Lost in Drive Long Way Home

PRO

1992…..

It was shortly after 11pm when the turn around happened, he was standing on the corner of Katondo Street and Cairo Road. He was smoking a butt of a consulate with his head held low under the black hoodie, black sweat pants and black snickers. Opposite to where he was standing stood Protea Hotel, he was watching the entrance to the hotel like a Lion watching its prey, stalking it. Though in his case, his prey was not yet in view. Patience was something he had in abundance; waiting was like second nature to him. He had a clear view of everything yet everyone else had no view of his face. He saw a man walk out of the entrance of the Hotel, he felt his heart skip a beat but his posture didn’t alter and he calmed his heart down and when he thought he did, another person came out and this time it skipped two beats but he calmed down quickly. As if testing him, a couple came out and from the look of it, the girl was young and that calmed him down, then he caught sight of the older man with her. He was caught transfixed by the face of the older man as he recognised it, he launched his body of the wall. The heel of the snickers muffles the sound as he moved across Katondo Street watching his pace so to gain on the couple. He was ten paces behind them when it hit him like a sledge hummer on his chest, the perfume that the young lady wore was like bait to a hungry lion, it confused his thoughts and focus. Jasmine and Pine. His mind and heart were dazzled but his body just switched to automatic and charged forward, he saw them move toward the ally of the hotel. The girl stopped and turned to face the old man in a playful way giving him the full view of her face, he could tell that she was clearly young enough to be his granddaughter. But she was breathtakingly beautiful. He launched forward and saw the girl notice him and saw fear cloud her eyes, at that same time the older man spun to look at him with shock and fear displaying on his face. If it were possible, he saw the old man age ten years. His left hand flew at the man’s throat using his body force to make the older stagger backward and had him following the old mans back pace. The girl gave way by moving to his left but as he moved past her, he swan his right elbow back around to land on the side of her head, making her swing her feet into the air and cracking her skull on the pavement and made a snap sound that made the old mans skin pale even whiter that he looked lifeless. The old man saw the look in the eyes of the hooded man and knew for sure that he had seconds, minutes at most……………..