The Escape Through the Riverbank
The night exploded into motion.
Breathing hard, feet pounding against the uneven gravel, Dombi felt her pulse in her throat. She clutched the encrypted drive with both hands, holding it close like her life depended on it — because tonight, it did.
Kabelo ran ahead, leading them through the maze of steel containers.
Ms. Mokoena kept close to Dombi's left, refusing to let the young woman fall behind.
Musa and Sipho guarded the rear, watching every shadow for movement.
Behind them, Mandla's elite team flooded the yard like unleashed wolves.
Flashlights.
Boots.
Orders barked sharply in the dark.
"Find OUT!"
"THEY'RE HEADING EAST!"
"MOVE! MOVE!"
Bullets cracked through the night.
Dombi didn't scream — but her heart jerked every time a bullet ricocheted off metal near them.
The Fence
"There!" Kabelo shouted, pointing ahead.
At the far end of the yard, tall grass swayed behind a security fence. Beyond that, the faint sound of rushing water filled the air.
The river.
Their escape route.
They sprinted toward it — but Mzakes' team was closing in fast.
Two armed men emerged between the containers to the right.
"CONTACT!"
Bullets tore through the dirt at their feet.
Musa shouted, "Left! Go left!"
They pivoted sharply, turning into another row of containers.
Then—
FLASH!
Two more gunmen appeared ahead, blocking the path.
"We're trapped!" Sipho yelled.
"No," Kabelo growled, "we're improvising."
He threw a small object onto the ground.
A loud POP — then a thick burst of white smoke filled the corridor.
"THROUGH THE SMOKE!" Kabelo commanded.
They plunged into it without hesitation.
The gunmen fired blindly, missing them by inches.
Coughing, running half-blind, they burst out the other side of the smoke cloud and reached the edge of the yard.
The security fence towered over them.
"Cutters!" Kabelo barked.
Musa dove into his backpack, pulled out a compact bolt-cutter, and snapped it onto the metal grid.
CLINK.
CLINK.
CLINK.
But the noise alerted the pursuers.
Mzakes shouted behind them:
"THEY'RE AT THE FENCE!"
Flashlights rushed closer.
Breaking Through
"Faster!" Dombi whispered desperately.
Musa gritted his teeth, cutting the last piece.
"One more—"
CRACK!
A bullet hit the fence, vibrating through the steel.
Sipho cursed. "They're firing at us!"
Kabelo didn't blink.
"Musa — NOW!"
The final cut snapped.
The fence sagged.
"GO!"
Kabelo pushed Dombi through first.
Ms. Mokoena followed.
Sipho crawled under next.
Then—
A bullet grazed Musa's arm.
He groaned but didn't fall.
Kabelo grabbed him by the collar and yanked him under the fence, the two barely squeezing through.
Another series of bullets hit the fence.
Too close.
But they were on the other side.
Alive.
For now.
Into the Tall Grass
The tall reeds swallowed them immediately, hiding them from the yard.
"Keep low," Kabelo whispered harshly.
"On your stomach. Crawl."
They dropped to the wet ground and moved through the grass, inch by inch.
Behind them, the wolves arrived at the fence.
Mzakes's furious voice echoed:
"They got through! Circle the river! They won't get far!"
Dombi's heart was hammered.
They weren't safe yet.
Not even close.
Reaching the Riverbank
After several tense minutes, the reeds parted — revealing the narrow, fast-moving river illuminated by the moonlight.
The water roared as it rushed between concrete banks and rocks.
Sipho breathed out, trembling.
"This water is freezing."
"It's better than being shot," Musa snapped, still pressing his bleeding arm.
Kabelo assessed the current.
"It's strong. It will pull us downstream fast. That's good."
He pointed toward the opposite bank.
"They'll check the shoreline first. But if we go in, the current will hide our trail."
Ms. Mokoena grabbed Dombi's hand gently.
"Are you ready?"
Dombi nodded, even though she was shaking.
"I'm not dying before Mandla pays for everything," she said softly.
Kabelo stepped closer.
"Listen carefully. Once we're in the water, stay behind me. Hold onto the rope."
He pulled out a coiled nylon rope tied around his waist — improvised without anyone noticing.
"You thought of this already?" Dombi whispered, surprised.
Kabelo gave a small, rare smile.
"Always plan for the worst."
Behind them, flashlights cut through the reeds.
Voices shouted:
"THEY'RE NEAR!"
"SPREAD OUT!"
"CHECK THE WATER!"
It was now or never.
The Leap
Kabelo tied the rope around his waist, then to Dombi, then to Sipho, Musa, and lastly Ms. Mokoena.
"In," he said quietly. "Now."
He waded into the freezing water first.
It reached his knees.
Then his waist.
Then—
He dove.
Dombi followed without hesitation.
Cold punched her lungs.
The world spun in bubbles and darkness.
The current yanked her violently downstream.
She tightened her grip on the rope.
The others plunged in behind her.
Shouts erupted from the riverbank.
"There! IN THE WATER!"
"LIGHTS ON THE CURRENT!"
"SHOOT IF YOU HAVE A CLEAR SHOT!"
Bullets splashed into the water, missing them by feet — but the river was already pulling them away too fast.
Kabelo surfaced, gasping.
"Keep your heads down! Let the river take you!"
Dombi surfaced beside him.
The cold stole her breath but not her determination.
She held tight to the rope.
Held tight to hope.
Held tight to the idea of surviv
al.
They drifted, dragged swiftly by the water, the container yard fading behind them.
The last thing Dombi heard was Mzakes's enraged scream:
"FIND THEM! THEY CAN'T HAVE GONE FAR!"
But they had.
The river had already swallowed them into its darkness