Desert Pursuit Part 7

FOURTEEN.

Li struggled to stay awake. Her eyes and throat felt as though they were full of needles and all her muscles ached. She had not slept all night. Less than fifteen minutes fifteen minutes after she had left the village in the back of the Scorpion's Unimog, the sandstorm overtook them. Within seconds, visibility was down to a few metres and the big vehicle had shuddered to a halt. The Scorpion had taken his dog into the cab with him, leaving the children to huddle together in the back of the truck. after she had left the village in the back of the Scorpion's Unimog, the sandstorm overtook them. Within seconds, visibility was down to a few metres and the big vehicle had shuddered to a halt. The Scorpion had taken his dog into the cab with him, leaving the children to huddle together in the back of the truck.

All night the wind had howled, shaking the truck bed and making the canvas cover yank against the cords that secured it to the base. Sand blasted into the dim interior through every gap and hole in the canvas and soon the air was thick with dust. Pulling their headcloths tightly across their noses, they had formed a huddle on the stinking floor of the truck, with the younger ones in the middle, and waited for the storm to end.

The storm had raged until dawn, by which time they were all exhausted, but the Scorpion had only allowed them a hurried water break before herding them all back into the truck and continuing the journey. They had been driving for hours now. Jumoke was so exhausted she was sleeping with her head against Khalid's chest despite the relentless rocking and jolting in the back of the Unimog. Khalid was supporting her with one arm and holding on to the bench with the other. Samir was asleep too, resting against Hakim, but everyone else was awake, concentrating on clinging on to the benches and trying to ignore their thirst.

Suddenly the engine spluttered and died and the Unimog coasted to a halt. The cab doors slammed and Li could hear the Scorpion shouting at his men outside the truck. She tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but her head was ringing and her tired brain was having trouble understanding. It took her a few seconds to realize he was talking in Arabic.

'What's he saying?' she asked Khalid in French.

'He says they cannot afford any more delays,' replied Khalid. 'He says they must get there tonight. The auction is tomorrow and he has buyers coming from all over Morocco.'

'Auction?' said Juma. 'What do you mean, auction?'

Li sighed. She had decided to keep quiet about their situation until they had reached their destination and Alpha Force had given her some sort of signal. There was no point in distressing the younger ones until she was sure that rescue was at hand. Now it seemed she had no choice. She looked Juma in the eye. 'A slave auction. He is going to sell us, Juma. Sell us as slaves.'

'No!' Juma shook his head fiercely. 'Our fathers told us we would become apprentices and learn a trade.'

The other boys nodded and Juma glared at Li, but she could see that, behind his denials, he knew the truth. He just did not want to admit it.

'We will learn a trade and send money back to our families in Nigeria,' said Juma, folding his arms. 'That was the agreement.'

'We are to be given positions with rich families,' said Sisi.

'And we shall be sent to school in return for a little housework,' added Kesia.

Li looked at the two girls and saw that they too were clinging on to the promises the Scorpion had made to their parents, rather than face up to the truth.

'I shall earn a lot of money in Morocco, braiding hair for the tourists,' said Jumoke, sitting up and rubbing her sore eyes.

Li smiled at the little girl. She didn't have the heart to tell her that she would probably be sold to a street trader, who would take all the money she made.

Li turned to look at Hakim. His face was haggard as he stared at her and his arm tightened around the sleeping Samir. Hakim knew she was telling the truth. He spoke Arabic and he had heard the Scorpion shouting at his men.

'Don't worry, Hakim,' she said. 'I have a plan. When we get to the auction house, we will escape.'

Hakim shook his head. 'I must go back to warn my father now, while my village is still only a day's walk away.'

'It is too risky, Hakim! They have guns and there is nowhere to hide out there!'

Hakim turned and peered out through a split in the canvas. 'There is a small rise,' he said, turning back to Li. 'If I can get behind it without them seeing me, I can hide there until the truck leaves. But...' Hakim hesitated, looking down at his sleeping brother. 'I must leave Samir here. He is too young to make the journey. Will you look after him until I come back with the men from the village?'

'Of course I will. But I don't think you should try it, Hakim!' hissed Li. 'Wait until we get to the auction house. It's too dangerous out here!'

Just then, the canvas flaps at the back of the truck were wrenched open. One of the Scorpion's men flung a half-empty girba into the back of the truck, then pushed Li's legs out of the way and yanked a jerry can of fuel out from under the bench. He started to lace the canvas flaps together again, but a shout from the Scorpion made him jump to carry the jerry can round to the front. He left the last part of the canvas flaps untied.

Li caught Hakim's eye and shook her head, but she could see it was useless. He was determined to go. Wordlessly, Li pulled the plug from the neck of the girba and pa.s.sed it to him. He took a long drink, then woke Samir and handed him the waterskin. While his brother was occupied with quenching his thirst, Hakim took a deep breath and slipped out under the canvas flaps.

Li crouched on the floor, watching through the little gap in the canvas and willing Hakim on. He landed softly and turned to check that the three slavers were still occupied at the front of the vehicle. Satisfied, he began to sprint away towards the rise, but the dog sprang out from under the truck after him.

Li's heart clenched but she dared not call out in case she alerted the men at the front of the truck. As she watched, Hakim turned to face the dog just as it leaped for him. It knocked him to the ground and stood over him, snarling. Hakim scrabbled in the stony dirt until he found a fist-sized rock. He gripped the rock tightly and swung it at the dog, clubbing it on the side of the head as hard as he could. The dog yelped and fell on to its side, twitching and bleeding.

Hakim staggered to his feet again and turned to run. There was a shout from the front of the truck but he kept going until two shots rang out, hitting the ground a metre ahead of him and blasting clouds of dirt into the air. Hakim stopped and turned, raising his hands. The Scorpion's men grabbed him by the arms and dragged him back to the truck.

The Scorpion was hunched over his dog, which was lying still with its tongue hanging from the side of its mouth. He stroked the animal's bony head and crooned to it, until it opened its eyes and staggered to its feet with a whine. As soon as the Scorpion was sure his dog was not going to die, he rose to his feet and turned to Hakim.

'You could have killed him,' said the Scorpion, switching to French. His voice was hoa.r.s.e with fury. He back-handed Hakim twice across the face and his signet ring cut the boy's mouth open. Hakim took the blows silently, then stared defiantly at the Scorpion, blood pouring down his chin.

'You want to leave us?' rasped the Scorpion. 'Very well.'

Li gasped as the slaver pulled a wicked-looking, curved knife from the sheath at his belt. He stepped towards Hakim and his men turned the boy to give their boss a clearer target.

Li could not stand by any longer. She launched herself from the truck, landing a flying kick in the throat of the nearest man as she came down. He let go of Hakim, dropped his Kalashnikov and fell to the ground, clutching his windpipe. Li grabbed the weapon and rolled to her feet. Before the second man had time to react, she came up behind him and clubbed him on the back of the neck with the rifle b.u.t.t.

Hakim took the chance to break free while the second man was still reeling from the blow. The man staggered and leaned on his Kalashnikov while he put a hand up to the back of his neck. Hakim lashed out with his foot and kicked the rifle away. Caught by surprise, the man fell and Hakim scurried to pick up the weapon.

Li grinned when she saw Hakim take possession of the second Kalashnikov. She was beginning to think they might just get out of this situation alive.

'Keep them in your sights!' she yelled, pointing to the two men on the ground. Hakim nodded, raising his Kalashnikov, and Li turned, ready to deal with the Scorpion. She froze, her eyes widening with horror at what she saw.

The Scorpion was standing at the back of the truck, holding a crying Samir in front of him. His curved knife was digging into the side of Samir's throat and a thin trickle of blood was running down the boy's neck.

'Put down the weapons,' said the Scorpion coldly.

Li felt the hope drain out of her. There was no way they could refuse. If they did, Samir would die. She looked over at Hakim. He was already laying the Kalashnikov on the ground, never taking his eyes off his little brother. Li sighed and did the same.

'On your feet,' barked the Scorpion to his men. Coughing and staggering, they picked themselves up, retrieved their weapons and trained them on Li and Hakim. Li narrowed her eyes, judging her chances if she used her fighting skills again, but the element of surprise had gone and the men were standing well back, out of range. Li relaxed and stood balanced, feet apart and arms by her sides, waiting for her next chance. She never got it.

Suddenly the Scorpion pushed Samir to the ground and sprang for Li. His knife flashed in the sun as he lunged for her face. Before she could move, the knife sliced past her ear, close enough for her to hear the swish of the blade. She winced, waiting for the pain to start, but there was nothing. The Scorpion stepped back and Li moved up on to the b.a.l.l.s of her feet, to be ready for his next attack. He merely stood there, watching her with a cold smile.

Li was getting seriously freaked. What was he waiting for? His first lunge had missed: why didn't he try again? A chill ran through her as she considered the possibility that the knife had injured her so seriously, she was experiencing no pain. Cautiously, Li raised her hand to her neck, expecting to feel the slick warmth of her own blood. All she found was whole, undamaged skin. She peered down at her hand, double-checking. When she looked up again, the Scorpion was holding something up for her to see. Dangling from his fingers was a twist of her long, silky black hair.

Li froze in shock. The tendril of hair must have come loose from her headcloth during the fight. Quickly, she tucked the rest of the escaped hair back under her headcloth, even though it was too late now. The Scorpion already knew she was a girl. He lunged forward again and, before Li could react, yanked the layered cloth from her head. Her long black hair came tumbling down over her shoulders, falling nearly to her waist. There was a gasp from the Scorpion's men and from the children in the truck, who were all peering through holes and gaps in the canvas.

Still smiling coldly, the Scorpion stepped up to Li and, using the knife, pulled her gandourah open at the neck. He saw the bandage wrapped around her chest and his smile widened.

'Your value has just increased,' he said. 'There will be many men interested in buying you tomorrow. A pretty, light-skinned girl is worth a lot more than a scrawny boy.'

The dog whimpered again from under the shade of the Unimog and the Scorpion's expression hardened. 'Get the others out here,' he ordered his men. 'I want them to see this.'

Once the rest of the children were gathered in a frightened huddle outside the truck, the Scorpion grabbed hold of Samir and pulled him away from his big brother. Hakim looked over at Li, wordlessly reminding her of her promise to look after Samir. She nodded and gathered up the little boy, holding his shaking body in the circle of her arms.

Satisfied, Hakim turned to face the Scorpion. The slaver back-handed him again, hard enough to make him fall to the ground. Then he bent down, grabbed Hakim's right ankle and pulled his leg up into the air. Hakim's baggy sirwal slid down and pooled at his hip, leaving his skinny leg exposed.

'This is what we do to those who try to run away,' said the Scorpion, looking at the other children.

His curved knife flashed again and Hakim gave an agonized scream as the blade cut deep into the back of his leg, just above the knee. It sliced through the two tendons behind the knee and Li heard the snap as they parted from the big muscles at the back of Hakim's thigh. The muscles contracted, shrinking up towards the tendons that anch.o.r.ed them to his hip. The knife had sliced through a major artery and arcs of bright blood began to pump from the back of Hakim's knee on to the Scorpion's western jeans and checked shirt. He grimaced with distaste and stepped back, letting go of Hakim's ankle. Hakim screamed again as his leg flopped to the ground.

'Now, he cannot run,' said the Scorpion, staring at the horrified faces of the other children. 'Remember, you do not need the use of your legs to weave carpets.'

Quickly, Li shepherded Samir over to the group of children and handed him to Khalid, then she walked back towards Hakim, picking up her discarded headcloth on the way. She wanted to bind his leg for him and stop the worst of the bleeding. She wanted to do something, anything, to stop the high screams that were coming from his throat, but the Scorpion's two henchmen stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop.

'Get them back in the truck,' ordered the Scorpion.

The men turned and bent towards Hakim.

'Not him,' said the Scorpion.

'You can't leave him here,' protested Li.

'He hurt my dog!' snarled the Scorpion, his dark eyes flashing with anger again for an instant.

'But you'll lose money,' said Li desperately. 'Don't you want to sell him? Like you said, he could still weave carpets.'

'I won't be able to sell this one,' said the Scorpion, recovering his composure. 'I cut too deep this time. He will bleed to death soon.'

The Scorpion turned his back on Hakim, dismissing him. Quickly Li reached inside her gandourah and pulled out the locket with the tracker device inside. She lifted the chain over her head, then held it clutched in her hand while she checked on the slavers. The Scorpion was squatting with his back to her, stroking his dog; the two henchmen were still hustling the other children into the back of the truck.

Li took two sideways steps, then swiftly bent down and slipped the locket around Hakim's neck. 'My friends are following,' she whispered. 'They will find you.'

Hakim, deep in his pain, gave no sign of having heard her. He was whimpering now, writhing on the ground and clutching at his injured leg. Li gave his shoulder a squeeze and made herself step away. She did not want the men to find the locket and destroy Hakim's only chance of being found. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she moved towards the truck.

Li clambered into the back to join the others. She sat down next to Samir and put her arm around his shoulders. He was too shocked to cry. He sat rigidly on the bench, shaking all over but making no noise at all. Li held him close as the Unimog started on its way again and she vowed to repay the Scorpion for this if it was the last thing she ever did.

FIFTEEN.

They found the boy just beyond the rise, with Li's tracker locket strung around his neck. He was lying on his back with his head pillowed on his arm and his eyes closed as though he had simply fallen asleep.

'Are you sure?' whispered Amber, staring at the peaceful face. 'Check again, Paulo.'

Paulo pressed his fingers to the boy's neck, feeling for a pulse. He kept his fingers in place for a long time, but there was not even the faintest flicker of life. 'I am sure,' said Paulo finally. 'He is dead. He has been dead for a while.'

'It's the boy from the village,' said Alex. 'The older one of the two brothers.'

'What killed him?' asked Amber.

'There's blood everywhere,' said Hex, staring down at the boy's bloodstained clothes. 'It's hard to tell where it came from.'

Paulo looked over the body, noting that the bloodstains were most concentrated on the right leg of the boy's sirwal. Gently he eased the boy on to his left side and pulled the blood-stiffened material away from the right leg until the gaping wound behind the knee was revealed.

'What the h.e.l.l happened there?' gasped Hex.

'They had a dog,' said Amber faintly. 'A big, ugly-looking mutt.'

Alex shook his head. 'This isn't a dog attack. The wound is too neat.' He looked down at Paulo, who was still squatting by the body. 'Knife?' he asked.

Paulo nodded. 'I, too, think it was done with a knife.' He leaned forward to inspect the wound more closely, then shook his head. 'The cut severed the hamstring tendons,' he said, looking up at the others.

'Why would someone do that?' asked Amber, in a quavering voice.

'To stop him from running away,' said Hex grimly. 'It's one of the Scorpion's trademarks.'

'He was carrying a knife,' said Alex, remembering the hand-tooled leather sheath he had seen on the Scorpion's belt.

'The cut also severed a major artery,' continued Paulo. 'That is what killed this boy. He bled to death. Li did her best to save him by guiding us here with the tracker, but there was no real chance for him. No chance at all.'

They sc.r.a.ped out a bed for the boy in the hard ground and laid him in it, covering his face with his headcloth. Then they built a low cairn of rocks and stones over him, to mark his position and protect the body from scavengers. They left the tracker device around his neck, so that he could be found later and given a proper funeral.

'Someone should say something,' said Amber as they stood around the finished cairn.

There was an awkward silence. They did not know this boy's name, or which G.o.d they should talk to on his behalf, and their sadness at his death was mixed with a guilty relief that it was not Li under the stones.

Finally, Paulo sat down beside the cairn and began to speak, not to any G.o.d, but straight to the boy. He kept it simple, as though they were friends sitting side by side, pa.s.sing the time on a lazy summer's day.

'It is a good place here, behind the rise. You have found the only shade on the whole plain. The sky is blue. The wind smells fresh and sweet after the storm. There is a sandstone bluff to the north and your village lies to the south, not too far away. Not too far at all. You will be fine, resting here in this good place for a while. When we have found your little brother, we will come back for you and take you home, I promise. We will bring you both home.'

Paulo rose to his feet again and looked around at the others. 'Will that do?' he asked, slightly unnerved by the silence.

Amber stepped forward, went up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

'It was OK,' said Hex, clearing his throat.

'Come on,' said Alex gruffly, keeping his head down. 'Let's move out. We have promises to keep.'

Alpha Force travelled on through the growing heat of the day, following the Unimog tracks. Sitting astride the quads with only their desert clothes to protect them against the soaring temperatures and drying wind, they were risking severe dehydration, but they had to catch up with Li. Now that she no longer had the tracker device, there was a real chance that she would disappear into slavery before they could find her. Once she was sold, Li would be very hard to trace and her future would not be pleasant. She could become a prisoner in a back-street hovel, weaving carpets in bad light until her eyes gave out and her lungs became clogged with the fibre-filled air. She might end up as an unpaid servant in a private household or be forced to work in the s.e.x industry. The thought of Li having to suffer any of these fates was enough to spur them on despite the rising temperature. The Scorpion's tracks headed north like an arrow, only swerving off course once to divert around the western side of the sandstone bluff that rose out of the plain like the back of a huge whale. Alpha Force stopped there for a water break and for Amber to waymark the bluff on her GPS unit.

'Why did they go that way?' asked Alex, frowning at the Unimog's tracks veering off to the west. 'It would've been quicker to cut round the eastern side of the bluff.'

'Yeah, but if they'd gone east, they would have been in full view of that,' said Amber, pointing out an oil installation that squatted out on the plain to the eastern side of the bluff. 'Security is tight around those places, and the last thing the Scorpion wanted was a bunch of armed guards coming out to investigate him.'

While the others drank their share of water from the girba, Alex took his binoculars from his pannier and focused on the drilling post. The gas burn-off reared above the pumps like a vast, smoky candle and black pipes stretched to the horizon, carrying away oil that had formed from sediments deposited at the bottom of a Saharan ocean four hundred million years earlier. A small cl.u.s.ter of Nissen-type huts and steel cargo boxes sat inside a fenced compound about the size of a football pitch, with a helicopter pad off to one side. Alex guessed that the oil men were housed in those huts, in air-conditioned comfort.

Amber was right, he noted. Both the compound and the wells were patrolled by armed men. As Alex watched, he caught the flash of sun on binoculars. One of the guards was scanning the plain around the installation. Hurriedly, Alex lowered his own binoculars, suddenly feeling very exposed.

'Let's move on,' he said, anxious to get out of sight behind the bluff.