6: The 14th

A busy morning that everyone seemed occupied by their duties to ignore the news that Alice , their college was sick. George was glaring at the computer screen while his fingers ran animatedly on the buttons of the keyboard. He could have probably heard about the news but they meant nothing to him. After all Alice is just a junior employee and nothing more of just a mere cleaner.

Hussain was absent at the Big Blue that morning and had left all the authority to George.Collins had seized that opportunity to mollify Susan for the absence of Alice which had translated into her sullen mood. He had a chance now to toss her the way he wanted until she finally gave in to his moves. Hussain was not there to interrupt him with his dangerous look.

Alice was bedridden that time and did not care about what's going on at The Big Blue. She didn't even bother to call Susan her best friend and workmate. She had recently developed a respiratory infection that she thought could have emanated from her dusty work environment.

At noon, George was having a cool breeze after he had taken lunch under the soothing shade of a thick Ebony tree. He was contemplating about their barbaric mission in the evening. A flask coffee was still besides him and an expensive mug of china marched the color of the flask on the wooden table. He could spot two trailer trucks that hadn't gone for work that day. All the other six were on the road . The van that they usually use was also absent in the parking lot. Susan was not radiating the environment with her disposition and the entire compound looked like a deserted expansive ground . Collins could have probably got confused by Susan in his office and some few leaves lay here and there showing that She hadn't done her work.

The environment was engulfed in an awkward silence and this provided a fertile situation for George to be absorbed into deep thinking. He thought of what would have became of him had he not known Hussain or the Big Blue. Of course he was getting richer with time. He was starting to cross the bridge between the rich and the poor. The bridge that one didn't easily get access to it. Some would even stumble in the midway of the bridge and clumsily fall into the deep waters. The waters of regret for having dared to cross the bridge. Was he going to be such a victim so that he would drawn in eternal regret? Was it worthy ?

As if in coincidence with whatever he was thinking, a loud blast of horn interrupted a gate man who had just decided to take a siesta. Emerging from the gate was one of the trucks. George read it's registration number verbally but inaudible and absent mindedly. 'KDH 12TW. ' He knew it was the truck that Bruce normally drive. That meant Bruce was already here.

After he had parked it successfully , Bruce came to meet his dear friend at the shade. While exchanging their greetings, they were still interrupted by another honk at the gate. This time the usual black van came while being tailgated by Hussain's classy car. An inevitable cold lump fell into their stomachs and they suddenly wore a serious but fearful faces.

It did not take long before the three were summoned by Hussain in his office. He didn't go into unnecessary talks and only gave them few but emphatic clear instructions. 'Prepare for today's work and let's meet at Blex Towers tommorow after work.' They nodded and muttered 'Its fine master ' almost in unison.

The evening approached faster than they had expected. The three gathered outside near the main warehouse and just a few metres to the black van. With the suerity that all the store men and workers have gone home, including Susan, Hussain trotted from his office and came to this secret gathering. He gave them the final remarks and some absurd words of encouragement. Together, they inspected their tools of work. They both got gloved and got inside the van to complete their dressing. From a small leather bag , they withdrew their Halloween masks and Collins assured that the mouth strapper and the sisal ropes are all in order. Hussain and George scrutinized the communication device on the dashboard and they all ensured that their phones were switched off. Hussain concluded the inspection with a quick look at the camera inside the van . They were now ready to go!

The journey started peacefully having been arranged strategically. George was the one driving and closely followed what Hussain directed him through the device on the dashboard. As usual Collins sat at one of the two passenger seats at the back while Bruce was in the company of George in the cab. Clearly from what they knew, they were going to a different place today. Probably one that they had never went.

According to Hussain's directions, they drove from a feeder road that joined the Nairobi Southern bypass. Here, George tried his best to the top capacity of the engine . The vehicle was driving at an unusually high speed . He was maneuvering in between the trucks on the road dangerously until they came to the exit from the bypass. They took a road that led to Karen and once again, Hussain guided them into a posh hamlet.

The surrounding was quiet and had an aura of affluence. Big mansions and bungalows dominated the area and a few shady trees punctuated their compounds. A cool evening breeze blew over them dropping off some leaves on the clean tarmac roads. As they were guided, they parked again besides a gate. The gate to a glossy mansion that had it's black glasses glimmering in the evening sunlight. They now waited for Hussain's instructions. Today, he had told them that the 'harvest' was a little bit grown up woman and this is what they expected.

Just like the other mission , the awaited prey emerged from the huge black gate. She was a stocky woman who found it strenuous even to close the gate back . Her frame was way too large that one would speculate how hard it would be for her to run. A clear and audible voice of Hussain sounded from the device on the dashboard ' target acquired.' They then knew that she was the one. Prepared for it ,they set into action!

Just as usual, George remained in the vehicle while Collins and Bruce set themselves for the work. Indeed it was going to be a very difficult work given the weight of the woman. With no knowledge of her surrounding, the woman shoved into her jeans pocket to remove her phone which was probably ringing .She stood to receive the call and tried to push the wavy braided hair back with the hand that held her phone just to locate her ear. Over the phone she started talking in an eloquent English accent and gesticulated her hands about.

Being deep into the talk on the phone , she turned around and now giving her back to the predators unknowingly. She continued shouting loudly with her phone and probably didn't hear when Bruce and Collins had crept behind her. Her talk was cut short when Bruce viciously covered her eyes with his massive palm after drawing her hands to her back ignoring the faint voice of the other person on the phone. Barely had she screamed when Collins carried her stocky body and she had been already thrown in the van.

Collins had slid the door to close it as fast as he could. George the other hand was trying to make U turn in order to fly the van away. Bruce was trying to force his hands on her mouth while she desperately threw her arms and legs in order to stand up from where she had been laid. Collins drew the mouth strapper and the ropes and tied her hands and legs together like a bull just about to be slaughtered. Bruce helped to tie the strapper over her mouth and despised her protests and cry .

Done with the work they set themselves on their seats and and Bruce took this chance to wipe off the mixture of saliva and tears on his gloves. Collins was mending the cuffs of his black leather jacket and George was concentrated with the van. In a faint but sure voice, George notified Hussain of a suspicious person who probably saw them. He realized this when he made a U turn of the vehicle and saw man on the side mirror who stood up for a moment and stared at the van until it vanished. He was coming from an adjacent homestead of a bungalow near the gate of this abducted woman.

Bruce and Collins certainly had this news and were terrified. Hussain on the other end of the communication stammered a little bit but promised to take care of it. After all he was the one driving the vehicle indirectly.