The Target

Acknowledgements

To you, dear reader. Thank you for your support.

Accompanying Media

There are four accompanying soundtracks that were created to help set the tone of various scenes that inspired me while writing the story.

To download the soundtracks for free, please follow the website address below and subscribe to the email list.

http://lancejohn.com/the-target-free-soundtracks-download/

Other titles by Author:

Novels

Chimera Island

Short stories

The Assignment

The Drive

Dirty Heist

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Contents Page

The Target

Copyright

Acknowledgements

Accompanying Media

Other titles by Author:

Contents Page

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Glossary

Preface

Every day South Africans are plagued by various problems in their lives that are either directly or indirectly caused by inept members of Parliament.

Just looking at how hard businessmen have to dodge and jump hoops to make ends meet while parliamentary members create legislation to choke the life out of businesses is staggering.

The ordinary South African citizen needs a medal to acknowledge their acts of bravery just to survive in this country.

It is the ordinary South African who has to bear the brunt of the force of parliamentary ineptitude. It is the ordinary South African who is forced to make amends for these mistakes. It is time for this to stop. If it does not, the working class leave the country and the sluggish, dole citizens take over and degradation occurs as a whole.

Now that more corruption scandals are being unearthed about the current South African President, the continuous onslaught of these makes us South Africans take desperate measures to protect ourselves and our families.

This is the reason that I write this story to show that we, as the people of South Africa, have had enough. We are on the brink of change and we want it to be a change for the better.

No more excuses. We want accountability.

This story is dedicated to you, the ordinary South African. The hero of this story.

This is a satirical work of fiction that exposes a situation that could likely occur for South Africa’s number one.

Chapter 1

It was a warm, quiet night on the outskirts of the rural town of Nkandla. The xenon headlights of a black BMW X1 scanned the dark horizon for the left turnoff. The driver of the vehicle took another swig of brandy and felt the burning sensation in his throat in an attempt to remove the fatigue of the day. He kept his eyes on the road while reaching across the passenger seat for his personal cell phone lying next to his open wallet. The name on the driver’s licence behind the wallet’s clear ID window was Simon Mthethwa.

With deft motions of his fingers, he dialled his wife’s number. The car’s Bluetooth signal picked up the call. He waited, but she did not pick up. He cursed her under his breath and threw his phone back down onto the passenger seat.

He took another swig of brandy and saw the familiar terrain of the road ahead illuminated by his headlights. He slowed down when he saw the familiar unmarked wooden post on the left side of the road. He took the turn by the wooden post and continued onto a gravel road. His headlights scanned the road ahead, faintly lighting up his homestead in the distance.

When Simon pulled up to his home, the other houses in his homestead were already darkened. He assumed the residents must have completed their regular Monday evening ritual and had gone off to bed early.

He switched off the engine and grabbed a stick of Halls mint-flavoured lozenges. He flicked two into his mouth and checked his breath. The mint burned his mouth and throat, but it also woke him up enough to handle himself around his wife.

He climbed out the car and walked up to the door of his dark green-coloured house. He stopped in front of the door, steadied himself against the wall while suppressing the urge to pee. In that moment he realised it was very quiet outside, oddly quiet. There were no noises coming from inside his house too. Usually by now the residents’ dogs would have barked at his late homecoming. But not a sound could be heard.

He opened the front door and stumbled into his house. The lights were off. He searched for the light switch against the wall. In his state it seemed as if his wife had moved the light switch far out of his reach. He cursed her under his breath and heavy-handedly found the light switch. Steadying himself against the wall he tried to switch on the lights, but it did not work. He cursed his wife again, this time calling her name out loudly in the dark. He did not care if he woke up the children. It was time they showed him respect and greeted him when he came home late from work.

Gloria! he shouted for the third time into the dark house, staring at the outline of the couch at the far end of the lounge. Someone moved near the couch, but disappeared into the shadows again.

Gloria! Why don’t you answer me? You stupid bitch! He knew that that would get her going. His body tensed up as he expected their usual heated argument to occur.

He stepped away from the wall to walk towards the lounge when he suddenly heard the sound of thick plastic crumpling under his foot. He stopped and deliberately stomped on the plastic on the floor. He could not see the plastic in the dark and it confused him.

What is this? Huh? Gloria?

Out of all the skills he had attained as a professional, he could not predict the happenings of the next few seconds. Simon picked up a foreign, musty smell in the air nearby him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the reflection of a movement in a mirror hanging against the wall to the right of him. In a split second he became sober as he realised that the movement was right next to him. The room was momentarily illuminated by the flash of a silenced pistol, revealing to Simon the horror that awaited him in the lounge. His body crumpled onto the plastic with a heavy thump.

The killer observed Simon’s still body for a moment and concluded that the job was done. The killer placed the weapon in Simon’s hand and fired a few shots around the room with determined precision. The flash of each shot being fired revealed the sight of Simon’s dead children and wife lying around the lounge floor. The killer was satisfied that each shot was where it was meant to be. He placed the gun down next to Simon’s body at just the correct distance from him as a means to throw off any investigators.

The killer took a few steps towards the front door and reached down to pull away the black plastic sheet from under Simon’s legs. He neatly folded the plastic sheet and placed it under the driver’s seat inside Simon’s car. The killer then took out his cell phone and messaged the following words: ‘It’s done’, to a long-stringed list of digits before leaving the area and disappearing into the night.

Chapter 2

The afternoon drive to work along the M4 highway gave Tian Burger the time to think and prepare himself mentally for the day ahead. The sun’s yellow rays shimmered across the calm surface of the Umgeni River, while to the right of Tian the ocean’s low-tide exposed more of the beach to the afternoon anglers. Tian took note of it all. Not that he wanted to. His mind just worked that way. The first time he tried to explain it to his wife, she said he needed to relax a bit more and not worry about ‘every little thing’.

How could he? It was not that simple for him. He wished he was able to shut off his senses and be ‘normal’, but he could not. That was just the way he was.

Tian? What are you thinking? his wife asked who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Tian looked at her with a half-smile.

Nothing much. Just looking at the scene.

Maria nodded her head and pretended his answer had settled her concern. She rubbed her husband’s forearm and smiled, hoping he would broach the topic. She opened her mouth and saw him turn his head away from her. She sighed and calculated her next move in silence.

Tian sensed his wife’s desire to talk, but he knew better than to provide an opening. This was his time, his moment of silence, where things in the world rarely bothered him. He needed it. His job required it. Besides, he knew that she knew better than to spoil his moment before work. Out of the corner of his eye he noted his wife and saw that she understood it, but struggled to deal with it.

Tian sighed as he saw the road sign for the next turnoff that he was to take. He took the left turnoff and headed across the Virginia traffic circle towards the shopping complex up ahead. He entered the lower ground parking lot and parked the car in one of the designated staff parking bays. He switched off the engine and sighed as he lay his head back in the seat.

Tian, Maria said, turning in her seat to face him, if you could just tell me.

Maria, I told you before, we don’t have to get into an argument.

No, we don’t, Tian, but I feel that I can’t even talk to you about this. Don’t let it bring you down.

How can I not? It’s humiliating, Maria.

No, it’s not. You’re the only one who thinks so. Look ... what happened to you, well, it was an unfortunate thing ... we both know it.

Tian sighed and turned in his seat to face his wife. He realised he was doing it again. Even in the moment before a fight he could see every bit of detail about his wife. The way her brown, shoulder- length hair curled at its end, the way her green eyes stared right through him when she wanted to make her point known, the sweet smell of her perfume, the black top and blue jeans she was wearing that made her look younger than she was. He picked up everything that she would not think of.

Tian? Are you listening to me?

Tian smiled. Yes Maria.

Then would you stop sulking the way you do every time we drive to work?

I don’t sulk, I just ... Tian struggled to find the words. He found it curious and unsettling at the same time. Why was it that he could never say what he wanted to say at the right moment?

You just what, Tian? What happened at the security company is not your fault. You did what you had to do. Don't run when things get tough.

Yes, I know. But look at me now, I’m paying the price. And for what? For being honest?

Maria sunk back into her seat and turned to look out her window.

See? Every time we talk about this, you end up like that and I’m the one who feels worse, Tian said.

Maria turned to face her husband and said, I’m very proud of you, Tian. I don’t care if you think otherwise.

Tian had no words. He felt his anger dissipate and his heart soften as he looked into Maria’s green eyes.

Maria looked at her watch. I’ve got to go now, otherwise I’ll be late again for that community meeting in Kloof. I hope you have a good day. She was about to open her door, when Tian pulled her back and hugged her. She returned his hug and the space between them felt much lighter.

I don’t want to make you late, Tian said, struggling to let go of his wife.

She giggled and said, I’m already late.

Tian looked at the time on the car’s display panel. It was 15:45.

Shit, the meeting’s at four, he said.

Maria giggled. I know.

She climbed out of the car and went over to the driver’s side as Tian grabbed his backpack from the backseat. He climbed out and let her climb into the driver’s seat. She buckled herself in, rolled down the window and gave Tian a kiss goodbye.

You have a good heart, she said as she caressed his face.

He smiled at her and appreciated her touch a while longer before backing away from the car. He watched as she rolled up her window and smiled at him. He saw his reflection in the window and noted his black security guard uniform that he had on. He sighed again as he realised just how low he considered himself to be.

Maria waved goodbye as she drove off in their car, a silver Mercedes Benz G-Class, a car that she basically paid off. He could never afford it with his current paycheque. At one point in his life he could have afforded five of those cars, but not now. It pained him that he had it all and lost it so quickly to friends that he trusted.

He decided to take Maria’s advice and not dwell on his past too much. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked towards the lower parking entrance of the shopping mall. He prepared his mind for the day as he entered the mall through the automatic doors. He heard someone whistle at him and turned around to see his friend and colleague, Patrick, waving at him. Tian smiled. It was not going to be a bad day after all.

Chapter 3

Mandla Mkhize stood nearby the black BMW X5, trying to stifle his nerves as he overlooked the view of the Indian Ocean and lower Berea area. A heavy thunderstorm was fast approaching land, cutting out the last rays of sunlight from the sky. Mandla could not shake the feeling that the storm was more ominous than it looked.

He pretended not to notice the stares he was receiving from the other members in his unit. They watched him as if he was a strange animal in their established herd. Mandla did not care too much about that. He knew it came with the position. Things were tough for all professional security companies and their personnel, especially when it came to VIP protection. He had heard the stories of how VIP members treated their bodyguards, but that did not deter him from taking on the job as soon as he heard there was an opening available for a professional driver to escort VIP's around. He heard the men joking and sniggering amongst themselves as they watched him from afar. He gave it about a week before the rest of the unit members learned to accommodate him into their ranks and make him feel like one of their own. Maybe their wariness of him was based on the fact that this job they were about to do was a last minute request. Usually, a trip like this would require double the security personnel, but since the recent fiasco in the papers about the President of South Africa’s increased personal security force, things had to be watered down. For now he kept to himself and watched his colleagues out of the corner of his eye.

He took in a deep breath, tasting the ocean's salty air in his mouth. It had been a warm day in Durban and the weather was just now taking a turn for the worse. He saw the thick, cumulonimbus clouds overhead and wondered why the President of South Africa, Jacob Duma, wanted to leave his confines at a time like this.

Mandla’s nerves got the better of him again. He turned to the only thing that could take his mind off the thought of being inside the same vehicle as the President of South Africa. He was going to be the President's personal driver. He looked at his vehicle and began to do an all-round inspection of it as per his training, trying to calm his nerves by focusing his mind on small things. He heard the muffled sniggers of his colleagues as they watched him doing his vehicle check. He ignored them. He checked the tyres and his mind went into security-mode as he analysed the details of the car; self-inflated tyres that were basically impenetrable due to advanced liquid technology surrounding the inside of the tyres, doors that were secured with double-plated titanium alloy plates to protect the occupants and the windshield and windows secured with bullet-proof glass that could withstand bullets from your average handgun and assault rifles. Mandla nodded to himself as he did the walkabout inspection of the car. He began to admire the car's beauty and its technological power.

A crack of thunder interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see the hazy downpour about to hit lower Berea. He opened the driver’s door, got in the car and switched on the radio. He listened to the news out of professional curiosity. Although he had managed to map out the driving route he was about to take with the highest of precision, he only listened to the news in case there was an unexpected change that he had to deal with. So far, there was nothing new, but the same broadcast about the heavy thunderstorm forecast and heavy-rainfall warnings for most of KwaZulu-Natal. Mandla had anticipated the change of weather. When he was informed by his superior that the President wanted to visit his homestead for the weekend he expected the usual preparations for the trip to King Shaka International Airport by use of the President's private jet. Even the odd helicopter trip along the coast to the airport would have been far better than having to drive all the way to Nkandla by car.

Just then, the doors of the John Dube house opened and Mandla saw his superior, Godfrey, walking out to stand at the top of the stairway. Mandla got out of the car and greeted Godfrey with a professional nod and a quick wave of the hand. Godfrey nodded and held his thumb up to Mandla. Mandla then