Anhur

by Wayne Marinovich

  ‘Yes. Are you deaf?’

  ‘If we bring Gibbs in alive, I take it you’ll offer the Bounty Hunter four times the original bounty. Remember you have already doubled the amount for Gibbs alive.’

  The line was silent.

  ‘Rolin?’ Andrei said.

  ‘Yes. Four times to get to him to me alive.’

  ‘For that money, Gibbs would walk in himself. That money could be given to Gibbs’s son.’

  ‘Why should I give a shit about his son?’

  ‘We’re closer to Gibbs than we’ve ever been. I can talk him in when I see him. In the meantime, I’ll hand you over to the Bounty Hunter to confirm the bounty,’ Andrei said and passed the phone to Elijah, who had a large smile on his face.

  Chapter 47

  Outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA – 2043

  The bumping against the back of his head was starting to irritate him. Gibbs opened his eyes as his head hit against something metal. He was in the back of a van again, but this van had the roof section hacked off to make it into a pickup. The black sky was rumbling more than he remembered, and the clouds above him were dense with rain. Sadness hit him when he remembered Enyo and the frantic chase along the road. Both his legs were stretched out on the back, but he couldn’t feel them. The vehicle he was in wobbled slightly like it had a bent back axle, and it was going slowly along a tarred road. The storm whipped up gusts across the plain to his left, and dust swirled across the already sand-covered tarmac.

  Pushing himself up a little, the pain from his stomach remind him that he was wounded. The ketamine had worn off, so he had to suck it up for a little. Where was his jacket? Three clear plastic buckets were along the side of the wall. Lids on two of them covered what looked like roadkill coyote and rabbit squashed into them. Scavenger’s food.

  ‘Hiya, buddy,’ a voice said from behind him. ‘Welcome back to the land of the living.’

  ‘Where the hell am I?’

  ‘I found you on the road and thought you were a goner. You surprised me as I was going through your jacket pockets. I helped you into the back and set off to Knoxville. I know a good doctor there who might be able to remove that piece of metal coming out of you,’ the man said.

  The vehicle slowed even more and then stopped. A door opened and shut as the man walked to the back. The white-bearded face of a man in his sixties looked over the side of the van and smiled. A few of his teeth were missing, and he was chewing something. He flung Gibbs’s jacket over the side and it landed on his legs.

  ‘You were burning up something awful fierce back there. I took that off you too cool you down. Is that your medicine in the pocket? Check it’s still there. I don’t want you thinking me a thief.’

  Gibbs pulled the ketamine from the pocket and nodded his head. ‘Thanks for picking me up. What type of car is this? It wobbles all over the place.’

  ‘It’s an old gang member van I found abandoned. I collect a lot of their scrap and have managed to patch a few together. It means I can move about freely.’

  ‘You an engineer?’

  ‘I was in the air force a long while back. Now I scavenge to trade at Floodlander markets,’ the man said and grabbed a bottle of water from his pocket. ‘You in trouble with the gangs?’

  The pain coursed through Gibbs again, and he felt the heat spreading in his stomach. ‘I was, but I killed all of them.’

  ‘You that Hooded Man then? I recognise the way you dress. Stories of you are all over that pirate radio station.’

  ‘Nah. I just look like him. I get asked that more than you can imagine.’

  ‘Uh-huh. I bet you do,’ he said, smiling and offering his hand. ‘My name is Duke.’

  ‘Name is Smithy,’ Gibbs said, shaking the man’s hand.

  ‘You from Scotland?’

  ‘Many years ago.’

  ‘You must be used to this rain then. It’s going to belt down soon.’

  ‘Looks that way, doesn’t it,’ Gibbs said. ‘Can I have a drink of water?’

  ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘ I think we had better be going if you want to get to the doctor.’

  Gibbs lifted his shirt and looked at the material that had been wrapped around his midriff. ‘You do this?’

  ‘Didn’t want you bleeding out all over my van. The bandage wasn’t sterilised, but the doc can give you a shot for the infection if he has any left.’

  Gibbs pulled back the material and looked at the seeping blood that was slipping down his side. There were foreign objects in the blood. ‘The intestine might be ruptured, so the doc is better off giving that injection to someone more fitting.’

  ‘Still, we can get you to a room and comfortable bed for you to relax in. If you’re going to meet your Maker, it’s best to be comfortable.’

  Gibbs leaned forward, grimacing with pain, and slowly put on his jacket with the help of Duke. He was shivering. Grabbing the ketamine, he cracked the seal and inhaled the full dose. ‘Going to be a good storm, I think. It’s been years since I saw clouds like those.’

  ‘Best we get going then. It’s still some way to go at the speed this old girl goes. If you’re up for it, you can join me in the front. There’s plenty of space and its quite comfortable. We have another two hours or so to go.’

  ‘Thanks, Duke, but all good journeys must come to an end. I think this is where I say goodbye. Help me off, will you.’

  ‘What? Out here in the open?’

  ‘Prop me up against one of those fence posts, facing the rain. I bet the view will be spectacular,’ Gibbs said, feeling pain wash away as a drop of rain thudded onto the plastic floor of the van.

  ‘I’m not sure about that, buddy. I’ve seen many wounded men in my life, and I think with medical help, you have a good chance of recovery.’

  ‘Come on, Duke. I bet you’ve got better things to do. I don’t have much else left,’ Gibbs said and pulled the hoodie up over his head.

  ‘Okay then,’ Duke said and walked around the back.

  Gibbs smiled a little as the man pulled on his legs to get them over the edge. Stumbling slowly, they made their way over to an old farm fence post where Gibbs sat down.

  Duke handed him a bottle of water. ‘It ain’t right. Let me take you to get help, buddy. This is no way for a man to end his life.’

  Gibbs waved him away and took a drink of water. ‘We all end up dead, Duke.’

  ‘You sure, Smithy?’

  Gibbs looked around. His head felt heavy. ‘Smithy’s here. Tell the old bastard to go and get Christina. The storm is coming.’

  Duke shook his head and laughed as he walked away. ‘Smithy, my ass.’

  Gibbs watched the man walk away, and the rusty mishappen van drive off. Lightning blasted through black clouds off in the distance and grounded in a range of hills. The thunder rumbled towards him a second later. It was close. A heavy raindrop hit the welcoming dust in front of him. Then one hit his leg. Removing the hood, he turned his face to the sky as the torrent washed across the plain.

  Chapter 48

  Outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA – 2043

  The rhythm of the windscreen wipers was hypnotic as Andrei flicked cigarette ash out of the sliver of open window. Drops splashed through the window, freshening him up. In the van ahead of them, Nastas was still leading the tracking. Elijah was sitting next to Andrei and had his window open. The rain was coming in from the other direction. He held his hand up in the air and brought it in to rub the water all over his face.

  ‘Man, this is refreshing. Will fill the rivers and reservoirs again.’

  Andrei grunted, finishing off his cigarette.

  The van in front started to slow down and then pulled over to stop, letting them pull up alongside it. Elijah waited until Nastas opened his window. ‘There’s someone sitting against the fence. About forty metres ahead. Could be your man.

  Andrei leaned to the side and squinted. He could make out the shape of a person, but the wipers had been switched off as the van stopped. ‘Let’s
get closer. I cannot see anything.’

  ‘Thanks, Nastas,’ Elijah said, pulling his Sig 226 out of the door holster. ‘We’ll take it from here.’

  ‘Please keep that hidden from view,’ Andrei said. ‘Let me go in first, okay?’

  ‘Sure. This is just a precaution. He’s not going anywhere by the look of it.’

  Andrei looked out at the drenched figure that was slumped against the post. The man’s head had fallen forward onto his chest.

  ‘Would he boobytrap himself?’ Elijah asked.

  ‘What? Why would he do that?’

  ‘My men found wire at one of those wrecks back there and a huge blast radius that could only have come from a roadside bomb.’

  Andrei chuckled and reached for the handle. As he exited the van, he broke into a loud laugh. This led to a coughing fit and more blood. He bent over until he had caught his breath then turned to talk to Elijah through the open window. ‘If he has boobytrapped himself, then me setting us both off wouldn’t be a waste of your good men now, would it?’

  ‘Just have a look first before moving him.’

  ‘My friend. I am barely able to move myself these days. Where am I going to move him to?’ he said and left the van to walk through the red mud.

  The drizzle wetted his face as he approached the figure and knelt in the mud next to the man’s leg. The figure’s hand had fallen into the small pool of blood and rainwater that had formed next to his right leg. As he lifted the hoodie slightly, the sorrow hit Andrei.

  ‘You look like shit, old friend,’ Andrei said.

  He reached up to under Gibbs’s chin and felt for a pulse. His head rolled to the left and then backwards. Andrei closed his eyes to concentrate and block out the raindrops. He moved his hand a little and waited. Trying for the third time, he removed his hand. Andrei patted Gibbs on the shoulder and smiled as he noticed a flicker under Gibbs’s eyelids. Elation followed. ‘It will all be okay. The Hooded Man legend will continue long after we have both gone. Your time here is done.’

  • • •

  With the rain came the fresh smell of hope. Andrei stood on top of the roadside verge facing Elijah and two of his men. He took out a cigarette and lit it in the rain. Dimples in his cheeks showed through as he smiled and took a long drag.

  ‘Elijah, you can tell these two men to collect the body and place it in the back of our van. There are no booby traps,’ he said, taking a step towards the Bounty Hunter.

  ‘So that ends the hunt,’ Elijah said.

  ‘I warned you that you’d be lucky to get him alive,’ Andrei said.

  ‘A day or two earlier and we’d have been in time to see if you could talk him around.’

  Andrei smiled, taking the cigarette from his mouth. ‘I have a request to make of you.’

  Elijah chuckled. ‘I had a feeling you and I weren’t finished.’

  ‘Firstly. I am not going back to the NEG. I will die here and would like to be buried in America. Gibbs’s son, Stuart, has a right to stay here and not be harassed for anything his father or I did.’

  ‘I have no issue with you or his family. That is not my bounty. If it does become my bounty, I may refuse it.’ Andrei nodded a thank you. ‘Spit it out, old man. I can see that there is more to come.’

  ‘Stuart has a right to see his father buried here in New America, so he can pay his respects whenever he chooses.’

  ‘My Russian friend, I always get my bounty. Dead or alive. Byrdich and Rolin want to see Gibbs’s body. I will have to ship it to them to collect my money.’

  Andrei reached into his pocket and pulled the leather folder from his jacket.

  ‘Ah, the mysterious leather pouch,’ Elijah said.

  ‘This contains enough dirt to sink both those men. You could bribe them for ten times the bounty value,’ Andrei said.

  ‘Thanks, but I don’t want to get into the extortion business. Especially with the leaders of the new world.’

  ‘You are in the extortion business. All of those informers who owe you favours?’

  Elijah smiled. ‘Vastly different but I see your point.’

  ‘I will pay you the last of my warlord money which will cover the bounty anyway. Take one of those burnt bodies from the wreckage back there, one of those worthless gang members. Tell Rolin and Byrdich he was burnt up in a crash, resisting arrest. You can plant Gibbs’s jacket, scarf and goggles as proof if you must.’

  Elijah stood up from leaning against the van. ‘I supposed that plan would work. I have done it before,’ he said.

  Andrei watched the men carrying a limp Gibbs to the back of the van and smiled. ‘He needs a proper burial with his family here.’

  ‘Then that is what he shall have. But once you have honoured your side of the deal.’

  ‘The money is a simple thing to organise,’ Andrei said. ‘First, I want to make another man pay for his crimes.’

  He walked to the back of the van and watched them laying Gibbs flat on the floor. He took out the satphone and dialled a pre-dialled number.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Hello, Wolfgang. Andrei here.’

  Silence on the line.

  ‘Come now, old friend. How can you not be happy to hear from me?’

  ‘You’re a wanted man. Friends or not, I could get into trouble just for speaking to you. Luckily I’m not in the office today.’

  ‘With your soft cuddly mistress, no doubt.’ The man chuckled on the other end. ‘Gibbs is dead. Killed in a car crash during a chase. We’ll be shipping his body to the NAG chancellor in the next few days. That should keep Hamburg happy.’

  ‘That will be a relief to many. One in particular.’

  ‘About that man. I want you to release the documents as we agreed. Take them straight to the Commissioner of Prosecution.’

  ‘You sure. Rolin will take you down with him.’

  ‘He’s a paedophile. A pig who has made so many suffer. I am not implicated in that.’

  ‘While it will be my pleasure to see him arrested, Rolin has a bad heart and won’t be around for long once this scandal breaks.’

  ‘Who cares? He’s a monster. One of a few in the halls of power. They should all be exposed for the animals they are. Besides, this clears the way for you to become Chancellor, doesn’t it.’

  ‘He has supporters here. They may come after you.’

  ‘Let him. I have lung cancer, and won’t make the end of the month.’

  ‘I am sorry to hear that, old friend.’

  ‘No sympathy needed, just promise me you won’t let Rolin slip away.’

  Chapter 49

  New European Government building, Hamburg, Germany – 2043

  The slim young man walked away from the desk, and Marc Rolin continued to stare at him. The privilege of power meant getting poor boys off the street and educating them to be his drivers, butlers and valets. This one was his favourite. A sweet boy from Italy who would do what he wanted in bed. The young man reached the doors and pulled both open. A captain of the NEG guard stood with his lieutenant.

  ‘What is it, captain? Please come in. Get coffee for these men, Luigi.’

  ‘That won’t be necessary, chancellor,’ the man said as he walked across the polished wooden floor to where two Louis XIV chairs were placed for guests in front of the large teak desk. He stopped and saluted.

  ‘Thank you, captain,’ Marc said. ‘At ease.’

  The captain took off his cap and reached into his tunic, pulling out a folded piece of paper. ‘A warrant has been issued for you, chancellor. I need you to accompany me down to the courts for questioning.’

  ‘What are you talking about? I’m the Chancellor of the NEG Government. You do not arrest me.’

  ‘The Commissioner of Prosecutions office has issued it.’

  ‘On what grounds? What are the charges, captain?’

  The man looked back to see Luigi standing with the lieutenant.

  ‘Documents were received from Warlord Andrei Kirilenko and allegations made by
one of the ministers in your government. The allegations tell of certain liaisons that the chancellor has made in the past.’

  Marc felt the wind taken from him as an icy feeling washed over him. ‘I’m aware of those old allegations made against two other chancellors and me. They were quashed many years ago. Are these just being refiled because others want my job?’

  ‘I don’t know the details about this, sir. My orders are to bring you in.’

  ‘This is outrageous,’ he said, leaning back in his chair as he pulled himself closer to his desk. ‘Luigi, contact the commissioner. I want to know the meaning of this.’

  The lieutenant walked closer and stood next to his captain. He removed his cap.

  ‘I must insist that you accompany me, sir. I’m sure that it can all be cleared up at the courthouse.’

  Marc’s hand moved from his right knee to the object he wanted. The rubber grip soothed his panic. Pulling it up, he pointed the Glock at the captain and fired. The man’s eyebrows raised briefly as he looked down at his chest, his left knee buckling under his weight. The lieutenant reached for his sidearm and struggled with the leather strap. He looked up in a panic and took a bullet between the eyes, sending his head backwards, followed by his body which toppled backwards onto the cold floor with a thud. Marc stood, adrenaline coursing through him, and walked around the desk. The captain groaned with pain and grabbed at the red stain over his heart. He looked up as Marc walked over and shot him through the eye.

  Luigi shrieked and went down on his knees, cowering near the double doors. ‘Come with me, my boy. It is time to leave.’

  The boy looked up, tears in his eyes. ‘No, signor. I cannot.’

  Raising the Glock, Marc shot him, spraying blood onto the white doors. He walked over to a painting on the wall and bumped it with his fist. It popped open to reveal a safe. Placing his thumb on the scanner pad, he heard it click, and opened it. Travel papers and cash were there for this eventuality, and he grabbed them, placing them inside his suit pocket. He grabbed more documents from the safe, closed the door and pocketed everything. Looking up, he saw a young woman standing in the doorway, hands up to her mouth. She fell backwards from the force of the bullet hitting her.