The CD player changed to one of Matt’s favourite songs and he sang along softly, glancing down at the speedometer and then across to check the temperature gauge. Everything was as it should be, but the truck didn’t feel right. It was pulling too hard. The terrain wasn’t steep, so what was the problem?
The song died on his lips as he looked in the rearview mirror and saw a glow coming from the front trailer.Tapping his brakes, he watched in horror as sparks shot out from the drive wheels of the prime mover and a gush of flames from the tyres suddenly lit the darkness.
He needed to stop. He needed to stop now, but it took time for his big rumbling rig to slow – time Matt didn’t have.
Reefing the handle open before the truck came to a halt, he jumped to the ground and ran to unhook the back trailer. Sprinting back to the cab, Matt revved the engine hard and tried to drag the front trailer away from the back, but the engine stalled.
‘Please, no,’ he begged, turning the key again, trying to control the fear and panic welling up inside him. As the engine roared to life, he floored the accelerator and the truck bunny-hopped forward. Finally, with the brakes locked on and the tyres burning, he managed to move the large machine, leaving deep skid marks in the gravel behind him.
Flames were spreading quickly, licking at the back of the cab.The heat was so intense he knew he wouldn’t be able to unhook it – he just hoped he’d be able to save most of the sheep he was carting.
With smoke growing thicker with each passing moment, he took a deep breath, plunged into the haze and felt for the back of the trailer. Unpinning the door and lowering the ramp, he raced into the crate, trying to turn the heads of the startled ewes and push them out of harm’s way.
They were scared and uncooperative, but just when he thought he wouldn’t be able to get any out, they took fright and started to bolt from the truck into the darkness, with Matt following behind the stragglers.
He ran down the ramp and once again assessed the situation, his stomach constricting as he glanced towards the cab and saw the fire creeping towards the fuel tanks. The oil from the diff would be fuelling it now. He thought briefly of the fire extinguisher, but there was no time.