The tranquility of the abandoned road leading out of the township was short lived. Alex and Ezra realized anew that the country was still very much at war when the road ahead was blocked off by an oversized fuel truck. Throwing caution to the wind, Ezra slowed down well in advance but didn’t stop. He knew these tactics all too well. This was a country whose people now played by their own rules. Alex shuffled nervously in her seat when Ezra cocked his gun in his lap. “What’s wrong?” She asked as she followed his lead and took her gun off safety.
“See the shadows moving behind the truck’s wheels?”
Alex nodded.
“We got ourselves some hijackers. They force you to slow down and then they pounce on you.”
“To do what exactly?”
“Whatever they want. They’re mostly after the cars and any valuables like mobile phones or laptops. If you don’t cooperate they kill you.”
“How many do you think there are?”
“Hard to say but I’d guess at least four.”
“And I suppose that opening to the side of the tanker was intentionally created as a trap,” referring to the makeshift drive-through on the one end of the truck.
“You guessed it,” Ezra confirmed.
Alex turned back to look behind their car. “Can we turn back and go another route?”
“We could but it’s quite a detour around the city. I’d say at least a three hour drive, and that’s if we don’t run into any deterrents.”
“Well, then I reckon we fight them off.” Alex said as she climbed to the back seat.
“I guess now will be a good time to see what your friend gifted us with,” unzipping a khaki duffle bag to reveal a small arsenal of curated weapons.
“I suppose I don’t need to ask if these are legit,” clicking the magazine of a sniper rifle in place. “I’m pretty sure this is a government issue SSG-69. Let’s see if this baby delivers. Hold it steady, Ezra.” Alex instructed as she pointed the barrel through the space below the passenger seat’s headrest.
“Ready?” she checked.
“Ready,” Ezra answered.
Alex shot a clear round hole through the glass that left the entire front window intact. With sniper precision the bullet hit her target and the first hijacker fell over from behind the wheel. A split second later, Alex fired off the next bullet and another body fell flat to the ground. All chaos broke loose as an army of six more hijackers retaliated. Crouching down behind the steering wheel and the dashboard, Ezra drove the car directly towards the truck and pulled the handbrake, spinning the car’s rear wheels parallel to the stationary fuel truck. Alex had switched positions and guns and fired a succession of shots from an automatic machine gun through the rear passenger window. One of her bullets grazed the tarmac and sparked a pool of fuel that had leaked onto the road from the fuel truck.
“It’s going to blow, Ezra! Go, go, go!” Alex yelled for Ezra to drive through the hijackers’ decoy lane around the truck.
The Mercedes’ tires spun pale gray smoke into the air as Ezra turned the car towards the open lane and sped through seconds before they felt the explosion’s powerful impact from behind.
“Hahaa! That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” Ezra cheered displaying every bit of his young age as he caught sight of the fuel truck exploding in his rearview mirror. “Remind me not to mess with you.”
Alex smiled climbing back into the passenger seat next to him. “Let’s just hope your friend wasn’t planning on getting his car back,” she commented while she knocked her gun’s handle against the remaining pieces of broken glass in the window.
“I’m pretty sure he won’t since it wasn’t his in the first place,” Ezra laughed. “And with any luck this episode was the last hindrance and we can finally get to that library now. I’m curious to see how this treasure hunt plays out. Who knows? Once we have that tooth in our hands I might just have a reason to leave the army and join you.”
“I can only hope you will, Ezra.”
And as if the universe heard their pleas, the rest of the trip was smooth sailing and fifteen minutes later, they parked the car a street away from the Johannesburg City Library’s front entrance. Evidence of vandalism from the night before still smoldered on the steps to the front door. Bookshelves and mounds of half burnt books greeted them as they walked toward the entrance. Alex tried to control the nerves that gnawed away at her insides as she squatted down next to the ashes.
“Let’s hope the book we’re after isn’t amongst these.”
Unlike the museum’s doors that were firmly locked, the library’s doors stood wide open. A stray cat darted past their feet from inside the doorway. Alex tightened her sweaty hands around her handgun’s grip and aimed the weapon at the space in front of her face. Synchronized in silence the pair moved back to back through the front door; alert and ready to shoot. The sudden noise of a bird frightened off its perched position in the roof trusses, heightened their senses. Relieved it was just a couple of pigeons they slowly continued through the foyer. They appeared to be alone but nothing on this mission so far had come without surprises. Continuing in full alert, they climbed over the steel turnstiles and proceeded through to the enormous room of books. Tall bookshelves, overturned in some places, deposited scattered books across the royal blue carpeted floors. Above their heads the galleries that stretched out from the walls looked undisturbed. A final check confirmed they were indeed alone and Alex bolted away from Ezra towards the bookshelf closest to her.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Ezra whispered.
“A book, with the numbers 927.381 on the spine.”
Alex dashed from shelf to shelf as her eyes worked through the numbers on each row of books. Ezra did the same on the opposite end.
“My numbers are all in the three hundreds,” he called out.
“Keep looking. I’m positive it’s a book.”
Several minutes passed as the two ran from shelf to shelf.
“There have to be a million books here, Alex. How sure are you we’re actually looking for a book?”
“Oh it’s a book, Ezra. Trust me. I spent half my life in libraries. Keep looking.”
“I’d listen to Miss Hunt if I were you.”
Volkov’s obnoxious voice echoed through the library. Caught completely off guard Alex took cover behind the bookshelf. A sudden overwhelming sensation of dread took over her mind. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was aware Ezra had also ducked behind one of the shelves in front of her but there was no way of telling where Volkov was.
She swallowed in a futile attempt to slow down her rapid breathing as she waited for Volkov to speak again.
“It took my men all night tracing your steps. Miss Alex Hunt; renowned relic hunter. Yes, I now know exactly who you are and what it is you’re after. It appears we’re after the same thing.”
Alex strained her ears trying to establish his position over the hollow echoes of the library. She detected shuffling of feet somewhere behind her. She slid her back along the bookshelf down to the floor taking up a squatting position and held her gun up against her nose. Her fingers flexed around the trigger and she carefully popped her head around the shelf in both directions. The shelves behind her delivered no one and she leaned her head back in position against the wood barricade. A drop of sweat trickled down her brow. She squeezed her eyes shut to help it along.
“Why don’t you and your young South African soldier surrender, Alex? I could do with your skills on my team. I’d certainly pay you far more than the pittance you’re earning at the moment. You and I would make a formidable team, don’t you think? You can be part of something much bigger and more important than finding ridiculous lost treasures. Help me find that tooth and I’d not only let you live, but I’ll let you enjoy the splendor of my very own paradise; my very own Garden of Eden. This tooth is the only piece missing, Alex, so if you think I’m going to let you steal my piece of paradise, you’ve got something else coming. One way or another, I’m going to create a new human race, Alex; with or without you. No man on this planet can offer you what I am offering you right now so I suggest you consider it carefully.”
Alex swallowed uncomfortably as disgust pushed its way up into her throat. The man was clearly deranged. But, as much as Alex wanted to believe his mission was impossible, she also knew Ivan Volkov not only had the money, he also had the power and influence to make anything happen.
She’d rather die before she would play a part in his twisted game of pretending to be God. She had to do something. Five shelves ahead of her Ezra poked his head around the shelf and spotted her. He signaled that he suspected two of Volkov’s men were on top of the overhead gallery, confirming her hiding place was bound to be exposed if they carried on walking. Alex signaled back that she was going to make a run for it. She took a deep breath and bolted for the wall, disappearing in the shadowy safety under the overhanging gallery. From her position under a row of desks, she saw Volkov’s shiny black shoes slowly pacing the aisle toward Ezra. Crawling on her hands and knees under the tables she came back within Ezra’s vision and warned him of the impending danger. Ezra’s eyes widened but she held up her palm for him to wait. She needed a distraction to lure Volkov’s men out and away from Ezra. She closed her eyes searching her mind for ideas. In the distance the pigeons cooed at the entrance. If only there was a way of frightening them it could create the distraction they needed. Her eyes frantically searched for something to throw toward the birds. Apart from the books, there was really nothing else that would travel the distance while going unnoticed through the air. Annoyed she moved her gun from one hand to the other and then she froze. A bullet; she’d use a bullet. With resurrected vigor she pulled a bullet from her vest pocket and crawled across the floor, taking up a new vantage point behind a cupboard. Aware of Volkov’s men still pacing the gallery above her head, she flung the bullet through the air in the direction of the perched birds. Much to her surprise her launch was flawless and the pigeons squealed in frenzied mayhem through the air. Alex disappeared under the desks and watched as her distraction lured Volkov and all four of his cronies out from their hiding places. Seizing the opportunity Ezra ran toward Alex and together they disappeared through an office door.