10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The drive to Kettering where 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."

"I'm fine. I'm just leaving the city." He hesitated, not wanting to cause her undue worry, but he wasn't used to lying, even by omission. Plus, she'd probably figured it out when he'd said Sebastian's name. "But Sebastian isn't with me. He's out on the island."

"Why would he be out there without you?" She sounded puzzled.

"It's a long story, Mum. But I'm on my way there now. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"The news bulletin said to evacuate the coast. I don't like the idea of either one of you being there."

"Like I said, it'll be fine. I'll call you once I get to him. Listen, I really can't talk now, I'm in the car—"

"Okay, honey. I'll let you concentrate on driving. But you will call me, won't you?"

"I will," Owen reassured. "And, Mum? If you hear from Sebastian, please let me know. Oh, and maybe give his mum a call and let her know we'll be in contact soon and not to worry." He said a silent prayer there would be nothing to worry about.

They disconnected the call, and Owen focused on the news again. He scanned through the channels, and every station was broadcasting something about the tsunami. Reports were starting to filter in about the impact on New Zealand, but he chose to ignore the stories of flooding and damage, and God knows what else, and instead tuned into a local Hobart station that was focused on updating residents. He didn't need to be freaked out by whatever devastation was happening on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, he was freaked out enough already.

The information on the radio was obviously designed to stem the panic, and the public must have been listening given the lack of chaos on the roads, but no matter how many times Owen heard that the majority of the area of Tasmania was safe, he couldn't get past his fear. His hands felt shaky as they gripped the steering wheel, and he had to concentrate to calm his breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He repeated the mantra as he focused on driving as quickly as possible to the ferry terminal.

"You are advised to take sensible precautions, including evacuating low-lying areas, but there is no need for those people away from the coast to take any action. It is anticipated the influx of water will only impact low-lying areas, and only below elevations of up to a metre above sea level. The Tasmanian Police have requested that residents avoid unnecessary trips to avoid congestion on roads, allowing those people who need to move inland the ability to do so. It is requested that emergency services vehicles are given priority."

The broadcast continued with an interview with a scientist from a tsunami research centre. He prattled on about plate motion and angles of slip at the earthquake fault zone, and how the ocean depths between New Zealand and Australia impacted the size of the wave. He threw around terms like propagation and amplification of the tsunami, and how all of this was working in our favour, reducing the size of the wave. Then he got even more scientific as he spoke about how the bathymetric variation of the coast determined the near-shore action of the wave. None of it made much sense. What the hell did that mean for their house on the island?

Owen found himself doing calculations in his head. Adventure Bay, where the house was located, was nearly at sea level. Surely the wave, relatively low as it was predicted, would flood the land and reach the house.

Why the fuck didn't we buy a house up on the headland? Why the fuck didn't we buy a house you could get all the way to by car?

Adventure Bay on Bruny Island had appealed when they'd been looking for a weekend retreat. It was not too far from Hobart, and relatively secluded. Access was via a vehicular ferry, part of the excitement of the visits in itself. From the minute they'd driven onto the ferry each weekend, and the moorings had been released, Owen and Sebastian had felt the weight of the world lifted from their shoulders. They were off to their special place on the island, at a place aptly named Adventure Bay. There were some tourists, but not enough of them to overwhelm and take away the sense of isolation and peace. Owen and Sebastian spent their time exploring the outdoors, and spent time on the water, but also enjoyed the quiet of the house, staying in to watch movies and spend evenings just talking while sharing a bottle of wine. Some weekends they had friends come and visit, filling the house with people and laughter. Sebastian loved to entertain, and they seemed to prepare an endless supply of food for their guests. Actually, he did the same thing when it was just the two of them—serving Owen breakfast in bed on Sundays, packing picnics of cheese and gourmet products, or cooking a quiet dinner for just the two of them. Cooking was something they enjoyed doing together, but sometimes when Owen often offered to take over or help in the kitchen, Sebastian didn't let him, insisting nothing gave him more pleasure than making a meal. Owen could almost hear him saying, "The way to a man's heart…" in that sexy tone he used so often.

The radio cut through his reminiscing.

"The tsunami is forecast to reach landfall in just over an hour, at approximately ten a.m. There has been some positive news. Experts have confirmed that the wave reaching our shores is not expected to be as large as first thought. However, coastal flooding will damage low-lying land. Residents are asked to move quickly and calmly away from the coast to areas of higher elevation. Emergency services will advise once the danger has passed and it's safe enough to return to your homes."

Owen hit the "send" button again, hoping Sebastian would answer the phone this time. After a disappointing number of rings, the call went to voicemail again. Shit!

Owen hit "end."

He wasn't far from Kettering now, and it was only as he made the final approach to the town he thought about the next steps. Would the ferry even be running? There was usually a service at regular intervals on a Sunday. In fact, the next ferry should be leaving soon. Owen looked at the dashboard clock, not sure if he'd make it. He crossed his fingers he'd get there in time and that the ferry would be running, although he had a sinking feeling in his gut that finding the ferry operating would be a miracle.

And once he got to the island? The ferry terminal was on North Bruny, and he'd have to drive the narrow, low-lying stretch of road known as the The Neck, to get to South Bruny Island and Adventure Bay. The isolation of their holiday house suddenly lost its appeal. Owen's thoughts took a darker turn. What if Sebastian was hurt? How would they make the return—

Shit!

The LandCruiser pulled to the side as Owen took a corner too fast. He'd been so focused on his thoughts of Sebastian that he had been driving on autopilot. He hit the brakes, reducing speed as the tyres skidded and threw up stones and dirt as they left the asphalt.

The speedometer settled back to sixty and Owen lifted his gaze from the dials to the road, only to slam on his brakes again. His heart jumped into his throat. Traffic had come to a complete standstill only a couple of hundred metres from his final destination, with cars pulled off to the side but still blocking the lane Owen was travelling in. The car shuddered to a halt centimetres from the last car in the queue, a small white hatchback that would never have withstood being rear-ended by his huge four-wheel drive. Owen swallowed heavily and loosened his grip on the steering wheel, flexing his fingers to relieve the tingling from the surge of adrenalin.

The Channel Highway wasn't a highway in the usual sense of the word. There was only one lane in each direction, weaving its way through the bushland along the coast. Water glimpses could be seen through the eucalyptus trees on the left-hand side. Owen looked through the passenger window in frustration—the ferry terminal was on that stretch of water. All he needed to do was turn off a little further down the road and a short drive later he would have arrived in the carpark. Damn!

There were a couple of people standing alongside the cars in front, a sign they'd been stopped for a while. Now he had his heartbeat back under control, he pulled on the handbrake then turned off the ignition.

An older man and a younger couple turned on his approach.

"Hi," the young woman said. The two men nodded but didn't smile.

"What's going on?" Owen asked, assuming no need for pleasantries.

The girl pushed back a lock of hair, eyes darting between Owen and the water in the distance and didn't let go of her companion's arm. "They've closed the road down to the ferry."

The man spoke up. "Yeah. About five minutes ago." That'd explain why the line of cars wasn't too long, if they'd only recently blocked access.

Owen nodded. "Who closed it off?"

"Emergency services guys. I saw a cop car."

The girl looked up to her partner, worry evident in the way she clutched his arm and in the edge of panic to her voice. "Do you think they've stopped the ferry coming the other way? How will Mum and Dad get to the mainland? What if they're stuck on the island?"

"I've got no idea, but I'm sure it'll be all right, Susan." The guy pulled her close with the arm around her shoulder and she tucked into his side. Owen hoped to God he was right because his own stomach had fallen at her words.

The older man spoke up, his voice gruff, as if he was unused to speaking. "Not seen anything like this before. I was talking to some folks near the front of the line. Word is all ferry operation has ceased until they see what happens with this tsunami thing."

Owen looked at the time on his phone, which hadn't left his side. "About an hour," he mumbled.

"What?" said the girl—Susan—eyes wide.

"The radio said they expected the tsunami to hit at around ten a.m.," Owen answered.

"Oh." She looked at her watch, then her phone. "I'm going to call Mum and Dad again to see if they got on the ferry." She wandered back towards the white hatchback that Owen assumed was her car.

"Are you waiting for someone too?" Susan's partner asked.

Owen went to shake his head. He'd been so focused on getting to Sebastian, he hadn't really thought that Sebastian might have been trying to get back to him. "I'm not sure. I—I was going to try to get out to the island myself, but they could be coming back here, I guess."

Susan arrived back to their small group. "No luck I'm afraid. Mum says they can't get on the ferry, but not to worry. She and Dad are going to their friend's place, which is located higher up than their house, which is on the water. Mum says they'll be fine and she'll call us after all the drama has passed."

"You got reception? You got through?"

Susan looked at Owen as if he was crazy. She frowned. "Of course. That's what I was saying. I've just been speaking to my mother."

"Right," Owen said. "Sorry, it's just that I've been trying to get a hold of my partner since I first heard the news, but I'm not getting any answer."

"Sorry, mate," the younger guy clapped him on his shoulder. "But there's no reason for the mobile service to be out. Did you try the landline?"

Owen shook his head. "We don't have a landline. Anyway, I'm sure everything's fine. Probably just taking a shower or maybe left the phone in the house to go out for bit." The thought made Owen feel sick because "going out" meant heading out on the water, but the couple didn't know that and nodded reassuringly.

"I guess you've got nothing to do but wait then," the older fellow said. "Hopefully they'll get in touch soon."

There was no way in hell that Owen was going to wait, not with knowing Sebastian was most likely at risk, not having tea and biscuits with some neighbour up the hill. "I'm not waiting. I need to get out there. I need to make sure he's okay."

The guy's grey eyebrows shot up, whether from Owen's declaration of getting to Bruny, or from the masculine pronoun, Owen wasn't sure, but he didn't give a shit—all that mattered was finding Sebastian.

"I don't think you'll be able to get there, not with the ferry out of service," Susan said. "We only live a short way up the road. Only about fifteen minutes or so. Why don't you come back to our place and wait? That way when they open the ferry, you can be back here quickly."

Owen shook his head. "Thanks, but no. I'm going to find a way. I can't leave him there by himself. You don't understand. We had an argument and I need to make it right." Owen fought back tears, surprised at the words he was saying. It wasn't like him to open up to strangers. He glanced through the trees at the water again, before looking back at Susan. "He loves to kayak. When we're on the island he spends hours each morning out in the bay."

Susan offered a sad smile. "I'm sorry."

"I'll take you."

"What?" Owen swung to look at the old guy.

"I said I'll take you. I've got a boat."

"But it's too dangerous. I can't ask you to do that."

"Humph." The man waved a hand. "What do I care about danger? At my time of life a bit of excitement will probably do me good."

"But what about your family?"

This time a frown crossed his face, a fleeting glimpse of sadness. "I don't have anyone who'll be worried about me."

"Are you guys crazy?" Susan interjected, her voice rising in pitch.

"Yeah, you'll get yourselves killed," said the young guy.

Owen spoke up, not sure if he was trying to allay their fears or his own. "The radio said they're not expecting the wave to be as big as first thought. It'll only be the immediate coastal areas that are dangerous. It'll probably be like a high tide."

Susan's eyes were wide. "A high tide? You have seen what a tsunami looks like, right? I saw a documentary on the Boxing Day tsunami and everyone thought it was just going to be a big wave. They stood there and watched it until it was too late and they had nowhere to go—"

"Susan!" the young man snapped.

"Sorry." She looked to the ground then met Owen's horrified stare. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to scare you, but you have no idea what you're facing."

Part of Owen knew she was right but that was the rational part, and his emotional side pushed her concerns away. He looked at the older man. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

The man shrugged then nodded. He gave Owen a half smile and stuck out his hand. "Howard Rogers."

"Owen Hewitt."

They shook hands, Howard's grip sure and firm. "No point waiting around here then. Let's get cracking. Want to follow me?"

Soon they were on the road again, slowly creeping past the stopped traffic, Owen in his LandCruiser and Howard driving in front in an old sedan. The radio kept Owen company until he switched off the engine about fifteen minutes down the road. He let out a big breath.

One step closer to Sebastian.

The morning was glorious. Blue skies with hardly a cloud in sight, only a few wispy pale streaks across the horizon. The sunshine glittered on the water, the wide-open bay calling to him. Sebastian cut his run short, taking the path back towards the house. He was pleasantly hot from running a couple of kilometres along the foreshore and back, and he had a smile on his face. There was nothing like an early morning run to get the blood pumping. An even better start to the day was getting out onto the water.

Their kayaks were kept in a shed at the back of the house. He only stopped for a brief drink of water and to change out of his running gear, before heading back out and retrieving his gear. The kayak was a birthday gift from Owen a couple of years ago, and the simple act of getting it from the shed brought back a flood of memories, and reminded Sebastian that Owen's birthday was coming up soon. I'll have to figure out what to get him.

Owen was a hard man to buy for, given they were blessed and didn't want for much in the way of material things. Perhaps something for the kitchen given their shared love of cooking, or one of those cooking experiences where you had a lesson from a top chef? Sebastian tossed around a few ideas as he dragged the kayak to the water's edge.

He waded into the shallows, flinching at the chill. Despite it being summer, the water temps in Tassie were always on the cooler side. Not that he'd trade this beautiful place for anything. He loved the ruggedness of the wilderness and the relative solitude of the island, and that made up for any deficit in water temperature. He chuckled, not that he'd say no to spending some time in tropical waters. That lead him back to the holiday plans he'd been thinking about for the last couple of months. A holiday would make a perfect gift for Owen. He'd whisk him away and spoil him for a few weeks.

With that happy thought, he pushed off and headed out into the bay.