Effanbee
The Fly
Got a bit diverted with other stuff recently, too many words in my head! Here's the next (rather long) chapter.
Free Falling
Chapter 8
We landed at Piripiri airfield, a few miles away from the danger zone, and made our way to the main building for briefing. The army had been busy setting up temporary shelter, a field hospital and mess tent. They were working flat out to clear a way overland to Matangi.
Phil was coordinating Civil Defence operations. Pictures of Matangi taken from the air showed a large area of devastation, it was difficult to make out where the village used to be among the massive piles of earth, trees and rubble. Everyone listened carefully as we were split into teams and assigned areas to work in and jobs according to our skills.
When there was a clear way in I would be flying survivors out of Piripiri, but until then all hands were needed on the ground. Search and rescue helicopters had dropped supplies and medical personnel.
There was a short wait before we could be transported and I tried to persuade the band to stay at Piripiri. Everything was happening very quickly and I was beginning to clearly see the danger I’d placed us in. ‘You can be of use here,’ I said. ‘You don’t have to put yourselves at risk. Please stay …’
They would have none of it. Bono turned the tables on me, asking me why I was willing to risk myself, but there was no time to settle the argument, our army transport arrived and we were loaded and away. It was a bone-shaking journey which got rougher as we neared the zone.
Nothing could prepare us for the scene before our eyes. Where once had been a sleepy settlement was now only chaos. Roads buckled and shattered, houses tumbled, power lines tangled like sleeping snakes. As we walked towards our search area I saw:
A man’s arm, lying on top of a kitchen chair,
The body of a young woman, half buried in rubble,
An exquisite cut-glass bowl, perfect and untouched, on the lip of a deep fissure,
Another body sprawled across what was left of the road … something wrong about it …
I turned aside and threw up. The body had no head. As I straightened up I saw in front of me a shoe. It contained a foot, clad in a green sock. I wondered sickly if I was up to this.
Our area was at the northern end of the village. An outcrop of rocky hillside loomed above us, undercut by the earth’s upheaval and looking very unstable.
We searched quietly, listening for human voices. I worked alongside Larry and Adam, carefully sorting through the remains of a house.
‘I heard something. Over there,’ said Adam. We stopped and listened, heard a faint voice.
Larry cleared a way through what could have been a kitchen. ‘It’s coming from down there,’ he said. ‘There must be a basement.’
He was right. Pushing aside a fallen cupboard, we uncovered a dark hole from which voices were calling weakly for help. I could just make out three upturned faces, I dug a torch out of my pack and shone it into the hole.
‘Help us, please help us out of here,’ a woman’s voice, on the edge of hysteria.
‘We’ll help you, try to stay calm,’ Larry said, his voice steady and reassuring.
‘How many of you are there? Is anyone injured?’ I asked as Larry and Adam consulted on the best way to get the people to safety.
‘Three. My son, I think his leg is broken,’ the woman replied.
I stayed by the hole, talking to the woman, Maria, trying to keep her calm as Adam secured a rope and braced himself to lower Larry into the basement.
‘There’s an injured child,’ I told Larry quietly. ‘I’ll come down after you, attend to him while you get the others out.’
Larry nodded in approval and began a careful descent into the darkness. Adam was anchorman, taking the strain of Larry’s weight on the rope.
‘Not much room down here,’ said Larry. ‘Careful, Roo, there’s a lot of loose stuff on the ground.’ He guided me down and we took stock of the situation.
Maria was trembling, in shock, her children clinging to her tightly, all of them covered in dust. She grasped my hand like a vice. ‘The children, get the children out,’ she pleaded.
I knelt down beside her little daughter. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked her gently.
‘Sally,’ said the little girl in a tiny voice. I smiled at her. ‘Well, Sally, this man’s name is Larry. He’s going to take you out of here.’
Sally looked up at Larry trustingly. Larry held out his hand to her and she went to him. I turned to Maria’s son.
‘I’m Henry,’ he said. ‘And I’ve broken my leg. There was blood,’ he added proudly.
‘Let’s have a look,’ I took the first aid kit and examined Henry’s leg, which did seem to be broken and would need to be held stable. I found some wood to use for splints.
‘Now, Henry, I can tell you’re very brave. This will hurt a bit, so I want you to take my belt. When you feel the pain coming, bite down on it as hard as you can.’
‘OK,’ said Henry, taking the belt.
I fixed the splints and Henry didn’t even whimper. When I took the belt back I saw he had nearly bitten through it.
‘You did really well.’ I said. ‘We’ll have you out of here in no time and take you to a doctor.’
‘Will I have a plaster? I want a blue one. And all my friends can sign it,’ Henry said.
‘You can have any colour you like,’ I said with a smile.
Larry carefully tied the rope around Henry, using his strong upper body to support him as Adam pulled the rope up.
‘Your turn next, Maria,’ I said. She looked at me mutely, going deeper into shock. I took her hand, which was stone cold. ‘Stay with us, Maria. You’ll all be safe very soon.’ She nodded and stood still as I tied the rope around her. With both Adam and Larry pulling and me assisting from the ground we slowly got Maria out of the hole.
Larry threw the rope down to me. I was very glad to be out of there, I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like, in the dark and debris, not knowing if rescue would ever come.
Adam and Larry set off to take the three survivors to safety, carrying Henry between them. The little boy waved to me as they walked away. I waved back, wishing them luck.
Suddenly I desperately needed to find Bono, make sure he was safe. I set off in the direction I’d last seen him, near the rocky overhang.
I found Edge, talking to an elderly couple. They were refusing to leave the remains of their home, a friend was buried under the rubble. Edge was trying to persuade them to go with him to safety, patiently listening to their story. He stepped aside to talk to me.
‘I don’t think there’s much hope for their friend,’ he said quietly. ‘But they won’t move until they know for sure. How’s it going with you?’
I told Edge about Maria and her children. He smiled, glad that we’d found some survivors. ‘Do you know where Bono is?’ I asked him.
‘He’s over there, I think,’ said Edge, pointing. ‘Just the other side of that building.’
‘Thanks Edge. I’ll see you in a bit.’
I picked my way round the building. It had been a shop, the ground was strewn with tins and broken bottles. I caught sight of Bono, sitting on a rock bandaging the arm of a young woman.
‘Hey, Roo,’ he greeted me. ‘This is Diane. She had a bit of an argument with some broken glass.’ Diane was a very pretty girl under all the grime. She looked slightly less than delighted to see me.
‘Check this bandage, can you Roo?’ Bono whispered to me.
I did so. ‘That’s a very fine dressing.’ I said to Bono. ‘Are you able to walk?’ I asked Diane.
‘Ye-es,’ she said, looking at Bono sideways. ‘I’m a bit shaky though.’
‘Could you escort Diane as far as the road, Mr Hewson?’ I asked Bono, raising an eyebrow.
‘Of course, Ms Anders,’ replied Bono with a grin. ‘Back soon.’
I carried on searching until Bono returned. He gave me a quick hug. ‘OK?’ he asked me.
‘OK,’ I said. ‘How about you?’
‘Not too bad,’ said Bono. ‘Best not to think about what’s around us, I’ve found. Just concentrate on what we’re doing.’
‘Right,’ I agreed. ‘Just keep on keeping on.’
We worked in silence, side by side, always listening, sometimes uncovering horrors - bodies, parts of bodies. These we flagged and moved on, concerned more for the living than the dead.
As we got nearer the overhang, I heard a sound. ‘Is that a cat or something, Bono? Listen …’
The sound came again, a lonely whimper. We moved towards it.
‘It’s a child, I think,’ said Bono. ‘Is there anyone there? Hello?’ he called.
No reply. I scanned the area but could see no sign of life.
‘There,’ said Bono, pointing towards the bottom of the overhang. The land had slipped into a steep slope of mud and debris, and I caught sight of a small body wedged against a fallen tree. We stumbled up the mud until we reached a small girl, abut 6 years old. Her eyes were huge in a face white with shock.
Bono knelt beside her. ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Moana,’ whispered the child. ‘What’s yours?’
‘Bono.’
‘That’s a funny name.’
‘It is, isn’t it?’ Bono kept talking to Moana quietly and calmly. I could see that her foot was caught beneath the tree and started removing the branches and rocks. It was delicate work and I was glad when Edge arrived to help.
‘This is my friend, Edge,’ Bono told Moana.
She giggled. ‘You all have funny names.’
Edge examined the situation thoughtfully. ‘This branch is pinning her foot. We need to lever it up so that Bono can lift her out.’
I followed Edge’s directions, then glanced up as a large flock of birds whirled overhead. A sudden noise in the distance, dogs howling.
Then the aftershock hit us, throwing us off our feet. Moana screamed in terror, Bono held onto her, protecting her small body as loose rocks and mud rained down on us.
The shaking gradually subsided. Edge got slowly to his feet and came to help me up. As I reached for his hand I saw that my arm was covered in blood.
Edge moved so that he shielded Moana from the sight. ‘Is it serious, Roo?’ he whispered.
I shook my head. ‘No, it can wait. We need to move fast, Edge. The whole lot’s about to come down.’ I glanced up at the overhang, looming above us.
We set to raising the branch enough to free Moana. Bono kept her calm, telling her a story. The branch was stuck fast and resisted all our efforts. An ominous groaning came from the mass of earth above.
‘We have to get her out right now,’ I said to Edge. ‘Lift together. Bono, when we say pull, pull like mad.’
Edge and I made a last, huge effort and the tree shifted. ‘Pull, Bono!’ said Edge through clenched teeth. He did, and Moana’s foot slid free as mud and rocks began to fall.
Bono picked her up. ‘Let’s go, guys!’ We took off down the mudslide, Edge helping Bono keep his feet as he carried Moana. A great rumbling came from above us as the overhang finally gave way to gravity. We slid down the last few yards of mud and hit the ground running, a mass of rolling earth at our heels, rocks bouncing around us.
I saw Edge stumble and fall, then everything was engulfed in flying mud. The whole world turned into a great roaring chaos, something hit the back of my legs and I hit the ground. Mud in my eyes, my mouth. This is it, my time’s come round - I’m so sorry my love, so sorry … confused thoughts zapping through my brain like stray bullets.
Then sudden silence. Random sounds of things falling. Stillness.
I struggled to release my hands, wipe the mud from my eyes. Legs buried, not too deeply, clawing my way out. I crawled forward over a mound of earth, trying desperately to see through the settling dust.
The earth gave way beneath me and I rolled helplessly down, coming to a halt with a bump against something soft.
‘Nice of you to drop in, Roo.’ It was Edge, barely recognisable, coated in mud.
‘Edge, thank God you’re alright. Where’s Bono? I can’t find him, can’t see anything …’
Edge put his hands on my shoulders. ‘Steady, Roo. He was in front of me. We’ll find him.’
We got to our feet. My legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk, Edge was limping and we made slow progress, supporting each other across the treacherous ground.
‘I hear voices,’ gasped Edge. All I could hear was a ringing in my ears. ‘This way, Roo.’
Shapes appearing in the gloom. People asking us if we were hurt. Hands reaching out to help us. I shook them off, on the verge of panic.
Then I saw him, standing with Moana in his arms. A wave of relief so powerful it nearly knocked me off my feet again. I wrapped my arms around both Bono and the child, no words left to express what I felt.
*****
At Piripiri again, walking into the main building which was stuffed with people. Survivors waiting to be flown out, relatives seeking news of loved ones, volunteers ready to leave or, like us, returning from the zone.
A man appeared in front of Bono, dwarfing him with his great height. Built like a rugby forward, intricate tattoos winding around his face and arms. Moana, who had refused to be parted from Bono, lifted her head.
‘Daddy!’ she cried, bursting into tears. Bono set her down gently and the huge man swept her into his arms. He talked quietly with Bono for some time until we were ushered away to the showers, like-warm but welcome anyway, then to the medical tent to be checked over.
Adam and Bono were basically unharmed except for minor cuts and bruises. Larry had taken a knock to the head , so was sporting a bandage. Edge had twisted his ankle but was making light of his injury. I had a deep gash in my arm which required stitches, Bono stayed with me for the sewing for which I was grateful.
When the whole mess was covered with a neat bandage we headed back towards the main building. Bono detoured us behind the shower block, out of sight of anyone else. We held each other in silence for a while, as a gentle rain began to fall.
Bono turned his face up to the sky, closing his eyes and letting the rain run down his neck. ‘Well, that was a day and a half,’ he said with understatement.
‘You were fantastic,’ I said. ‘All of you. You stayed so calm, it was just what those poor people needed.’
‘Actually, I was shit-scared,’ Bono confessed. ‘Especially when you and Edge disappeared. I looked behind me and you were gone, there was this great wall of crap rolling towards me.’ I felt a shudder run through his body.
‘I thought we’d all had it,’ I said. ‘Then I found Edge, well, fell on top of him actually, but I couldn’t see you. If Edge hadn’t been with me I’d have lost it. I imagined you buried under the mud, suffocating …’ I began to cry, trembling as I relived that nightmare. ‘I’d never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you.’
Bono held me tight, stroking my back. ‘It wouldn’t have been your fault, angel. You didn’t cause the earthquake to happen.’
‘But you wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for me. I should have made you stay at Sweetwaters, safe.’
‘You’d have had to nail me down,’ said Bono. ‘No way was I staying behind.’
‘But you could have died,’ I wailed.
‘So could you. It didn’t stop you coming here anyway,’ Bono observed. ‘Dying … well, it could happen to any of us, any time.’
‘I don’t want you to die. I don’t want any of us to die,’ I said childishly.
‘Well, we’re not dead yet,’ said Bono practically. ‘Enough about death, angel. We’ve seen too much of it today.’
I got myself under control and wiped my eyes. ‘They won’t let me fly tonight, Bono. Phil says we must go home, we’ve done enough. He’s really impressed with you guys, by the way, and he doesn’t know who you are, thinks you’re just ordinary people.’
‘We did no more than anyone else,’ said Bono. ‘Let’s go see if we can find some transport home.’
Home, I thought. If only it could be your home too. After today I never wanted to leave Bono’s side again.
In the main building we found Edge with his injured ankle propped up on a chair, talking with the elderly couple he had helped to safety. Adam and Larry were sitting with a group of children, telling them stories. Everyone looked bedraggled and exhausted, shocked eyes staring out of grey faces.
All of us survivors, all fragile as glass.
I don’t do regrets, not normally, but I sorely regretted involving Bono in this. It had seriously undermined my resolve to let him go, awoken a primitive instinct to fight for what I loved, to keep him with me, right or wrong.
Free Falling
Chapter 8
We landed at Piripiri airfield, a few miles away from the danger zone, and made our way to the main building for briefing. The army had been busy setting up temporary shelter, a field hospital and mess tent. They were working flat out to clear a way overland to Matangi.
Phil was coordinating Civil Defence operations. Pictures of Matangi taken from the air showed a large area of devastation, it was difficult to make out where the village used to be among the massive piles of earth, trees and rubble. Everyone listened carefully as we were split into teams and assigned areas to work in and jobs according to our skills.
When there was a clear way in I would be flying survivors out of Piripiri, but until then all hands were needed on the ground. Search and rescue helicopters had dropped supplies and medical personnel.
There was a short wait before we could be transported and I tried to persuade the band to stay at Piripiri. Everything was happening very quickly and I was beginning to clearly see the danger I’d placed us in. ‘You can be of use here,’ I said. ‘You don’t have to put yourselves at risk. Please stay …’
They would have none of it. Bono turned the tables on me, asking me why I was willing to risk myself, but there was no time to settle the argument, our army transport arrived and we were loaded and away. It was a bone-shaking journey which got rougher as we neared the zone.
Nothing could prepare us for the scene before our eyes. Where once had been a sleepy settlement was now only chaos. Roads buckled and shattered, houses tumbled, power lines tangled like sleeping snakes. As we walked towards our search area I saw:
A man’s arm, lying on top of a kitchen chair,
The body of a young woman, half buried in rubble,
An exquisite cut-glass bowl, perfect and untouched, on the lip of a deep fissure,
Another body sprawled across what was left of the road … something wrong about it …
I turned aside and threw up. The body had no head. As I straightened up I saw in front of me a shoe. It contained a foot, clad in a green sock. I wondered sickly if I was up to this.
Our area was at the northern end of the village. An outcrop of rocky hillside loomed above us, undercut by the earth’s upheaval and looking very unstable.
We searched quietly, listening for human voices. I worked alongside Larry and Adam, carefully sorting through the remains of a house.
‘I heard something. Over there,’ said Adam. We stopped and listened, heard a faint voice.
Larry cleared a way through what could have been a kitchen. ‘It’s coming from down there,’ he said. ‘There must be a basement.’
He was right. Pushing aside a fallen cupboard, we uncovered a dark hole from which voices were calling weakly for help. I could just make out three upturned faces, I dug a torch out of my pack and shone it into the hole.
‘Help us, please help us out of here,’ a woman’s voice, on the edge of hysteria.
‘We’ll help you, try to stay calm,’ Larry said, his voice steady and reassuring.
‘How many of you are there? Is anyone injured?’ I asked as Larry and Adam consulted on the best way to get the people to safety.
‘Three. My son, I think his leg is broken,’ the woman replied.
I stayed by the hole, talking to the woman, Maria, trying to keep her calm as Adam secured a rope and braced himself to lower Larry into the basement.
‘There’s an injured child,’ I told Larry quietly. ‘I’ll come down after you, attend to him while you get the others out.’
Larry nodded in approval and began a careful descent into the darkness. Adam was anchorman, taking the strain of Larry’s weight on the rope.
‘Not much room down here,’ said Larry. ‘Careful, Roo, there’s a lot of loose stuff on the ground.’ He guided me down and we took stock of the situation.
Maria was trembling, in shock, her children clinging to her tightly, all of them covered in dust. She grasped my hand like a vice. ‘The children, get the children out,’ she pleaded.
I knelt down beside her little daughter. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked her gently.
‘Sally,’ said the little girl in a tiny voice. I smiled at her. ‘Well, Sally, this man’s name is Larry. He’s going to take you out of here.’
Sally looked up at Larry trustingly. Larry held out his hand to her and she went to him. I turned to Maria’s son.
‘I’m Henry,’ he said. ‘And I’ve broken my leg. There was blood,’ he added proudly.
‘Let’s have a look,’ I took the first aid kit and examined Henry’s leg, which did seem to be broken and would need to be held stable. I found some wood to use for splints.
‘Now, Henry, I can tell you’re very brave. This will hurt a bit, so I want you to take my belt. When you feel the pain coming, bite down on it as hard as you can.’
‘OK,’ said Henry, taking the belt.
I fixed the splints and Henry didn’t even whimper. When I took the belt back I saw he had nearly bitten through it.
‘You did really well.’ I said. ‘We’ll have you out of here in no time and take you to a doctor.’
‘Will I have a plaster? I want a blue one. And all my friends can sign it,’ Henry said.
‘You can have any colour you like,’ I said with a smile.
Larry carefully tied the rope around Henry, using his strong upper body to support him as Adam pulled the rope up.
‘Your turn next, Maria,’ I said. She looked at me mutely, going deeper into shock. I took her hand, which was stone cold. ‘Stay with us, Maria. You’ll all be safe very soon.’ She nodded and stood still as I tied the rope around her. With both Adam and Larry pulling and me assisting from the ground we slowly got Maria out of the hole.
Larry threw the rope down to me. I was very glad to be out of there, I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like, in the dark and debris, not knowing if rescue would ever come.
Adam and Larry set off to take the three survivors to safety, carrying Henry between them. The little boy waved to me as they walked away. I waved back, wishing them luck.
Suddenly I desperately needed to find Bono, make sure he was safe. I set off in the direction I’d last seen him, near the rocky overhang.
I found Edge, talking to an elderly couple. They were refusing to leave the remains of their home, a friend was buried under the rubble. Edge was trying to persuade them to go with him to safety, patiently listening to their story. He stepped aside to talk to me.
‘I don’t think there’s much hope for their friend,’ he said quietly. ‘But they won’t move until they know for sure. How’s it going with you?’
I told Edge about Maria and her children. He smiled, glad that we’d found some survivors. ‘Do you know where Bono is?’ I asked him.
‘He’s over there, I think,’ said Edge, pointing. ‘Just the other side of that building.’
‘Thanks Edge. I’ll see you in a bit.’
I picked my way round the building. It had been a shop, the ground was strewn with tins and broken bottles. I caught sight of Bono, sitting on a rock bandaging the arm of a young woman.
‘Hey, Roo,’ he greeted me. ‘This is Diane. She had a bit of an argument with some broken glass.’ Diane was a very pretty girl under all the grime. She looked slightly less than delighted to see me.
‘Check this bandage, can you Roo?’ Bono whispered to me.
I did so. ‘That’s a very fine dressing.’ I said to Bono. ‘Are you able to walk?’ I asked Diane.
‘Ye-es,’ she said, looking at Bono sideways. ‘I’m a bit shaky though.’
‘Could you escort Diane as far as the road, Mr Hewson?’ I asked Bono, raising an eyebrow.
‘Of course, Ms Anders,’ replied Bono with a grin. ‘Back soon.’
I carried on searching until Bono returned. He gave me a quick hug. ‘OK?’ he asked me.
‘OK,’ I said. ‘How about you?’
‘Not too bad,’ said Bono. ‘Best not to think about what’s around us, I’ve found. Just concentrate on what we’re doing.’
‘Right,’ I agreed. ‘Just keep on keeping on.’
We worked in silence, side by side, always listening, sometimes uncovering horrors - bodies, parts of bodies. These we flagged and moved on, concerned more for the living than the dead.
As we got nearer the overhang, I heard a sound. ‘Is that a cat or something, Bono? Listen …’
The sound came again, a lonely whimper. We moved towards it.
‘It’s a child, I think,’ said Bono. ‘Is there anyone there? Hello?’ he called.
No reply. I scanned the area but could see no sign of life.
‘There,’ said Bono, pointing towards the bottom of the overhang. The land had slipped into a steep slope of mud and debris, and I caught sight of a small body wedged against a fallen tree. We stumbled up the mud until we reached a small girl, abut 6 years old. Her eyes were huge in a face white with shock.
Bono knelt beside her. ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Moana,’ whispered the child. ‘What’s yours?’
‘Bono.’
‘That’s a funny name.’
‘It is, isn’t it?’ Bono kept talking to Moana quietly and calmly. I could see that her foot was caught beneath the tree and started removing the branches and rocks. It was delicate work and I was glad when Edge arrived to help.
‘This is my friend, Edge,’ Bono told Moana.
She giggled. ‘You all have funny names.’
Edge examined the situation thoughtfully. ‘This branch is pinning her foot. We need to lever it up so that Bono can lift her out.’
I followed Edge’s directions, then glanced up as a large flock of birds whirled overhead. A sudden noise in the distance, dogs howling.
Then the aftershock hit us, throwing us off our feet. Moana screamed in terror, Bono held onto her, protecting her small body as loose rocks and mud rained down on us.
The shaking gradually subsided. Edge got slowly to his feet and came to help me up. As I reached for his hand I saw that my arm was covered in blood.
Edge moved so that he shielded Moana from the sight. ‘Is it serious, Roo?’ he whispered.
I shook my head. ‘No, it can wait. We need to move fast, Edge. The whole lot’s about to come down.’ I glanced up at the overhang, looming above us.
We set to raising the branch enough to free Moana. Bono kept her calm, telling her a story. The branch was stuck fast and resisted all our efforts. An ominous groaning came from the mass of earth above.
‘We have to get her out right now,’ I said to Edge. ‘Lift together. Bono, when we say pull, pull like mad.’
Edge and I made a last, huge effort and the tree shifted. ‘Pull, Bono!’ said Edge through clenched teeth. He did, and Moana’s foot slid free as mud and rocks began to fall.
Bono picked her up. ‘Let’s go, guys!’ We took off down the mudslide, Edge helping Bono keep his feet as he carried Moana. A great rumbling came from above us as the overhang finally gave way to gravity. We slid down the last few yards of mud and hit the ground running, a mass of rolling earth at our heels, rocks bouncing around us.
I saw Edge stumble and fall, then everything was engulfed in flying mud. The whole world turned into a great roaring chaos, something hit the back of my legs and I hit the ground. Mud in my eyes, my mouth. This is it, my time’s come round - I’m so sorry my love, so sorry … confused thoughts zapping through my brain like stray bullets.
Then sudden silence. Random sounds of things falling. Stillness.
I struggled to release my hands, wipe the mud from my eyes. Legs buried, not too deeply, clawing my way out. I crawled forward over a mound of earth, trying desperately to see through the settling dust.
The earth gave way beneath me and I rolled helplessly down, coming to a halt with a bump against something soft.
‘Nice of you to drop in, Roo.’ It was Edge, barely recognisable, coated in mud.
‘Edge, thank God you’re alright. Where’s Bono? I can’t find him, can’t see anything …’
Edge put his hands on my shoulders. ‘Steady, Roo. He was in front of me. We’ll find him.’
We got to our feet. My legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk, Edge was limping and we made slow progress, supporting each other across the treacherous ground.
‘I hear voices,’ gasped Edge. All I could hear was a ringing in my ears. ‘This way, Roo.’
Shapes appearing in the gloom. People asking us if we were hurt. Hands reaching out to help us. I shook them off, on the verge of panic.
Then I saw him, standing with Moana in his arms. A wave of relief so powerful it nearly knocked me off my feet again. I wrapped my arms around both Bono and the child, no words left to express what I felt.
*****
At Piripiri again, walking into the main building which was stuffed with people. Survivors waiting to be flown out, relatives seeking news of loved ones, volunteers ready to leave or, like us, returning from the zone.
A man appeared in front of Bono, dwarfing him with his great height. Built like a rugby forward, intricate tattoos winding around his face and arms. Moana, who had refused to be parted from Bono, lifted her head.
‘Daddy!’ she cried, bursting into tears. Bono set her down gently and the huge man swept her into his arms. He talked quietly with Bono for some time until we were ushered away to the showers, like-warm but welcome anyway, then to the medical tent to be checked over.
Adam and Bono were basically unharmed except for minor cuts and bruises. Larry had taken a knock to the head , so was sporting a bandage. Edge had twisted his ankle but was making light of his injury. I had a deep gash in my arm which required stitches, Bono stayed with me for the sewing for which I was grateful.
When the whole mess was covered with a neat bandage we headed back towards the main building. Bono detoured us behind the shower block, out of sight of anyone else. We held each other in silence for a while, as a gentle rain began to fall.
Bono turned his face up to the sky, closing his eyes and letting the rain run down his neck. ‘Well, that was a day and a half,’ he said with understatement.
‘You were fantastic,’ I said. ‘All of you. You stayed so calm, it was just what those poor people needed.’
‘Actually, I was shit-scared,’ Bono confessed. ‘Especially when you and Edge disappeared. I looked behind me and you were gone, there was this great wall of crap rolling towards me.’ I felt a shudder run through his body.
‘I thought we’d all had it,’ I said. ‘Then I found Edge, well, fell on top of him actually, but I couldn’t see you. If Edge hadn’t been with me I’d have lost it. I imagined you buried under the mud, suffocating …’ I began to cry, trembling as I relived that nightmare. ‘I’d never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you.’
Bono held me tight, stroking my back. ‘It wouldn’t have been your fault, angel. You didn’t cause the earthquake to happen.’
‘But you wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for me. I should have made you stay at Sweetwaters, safe.’
‘You’d have had to nail me down,’ said Bono. ‘No way was I staying behind.’
‘But you could have died,’ I wailed.
‘So could you. It didn’t stop you coming here anyway,’ Bono observed. ‘Dying … well, it could happen to any of us, any time.’
‘I don’t want you to die. I don’t want any of us to die,’ I said childishly.
‘Well, we’re not dead yet,’ said Bono practically. ‘Enough about death, angel. We’ve seen too much of it today.’
I got myself under control and wiped my eyes. ‘They won’t let me fly tonight, Bono. Phil says we must go home, we’ve done enough. He’s really impressed with you guys, by the way, and he doesn’t know who you are, thinks you’re just ordinary people.’
‘We did no more than anyone else,’ said Bono. ‘Let’s go see if we can find some transport home.’
Home, I thought. If only it could be your home too. After today I never wanted to leave Bono’s side again.
In the main building we found Edge with his injured ankle propped up on a chair, talking with the elderly couple he had helped to safety. Adam and Larry were sitting with a group of children, telling them stories. Everyone looked bedraggled and exhausted, shocked eyes staring out of grey faces.
All of us survivors, all fragile as glass.
I don’t do regrets, not normally, but I sorely regretted involving Bono in this. It had seriously undermined my resolve to let him go, awoken a primitive instinct to fight for what I loved, to keep him with me, right or wrong.
.....right, going to read it now for my 'therapy'....
wow! What a great chapter. I wish I could tell you in person how much I enjoy your writing, Effanbee, because when I try to type it out it just doesn't seem to do the trick.
thinking of Roo and what she's going through, loving B so much and not laying any claim to him. But what a sweet love story it is, all the same. 
You're going to love the newest story, it's all about the gorgeous LARRY!!!
Bono asked if they could title it that himself..
