Runaways

by Lily Harlem

  “I’ll be quick.”

  She reached the van. Harry and Mason were peering beneath the hood.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Paul held up his hands and glared at Olivia.

  “I’ve come to help.”

  “No, Jesus, get back in the truck.” He glanced around.

  “But this is what I do.” She edged between Harry and Mason and scanned the engine, searching for any obvious problems.

  “No, you have to get out of sight.” Paul nudged the others apart and gripped her shoulders.

  “Get off.” She wriggled and peered at the fan belt.

  “Don’t you realize,” Paul said, “what a temptation you are?”

  “What are you talking about?” she said, bringing up a mental checklist in her head. Clutch, cable, pedal…

  “You’re a young white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Your organs, sliced, dried, ground up, and powdered are every witch doctors’ damn dream. You’ve got a bounty on your head just for being you, and this is not a good place to be on show.”

  Olivia stilled, turned slowly, then stared at him.

  Her organs…sliced, dried, ground up, and powdered?

  “Shut the fuck up, Paul,” Mason said.

  “Aye, zip it.” Lucas set his hand on Olivia’s shoulder.

  “Is that true?” Olivia looked from Paul to Harry.

  Harry was glaring at Paul. “Yeah, but not a great time to mention it, McCadam.” He put his hand on the hood, stretching up and exposing the gun he had in a holster at his waist.

  Olivia’s nerves were pinging around. Her appearance had driven her crazy in the past, people thinking she was a dumb blonde who thought only of shopping and makeup, but this, this was a new level of looking the wrong way.

  “Real helpful,” Evan muttered.

  “Hey, I’m just saying it as it is.” Paul shook his head.

  “Well don’t.” Olivia huffed. “You want me to concentrate or not?”

  “Yes, concentrate,” Harry said. “We’ve got your back, don’t worry.” His hand hovered over the gun.

  Despite a rising since of panic, she forced her brain to work. “Pedal, check the pedal first, it might be a red herring for the clutch cable.” She wiped her hands on her t-shirt and went to the driver’s door. But as she did so a car pulled up. It had a flashing blue light on its roof.

  “Ah, great, the police,” Mason muttered.

  “Might actually be pretty useful right about now,” Evan replied.

  “Hey, kids, can’t you read?” the officer shouted, stepping out. “Big flashing sign there.” He nodded upward as he walked their way.

  “Hi, I’m Doctor McCadam.” Paul held out his hand. “We’re taking medical and building supplies to the Northern Cape, but we have a problem with this van.”

  The policeman didn’t shake. “So all these stationary vehicles are together?”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Harry said, tugging his t-shirt down over the gun.

  Evan did the same, hiding his knife.

  The policeman nodded at Olivia. “I suggest you get back in a vehicle, miss. This is no place for you.”

  “But I—”

  “No.” He held up his hand. “Get in a vehicle, lock the door, and wait for the mechanic.”

  “I would,” she said, “but you see—”

  The policeman jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Or I’ll have you in my vehicle and—”

  “With all due respect, sir,” Harry said. “I think it’s best if we just let her—”

  “No, she will—” The officer frowned and set his hand over his cuffs.

  “I am a mechanic,” Olivia shouted, holding out her arms. “Just give me a minute.”

  “Yeah, she’s a mechanic,” Harry finished and then shrugged.

  “Really?” The officer studied her.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered.

  “What was that?” he said.

  “Nothing, Officer. I’m going to check the clutch cable, in here.”

  “Mmm, well hurry up.”

  She stooped and traced the cable from the pedal. It appeared to be intact. She then had a fiddle with the pivot shaft. It was stiff and unyeilding.

  Bingo.

  “I think it’s okay, guys,” she said, standing.

  They were all staring down at her.

  “If you could grab me some oil, something to lubricate this pivot shaft.”

  “I’m on it.” Evan set off at a run.

  Harry watched him go.

  Within a minute he was back with a can of spray lubricant. “Here you are, babe.”

  “Thanks.”

  Again she ducked down. This time she gave the pivot shaft a good spray, manipulating the stiff pedal to spread it around. Within a minute it was moving much freer.

  “Should be okay now, Paul,” she said, straightening and handing the can back to Evan.

  “You reckon?” He looked doubtful.

  “Try it.”

  “Yeah, get in and get going, even if you just limp along for the next few miles.” The policeman nodded up the road. “You couldn’t have picked a worse place to stop.”

  Paul jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He worked the pedal a couple of times. “Aye, it’s much better.” He grinned at Olivia. “Feels normal again.”

  “I’ll give it a proper check when we get there, but hopefully that’s all it was.” She dropped the hood with a bang. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  “Absolutely,” Mason said, slipping into the van.

  “Come on.” Lucas set his hand in the small of her back.

  “Thank you,” Harry said to the officer.

  “It’s her you have to thank, but don’t let me see you around here again.” The policeman frowned.

  “You won’t.”

  Flanked by Harry and Evan, and with Lucas staying close, she made her way back to the truck. They’d attracted attention, or the police officer had, and she spotted movement on the other side of the wire fence.

  As she climbed into the truck and started the engine, she had a weird sensation of being watched and pushed thoughts of witch doctors from her mind.

  “All okay with the van?” Raul asked, popping another sweet into his mouth.

  “Yes, should be now.”

  “This place gives me the shivers.” Lucas rubbed his hand around the back of his neck.

  “I agree.” She pulled out into the traffic, following Paul and Mason once again, and hoped the vibes in Kaskum would be friendlier than where she was now.

  The rest of the morning passed easily. They stuck to one main road and stopped before Springbok to refuel and grab some lunch.

  The diner was light and airy, and Olivia enjoyed stretching her legs and back after sitting for so long.

  Soon they were on their way again, and sure enough, when they turned off the main road, the going got harder and slower. The gears on the truck complained, as did the engine, and in the midday sun she willed the temperature gauge not to climb into the red.

  The landscape was barren and dusty. Dry hills rose in the distance, and trees with long thorns occasionally caught on the sides of the vehicle. With every dip and pothole the suspension complained.

  “I hope this truck can keep going,” Raul said.

  “As long as it doesn’t get any worse, or one of these holes takes out a tire, we’ll be okay.” She held her breath and jolted over another hole.

  “Hey, look!” Lucas pointed out the passenger side window.

  “What?” Olivia turned.

  “Giraffe. Lots of them.”

  “Oh, si, si, over there.” Raul bounced on the seat.

  A family of elegant giraffe stood beside a copse of tall, skinny trees. Several were feeding, a few were turned their way.

  “That’s incredible,” Olivia said. “I’ve only ever seen them in the zoo.”

  “So much wildlife.” Lucas shook his head. “Up there, too.”

  Sev
eral large birds were circling to the right of them, the ends of their wings like spread fingers.

  “What do you think they are?” Olivia asked.

  “Vultures maybe.” Lucas shrugged. “Might be something dead down there.”

  “Maybe a lion or a tiger has made a kill.” Raul pulled a face.

  “There’s no tigers in Africa,” Olivia said.

  “Ah, no, you are right. A lion, then.”

  “Or a leopard. Anya told me they could become a problem sometimes, to the villagers.”

  “Oh no.” Raul frowned. “I am safe from sharks, but now I have leopards to worry about.”

  Olivia chuckled. “I’m sure we won’t even see one. They’re very shy.”

  “I hope you are right.”

  They continued on for another hour, passing a few settlements, through a grass-coated valley a herd of kudu were feasting on. Then, after what felt like driving forever on a dead straight track, a cluster of small buildings appeared in the distance.

  “I hope Mason has been reading the map correctly,” Olivia said. “I don’t fancy going back along this track, not for a while at least.”

  “He’s a navigational whizz, remember,” Lucas said.

  “Mmm, on the ocean.” She smiled.

  “Ah, have faith,” Raul said.

  “I have.” She peered forward as the medical van reached the group of single-story dwellings. They were the same color as the orangy earth surrounding them, with roofs that reminded her of the one Evan had built on the shelter in Elysium.

  She ground down the gears and wiped her hand over her brow. It had been a long day.

  As the three vehicles pulled up to the west of the village, a gaggle of children rushed in a big group to greet them.

  “Ah, I hope I have enough.” Raul picked up the bag of sweets. “Perhaps I should not have been eating them all day.”

  “They’re for the children?” she asked.

  “Of course. I want to make friends.”

  She opened the door, and the air, which felt as if it had been heated in a furnace, rushed into meet her. “Phew.”

  As she stepped down, Evan arrived at her side. “What do you think?”

  “That I hope this is Kaskum.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t let Mason hear you say that, he’ll think you’re doubting his map-reading skills.”

  “Olivia!”

  Olivia turned. A woman wearing a blue turban and matching dress was pushing through the children crowding around Raul.

  “Olivia,” she called again.

  “Anya?” Olivia’s heart soared. She hadn’t thought she’d see Anya so soon. “You’re here.”

  “Yes.” Anya reached Olivia and pulled her into a hug. “And I am so glad to see you, my friend, and your boyfriend Raul, and your other men.”

  “You got here so quickly.”

  “Yes. After I spoke to you I went to the airport, bought a ticket on first flight to Johannesburg and then bus to main road.”

  “And then what?”

  “I walk.” She grinned. “It is not that far.”

  “It’s miles.” Olivia couldn’t believe it.

  “Not when it is in the direction of home. Then every step is a pleasure.”

  Olivia grinned. “And you’re pleased to be home, to see your family?”

  Anya pressed her hand on her chest. “It is good for my soul to be here. America was kind to me, but this place is where the love is for me.” She entwined her fingers with Olivia’s. “Come, I will take you to meet the village elders, and my father. They are only just believing what I tell them about you and what you are going to give to Kaskum. It is hard for them to understand such kindness from strangers.”

  “They’ll believe it now, we have the hospital all packed up in these trucks.”

  Anya grinned and nodded at Raul. “Your boyfriend is popular already with the children.”

  “Yes, sweets will do that.” She looked at Raul, who was smiling broadly and seemed to be making sure no one was left out when it came to getting a handful of the strawberry-flavored candy.

  “He will make good father one day, Olivia, to your children.”

  A cough caught in Olivia’s throat.

  Kids. Father. Her children?

  “Er, yes, I suppose he will.” Getting pregnant was not on her to-do list.

  She walked with Anya, aware of the guys following as they headed past the homes on the outer edge of the village.

  “There is the broken Jeep.” Anya pointed to a red scrap of metal that made the tractor at Granfield Fruit Farm look like a modern, reliable vehicle. It was in the distance, beside a mound covered in dense bushes.

  “Ah, yes. I have a tool kit. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Yes, please. And thank you for trying, even if you cannot make it work again. But if it did, it would be of great use to the village.”

  “I’ll do my best.” She frowned at the flat tires.

  “I know you will.”

  The children were following close, but when Anya reached a large round hut in the center of the village, they held back.

  “The elders are in here,” she said. “At this time of day they drink bush tea and discuss important business.” She gestured to the children. “They must not be disturbed.”

  “Perhaps we should wait.” Olivia paused.

  “No, no, you are the important business.” Anya nodded at the doorway, and her hooped earrings swung. “Come, come…”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Olivia stepped into the darkened hut as Anya held the blanket which acted as a door to one side. Harry, Evan, Lucas, Mason, and Paul stepped in beside her.

  Around a fire, which contained smoldering embers, sat four men on wooden stools. Above the fire a pot hung from sticks, and a trickle of smoke drifted to a hole in the roof.

  “Father,” Anya said. “This is my friend Olivia from America. She has come with Raul and her friends to build the hospital, as she promised she would.”

  Silence.

  “The trucks you saw in the distance, it was them and they are here.” Anya beamed and gestured to Olivia and the men. “Where is Raul?”

  “I am here.” Raul rushed in holding the empty sweet packet. “Sorry, sorry.”

  Olivia took his hand. “It’s okay.”

  The elder with the most adornments around his neck surveyed them.

  “This is my father,” Anya said. “His name is Yamba.”

  Yamba set down his tea and stood. He wore a long dark robe with a v-shaped collar. He stepped around the fire and moved close to Olivia. “Anya speaks very well of you.” He spoke with a deep voice and a strong accent.

  Olivia smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

  “And of your men.”

  “Can I introduce them?”

  He nodded, and his dark gaze roamed over everyone.

  “This is Raul,” she said. “He’s a chef.”

  “Chef?”

  “A cook, Father,” Anya said.

  “Ah, yes, I see.” He nodded at Raul.

  “And this is Lucas, he’s…” Olivia paused. “He will help with water.”

  “Water is very important in the village.”

  “I understand, sir,” Lucas said. “And in short supply?”

  “Always, though right now the lake is full, as is the well and treating us kindly.”

  Lucas smiled.

  “This is Mason,” Olivia went on. “He will help with electricity.”

  Yamba appeared doubtful. “I do not know how?”

  “I’ve brought solar panels so we can harness the power of the sun, and a wind turbine. There is no reason why the hospital can’t have electricity even if it’s just enough for a few hours a day.”

  “Good.” Yamba nodded. “Very good and clever.”

  “This is Evan,” Olivia said, nodding at Evan. “He’s going to be in charge of the build.”

  “Which is a big job.” Yamba crossed his arms and surveyed Evan.

  “Yes,
sir. But a simple one. We’ve brought it like a kit, it just needs constructing. So as long as we’ve got muscles, we can get it done.”

  “The village is very grateful for your hard work.” Yamba inclined his head.

  “And this is Harry,” Olivia said.

  “Pleased to meet you, sir.” Harry held out his hand, his Rolex sparkling even in the dim light.

  Yamba hesitated for a moment then took Harry’s hand and shook.

  Harry grinned. “It’s an honor to be here to offer our help to you and your village, sir.”

  Yamba studied Harry for a moment, then, “I thank you for being here.”

  Harry grinned.

  “And finally,” Olivia said, gesturing to Paul. “This is Paul, the older brother of Mason and Lucas, and he is also a doctor.”

  Yamba folded his arms, and after studying Paul he looked at the three men still seated.

  “This is very good,” one of them said.

  “Yes, the gods have smiled at Kaskum.” The other nodded.

  Yamba walked over to Paul and pulled in a deep breath. “My people are poor, most are strong but a few are not in good health. Any improvements you can make will be most welcome.”

  “I will do my best, sir.”

  “I thank you.”

  “And we have brought vaccinations—prevention is better than cure.”

  “You have?” Yamba appeared surprised.

  “Yes. There is more than enough for your village from what I can tell, so it would be worth asking that the word be spread to other local communities.”

  “We can do that.” Yamba nodded. “Yes, we can easily do that.”

  “I’d like to get them administered tomorrow, if possible.”

  “If you believe that is best, Doctor, then that is what will happen.”

  “Thank you.” Paul smiled, and a sense of relief seemed to cross his face.

  “No, it is us who thank you, Doctor. Please consider yourself an honory son of Kaskum.” He spun around, and a smile spread on his face. “All of you are honory children of Kaskum, and I thank the day my beautiful Anya met you. It is a great day for Kaskum, a truly great day.”

  The men behind him stood.

  “We should celebrate,” Yamba said. “Have a feast of goat to show our appreciation.”

  “Yes,” Anya said, clapping. “We should do that.”