At Gun Point

~21~

So it means I'm going alone to the capital tomorrow morning. My wife isn't going to accompany me as she will be nursing Melinda over the weekend until she is fine. I know she is going to recover soon. I will call my mechanic to come and fix the Navara in the garage at home tomorrow and will call Musa, my managing director in the morning. I will also go with my driver Themba,driving the Limousine to pick up my brother at the Airport in the mid- morning.Then I will make sure I carry my laptop,internet modem and the external hard drive with Bastion's information in my Buggati Veyron to the capital tomorrow. I want to see who is causing all this chaos in the country. I had a strong feeling Bastion wasn't working alone. He might have been well connected and to some people in the government. Maybe that's the reason why the President wants to see me. I will see what this is all about. I used to hate politics but now it's time I get entangled in its dirty games. This requires carefulness,but, and a great deal of protection from the big wigs if need arise. I had a feeling this is going to entirely change my life. I'm not going to tell my wife that's what I'm planning. If the police chief doesn't release the information in the hard drive,I'm going to do it myself. Yea!I will make a copy to present to the President if I find any sensitive material on the hard drive. Anything that threatens the well being of the people or the country's sovereignty. I knew this will cost me but I'm going to try. This is my resolution.

These were my thoughts as I was driving listening to some RnB American songs. I was feeling very tired,I wanted to go and rest. I wasn't going to waste much time discussing anything and I also knew the two women wanted some rest too. The day was a busy one. I was surprised that I was still able to drive after all I have been through.

It was now dark and I had my vehicle's headlights on. My wife suddenly indicated she wanted to stop a few yards ahead,she proceeded to reduce speed and came to an abrupt halt. I reciprocated her,parking my car behind hers. She honked her car,signaling me to come over. I quickly got out,walked towards the BMW,my eyes were fixed on her drivers door. When I reached it she had already winded down her window down. I leaned to hear what she had to say. Melinda was already fast asleep beside her. Melissa was looking outside,in front of the car.

"There is a body lying at the centre of the road,can you go check who it is,he looks drunk. Be careful sweety!"She informed me.
I briskly walked towards the direction she was saying the figure was lying. She put her headlights on to illuminate the place,and I could really see a figure lying a distance ahead from where we had parked. There were huge trees and small shrubs on either side of the road,the hooting and cries of nocturnal animals was the only distinct sound around. This part we were was a thick forest that lies in between the farms and Raspberg's central business district. It was some three kilometres away from the town's epicenter and a kilometre away from the farms and villages. The railway track runs through it and the train station was the first building from this side of the town and it was one and a half kilometres from where we had stopped.

I stalked towards the figure,I scrutinized and saw it was a man,clad in a dirty and muddy pair of army trousers and a tattered grey T-shirt, stained with dried blood,mixed with dirt. His body was lying in a zigzag, face deep in the gravel. I turned the man to face me, what I saw made me remember the previous night. His chest was covered in both fresh and dried blood,it seemed somebody had tried to stop the oozing blood by wrapping a rag around his right side of the chest cavity and right arm. The arm itself seemed to have been maimed by something that crushed against it.

I leaned closer to the man's mouth, he was trying to say something with a low voice. It was so weak and he growled," He....he....help me please!Help me I'm dying!"

"Who are you?What happened to you man?"I asked with a concerned face.

"My......my...my name is Alexander Mendel. I am one of Frederick Bastion's men. I argued with the others at the train station and when we were in the forest, they pushed me out of the train and I crushed with my right side against the moving wheels of the train. It hurt me as you can see,I staggered in the forest and fell down beside a small river. I think I spent the whole night and day lying there,waiting for my soul to leave my body."He told me.