A new short story set in Rhodesia

A Rhodesian crime story.

The man staggered down the empty street, the hot sun beating down on his back, which had been laid bare by the struggles he had returning from the veld.

He slowly dragged his aching body to the bar, and with great strain, he pushed the doors open and fell on the floor. The patrons, at this early hour, there were not many looked on in amazement. 

First to speak was bartender Piet Canella, "Lord forgive us, I never thought to see the day when you returned Malik," he said as he studied the figure on the floor, "We thought you were dead in the veld. You realize you being in town, will come to the notice of Chris Malcolm."

Malik Johanssen replied, "Believe me, Piet, I am the least of his concerns. I heard some bad news on the radio at Welkom station before I set off for here. I know you didn't like me, but can I have a drink of water at least, Piet, the sun is baking, and it's hours since I had a drink."

Piet took pity on the ragged figure he saw before him, and poured Malik a beer, "This is on the house. I may not have liked you, but I respected you, Malik, you stood for what you believed when others went along with the crowd."

"That may be the case, Piet, but what did it get me but trouble, and being left for dead in the veld by a man I once considered a friend."

"I wouldn't be too hard on Chris. He had to uphold the law of the land, even if it meant taking you to task."

"I could have respected him for doing that, but taking me out in the veld after he gave me a beating and leaving me for dead; I wouldn't have done that to one of my workers, no matter what they'd done. That was plain cruel and vindictive. I put our rivalry over Marilyn behind me years ago, Chris is obviously not easy to get on with, or she'd still be with him. Her leaving him had nothing to do with the feelings she once had for me. If you recall, I was not even in Africa when she left; I was in Tel Aviv on business."

The bar fell silent as the doors opened and in walked the Sherrif, "Well, well, I never thought you'd return, Malik." Then Chris said with an ironic tone, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your return?"

Malik turned slowly as the bar remained silent, then he said, "I don't want trouble, Chris. My coming here has nothing to do with our dispute; I came to tell you some bad news I heard on the radio a day ago."

"What news could be worse than you being here, Malik?"

"Welkom station reported that Krieg van Moer has escaped and is heading our way, but I have my doubts about the direction he'll being moving."

"Why is that?"

"van Moer is smart; we know that. He won't be coming this way because he knows you'll be watching all the roads from Durban and Pretoria to Port Elizabeth, my guess is he'll go inland and head for the border."

"What makes you think that?"

"He's on foot, so the easy route is to head for Gaborone in Botswana as they have a small private airfield, from there he can fly to Lagos, and then escape our clutches."

Chris was going to speak, but he didn't wish to hear the answer to his question. Still, he had to know one way or the other, so, he asked, "How did you come by this information, Malik, there's been no news on the radio?"

"There won't be for a few hours, Welkom uses a hard to track frequency that fluctuates in the heat. I thought van Moer wouldn't be wise enough not to use regular bands that you can track. So I spent a few days at Welkom trawling the rarely used bands. That's how I picked the signal up."

"And how do you know he's heading there?"

"Chris, it makes sense. It's the closest border, and it's inland. I recalled the airstrip there from my days in the Bush Patrols. It's not more than a grass strip, but good enough for a light airplane to use to ferry one or two people to a larger airport."

"If van Moer's got a day's headstart, how do you expect to catch him, Malik?"

"Chris, you forget, while your descendants were busy building cities to trade, mine were traveling the bush in search of good farmlands to raise sheep. I know the bush better than these city streets. He may have the headstart, but we have some idea where he's heading, and we have the advantage of faster transport. It won't take long to get your jeep running, and Ojanga can track him on horseback."

"I doubt my jeep can be much help; the engine hasn't run for so long it's probably gummed up."

"It will be as good as new in a short while, all I need is a spanner and some oil; those old things will go for years on little maintenance, they are designed for desert travel."

Chris looked out of the window at the scrubland, and said, "Do you think Ojanga can track van Moer out there?"

Malik smiled, then replied, "He can track an Ostrich across the Kalahari in a sandstorm. I saw him bring a child back that got lost on a trek. The kid had been out there for days before Ojanga found her. He knows all the tracks, wadis, and waterholes between here and the border. If Ojanga can't catch him, then van Moer can't be found. He may have the drop on us, but van Moer's been in prison so he'll be tiring quicker than us, and in need of food sooner; all this will slow him. Don't make any mistake; he knows the scrubland almost as well as Ojanga; this is going to be a long hunt."

"How sure are you that van Moer's heading for Botswana? He's been inside for almost five years."

"I can't be certain. I'm only going on what I heard at Welkom, and how I react if I was in his shoes. I could be wrong, Chris, but I don't think I am."

"For everyone's sake, I hope you're right, Malik, van Moer is a dangerous man, and now he's got revenge on his mind he'll be like a rabid dog, unpredictable."

"He's out, but I'm confident we can catch up with him. Ojanga is our main chance, van Moer maybe Dutch and know the veld, but he's still a white man and the sun will take its toll sooner on him than on Ojanga. You go and get the jeep started, and I'll inform Ojanga of what's going on, Chris."

"Malik, the jeep hasn't been used for years, I'm not sure the engine will turn over."

"Get me a spanner, some oil, and a small wrench, and I can fix her up, we don't have time for niceties. If the Vickers still fixed in the mount?"

"As far as I can recall, it is, but I haven't moved the covers in years, so I've no idea if we can use it."

"I don't think we have another option, Chris. If he has this much of a headstart, we may need to consider killing van Moer rather than capturing him. If you go to the garage and find out what shape the jeep is in, I'll go and find Ojanga and get him on his way, and we can catch up with him later. Before we set off, Piet can you give me a beer, please, the veld makes your mouth dry."

Piet, the bartender, glanced at Chris. 

Chris nodded his agreement, he knew now was not the time to continue with grudges, the most wanted criminal this side of the Congo was on the run, that means nobody is safe.

Malik took the cold beer from Piet and drank it slowly; he knew the risks of gulping an iced drink down in this heat too well. He'd been fortunate to save his son several years ago from a heart attack from drinking too much too quickly. Now, both his son and wife were far from this land he called home; Kristina had taken their son, Frans, and moved back to Austria.

The beer tasted nice after weeks in the sun, but Malik had more on his mind than the taste of his first drink in weeks; he thought where he could find Ojanga after all these weeks. 

Malik put his glass down on the counter and nodded to Piet as he turned to walk out of the bar. The main street was the same as he recalled weeks ago, dry and dusty. "Times don't change," he thought as he walked down the road, "I'd wager Ojanga is still in the same hut as he was when I left." 

Malik wandered out of the city and headed for the shanty towns where the colored population lived in poverty; this was something that angered him as he knew some of the people worked long hours for little pay. 

"It didn't take long for a non-colored man to get spotted in the shantytown, and he heard the shout of "What are you doing here, white-man?"

"Turning in the direction of the voice, Malik replied, "I'm not white, I'm Boer and detest the whites as much as you do. I'm looking for Ojanga."

After a short time, a familiar voice called from a hut, "Welcome back, Massa Malik. I can guess why you are looking for me. News travels faster in the veld than the city, we heard of van Moer's escape days ago, and I thought my services would be called on again in tracking him."

"Hi, Ojanga, my old friend. You are correct, we all know how dangerous van Moer is, so capturing him is of great importance."

Ojanga asked, "Do you think he'll head inland?"

"If I'm right, he'll head for Botswana. He already has three days head start, but he'll be tiring quickly and need to keep resting in this humidity."

"If you are right, and I don't doubt your thinking. We don't have much time to catch van Moer. However, we do have one ally out in the borders."

"By that, you mean Akuji, I presume."

"Yes, Malik, Akuji is a powerful being and not one to be thought of lightly. Some whites came here years ago, and they went mad, Akuji will follow you until you die if you enter his land."

Chris looked at Malik in amazement and said, "Do you believe in these ghost stories? I thought we told them to the kids to stop them from wandering too far."

Malik's reply took Chris by surprise when he said, "I didn't know until about a year ago. I was walking on the Veld when I thought I saw a man ahead of me, I called out to him, but as he turned to face me, he vanished. I have tried to convince myself it was the heat, but there are many things out there, Chris, that to this day, I can't explain."

Ojanga added, "van Moer could be walking to death worse than the worse than any man can think of is he crosses the border into the land of Akuji. Akuji allows you to exist, only so he can drive you mad with the horrors he can show you."

Chris retorted, "And you believe these stories, Malik, they are for parents to scare children with."

Malik again astonished Chris with his reply when he said, "I didn't until I found a book in the library at Welkom station that has been out of print for over fifty years describing one man's fears about his sanity after coming to the Congo. The book is titled Akuji."

"If the story is what I think it is, your book could be like the book I saw in a bookshop in Bloemfontein last year. The book I saw was old and tattered, as though it had passed through many hands in its time. That book was called Did we see him? I didn't put much thought into its contents until now. Could it be possible that the stories are linked somehow?"

Ojanga replied, "There are stories in my tribe that many moons ago, the lands were once connected, it is possible that Akuji, or his kind, did cross the great seas."

Chris said, "We can discuss this idea later, now, we have a more urgent task, Ojanga you run ahead and be our guide. Malik can follow you in the jeep, and I'll see if the chopper is fuelled up; we can't allow van Moer to escape capture again."

Ojanga didn't need to be told a second time as he set off at a gentle jog in pursuit of his quarry. 

Malik jogged to the garage to check the jeep out, as he pulled the tarp off he crossed himself and whispered, "Please start, we can't waste time with repairs." After a couple of false starts, the old engine kicked into action, and Malik was on his way. Above the purr of the engine, Malik could hear the gentle whoop of the chopper blades as they began to get into action.

The plan was for Chris to fly ahead, being in the air, he had a greater opportunity to see the fleeing van Moer than Ojanga did tracking him on foot. Ojanga's part was the most vital, as he would be the man to run van Moer to the ground so Malik could capture him. The machine gun, if it worked, was only to be used if van Moer was able to evade Ojanga and make the run to the border post.

On the veld, van Moer was tiring, not only from the heat but from a lack of food. He knew he had to have a rest. Still, at the same time, he knew the men chasing him were closing in and would think nothing of killing him and leaving his body as carrion for the scavengers that roamed the area at night.van Moer stumbled and fell, hardly able to stand, he rolled into a small cave to attempt to slow the rate of perspiration and his heart rate. He knew that loss of water was as big a killer as heatstroke on the veld, and his target, the border, lay in front of him. All he needed to do was have a rest, and keep calm, and then he'd be at the border by nightfall. 

Chris searched the ground ahead of his route, but in the dim light spotting, a man walking was becoming too hard, so he called Malik on the radio. "It's no use, in this light, my altitude is no help to us I'll head back to the city and hope you can track him tomorrow, Roger, over and out." 

"Roger that, Chris, we can track him for a while down here yet, Ojanga can follow the smell of the smoke on the wind, and lead me to van Moer. With his headstart, he can't be far from the border, Chris, over and out."

Ojanga looked at Malik and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't let you down, master."

Malik gave Ojanga a shake, then replied, "I never doubted you could track him down, Ojanga. This land is our country; our fathers and grandfathers were tracking this area long before his kind had broken the first soils of their cities. We can rest a while, and then we'll begin the hunt for van Moer with clear minds. Do you think Akuji will be able to help us?"

Ojanga smiled, his teeth glistening in the dimmed firelight, and said, "I have no reason not to believe he will, master. Akuji has guarded my people for centuries; he will not desert me now."

"How do you want to track him, Ojanga, from here the call is yours?"

"The best way is on foot; the silence is our friend. Our enemy has the lead, but I have his trail, and we will catch him soon, I believe. Being hunted is more tiring than being the hunter."

Malik and Ojanga kicked sand on their fire as they stood in preparation for the final hunt phase as the rose. Ojanga stood still, the wind was carrying the sound of the veldt, and before the chase could start, he needed to listen to the calls of any animals on the prowl. Malik was impatient to catch his prey, but he realized the best option was to go with Ojanga's instincts in the dark, it had been a long while since he'd been out in the dark; he was a long way from getting his night eyes back.

Finally, Ojanga set off, heading into the veldt. Malik had no idea which direction they were going, but he knew he could trust Ojanga to track van Moer to ground.

The light faded into darkness as the men tracked their prey. After about two hours, Ojanga came to a halt; he stood still and pointed to a small hill barely visible on the horizon. "This is as far as we can go safely, master, that hill marks the boundary to the land of Akuji."

"Do you think van Moer has gone over the hill, Ojanga?"

"I can think of no other path across the border, master. The only different route I would not attempt in the daylight, it is crossed with deadly gulches. If you went that way, there would be no way to cross the border as the gulches are so deep no man has crossed them before."

"What do we do now?"

"All we can do, master, is wait to see what Akuj does. We must never cross the boundary in the night. I know you respect our traditions, even if you do not always believe in them, but a man live van Moer will not. That will bring on him the wrath of Akuji as he travels further inland."

Malik and Ojanga turned back from the chase, Malik was not sure if they did the correct thing, but in the night they had few options available. They hadn't been walking for long when Ojanga stopped and turned to look at the hillock. "Master, look, Akuji is rising."

In the distance, Malik could see, barely, a plume of smoke rising and taking the form of a man. No sooner had the smoke solidified than the sound of an aircraft engine pierced the air. "Damn, van Moer is escaping with his ill-gotten gains," he said as Ojanga smiled at the hill. 

The shrill sound of an engine straining to lift off was followed by the sight of a hand reaching into the sky. There was a silence like the grave; then, the air was split by a deafening roar like the sound of rushing water as the ground shook, and the night got lit up like a raging fire. Then nothing but the call of the animals hunting.

"What do you think, master, Akuji has returned the things that belong to our land to us."

Malik smiled and replied, "I don't think there'd be any point in sending a search party to find the remains of the plane or the men, from the heat of the blast I will assume there is nothing left to find, and if there was the veldt will claim it before we can return. I say we make camp here for the night and head for the town at first light."

Dawn broke the following day, despite his concerns, Malik found they could locate his jeep very quickly. The men got in and headed and headed back to the town, the journey didn't take long, and the first person to greet them was Chris. "What the hell was that explosion last night, Malik, I thought the jeep had hit a mine from the days when we were fighting in the veldt?"

Ojanga smiled, then replied, "No, master, that was Akuji taking his revenge on the evil man who escaped. There will be no need to search for him; Akuji caused such a fire as the means to cleanse the wind of time."

Chris laughed, then said, "The glare from the fire almost blinded me, and the force of the blast almost forced me to crash; it was so powerful, Ojanga. What are your plans now?"

Ojanga replied, "Master Malik has offered me the position as a permanent guide on his land."

"And you, Malik?"

Malik stopped as he walked to the bar; then said, "After I've sunk a few cold beers, I'm heading back to Welcom to open up a gold mine. While I stayed there, I saw an abandoned mine from our days of prospecting. As the money will be going to the tribal chiefs, I don't think Akuji will object."