“You know, Thomas, I used to believe Christians were a blockage to worldwide peace and harmony, but I have my doubts now. The things I hear when I meet with friends and the things I see when I venture into the world, the streets, the shopping centres. I think the world is becoming a worse place. The further we push God away, the worst it gets.”
Wiley walked over to the kitchen bench and turned to look at Sheila.
She had closed her eyes. “I’m starting to believe the world does need a saviour and I believe that may well be Jesus.”
He looked at the knife rack, hoping for and looking for an alternative. His phone rang. Pleased with the distraction, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the phone and put it straight to his ear without thinking.
“You idiot, I told you to get rid of your phone.” A pause and a sound of frustration. “Mate, they’re onto you. They know where you are.”
Alertness returned. Maybe he was lucky he hadn’t got rid of his phone. Otherwise he wouldn’t have got this warning. But what could he do? He looked at Sheila.
The sound of sirens replaced the birdsong.
15 - Welcome to Sunshine Beach
Wiley ran to the front door. He couldn’t hear the sirens any more, but that didn’t mean they weren’t coming. They could’ve used the sirens to get through some traffic lights, then switched them off for the element of surprise. Well they weren’t going to surprise him.
“Are they looking for you?” Sheila stood behind him. “Maybe you should go. I don’t want any trouble.”
“It’s not me, Sheila.” He didn’t want to lose her confidence. “They’re probably rushing to incidents related to the earthquake.” He turned towards the kitchen. “Come back to the kitchen. You offered me a coffee, remember.”
Through the kitchen window, he saw a police car pull up and two officers get out and walk towards the fallen tree, which was surrounded by people who seemed in awe of the uprooted stick. Before he knew it, Sheila was out the back door and heading towards the gate in her back fence. She called out and waved to Wiley.
“Come on, Thomas. Let’s see if we can help.”
Wiley watched from the window as Sheila opened the gate. She turned to see if he was coming, shrugged, then walked in the direction of the tree. Someone told him trees could feel pain and have feelings. It may even have been Sheila who told him that. Trees with feelings? He shook his head. It’s one crazy mixed-up world out there.
The dinging of the front doorbell snapped him out of his stupor but added to his anxiety level. He kept still hoping, the door dinger would go away.
“Hello, anybody there?” Silence. Door dinger was waiting for a response. The silence didn’t last as a voice boomed down the passageway into the kitchen. “Hello, I’m looking for a Thomas Wiley. Sarge advised me that I would find him here.”
With the mention of Sarge, Wiley tensed up. Who could this be? His club? Did they have a Noosa chapter? How did they know he was here? They must have police connections.
“Hello, Wiley. If you’re there, we need to move quickly.”
He continued to watch the people gathering around the tree and tried to gather his thoughts. Of course door dinger wasn’t going to mention the chapter or The Great Leader in case others were present. Wiley had to respond.
“Uh, I’m coming.”
He took one last look out the window. The group of people was dispersing from around the tree. Sheila was talking to a police officer and pointed towards her house. She started walking back with the policeman in tow.
Time to depart. He moved into the darkened passageway, towards the front door. A tall figure stood behind the flyscreen, blocking the natural light from entering. The outline of the man cast a white aura—Wiley didn’t need glasses to see that.
The figure spoke. “Pick up the pace, young man.” There was a tone of authority in the man’s voice.
Wiley picked up his pace, unlatched, and opened the door. The man looked him over. Wiley couldn’t read the man’s thoughts, but it didn’t bother him.
The man tilted his head towards a white BMW sedan parked in front of Sheila’s house. “Let’s go.” A short beep came from the car.
“Jump in the back seat and lay low.”
As the car drove off, Wiley took a peek out the window. Sheila and the police officer had entered the backyard. After lying down across the back seat, he closed his eyes and fought back some emotions. He wasn’t sure what they were. He opened his eyes and stared at the cloudless blue sky through the back window. They drove in silence. Sometimes silence was awkward. Wiley didn’t know this man, didn’t know where they were going, and didn’t care.
He stared at the sky and saw the outline of something in the distance, reflecting the sun for a moment. Was that the asteroid? His comrade’s asteroid. No, that was a plane.
He broke the silence. “That asteroid thing still around?”
“It is.” The driver gave Wiley a quick glance. “You can sit up now.”
They passed the bus stop where he’d got off what seemed like hours ago, and the car turned down towards the ocean. The driver didn’t speak much. They turned into another street, slowed, and entered a gated driveway. Wiley watched the gate slowly make its way across the driveway. Whoever lived here had money.
Once the car was parked in the garage the driver turned and nodded toward Wiley’s door. He got out and followed the driver through a door and into the house—if that was the right word. The place was huge. Large windows overlooked the ocean and a pool area. There was a white sail in the distance, such a contrast in the vast blue ocean. The swimming pool was a lighter blue than the ocean, and it was probably the biggest backyard pool he’d ever seen.
“Good view, hey?”
The man handed Wiley a glass of water. He wore knee-length brown shorts and a Hawaiian shirt with a leaf print. The unbuttoned shirt revealed a tan and toned body. Wiley put his age at around sixty.
“My name is Robert Bruce, and yes, I’ve got Scottish heritage,” the man said.
Wiley must have looked puzzled.
“Always get asked the question so I anticipate it. Robert Bruce was a famous Scottish king.”
Wiley nodded. He’d sort of heard of Robert Bruce but had no idea if or what he was famous for.
Bruce picked up the remote and turned on the TV. It was the biggest TV Wiley had ever seen. He’d mistaken it for a large painting as he watched the still image become animated. Everything about the house was big. Big pool, big TV, big couch, big vases, big glasses.
Emergency vehicle lights filled the TV screen, showing damaged buildings, fallen rocks and some large cracks on roads.
A reporter was saying no deaths had been reported but there were pockets of significant damage. He even mentioned the asteroid, saying it had nothing to do with the earthquake.
“We didn’t experience much damage out this way, but it was a challenge to get to you. The police were starting to close roads. The Great Leader thinks you’re of some value, so I look forward to discovering what that is.”
“I’m not sure how to take that, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
Bruce ushered Wiley to a seat. “Take it as a compliment for now. We’re going to bed you down here for a while until the heat drops off. It’s relatively quiet around here. Lots of people coming and going, but should be fine as long as you keep a low profile.”
“Sounds like a holiday.”
Bruce responded with raised eyebrows and a smirk and turned his attention back to the TV. “The earthquake coverage will drop off soon. Everyone wants to talk about the asteroid or whatever it is. It’s starting to get a lot more coverage now—all the news streams are covering it. There’s a real battle going on between the scientists and the Christians.”
“What sort of battle?” Wiley was intrigued.
“Well, you’ve one group saying the asteroid is a natural event and the other group saying it’s a supernatural event.” Bruce placed his glass on the coffee table between them.
“What do the public think?” Wiley moved slightly. The expensive furnishings were comfortable.
“I think an element of fear is starting to creep in. Maybe some signs of panic, and this earthquake isn’t going to help things.” Bruce stretched and placed his arms behind his head.
