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Danger, you fool. Stay away.

Heart pounding hard against my ribs.

My vision blurs at the edges.

Okay, that’s enough.

Don’t wanna end up in a ditch.

Pull over,I decide.

At least keep Amos safe.

“Bub,” he says quietly.

His voice sounds so far away.

“You okay?”

I try to answer, but the words won’t come.

My throat is tight.

The nausea swells, bile threatening to spill.

Veering onto the gravel, I brake too quickly.

Amos braces a hand against the dashboard.

Instinctively, he reaches across to protect me.

The ute skids and swerves along the grass.

He grabs the handbrake, jolting us to a stop.

???

Pushing the door open, I tumble out.

But the heat feels worse, an oven of dry air and dust.

The vast silence of the outback is suffocating.

I stagger toward a shallow rut in the earth.

Closest thing to a bathroom.

Amos follows, his voice still distant and hollow.

My stomach heaves.

Bending forward, I brace my hands on my knees.

The world tilts on its side.

A dry retch tears through my gut.

But nothing comes up at first.