Katie and Maille wipe the sweat off their heads with an exasperated sigh. It's hot, too hot and everyone is losing patience. Their teacher, Mr Conroy, has dragged the class of 20 students to the remote Australian outback to improve the living standards of the indigenous Australians.
"Alright guys, remember that we have to focus on our budget. In 2011, I was mowing my lawn, when-"
"How is that relevant?" Katie whispers. Katie has always hated Mr Conroy and she made sure he knew it. Whilst Katie kept shouting quietly at Maille and Emily, Ali notices Swapneel laughing with 'the boys'; Rhys, Campbell, Jordan and Sam. Ajak is applying generous layers of Vaseline to her lips while Jacob and James watch her with fascination. The class is clearly split; Ali, Emily, Katie and Maille sit near the middle, Sweeny, Zac, Anto, Jayden and Simmo sit at the front, but Dean sits right at the front behind the driver named Neil. Ajak and 'the boys' sit at the back, complaining about being cramped when Katie has Maille's body draped over her like a thick porcelain cloth.
"..and then my son, his name is George, got the newspaper, and it was exactly as I guessed! Who would've thought?" Conroy animatedly asks. Ali taps Zac on the shoulder
"Aren't you hot?" Ali asks. Zac turns around and his snow jacket makes a scraping sound of pleather on plastic. Zac smiles with his boyish grin.
"No. It's cold in the desert remember?" Ali scrunches her nose.
"At night Zac, you flog." He turns back and talks to Sweeny. The bus ride drags on. It's Friday, April 13th and the sun is brutal. Laura didn't come on the trip because she's too superstitious about Friday the 13th, but in reality it's because she thinks she's too good for a class trip. Man was she right.
The bus comes to a screeching halt at 7pm. The sun begins to set over the dusty hills and the smell of burning rubber is strong. Conroy is still talking, and Katie is at breaking point.
"Sir, how is ANY of this relevant to this trip? Shouldn't you be, you know, planning what we're going to do?" Mr Conroy does his awkward smile that makes the students feel incredibly disturbed.
"Well now Katie I am glad you've brought that up! We're going to rough it, you know, be resourceful, and-"
Katie screams "Are you fucking kidding me? You said this would help me get my two marks back! I am not going to rough it with you Conroy you utter idiot." Conroy looks shocked but everyone agrees, he's insane.
"Why don't we split up and get some resources?" Anto suggests. 'The boys' offer to collect the food and firewood, Ali, Katie and Maille collect leaves for bedding, Ajak watches from the bus steps and criticises while Anto, Simmo and Jayden collect some reeds to tie the sticks together. Emily, Dean, Zac and Sweeny continue to listen to Conroy. When Emily starts to contribute to the conversation, Conroy finds an excuse to leave.
"I'm going to go and get some firewood." He waddles away with feverish speed.
Within moments everyone has returned, but there's an issue.
"Sir, we got the wood but we don't got Anto." Simmo gasps. Conroy returns but drops a stick. He looks down and screams. The wood he's collected flies everywhere. Katie turns to him, with her eyes rolled so far to the back of her head it's a wonder they come back to centre. He is shaking violently.
"What?" Maille asks annoyedly. Conroy points at the ground and lying amongst the sticks is a small brown stick looking blended at awful angles. Maille scoffs and kicks some dirt at it.
"It's a snake I reckon." Jayden states matter-of-factly. Jayden was always very straightforward
and a man of very few words. Whilst everyone began to become panicked about the snake, an evil thought crossed Katie's mind. She smirked before plastering on a fake frown.
"Oh Conroy! It's a stick silly, just tangled in the dirt. You can pick it up it's fine!" As Conroy stares into Katie's eyes, he starts to feel safer and finds the nerve to pick the stick up. It immediately becomes floppy in his hand and could around his wrist. Conroy tries desperately to shake the serpent free, but it clings tighter and watches him with frustration as he shakes and thrashes. Katie giggles maniacally while Ali and Sweeny try to pry Conroy free. Just as they pull him lose the snake curls around and sinks it's juvenile fangs into the aging skin of the teacher. It doesn't take long for the snake to let go and for Conroy to start losing control of his limbs. He falls clumsily into a heap on the red soil, and Katie watches in joy as he starts to die.
"Someone help!" Dean screams, the fear of losing his closest friend in the world becoming to real. Ali steps forward.
"I know first aid!" She begins to approach Conroy but Katie stops her.
"That's great, but not today." They all watch as the venom consumes Conroy and he writhes furiously. His eyes lock on to Katie's and she says, with a dead cold stare.
"Should've given me the damn marks." Conroy stares sadly at his model student as he feels a darkness swirl around his eyes, on the brink of consciousness and oblivion.
"Remember. The. Budget." As the last breath of wind leaves his body, he visibly hardens and, as if like magic, he is gone. He is here but who he is is gone. Ali begins to laugh hysterically in fear. Simmo shakes his head and sits on the dirt beside Jayden who is scouring the ground for the culprit snake. Maille stands by Katie as Katie closes the eyes of the teacher. Ajak has been reduced to tears, and Dean is beside himself with devastation, not sure how on earth he's going to be okay with economics.
"Well this trip is over. Let's go home. Get in the van and get Neil." Sweeny states, taking charge. Dean screams again, though with a more strained voice.
"Neil is gone too! We're all alone!" The panic sets in. How can 20 economics students survive in the Australian outback with a dead body, a missing kid and a missing driver? Ajak waves her boys over and whispers to them. They suddenly force the bus door in and flood into the bus. Ali realises what they're doing and joins them. Soon, everyone is on the bus and lying on their own set of seats, with Dean curled in Neil's seat, his scent lingering. Katie lights a fire just outside the bus, to keep them warm, and everyone grabs their packs from under the seats and makes a bed for the night. Zac notices Maille is cold, and gives her his snow jacket. Maille visibly relaxes and thanks Zac with a small whisper.
As the bus settles to a gentle hum, the crickets, dingos and kangaroos rising as the night sets in well and truly. Ali closes her eyes and wonders what they're going to do to get home. A warm hand holds hers and she's thankful when she notices Swappy is silently reassuring her it's going to be okay. She closes her eyes, her last vision the gentle smile of Swappy.
