BACKWOODS RIPPER: a gripping action suspense thriller Read Free Page A

sounds were Hal’s breathing and her sobs.
    “Are you bitten?” She asked cupping his face with her hands.
    “Yeah. It got me on the calf. But it’s my other leg.” Hal grimaced and tried to sit up. He got as far as his elbows on the ground and stopped moving. “When I hit the jack out, the rim hit it when the car bounced down. I think it’s broken.”
    “Don’t try and move.” She putting her hand on his chest. “I’m going to call an ambulance.” Paige stripped off her jacket and tucked it under his head. “I’ll be right back, okay?” She waited for Hal to nod and then gave him a kiss on the mouth. His lips were icy.
    Rising, she jogged around the car. The passenger door stood open, her handbag sat on the floor. She grabbed her phone. She’d only ever called an ambulance once before, the day her father died. He’d had a heart attack during the night. Paige remembered opening his bedroom door, it was after eight in the morning, but his blinds were still closed. The air in the room tasted hot and stale. At first she’d thought he was asleep. The sheets were all rumpled; they looked grey in the thin bars of light seeping through the blinds. She’d called to him, but he hadn’t responded. She’d put her hand out and touched the top of the dresser near the door. Something landed on it. Something black and thick, and she could feel its legs moving on her skin. She flicked her hand and the fly had buzzed up to her face.
    Paige closed her eyes and forced away the memory. Hal isn’t going to die. His youth and strength reassured her this time she wouldn’t be too late. She tried to slide the bar across the screen to unlock her phone, but her hands shook badly, she could barely make her fingers work. When she finally got the phone open, a no signal warning flashed at the top left of the screen.
    “No. No.” She shook her head and brought up the keypad, refusing to believe they were cut off.
    She dialled triple zero and pressed the phone to her ear muttering a prayer. For a couple of seconds nothing happened, then a series of beeps. Paige squeezed her eyes closed and shook the phone. She looked around as if hoping to find herself on a busy street, instead of stranded in front of a crumbling factory in the middle of nowhere. Her eyes blurred with tears and her breathing came in rapid gasps. She struggled to breathe past the panic filling her throat.
    She had to act. She took a long, deep breath and jogged back around the car. A black crow sat a few metres away trying to pick up the snake’s carcass in its long black beak. Another crow pecked at the snake’s head, snatching up bits of decimated meat off the bitumen. The birds paused in their work as she approached. The crow, picking at the head, let out a squawk and Hal’s eyes flew open. He looked pale and his teeth chattered.
    “Oh God, Hal. You’re freezing.” Paige knelt next to him.
    She put her hand on his face, his skin icy to the touch. His eyes fluttered and then closed, but the shivering continued. He’s going into shock , the realisation got her moving. She raced to the rear of the car, baby bump swaying, and grabbed the picnic rug; she then returned and draped it over her husband.
    She knelt down and tucked the blanket around him. His left leg was bent slightly. Paige saw the snake bite just above his ankle. The area looked puffy, two red fang marks surrounded by purplish skin. His other leg remained under the car, his calf concealed by the vehicle.
    “Hal?” She whispered. “Hal, I don’t have a signal on my phone. I … What should I do?” She hated the whiny sound of her voice. Hal needed her. He needed her to take charge for once and be the strong one.
    Hal’s eyes opened. “Send a text, it will work with a lower signal.” He sounded groggy, like someone waking from a dream.
    Paige let out a whimper of relief and fumbled with her phone. She typed a message and pressed send . The message bar moved slowly, crawling its way across