The North

Chapter 12: Tunnel Vision

The day came quickly. Though KB had been looking forward to going out with the Stars his anticipation did very little to take away from the fact that he was scared. Everything happening around him had been built off a lie, after all, and that only increased the stakes of the truth ever coming out, which KB could not afford to let happen. The secret would have to follow him to the grave.

"Remember, don't speak about anything related to banking unless asked." KB reminded Mbali, Senzo, and Thato.

They were all gathered at Mbali's uncle's house, sitting in the the lounge of the mansion he owned in the heart of Sandton. It was a Friday evening and they were getting ready for their night out with the Stars, a night which would serve as their debut to Johannesburg society.

"For sure." Thato responded. He was wearing a black slim fitting Armani suit which he had bought the previous day. The matching Gucci suits KB and Senzo were both wearing also belonged to Thato, though those had been purchased the previous month and had not as yet been worn.

Thato took a sip of the Yamazaki whisky in front of him – it was an expensively imported brand from Japan which he had taken from his father's alcohol cabinet before leaving his home.

"We could become a big deal if this works, guys" Mbali said. She was strapping on a pair of Guiseppe Zanotti heels which Thato had taken from his mother's wardrobe. The dress she was wearing – a custom Fabrosanz piece – was also from the same place.

"Fuck! I feel like I've been preparing for this my whole life" Senzo said. He was the most excited of the friends and it showed in the way he often checked his reflection in the mirror by the entrance before practicing poses for pictures to be taken later.

KB was pacing around the living room, walking between expensive pieces of furniture and rare artworks when the message came through. He glanced at his mobile phone which was gripped tightly in his hand. It was vibrating.

A text message: "On the way - T".

The empty house was silent, except for the clicking and patting sounds of KB's smart shoes against the lounge's tiles and carpet. Hard surface - click, click, click. Soft surface - pat, pat, pat. Mbali was seated quietly on the couch, scrolling through her Instagram account and preparing it for new followers, while Senzo and Thato smoked a joint outside by the large pool.

"Why am I so nervous? Get a grip. Get it together" KB whispered to himself. He stopped in the corner of the lounge, the corner furthest from where Mbali was seated, and imagined himself as the star of a blockbuster movie. In the current scene - shot in the dim corner of a museum - he, the dapper protagonist in a slim fitting suit, awaited the arrival of a crucial text message which would provide a list of high-profile individuals he was to assassinate.

The protagonist poured himself a glass of Yamazaki whiskey, taking the contents down in two urgent gulps. He then stared seductively into space, attentively in thought, as the imaginary cameraman panned 360 degrees around him, catching every angle of his stern face under the dim light. Before the cameraman could complete his revolution, the protagonist's phone began to vibrate in his moist hand. The protagonist froze. The camera man froze and zoomed in on the clenched fist wrapped around the phone.

A text message: "We're outside the gate - T"

KB no longer needed to pretend.

To say he was shocked was an understatement. KB read the message again. "Fuck!" he said out loud, knowing that the cameraman had already disappeared. He read the message a third time and began to laugh.

"Fuck it", KB finally said, smiling. He poured himself one more shot of whiskey before shouting: "They're here!"

"Showtime!" Mbali said from the couch. She was finishing her drink and standing up when Senzo and Thato came running into the house.

They all stood together and checked their reflections in the large mirror by the entrance of the house before Mbali snapped a group selfie. And then they stepped out into the uncertain night.

KB paused once outside to take one final look into the warm interior of Mbali's uncle's house. He took one final breath of the familiarity inside before shutting the door closed, leaving behind his solemn-looking cameraman and, unbeknownst to him, his old life as he'd known it.

The walk down the driveway felt long, and KB felt the butterflies take flight in his stomach as they got closer to the gate.

There was an unusually bright light emanating from beneath the gate, a hot white light that made KB feel like they were walking in a tunnel leading them to heaven. He was no longer afraid. He realized then that there had been no coincidences along the path that had lead them to that moment. Everything had happened for a reason, and KB felt alight, brazen, and alive.

The metal gate was swinging open when the bright lights went off, and the scene before KB, Mbali, Senzo, and Thato as they stepped out of the gate was unlike anything any of them had ever seen before.

There in front of them was a convoy of ten cars – all different makes and all the latest models - parked on the road in front of the house, and they had all turned their headlights off at the same time. It all took KB's breath away: the ten cars, the Stars. All of them waiting for KB and his friends.

One by one the cars started their engines as KB made his way towards the Silver BMW 1 Series leading the pack. He recognized the car from the parking lot the previous night and opened its door, sliding into the sleek interior. Mbali, Senzo, and Thato each selected a vehicle of their own and entered.

"Are you ready?" Tau asked KB after he had closed the door.

KB feared he was not ready. He began to doubt himself and everything around him. His confidence had inexplicably shrunk to a size so foreign he feared he would not be able to get it back.

He clicked his seat belt in, leaning back into the seat after doing so.

"I'm ready" KB finally answered. The first of many lies to follow.