, like Luke says. But that’s got to be a last resort, considering the
condition some of us are in and how difficult it is to even move across that terrain.’
Phil finally spoke, but kept his back to them. ‘The last thing we want is to be in here again at night.’
EIGHTEEN
The very thought of which was exactly why Hutch could not prevent the unnaturally vivid images of the dream from recurring as he walked slowly away from the hovel, with one of
Dom’s arms around his shoulders. He’d
exit. With any luck, the trail might naturally turn south at some point. Skaite can’t be that far. A day, day and a half tops at a very limited pace.’
Luke lit another cigarette. ‘We cannot . . . cannot risk staying lost in this wood for much longer, H.’
‘Spark us one up, mate,’ Hutch said. Luke placed his cigarette between Hutch’s lips. He took another out of the packet for himself. Hutch squinted through the smoke at Luke.
‘The trail must go somewhere. It was cut out of this wood a long time ago. We didn’t follow it from its source, we just kind of happened across it yesterday and followed it east. We
originally came in on the far westerly side of a narrow band of forest. I brought us east to correct our position. Out west it gets really thick again. About thirty kilometres deep, I’d say.
But if we stay on the track we came in on for as long as we dare, we’ll move faster and avoid all of the fallen logs and shit that made Domja bitch like a baby yesterday. If we can then cut
south at some point, we could be out by late afternoon.’
‘But then . . .’ Luke rested the tip of his tongue between his teeth.
Hutch looked at him, surprised Luke would object to his idea, again. ‘What?’ He heard the irritation hardening his tone.
‘That’s if the woods south of the track clear up at all. And following the track further west will mean new ground again. The unknown. Going somewhere else in this wood that might
not be an exit. Our precise downfall yesterday.’
‘Why would you make a track that just endlessly snaked around inside a wood?’ Hutch asked. ‘It has to be the vestige of a way in and out. There’s no sensible alternative,
Chief.’
‘I think there is. It’s total ball-ache, but we go back in the direction we came in, then try and pick up from where we crashed through yesterday. Or take that track north and hope
it leads to the top edge of the forest.’
‘Oh, fuck off!’ Dom cried out. ‘We’ve been through this! We’d have another day walking across those pissing boulders to get to where we started from. Or another
day’s walk to Porjus in the opposite direction.’
‘But we know the way we came in leads out of here for certain. This path might just stop two miles deeper inside this shit. Or run in a straight line to Norway. As soon as we put one foot
on it, it’s already leading us in totally the wrong direction.’
Hutch blew out another geyser of grey smoke, and winced. ‘We got so turned around in there, mate. I honestly cannot say whether we will pick up our tracks again. And these two won’t
make it back through that crap. We have to stay on the level as much as possible. Phil, how’re your feets?’
‘Not good,’ he said, without turning his head. He’d put his hood up.
‘Fucking fucked up is what they are, like my knee,’ Dom snapped.
Luke turned to face Dom. ‘Well, if you’d hit the gym like we agreed, Dom.’
‘Oh, listen to the gentleman of leisure. I’ve got three kids, mate. Try hitting the gym when you work sixty hours a week and have a family to support.’
Hutch raised both hands. ‘Boys. Boys. We’re wasting time here and we’re getting pissed on. At least on the path we’ll have a bit of purpose. If it goes nowhere, we make a
judgement call. And either break south through the crap again or we try and find our way back the way we came in yesterday, like Luke says. But that’s got to be a last resort, considering the
condition some of us are in and how difficult it is to even move across that terrain.’
Phil finally spoke, but kept his back to them. ‘The last thing we want is to be in here again at night.’
EIGHTEEN
The very thought of which was exactly why Hutch could not prevent the unnaturally vivid images of the dream from recurring as he walked slowly away from the hovel, with one of
Dom’s arms around his shoulders. He’d
Similar Books
