I woke up early, sweating. It couldn't have been much past dawn, but it was already hot and the tent had turned into an oven in the bright morning sun.

Crawling out into the day, I yawned, feeling fatigue in every muscle and bone. Not only was I starting day three of my fast, but something had woken me during the night: a loud squealing sound that echoed through the bush. The haunting noise faded, but I couldn't drop off again, doomed to thrash in my sleeping bag, devising schemes to get Simon to his ex-wife's house and torturing myself by wondering what mental illness Rueben was sure to have diagnosed me with.

The camp was quiet; I appeared to be the only one awake. Often when I was starving myself, I'd wake up super-early, feeling weirdly wired.

In the strong sun, I stood still and sweated. The river that flowed gently past our site looked inviting. A swim was in order. My towel hung from the roof of my tent, so I grabbed it and my backpack with a change of clothes for afterwards. Feeling surprisingly optimistic, I left the camp and walked downstream.

Just around the corner, the bank eased from sharp to shallow, and the clear water pulsed against a small, sandy beach. Smiling to myself, I stripped out of my filthy work pants and sheep happens tee, then walked into the water in just my bra and thong.

The water was warm and welcome around my ankles and knees, and my feet sank pleasantly into the silty bottom. As I strode deeper, I gasped as the water met the heat of my thighs and belly. Staying safe, I knelt down and anchored myself, letting the river drag away all my filth without the risk of getting sucked away myself.

I splashed and swam in the shallows, scratching my scalp underwater and rubbing my face clean. I'd probably end up with a sun-burned butt thanks to my stupid thong, but feeling cleansed and renewed was worth it.

When I was wrinkled and clean, I stood and made my way back into shore. A faint dizziness had already begun to tug at me, and I held onto trees for balance as I reached for my towel.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

Rueben, standing at the curve of the bank, dropped his bag and lifted his hands to shield his eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to see anything!"

I snatched up my towel, wrapping it around me hastily and wishing it was bigger. As I stuffed my feet into my shoes, I said, "No, I'm sorry for you. Having to see that, that's traumatic for anyone. Okay, I'm covered, you're safe."

Hurriedly, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and prepared to flee.

He stopped me, not with his hands, but with his words. "Karla, I'm not sorry I saw you in your underwear. I'm a straight male and you're gorgeous. I'm sorry that I invaded your privacy."

"That's... I mean... I'm not..." A wave of dizziness, fierce and unstoppable as a tsunami rolled over me. I staggered, pitching forward and crashing heavily into a tree with my shoulder.

"Karla!"

Warm hands supported me, holding me by the elbows and keeping me from smashing into the ground. As the world swam back into focus, all I could feel was my face against Rueben's broad chest and my fingers clutching his tee.

"Are you okay?"

I turned my face up to his, expecting pity, maybe lingering disgust. Instead, his eyes glittered with concern, and something more. Desire? My thigh shifted against the fabric of his jeans. Yep. Definitely desire.

And then it didn't matter if I was fat, or that I'd come close to passing out in his arms like an idiot damsel. Lust roared through me – not just lust, but reciprocated lust. There were guys in the past, the ones from the dark clubs, who were the same. It wasn't love or like, but it was a form of connection, and I grasped it eagerly. "I'm better than okay," I said, before bringing my lips up to meet his, bold and needing his mouth on mine.

Holy sheep. As I kissed him, I felt him pause for a moment, and I didn't need to hear him speak to know why he hesitated. Innate gentlemanly manners and a pledge to do no harm. To override his worries, I kissed him harder, running my hands up his chest and into his hair, drawing him deeper to me.

Like a stoked fire, he responded, securing his hands at my lower back and stroking me through the flimsy towel. I shuddered, my skin alive as if I'd been coated in wax before that moment. His breath poured into me, and I drank it down like elixir. My fingers found the hem of his tee, and as I slipped underneath, he groaned deeply, like a man who'd never experienced touch before.

A loud crack echoed behind us in the bush, and we broke apart like a burst balloon splitting at the seams. "Karla... I'm so-"

"Don't say you're sorry," I warned, my cheeks scalding. "I own what just happened between us. If you didn't want to kiss me, that's fine, but don't take away something that I started and I don't regret."

His breath was ragged, his eyes heavily lidded. "I don't regret it. I wanted it. I want more."

Oh my god. I'd thought my nipples couldn't get any harder, but I was wrong; as he spoke in lust-laden tones, they tightened into painful nubs against the damp fabric of my bra. "I want more too. I want everything."

I reached for him, and I saw him teeter. "Wait. I... I always promised myself that I wouldn't get serious with anyone who didn't connect with Mischa."

If he'd aimed Bev's shotgun at my stomach and pulled the trigger, I couldn't have been more gutted. I kept my face neutral with a supreme effort. "That's fine. I'm not interested in anything serious. I have someone waiting for me at the farm. An ex who wants me back."

He swallowed, pained. "That's good. We agree."

"It is good. We do."

It lasted for less than three seconds before we crashed back into each other again, teeth clashing, tongues exploring, hands everywhere. Filled with horny courage, I pressed my knee between his thighs and caused his legs to buckle.

"Karla..." His throaty growl brought me undone as he found the gap in my towel and slid his fingers inside. His touch danced over my round tummy, caressing it lightly, and I was so turned on I forgot to even suck it in. He pressed his thumb into my belly button, somewhere I'd never even considered being an erogenous zone, and I whimpered, my mouth against his neck.

Gently, I nibbled at his ear, then whispered, "Come to my tent when everyone's asleep. No one needs to know."

He nodded, his fingers dancing lower, finding the seam of my thong and following it around the curve of my hip and towards my-

A scream. High and piercing. Our heads snapped up. "That's Nev," I panted, snatching up my backpack.

We ran for camp, and I dug in my bag for one of the two items I always carried with me since day zero. My heart was already pounding from blatant need; now it raced in panic. I hiked up my towel, thankful I'd at least put my shoes on as we sprinted over branches and rocks, and hoped like hell that my dizziness wouldn't return.

Around the bend, our campsite looked like it had been attacked by a demon. The tents were toppled and the fire ashes lay smouldering everywhere. I could hear Bella barking frantically, and there were blood drips in the dirt.

The demon stood in the middle of camp, menacing Nev against a rock wall near the river. "What is that?" said Rueben.

The beast grunted, then let out an unearthly bellow. "A wild boar." It was almost the size of a horse, and stocky as a beer drum. It drooled as it swung its tusked head back and forth, eyes on Nev as she cowered against the wall, holding a yapping Bella in her arms.

"Daddy!" Mischa called out to Rueben from the top of a nearby tree.

"Stay there, Mish!"

"Hey! Hey, you, you ugly freak!" Bailey waved and shouted from the other side of the fire, trying to draw the pig away from Nev. "Leave her alone!"

Its wiry hair bristled as Bailey threw a rock, but it focused in on Nev again, its eyes trained on the dog, who growled at the pig through bloody teeth.

"Nev!" I shouted. "It's after Bella! Put down the dog!"

Nev screamed back, "Are you insane? I'm not letting it get my baby!"

The dog yipped louder, struggling to get out of Nev's arms and attack the pig again. The boar responded by stamping its hooves and stomping closer.

"I need to get closer," I said, dashing forward.

A blur crossed the camp just as the boar charged. "Yaaah!" yelled Simon, raising a massive magnum of champagne like a club. He brought it down on the back of the beast's neck, causing it to pause and shake like a rabies-infected dog with fleas.

Out of the bag, I drew my weapon. I'd never fired a gun, so I knew I'd need to get close enough that I couldn't miss. I powered past the firepit, around Simon, and raised the gun just as the boar began to stamp its hooves at Nev again. "Hey!" I screamed.

It looked in my direction, glassy amber eyes that seemed malicious. I ran as close as I dared, aimed the gun at its revolting face and fired.

The flare exploded from the barrel with surprising force; my arm recoiled painfully as the red sparks flew forth. The large flare found its target, striking the pig on its cheek next to its eyes, and it squealed like a piglet. Red smoke began to billow as the flare bounced on the ground, and the boar staggered from side to side before galloping into the bush, grunts and squeals trailing after it like tin cans behind a just-married limo.

After a few beats, Rueben kicked the still-smoking flare into the river, where it continued to billow as the current carried it away. Nev flung her arms around me. "Omg, you saved me! And you!" She covered Simon's cheeks with daughterly, enthusiastic kisses. "You glassed a boar for me and Bella!"

"Technically since the bottle didn't break, I clubbed him, not glassed him." He shook the bottle overhead. "This magnum is now blessed. We shall drink it when we arrive at the farm, and not a moment sooner. See, I told you the grog would come in handy."

He elbowed me and I snorted, imitating the pig. "Yeah, whatever."

"Bailey, baby, are you okay?" Nev raced over to Bailey and hugged them fiercely.

"I'm okay. I couldn't save you though." Bailey's words were stricken. "You wrangled a snake for me and I couldn't kill a boar for you."

Nev shook her head, her hair wild and flying. "Don't be silly. We'll take it in turns to save each other. You'll get the next one."

"Nev, what happened?"

"The boar was going through our food stash. My brave puppy tried to chase him off, didn't you, Bella-wella?" She nuzzled the Pomeranian, and Bella licked her nose happily. "She bit it, and it chased her."

I resisted the urge to scream at her that her stupid dog almost got her killed; wild pigs weren't known for acting aggressive towards people very often, and when they did, they were almost always provoked – generally by a dog attack.

But I knew it wasn't going to make a difference. The dog was just being a dog, and Nev was just being Nev. I shook my head at the ridiculousness of it all.

Rueben helped Mischa down from the tree, and she clung to him like a koala baby as he approached me. "Do you always keep a loaded flare gun in your bag?"

"Only since the world ended." I raised the weapon. "It looks like a real gun. I figured if we needed to scare anyone on the road, it would be easier to do if you guys didn't know it wasn't real."

"A real gun would have been better," grumbled Simon as he crossed to his tent and started to pack up. "We could have been eating bacon for a week."

"Yeah, but a real gun can be used against you." I shrugged, tried to explain. "My self-defence instructor in high school told me that you should never use a weapon you aren't prepared to have used on you if the other person gets it. I don't want anyone getting shot."

"Fair enough." Rueben nodded solemnly. "No more surprises, okay?"

I made a strangled noise that sounded a little like our boar friend mating with a rhino, then ducked into my half-collapsed tent to change out of my towel and into some clothes. There wouldn't be any more surprises as long as no one checked my bag...

We packed up in a hurry, with eyes and ears pricked for any sign of the boar's return. "I can't believe that just happened," said Nev as we pushed the bikes back up the verge and onto the road.

Simon said, "Believe it. I saw on Today Tonight that a wild pig got into someone's grog, then attacked a cow."

"At least one good thing came from the world ending. There will never be another episode of Today Tonight again," I said, referring to the trashy 'news' show that ran every weeknight on Aussie TV.

"Oi!" Simon shouted in offence. "Today Tonight is a national treasure. Show some respect please."

"Today Tonight is worse than drunken pig dung."

"You take that back or you don't get any champagne when we get to the farm."

"Never!" I crowed, and we rode off bickering into the steaming day.

It took about six hours to reach Little Billabong, and another hour to find the farm house. A narrow road hugged the creek, and we almost missed the sign at a gate that blended with the fence line: Delaney Homestead.

By the time we'd navigated the long, rocky driveway, we were all exhausted. The heat had beaten us down, the intensity of the spring sun feeling more like mid-summer. Several times, I'd almost fainted, keeping myself upright through sheer will and by digging my fingernails into my arms, visualising the fat pouring out of my pores like pimple pus.

The farmhouse rose like a holy cathedral in the distance. It was a small, modern home made of wood and tin, but it seemed like a palace after sleeping outside for... four nights? Five? I scrunched my nose, trying to keep track. Without the ever-present lock screen of my phone to remind me, I was losing all concept of calendar dates.

"Look, youse guys – I mean, you guys!" Nev pointed excitedly at the garden beside the house. "Veggies!"

"And fruit!" Mischa jumped off her bike and dashed for the nearest tree. "Daddy, look! Oranges! And those ones are figs!"

The six of us descended on the garden beds like locusts, ripping up as many vegetables as we could carry. I saw Bailey eating a tomato like an apple, while Simon shook the dirt off baby carrots. Mischa scrambled up a tree to hunt mandarins as Nev stood below to catch what she dropped.

I reached for the first green thing I saw: a cucumber, stripy and perfect. Using my shirt, I wiped it cleanish, then bit into the end, a moan of pleasure escaping me for the crunch and the slippery seeds.

I opened my eyes to see Rueben in the row across from me, open desire on his face. "What?" I said innocently, running the wide edge of the vegetable around my lips.

"Nothing." He cleared his throat. "I was just hoping... Maybe this farmhouse will have enough rooms for each of us to have some privacy."

His fingers reached through the leaves of the snow peas between us, finding my hand. I squeezed his fingers as I squeezed my thighs together and tried to quell a rising tide of craving. "I bet they do," I said. "Rooms with beds and doors that lock."