I came up to the villa not far from my previous hide. A faint light was glowing in the open doorway, enough to show a patrolling guard moving across the rear of the building. I gave it a few minutes to check his routine, then moved down the slope, giving the grounds a wide berth in case other guards had been posted further out.
I reached the dunes above the beach and stayed low for a couple of minutes, listening.
It looked quiet and peaceful, the insect noise now replaced by the hiss of the sea. It could have been any idyllic, exotic vacation setting had it not been for the rifle in my hand and the still lingering smell of explosives in the air.
I counted three boats, vague slug-like shapes against the sand and frothy tideline. I took off my boots and socks, then tied the laces together and slung them round my neck. If any eagle-eyed guards came this way and saw the shape of western-style footwear where there should be none, the game would be up. Then I stepped off the dunes and walked across the beach.
Just like that.
I felt the hairs on my neck prickling all the way. I felt vulnerable like never before, as if stepping across a minefield. I was counting on being mistaken in the poor light for a patrolling guard. Not that I looked anything like a Somali pirate, but the rifle held loosely over my shoulder might throw off any suspicion.
I reached the boats unchallenged and checked them out. They looked and felt ready for sea, and held the same kind of water and fuel containers I’d found in the boats I’d destroyed what felt like a lifetime ago. There were floats, nets, extra clothing, and even coils of rope with grappling hooks and rope ladders. Everything a pirate could wish for. Even the shelters were rigged with the canvas coverings in place, which I took to mean they were ready to move come morning.
It made me even more determined; if I was right, come morning the boats would be gone and we would have no way out.
I checked each of the engines by feel. One had a stripped-down feel, with sharp edges and recesses covered in thick grease and oil and layered in dirt, and was fitted with an extra-long propeller shaft. Tober had warned me to avoid these, as without silencers they were very noisy, slow and difficult to use in a strong sea. The other two were very different beasts; they were fitted with twin outboards, which felt like newer models, but I couldn’t tell if they had been disabled or not as the casings were in place and impossible to shift.
Now was not the time to debate the issue. I ripped the power leads from the stripped-down engine and tossed them into the water. If we couldn’t use it, there was no point in allowing anybody else to do so. I couldn’t tell if either of the other two was in working order, so I’d have to get Tober to advise on them when we got back.
Then I walked back up the beach and replaced my shoes, before making my way back past the villa and back into the bush.
I reached the pickup and watched it for a few moments in case the searchers had come out this far and discovered it. Then I gave a brief whistle and walked across to the far side, where I’d left Tober.
He was gone.
Sixty-Five
I checked inside and underneath the cab in case he’d heard a noise and ducked under the only cover available. No dice.
I began searching the area around the truck, gradually widening the circle and hoping to pick up a trail. I kept telling myself that he couldn’t have gone far. Even if he was confused by shock and pain, he’d looked too done in to go anywhere without falling over.
Ten paces out from the truck, I found the Vektor.
It was nose down in the dirt, showing a glimpse of starlight off the barrel. I brushed it off and stowed it away. A little further on I found a scrape in the dirt where Tober must have stumbled and dragged his injured leg. At least I was on the right track.
Another fifty paces out and I heard a low snuffling sound in the night somewhere ahead. Instinct told me it wasn’t human, but I couldn’t identify it for certain. I should have paid more attention to the National Geographic channel.
It came again, this time followed by a bunch of squeaks and squeals, and my neck bristled. I knew what it was now, and it wasn’t good news. If Tober had stumbled on them, he was in grave danger.
It was a warthog with young. Warthogs tend to avoid contact with humans, but when they have young with them, which this one did, and felt threatened, they’d attack anything that moved without hesitation.
I stood very still and waited for the noises to be repeated so I could pinpoint their position. Neither the Vektor nor the AK were any defence against a charging adult warthog, especially in the dark. They could move with devastating speed and a hog’s tusks were a formidable weapon against soft human skin.
Eventually I heard a crackling noise and a series of low grunts, gradually moving away.
Then silence.
It took me another ten minutes to locate Tober. He’d fallen into a small hollow, and lay almost hidden in shadow. I reached down and checked his pulse. It was there but weak.
He was a lot worse than I thought.
I risked using the flashlight. The side of his shirt was dark with fresh blood. He was leaking again. I shook him gently and he eventually lifted his head and looked up at me. He moved as if he were drunk. I couldn’t tell if that was because of the pain or exhaustion, but I was guessing falling into the hollow hadn’t helped.
I eased him on to his feet and got him back to the pickup, where I propped him against the cab. If he went down again, I wasn’t sure I could lift him another time.
‘Stay with me, Doug. We’ve got to go.’ I gave his cheek a gentle slap. It was rough on him in his condition, but I needed him mobile and focussed for at least the next twenty minutes, otherwise we were done for.
‘OK, OK,’ he mumbled and swatted my hand away. It was a good sign.
I collected the trauma kit and put it in my backpack and slung Tober’s AK over my shoulder, then pointed him towards the coast. I intended taking the most direct route I could find. It would place us uncomfortably close to the villa, but with Tober getting noticeably weaker and in no condition for a lengthy route march, I had no choice.
We approached well away from the area where I’d seen the guard, but he’d changed his patrol route. The first indication I had was hearing a faint cough and a spit right where I thought would be clear space. Then I saw him. He was walking along the track, still looking fully alert, a rifle slung over his shoulder and head turning to listen over the noises of the night bugs. I froze and held on to Tober. Fortunately he got the message and went still.
Getting us both across the track without being seen was going to be tough. It was wide here and Tober couldn’t move fast or stealthy any longer. And we didn’t have the time or energy to circle round.
There was nothing for it. I let Tober sink slowly to the ground and put the AK down beside him.
I didn’t want to have to do this, but it was the guard or us. I took out the Ka-Bar and moved forward, then waited for the guard to come back along the track.
It didn’t take long. I heard the soft slap of his sandals on the hard earth. He was probably walking briskly to keep himself awake.
I waited until he was almost past me, then stepped out behind him. He sensed my presence and began to turn, but too late. I slapped my free hand over his mouth from behind and thrust the knife into his ribs.
He struggled momentarily, then stiffened and went still. I eased him down and dragged him off the track for some twenty paces, dumping the body into a dip in the earth. I took his spare AK magazine and stuffed it in my pocket, then hauled Tober back to his feet and we scuttled across the track into the bush.
After that it was a relentless shuffling of one foot in front of the other until we hit the slope above the beach. I paused for a moment, out of breath and feeling nauseous. I hadn’t eaten enough to keep up my energy levels, and my arm around Tober was aching with the strain of holding him up. I checked our surroundings. I couldn’t see the villa guard from here due to the lay of the land, even though there was way more light than on my earlier trip.