Back in the house, Lily said, “Jacquie, get a pencil, you need to write down what Justin says.”

  Sixty seconds later Justin’s voice was on the walkie-talkie again, “Tiger, will arrive in five minutes with Princess plus three. Two are noodles. Take J and Captain and get three boxes. They are labelled ‘Emergency Everyday Clothing—Various’, ‘Decontamination’ and ‘Baby/Toddler supplies’. Bring them to the back door. J, set up the contents of the ‘Decontamination’ box at the back door. Next, tell Captain to bring Spaghetti’s change mat to the kitchen. Next, ask Tiger and your older sister to prepare formula for a one-month-old. Tiger, a question, ‘Out’ or ‘Repeat’?”

  Back at the house, Lily said, “Jacquie, did you get everything Justin said or do you want him to repeat it?”

  Jacquie was still trying to write and decode the message, so she said, “Repeat.”

  Lily pressed the button on her walkie-talkie and said, “J says ‘Repeat’, over.”

  Justin repeated the sentences exactly while back at the house Jacquie finished writing down exactly what was said. This time Lily just said, “Out.”

  Jacquie thought she understood the message but asked Lily anyway. Lily said, “Justin will be here in five minutes with Alice and three others. Two of them are toddlers or babies. We have to get three boxes from his room and get ready at the back door.”

  Jacquie nodded and said, “Lily, Michael, you come with me. Katie, please stay and watch Kelly and Olly.”

  Lily led the way upstairs, and after getting a key from her room, she unlocked Justin’s door. Inside she went to a folder which listed the storage boxes and directed Jacquie and Michael on how to move the different walls to find the boxes easily. When the three were on the floor in front of Jacquie she bent to pick them up, but Lily said, “You need to push the others back to their right place. Justin really doesn’t like his things being in the wrong place.”

  Jacquie was finding everything difficult to process, and her mind was still trying to deal with some of the labels on the boxes. Still, she helped put things back then moved the boxes into the hall so Lily could lock the door. Jacquie and Michael carried a box each, and then Michael went back to get a second. Jacquie put the three boxes on the floor and after asking Michael to get the change mat and Lily and Katie to make the formula, she opened the one labelled ‘Decontamination’. Inside was an extra-large camping shower tent, two collapsible buckets, some bleach, and a smaller foldout privacy screen. Jacquie had just begun following the printed instructions when she heard noises in the back yard. She was tempted to go look but was coming to realise that Justin had planned the time out and her going to look might put his timing off, so she kept working.

  Chapter 9

  The noises were mainly Justin’s doing as he set up a similar shower tent on the outside of the door. He’d parked the quad at the side of the house. Alice had let go of the bike trailer and was almost off the seat when Justin turned and grabbed her shoulders, having expected her move. He said, “Alice, you will wait for me and do what I say. If you don’t, then you will kill Michael and Olly by your selfishness. I will not let you do that. If you don’t do exactly as I say, I will tie you up and drop you back at Brad’s. Nod your head if you understand what I am saying.”

  Alice nodded her head slowly, her almost immediate urge to yell at Justin dying in her throat at his threat. Justin didn’t let go of her but said, “Good, you understand. Now nod your head if you will you do what I say.”

  Again she nodded her head, and although Justin couldn’t see the terror on her face at his threat, he had calculated that was the worst thing he could threaten her with. He only wished his calculation had put her compliance at greater than seventy-five per cent. Picking up the trailer with the two kids, he was concerned because the newborn had stopped crying. Knowing there was nothing he could do just yet, he said, “Alice, lead the way around the side of the house to the back porch. Do not open the door. Taylor, follow Alice and stop her if she starts to open the door.”

  Alice turned and yelled, “I said I would do what you said, so stop threatening me.”

  Justin just nodded and used his head to move her along. Once around the back, he quickly assembled the shower and used some extra plastic and tape to seal the edges around the door. Using the hose, he washed everything down and filled the reservoir in the inside shower, added some bleach then said, “Alice, after I hose you down I want you to get in the shower. When I zip the outside, you need to take off your clothes, all of them, including your underwear. Use the shower to rinse yourself completely and use the lotion to scrub yourself. When you’re done, knock on the door. Jacquie Conner is inside and has made a similar shower up in there. Once you are inside, close the door and take another shower, then leave through the other door. There will be towels and some emergency clothes behind a screen. You need to hurry because Taylor will be next through. Do you understand?”

  Alice had been listening to the detailed instructions and for the first time, realised just how concerned Justin was about whatever had killed all the people. She turned and said, “I understand Justin, and I’m sorry for not understanding before. Will you give me another chance?”

  Justin processed the words, and although he thought the timing could have been better, it was a positive step. He said, “I will, Alice. I apologise for threatening you. I wasn’t going to take you back to Brad’s. I would have just tied you up until everyone else was through. I do not want to hurt you.”

  Alice didn’t know how to respond, so she got into the shower as Justin had asked.

  Inside the house, Jacquie had finally got the shower up with Michael’s help and had everything set up as directed when there was a knock on the door. She’d read the instructions and said, “Hello, who’s there?”

  “It’s me, Alice. I’m freezing.”

  Jacquie had already pulled the tape from the door. She said, “Alice, close the tent door for a minute while I put tape on this side. I’ll say when to come in.”

  She opened the door and using the plastic and tape prepared, she quickly moved the shower close to the door and sealed everything. As soon as she was done, she closed the shower and said, “Alice, come through.”

  As soon as Justin heard Alice close the shower, he opened it on his side and removed all the clothing before hosing it out. He repeated the instructions exactly for Taylor then unzipped it for her. While she was having a shower, he used the walkie-talkie and said, “J, when T is finished I would like you to step into the shower. I’ll clean the kids and then hand them to you. Make sure they are clean before handing them to older K. Tell older K and Tiger to get them dry and dressed. The first through will be a toddler, her name is Isabelle. After her, is a one-month-old boy called Nathan. J, a question, ‘Out’ or ‘Repeat’?”

  “Out.”

  When Taylor had moved inside, Justin removed all her stuff and washed it down. He brought the carrier in although he had to lean it on one end. He moved very slowly, hoping the children were OK. After washing it and himself down, he got out of his clothes except for his inner pair of jeans, then cut open the trailer. Peering in, he saw a jumble of toys and blankets, and he saw Isabelle looking up at him with huge scared eyes. He reached down to get her then quickly stripped her and sprayed her down. The water was cold and scared her, but he ignored the crying. As soon as she was washed, he knocked on the door. Jacquie was on the other side, waiting, and he handed Isabelle through before reaching down to look for Nathan.

  As Jacquie reached for the little girl, she saw terror on the child’s face. She brought her in for a hug, then quickly rinsed her off and washed her before handing her out to Lily. There was another knock on the door, and this time, Justin handed through a naked baby who had begun screaming. When Justin had reached inside, he’d found the baby quiet at the bottom of all the blankets and toys. After gently picking him up, Justin moved close to check his breathing. Seeing the chest move up and down, he started stripping the baby. Unfortunately for Justin’s peace of mind, the sudden cold water set the baby screaming again. Justin wasn’t impressed with having to clean the faeces off a naked child but did it with both precision and an economy of movement. After handing Nathan through, Justin closed the shower and emptied the carrier and the babies clothes outside before stripping himself and washing carefully.

  He knocked and after hearing Jacquie’s OK, he washed again then stepped out to dry himself. After checking through the pile of clothes he put on an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts. As he stepped out from behind the privacy screen, he was almost bowled over by Lily, who rushed to give him a hug. Knowing how little Justin liked touching, she stepped back almost immediately and looked up into his face and said, “Thank you, Justin. I know you don’t like her, but she is my sister, sort of.”

  Justin looked down and gave Lily one of his rare smiles before looking around. Jacquie was wearing some of his old clothes from the storage container and was holding Isabelle who had stopped crying. Isabelle was cuddling in tight to Jacquie who was helping her with a drink. Taylor was also wearing one of his old t-shirts and a pair of Alice’s old shorts. She was feeding Nathan. Alice was wearing an outfit she was certain she’d donated to a store the year before and listening to Michael describe all the things that had happened since they’d left school. No one was wearing the gas masks anymore, but Justin was sure they’d all learned how serious the situation was. He looked up and checked the time before turning to Jacquie. “Jacquie, where are Kelly, Katie and Olly?”

  Jacquie turned and smiled at him, “Justin, Olly and Kelly are both sleeping, and Katie is watching them.”

  Justin nodded and said, “Taylor and Alice, you should both have a warm drink and something to drink after the stress of the last few hours. Alice, could you loan Taylor and Jacquie some clean clothes?”

  After calling their names, Justin had waited until both girls were looking at him before speaking. When he’d finished, Alice said, “What happened to the stutter?”

  Justin said, ““Alice, with all the strange things going on, it will help if you say my name and answer my question before changing the topic. It will help me a lot if you do that.”

  Jacquie stifled a smirk as Alice looked a bit taken aback. Alice said, “I’m sorry, Justin. I’ll try and remember. I’ll be happy to loan them some clothes although I doubt they’ll want to borrow my underwear.”

  Justin thought about that for a moment then said, “Jacquie, Taylor, what size panties and bras do you need?”

  Taylor look mortified to be discussing underwear with a teenage boy, but Jacquie knew Justin just wanted the facts. She said, “Justin, the size on the packets don’t always mean the same thing. If you have a list of which sizes and brands you have available, could Taylor and I look for the right sizes ourselves?”

  Justin thought for a moment then said, “Thank you, Jacquie, that would help me. I will bring the box downstairs.”

  Justin then looked at Isabelle and said, “Jacquie, what Isabelle is wearing was not in the box labelled ‘Baby/Toddler supplies’. It is one of Olly’s suits. Why did you use that?”

  It took a moment for Jacquie to realise that Justin wasn’t against the change, he just wanted to know why for future reference. She said, “Justin, what you had in the storage box was good, but this is warmer, and Isabelle was very cold. Lily suggested it, and I think she was right.”

  Justin walked over to the box and said, “Jacquie, there is a bodysuit and a pair of overalls in her size right here in the box. Together they would be as warm or warmer than what she is wearing.”

  “You’re probably right, Justin, but because she doesn’t know us it was much easier to put one outfit on than two. It will also be easier if she needs to have her nappy changed.”

  Justin thought about what was said, then picking up the folder he made a few notes on one of the pages as he said, “Thank you for explaining your reasoning. That will help me in the future.”

  Jacquie couldn’t help herself, and she said, “Justin, with all the strange things going on, it will help if you say my name and talk to me instead of writing in your folder. It will help me a lot if you do that.”

  Justin looked up, slightly embarrassed at being reminded to say her name. He said, “Jacquie, I apologise. I didn’t forget, I just made an assumption that it was the same conversation and that may have caused confusion. I should have looked at you. What I said was, ‘Thank you for explaining your reasoning. That will help me in the future.’”

  Alice, who’d heard Justin say more in the last hour than in all the time she’d lived in the same house with him and had never before heard him apologise for his behaviour, just stared at Jacquie.

  Chapter 10

  Alice was also confused with Justin’s behaviour and was about to say something when Nathan, who had just finished the bottle, began to cry. Taylor, who’d been holding him as he fed said, “I think he’s done something in his nappy.”

  Nobody moved. Justin didn’t have a flowchart to help work through the mechanics of choosing who should change the child. Finally, after a minute where the only sound was the noisy baby, Alice said, “Give him to me. I’ll change him this time, but I’m not doing it every time.”

  Satisfied that the situation was being dealt with and pleased that Alice’s question seemed to have been forgotten, Justin turned and walked off toward his room. He hadn’t gone more than a few steps when Jacquie said, “Justin.”

  Justin slowed and turned to look at Jacquie, who was waiting for him to focus. When he was looking at her, she said, “I don’t have your list and charts to help me, but I do want to help. I understand that our parents are missing and it doesn’t make any sense to go look for them. Thousands of people are dead, and I don’t know what is going on. Can you help by explaining what you think is happening? Can you help by telling me what things need to be done, so Lily, Katie, Olly, Isabelle and Nathan are kept safe?”

  Justin looked at Jacquie in silence for a few seconds as he worked through her statement and questions. Finally, he said, “OK, Jacquie.”

  Justin moved to sit down and said, “Jacquie, can you remember what I’m going to say or do you need some paper to write on?”

  Jacquie sat opposite him and pulled a small notebook and pen from her pocket. She said, “I have what I need. Just talk a little slower and pause every now and then to see if anyone has a question.”

  When she was ready, Justin said, “I doubt what has happened today is a terrorist attack, although there is no doubt it has caused unparalleled terror. It is most likely a pre-emptive strike by a foreign power. Although it doesn’t make much difference, I am assuming the most likely nation is Indonesia, followed by China. The aim of the attacks was to kill sufficient numbers of people to throw all our emergency services into disarray, and then to kill the few trained personnel who could have stopped the cities from crumbling. They let us communicate for a while to spread fear and to give people false hope. No one has yet claimed responsibility, but I expect that to change in two or three hours when the sun sets. All civilian communication lines are cut, and I believe they are monitoring all other modes of communication trying to work out what the military is going to do. That is why I didn’t use our names on the walkie-talkies. I need to assign names for you, your sisters, Taylor, Isabelle and Nathan.

  “None of the attacks were centred on the port system or waterways in any of the capital cities. I suspect they already have ships and personnel in the ports ready to deploy. I assume our military are aware of this, but they cannot do anything until they know for sure. Before that happens, I suspect there will be frontal attacks by pre-placed agents against the major airbases and possibly the army barracks. Unfortunately for those in our military, we as a nation are used to fighting on someone else’s land. I say unfortunately because I doubt those in power will order any major offensive when there is a high risk of significant civilian casualties. If the attackers do not have control of the entire country within a few days, then that will change.

  “Our allies will talk tough, but I doubt they will be able to do anything effective within weeks and I suspect this attack is coordinated between several nation-states and our allies will have enough of their own problems. If it is Indonesia, then I suspect China will move to destabilise the United States. Russia will move toward Eastern Europe, which should keep NATO occupied.”

  Jacquie interrupted and said, “Justin, why attack here first? Wouldn’t it make sense to move against the US?”

  “For two reasons. First, if the attack didn’t work, then none of the major players are committed. Second, it will probably get the US and NATO forces out of balance. The US has been an ally for a long time, and I imagine they’ll already be sending things in this direction thinking it’s an isolated event. They’ve been the biggest and baddest for a long time. I’m not convinced they believe that any country would attack them head-on and on their own turf. Terrorists, yes, a country, not likely. China’s been building up its fleet for a long time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have the technological advantage at the moment. They will want the United States out of the picture, they can deal with Taiwan and move into Japan. Is that sufficient?

  “Thank you. Yes. Please go on with the summary.”

  “Australia has around eighty thousand full-time military personnel, and that includes those who are active reservists. As a nation, most of the people are not only unarmed, but they are also ignorant in the use of weapons. I suspect there are at least four or five pre-placed ships in each of Australia’s major ports. Currently, there is one Indonesian cruise ship which docked at the cruise terminal early this morning. Even if it is only loaded with the usual passenger density, it could hold over six thousand personnel. With pre-planning, they could have over twelve thousand military personnel on board. This is more than the number of personnel in all branches of the military currently within several hours of Brisbane.

 

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