SHORT STORIES{collection]

A New Empire

It was almost midnight, drizzly, with a mild fog.

Nicole sat with Ma Agnes in her farm barn house, waiting for Agnes' workers to finish up. They'd been tasked to simply wrap the drugs up in black plastic bags.

Agnes couldn't understand what took them so long. She grew annoyed, barking orders from her squeaky rocking chair.

Nicole had parked her van inside the farm yard, with another parked right behind her.

As usual, the two vehicles would carry drugs into the city, make drop offs at the dealers' homes, and return back for more loads that same evening.

A tattooed and gold toothed Vincent waited with his men, approximately two kilometers away, hidden deep in the forest. They had all the weaponry needed to carry out the mission – cocked and ready to go.

He'd brought along four vans, nine men and a terrified Sindi.

Vincent sat with Sindi only, in his van. He'd tried to flirt with her, yapping on about how cool and rich he was, but she'd shut him down. "Buzz off! You're old enough to be my dad," she'd said, sickened.

They all sat in the vehicles, counting down.

Nicole had ordered them to storm inside the farm yard in exactly twenty minutes time.

She sat with Ma Agnes in 'the kitchen', waiting for just five more minutes.

Agnes called her cocaine manufacturing barn, 'the kitchen' or 'the pharmacy'. It seemed more polite that way. She especially liked 'the kitchen', as it was where the drugs were cooked.

Agnes was particularly excited that evening – bubbly and chatty even. She wanted Nicole to expand their distribution channels and sell a whole lot more, to surrounding towns.

A willing Nicole had already been informed, though she had a few ideas of her own. Taking over this barn will be a piece of cake, Nicky thought, looking around slyly. She observed the packers inside the barn. They all wore boxer shorts, panties and bras only, as an anti-theft mechanism. None of them were armed.

"Hurry up with the damn wrapping!" Ma Agnes yelled. She turned back to Nicole, "Nicky, I'm going inside for some tea, dear. Can I get you coffee? You won't like my green tea ..."

"Whisky?" Nicky asked, smiling mischievously. It's chilly and I suspect it'll be even colder soon."

"I'll spoil you with some of my husband's Remy Martin," Agnes boasted, walking off. 'You are old enough to drink, right,' she teased, stepping out the barn.

The constant reference to her age irritated Nicky. She'd made it a point to remind all the goons she hung around with that she'd be thirty in three years, and that they should tread carefully around her.

Nicole fidgeted, wondering where Vincent and his men were. It was time!

Hidden deep in the bushes, Vincent fiddled with his pistol magazine loader when his silver plated alarm clock rang. It hung around his neck like a gym coach."It's on, let's rock n roll!" He told Sindi, starting up his van and wearing a balaclava.

A terrified Sindi also put her ski mask on as they took off.

Vincent shoved his gun in his waist and signalled to the rest of his crew by switching his hazard lights on.He led the pack.

The two other vans followed behind.

They all drove over the dirt road with headlights switched off.

Agnes returned to the barn carrying a silver shiny tray. She was a pretty sixty six year old woman, with hardly any wrinkles on her.

On the tray was an expensive bottle of Cognac, ice blocks, a whisky glass and her herbal tea with honey.