the far side. However, they sat there in silence another five minutes or so, waiting and listening. Bond calculated that the distance to the other side was no more than thirty yards, maximum, before you reached the dark security of the forest again. It was the middle of the night, for God’s sake, Bond said to himself – what could be so problematic about crossing a road?
As if in answer to his question, Kobus stood and ran briskly at a crouch across the road without pausing and disappeared into the vegetation on the other side. They waited another five minutes. Then he heard Kobus shout an order: ‘Femi! Dani! Bring the girl, chop-chop!’
Two of the soldiers stood up, one of them took Blessing’s arm and began to jog across the road.
The night erupted in gunfire.
Bond saw the tracer looping a split second before he heard the detonations. There was the usual sensory delay – the lazy flow of glowing light-flashes picking up speed – and then the road surface disintegrated under the impact of the heavy-calibre machine-gun bullets. Blessing screamed and fell to the ground. One of the soldiers seemed literally torn apart, shredded by the impact of a dozen rounds, while the other was spun around in a mad pirouette before Bond saw one of his arms flail off and go tumbling into the undergrowth end over end.
On hands and knees Blessing scrabbled back into cover and Bond grabbed her.
‘You all right?’ he shouted. The yammering noise of gunfire ripped through the night.
‘Yes,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m not hit.’
Kobus was screaming orders at his men, firing back up the road where the machine guns were. The other three soldiers had opened up with their AK-47s. Leaves and bits of branches were falling on them as the machine guns hosed the sides of the road, raking the forest verge.
This was their moment.
Bond took Blessing’s hand and drew her slowly back into the darkness. One yard, two, three. The soldiers were too intent taking cover or returning fire. Bond backed them off the path and deeper into the undergrowth. Ten seconds, twenty – they were completely hidden, out of sight. He heard Kobus shouting and then the noise of one soldier blundering down the path.
‘They gone, Boss!’
Bond drew Blessing still further into the leafy obscurity.
‘Where are we going?’ she said, panic in her voice.
‘Say nothing,’ Bond hissed at her.
Then enormous explosions sent shockwaves through the trees – mortar bombs – brief flashes of brilliant, scalding light. There was a scream from one of the soldiers. Bond grabbed Blessing’s hand more firmly and turned, moving as fast as he could, forcing a way through the bushes and the branches, running away from the road and the firefight.
Now there was more firing coming from another direction on their flank. A random spraying of the forest as another group of soldiers appeared to be coming up from the rear.
‘Lie down,’ Bond said, ‘they’ll never find us.’
He dragged Blessing off her feet and pressed her down into the dry leafy mulch of the forest floor.
‘Keep your eyes down, don’t look up.’
Someone would have to stand on them to discover them, Bond reasoned, listening to the chaos of the night, the shouts of men, the staccato rattle of machine guns. It was crazed firing, soldiers loosing off at shadows – staying still and prone was the only solution. Shots thunked into tree trunks near them, ripped through foliage overhead, and every now and then there was another brief flash of light washing through the forest as another mortar shell was lobbed in their general direction.
He could hear men thrashing through undergrowth not far from them. Kobus? Or was that the Zanza Force ambush?
Blessing gripped his arm, fiercely.
‘James – we’ve got to get out of here, now!’ she whispered harshly at him. ‘They’re going to find us.’
‘No! Don’t move – listen, they’re moving away.’
He felt her fist pounding on his restraining
As if in answer to his question, Kobus stood and ran briskly at a crouch across the road without pausing and disappeared into the vegetation on the other side. They waited another five minutes. Then he heard Kobus shout an order: ‘Femi! Dani! Bring the girl, chop-chop!’
Two of the soldiers stood up, one of them took Blessing’s arm and began to jog across the road.
The night erupted in gunfire.
Bond saw the tracer looping a split second before he heard the detonations. There was the usual sensory delay – the lazy flow of glowing light-flashes picking up speed – and then the road surface disintegrated under the impact of the heavy-calibre machine-gun bullets. Blessing screamed and fell to the ground. One of the soldiers seemed literally torn apart, shredded by the impact of a dozen rounds, while the other was spun around in a mad pirouette before Bond saw one of his arms flail off and go tumbling into the undergrowth end over end.
On hands and knees Blessing scrabbled back into cover and Bond grabbed her.
‘You all right?’ he shouted. The yammering noise of gunfire ripped through the night.
‘Yes,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m not hit.’
Kobus was screaming orders at his men, firing back up the road where the machine guns were. The other three soldiers had opened up with their AK-47s. Leaves and bits of branches were falling on them as the machine guns hosed the sides of the road, raking the forest verge.
This was their moment.
Bond took Blessing’s hand and drew her slowly back into the darkness. One yard, two, three. The soldiers were too intent taking cover or returning fire. Bond backed them off the path and deeper into the undergrowth. Ten seconds, twenty – they were completely hidden, out of sight. He heard Kobus shouting and then the noise of one soldier blundering down the path.
‘They gone, Boss!’
Bond drew Blessing still further into the leafy obscurity.
‘Where are we going?’ she said, panic in her voice.
‘Say nothing,’ Bond hissed at her.
Then enormous explosions sent shockwaves through the trees – mortar bombs – brief flashes of brilliant, scalding light. There was a scream from one of the soldiers. Bond grabbed Blessing’s hand more firmly and turned, moving as fast as he could, forcing a way through the bushes and the branches, running away from the road and the firefight.
Now there was more firing coming from another direction on their flank. A random spraying of the forest as another group of soldiers appeared to be coming up from the rear.
‘Lie down,’ Bond said, ‘they’ll never find us.’
He dragged Blessing off her feet and pressed her down into the dry leafy mulch of the forest floor.
‘Keep your eyes down, don’t look up.’
Someone would have to stand on them to discover them, Bond reasoned, listening to the chaos of the night, the shouts of men, the staccato rattle of machine guns. It was crazed firing, soldiers loosing off at shadows – staying still and prone was the only solution. Shots thunked into tree trunks near them, ripped through foliage overhead, and every now and then there was another brief flash of light washing through the forest as another mortar shell was lobbed in their general direction.
He could hear men thrashing through undergrowth not far from them. Kobus? Or was that the Zanza Force ambush?
Blessing gripped his arm, fiercely.
‘James – we’ve got to get out of here, now!’ she whispered harshly at him. ‘They’re going to find us.’
‘No! Don’t move – listen, they’re moving away.’
He felt her fist pounding on his restraining
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