Broken Highway

By Matthew Tait

Jessica and Patrick's tour of the Australian outback began as a honeymoon of sorts – a chance for cross-continental lovers to become even more enamored of each other against the backdrop of a picturesque desert world.

But, like so many travelers discover before them, the desert roads of Australia have always been littered with denizens; those who perceive the highways as hunting grounds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dark Crib Publications
• Release date: May 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224876426

Matthew Tait

A vociferous horror columnist since 2005, Matthew Tait published his first collection of dark fiction in 2011. Since then, he has won the the prestigious Shadows Award for the novel Deception Pass. Described as writing 'the sort of horror Clive Barker must read on his days off' Matthew's fiction often treads the line between the familiar and the fantastic.  

Book preview

Broken Highway

‘Jessica,’ Patrick asked, craning his head to look around at his girlfriend. ‘What are you doing back there?’

‘Seeing if there’s any weed left.’

Patrick scowled. Briefly, he lost control of the Kombi. Veering off the gravel shoulder, the wheels cast up a spray of asphalt.

‘I already told you. You gave away our last joint to that crazy woman in Ellery Creek.’

‘I know, I know,’ Jessica replied, her voice muffled by the seat. ‘I thought we might have dropped some on the floor or something.’

‘Wishful thinking.’

Frowning, Patrick stared at his reflection in the rearview mirror and raked his fingers across his stubbled chin. Although they’d been on the road for an hour or so, it already felt like five. The Volkswagen Kombi’s interior was a smoldering coffin, and its occupants were undergoing a cremation.

Goddamn this Australian desert.

‘You can’t find what isn’t there,’ he said. ‘Quit screwing around.’

Jessica’s annoyed riposte could be heard over the puttering rumble of the engine. Swiping at flies, she climbed awkwardly back into the front passenger seat.

‘If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you were addicted to the shit.’

Brushing back damp blonde curls with her fingers, Jessica eyed him sourly. ‘Leave it to you to say something like that. You can’t go a day without making me feel guilty about something, can you?’

Patrick swallowed, fighting the urge to retaliate further. If he did, things would definitely go from bad to worse. In their current situation, this was something they could both do without. Jessica wasn’t making him feel shitty, any more than he was responsible for her mood.

It was the weather.

It was the flies.

It was everything.

They began their holiday a month earlier, setting out from Jessica’s family home in the Blue Mountains, south of Sydney. After endless arguments, it was finally decided her brother’s ageing orange Kombi would be the method of transport