THE AFTERMATH

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

KAEM

There is a lot of tension and tonnes of unspoken thousand words amongst the four of us seated at the rear of this van. In the front seat are two heavily armed men sharing the space with our skilled driver. We have three similar black, tinted and bullet proofed non-plaited vans trailing behind us. One of which Michael has boarded and the last one Chad is in charge.

It is a fairly chilled dark quarter mooned night and the mildly cold breeze without hustle is surprisingly penetrating our armored gear but of course not to the point of freezing. The atmosphere in this uncomfortable van is very tense as it is deathly quiet. Everyone is so lost in their thoughts, no one is saying anything to anyone and neither is either of us conversing to the other.

The only audible sounds are coming from my fellow men's heavy breathing and sad chirping discorded noise coming from the almost freezing birds in the trees as we drive past the densely packed bushes heading towards the direction of the estate. The estate is strategically hidden and private behind a sloppy mountain which we have already passed.

I can barely appreciate the rest of the surroundings as I peep through the laser googled tactical face mask which I am wearing. The van only has a semi-permissible tiny transparent window-like portion on the right side which Joe is leaning on. I am directly opposite to Joe and our knees are passably brushing in rhythm to the irritable constant shaking and movements from the imbalanced and unsmooth road we are cruising in.

Not only am I seated in his proximity, but I have assumed an uncomfortable pause hanging on the edge of this cold small steel rear seat in reference to my appreciable bigger frame. My muscle-toned right arm is steady and firmly pointing a short gun directly on Joe's forehead. Consequently, his eyes have been zeroed on mine the whole journey from Johannesburg.

We have finally arrived at the exchange zone. Joe seemingly can't hide his excitement and his obnoxious facial expressions emphasize his thoughts. In his mind, he is almost tasting freedom. Gaining Michael while at it is just but a taint of bonus in his distasteful eyes. What he doesn't realize is that he is also giving up something of mine.

That which belongs to me.

We both are losing to gain at the end.

It's a sacrificial exchange.

At this point, Joe is foolishly assuming that he stands to gain more than us but he is adamantly underestimating our collective reasoning capacity. I can tell by the smirk written all over his proud arrogant face that he is rest assured that winning has eminently become inevitable for him as we approach the black iron gates at his estate just outside Jozi which he suggested as an exchange point.

We could have agreed to a neutral point other than this venue they suggested but we carefully consented and contemplated on it to the point of agreement. We have a plan. I never agree to something unless I am thoroughly prepared for battle.

The past two and a half hours have been hectic for me both emotionally and physically especially after the emotional mind run I dealt with from the time I woke up from my short nap.

TWO HOURS EARLIER

I had barely slept a wink when my 2030hours alarm sound jolted me awake. At that precise time, we literally had less than an hour and half to initiate this operation as GO! My lurching heartbeat made me feel uneasy as it authenticated my unprecedented fear. My face desperately attempted to mask away the fear that was embroidered in my heart but the continuously sweating palms and trembling fingers undeniably gave away the evidence of my fear.

I wasn't afraid of the fight to come because I certainly have been to worse battles before and still conquered. War has never really scared me. It is the adrenaline which I thrive on. The rush! The will to fight and confidence of my mastered art of war that has always made me calmer before participating in any battle. But Alas! Not today apparently.

What actually made me afraid was the thought of Alina. Just the slightest possibility of losing another woman my heart has surprisingly opened its chambers of love to send shivers down my spine. The image of her placid face when she lifted her small hand to brush away some stray of hair so that we could see her presumably alive face clearly when we demanded for proof of life earlier is still glued in my mind.

It has only been less than 48hours but I could swear she lost a bit of some weight and her eyes looked so withdrawn from her spirit like she has already lost herself somehow. She reluctantly said a few words as evidence that she is alive but I could tell her heart is no longer anywhere near alive.

My heart in that instance tried to reach out to her but I couldn't risk letting her know how involved I am in all this mess on a two seconds phone call so Chad spoke with her instead. That is a conversation I hope to make with her cuddled in my arms while we rest away in a comfortable bed someplace else preferably her dream get away destination.

Seeing how Chael was clinging on to her chest tucking his poor small head on the crouch of her neck made me cry from the inside. Not only is my Alina enduring all this torture for herself but she is also hanging on by the untangling thread of hope to save Chael too. This is very dangerous for her and God knows what else she was probably going through then behind the eye of the camera. Death is still an unpleasant risk for the two of them for all we know.

At the back of my mind, I heard a little voice imitating my mother encouraging me to pray. I am not a religious man but I prayed tonight. I asked God to spare Alina's life for me. I prayed for this operation to work in our favor.

I also thought about my mother. Her love for God is commendably over the top and ironic since she is married to a very rich man. Most people wonder what she really needs from God but she always says, God remains God in riches and in poverty, in good times and in bad times. The only time I remember her so worried and making fervent prayers which were not of praising and worshiping God was when I enlisted in the army.

That was the most stubborn and selfish decision I ever made in my life because three months prior my departure to training marked the beginning of unhappiness and uneasiness in our home. My dad was very disappointed as his wish for me was to take over his multi businesses spread all over South Africa and beyond.

As his first born it only sounded right and made a lot of sense especially given that my one and only blood sibling Kelvin was only nine years old then. My father even got to the point of threatening to disown me but I remained resolute until he gave me his blessing and permission to go and live my dream.

My mum on the other hand suffered in weakness as she day by day begged me to reconsider my choice of life path. When I remained rooted on my decision, she was completely devastated. The word broken underestimates how she felt. In fact she became worried sick that I was going to die. Getting deployed to Afghanistan was the worst blow to my mum's hope. The poor woman grieved me like it was obvious and certain that I wasn't coming back.

However, it is amazing how all that changed with the passing of time. My parents are truly proud of the man I have become. They appreciate the profound role I have played in the society and to humanity as a savior to the vulnerable people. As a doctor and warrior of war, I have helped the sick and respectively put a lot of bad names off the streets on my account. My life has literally been dedicated to saving lives.

A smile broke through my worried face as I admired the now brave face that was staring back at me in the mirror. My fingers ran through the bulletproof vest which clung perfectly on my body like it was specifically designed for me. After re fixing my boots' shoe laces and clipping my belt, I stood straight face on the mirror again as I rehearsed my shooting stance with my fingers and half closed eye.

I finally left to join the others with so much confidence it was even over spilling. Other than God, I rode the van trusting my expertise in battle which can be equated to the aim and focus of an eagle coupled with speed and flexibility of an African cobra not forgetting strength and aggressiveness of the fierce tiger.