Secrets and revelations

DUTY AND DESIRE.
STORY BY BELLA ROYALTY.
P2/16.

[AMAHLE SHAZI]
After feeding my little man and putting him to sleep, I could finally sit down and rest! Today he's been a handful.

I had my fruits while channel hopping. This is the time where I miss work. I don't know how stay-at -home mothers do it, but I could never do it.

I finally settled on a news channel. I just wanted to hear what was happening with the whole President of Zim situation. It was announced that he plans on coming to our country to have a sit down with our president so that they can try and sort this issue out.

Honestly, I don't get this man, he accused our president of violently and mercilessly murdering his people yet he is the one who's coming to our turf, is he not scared he might be killed as well?

Me: Well that's weird.

I said as the screen went blank before it reappeared and it wasn't the news, wait… this was a live broadcast, from a very shady room filled with armed and masked men, in front of them were other people who were kneeling with their eyes blindfolded and gags on their mouths, their hands were behind their heads, was this even real?

"Fellow South Africans, we are known as the Hounds Of Justice, we were the ones called in after our brothers dead bodies were discovered at the border, we found these bus drivers and Military escorts and interrogated them till they told us the truth."

I quickly dialed Sfiso's number, but he wasn't answering.
Me: Damnit!

"They confirmed that they had received orders from the president to kill all 200 of our people at the border, now tell us, what should we do? If your brother was murdered in cold blood, would you not seek justice for him? Your president is a cold blooded murderer, he thinks because he's in that Unity House, he's a god, he's even refused to take accountability and step down as the president, because he sees nothing wrong with what he's done, so this is a public service announcement, there are 25 of your people here, and for the next 25 days, each one will be killed live, unless you admit to your crimes and then resign from the seat of power because a murderer like you doesn't deserve to sit on that seat!"

I gasped in shock as the man who was speaking drew out his gun and pointed it at the back of one of the people who were on their knees.

"Your president doesn't care about you, he took an oath to protect you, is this what you call protection? Allowing people to die for your sins? This is the president you voted for? One who sacrifices you in front of millions of people watching? We will not stop killing these people until you admit what you did and then step down!!"

He pulled the trigger, I could not believe it as the screen went dark. I was literally shaking, that was someone's son, brother, husband, friend and father! And they just killed him like he was nothing!

Who are these people and why are they doing this? So publicly?

I went on social media and it was blowing up, the broadcast seemed to have aired in every household, everyone was panicking, rightfully so, this is all new to us, terrorists are American stuff, not ours.

Sfiso was probably busy, so I called Aphiwe and she answered the call.
Me: Aphiwe!
Aphiwe: You saw it?
Me: The whole world saw it!
Aphiwe(exhales): This is a mess Amahle!
Me: Dude I didn't even know it was this deep!
Aphiwe: Nathi and his team agreed to not cause public concern by keeping that from the media, seemingly that only made the mercenaries angry because they've just hacked into the network and made sure everyone is aware of what's happening.

I couldn't believe it.
Me: These people want him to admit that he did in fact have those 200 people killed? And also step down from being president?
Aphiwe: Exactly.
Me: And then who will be our president? The Deputy President?
Aphiwe: I don't know Amahle, they just want him to step down publicly, we think it's a coup, an inside job.
Me: It be your own damn people.
Aphiwe: I know my friend, like they couldn't even wait for him to finish his term, they want to ruin his legacy.
Me: Is he going to do it? You can't let him do it.
Aphiwe: Amahle these people mean business, they'll execute our people one by one everyday and if he doesn't step down, they will invade us and who knows what will happen?

I exhaled.
Me: I can't believe this is happening, no we should hold their president hostage, blackmail them into stepping down.

She laughed, I am serious!
Me: Unless usbari has a plan.
Aphiwe: He has a plan and it doesn't involve holding hostage the president of Zimbabwe and possibly starting a world war.
Me: Nobody would blame him, uyajwayelwa phela lana, I just want to know who's behind this, the actual Mastermind.
Aphiwe: Not me suspecting Precious and her babydaddy.
Me: Girl!

We laughed.
Aphiwe: God will forgive me, but I don't trust that woman's silence all of a sudden.
Me: I wouldn't put it past her, at this point everyone is a suspect, even that Chief of staff.
Aphiwe: And then there's that one as well, I don't trust him at all.
Me: And I never will, he shot someone in front of us and then threatened you with a sex tape for years and he said he was doing it for the president, I'm sure he'd come with an excuse namanje.
Aphiwe: Amahle don't say that!
Me: Yoh let it not be true, it's usually someone very close who does something like this Aphiwe! The president is not safe! You have to warn him.
Aphiwe: I will talk to you soon.

She dropped the call, I clapped my hand in disbelief, this was a movie I swear!

[DR. APHIWE BHENGU]
That live public execution has left the whole country shook!

People are scared and confused, they don't know what to expect or what to do, do they put pressure on the president to step down? Do we go to war? Everything is a mess, I can't even celebrate the fact that Londeka is going to beat cancer because of everything that's happening right now.

My entourage led me out of the hospital after checking up on Londeka. I had to come late because I started in Sandton. I signed my contract today and I will be starting in 3 days.

Right now I just needed to see my man, he's probably stressed the F out as we speak, these people are stressing him out and I hate them for it. Before we reached the exit, some man spoke to me, my security was already shoving him out of the way.

Me: Let him speak guys.
Leo: Stand down.

I looked at him, he looked familiar, I don't know where I'd seen him before.
Me: What do you want?
Man: You need to tell him to step down.
Me(frowns): Excuse me?
Man: You need to tell him to step down, he listens to you, otherwise more people will die, he will not win this one.

I swallowed.
Man: Rather he be remembered as the man who saved his people and stepped down than the man who sacrificed his people in order to remain at the top.
Me: And who are you?
Man: I am not of importance, you need to tell him to step down because he will not win, people are going to die, including you.
Marshall: Okay lunatic, that's enough!

He walked away, I looked at him as he walked away.
Me: Leo, I need you to act like you're fighting with him, like you're asking him who he is and why he would say something like this to me, pull a strand of his hair for me.
Leo: Ma'am?
Me: Do it Leo.

He nodded and ran after the man, I saw him and the man going back and forth and then he came back after a while, he had the hair, I took it.
Me: Trust me.

Leo nodded and we walked towards the car but then my phone dropped to the ground before we could reach the car, Marshall bent down to get it for me and we heard a loud explosion, glass shattering everywhere! The sound was deafening, I felt someone pick me up as the other shielded me from the glass, there was smoke everywhere, I couldn't see properly, most importantly, I was hurt.

[HOUNDS OF JUSTICE]
"Sir, we've received reports that the girl didn't get inside the car, infact the bomb went off before they reached the cars"

You've got to be kidding me!

"Surveillance footage shows that they got stalled at the exit by some man."

He handed me the tablet and I watched the footage from the hospital exit, I cursed as I saw who it was, I stood up and pulled out my gun and went to find him.

Bangizwe: Hello brother.

I shot him on the leg and he screamed in agony.
Me: What the hell did you do? What the hell did you say to her?
Bangizwe(Screams): Aaaah you shot me goddammit!
Me: I will shoot you again! I told you to not go anywhere today and you thought it would be smart if you went to her and exposed yourself? What the hell did you say to her?

He didn't respond, I pressed his wound hard and he was in anguish.
Me: Bangizwe I will kill you!
Bangizwe(anguish): I told her to ask him to step down!!! That if he doesn't, people will die including her!! Why the fuck would you want to kill her? She's not the fuckin' target!
Me: Who's the head of this operation? You or me?
Bangizwe: She's your fucken' daughter!!!!

I slapped him hard on the face with the gun and he spat blood.

[ANDILE BHENGU]
It was all over the news, they tried to kill my sister, these bastards tried to kill my sister! I wasn't even thinking straight as I drove home to fetch my parents so that we could drive to the Unity House where she's been taken. I parked the car outside the gate and walked in the yard.

The door was slightly opened and it seemed as if my parents were in a heated discussion.
Mom: When was your mother going to tell us that your brother is out of jail? He's going to come after me Baba ka-Andile!
Dad: Sthandwa sami he will not!
Mom: I don't understand how you can be so calm!

I walked in.
Me(shocked): Uncle Khathaza is out of jail?

They turned to me in shock.
Mom: Andile…
Me: Mom, he's out?
Dad: Apparently he's been out for two weeks now.

I shook my head.
Me: Do you guys think he…
Mom: He is what Andile?
Me: Behind all of this?
Dad: Behind what?
Me: Behind what's happening? Behind Aphiwe's assassination attempt?
Them(shocked): What????
Me: Aphiwe was involved in a car bomb, she's okay, she just caught pieces of the glass, that's why I'm here! To take you to her.
Mom(crying): Bhekumuzi!