the next breath of it on her cheek. It gave her direction. She turned
her back to the next gust and set off steadily through the forest with
hands held out ahead to prevent herself running into one of the trunks.
If only she could reach the pools, she could follow the bank to the
hide.
As the cyclonic winds at the centre of the storm turned upon their axis,
so they swung, changing direction constantly and Debra followed them
faithfully, beginning a wide aimless circle through the forest.
Akkers raged through the brightly lit homestead of Jabulani, jerking
open drawers and kicking in locked cupboard doors.
He found the gun cabinet in David's office, and ransacked the desk
drawers for keys. He found none, and giggled and swore with
frustration.
He crossed the room to the built-in cupboard unit.
There was a sealed-cell electric lantern on the shelf with a dozen
packets of shotgun shells. He took down the lantern eagerly and thumbed
the switch. The beam was bright white, even in the overhead lights, and
he sucked his teeth and chuckled happily.
Once more he ran into the kitchen, pausing to select a long
stainless-steel carving knife from the cutlery drawer before hurrying
across the yard to the gate and along the path.
In the lantern beam, Debra's footprints showed clearly in the soft earth
with his own overlaying them. He followed them to where she had
blundered off the path, and found the mark of her body where she had
lain.
Clever bitch, he chuckled again and followed her tracks through the
forest. She had laid an easy trail to follow, dragging a passage
through the rain-heavy grass and wiping the droplets from the stems. To
the hunter's eye it was a clearly blazed trail.
Every few minutes he paused to throw the beam of the lantern ahead of
him amongst the trees. He was thrilling now to the hunter's lust, the
primeval force which was the mainspring of his existence. His earlier
set-back made the chase sweeter for him.
He went on carefully, following the wandering trail, the aimless
footprints turning haphazardly in a wide circle.
He stopped again and panned the lantern beam across the rain-laden grass
tops, and he saw something move at the extreme range of the lamp,
something pale and round.
He held it in the lantern beam, and saw the woman's pale strained face
as she moved forward slowly and hesitantly. She went like a
sleep-walker, with arms extended ahead of her, and with shuffling
uncertain gait.
She was coming directly towards him, oblivious of the light which held
her captive in its beam. Once she paused to hug her swollen belly and
sob with weariness and fear.
The legs of her trousers were sodden with rain water and her flimsy
shoes were already torn, and as she hobbled closer he saw that her arms
and her lips were blue and shivering with the cold.
Akkers stood quietly watching her coming towards him, like a chicken
drawn to the swaying cobra, Her long dark hair hung in damp ropes down
