Amie in Africa Box Set 1

by Lucinda E Clarke

  She thought there were only two men whispering in Zulu. There was no sign of Simon; tears welled up as she imagined him dead.

  Finally, they reached the top of the first flight of stairs which wound round the outside of a very large metal tank. They dumped her on a narrow walkway about half way up and stopped for a short rest. Then, picking her up again, they continued to carry her up to a higher level where the open-meshed, steel walkway encircled the structure, before dropping her onto the steel grid which cut into her back and legs as she lay as helpless as a rag doll. She felt Ken’s hot breath as he leaned over her.

  “Such a shame it had to end like this, Amie. We never even got to have a good shag. Well, all you white scum will soon regret ever setting foot on this continent. We didn’t ask you here in the first place, and we’ve never wanted you here since. But don’t be sad, little Amie. Shame, I wish you could hear me, but I’ve planned such a spectacular end for you. You’ll go out in style.”

  It took all of Amie’s will power to remain still. She wanted to scream and shout, to tell Ken what she thought of him but realised it was wiser to play dead.

  There was the faint lapping sound of water from inside the tank, the odd animal cry and the overwhelming smell of the sea and fish. Then it dawned on her where she was. They’d brought her to uShaka, the resort complex centred round the aquarium at the far end of Durban’s South Beach. It covered a vast area, housing the fifth largest aquarium in the world coupled with a water fun park, restaurants and shops that spread across forty acres next to the Indian Ocean. It was a popular attraction for locals and visitors, but they had long departed. Tonight, it was deserted, the silence broken only by the occasional bark from the seals.

  There were few houses nearby so no one would hear if she screamed. Was Ken planning to feed her to the fish? Again, he read her mind.

  “They have an amazing collection of marine life here including hammerhead and ragged-tooth sharks. It’s time to give them a real treat, probably the best meal they’ve ever had. You will be much tastier than Simon.” He turned away and followed his accomplice up the short vertical ladder which led to the very top of the tank.

  Amie couldn’t control the shiver that ran from her head to her toes. Ken was going to put her in the shark tank. She began flexing her muscles she was not going down without a fight.

  Amie struggled to take in her surroundings. The structure itself resembled a huge oil storage tank, rising over fifty feet to the top with two circular platforms running around the outside each linked by metal staircases. She was now lying on the higher level, a narrow walkway which wrapped around the enormous metal structure, next to a vertical ladder that led to the very top, ending at another platform, which encompassed the lip of the tank. Peering up, she could just see their feet above her.

  For several moments they left her lying there. She had no idea what they were doing, but now was the moment to try and escape, this was her opportunity, her only chance. She tried to sit up. In her mind she was flying back down the stairs and racing across the open paved area back to the main gate. But the reality was different. She only had enough strength to open her eyes and turn her head. While she willed her body to move, to leap to her feet, to escape the danger, it simply refused to cooperate. She was as helpless as a new born baby, even more so, she couldn’t even wave her arms and legs.

  She could still see Ken’s feet above her head. His companion had moved along the top narrow ledge and was leaning over the lip of the tank. Ken remained at the top of the ladder whispering instructions. The accomplice appeared to be cutting something.

  Then, a shadow caught her eye and she saw the head of a third person appear from below and scramble up onto the walkway not three metres from where Amie was lying. It was too dark to see who it was, but it crept forward an inch at a time around the curved edge coming closer and closer on the walkway.

  She tried flexing her muscles again and this time she managed to lift her arms a little and slide her legs from side to side on the grating. She prayed the drug Ken had put in her coffee was wearing off. She kept flexing and relaxing, flexing and relaxing, hoping and praying she could get her limbs to work.

  Her eyes swivelled from Ken and his accomplice on the ledge above to the third shadow approaching them. Was it after her or Ken and his accomplice? Was it Simon? No, it couldn’t be. He’d been drugged as well. While she’d sipped her coffee and left as much as she dared in the bottom, he’d downed his quickly. She’d seen Ken check the empty mug on the side table and smirk.

  The shadowy figure ignored her, and stepping over her, he disappeared around the walkway and out of sight.

  Something was banging on the side of the tank, and the sound reverberating on the walls startled them all. Amie lay still, as swearing and cursing, Ken descended the ladder and strode out of sight round the upper walkway as he went to investigate.

  The unknown third man reappeared from the opposite direction, and ignoring Amie, bounded up the vertical ladder. From where Amie was lying, she saw him grab the man above by the ankles and then heave him over the top edge and into the tank. The man gave a short cry before he hit the water and Amie could hear him splashing around. She imagined his head going under and his piercing scream confirmed her thoughts. Ken came flying back along the walkway, pulled out his gun and peered up the ladder. He paused, squinting both ways along the walkway, but the dark figure was nowhere to be seen. Briefly, Ken looked down at Amie and kicked her in the ribs to assure himself she was still harmless. He called out to his accomplice, but there was no reply. He peered around both sides of the curved tank and began to follow the walkway to the left.

  As soon as he was out of sight, Amie made her move. Despite the pains shooting up her arms and legs and the pounding of her heart, she struggled up onto her knees. Grabbing a vertical strut which ran up the side of the tank she pulled herself to her feet. She was as weak as a kitten, her legs were jelly and she wobbled, but she was upright.

  Not for long. The next moment she was sent flying as the anonymous, dark figure shuffled backwards from the right, sending her flat on her back on the grating again. He was shortly followed by Ken, who now aimed the gun and ordered him to stay where he was. The figure paused. Ken looked at Amie, lying once more on the narrow gangway and stepped over her.

  “I have no intention of wasting a bullet on you, Simon. It’s got to be you, yes? Come closer where I can see you,” he hissed. “Let’s just say you fell in quite by accident. You won’t be lonely though as your girlfriend will soon be joining you.” Never taking his eyes off Simon he bent forward and removed a knife from the sheath on his belt and waved it from side to side. The clouds which had obscured the moon shifted and the blade glinted in the silver light. “Death by modern assegai, more fitting for a son of Africa, don’t you think? We used these long before you brought the accursed guns to our shores. We fought like men. This is real justice.” He brandished the wicked-looking knife, slowly closing the distance between him and Simon on the narrow metal gangway.

  Amie shut her eyes.

  25 MEETING SHARKS

  Ken’s pursuit forced Simon to back up, but as soon as they were out of sight following the outside curve of the tank, Amie scrambled to her feet again. It was much easier now; the drugs were definitely wearing off. Still supporting herself, she cast around for a weapon, anything she could use to attack Ken, but there was just the bare metal grating she was standing on, a low handrail to one side and metal rungs leading up to the narrower ledge just below the top of the tank itself. Would there be somewhere to hide up there? The thought of getting closer to the water was scary, but if she was higher it might give her an advantage. She knew she wouldn’t be able to climb all the way back down to the ground before the men came around again, if they appeared. How long could Simon avoid that slashing blade? She’d be an easy target for Ken even if she was half way down the ladder.

  Without any clear plan in mind, Amie set off up the vertical ladder to the top ledge,
wrapping her hands tightly around the slippery metal supports.

  The moment she reached the upper walkway she wondered if she’d made a terrible mistake. It was too narrow to hide her from view. The moment Ken saw she’d gone, he only had to look up and he would easily see her through the metal grid. It might be more difficult to hit her through the steel grating if he used his gun, but it would be easy for him to climb the ladder and throw her into the water. Then he would be free to go after Simon, again. Nor could she jump down on top of Ken as she’d hoped, if he flung his arms out, or she misjudged it, she would go plummeting to the open paved area at least four storeys below.

  She heard footsteps approaching and looked over the top rim. On the inside of the tank was another, solid ledge about eighteen inches wide. To her relief, there was a low safety rail on the outside of the inner walkway above the surface of the water. She heaved herself over the rim, lowering herself onto the platform to lie flat out of sight. She could almost feel the water lapping gently just under the shelf, and hoped to God, she was too high up to be bothered by the killers swimming silently below. She wasn’t in a position to calculate the odds between their curiosity and Ken’s aim with either gun or assegai.

  Vibrations along the walkway below alerted her that the men were coming full circle again. Then, the footsteps stopped abruptly and Ken cursed when he saw Amie had gone.

  There was a sharp tug from the middle of the tank and to her horror Amie saw in the moonlight that Ken’s accomplice was lying on the rope netting that was tied across the top. He’d not fallen into the water as she’d thought, but was entangled in the mesh, his legs thrashing to get free.

  Amie could see now where they had been cutting through the net to make a hole large enough to throw her and Simon into the water. She decided to finish the job for them.

  The accomplice caught sight of Amie trying to work the netting loose from the sides of the tank, and screamed. Until now the net had been tight enough to keep him above the water level, but as Amie loosened it further and he struggled even more, his weight pulled it below the water. The more he thrashed about, the more he was helping it to unravel. He was trying to claw himself towards the edge of the tank, but one foot was caught in the mesh and he couldn’t get it free. It was now hanging below the waterline and his frantic struggling was churning the top of the water. His fruitless efforts were merely attracting the fish.

  Amie caught a glimpse of a long, silver shape as it glided just below the surface and then a flash of teeth as it tugged on the foot hanging below the netting. The man gave a high-pitched scream as he was pulled down, the net gave way and he disappeared. A dark pool spread out over the surface attracting more predators churning the water below her.

  Amie gasped, clinging fiercely to the narrow grating, her wet shoes slipping on the surface. The commotion had caused the water to wash from side to side soaking her as it rained down on top of her. Was she safe here only a few inches above the broiling tumult? The creatures began to fight over the remains of the unexpected visitor. She clung on for dear life, frightened she would be swept off the ledge and down into the tank. Could one of the sharks leap out of the water and grab her? There were many ways to die, but this was one Amie feared more than most.

  Indecisive as usual she couldn’t make up her mind. Climb back over the top and face Ken with his gun and knife, and maybe help Simon, or wait here in the hope she was safe until someone came to rescue her?

  A nose bumping against the side of the tank close by and another wave washing over her helped her decide. She got to her feet but crouched low, afraid she would overbalance and go plummeting to her death either inside or outside the tank; the safety railing was too low to be much protection. She peered over the rim and looked down. There was no sign of either Simon or Ken, they must be round the far side of the tank.

  She levered herself carefully over the top, her feet finding the rungs and clinging to the slippery rails, she slid silently back down to the main walkway. She paused, dripping wet, shivering in the cool night air. If the men were going around clockwise and if she crept up behind Ken, then she might be able to attack him from behind. She still didn’t have a weapon so she would just have to try and use one of the moves Karen had taught her at the Residence. She crept forward, circling round only to see Ken ahead of her and Simon still backing up in what looked like a deathly dance. Under normal circumstances Amie might have had a chance, but not only was she shivering, she was still very weak. Any attack was likely to hurt her more than Ken.

  The flash of a light near the base of the tank caught her eye. Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner? Of course, the aquarium would have security guards on patrol. She filled her lungs to capacity and screamed.

  In one swift movement Ken jumped and pivoted. Below her the guard looked up shining his torch on the side of the tank.

  While her screams were still echoing and bouncing off the metal, Simon moved like lightning, and, tackling Ken, he pushed him over the catwalk railing. For a second, he seemed to hover in the air, his arms and legs flailing, and then he fell, silent, mouth wide open, landing with a sickening thump on the concourse below.

  Amie couldn’t take her eyes off him. She was unable to move and she started when Simon grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him.

  “Move! Now!” he commanded. “There are rungs down on the other side.”

  Blindly, she followed, and looking back only briefly at the carnage below, she stumbled along the steel grating behind Simon. She paused when they came to the top of the ladder. This one did not curve round and round the tank but led straight down. It can’t have been used often as there were bits of rust which shone dull in the moonlight.

  “I … I can’t,” she gasped.

  “Of course, you can, Amie. I’ll go first and catch you if you fall.” Simon swung one leg on to the top rung and began to descend. He paused, waiting for her. “Get a bloody move on! Do you want to explain to the police what you’re doing here?”

  Amie shook her head. Reluctant and numb with fear, she felt with her feet for the top rung. It creaked slightly so she hurriedly went down another step remembering just in time to curl her hands round the back of the ladder support which helped brace her and hold her in close to the metal. One step after another, after another – the descent was endless. The metal stanchions groaned and she was petrified the whole ladder would peel away from the side of the tank and leave her hanging in the air. Once or twice she glanced down but the ground never looked any nearer. At one point she stopped. Every nerve and muscle in her body was screaming, her arms felt they were being pulled out of their sockets and her tears mingled with the sweat running down her face. She was never going to make it. She could hear Simon hissing at her from below, but she was frozen in place, paralysed with fear.

  The sound of voices, police sirens and the clang of an ambulance shocked her into action. She scrambled on down, counting the steps on the way, clutching on tight when her exploring foot slipped on the step below until she felt Simon’s hands around her ankle and then her waist when she’d finally reached the ground. He held her tight for a mere second. “We have to run, now!” It was imperative they avoided the emergency services, and the growing crowd around Ken’s broken body.

  “This way,” Simon grabbed her hand and pulled her none too gently towards the seafront then along the outer fence until they reached a locked side gate firmly secured with a padlock and chain.

  “Oh no!” Amie wanted to weep – so near yet so far.

  “Fear not, this is where Ken came in and it’s hanging loose.” Simon had already slipped the padlock off the gate and they were through.

  “Is that the Land Rover over there?”

  “Yes, but we’ll draw attention to ourselves if we start up the engine. We’ll have to walk.”

  “All the way back to the apartment?” Amie wasn’t sure she was up for that. Now the adrenalin rush was over, she was on the point of collapse.

  “At least unt
il we’re out of the area. We might be able to get a taxi at the other end of Point Road.”

  It took every ounce of strength to put one foot in front of the other, ducking into the shadows every time a vehicle approached uShaka. On past the sewage pumping station they traipsed, then up to the small church until finally they reached the junction at the main road.

  “Taxi, please,” Amie whimpered.

  “Not yet, Amie. Be brave, we’re nearly there. We’ll walk as far as the Yacht Mole, then hail one. I’ll tell the driver you fell in the harbour, you’re still soaking wet.” Simon gave her a reassuring hug. He didn’t mind getting a little wet.

  Amie groaned and poked him in the ribs.

  When they finally reached the apartment, the pre-dawn light heralded the rising sun and the mynah birds were beginning to wake from their communal nests in the trees.

  The first thing Amie noticed as they walked through the door was the sorry state of Albert. “Oh no! My poor rubber plant.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I’ll buy you another one.” Simon flopped into a chair.

  “You don’t have to. He probably doesn’t like it here.”

  “He didn’t like poisoned coffee,” Simon grinned.

  “You didn’t drink it?”

  “I was suspicious the moment I noticed Ken pick up the mugs off the kitchen counter. I’m afraid I donated mine to Albert when Ken was busy looking for the folder.”

  “And I thought you were … oh … while I drank the lot. I’ll never make a good spy, will I?”

  “Oh, I think you’ll do all right, just need more practice, that’s all.”