10 – Lost

Billy and Kadin bussed together and got off at Western Street as usual. Billy then walks with her all the way to Trinder Park where he turns back and she goes on to Bird Street. They enjoy each other’s company and in this way, they usually stay together a little longer before they separate finally and walk to their homes.

Kadin looks at Billy earnestly. “I think you must wait at a safe distance for me in the marsh at the entrance down under. I will walk down the path to where you said you picked up the booklet to make sure the coast is clear. Those guys don’t know me. When I feel it’s is safe, I’ll phone you and you can join me and we will put the book at its place, okay?”

“Yes, it’s a good plan but why don’t we then walk back and go and sit at Fort Frederick and look at the bay while we chew over the past days’ happenings? There is a shortcut with steps up the cliff to the fort. Danny and I use it frequently. It’s quite a stiff practice session. You will understand it well if we go up there; it’s very steep and high. The fort isn’t far from your home. The view from there is beautiful.”

Kadin gets a warm feeling in her heart and cannot wait to spend time with him up on the hill with its magnificent view over the bay. She has not been there for a long time and remembers its tranquility. She gets the feeling Billy has romantic ideas and she looks forward to his next passionate kiss. She already feels how they melt into each other and become one there in the isolation of the fort. She is surprised at the plans he makes to spend alone time with her.

Fort Frederick watches over the original Algoa Bay at the mouth of the Baakens River. Algoa Bay means ‘the landing place with fresh water’ where the British settlers landed. Fort Frederick is named after Frederick, the Duke of York and Albany. He was the commander of the British army. It was built by troops in 1799 in anticipation of a possible occupation by the French under Napoleon. Also to help the Graaff-Reinet rebels during the Napoleonic wars but no shot has ever been fired from the fort by canons or rifles.

It was at the beginning of the British rule in the Cape Colony and the British settlers arrived in Port Elizabeth in 1820. The fort has a powder magazine and a blockhouse and different canons with even a 5.5-inch Howitzer. Its small museum boasts different kinds of front loader guns dated back to the second half of the eighteen century.

What an interesting place! And she and Billy are going to explore each other for the first time in depth unhindered.

Kadin smiles happily at Billy when they stop where they must part for now.

“I can’t wait to enjoy that lovely view with you. You know your story when it comes to spoiling a girl. You couldn’t have chosen a better spot.”

He licks playfully with his tongue over his lips and confirms her suspicion of what he has in mind for them. They are standing close to each other and as she looks into his eyes she sees the passion burning. But this must wait for later at the quietness and isolation of the fort. She winks at him while staring deliberately at his lips.

“See you later, my prince.”

“Can’t wait, my princess. I’m going to change quickly; then I will come and fetch you.”

Billy briskly walks up Western Street when he suddenly becomes aware that a suspicious man in black is following him. It looks like one of the men he saw in the park! The man follows him diagonally but behind at the other side of the road. He now recalls he previously had a glimpse of this same man but did not give attention to it.

He would have liked to look straight at the man to establish whether he can identify him but he doesn’t want to give the man any indication that he realizes he is being followed. Maybe he is just imagining things. Billy walks briskly but doesn’t overdo it whilst he tries to remain calm. Maybe this is a coincidence.

If the man is following him, is he the only one? Are there people who he hasn’t noticed before? He knows now he simply has to make sure without causing suspicion. He crosses the road and keeps looking left and right as for oncoming traffic. This is his chance not to cause suspicion. It’s normal to check the traffic to your left and right when crossing a street. His heart freezes when he sees another man in black only a short distance away and now that he gets a better view of them he realizes that it is two of the men from the park. They were the guys who assaulted the old man: two darkish, sturdy Indians.

Billy crosses the road quickly and enters a 4/7 café at the top end of the street. He positions himself at the front window in front of a rack with magazines and newspapers pretending to look for something to read. He peeps as stealthy as possible down the street. Fright engulfs him when he sees one man opposite the café behind a big tree seemingly trying to spy stealthily at the café. The man on this side of the road is now at the window of a delivery truck further down the street. That man peeks frequently at the café while he talks with someone through the van’s window.

His fear is valid! It is certainly the men from the park and they are planning something. He notices that the man at the van is wearing a nearly invisible gadget over his head that looks like the earpiece of security guards to converse over a distance. He wonders if they all wear these gadgets and if they are constantly in contact with one another.

What now? Should he phone the police or ask the cashier for help? What can he tell the police? What if it is his imagination and he makes his name shit. He must rather try to evade them and if he tries that, he will certainly find out whether his suspicion is valid. Their motives will become clear if they still follow him and try to catch him. He then will go to the police with the surety that his life is in danger and that he needs protection.

He takes out his smartphone while he watches the nearest man at the van. He will phone Kadin and warns her and if he is in trouble, she’ll know. But Kadin’s phone rings with no answer until her answering service tells him she is not available. He tries again and again with no luck. He’ll have to text a message.

The man at the van shakes his head as if he agrees with the man inside and then starts to walk up to the café. Billy realizes that they will trap him easily in here and that can’t be a good idea. No time for a message now. He will have to take drastic action.

He looks around in the café. There is no exit except the door through which you enter the café. He knows he will have to get out before the men reach the door and bloc his exit.

A Kwêla taxi stops in front of the café and people get out and others in. This is his chance. He waits until the boy at the door of the taxi has nearly closed it before he jumps out and runs for the taxi screaming: “City! One for the city!”

The boy sees him just in time and opens the door and Billy jumps in. The Kwêla quickly pulls away while Billy gets a place next to a fat lady and squeezes in. He tries to look through the back window to see what the men do. His heart beats faster in his chest when their reaction leaves no uncertainty anymore.

They scream and scramble for the van and jump in while the van starts to move. It quickly catches up with the taxi and follows hot on its heels. Billy is now sure that they are after his blood. The booklet is very important to them. He considers phoning the police but there is no time for searching for phone numbers.

Will it help to ask the taxi driver for help? But that is a risk. What if the driver stops and kicks him off the taxi? Then he would be lost and at the mercy of the men right behind them.

He knows he’ll have to think of a plan to escape very soon and it will be based on the route of the taxi. He knows the taxi will be turning left onto Athol Fugard Terrace and move on between Donkin Park and the King Edward Hotel. Then it will turn onto Donkin Street and drive down to the robot. It will then turn right into Govan Mbeki Avenue and carry on along the one-way to the taxis’ terminus in the city centre.

The van will follow them and watch out if he jumps out somewhere along the route. Maybe they will post two men early on in Govan Mbeki Avenue where the taxi slows down and moves slowly in the city traffic and then run in front to catch him at the terminus.

How is he going to give them the slip? He’ll have to jump out at the right spot when they expect it the least and where he can disappear amongst the many pedestrians in the city centre.

There is only one place! But how is he going to dodge them after he has run into the crowd in the city centre? There is a hidden lift cove near the entrance of the Sanlam Building that takes people upstairs and exists in Ntshona Street just beneath Donkin Park. This is the best plan. If he could disappear in the crowd and make it to the cove unseen, he can take the lift to Winston Ntshona Street while they will be searching in Govan Mbeki Avenue. He then can run away over Winston Ntshona Street and up to Donkin Park and vanish.

What if they spot him in the cove of the lift? He can’t control the waiting time for the lift. If he is lucky he will find an open lift ready to depart but if not, it will be nerve-wracking because he will be entrapped in the cove. If one of the men peeks in there they will trap him there. It is a great risk.

Billy decides he’ll have to take the risk and the moment the taxi turn right onto Govan Mbeki Avenue, he pulls desperately at the boy’s arm and shoves R5.00 in his hand.

“Just here, please, just here …”

At that moment he is thankful for the illegal ways these Kwela taxis operate. The moment the boy says: “Stop. One out here …” the taxi driver reacts immediately, stops in the turn and the boy opens the sliding door. Billy jumps out and runs for his life.

He is sure he has caught them off-guard while he runs flat out through the people on the pavement. He wishes he was without his school bag over his shoulder for without it he could even run faster while he aims accurately and quickly swerves left and right between the people. Here and there he rudely bumps slightly into someone but he is gone before the person realizes what or who bumped into him or her.

He quickly scans the vicinity but doesn’t see any of the men and then he slips into the cove in front of the lift and hides. Yes, he managed to vanish unseen and he must now only enter the lift on time to be totally hidden.

Billy is anxiously waiting for the lift. He wonders whether those foreign men know about this lift. There’s a good chance that they don’t know, he thinks trying to comfort himself. Billy glares at the closed door in front of him and tries to wish it open while the tension gnaws at his stomach walls.

A street boy walks into the cove and ends up in front of Billy as if he knows him. He stares at him with his funny blue eyes as if he is in a strange trance. Billy gets a quirky feeling while the boy keeps on staring at him.

Just open now, damn lift!

Two men and a woman come into the cove and Billy hides behind them in case one of the men peeks in here. He feels a little safer now. He wonders why this little, funny kid persists in staring at him. Something’s wrong, but what?

Eventually, the door opens and they all enter the lift except the little boy who walks away but then turns around and watches Billy intently until the door closes. The lift moves at last. Billy sighs relieved. He really managed to escape! The men must be looking for him down under in Govan Mbeki but he is going to run across Winston Ntshona Street and escape via Donkin Park.

When the door opens, Billy sees another street boy at the entrance who stares at him. He also has these strange eyes and also seems to be in a trance. Billy quickly walks to the opposite exit and the boy follows him. What is it with these street kids? It is really bizarre. It seems as if they are following him.

Billy walks through the exit to the street and stops appalled when the van hastily stops right in front of him and blocs his exit to the street. The driver jumps out and runs around the van. This is the man who sat at the table with the old man and his daughter. He quickly opens the sliding door and just stands there and waits for Billy. Billy turns abruptly to run back but stops instantaneously. Two men bloc the entrance to the lift! They must have used the next lift. How did they know? They begin to stalk him and watch him carefully.

Billy now sees the two little boys behind them looking at the event before them like two zombies as if they are watching a live performance in a trance. Billy spins around in the hope that he can pass the man at the van. But he, in the meantime, advanced upon Billy and little space is left between him and a minute corridor to the van.

Billy starts to run and desperately charges at the man that awaits him like a sturdy rugby player who simply has to avoid a try. He pretends to shoot to the left of the man but swiftly changes his direction and tries to side-step him by going to the right, but the man got hold of his blazer. His grip and balance on his feet are so sturdy that he pulls Billy right off his feet and he hits the ground and lands in front of the man’s boots. The strong man lifts him easily and pinning him down on his shoulder, walks wildly forward and throws Billy roughly into the cabin of the van. He jerks as his backside hits the floor. Luckily his school bag absorbs most of the shock and prevents him from falling out of breath. He ends up helpless on the floor and hears the door shuts. The van immediately moves away with its catch.

One of the men has jumped into the cabin and pins him down painfully with his knee in his back as if he is a cockroach while he searches his pockets and finds his smartphone. He then gets up and sits down against the sliding door and removes the battery from the phone before he puts it in his pocket.

Once again Billy realizes that they are very professional. They ensure that his phone doesn’t give away his position. Billy looks at the man and he puts his finger before his mouth to indicate that Billy must keep quiet while he glares at Billy with ice cold eyes.

Where are they going? He feels helpless like a sheep on his way to the slaughterhouse.