The Devil’s Kingdom

Chapter 59

‘What a surprise,’ Ben said. ‘I only wish I could share the sentiment.’

Khosa’s men fanned out and pointed gleaming automatic weapons at Ben and the group. Rae and Jude pressed together close while the children shrank away in fear. Sizwe placed his big hands protectively over Juma’s shoulders and glared at Khosa with pure hatred. Jeff and Tuesday were expressionless, but Ben knew what they were thinking. The same he was: How do we deal with this without getting us all killed?

In Khosa’s large shadow stood a tall African in a suit, looking more like a city lawyer than a mobster. Ben remembered him from the day Jude was taken from him. Masango, Khosa’s so-called political attaché.

Chief Zandu went over and joined Masango, giving Ben a sneer that said, ‘Not so cocky now, are you?’ while his men joined Khosa’s. Five plus five. That added up to far too many.

Khosa slipped out a cigar and lit it, seeming to savour the moment. He exhaled a cloud of smoke like a howitzer. The eyes behind the mirrored lenses watched Ben through the smoke. When he spoke, his deep voice echoed around the empty building.

‘What is it you once said to me, soldier? “I’ll still be here a long time after the world has had the pleasure of forgetting that your ugly mug every existed.”’ Khosa chuckled. ‘You were right about one thing. I am ugly. These scars I bear make people frightened to look at my face. I am a monster, am I not?’

‘I’m sure you’ve been called worse things,’ Ben said. ‘All of them true.’

Khosa smiled and went on, ‘But for the rest, soldier, you were wrong. Very wrong. You thought you would outlive me. And you tried very hard to make this happen. You have decimated much of my army. All of my trusted officers are dead. But I am still alive, because I was too clever for you. An underground tunnel leads from the place where you would have burned me alive and blown me to pieces. It is no more than a drain, but it enabled me to save myself from your attempts to assassinate me. And now you see, soldier, that you have failed, and that I will not be forgotten as soon as you thought.’

‘I admit I was wrong,’ Ben said. ‘You’ll be remembered, all right. The name Khosa will be talked about for a long time to come. Like some other names that people haven’t forgotten in a hurry. Hitler, Stalin, Amin.’

‘Ah, now you are talking about my hero,’ Khosa chided him. ‘You should not insult General Amin, the greatest African leader who ever lived. Until me.’

‘I know, you modelled yourself on him,’ Ben said. ‘You emulated him in all kinds of ways. Torturer, mass murderer, cannibal. In some ways maybe you even outdid him. Except you never got to rule your own country. That must be a real disappointment for you, to know in advance that you died before you could achieve your ambition.’

‘I think perhaps you are speaking too soon,’ Khosa said, wagging a finger at him. ‘I am only disappointed for you, that you will never live to see me president. I thought about keeping you alive until that day comes, but as you know, I am not a very patient man.’

‘Best get on with it, then,’ Ben said.

‘Nor do I believe in rushing things. We have all day. Before I kill you, soldier, it will give me great pleasure to share with you the entertainment of seeing your friends die first, and then your son. That is, after your son has watched my men have their own kinds of pleasure with his woman there. I see their time in prison together has brought them very close. That is sweet. It will be even sweeter to watch what happens to her.’

‘Bastard!’ Rae yelled.

Khosa smiled at her. ‘Perhaps I am. But one thing I would not stoop to is to force little children to watch a woman raped and butchered like an animal in front of them. I have more scruples than some of my officers have shown in the past. So naturally, it would be the kindest thing to kill the children before you. In any case they are deserters from my army, and the punishment for desertion is death.’

Sizwe pulled himself up to his full muscular height and said, ‘I will not live to see more children die.’

‘Then it is decided,’ Khosa said. ‘You are first, cockroach. Then I will kill the children, starting with that one.’ He pointed at Mani, then at Juma. ‘Or perhaps that one. I do not like the way he is looking at me. Then I will kill the Jamaican, and then Dekker.’ Khosa went on pointing at each in turn as he talked, as if he were playing a game of eeny-meeny. His eyes gave a twinkle as he turned to leer at Rae. ‘I am looking forward to hearing the American bitch scream. Then it will be you, White Meat.’ The finger aimed towards Jude.

‘Fuck you, Khosa,’ Jude spat.

Khosa smiled at Ben. ‘When we get to your turn, soldier, I do not think you will offer me any resistance. By then you will want to die. You will beg me to end your life. And after you have begged me enough, I will grant your final wish. Perhaps a quick end, perhaps not. I will see how I feel at the time. It is still some hours away.’

Khosa signalled his men. One of them fetched a rolled-up cloth, set it down on the ground and unrolled it to reveal a clutch of machetes that glinted dully in the dim light. The men took a machete each. They slung their rifles over their shoulders and moved in fast to encircle the group of prisoners. One of them angled a blade against Jude’s throat. Another jerked Rae away from him and gripped her arm tight with a machete in front of her face.

‘In case you try any of your tricks, soldier,’ Khosa warned. ‘That is a very sharp blade and Mateso is very quick and strong. He will have the boy’s head off before you can blink.’

With five guns still pointing their way in the hands of Zandu’s cops, Ben didn’t need the extra persuasion of a blade at Jude’s throat not to try any tricks. He stood very still. His mouth was dry. The seconds were ticking off fast. Think. Think.

Stalling for time, Ben said, ‘You really have this thing all worked out, don’t you?’

‘Oh yes. I have given it much thought, believe me.’ Khosa laughed again, and the raucous boom of his amusement echoed through the empty building.

‘Reckon you missed out a couple of important details,’ said a voice behind them.

Khosa’s smile fell and he whirled round. Ben slowly turned his head to look back at the doorway, where the voice had come from.

Standing in the doorway was a man with a pistol.