Page 63

Larapinta Trail

Sandra’s heart hammered as she waited. Her thigh muscles were screaming with pain as she tensed. The footsteps stopped and it was quiet. She stayed still and didn’t make a sound, but she didn’t know how long she could hold that position. A small stone crunched and she could swear a shadow flitted briefly on the rock in front of her.

Whoever, whatever it was, had walked behind her and was between her and the cliff. Slowly she relaxed her muscles and turned her head. A scream formed in her throat as she stared at the blood-covered face staring down at her.

‘Help me . . .’

She fought back the scream and reached out to catch Andrew as he pitched forward and fell on her, pushing her backwards. The back of her head hit the ground so hard her ears rang. His chest pressed down on her face and covered her mouth and nose and she couldn’t breathe.

Her pack was against her back and the metal of her water bottle was hard against her spine.

‘Andrew,’ she tried to speak but it was impossible; only a muffled sound came out. ‘Have to get off me.’

Sandra gathered as much strength as she could muster and used her arms to take some of his weight as she rolled to her side. Andrew was a dead weight, but she managed to get her face clear. She could breathe, and she could also now see the mess his head was in. A tangled mat of hair caked in blood and dirt met her gaze as she tried to get out from under him. She could feel him breathing and an occasional groan came from him.

‘Sandra!’ Graysen’s voice was low and urgent.

She tipped her head back and relief flooded through her as Graysen knelt behind her.

‘Is there anyone out there?’ she managed to gasp out as she dragged deep breaths in.

‘No, it must have been Andrew I saw. I went the long way around. He must have seen us and come along the cliff.’

‘He’s badly hurt. Look at the back of his head.’

Graysen had managed to slide Andrew from on top of her, and she scrambled to her feet, and then looked around. ‘You don’t think there’s anyone else here? Are you sure?’

‘No. I had a good long look around, and we’re well hidden from the main trail here.’ He moved Andrew onto his side and that elicited another moan. Graysen crouched down and put his fingers against the guide’s neck. ‘His pulse is slow and steady, and if he managed to walk from that small gorge where I saw him, he can’t be too bad.’

‘He’s exhausted himself. As soon as he saw me, he called out and fell forwards on to me.’ Sandra’s lips were trembling. ‘Is he going to be okay?’

‘He’s alive.’

Sandra sat with her back against the rock as Graysen examined Andrew. He started at the head wound and moved down his body. ‘He’s got a really deep gash on his head, and a big bump, but his hair has matted over the wound and seemed to stop the bleeding. The blood on his neck and face is from that.’

As he touched Andrew’s chest, he moaned again. ‘Hurts.’

His words were slurred.

Graysen paused. ‘Good to hear you talking, mate.’ He held up two fingers in front of Andrew’s half-open eyes. ‘Can you see my fingers?’

A nod.

‘How many?’

Two bruised and bloody fingers lifted a fraction off his chest.

Sandra leaned forward as Andrew’s head lolled forward again. ‘He seems to be going in and out of it, doesn’t he?’

‘With the distance he walked along the gully, not to mention how far we are from the trail and his blood loss, he’s exhausted and dehydrated for sure. I suspect he’s got a concussion and a couple of broken ribs, which means pain, and pain will make him pass out. Even those grazes will be giving him a lot of discomfort.’ Graysen examined Andrew’s arms and hands and then his knees and lower legs exposed by his knee-length shorts. ‘There’s not one part of him that’s not cut or scraped.’

‘Do you think we should give him some water?’

Graysen nodded. ‘If we were in a position to get him to emergency or wait for paramedics, I’d say no, but we’re a long way from medical help. Andrew was our first chance; Jodie is our second.’

‘What about a jube for him to suck for some sugar?’

Graysen ran his hand through his hair, a frustrated mannerism that was becoming familiar to her. ‘I have very little medical knowledge. What about you?’