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Back The Orchardist's Daughter Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  4. DEDICATION
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART I SEEDS
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. PART II GERMINATION
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. PART III GROWTH
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. PART IV UNDERSTOREY
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. EPILOGUE
  57. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Then he saw it again. Had it moved? Was it following him? He screamed and ran away, and then Bonnie came out of the rubbish. He ran to her, sobbing. She had blood dripping from her mouth. Had the zombies already got her? Was she turning into one too? But she was his friend; maybe he could save her. He grabbed her and tied string to her collar so she couldn’t leave him. They needed to get going. He would have to find his way out of here and walk to the mountains. They could do it. Even in the rain. On the way he could eat that loaf of bread, and when the rain stopped he could make his spear for hunting.

He pulled on the string, and the dog followed him through the tip.

36

36

It was close to midnight when Shane and Leon drove down from the forest. They had assisted Search and Rescue until the weather became so bad the search was called off. Shane hadn’t wanted to stop. ‘Fuck it. Let’s keep going. My boy’s out here somewhere.’ But the authorities insisted it was too dangerous to continue. Dense cloud had enveloped everything, snow falling higher up. ‘Sorry, mate,’ the coordinator had said. ‘I know you’re worried about your son, but we can’t risk people’s lives.’ For a moment there, it looked like Shane was going to hit the guy, and Leon had placed a calming hand on Shane’s bony shoulder. He didn’t have to say anything, but he felt the fight go out of Shane. They agreed to continue by themselves while the others went home. Leon had never figured Shane for a friend, and friendship wasn’t the right word for it anyway. It was more accurate to say the missing boy had bonded them.

It was freezing up in the mountains, but adrenaline and concern had driven them both on. Visibility was zero in the fog and rain, and there certainly was a high risk of getting lost, so they’d largely stayed in the car. In the forest, the cloud was so opaque that direction was meaningless and the landscape was alien. Every way you turned it looked the same: banks of mist and trees. Enough to give you vertigo. Leon couldn’t stop thinking about hypothermia.

Wendy had been on the phone several times, seeking updates. Whenever she called, Shane hung his head, his pain and anguish tangible. ‘Sorry, love. Nothing.’