Road to Fear

By Johan Claassen

Matt West is falsely accused of being a coward. The blow to his self-esteem is magnified by the fact that it is his fiancee who has accused him. She is soon his ex-fiancee.
Feeling sorry for himself, Matt looks around for something to keep his mind off his troubles. He becomes interested in four-wheel driving and wins a guest spot on an overland trip across Northern Australia.
Soon, things begin to go wrong and, as the situation involving a drug-running photographic agency and an unstable gangster progresses from bad to worse, Matt begins a physical and mental journey during which he has to discover once and for all if he really is a coward.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadOnTime BV
• Release date: Aug 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9781742842301

Johan Claassen

Johan Claassen is an English teacher who lives on the Gold Coast in Australia. He is married and has three grown-up children.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

The moment the door of the limousine opened, Matt knew there was something wrong. They were standing at a red traffic light and there was no reason why the door should be opening. The man slid in and grabbed Gaelle’s arm before anyone could move. If anyone moves, this needle goes straight into her arm. The voice from behind the mask was muffled, but the meaning was crystal clear.

What do you want? Matt asked.

Put your wallets in this bag. Don’t make any sudden moves. Hurry up.

Matt! Do something. Before Gaelle could say another word, the masked intruder had plunged the needle a centimetre into her upper arm. Her mouth opened wide.

Scream and I inject the blood.

Take the money, Matt said. The four other occupants of the limo hurriedly threw their wallets into the man’s canvas bag. Without hesitation the intruder went out the door, dragging Gaelle with him, the syringe needle still embedded in her arm. He slammed the door. Through the darkly tinted window they saw him push Gaelle onto the ground and pull the needle out before he dashed off through the stationary traffic. He was joined by a similarly masked man whom Matt assumed had been making sure the driver up front would not interfere with what was happening in the back of the limo.

Matt wasted no time opening the door and helping Gaelle up off the ground. She was terrified and weeping, and pushed him away when he tried to comfort her. He was taken aback by her reaction, but put it down to the trauma that she had just been through.

The police interviews and discussions between the occupants of the limo and family members took a long time. Matt was becoming frustrated because Gaelle had given him the proverbial cold shoulder the entire time since the robbery. He was anxious to find out exactly why she had decided to take the whole thing out on him. Finally, they were alone in Gaelle’s parents’ mansion on Sovereign Island on the Gold Coast, and Matt couldn’t wait any longer. Gaelle, what’s going on?

At first there was no reply. She wouldn’t even look at him. Then she turned towards him and said, You can ask that? I’ve just been assaulted and you did nothing. I don’t think I can marry a man who did nothing to help me.

Gaelle, you’re kidding. She didn’t answer; she did not need to.

If I had done anything, he would have injected you with infected blood.

You could have at least tried something.

Tried what? He could see that this was going nowhere. Gaelle was often adamant about getting her own way, but this was ridiculous.

Something.

You’re tired and traumatised, Gaelle. Maybe you should get some sleep and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.

Yes, I think you should leave.

As Matt walked down the driveway to his old car that was seriously out of place on Sovereign Island, he had a feeling that the next day would bring more of the same. He was right.

CHAPTER TWO

We’re going to die!

That was not what Matt wanted to hear, even if he didn’t really think it was true. It will be all right. Don’t worry, the young man said to the middle aged woman in the seat next to him. It certainly looked grim out there. Thick cloud and pouring rain made it touch and go whether they would be able to land, but after the plane had been in a holding pattern for a few minutes, the intercom came to life. Typical Australian humour manifested itself as the pilot said, Hold tight folks, we’re going in. With that he turned the plane into the final approach.

Are you sure we will make it? she asked, large eyes fearfully searching Matt’s face in a desperate effort to read true belief in their survival in his grey-blue eyes.

I’m very sure. The pilot just sounds casual. He actually does know what he’s doing.

Matt saw her close her eyes as they were gliding in to land. The Qantas Boeing 737 landed smoothly despite the rain dashing itself to mist on the bitumen runway. At the end of the runway she opened her eyes and smiled with relief. Thank you for your kindness.

No worries. It felt good to have helped her.

When the seatbelt signs blinked off, they rose and gathered their bags from the racks above their heads.

Hope you enjoyed your flight, Sir. And then he was walking away from the appreciative gaze of the flight attendant, up the air bridge together with the other passengers, all eager to get to wherever they were going.

Cairns airport was in the middle of a massive upgrade. The North East coast of Queensland is a popular destination with tourists and Aussies alike, owing to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the World Heritage listed Daintree rainforest. Matt decided that he had better enjoy the luxury of a modern airport – there wouldn’t be much in the way of luxury over the next few weeks. Come to think of it, he didn’t like luxury holidays anyway.

Matt was well aware of his good fortune. He had entered a competition in a 4WD magazine and the prize was a trip as a guest across the Northern part of Queensland and the Northern Territory. To his amazement, out of the thousands who entered, he had been the winner. To be more accurate, he was one of the two readers of the magazine who would receive a gift of two months of travelling with the experts of four wheel driving – the best in Australia. To say he was looking forward to the winter trip was the understatement of the year. It was just what he needed.

Winter. Not the cold, snow-filled time that Europeans and most North Americans associate with the word, but a more bearable time when heat and humidity remain at levels that make breathing fun. Matt was doubly fortunate that the school at which he worked had been so understanding. They had given him two terms off with a guarantee of his job back when he returned. He would be proportionately paid for the amount of long leave he had accrued to date. It had felt good to be held in high enough regard for the school to have done this.

Matt West? In typical Aussie fashion his name had immediately been abbreviated. He was used to it. The speaker was a big man dressed in the kind of khaki outfit Matt would have expected a tough 4wd tour operator to wear. Judging by the slightly greying hair Matt placed him in the mid-forties.

Jack Banker, I presume. Matt was half aware of his Stanley and Livingstone style reply, and assumed that the editor of a magazine would understand the play on words. His thoughts about clever words stopped instantly when Jack took his hand in a massive, ham-like hand and proceeded to crush the life out of it.

At 6ft and a well built 88 kg, Matt was not a weakling. However, he had to make an effort not to wince at the grip. He had difficulty hiding the urge to rub his hand when he got it back. Now that he could think again, he considered the handshake and the man. Something about the man’s openness convinced Matt that Jack was a genuine bloke and that the grip had not been meant to intimidate him in any way. Still, the man was not stupid and could not possibly be unaware of the power of his grip. The reservation about the motivation behind crushing his hand was balanced by the pleasant thought that Jack would make short work of getting a bogged 4WD going again. Jack was not only a man who could paint with words; he was also the leading 4WD tour operator in the country. He gave the impression that, with him around, what could possibly go wrong?

With initial greetings out of the way and Matt’s solitary bag collected from the baggage conveyor, Jack said, The ute’s this way. I hope you’re ready to sit some more because we have about an hour’s drive to base camp at Cape Tribulation.

I’ll survive. Matt was keen to make a good impression. He was aware that these tough guys could view him as a city slicker and he wanted to dispel that idea right from the start. Upon reflection he supposed they would be correct in assuming he was a city boy. Nevertheless, he had done his share of camping and getting out into the bush. He felt confident that he could physically handle a 4WD trip.

Good. We have more than a few thousand kilometres ahead of us. It would be worrying if you were struggling already. Jack was refreshingly straight forward. The other tour winner is here already, by the way. He flew in last night.

You’ve just done two trips in less than twelve hours?

No mate. He laughed. One of the other guys collected him from the airport. Real strange bloke, your fellow winner.

Matt was a little surprised at the statement. It didn’t seem very professional to be talking about one customer to another. He passed it off as Jack’s characteristic method of getting straight to the point.

CHAPTER THREE

The weather had changed completely in the half hour since they had landed. The solid, dark grey rainclouds had given way to patchy cloud cover that was dissipating even as they walked towards the parking lot.

The increasingly sunny weather added to the glorious feeling of being on holiday and Matt began to relax as Jack drove the Hi-Lux turbo diesel to the highway and then headed north towards the Daintree river crossing. Much of the scenery they drove through was farm land, but in places verdant forest advanced on the road and covered the hills as far as the eye could see.

We’ve made most of the final preparations for the trip in Cairns and we’ll just stay in Cape Trib till late afternoon to sort out the last of the gear. Jack’s voice broke his reverie. You’ll get to meet the other blokes, Mate, and you can have a look at the vehicles. There will, of course, be some casual interviewing and photo shoots before we leave.

OK. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to say much and I might crack the camera lens.

Don’t worry, Mate. It’s pretty low key. When you see some of the others, you’ll realize that our camera lenses are super strong. We have some real ugly fellas on the trip. Jack’s good humour was putting Matt at ease; he felt less threatened by being written about and photographed than he had thought he would. He could speak very coherently and with his light brown hair, blue eyes and slightly rugged good looks, he was quite photogenic – he just didn’t enjoy being in the limelight.

All went well and they made good time to the ferry over the Daintree River. No bridge existed over the wide, calm waterway – they were getting close to the edge of city life in Queensland. Cairns was the last of the population centres with more than five hundred residents. From there on large villages were the best one could hope for.

We give these guys a lot of business so they take us over for half price. It’s still quite expensive, but if you’re the only connection between Cairns and Cape Trib, then you can charge the earth and travellers have to like it or leave it.

Yeah, Matt replied. I can’t say that I like monopolies.

It would be nice to live in an ideal world, said Jack. I guess they provide a service though and deserve to make a buck. It’s fairly expensive to maintain machinery this far from the main cities.

They seem to be doing a roaring trade this morning. That ferry is packed with cars. Matt was surveying all the vehicles, mostly 4WDs, crowded bumper to bumper on the barge. One particular brand new dark brown Land Cruiser caught his eye. A gold-lettered sign on the side announced that it belonged to the Superior Photo Agency. The Cruiser sported raised suspension and a snorkel, but it wasn’t the vehicle itself that interested him. The occupants drew instant attention from just about everyone on the ferry and on the riverbanks. Two men occupied the front seats while three very attractive women, a redhead and two blondes, on the back seat smiled at an appreciative, if fairly unsophisticated audience on the barge.

Look at that fancy bunch, commented Jack.

Do you know them? Matt asked.

"No Mate. They’re probably just some photographers and models on a photo shoot. This part of the coast is quieter than down south.

I’m sure the scenery helps in terms of photo opportunities. One would have had to be blind not to notice the beauty of their surroundings. Matt wanted to say something witty about noticing the beauty of the models, but the moment passed. The barge completed its short crossing and vehicles were already pouring off it while the cars waiting for the return crossing were idling impatiently.

The ferry trip over, the brown Land Cruiser, with its head-turning occupants, roared off into the Daintree, never to be seen again. Or so Matt thought.

After the crossing the road became progressively narrower and bumpier as it wound its tortuous way through the hills and thick forests of the Daintree. Dense bush encroached on the road borders, sometimes forming a single, joined canopy over the bitumen. Although they were travelling close to the sea, the impenetrable forest allowed no glimpse of it except from view sites at which Jack did not stop.

Fifty minutes after disembarking from the ferry they arrived at Cape Tribulation. Matt thought he had no fixed expectation of the town, but his mild surprise indicated to him that he had expected something a little bigger. It was a tiny place seemingly consisting of a few resorts hidden in the bush, a pharmacy and two small grocery stores. The denseness of the forest did make it difficult to judge the size of the place though.

The 4WD expedition vehicles were parked at a little general store that seemed to cater for campers and travellers. When Jack turned the Hi-Lux into the grass and gravel car park in front of the store, a group of people, mostly dressed in a similar fashion to Jack, extricated themselves from under the bonnet of a beige Patrol. They sauntered over to Jack and Matt.

This is the team, said Jack rather superfluously. Say hello to Matt, Boys. Matt was introduced to Kev, Mark, Mick and Shane. He tried to memorize their names by associating their faces with a famous person by the same name. Remembering people’s names wasn’t one of his strong points. Kev was similar in size to Jack and seemed to be keen to return to the Patrol. Matt took an immediate liking to Mick who made him feel very welcome. He was the photographer for the trip and Shane was the videographer. Mark was the cook and at this stage of the day seemed half asleep.

Obviously this wasn’t the whole group because Mick said, Come on. Let me introduce you to everyone else.

As he followed Mick towards the store, he turned to look back at the others and they were already peering in under the bonnet of the Patrol.

A group of people were having lunch on the verandah and Matt felt a little uncomfortable being introduced to them in the middle of their meal. It didn’t bother Mick though. He simply whistled, gained everyone’s attention and then introduced Matt. I’ll just let them all introduce themselves to you because I might make a mistake. He paused, and then said, This bloke with the beard is Al – he’s one of the mechanics. Paul is the tyre specialist and that bloke there is Peter. He’s on the team, but I don’t know what he does.

Mostly nothing, Al joked good-naturedly. Peter smiled, nodded a greeting and left it at that. The four or five others at the table called out their names, but it had all become a little overwhelming and Matt didn’t think he would remember the names. He would just have to make their acquaintance during the journey. There certainly would be enough time for that.

I think the only person on the tour team that you haven’t met yet is Sam. He’s the doctor and should be around here somewhere. He’s probably checking his medical supplies, Mick said. Matt was not surprised that a medical expert was accompanying them. Such a large group of people was bound to have some medical problems over two months.

The presence of three women did surprise him though. He had imagined it would be an all male expedition. There was no question in his mind that they might not be tough enough, nor was there any disappointment on Matt’s part. He supposed he had simply succumbed to the stereotypical idea of a 4WD expedition.

The surprises didn’t end there either. One of the women was a diesel mechanic of all things, another was an assistant cook and kitchen maintainer, and the third was the sister of one of the men on the team. Matt registered that her name was Cathy, but he did not catch who her brother was.

Cape Tribulation was full of surprises. The next one came a while later when Matt walked into the larger, more grocery oriented store across the road from the general store when he was in search of some supplies to feed his sweet tooth. He was gazing at chocolate bars, wondering if they would survive even the winter heat up north. There weren’t many customers in the shop, but suddenly he sensed someone standing next to him, looking at him rather than the chocolates on display. He turned to look at the woman who was wearing a plain white T-shirt and powder blue shorts.

Hi, I’m Kim Larsen. You’re Matthew aren’t you? Matt was not so caught unawares that he failed to notice the sparkling blue eyes framed by honey-blonde hair.

"I’m Matt. How did you know my name?

Oh, I have special privileges.

Matt was unsure how to reply. Kim was attractive and he had felt flattered that she had approached him to introduce herself. He thought that she may have been the other winner, but it seemed unlikely that someone like her would be interested in a 4WD holiday in the outback with a group of men.

That’s intriguing. He finally managed. Are you the magazine editor’s daughter or something? Immediately he felt foolish. His question could easily be taken the wrong way and he still had two months of road trip to spend in the editor and this woman’s company. Sorry, I didn’t mean that.

Matthew, you’re a funny guy. There’s nothing wrong with that question. She paused for a moment and then said, "Actually, I write for a magazine called Going Out. Have you heard of it?"

Who hasn’t? It’s great. He waited for more.

The editor sent me on this trip to see what it’s like. I have to write an article of course.

Matt was pleased, but also perplexed. After the unpleasant break-up with Gaelle he had not expected to warm to another woman so quickly, but he had taken an instant liking to Kim and he was looking forward to being in her company on the trip. Already he was hoping that they would be travelling in the same vehicle. There probably wouldn’t be much hope of that though as the other blokes would be just as keen to have her with them.

An olive skinned man of about Matt’s age, dressed in fashionable brand name shirt and long pants, finished purchasing his groceries and then came over to where Matt and Kim were standing. Kim introduced the two men. Vincent was the other prize winner. He was what women would call darkly handsome, a concept that Matt could never understand. Couldn’t women see that he was trouble?

Vincent awakened a sense of something in Matt. What exactly that something was, he wasn’t sure, but he did know that it wasn’t good. The truth was that he took an instant dislike to the man. He reminded Matt of someone in a gangster movie, someone who had secrets that no one really should know about. Oh, well, thought Matt, he is the other prize winner so I guess he’s interested in 4WDs just like I am. Two months with the man could be uncomfortable. The firm handshake went some way to making Matt feel a little better about him.

See you back across the road, said Kim and headed for the door with Vincent following irritatingly close behind. Matt caught himself staring after them until they disappeared through the door and out of sight along the verandah.

Matt could not help thinking about Kim as he resumed his shopping. Lightly tanned, with a figure that tended to draw glances from men in the street, Kim was not someone you would forget easily. She looked as if she could handle a four wheel drive tour. What captivated Matt the most though, was her ability to make him feel like she was interested in everything he said or did.

CHAPTER FOUR

By mid-afternoon the expedition was ready to depart. There were five vehicles and they were all packed to bursting. Even the roofs were used to carry lighter necessities like tents, tarpaulins and spare wheels. Matt was impressed with the orderly way in which everything had been packed. Then again, these people were experts at this and one would not have expected poor organization.

Each vehicle was equipped with the usual off-road accessories – bull bars, UHF radios, all-terrain tyres, winches, spotlights and snorkels. In addition each one of the vehicles sported aftermarket suspension that raised them to their legally permissible height. Tougher suspension and extra ground clearance were essential ingredients for successful off-road expeditions. In the interests of reliability, all the engines were unmodified. Four of the five 4WDs were diesel powered while the Prado used petrol.

At a few minutes after four in the afternoon the expedition pulled out onto what passed as a main road and began the short trip north to the first overnight stop. The trip nearly ended before it started.

As the leading Land Cruiser turned onto the road, two F250s roared past. Where the two large 4WDs had come from was difficult to say. One moment they were nowhere in sight and then suddenly they were there. To Matt It looked suspiciously like they had been waiting for the expedition to get under way.

Jack, driving the Land Cruiser, swerved wildly into the grass at the edge of the road, lifting two wheels. At the same time he stood on the brakes and the Cruiser righted itself and slewed to a halt half on and half off the road, but not before the load on the top toppled onto the road.

It all came crashing down in front of the Patrol in which Matt was riding shotgun. Look out! he shouted as gear was strewn all over the road. Paul, the driver was already a step ahead of Matt and brought the big Patrol to a quick stop before it hit anything. A light bump from behind indicated that the Hi-Lux didn’t stop quite as quickly. Everyone jumped out of the vehicles.

Stupid idiots! How did the gear fall off? Did anyone check the tie downs? The annoyance was plain in Jack’s voice.

Yeah. I checked them. They were perfect, Mark replied.

I can vouch for that, Paul said.

Al carefully inspected the straps and then announced that they had slipped all by themselves. To be safe, he threw them into the back of the Cruiser and broke out some brand new ones. Everyone lent a hand and within fifteen minutes the gear was stowed back on the roof rack.

Out of the corner of his eye, Matt saw someone standing next to him. The blue eyes stared at him. Worry was evident in her voice. What was that all about, Matt?

Those guys came out of nowhere, almost as if on purpose. Did you see them?

Not really. Where are they now?

Matt was suddenly aware that the two trucks had not even slowed down, much less stopped to help. He said as much.

I certainly hope we don’t see them again, Kim said. Matt agreed