The Wall

30

Much better to stay calm, Moses thought. He was still sweating like a pig. He also looked like one. The dust from this morning on top of the sweat, falling down in the garden, climbing through the window. All of it had left a mark. And he smelled like a pig, too, he determined.

Over the next hedge and into the next yard. Suddenly, there was a wall jutting out from the outer wall that was too tall to leap over. He came to a stop and saw that the chest-high wall separated two properties. So, he headed toward the street and carefully looked both ways.

The security car was concealed behind the curve, which probably meant the people couldn’t see him either. The problem was that he didn’t know how far the gate was. He had changed direction so many times, and The Pines was so large that he felt lost. Running along the outer wall seemed to be the safest solution, but it was also the most time-consuming. The numerous obstacles. The undesired contact with the people who were home at this hour. Why not shorten his path? Maybe covering a few meters on the street was the best course of action.

One last question. Run or walk?

Three seconds of consideration. Running shortened the duration, but it looked suspicious. Walking cost more time, but alarmed fewer people. Moses opted for the slower variation.

He took the street that started across from where he was. A short distance into the subdivision, then turn and see the exit. Walk calmly. Don’t look all around. Stay cool, he warned himself. Keep going, just keep going, he thought. It might all be over soon.

Turn. Keep walking. The street he had started walking down soon ended in the one that ran closest to the outer wall. This offered him the opportunity to quickly disappear behind the outermost houses. This was what he suddenly wanted to do, too, since he was feeling visible. Much too visible.

I shouldn’t look around, Moses thought, but I really want to. One, two, three. Just to make sure no danger was creeping up on him from behind. He stopped and checked his watch. Almost two o’clock. He then glanced behind him. Shit. It was the white guy from earlier. The one with the club. He was once again slapping it against his palm, and he was rapidly closing the distance between them.

Moses started running again. First, slowly, then faster. Up to the T-junction, by which point he would have to decide to go either right or left. Accelerate. Run even faster.

A car was now rolling toward him. Security. Damn it. Trapped! Moses stopped and looked around. The white guy was still behind him. The car ahead. He vaulted over a few brightly blooming flowers and vanished between two houses.