Danger, you fool. Stay away.
Heart pounding hard against my ribs.
My vision blurs at the edges.
Okay, that’s enough.
Don’t wanna end up in a ditch.
Pull over,I decide.
At least keep Amos safe.
“Bub,” he says quietly.
His voice sounds so far away.
“You okay?”
I try to answer, but the words won’t come.
My throat is tight.
The nausea swells, bile threatening to spill.
Veering onto the gravel, I brake too quickly.
Amos braces a hand against the dashboard.
Instinctively, he reaches across to protect me.
The ute skids and swerves along the grass.
He grabs the handbrake, jolting us to a stop.
???
Pushing the door open, I tumble out.
But the heat feels worse, an oven of dry air and dust.
The vast silence of the outback is suffocating.
I stagger toward a shallow rut in the earth.
Closest thing to a bathroom.
Amos follows, his voice still distant and hollow.
My stomach heaves.
Bending forward, I brace my hands on my knees.
The world tilts on its side.
A dry retch tears through my gut.
But nothing comes up at first.
