Meteorite Strike Read Online Free PDF Page A

sky, almost tripping over in the process. Above them there was no gap in the rust-coloured clouds.
    â€œThe dust thrown up by the meteorite has settled in the atmosphere,” Daniel explained, not looking round or breaking his stride. He was setting a fast pace and hadn’t stopped to check if they were managing to keep up. Obviously he just expected they would because they’d asked to come.
    â€œWe might not see the sun for days,” he added. “Perhaps if there’s rain it might help settle some of the debris.”
    â€œWhat are you, a geography teacher?” Sarah said with an edge in her voice, trying to disguise the fact that she was a little out of breath.
    Daniel looked round, but he had a smile on his face. “Engineer, actually. I think I mentioned it a couple of times before.”
    Sarah replied sarcastically, “Sorry, I forgot you have a really cool job. Wow.”
    Robert brushed past her and ran up beside Daniel. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you…”
    Sarah sighed as Robert proceeded to bombard Daniel with a thousand questions about his work, just like he always did when something caught his interest. She hung back and drank the rest of her water, slowing her pace a little to save energy. She watched her younger brother looking up to the man they were supposed to call their father as he spoke, enthralled by what Daniel had to say. Something inside her turned over as she realized that it probably wouldn’t be too difficult for Robert to accept Daniel back as his dad. He was younger. And a boy. They could always find boy stuff to do together. But where did that leave her?
    â€œHey, don’t fall behind,” Daniel called to her, looking back and slowing so she could catch up. “You’re the one who wanted to go back to the plane so badly.”
    â€œI don’t care about going back to the plane,” she said, aware that her voice had taken on a nasty edge. “I just didn’t want you leaving us alone in the desert and not coming back.”
    Daniel frowned as she walked up beside him. “I was worried there might be another explosion and there could be some things at the crash… Let’s just say, it might not be pretty and I didn’t want you two seeing something bad.” He paused for a moment. “Do you really think I’d desert you?”
    â€œWhy not?” replied Sarah. “You’ve left us before! Perhaps you were thinking that you didn’t need two kids to look after. What better place to lose us than the outback?”
    They walked on, watching Robert, who had run on ahead and was struggling up a little hill of sand.
    â€œI haven’t been there, you’re right,” Daniel admitted. “And I haven’t earned the right to call myself a dad yet. But I’m not about to abandon you, Sarah. And as for looking after you and Robert, I think you’re doing a good enough job of that yourself.”
    Sarah didn’t say anything for a moment.
    â€œRobert likes you,” she told him finally.
    â€œYeah?” Daniel said. “How do you feel?”
    Sarah thought about it. “You did pretty well getting us off that plane.”
    Daniel looked like he was going to say something else, but stopped short when Robert let out a cry from the top of the ridge of sand. Despite the heat, they ran to catch up with him. At the top of the little hill, they saw what he was looking at.
    A groove, hundreds of metres long, had been scraped into the desert floor, stretching away into the distance. It had clearly been made by the plane as it hit the ground for the first time. Directly ahead, one of the plane’s landing wheels and its torn metal strut were half-buried in the sand.
    Suitcases, backpacks and boxes littered the ground, some of them ripped open, spilling their contents. There were dozens.
    Daniel clapped a hand on Robert’s shoulder and started down the ridge towards the