Again the bodies slacked against him. He turned, he went left and back over the same fifteen strides. There was a jabber of voices in his ear. Couldn't the bastards see that he was trying to find the hole? They trampled through a bush.
He tripped on the debris. He saw the hole, close to the grass.
God, had he ever made it through that hole? In hell's name, how had he ever made it through? So bloody small.
Two of the Blacks went first, eel-like, then Jack. Jack wriggled through the hole. He loosened his hold on Jeez for the first time since they had come down the sloping roof.
His hand was back and into the hole to take Jeez and work him through.
There was a spatter of bullets. Jack saw the dirt kick close to his legs, close to where the: two Blacks sheltered against the wall. .. The sentry in t h e high tower, and the lights above the sentry's platform. He wrenched Jeez clear. He heard the man cry in pain, he heard the ripping of the man's shirt where it had caught on a cut edge of steel cord. Jeez was through, Jeez and his rifle.
'Take the lights out,' Jeez hissed.
Jack ran forward. He must stand if he were to see the lights. He fired three times. With the shotgun it was like knocking skittles away in an alley. First time, some out.
Second time, more out. Third time, most out. Most of the light gone.
They ran in a tight group towards the corner of the wall.
They were outside the walls of Beverly Hills. Ahead of them were the street lights and the road through the senior officers' quarters. When they were on the road they would be in the clear field of fire from the sentry in the tower.
They came to the corner.
'Where are we going?'
'Across the road, up that track.'
Jeez said, 'The rifle'll keep his head down. They're not soldiers, won't take it when it's coming back at them. How many shots?'
'He fired twice at me, you fired once.'
'Three left, they carry six.' Jeez was fluently taking control. 'Happy – Charlie – Percy – Tom – when I fire at the tower, run like shit.'
Jeez gestured at the track opening that Jack had pointed to.
Jeez had the rifle to his shoulder. He edged round the corner of the wall. There was the crack of a shot. The Blacks ran. They ran bent low, weaving over the tarmac, sprinting for the darkness of the track. Jeez fired a second shot. Jack ran, he thought Jeez was immediately behind him. Jack was in the middle of the road going like smoke. The sledgehammer hit him. The darkness at the track's mouth was yawning for him. He felt the crow-bar smash into him. He never heard the shot. No pain. Just the staggering blow of the sledgehammer, the crow-bar.
It was three minutes and forty-nine seconds of time.
Jack felt the hard road against his face, his chest, no breath left, and a fist snatched at his arm and held him up, dragged him across the road towards the track.
'I hit one. Definitely a hit.'
The message squawked into the headphones clamped down on the major's bald head.
'Identify your position.'
'South sentry tower.'
'How many of them?'
'Can't be sure, sir, two for certain. Armed. Shot out the lower lights before they ran for it.'
'Going in what direction?'
'Going south onto Magasyn Kopje.'
'Out…'
For the first time a glimmer of a smile. He had hard information.
He was reaching for the microphone that would link him to every personal radio inside Maximum Security when he heard the door click open behind him. He turned, he saw the governor standing in the centre of the room, his arms folded across his chest. The governor wore his dinner jacket, well cut, and above the folded arms was a line of miniture medals topped by vivid coloured ribbon. The governor gestured with his hand, a small movement, for the duty major to carry on with his broadcast.
He gave out the information. He issued his orders. A much rehearsed plan involving prison staff and police and military had slipped into place. He switched off the microphone.
The Governor pursed his lips, there was a frown of surprise cutting deep in his forehead.
'I think I heard you correctly, that one man alone came in and took five out.'
The duty major nodded.
'Extraordinary, I would not have conceived it as possible.'
'The blocks will be in place within a few minutes.' The duty major spoke with pride.
'Perhaps in time, perhaps not…' The governor seemed to speak to himself, left the duty major as an eavesdropper.
'… If they are not all back with us in time to face the penalty of the law on Thursday morning then the scandal of one man's achievement will destroy me.'
The duty major swung away and snatched for the telephone that would connect him to Defence Headquarters.
He did not wish to look again at his governor, to witness the fall of a fine man.
'You have to tell me what's ahead.'
They were crowded together on the track. Jeez was bent over Jack. The sledgehammer blow was to Jack's right knee.
Jeez could see the blood. Not much blood. Blood on either side of the trouser leg, as if the bullet had pierced his knee, gone straight through.
'There's just buildings ahead, then you go down the hill, and there's a fence, that's all, after that you're out under the Voortrekker Monument and the Skanskopfort… '
Jeez put up his hand, cut Jack off. He turned to the others.
'You heard him, get bloody going. Move your arses.'
He pushed the one who was nearest to him away. Each one crouched, slapped Jeez's shoulder, gripped his arm. An ecstatic farewell and the last one said: 'God go with you, Jeez, and you too, friend. We'll fight together again.' And was gone. There was the patter of their feet. They were shadows and then they were nothing.
'Go with them,' Jack said.
Jeez stood and hoisted Jack up. He slung Jack's arm over his shoulder. He was on Jack's right side. They stumbled together up the track.
'I said, 'Go with them.' '
Jeez's fist was tight into Jack's anorak, under his armpit.
Jack doubted he could have torn the fist free. They made the best speed that was possible for them. His leg was numb, useless.
The pain came later. Into the ripped hole, into the wrecked ligaments, into the broken cartilage, into the splintered bone. The pain was in water surges, damned and then rushing in intensity. Flash floods of pain in Jack's whole leg as they went forward, up the hillside and through the trees.
Skirting the buildings and holding to the black holes where the lights did not reach. Silence around them. No cordon.
No dogs. Only the sirens pulsing behind them. Together, Jeez supporting Jack, they started down the hill, down the south slope of Magazine. They couldn't crawl because Jack's wound would not have permitted him to
