The Wall

57

Moses was still sitting with his back against the wall. He could breathe again, but his legs didn’t want to obey. The white trash guy was dreaming of blowing him away. That meant he had a gun on him that would enable him to do that. Every street he crossed from this point on might be his last one. The guy could be standing anywhere, waiting to just shoot him. I felt threatened, he would say afterward. Scared of a burglar and rapist. After his death, nobody would give a shit what the newspapers printed.

He didn’t want to die.

He needed to be more careful.

Back on all fours. That alone was humiliating. And back in the other direction. The first house. Then the next. The girl’s face was no longer in sight. Cautiously. There were probably people at home. They probably knew what was going on in the neighborhood and were now more diligent than usual.

Moses peered around the corner of the house at the street on which the nanny had just been playing ball with the little boy. He couldn’t see them anywhere. Or hear them. So keep going. Running the few meters to the wall behind which he had hidden several minutes ago, he threw himself back down in the grass. The dead bird was still being disemboweled by the ants. He lifted his head and looked in both directions, but couldn’t see either the nanny or the child.

Lowered, then lifted his head again. For thoroughness’ sake. Who else might help him? A guard appeared at the next corner. Moses immediately ducked back down.

Wait. Let him pass. Disappear. Then look for the Kaizer Chiefs’ house. The footsteps slowly grew closer. Rubber-soled boots, not loud but audible. Only a few meters away. Moses wished he was as tiny as the ants close to him.

For a long second, Moses heard no noise at all. Each noise seemed to have vanished, to have been swallowed up like under a bell. There were also no smells. And his attempt to feel was just as futile as his attempt to hear. The blood had drained from his fingers and toes. No circulation.

Stasis. Complete. Practically dead.

Tried to quietly breathe in. And back out. In. Back out. Where was the guy?

The blow from the club almost deafened him. It landed on the wall, not on his body, but Moses jerked so hard he almost pissed himself.

“I got him!” the guard yelled, grabbing Moses’ feet at the same moment.

It took an eternity for Moses to recover from the shock. Might have been a half or full second. At first, he thrashed about helplessly, then with more determination. He was able to pull up his knees, which destabilized the guard. He then stretched his legs back out. As fast as he could. He hit the guard in his support leg and heard something crack. It was so loud and clear that it seemed like it wanted to make up for the seconds of total silence.

Very close by, he could hear the siren of a police car.