Terror Kid

by Benjamin Zephaniah

  ‘What’s your name?’ asked the man.

  ‘Why do you want to know?’ replied Rico. He continued to walk. Rico was now very anxious. He just did not want a conversation with these people. He forced a smile. ‘Don’t worry. I told you, I’m fine. I’ve been hit by footballs much harder than that.’

  ‘Come on. Just tell me your name,’ the man said a little more forcefully. ‘Be polite. My name’s Rohan, what’s yours?’

  Rico went silent. He wasn’t sure what to do. Then Rohan looked to his companion, threw him the ball and said, ‘I told you. It’s him. The terror kid. I know his face.’

  Rico began to run. He ran out of the gates and down the street. The men ran after him. Rico was not a fast runner, and having to hold the bag slowed him down, but he ran as fast as he could. Then suddenly a man spread his arms open and blocked Rico’s path. Rico tried to run around him, but the man was big, and there was nowhere to go.

  ‘I’ve got him!’ shouted the man. ‘No one gets past me. I used to play rugby. No one got past me then, no one gets past me now.’

  The man wrapped his arms around Rico until the men caught up.

  ‘Did he steal something from you?’ asked the man. Rico tried to struggle free, but the man gripped him so firmly he could barely breathe.

  ‘No,’ said Rohan’s companion. ‘We’re just playing a game.’

  ‘Just playing a game?’ said the man disbelievingly. ‘You could have fooled me.’

  ‘It’s OK,’ said Rohan. ‘Let him go. He’s our friend.’

  ‘Your friend. I’m sorry,’ said the man as he let Rico go. ‘And there I was, trying to be a superhero. You young ones play some strange games nowadays. I’ll be off then. Leave you to your strange games.’

  The man walked off. There was an audible sigh of relief from all three of them. The men looked at Rico, and Rico looked at them, none of them sure what to do next.

  ‘So it’s like this, right. I’m Rohan, and this is my brother Dean.’ Rohan lowered his voice. ‘We know who you are, but don’t worry, there’s no problem. We’re cool. We not gonna tell the cops or anything. Let’s go for a walk. Get off the busy road.’

  The two brothers stepped either side of Rico and began to walk. Rico had no choice but to walk with them.

  ‘What are you going to do to me? asked Rico, who was now a little scared.

  ‘Nothing,’ said Dean. ‘We are your friends. We’re on your side.’

  Rohan and Dean were older than Rico, in their twenties. Rohan had blond hair and was skinny, tall and very talkative. His brother Dean was also blond, but a man of few words. Both wore jeans and West Bromwich Albion football shirts. When they had left the main road Rohan continued to talk.

  ‘I can’t believe you’re here. Hey, do you need anything?’

  ‘Are you going to call the police?’ asked Rico quietly.

  ‘No way!’ said Rohan. ‘We hate the police. Do you need anything?’

  ‘I just need somewhere to rest and something to eat.’

  ‘That’s no problem,’ said Rohan. ‘We can help you with that. Can’t we, Dean?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Dean. ‘Shall we take him to the pub?’

  ‘That’s what I’m thinking,’ said Rohan with a big smile on his face.

  ‘I’m not going to a pub,’ said Rico.

  ‘It’s not that kind of a pub. Well, it’s not a pub. You’ll see when we get there.’ said Dean.

  They walked for a short while until they came to Dean and Rohan’s house. Dean went in, leaving Rohan and Rico to walk on and wait a short distance away. Soon Dean appeared from the side gate, signalling them to enter. Once through the gate Dean and Rohan led Rico to a cabin at the bottom of the garden. It was comfortable inside, with three armchairs, football shields and trophies on the walls, a pool table at its centre, and a bar that looked exactly like a bar in a pub.

  ‘You can stay here for a while. No one comes here, not without our permission anyway,’ said Rohan.

  Rico looked around at the trophies, and then he walked up to the pool table and ran his fingers over the cloth.

  ‘I see why you call it the pub now.’

  Rohan joined him and started to run his fingers over the table.

  ‘Yes, when we were small we liked to play pool.’

  ‘And drink,’ said Dean.

  ‘So our dad made this cabin for us,’ Rohan continued. ‘It’s a great place to just chill out. We don’t normally let people in here, you know. But you’re special.’

  ‘What do you like to eat?’ asked Dean

  Rico reply was quick. ‘Right now, I’ll eat anything.’

  Rohan drew the curtains and Dean went back into the house and brought back some sandwiches, biscuits and two cans of soft drink. The brothers watched as Rico cleaned up the food that was placed before him, then they talked. They talked for most of the afternoon, and come early evening the brothers went into the house for their meals, leaving Rico for a while, returning again with more food.

  When they talked it was about life in the area, what the local kids were like, films they had seen and football, which Rico was not at all interested in. The brothers explained that their mother was disabled, and although she could walk a little around the house, most of the time she had to use a wheelchair, and their father didn’t go to work but spent most of his time looking after her. Rohan was doing most of the talking, but what was making Rico uncomfortable was the fact that they didn’t mention that he was on the run. Not until late in the evening when they were getting ready to leave him for the night.

  ‘We have to turn the light off now; if we leave it on it will look weird. Don’t worry, it’s safe. No one knows that you’re here and no one will find you. Can you manage in the dark?’ asked Rohan.

  ‘Of course,’ replied Rico. ‘I slept in a garden shed last night. Compared to that this is luxury. Can I charge my phone up?’

  ‘No problem, just do it in the dark. Don’t open the curtains until we come back, and try to be quiet. But you’ll be fine.’

  As soon as they left, Rico turned on the phone that Lola had given him, but again there were no messages. He was tempted to turn on his own phone but he knew that once he turned it on he could be traced. He put his newly acquired phone on to charge, spent some time thinking, and then he curled up in an armchair and went to sleep.

  Chapter 19

  A Bit of Cash Here, A Bit of Cash There

  Rico slept soundly right through the night and most of the morning. It was almost eleven o’clock when he woke up. He was hot. The sunlight hit the window and, even with the curtains closed, the greenhouse effect began to fry him. He stood up and as he stretched the cabin door opened, just enough for Rohan and Dean to peep in.

  ‘Can we come in?’ asked Rohan.

  ‘Of course,’ said Rico.

  ‘We’ve come over a couple of times but you were fast asleep. We didn’t want to wake you up.’

  Rohan was carrying a dish, a spoon and a bottle of milk. Dean was carrying a box of breakfast cereal, a couple of white bread rolls and a jar of jam. Soon Rico was eating the food, with Rohan and Dean looking on. When Rico caught their eyes they smiled back at him as if they were really happy just to see a hungry boy being fed. When Rico was finished they both left, saying they would be back very soon.

  Thirty minutes later they returned. This time they were smiling but empty-handed.

  ‘Rico,’ said Rohan. ‘Our parents have gone down the day centre, let’s go in the house.’

  Rico was cautious. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘It’s safe,’ said Dean. ‘They’re away for a couple of hours. More space in there.’

  ‘You can get all you need,’ said Rohan. ‘You can go to the toilet, have a shower, anything. Let’s go.’

  They guided Rico into the house; it was small, but with some surprises: two canaries sang in one birdcage, and there was an owl asleep in another. There was also a big fish tank full of tropical fish and in the corner was a large television.


  ‘Can I watch some telly?’ asked Rico.

  ‘Later,’ said Rohan.

  ‘I want to see what they’re saying about me.’

  ‘Don’t worry. We’ll come to that in a while.’

  Rohan gently put his hands on Rico’s shoulders and turned him towards the stairs, then led him straight to the bathroom.

  ‘Do what you like. There are towels, shampoo; we even got nail cutters in the cabinet next to the mirror. It’s all yours. Just give us a shout if you need anything else – and take your time.’

  Rico spent forty minutes in the bathroom, and when he came out he felt and looked like a different person, but he sensed there was something wrong. Rohan and Dean were being too nice to him. He asked to watch some TV again and the subject was changed quickly. They showed him old family photos in an album, and newer family photos on a laptop computer. Rico feigned interest in order not to upset his hosts.

  Back in the cabin they started to talk about the obvious.

  ‘They’re looking for you everywhere, you know?’ said Rohan.

  ‘I know,’ replied Rico.

  ‘You’re a bit of a hero, you know?’ said Dean.

  Rico shook his head.

  ‘No, you got that wrong. I’m no hero.’

  ‘What are you saying?’ said Rohan. ‘You’re the man, you’re the one everyone’s talking about. Terror Kid, that’s what they’re calling you, and everyone’s scared of you.’

  ‘“Terror Kid,”’ Rico said, surprised.

  ‘Yes. The most dangerous kid in the country, public enemy number one. If they get you you’re going away for a long time, a very long time, but you’re safe here. We have a plan.’

  Rico raised his eyebrows and looked at the pair, his eyes darting from one to another.

  ‘What plan?’

  Rohan went and stood by the door; Dean went and sat right next to Rico and began to speak.

  ‘We’ll help you as much as we can but if you want to survive out here you’re going to need some money. We haven’t got much but we know where to get some.’

  ‘I’ve got some money,’ said Rico.

  ‘How much?’ asked Rohan.

  Rico wasn’t sure if he should tell them, but he had already said too much.

  ‘About a hundred pounds.’

  Rohan laughed.

  Dean continued to speak quietly and calmly.

  ‘You can’t survive out here on a hundred quid. You need more. We need more, and we’re not even on the run. We have a plan to raise our financial status, but we need you.’

  ‘What do you need me for?’

  ‘You know how to make big bombs, and we need a little one, a little tiny baby one.’

  Rico jumped out of his seat.

  ‘I don’t make bombs!’ he shouted. ‘That wasn’t me. Do you hear me? It wasn’t me!’

  Dean was unmoved. ‘So what you on the run for?’

  ‘It’s complicated, I can’t explain now.’

  ‘There’s no need for you to explain. Sit down, and let me explain.’

  Rico sat down slowly and Dean continued.

  ‘There’s this shop you see, and in this shop there’s sweets and cigarettes, and chocolates and magazines, and there’s a cash point. This cash point is a bit stubborn. It’s not the cash point’s fault. The problem is they put it in the wall, and it’s concreted in.’

  ‘Why are you telling me this?’ asked Rico.

  ‘We’ve done a dry run so we’ve got a way into this shop,’ continued Dean. ‘So we want to go in, and take that cash machine away. But we need you to make a little baby bomb, just enough to blow it off the wall, and trust me, everything will be all right.’

  Rico shook his head and spoke firmly. ‘I told you, I don’t know how to make bombs.’

  Then Rohan joined in.

  ‘Hey, man. Whatever you call that thing you made that ripped the cop station apart, that’s what we want. That was top class, but we’re not in that class. We don’t understand politics, we’re not freedom fighters or anything like that. We’re just poor people who need a bit of money to make life better for us, and at the same time we can help you. You just make the thing, tell us how to use it, and then you wait here. We’ll go, do the job, come back, give you a cut, then you do anything you want. If you want to stay here, you can; if you want to move on, you can. You can do whatever you want to do – you’ll have the money for it.’

  Dean took over.

  ‘It’s easy. Come on, look what we’ve done for you.’

  Rico jumped up again. This time he really shouted.

  ‘Yes, you helped me, thanks, but I didn’t make a bomb, so forget it.’

  Without warning, Dean lost control. He punched Rico on the side of his head. Rico went to the floor. Dean jumped straight on him, put his hands tight around his throat, and shouted at him as he shook Rico’s head violently from side to side.

  ‘After all we’ve done for you! If it weren’t for us you’d still be walking the streets. We could turn you in any time, we could grass you up, but we just ask you for a bit of help. You don’t help us but you help your Muslim friends.’

  Rohan hurried over and pulled Dean off Rico.

  ‘Cool down, Dean. Just chill, man. Go and see if Mum and Dad are back.

  Dean got up and left the cabin, cursing as he went.

  Rico was stunned by the attack. Rohan helped him to his feet and sat him back down. The inside of Rico’s head was spinning, the outside felt as if a brick had been implanted in it. After sitting in a chair next to Rico and giving him a bit of time to recover, Rohan began to try to persuade Rico again.

  ‘Sorry about that. Sometimes Dean just goes crazy, and he’s got a bit of a temper on him. Listen, everyone in the country knows how good you are. We just need a bit of help. We’re not big-time, we do a little job here, a little job there, make a bit of cash here, a bit of cash there, we’re just small-time hustlers. Now, you can help us, can’t you?’

  ‘I can’t,’ said Rico very quietly.

  ‘Well,’ said Rohan. ‘I always try to be reasonable. I like to talk things through, but Dean’s not like that. You’ve seen how he can just lose his temper. He’s desperate, and when he’s desperate he’s dangerous. I don’t know if I can protect you if he loses it again. That’s all I’m saying. Come on, do this for us.’

  Rico sat looking at the floor. He thought so hard he could feel the electricity in his brain. He was trapped, and he could see only one way out. He nodded his head. ‘OK.’

  ‘Good,’ said Rohan. ‘Now what do you need?’

  ‘First of all I need to rest my head,’ said Rico.

  ‘I understand,’ said Rohan smoothly. ‘I’ll go and have a word with Dean. I’ll make sure he won’t be doing that again, but you will help us, won’t you?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Rico. ‘I’ll do it. I just need some petrol and some – some – some fertiliser. I’ll do it.’

  Rico didn’t really know what he was talking about. He thought that petrol ignites, and he had heard on the news that fertiliser can blow up, so he said the first things that came into his head to make Rohan go away. To Rohan it was music to his ears. Rico sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Rohan smiled a smile of satisfaction.

  ‘We can get that stuff. You get your head together and we’ll come back and have a chat. How does that sound?’

  ‘OK,’ said Rico. ‘Yes, we can do business.’

  As soon as Rohan left, Rico grabbed a bread roll and gathered his few things together. He opened the curtain just enough to see Rohan enter the house. He thought quickly. Getting out of the entrance at the side of the house was risky; the gate was too near the house. Climbing over the side fence was also risky; he could be seen from the house. So he got his bag, opened the door and slipped round the back of the cabin where he couldn’t be seen. Then he jumped over the fence and ran through the garden that backed onto the house behind. He ran to the side entrance gate, but there was a dog. It was small dog, a very
small dog, but it was loud and angry. Rico ran with the dog barking at his heels, but when he got to the gate it was locked. Panicking, he threw over the bag, climbed over, picked up the bag and ran along the side of the house, down the street. Once he hit the street he just ran as fast as he could, as far as he could.

  Chapter 20

  Room Service

  When Rico could run no further he stopped to get his strength back. He saw a phone box, picked up the handset and put it to his ear to make it look like he was making a call, and used the time to rest. When he was fully recovered he took out the mobile phone that Lola had given him and turned it on. This time there was a message. He felt weak with relief. It was from Lola, and it was a simple message, and she was using a name that only Rico would know.

  It’s Woodpecker. Meet me 2nite @ 9 outside the potters house. CU. X

  Rico had no idea what the ‘potters house’ was. He ate the bread roll that he had and spent the next few hours walking from one phone box to another, until he found one with Internet access. He was tempted to check the Internet and chat rooms to see what everyone was talking about, and he thought of checking his emails, but he knew that was dangerous and would leave a trail, so in the end he just put the coins in and searched for ‘The Potters House’. It was a church and community centre, and he worked out that it wasn’t too far away, so he carefully planned a route and began his journey. Once he had checked the road names and direction of travel he put his head down and went purposefully on his way.

  He arrived at The Potters House and waited outside the main entrance. He wasn’t sure how Lola would arrive, but within two minutes she pulled up in her Mini. The passenger door opened and he got inside. Lola leaned over, put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, whispering in his ear.