The voice of the announcer on the TV cut through his musings.
“—the tsunami is expected to reach the south-east coast of Australia within two hours.”
Owen’s gaze flicked to the screen, and what he saw took his breath away. He gave the news broadcast his full attention.
“So, repeating our top story. A tsunami warning has been issued for the south-east coast of Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. An earthquake of magnitude 8.3 has just occurred in the Puysegur Trench a couple of hundredkilometres south of New Zealand. The earthquake has triggered a wave that will be hitting the New Zealand South Island at any moment. It is expected this wave will take less than two hours to impact Australia, although the prediction from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology is that damage and loss of life should be minimal. The Bureau, which is part of the Australian Tsunami Warning System, has forecast the effect of the tsunami based on detailed modelling and the data available. It is expected that the majority of damage will occur to low-lying areas of coastline, due to flooding from waves reaching up to a metre high once they reach land. Anyone on the coast is advised to move immediately inland and to seek shelter on higher ground. People are also advised to steer clear of watercraft, as damage to boats and danger around reefs is expected.”
Bile burnt the back of Owen’s throat. He swallowed heavily against the nausea.
Jesus—Sebastian.
Owen’s mind blanked as he digested the information. The only thing Owen knew for sure was he had to get to Sebastian. Just the thought of Sebastian being alone sent a shiver of dread down his spine as panic welled.
He raced through the apartment to the bedroom, pulling off his sleep pants as he slid to a stop near the bed. A glance at the clock on the bedside table showed it was shortly before 8.30 a.m. He cursed as he tripped over the pants but managed to pull his legs and feet from the tangled mess of fabric. Owen dragged on underwear and jeans but didn’t worry about a clean T-shirt—changing from the one he’d slept in would only add unnecessary time, time he didn’t want to waste. Once he’d put on socks and hiking boots, he grabbed the backpack from the bottom of the wardrobe. He looked at the pack and then around the room helplessly.
What the fuck should I take?
The water-resistant pack already contained emergency supplies they carried with them for hiking—matches, torch, a map, Swiss Army knife, and importantly included a first aid kit. Owen threw in socks, sweats, and a couple of bottles of water from the kitchen as he passed on the way back out. Apart from his phone, he couldn’t think of anything else. Jeez, his head was all over the place.
It took only a moment for Owen to reach the garage, throw his pack into the back seat of the LandCruiser, and reverse down the driveway. He flicked on the radio at the same time as he exited onto the road and headed south. He had driven this same route countless times, usually excited for a weekend on the island, and usually with Sebastian at his side. Now he drove like a madman, gripping the steering wheel in an effort to stop his hands shaking. A car horn sounded as he rounded a corner too fast and swerved too far into oncoming traffic.Fuck!Owen slowed slightly and attempted to get his breathing under control. It wouldn’t do any good to get into an accident or get himself killed.
Focus on getting to Sebastian. Focus.
Tsunami warnings echoed through the interior of the car, the radio announcer’s voice even and measured. How the hell could the man stay so calm? Owen hit the speed dial to call Sebastian. He could listen to the updates later. Right now, all he wanted was to hear Sebastian’s voice, to know he was all right, and to let Sebastian know he was on his way. The sound of the ringtone replaced the radio report.
Come on. Come on.
Owen’s chest tightened with every ring.How long does it take to answer the phone? Come on, baby. Pick up. Please.
The ringtone was finally replaced with Sebastian’s voicemail message, and Owen choked on tears at the upbeat sound of Sebastian’s message. It was a standard message because thephone was used for business, but Sebastian’s voice was cheerful, not at all robotic.
“Hi there. This is Sebastian. Sorry to have missed your call. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”Beep.
“Baby, it’s me. I just heard—” Owen swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I heard the news. About the tsunami, that is. I… um… I wanted to let you know I’m coming. I’m on my way to the island. Anyway, call me when you get this message.” He paused, not wanting to end the call even though it was just a stupid message. Somehow the small connection was better than nothing. “I love you, baby.”
Owen reluctantly hit the button to end the call.
What if the mobile phone towers go out? How will we get in contact? Damn, where is Sebastian?
At 8:30 in the morning he was most likely out on the water. He probably got up early to make the most of the morning, first with a run and then a paddle.Fuck!What was it the guy on the TV had said about being on the water? What would happen if Sebastian was out in the bay when the wave struck? Surely, he could ride it out in the kayak? Owen had a sudden flash of the television images from 2004 when a tsunami hit Thailand, Sri Lanka, and other parts of the world. The wave had been devastating, killing hundreds of thousands of people. The thought of Sebastian trying to survive something of that magnitude sent a chill down his spine.
Nausea rose again, the coffee churning like acid in Owen’s gut.
Jesus, this was a nightmare.
Chapter Ten
The drive to Ketteringwhere the ferry wharf was located usually took thirty to forty minutes, but Owen made good time. Surprisingly the roads weren’t that bad. He’d expected horrendous traffic and, yes, there did seem more vehicles than usual heading back towards the city, but not nearly the volume of cars he would have thought, although he had noticed a marked increase in the number of cars the longer he’d been driving. Given it was the weekend maybe people were still asleep and unaware of the warnings, or maybe the number of people living in lower lying areas was fewer than expected. There were occasional flurries of activity, people shoving children and pets into cars, and joining the trail of vehicles heading in the opposite direction from where Owen was headed, but not what he would have anticipated.
Owen jumped as his phone rang, the sound loud and grating in the enclosed interior of the car. His heartbeat settled as he pressed the button to answer the call.
“Sebastian?”
“No, honey. It’s just me.” Owen’s heart dropped at the sound of his mother’s voice.
“Mum, I can’t talk now.”
“I heard the news. I wanted to make sure you and Sebastian were all right.”
