One Mans Ideology One Nations Ruin Part Two

They had all been slaughtered the blood darkened the earth floor of the workshop the bodies had been heaped on top of each other they had been hack to death. The stench from the afternoon sun on the tin roof had made it in to an oven. Lindani ran over to where both men stood in shock before the big doors, he shouted “what is it? What has happened?” when he saw the carnage his jaw dropped and froze there, the whites of his eye looked like the car headlights against his ebony face. They lost track of time it had stood still the rest, nobody said anything as they stood or knelt in a trance like state as the shadows started to grow longer. They suddenly snapped out of the nightmare they were sharing. As suddenly two Alouette helicopters’ came screaming over the station, they circled and landed just inside the main gates, the eight uniformed bodies jumped from the aircraft before they had touched down.
They spread our running their FN rifles at the ready one at the front was issuing orders two took up positions between the helicopters and the gates, the others headed in their direction it took McLean a few seconds to register the voice it seemed out of place hear “RLI army” it in this dusty heat and the smell of death hanging heavy in the air. “What’s been happening? The voice was Scottish not like Angus’s highland lilt but rougher accent west coast, a Glasgow accent it sounded surreal. Got it he thought this is only a dream, no not a dream a fucking nightmare. The clatter of blades came from a third helicopter circling the station but didn’t seem to have any intention of landing Angus stood watching it and it brought him back reality. The Glaswegians voice was speaking to him “when did this happen” but all Angus could do was shrug his shoulders and stare at him “you’re the warden here right?” Angus nodded “let’s get you all away from here eh? “Come on” but the Glasgow accent it sounded like “comoan.”
He lifted his radio and started to speak to someone on the other end “same as before” he said in to it, a tinny voice came back at him you lot stay there tonight make the place secure support will be here in the morning. 
As  the two helicopters on the ground started winding up their engines the two soldiers who had been securing the gate ran over to the machines and came running away with to big rucksacks over their shoulders their FN rifles in one had a machine gun in the other. The two helicopters took off in a cloud of red dust and had vanished over the ridge a minute later the silence returned, suddenly punctured “there’s only the three of you right?” no  he answered  six the soldier furrowed his forehead “but I only count three” he said “shit” said Angus I forgot about Mandla and reached for his radio “Mandla come in” the thick African voice came back “yes Angoos I’m here no constables have come what do you want me to do” Angus clicked the transmit button on his radio “ make sure there are no weapons in the Land  Rover and drive it off the road and bring the keys and come down with truck to the station understand?” “Yes” the voice said “out” said Angus, he looked at the soldier and said I forgot about Mandla we left him with the transport. The soldier held out his hand “my name is Ewan” he said “Sandy Ewan” Angus reached out and took his hand “Angus McLean”, “we have support people coming in the morning” he said to Angus who nodded “but what about” he stopped and nodded towards the workshops “ best leave it tonight you have all had enough for one day eh?” He put a hand on his shoulder and said “let get you all up there eh?” nodding in the direction of the main building. 
They arrived on the big “L” shaped stoop that run the full length of the building and along the left had side, “Ewan said to one of his men take Jacko with you Kiwi and secure that gate for the night” Angus asked” what about Mandla” “what’s he driving” asked Ewan “open top Land Rover “ secure the gates and wait it out till the Land Rover comes and get him in” “OK boss” came the reply in a thick New Zealand accent, he turned to his other five men “right get busy the rest of you one gimpy on the front of the porch the other at the side, Claymores blind side of the veranda and back. Angus and his men just stood in silence on the stoop as if afraid to enter the building, watching the soldiers go about their business the each gimpy or FN MAG 7.62 general purpose machine gun had a tripod which were unfolded form the front end of the barrel. The one nearest to them as he set gun up on its tripod said “stop a feckin train these will” in a heavy Irish brogue. Angus and his men sat in silence around the big table on the stoop and watched another of the soldiers close the door of the work shop. It was almost dark twilight is a very brief affair in Rhodesia the sun vanished beneath the horizon as quick as it rises at dawn. As Ewan climbed the steps at the front of the stoop he looked towards Angus where he sat on a bench at the table his head hung on his chest and said in a quiet voice “just thought I’d have close the doors.”. Angus got up and walked over to him “thanks” he said “How did you come to be here” Ewan enquired? Angus replied “my father was head Ghillie on an estate in Wester Ross. I grew up around him shot my first stag when I was twelve, as he touched the stag horn handle of the Sgian-dubh the ten inch blade nestled in to top of his calf length bush boot. When I left school the Laird took me on as assistant Ghillie and put me through a land management degree at Aberdeen University five years on and one marriage later. The Laird called us all up to the manor and told us we had all lost our job, The estate was being broken up as he was in financial trouble. So no job wife and the only thing I knew was hunting and the land I tried a few farm labouring jobs, then I saw in the paper the department of game advertising for wardens here so I applied for it and came here three years ago with my wife. At the mention of his wife his welled then the dam burst tears rolling down his cheeks as he sobbed his hand covering his eyes as if to shield them from a bright light” He wiped the tears from his eyes and cheeks. He looked back to Ewan “what about you?” and raised an eye brow “Same sort of thing served my time as a marine engineer working in the ship yards orders dried up, got a job in a mine south of in place called Shabani. Sold the house back home came here bought a house, the mine was mothballed due to terrorist attacks no work to be had anywhere. So I sent my wife to live with her sister in South Africa we have not got enough money to go home and here I am.” Angus got up “think I’ll go and start the main generator get some lights on eh?
 As he turned to go Ewan grabbed his arm “maybe better if we didn’t tonight, so as not to attract unwanted attention eh?” as he said that he suddenly became conscious of an engine humming away in the distance. It wasn’t Mandla coming back he was back half an hour ago “what is that noise an engine somewhere” he asked. Angus told him it was the small generator Angus told him it was the small generator that ran the fridges freezers and water pump it cuts out automatically when the main generator started and then kicked in again when it was shut down.  “What do your guys do here the other ones I mean” he asked “the broad one in Lindani he’s the tracker he has been here all his life. People talk about having a sixth sense he must have a dozen, he can see things that you don’t think are there. He’s been trying to show me but I don’t imagine I will get to his level in this life. Mandla and Manodno are my assistant wardens, and there is another two Dzingia and Chatambuza are the flushers but I sent them to Matazari to get help.” He nodded towards each one as he said their names “Can I ask you a question?“ said Angus “ fire away” he replied “how long did it take you to get here today I thought your nearest base was fifty miles north of Nyanga” Ewan looked at him  “were we on another job” “where” Angus asked again.
 Ewan looked at him then replied “Matazari station that’s where your other two guys found us” Angus asked “is that what you meant when you told the voice on the radio?
“What happened over there?” Angus asked nodding in the direction of Matazari “same as happened here,” Angus paused and asked what about De-Langa “don’t know there was only one white body, a woman” ”Christ Hette” Ewan said listen “you’ll have to try and get some sleep” “HOW THE HELL CAN I SLEEP” Angus shouted at him and stormed off in to the building. He went to the kitchen and found Lindani sat at the table, head down crying shoulders shaking he looked up as Angus came in the tears running down his cheeks. Angus said nothing to him and put a hand on the broad shoulder, that did it for him as his eyes filled they both wept openly after a few minutes Angus said “fuck it” and went to the chest in the pantry and came back with a bottle of Cape brandy a two enamel mugs, he poured and said to Lindani “here get this down you mate there’s no way we will sleep tonight” they both drank like they had come out of the desert, two bottles later they were both slumped on the table

 

Tags: sad, love, pain, fear,