HOLLOW HEARTS
Chapter 31
JANE
Me:” okay Mr I disappeared,
this picture doesn’t tell me anything, I mean we are big on technology these
days and photos can be photoshopped so how about we cut the crap and get straight
to the point? I am in hospital and just got involved in a car accident so there
is no need to play games with me because I am not well enough to fight you so
just tell me which side you are from and then we can take it from there please”
he looked at me and frowned
Cliff:”I am your father Ayanda
and I know that it’s hard for you to believe me right now so at least tell me
if you know anything about your mom? I tried her cell and it’s just ringing…do
you know anything?” he looked desperate like he wanted to help. One thing for
sure, he wasn’t from Zac’s team because if that was the case then he would
certainly know where my mom was but then was he from Duke’s team then? But why
come to me with this story?
Me:” Cliff what do you want
with my mom?” I finally remembered the 30 minutes window period which had
already passed by now. Ow f*** I had to get out of here as in yesterday
Me:” okay give me a second to
try and get out of here okay? I need to get my clothes and get dressed…I think
they are in the cupboard over there”
Cliff:” don’t take too long…I
will talk with the Doctor in the meantime…do you know where your mom is?”
Me:” I think so” Clifford walked
out and I shook my head.
How dumb did he think I was?
S*** was seriously hitting the fan and I wasn’t some little angry girl with
daddy issues who would just bow at the mention of ‘I am your father’ crap, if
he was really my father then how did he know about my accident and my two
names? And how come I never met him? Something was off with that man. Maybe he
didn’t belong to any of the two organisations and wanted to auction me off to
whoever needed me the most. I went to the cupboard and looked through for a
plastic bag with my clothes and I found it. I took off the hospital gown and
wore the clothes I was wearing. I also found my phone so I took it and put it
inside my pocket. I then went to the window and climbed outside and ran. I was
at Tembisa Hospital so I made sure that I ran for sure. It was late at night
and didn’t even know where to go. I didn’t know Tembisa very well, in fact I
didn’t know it at all so as soon as I made it to Namane drive I took my phone
and tried switching it on but it didn’t switch on and my guess was that the
battery was low
“f***”
I said that as I ran through
the streets of Tembisa. I needed to get a lift from here to Johannesburg and
then from Joburg to Potchefstroom because the farm was somewhere between Joburg
and Potchefstroom. I really needed to get to my mom, I was so worried about
her, in fact my mind was not even working well.
…
I saw a big truck and decided
to stop it and ask for a lift. I was a big girl and well trained so I was not
worried about my safety because i knew that I was capable of taking care of
myself. The truck stopped and I climbed in…I greeted the old man who was
driving alone and he greeted me back.
“My child what are you doing
getting lifts late at night? it’s dangerous out here” I looked at him and
smiled
Me:” I was at the hospital…uhm
can I use your charger please?” I asked to charge my phone seeing that he had a
charger on his truck. He agreed and I started charging my phone
“So…where to?” the driver
asked. It was an old man whom I hoped was not going to want anything from me
because I would kill him for trying anything and take his truck afterwards
Me:” to some farm” he raised
his eyebrow
Me:” I work there…so where are
you headed?”
Driver:” Sandton” okay I was
going to make a plan for another lift after this
Driver:”I wish my daughters
could also start looking for jobs”
Me:” how many daughters do you
have?”
Driver:” three…last born is 21
but they are all just sitting at home waiting for my salary” I was sitting there
listening to some normal life problems and for a brief moment it made me feel a
bit normal. I was trying my best not to think about my mom or what could have
happened to her
Me:” ow…they are quite old”
Driver:” my point exactly…even
though you are working at a farm but at least you are earning something” I
smiled
Driver:” I am sure you are
helping your parents out” I gave him a faint smile
Me:” I do my best” for a brief
second I wondered how my life could have turned out if I wasn’t taken. I would
be normal and complaining about normal problems just like how normal people do
it
Driver:” I will drop you at
Sandton city mall is that okay?”
Me: “perfect”
I drove with the old man in
total silence. When we got to Sandton city mall I thanked him and I got off. My
phone battery was better now. So I switched my phone on as I walk towards the
parking lot. I didn’t know what to expect from Muneiwa but I honestly hoped he
would help. I thought about taking a lift and knew that I was going to take too
long so I decided that if I don’t get hold of Muneiwa I won’t have choice but
to get myself a car.
…
I dialled Muneiwa and his
phone rang, I jumped in excitement and then waited for him to reply. I was
hoping that he was going to offer to help even though I knew I didn’t deserve
it at all
Mune:” Jane? Jane is that
you?” wow hearing his voice was out of this world…I felt the kind of peace I never
knew existed. Even in the midst of this storm, Muneiwa’s voice had the ability
to make me feel loved
Me:” yes it’s me…where are
you?”
Mune:”Where are you? I am at
the hospital and I am worried sick…I thought something had happened to you
love…where are you?” my heart melted at this…I really expected a little bit of
a fight but I guess our love is all that mattered
Me:” you need to get out of
there and you need to do it quickly…I was there but I ran away Muneiwa…there
was a man who was waiting for me so get out of there please”
Mune:” okay sms me your
address and I will be there shortly”
Me:”I am at Sandton mall, call
me when you get here…and please be careful”
Mune:” I always am” he hung up
and I sat on the floor and took a sigh of relief.
I was looking up in the sky
with a smile on my face when a light shone into me…my first instinct was to run
but I remembered that I was actually sitting on a parking space so I moved away
and someone came and parked their car. I walked towards the mall and decided to
sit on the bench while I wait for Muneiwa. I was feeling so impatient. I felt
like lot of things could just go wrong and Muneiwa wouldn’t be able to make it
to the mall. He could be found and chased or get involved in a car accident. I
was worried sick about everything. As for my mom, I didn’t even want to think
about her. I wanted to keep on hoping that she’d still be safe when I get
there.
After less than 30 minutes my
phone rang
Muneiwa:” I am at the mall
right now...where are you?” the goose bumps I felt couldn’t be ignored
Me:” at the entrance” I said
that looking around and then I spotted him coming towards me. I dropped the
call and ran to him. I got to him and he hugged me tight
Mune:” oww my sweet little
thing…I was so worried” he broke the hug and fondled my face with worry on his
face. I looked at him and just broke down. I was happy he was here, I was
really happy that he was safe but then I was worried about my mom. I was so
scared of losing her
Mune:” babe...love?”
Me:” they have my mom…Muneiwa
they have my mom….i am so sorry I betrayed you but I didn’t have a ch-“
Mune:” shhhh! Where is your
mom?”
Me:” at some farm” he wiped my
tears and took my hand and walked to the car
Mune:” you know where the farm
is?”
Me: “yes”
Mune:” let’s go then” we got
to the car and he opened the door for me. Before I got in he pulled me to him
and hugged me tight again
Mune:” I love you Jane…you
have no idea how insane I was when I thought you died” I cried in his arms. He
broke the hug and cupped my teary face and then kissed me so hard and so rough
Mune:”f*** Jane I love you” he
said that and pulled my face to him and I rested my head on his chest
Me:” I love you too”
Mune:” now let’s go get your
mom” I got in the car and he got in on his side and drove off.
Even though there was traffic
Muneiwa was flying. In less than an hour we were at the farm. Our presence in
this place was not permitted so we parked the car a bit far from the building.
Muneiwa handed me a gun
Me:” where did you get this?”
he shook his head
Mune:” don’t ask” I obeyed and
didn’t ask.
I took a gun and checked if it
was loaded and it was. He handed me another one and we got out of the car. He
also had two guns with him. I walked towards the building while we look around.
I was facing forward and he was walking backward while facing where we were
coming from just in case. We got to the building and he signalled for me to
stay put while he check the door. I shook my head because I didn’t want him to
endanger his life but he gave me a face that only said he wanted me to obey so
I gave in. He went to the door which was wide open and peeped inside. He opened
the door wide and stood at the door while pointing his guns inside the building
and didn’t move. He then stopped pointing the guns as if he was defeated and
looked at me.
Me:” no” I started shaking my
head. He just looked at me and said nothing. I got up from the ground and
walked to him. I stood at the door with him and my heart literally stopped when
I saw what was inside. Her lifeless body was lying on the floor with her head
detached from her body
HOLLOW HEARTS
Chapter 32
JANE
I stood there motionless and
stared at my mother’s body and couldn’t believe that what I was seeing was
reality. I wanted it to be a bad dream. Muneiwa looked at me and tried to touch
me but I pushed him away so hard and he fell. I didn’t even care to find out if
he was okay or not, I walked to her body and stood between the head and the
body itself and looked at her head. It was really her. I didn’t want to believe
that she was gone. All I ever wanted was a hug, one last hug from my mother is
the only thing I wanted. I wanted to look at her as she realises that I was
still alive. Tears started falling and I felt a painful heat erupting in my
chest and I couldn’t take it. My heart hurt so much I couldn’t tolerate it.
Muneiwa came and stood next to me…I think he didn’t know what to do to make me
feel better, I also didn’t know what to do to make me feel better
Mune:”babe”
Me:” I can’t…Muneiwa I can’t”
I felt my whole body failing
me and like a river tears fell from my eyes. I couldn’t handle the pain I was
in…it was too much and I wanted it to stop…in fact I wanted my mom. I fell down
on my knees and looked at her head and shook my head
Me:” no mom….mom….noooo”
Muneiwa came to me and went on
his knees and tried to touch me but I brushed him off. I couldn’t look at her
anymore, I didn’t want to look at her anymore so I got up from the floor and
ran to the wall and threw a fist on the wall and I felt absolutely nothing. I
threw another one and still nothing. I wanted to feel something else other than
the pain of loss I was feeling because it was too much and I was battling to
deal with it.
Muneiwa:” baby stop”
I looked at him and just felt
the edge to beat him up because I didn’t know what to do with myself so I charged
at him and he walked backwards until he reached the wall. I got to him and
threw one serious punch and he caught it mid-air. I threw another one and he
caught it too…I tried to kick him but he block me with his leg. He held both my
hands and looked at my eyes
Mune:” it’s okay….Ayanda its
okay” it wasn’t okay….i shook my head crying
Me:” it hurts” I broke down
and he pulled me to him and hugged me. Even Muneiwa couldn’t make me feel better…I
was totally broken
Mune:” I know it hurts love” I
sobbed in his arms
Me:” I just wanted her to see
me…I just wanted her to know I was alive…I just wanted to touch her” I said in
between the sobs
Mune:” I know”
With every sob came a memory
of me and my mom when I was young and each sob also brought a picture of how
different my life could have been if I wasn’t taken and every sob brought with
it an unbearable pain that tore my heart apart. I don’t think I had ever been
subjected to that kind of pain before and even with my ability to block the
pain…I couldn’t do anything about what I was feeling at that moment. I don’t
know how long I stayed in his arms while crying but I finally regained my
composure
Mune:” we need to get out of
here my love…we don’t know if the people who did this will still come back” he
said as soon as we broke the hug
Me:” how did you deal with
losing your whole family all at once?” he looked at me and breathed
Mune:” I was being trained as
an assassin so as my journey towards being a robot I had to stop myself from
feeling and I did”
Me:” but how?” I had moved
past so many painful things and have endured them all but I don’t think I could
just move past this…I didn’t know how to
Mune:” I guess the same way
you block physical pain…I had to find a way around it….i was constantly told
that feeling and crying is for the normal and weak but I was above all of
that…I wasn’t normal and neither was I weak and to prove that point I had to
let them go…I had to move on from their death and let life move on” I looked at
him
Me:” I don’t know if I can
just move past this” he cupped my face and looked at me
Mune:” you don’t have to…she
was your mom and you spent years away from her so you are allowed to grieve for
as long as you feel you want Jane, no one is going to blame you for that okay?
Now we have to get moving” I looked at my mom’s body and looked at Muneiwa
Me:” we can’t just leave her
here….we need to at least bury her Mune…I can’t leave my mom here to rot”
Mune:” we can call an
emergency number and they will find her” I looked at him in disbelief
Me:” she is my f*****g
mother…I want to do this”
Mune:” I get it but we can’t
just illegally bury someone anywhere Ayanda…we need to make sure that they bury
her in a place where one day you’ll be able to visit her grave. I am sure she
has friends and family who will look for her and bury her” when he mentioned
family and friends I thought of the man who called himself my father and
wondered if he was telling the truth. I shook my head and decided to forget
about him
Me:” okay…I am just…I can’t
believe she is gone”
Mune:” I know…and now we need
to make sure that they don’t kill us too” he said that pulling her body and laying
it nicely and then took the head and attach it to the neck. Tears started
falling again and I remembered the kids she was with
…
Me:” she was with two kids….a
teenage girl and a boy who might have been between 8 and 11….ow God they took
the kids” I said with my hands on my head. Muneiwa came to me and took my hand
and pulled me outside
Mune:” we really need to get
going…we will talk about the kids as I drive” we walked to the car and I looked
at the building once more before getting in the car and made a vow to brutally
kill Mondi for doing this to my mom. We got inside the car and Muneiwa started
it. He took out his phone and called 911 and gave them the location.
Mune:” so you say she had kids
with her?”
Me:”yes and now I don’t know
if they killed them or what” I was really worried
Mune:” that’s what they
wanted…they wanted you to worry and look for the kids and in the process get
yourself caught…I am guessing they killed the kids too and didn’t leave them
there in order to lure you in or they have them and are planning on doing to them
what they did to you” I sat there and didn’t know what to do or say. All I was
feeling was pain. Muneiwa looked at me as if waiting for me to say something
Me:” I am in so much pain I
can’t even think straight” I said looking at him
Mune:” you need to rest…we
need to find a spot so that you can rest”
Me:”I am sure they are looking
for us left right and centre”
Mune:” I know but we can drive
to wherever we wanna go now at night and then make sure we don’t stop at any
garage and then we stay indoors the whole day tomorrow to avoid getting caught”
Me:” but we need t-“
Mune:” shhhh! You need rest
and get some time to mourn and then we can decide what to do once you’ve calmed
down and then we can also come up with a plan to leave the country and where we
will have to go”
Me:” I also need to see a
Doctor and get new teeth and also have this baby removed”
Mune:” what?” he was looking
at me
Me:” yeah I found out at the
hospital that I am 3 weeks pregnant but you don’t have to worry about it, we will
have to make a plan to see a Doctor so that they can remove it and then we can
look for my siblings and then run” he stopped the car on the side of the road
and looked out the window and said nothing
Me:” Muneiwa what’s wrong?” I
was now scared of what was happening
Mune:” so you want to kill my
baby without even talking to me about it?” I frowned
Me:” what baby? It’s just a
pregnancy and we are not in a good place to have a baby right now so I am
having it removed” he turned to me and grabbed me by my neck and I will be
lying if I say I wasn’t shocked. Muneiwa had always treated me like an egg
Mune:” you are never going to
do that Jane…I won’t let you” I tried to remove his hands from my neck but I
couldn’t. I don’t know but I always thought I was much stronger than him but I
guess I wasn’t. He then let me go and I coughed. I put my one hand on my neck
Mune:” this changes
everything” he said starting the car again but didn’t start driving
Me:”it doesn’t change
anything…I still say we rem-“ and he gave me one hot clap on the face and I was
totally shocked.
Me:” you didn’t” I wasn’t
about to be told what to do with my body. I loved Muneiwa with all my heart but
I wasn’t about to bring a child into this world. I couldn’t. I got out of the
car and went to his side and he opened the door and got out
Mune:” you wanna fight me?” he
asked and instead of answering I threw a punch at him and he caught it and then
spun my hand around and I screamed….he then pulled me to him and said
Mune:” I love you Jane or
Ayanda…I love you so much and I understand you just lost your mom and you are
grieving and I am willing to do anything to help you heal and to protect you but
that’s my child Jane and I won’t let you kill our baby….the product of our
love…I won’t let you do that. So here is what we are going to do. We are going
to stand together and instead of running we are going to defeat our enemies and
stay here and raise our child….having a baby changes everything…we can’t run
while you are pregnant and we definitely can’t run after the baby is born so I
guess we have few months to clean everyone out and have a family” he said that
and let me go. For the first time in my life I had a man whom I loved,
respected and feared at the same time…Muneiwa was all those things to me.
Mune:” now go get in the
car….we have a life to plan” I loved him…every second I spent with him made me
realise that I loved him. I was a strong woman who had been through some rough
situations and I guess someone like Muneiwa is what I needed.
HOLLOW HEARTS
Chapter 33
JANE
I got back into the car and
Muneiwa also did the same. I was still feeling numb, like everything was a big
bad dream. I was pregnant and I had lost my mother. I couldn’t believe that any
of that was really happening. I sat in the car as Muneiwa drives and I didn’t
even have the energy to ask him where we were going. He started playing music
and Designer was on
Mune:”f***, this s*** aint
hiphop…so the owner of this car listened to this crap? Ahg” he flipped through
the music until Eminem comes in and he stopped
Mune:”now we are talking” I
didn’t look at him all the while. He increased the volume a little bit as
Eminem Space Bound was playing. I opened the window and looked outside as the
wind beat on my face. I was so sad and broken to the core. I only looked at
Muneiwa when I heard him singing while looking straight on the road
“I’m a space bound rocket ship
and your heart’s the moon and I’m aiming right at you….two hundred and 50
thousand miles on a clear night in June and I am aiming right at you, right at
you, right at you” he looked at me as I was looking at him and he smiled and even
though I wanted to smile but I couldn’t even get myself to smile
Mune:”it’s the truth” I shook
my head
Me: “then my heart is a
totally broken moon”
Mune:” I know…and I am still
aiming at it…everything is going to be fine love” I shook my head frowning
Me:” my mom will never come
back…I will never get a chance to hug her in my arms and I will never forgive
myself for having a child and expose my own blood to such an evil world
Muneiwa…I know it’s your blood and all but it’s my blood too and I am scared” I
said that and looked away as I try to calm my accelerating breath. Muneiwa
reduced the volume
Mune:” we will protect our
baby”
Me: “really? We are battling
to protect ourselves and you think we will manage to protect a small little
person who won’t even be able to fight for him or herself?”
Mune:” okay let’s not discuss
it now”
Me: “good idea” I looked away
and remembered the man at the hospital. I felt the need to tell Muneiwa about
him
Me:” when I woke up in the
hospital there was a man…he called himself Clifford and he also said that he is
my real father….I never met my father. So he said he is my father and he showed
me a picture of him and my mom and a new born baby and he said the baby is me.
He knew my real name and surname and he also knows my fake name and surname” I
looked at Muneiwa and he looked at me
Mune:”where is he?”
Me:” I left him in the
hospital…I couldn’t trust him…I actually ran from him”
Mune: “Good, we can’t afford
to trust anyone…so did you believe him?”
Me:” of course not”
Mune:” but he had an old
picture of your mom?”
Me:’ yeah but photographs can
be photoshopped these days”
Mune“What does your instincts
say?” I looked at him and was afraid to admit to myself but I had to be
truthful
Me:”I think he was telling the
truth but lot of things didn’t add up” I was looking at Muneiwa
Mune:”like how he knew you
were in hospital and how he knows both your names…unless…”
Me:” unless he is connected to
this life somehow”
Mune:” that’s the only
explanation”
…
We were in Potchefstroom when
Muneiwa parked in some parking area
Me:’ and where is this?”
Mune:” this is a private
surgery…we have to get new teeth for you and we also need to get our baby
checked up” getting new teeth, I was game but the baby check-up? Well I don’t
know
Me:” you didn’t forget that we
are still on the run right?”
Mune:” not at all…I am gonna
go in there while you guard out here and make sure that the Doctor do the teeth
procedure now without delays”
He took the gun with him and
got out of the car. I sat there for few minutes and waited for him to come back.
At the back of my mind I was still Ayanda who was a prison all her life. I
couldn’t believe that I was doing something out of the book, something that
wasn’t an order from Zac…it all seemed strange….well, everything was strange.
Having Muneiwa was strange and me being pregnant was strange. Muneiwa came back
to me after few minutes
Mune:” love he is waiting”
Me:” he is gonna do it?”
Me:” all he needed was a
little push and I gave it to him so go get it done now,…I will sit here and
ensure that we are still safe
Me:” I love you” I said in a
sad voice
Mune:” love you too babe”
…
I left Muneiwa sitting in the
car and went inside the building. There was no one at the reception. The
surgery wasn’t big and complicated. It was just a reception desk and then a passage.
I looked through the first door on my right while in the passage and it was
empty…I went to the second door and opened and that’s where I found the Doctor.
He looked pretty terrified. I also had my gun with me. I looked on the floor
and saw his phone scattered and realised that it must have been Muneiwa
Me:”uhm are you alone?”
Doc:” your boyfriend locked
everyone else in one room and took their phones….he said you are missing two teeth?”
I nodded and opened my mouth.
Doc:” okay…uhm come and lay
here” I went to the bed and climbed.
He then brought some machine
in front of my face and asked me to open my mouth which I did. The machine was
then used to prompt my mouth so that I don’t close it. He then switched on some
light that went straight to my mouth. He held an injection on his hand and I
closed my eyes at that moment and decided to focus on something else. It was
hard for me to just switch my mind because whenever I try to switch it off the
only place it wanted to go was my mom’s memories and I was trying to avoid
that. So I stayed in that hospital bed and have the memories about my mom’s
death haunt me and torture me. I don’t know how long the Doctor was with me but
I didn’t care…all I know is that he slapped me lightly on my face to get me to
open my eyes. By the time I did he had already moved the machine from my face
Me:” you’re done?” I asked in
shock. He nodded but I looked at him in complete surprise. I felt as if I’d
only been out for few minutes. I got out of the hospital bed and went to the
mirror that was hung on the wall. I looked at myself and opened my mouth and
there…whiter than all my teeth were my two artificial teeth
Me:” how is this even
possible?” I said touching the teeth
Doc:”technology” I smiled
Me:”thank you”
Doc:” no need to thank me….i
am not doing this willingly because this is a very expensive procedure and you
are not paying a cent” ow, I guess thank you’s were not welcome.
Doc:” now follow me this
side” I followed him and we went to the
door opposite the one we were in
Doc”” lie on that bed please…I
have to check the bay” I looked at him and breathed
Me:” I am not doing that…thank
you” I said that and walked out of the door and all the way to the entrance and
out of the building. Muneiwa was standing outside. He turned around as soon as
he heard my foot steps
Mune:”how did it go with your
teeth and how is our baby?” I wasn’t in the business of lying to him so even
though I wasn’t happy to share the truth I felt that I had to be honest
Me:” the teeth are okay” I
said that opening my mouth and exposing my teeth for him to see. He looked at
them and smiled
Mune:” and the baby?” I shook
my head
Me:” I don’t want to do it” he
looked at me and clenched his teeth
Mune:” Jane” he was pissed
Me:” if a fight of my life is
what you need for you to get this then that’s what I will give you but I don’t
want to do it…I’d rather fight you and lose but I still won’t do it…can I just mourn
my mother in peace? I don’t want to see the baby on the sonar machine, I don’t
want to do any check-up…they told me the baby was fine in the hospital…
thinking or talking about this baby will just add salt to the wound Munei…it
will just remind me of the life that we are drawing up for this little innocent
baby…we don’t even know where my siblings are at the moment” I said as tears
falls. He looked at me and said nothing
Me:” Muneiwa please….I am
tired and my head hurts and my heart is unexplainably painful” he walked past
me and went to the building. Shortly after that he came and open the door for
me to get in the car
Me: “you’re angry?”
Mune:”no” he looked angry
Me:” but Muneiwa you look
angry”
Mune:” I just don’t know what
to do to make you feel better, I want you to feel better Jane and I am
failing…now get in the car” instead of getting in the car I went to him and
looked at him in the eyes and gave him a faint smile and then rested my head on
his chest without hugging him or him hugging me.
Mune:” I feel helpless” he whispered
Me:” you’re not” he held me
and pulled me to him and hugged me tight
Mune:” I love you and I will
do my best to make it all okay”
Me:” thank you” we broke the
hug and I got in the car and he closed. He went to his side and got in too.
…
HOSPITAL
Clifford realised that
something was up when 30 minutes passed and he heard nothing from her. He went
to her room and it was an empty with an open window
Cliff:”F***” he said that
kicking the bed and it fell. The Doctor came running to the room after hearing
the noise
Doc:” what is going on here?”
Cliff:” you tell me…where the
f*** is my daughter?” the Doctor looked around the room in confusion
Doc:”I left her here”
Cliff:”you are useless…the
whole hospital is just useless” Cliff walked out of the room and went to the
ward where Abigail was. He got there and opened the door and luckily she was on
her own. He closed the door…Abigail looked at him and tried to press the button
on the side of the bed and Cliff went to it immediately and grabbed it
Cliff:” long time no see”
Abigail started panicking
Aby:” yo…you…you are alive?”
Clifford smiled
Cliff:” as alive as they come”
Aby:” ow my God”
Cliff:” I am not up for the
reunion…I just wanna know where my daughter is…did one of your people took
her?”
Aby:”what? No…they just found
out about the accident…Clifford how are you here and how did you know abou-“
Cliff:” about my daughter? A
man just know”
Aby:”Clifford I want you to
know that what happened 18 years ago w-“
Cliff:” are you serious right
now? You are going to try and justify yourself after 18 fucking years? F*** all
I want is my daughter…where is she?”
Aby:” I don’t know” she said
loudly and Clifford looked at the door and then back at her
Cliff:” okay then….you are of
no use to me then” he said that taking a pillow
Aby:” Clifford please” she
pleaded
Cliff:” you didn’t think I
would let you live after you’ve seen me right? I don’t want you whispering to
anyone that I am still alive and looking for my daughter” Abigail looked at him
and cried
Aby:” Cliff you can’t do
this…I love you…you know I have always loved you” Cliff laughed
Cliff:” and yet you chose the
other side and imprisoned my daughter for 18 damn years” he said the last part
with anger
Aby:” it’s because you hid her
from me….you didn’t even tell me you had a woman in your life and let alone
having a child…I was heartbroken” she cried
Cliff:” and I am heartbroken
now”
Aby:” you chose that b*** over
everything we’ve done together…Zac wanted you after you ran off and having your
daughter was the only way to lure you in…we always thought you’d come for her
but you never did”
Cliff: “Because I am selfish
like that” he said that and took a pillow
Cliff:”goodbye Abigail”
HOLLOW HEARTS
Chapter 34
MUNEIWA
I had no idea where I was
driving to. All I know is that we had to get away. I kept on stealing a glance
at Ayanda who seemed really in pain. She was not her usual bubbly self and
coming from a girl like her it could only mean that this was taking a real toll
on her. I was feeling kak…I felt like a failure…I wanted to make her feel
better but I couldn’t. We didn’t know where her siblings were so that was
another problem. As for the pregnancy, even though I knew that defeating both
our organisations will be a hustle…especially mine because it was a government
organisation, I was willing to do it for my own child. I was also worried about
Jane’s take on the pregnancy. With the experience she had in her life, she
viewed life as nothing but misery and she felt like having a child will be
condemning our baby to this life. Me on the other side…I believed that we could
make a better living environment for the baby. All we had to do was try and
make it work. As much as we were on the run…Jane needed a real rest…this
driving around wasn’t good for her or for the baby….she was too stressed and
too restless and needed one long nap.
…
So I drove to Bloemfontein and
when we got there I went to one of those BnB’s that are situated out of town. I
got there and parked the car at the gate and hooted. The gate was locked.
Someone walked out of the house and came to open for us. We drove in and then
greeted the man. We told him we needed a room and he told us that it’s R300 per
night. I paid the R300 payment and then Jane and I went to the room that was
shown to us. All this time Jane was quiet and not saying a word. We got to the
room and it wasn’t at all fancy…but hey we didn’t care about the fanciness, all
we needed was a safe place to rest
Me:”I think you should shower
and then rest”
Jane:”okay” looking at her
like this was breaking my heart. She was so sad
Me:” come here” I said that
and took her in my arms and hugged her
Me:” everything is going to be
fine…I will make it all okay”
Jane:” I don’t know about
that”
Me:” just go take a shower…I
need time to think and plan”
Jane:” I want to help you with
that” she said breaking the hug
Me:” but love you are not
okay”
Jane:” and that’s why I wanna
keep busy”
Me:” take a shower first”
Jane:” can we go together?” I
smiled
Me:”of course” I said that and
helped her out of her clothes.
Have you ever felt like you
are living someone else’s life? Like all the events taking place in your life
were nowhere near your dreams? I never thought of running away or deserting my
position in the organisation or let alone fall in love. When I think about the
bitches I used to f*** almost every day I felt like a totally different person
in a totally different era…it didn’t feel like me anymore. It felt more like
the life I lived while with the organisation was lived by someone else. Right
now I felt much closer to the person I was when my parents were still alive. I
felt more alive and more human.
…
After the shower we came back
into the room. Looking at her naked body made me want to make love to her but
then looking at her state I couldn’t even bring that up. I wanted her so bad
but I had to be a man and stay strong for her. We changed into the clothes we
bought while in George.
Jane:” the car outside was
obviously stolen…isn’t that going to get us in trouble? Maybe we need a new
one”
Me;” that’s my organisation’s
car…I got it from the two people who were sent to kill me…I removed the tracker
so I guess it’s safe”
Jane;” you don’t think they
will report it missing?”
Me:” I doubt it”
Jane:” okay… I am hungry”
Me:” can you wait until
morning? it’s a bed and breakfast I am sure they will serve us something in the
morning and BnB’s usually serve their breakfasts early in the morning…or I can
go to the garage and get you something” she shook her head
Jane:” I will survive”
We sat on the bed and looked
at each other…it felt weird. I had always physically feel connected to
Jane…like we kissed more often and be intimate more often but right now there
was this huge space between us and I didn’t even know how to overcome it. She
was so close to me but yet so far off and I couldn’t reach her. I wanted to be
intimate but I felt like starting something like that with her right now would
seem foolish
Me:” I think you need to rest”
I wanted to say you need to rest because of the baby but I didn’t want to upset
her
Jane:” you said we have a life
to plan…we are together in this so let’s do that first”
Me:” we can do that in the
morning love….you look tired”
Jane:” I will be fine…so what
are we going to do?”
Me:” okay….tomorrow you are
spending the whole day in bed…you need to rest and mourn your mom a little bit
more. Tomorrow night we hit the road and back to Gauteng. At the moment your
organisation is a little but distracted with the car accident and they will be
dealing with Terry’s death. While they are at it…we will go to Duke’s house and
as a trained assassin I can take him out within 5 minutes. I know every corner
of his house and I have access to the house but I am sure they have changed the
security already since my departure from the organisation”
Jane:” so you can make it
through his security system?”
Me:” it’s what I do…I have
killed people who stayed in most secured mansions so yeah it’s easy”
Jane:” so our first step is
killing the organisation’s boss and then what?”
Me:” and then we make sure
that no one knows about his death for at least two or three days and we use
that timeframe to wipe out every little agent in the country…or cook up a story
that will turn everyone against him and then convince the bosses to put me in
his place…the organisation stand for something positive so I am debating with
myself if wiping off the whole organisation is the wise thing to do…maybe all I
need is a meeting with Duke’s superior and convince them to have me and you as
their leaders” Jane stood up with her hands on her hips
Jane:” doing that will give
them the idea that we killed Duke once his death becomes public”
Me:” ow yah”
Jane:” can’t we just kill
everyone who knows about you leaving the organisation and then have the
superiors select you as the manager or something like that? Even if they don’t
make you a boss but you can still stay in the organisation and you and me can
still have a life”
Me;” that sounds like a plan…I
am sure that Duke hasn’t told his bosses about me yet because it will make him
look like a failure…he will only give them a report once I am caught…right now
there is only a handful of people who knows about this”
Jane: “exactly”
Me:”so we can wipe out only
the people who knows about my departure from the organisation and I will need
someone to wipe off all the emails and phone calls that were exchanged with
regard to my departure”
Jane:” and that Ndivhuwo
friend of yours happen to be a computer geek…I don’t think he would have a
problem with doing some computer work…it’s not like he will have to leave his
home or kill anyone…he won’t even endanger himself or his family” I looked at Jane
and finally her face was coming to life…I guess this is the kind or mourning
she needed
Me:” that could work…so that’s
how we deal with my organisation…what about yours?”
Jane:” I hardly know where Zac
is but with Terry gone and Abigail in hospital…they are going to send more
people to South Africa…they are going to hunt me down for real”
Me:” we need to strategize on
how to deal with them”
Jane:”our first step has to be
the hospital…we need to get to Abigail’s phone…that can give us the lead we
need” I stood up too
Me:”s***, that’s like walking
into a lion’s dan”
Jane:” I know” we were busy
talking when I heard people talking in the passage.
Me: “babe get the guns” I said
that going to the door and slowly opening. Jane went to our bag and took two
guns and gave me one and she had one on her hand.
…
I opened the door slowly and
looked at the passage
“I am so sorry sir…it’s just
another customer” the BnB owner said. The man who was with him waved at me with
a smile on his face. I don’t know but there was something I couldn’t trust on
this man. I just nodded and closed the door. There was something familiar about
him. After closing the door I looked back at Jane and realised why he looked so
familiar…he looked exactly like her…he looked like Jane.
Me:”f***” I said walking to
the window
Jane: “what’s wrong?”
Me;” your father is here” I
said that opening the curtain and trying to open the window and then the door
flew open. The man walked in and looked at me and Jane. Jane pointed a gun at
him and he pointed one at her too
Jane:” Cliff what are you
doing here?”
Cliff:” I am trying to protect
you, you need to run now” he said that and put the gun away…Jane and I looked
at each other and then at him
Jane:” and I am supposed to
believe you?”
Cliff:”f*** Ayanda how do you
think I found you? And if I did what will stop Zac from finding you? You need
to run, now” even though I didn’t want to trust this man, the fact that he
looked like her meant that he was really her father and the panic on his voice
had some truth in it…he couldn’t possibly be faking it…and yes he was right,
the fact that he found us meant that anyone else can also be able to find us
Me:” baby we need to go” I
said that taking our bag and then Jane’s hand and walking towards the door
Cliff:” come…I have a place” I
looked at him and laughed and then shook my head
Me:”no way” I said that and
pushed him aside and walked out with Jane
Cliff” Muneiwa you don’t get
it” he even know my name?
Me:” of course I do…you are
trying to lure us in”
Cliff:” this is much bigger
than the two of you…this is not even your fight so come with me or die without
even seeing that little baby you are carrying” Jane looked at him and blinked
Jane:”how the f*** do you know
everything?”
Cliff:” come with me and you
will find out” Jane and I looked at each other. I guess we were both confused
as to whether we should believe him or not. He could be telling the truth or
lying but either way…the decision we take might backfire so bad
HOLLOW HEARTS
Chapter 35
MUNEIWA
I looked at Jane and she
looked back at me and we nodded at each other
Me; “So where are we going?”
Clifford: “to my place” he
said that as we head to the door but then we heard cars outside
Cliff:”f*** they are here”
Jane: “how did they find us?”
Cliff: “the same way I found
you”
Jane: “which way is that?”
Me; “enough about that
love…what happens now?” I was still holding Jane’s hand
Clifford” now? Now we fight”
he said that getting his gun ready. I somehow felt sorry for the owner of the
house
Cliff:” we better run to the
living room…we can’t let them get out of the car” he said that and walked out
immediately and we followed him. I tightened my grip on Jane’s hand and she
looked at me
Me: “together you and me” I
said as we follow Cliff
Jane: “us”
Me: ‘for the baby”
Jane: “for our love” I bent
down to her and gave her a brief kiss on her head as we walk. We got to the
window and Cliff stood there looking outside
Cliff: “you have silencers?”
Me: “yes”
Cliff:” cool, we don’t want
unwanted attention…now let’s finish these motherfuckers and get out of here”
He said that and aimed…I also
looked out the window and then started shooting at the people as they got out
of the first car. There were four cars outside, one was ours and I guessed that
the other one belonged to Cliff and then there were two cars that just arrived.
We managed to shoot everyone on the first car and then the second car reversed
and drove back to wherever it was coming from.
Cliff: “out we go” the owner
of the house had disappeared by now.
Me: “love…go with your father,
I need to get our bag” I said that and didn’t wait for her to reply but rather
ran to our room to get our bag and then followed Jane and her father outside
Cliff: “we are using my car”
he said that without looking at me or Jane
Me: “not to be disrespectful
or anything sir but we are using our own car”
Cliff: “that wasn’t a
question” he said opening the front seat for Jane
Jane: “I will sit at the back
with him” she said that opening her own door at the back
Cliff: “suite yourself then”
he closed the front passenger seat and went to climb on the drivers one. I got
in at the back with Jane
Jane:” I need answers” she
said that looking at me because I was looking at her with a questioning look
Me: “there is no doubt that he
is your father, he looks like you but I just don’t trust him” I whispered to
her and kept quiet immediately when Clifford got inside the car. He got in and
immediately started the car and we drove off.
…
Jane: “so where do you stay?”
she said as he sped off
Cliff:’ you are about to find
out Ayanda”
Jane:” you can’t expect us to
just drive with you without knowing where you are actually going”
Cliff:” well, you are about to
do just about that my dear” he was looking straight ahead. Jane rested her head
on my arm and I wrapped my hand around her and kissed her head
Me: “it’s going to be fine”
she shook her head
Cliff:’ from what I hear you
are one strong girl…you don’t look strong to me though, you look a little
fragile” I looked at him through the rear-view mirror
Me:” I don’t care about how
heartless you are but Jane just lost the mother she hasn’t seen in 18 years…yes
she only got to see her from the distance and never got the chance to hug or
talk to her again so please even someone as heartless as you can show some
remorse for you own child” the man went quiet and said nothing for a while and
that shocked me
Clifford:’so they killed
Norma?” so he didn’t know? His voice had changed and I guess it was because of
the shock
Jane: “you are ‘Mr know it
all’ so you are supposed to know this”
Clifford:” they killed her? F***”
he hit the steering wheel
Jane:’ as if you cared….you
left her when I was one month old so stop acting like you gave a damn please”
Cliff:” I will choose to stay
quiet simply because I don’t wanna say something that I am going to regret later”
Jane: “good” he looked at the
rear view mirror and my eyes met his and even though he had Jane’s eyes, there
was something evil on how he looked at me
Me: “I love her” I found
myself saying without him saying a word…Jane looked at me and then at him
Cliff: “I never asked”
Me: “you did with your eyes”
he shook his head and looked out the window.
…
We drove for about three hours
and it was late at night so I could hardly see or make out where we were going.
The old man was speeding so the car was flying. Suddenly we arrived in the
middle of nowhere and he stopped. Jane and I held each other’s hand and looked
around
Clifford:”ya’ll can relax I am
not going to kill you…you can get out” Clifford got out and we did the same. We
were in the middle of the nowhere, like literally in the middle of nowhere. I
finally got the good look at his car and it was a very old Toyota corolla.
Clifford: “you can follow me”
He said that and I took my bag
and followed him with Jane’s hand on mine. She held her gun on her other hand
and I did the same. We kept on looking around simply because we couldn’t trust
this Clifford character. The place was somewhere deep in the forest. He
switched on a torch and started walking on the foot path that was there. We
followed him without saying any word. We walked for about an hour. We finally
got somewhere where there was a house in the middle of a forest
Clifford:” welcome home
Ayanda” he said that as he unlocked the door
Jane:”so this is where you
live?”
Clifford:” yeah…this is where
I’ve been for 18 years”
Jane:”ow” he opened the door
and switched on the light and Jane and I walked inside the house. It looked
better than I thought, it actually looked good. It looked like a normal home.
We were in a lounge that also had a small kitchen in a corner. He had a big
flat screen mounted on the wall and few computers in the room
Jane:” so now that we are
here…tell me how you came to know about me, my fake name, where I was and what
is your involvement in all this and what you meant when you said that this is
not our fight”
She said that while standing
in the middle of the room
Clifford:” you said your mom
died…is that true?” he looked at her with his red eyes
Jane: “yes” she said and
swallowed
Clifford:’ and the kids?”
Jane: “were they also yours?”
Cliff: “no, but do you know
where they are?”
Me:” No I don’t know where
they are” he clenched his teeth together and walked away
Jane: “you are running?”
Clifford:” f*** it Ayanda I
need a moment okay? Believe it or not but Norma was the love of my life” he said
that and walked towards the passage and Jane followed him
Me: “a moment? You don’t
deserve a f******g moment…you’ve been having a bloody stupid moment for 18 damn
years” he ignored her and walked to one of the rooms and locked her outside.
She kicked the door and then walked back to me
Me:”Babe don’t let him get to
you okay? We are here with him in the middle of nowhere so he will eventually
talk don’t worry”
Jane:” I just want answers
Munei, that man over there hold a piece of a puzzle that we desperately need, I
mean who knows, maybe talking to him can ensure that we find my siblings, they
are the only link I have to my mother” she was trying her best not to cry again
Me:” it’s okay” she threw
herself on the sofa
Jane: “he said I am weak” she
was trying her best to stop the tears from falling. I went to sit next to her
and cupped her face and tears started falling
Me:” your mom died Jane so yes
you are allowed to be weak and vulnerable, why are you letting this man get to
you? We don’t even know him…yes he is your father and you have his blood
running through your veins but that doesn’t mean that you should let him get to
you like this” Clifford came back to the room and Jane brushed me off
immediately and stood up
…
Jane:” I need to find the
kids, you need to help me find the kids” he looked at Jane with the eyes that
showed that he was crying. He sat on the chair and looked at her
Cliff: ’you won’t get them
unless Zac want you to find them”
Jane:” so you don’t want to
help me?”
Cliff:” it’s not that I don’t
want to help but what they did now is the same thing they did when they
abducted you…they did it to lure me in and kill me but I never showed myself” I
looked at him and felt the blood being drained out of my body in a second…I
clenched my fists together
Jane: “what are you saying?”
my whole body was heating up
Me:” love calm dow-“ she
looked at me in a second
Jane: “stop…your father is
dead and you don’t get to tell me how to talk to mine so sit the f*** down”
even though I understand her situation, my first instinct was to fucking hit
her hard head against the wall to stop her from thinking that she can talk to
me anyway but her father was here and even though I knew I was good, I didn’t
know just how good this Cliff guy was. So I backed down and shook my head and
sat on the couch…but I was f*****g mad
Jane: “back to you…are you
saying that I was only taken because they wanted your big ugly head? And you
chose not to show it so that I can have eternity of torture? Is that what you
are saying?”
Cliff:” if you don’t calm down
I won’t say anything else Ayanda…you have to stop swearing when you talk to
me…I am not your boyfriend and definitely won’t have you telling me what to say
or how to say it” he said that and tried to excuse himself but Jane went to him
and tried to punch him on the face…she had tears in her eyes
Clifford:” everything you know
I taught the people who taught you and there is a lot where all of that came
from….so sit down my child…have a cup of coffee and calm down and then we will
talk” he said that and pushed her and she fell. I went to him faster than I
could reason with myself…Jane was pregnant with my chid and I wasn’t going to
have her being pushed around like that
Me: “the f*** do you think you
are doing to my-“ he grabbed me by my neck
Cliff: “your what? I am on
your side kids…I really am but you need to get off your high horses and
recognise who is an adult around here and then we can talk…I wanna go for a
swim…feel free to leave if you want to” he said that and got out of the house
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