Feathers

17. Back To The Beach

They drove the back way to Dudley Beach. Up past the glass-fronted mansions with immaculate lawns and clifftop views high above the city skyline, past the RSL and the tennis courts, to the turn-off that you could easily miss because it was nothing more than a gap in a thicket of trees.

A small sign warned them that the road was closed to all vehicles after 9 pm, but whoever had the job of chaining off the road each night gave up long ago.

Gretchen drove alarmingly fast down the bumpy dirt track towards the beach.

"Hey maybe slow down a little" Michael said from the backseat.

"Hey maybe shut up and let me drive."

"He does have a point," Spencer piped up, apparently undiscouraged by her aggression.

"We're the only people on this track. It's pretty much the middle of nowhere. I don't think anyone's gonna be calling the cops."

"It's not the cops I'm worried about," Kobie said, "it's the carpet unravelling."

Gretchen sighed audibly, "okay fine."

She slowed the car slightly, although this turned out to be a belated concession because just as she began to brake the forest opened up into an open car park. The trees turned into small waist-high bushes, beyond which Michael could see the black expanse of the ocean.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been to the beach during the day. It was starting to seem normal for it to be synonymous with darkness. He had an uncomfortable feeling that after this night it would always be inextricably linked with death and chaos.

Kobie parked and turned off the engine and the four of them stepped out of the car into the surprisingly warm spring night. Michael saw Kobie glance up at the sky. He knew what she was looking for. The memory of the lightning was still fresh for him too. It felt strange to be back where it had happened.

Luckily it was a clear night. If it wasn't for the reason they were there and the recent memory of being electrocuted he might even have described it as beautiful. The sky was a tapestry of glowing stars.

"Michael look," Kobie tugged gently on his elbow and pointed into the shadows at the far end of the parking lot.

"Holy crap," Michael said as he realised what he was looking at. his once white car was still sitting where they had last seen it. It was charred black on top and all the windows were completely shattered. "I can't believe they haven't moved it yet."

"Is that your car mate?" asked Gretchen.

"It WAS my car' said Michael. A small sadness was welling up in him. How stupid, it was just a car, he was covered by insurance. But still. There was something about seeing it there, discarded and burnt out that made him feel oddly small and scared. Maybe it was just the reminder of how suddenly things could be taken away from you. He shook his head. He had to keep it together.

"I suppose it's not that weird that it's still here," said Kobie "I mean, it only happened on Friday, it's Monday now. The insurance paperwork probably hasn't gone through yet."

"Friday feels like a lifetime ago," Michael said.

"Alright you two, enough reminiscing." Gretchen turned to Spencer "We're here. Now what?"

Michael and Kobie turned to Spencer as well. It was a good question. Everything had been moving so fast, and Michael was still in shock. He wasn't thinking ahead, wasn't really questioning what they were doing.

"We're going to dispose of the body in the ocean," Spencer said, matter of factly.

There was a few moments silence as everyone considered what had just been said. The rumble of the ocean and the rustling of the trees by the entrance to the car park were the only sounds until Gretchen's voice broke the pause.