Chapter 5
Hi everyone!
Thank you very much to Heidi and Emelis for your reviews :D! Haha, the update is here Heidi! Hmm, we'll have to wait and see about Maddy, there may be an appearance, despite her 'death':p But all in good time my friend, all in good time, haha!
Oh, and I also have decided to change a few dates. Instead of it being 2002,I have decided to make it September 2003,since I feel Danny is acting older than he is meant to be, instead of being nearly 3,he is now nearly 4.I want Danny to be older, to make his awareness and understanding greater, since they are important in the story and his relationship with Archer.
Hope that all makes sense, lol.
Anyways, on with the story! Read and review :D! C/C is welcome!
Stay blessed
Xxxx
Breathe, Archer, Breathe.
Archer was shuffling round the corner, with the gun clasped in his right hand. The door to his apartment was within his sight. He figured that since he would have been attacked by now, the last weapons' baron must be inside. Probably one of the highest members: the boss would never risk his life.
"Coward," Archer muttered. He soon regretted muttering a word, as a figure quickly came out of his door.
Shit.
"What you say, Archer?" he smirked, pointing his gun at Archer.
It was Emmanuel, who had once been Archer's friend: although, Archer didn't really have friends. More like an ally, who had now turned against him.
"Emmanuel…why you point that gun at me fo'?" Archer said calmly. He knew he had to get rid of Emmanuel, although it would not be nice to kill a former ally.
Oh well. Nothing he hadn't done before.
"Me? Archer, you ask me? What about you? Why you poin' your gun at me too fo'?"
"Because I knew someone was here, my bru."
Emmanuel chuckled. "Listen, Archer. The Boss wants his shares, and your time is up. You give me the shares now, or bang bang" he motioned with the gun "Archer goes to sleep."
What a nice way of putting it, Archer thought.
"Ah, so the boss wants his payments. Tell you what, Emmanuel. You let me into that apartment, ja? All my money in there," he showed his empty pockets for proof. "See? I have no money on gun' let me now, ja?"
Emmanuel nodded, and followed Archer, pointing a gun at his back.
He walked slowly into the apartment, which Emmanuel noticed.
"Ey, you hurry up now Archer."
Archer stumbled over, onto his back. His eyes closed, as he pretended to hit his head on the floor.
"Archer? Ey, Mister Archer?"
I'm So Sorry, my Bru.
BANG.
Emmanuel fell onto his back, as Archer jumped back into life. He staggered backwards, joining Archer on the floor, clutching the wound in his chest.
His breathing was raspy, eyes were flickering.
"Archer…It was you or me, ja?" Emmanuel breathed. " I understand, Archer."
Archer nodded shakily.
"T.I.A, right, my bru?"
Archer nodded again.
"T.I.A Emmanuel," he whispered back. The regret was etched into Archer,and could taste it on his tongue.
Emmanuel's breathing became less and less, until it stopped. His eyes stopped flickering, and the pulse abandoned his body.
Gone. Another African son, gone.
Archer sighed, and packed his numerous ID's, passports, documents, guns, and money.
He also carefully slipped the letter and picture from Maddy into his pocket, and left the apartment. The boss would send some more men out soon to check the mission, and to pick up any bodies. The few residents who inhabited the building would not interfere, nor would they call the Police: that was, if they wanted to stay alive.
Closing the door, he shouted hoarsely.
"Danny? Ey, Danny, its okay. The game is finished now, ja?"
Weird, why isn't he replying? Archer turned the corner to find his son sitting pale faced, and teary eyed. His eyes were focused on the body in front of him.
"Dad…why is he not br..br…breathing?" he sobbed.
Archer was not prepared for this. He took Danny's hand into his own, which was promptly rejected.
"Dad…Mama said that if you stop breath…breathing, you go to live wit' the angels'".
Archer gulped. His son was too smart. All Maddy's genes he suspected…
"Dad…you sent them to angels, didn't'cha?"
Archer sat down next to Danny.
"Listen, Danny. Those people, there? They were gon' kill you and Dad hadn't sent them to the angels, we wouldn't be here,ja?"
Danny broke into tears again.
"What if they has babies? And chil'run?"
Archer didn't usually think about such matters. It was life or death: who had the most children didn't come into the matter.
"Well, they'll be very happy to know he's with the angels, don't worry about it, ja?"
Danny wasn't buying this response, and the tears relapsed. Archer didn't know what to do: did he hug him, tell him it was going to be alright? Or did he tell him to man up, stop making a fuss, and start walking?
The latter was how Archer had been raised since he was 9: he could only vaguely remember his parents, but the memory of finding them dead remained etched in his mind.
Warning: this scene contains violence and rape, and has an M rating. If you don't like it, don't read it!
It was a warm day, in the vast savannahs' of Rhodesia. The sun was basking over her scenery, and a relaxed but tense atmosphere was arousing. The majority of Rhodesian adults had been tense for a few weeks, since the bush war had come to this area.
Danny Archer was pretty much oblivious to all of this though: he had been hunting bush meat, and was now sharpening his knife. He was tanned from the sun, which his body was used to since birth. Light freckles sat on his nose, and his teeth were pearly white. He wore a pale blue t shirt, along with khaki shorts. He had been told to stay in a 2 mile radius of home by his Mother, which he had of course, broken.
It was getting near to dinner time now though, and he decided to head on home. Since he had no watch, time was judged by the sun: she was now starting to turn a scarlet orange shade. The crickets were whistling to one another, and he could see the various creatures moving, as shards of light glinted through trees branches.
His beloved Rhodesia was always awake.
On entering the farm, Archer sensed something was not right. It was silent, absolutely silent. Except for muffled sounds in the barn.
Archer moved nearer towards it, but also kept his distance. There were two entrances to the barn: he took the back, just to be safe. There was a slight crack in the door, and he was able to see through it.
He wished he had never looked though.
In front of him, a soldier in dark green was on top of his Mother. His beautiful Mother, with her luscious blonde hair, and voice, that made him crave more of her love every time she called him 'boekie'. The soldier had a hand over her mouth, and was fiercely moving. Archer wasn't dumb: he knew what rape was.
He couldn't breathe. Please, go, he prayed. Please God, make them go, and leave Mum alone.
The soldier moved, and his Mother did not. The rest of his crew behind him began to jeer, slurring insults at her. Archer wanted to do nothing more than go in and rescue her, but he would be a fool to do so.
Archer looked up to find them pointing guns at his Mother, all on her head. He could hear her screams, which would remain etched in his memory forever. The guns blasted, and blood gushed. Archer turned away, and vomited quietly.
He was shaking violently: he couldn't breathe, and had to put a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from screaming. His own Mother had just been killed before his eyes, and he could not even mourn her.
That was not the end to his torture though. He soon saw the soldiers bring his Dad out a corner of the barn, leering at him: most likely about his now dead wife. He was gagged, and his wrists were tied together.
Oh Dad, Archer thought. I love you, Dad. Tears were rolling down his cheeks: he knew that his Father was not going to come out that barn alive, and his soul had already begun grieving.
The soldiers were beating his Father to a bloody pulp, stamping on his face, chest, legs, back: anywhere that they could. They had knives, and were slashing onto his arms, and face.
One of the soldiers took a knife, and the left arm, writing the word 'Mukiwa' heard them speak.
"That's what you are. You jus' a stupid is our country, not yours. You think cus we aren't white, we too dumb to do anything? Think again, jus' a dumb, dirty, disgusting Mukiwa, who is now gon' get what you deserve." he chuckled at the last part.
Anger burned within Archer: this was his Rhodesia, not theirs! They had no right to be on this land, it belonged to the Archer family. James Archer, his Father, was born was his Father, and the one before that. Archer didn't even know where his family originally came from: probably England or Holland, like most White-Rhodesians.
But there had never been problems before, right? Archer had Black friends, and White friends. He had grown up with Black and White, and never noted any differences. He didn't care about the skin colour. Archer's Father had not cared about the colour of skin: he had never said anything against the Black people of their country, in fact, he had embraced them. As a young child, he was introduced to several of his Father's friends, who were Black: he had the upmost respect for them, and called them all 'Uncle'. So to call his Father racist disgusted Archer more than anything.
Just because he was a white boy did not make him any less African. This was Rhodesia, and it always would be for Danny Archer.
The bile was rising in his throat now, as the soldiers pointed their guns at his Father's head. His blood too gushed out, and he lay still.
At least he isn't in pain anymore, Danny comforted himself. The tears wouldn't cease though, and he turned around as he heard a sharp clanging sound.
The bile wouldn't stay down this time, as he saw his Dad's decapitated form on the floor. The soldiers were laughing and cheering, and Danny couldn't even cry anymore, as he was so shocked.
They continued to jeer. The one that had raped his Mother hung up his father's head onto a hook: Archer remembered that was where they used to hang a tyre from a rope.
They then continued to prod the head with the butts of their guns for a few more minutes, before leaving. On leaving, one soldier grabbed a paint brush and can of paint from his large pocket, and scrawled onto the barn wall 'Mukiwas Out'!'
They left, and the farm was silent again. Archer did not move for what felt like years, and then ventured into the barn. His parents were well and truly gone.
Archer held back the tears this time though: he would show them. He would show them what a Mukiwa was. And he would gain back his beloved Rhodesia, even if he paid his life for it.
He remembered what his Father had once said to him: "T.I.A Danny. This is Africa. Things happen here that don't happen anywhere else, ja?"
T.I.A he repeated, as he walked out the farm gates with his belongings. He promised he would not return here until the day this country was back to how he wanted her to be.
However long it took.
Phew! I think that was quite a long chapter for me, haha.I hope you enjoyed it, despite the gory details, I always wondered about Archer as a child and how he felt about witnessing the deaths of his parents, along with the impact it made on him. The deaths obviously affected his character a lot, so I thought I would include it here.
Oh,and the word 'Boekie' is a term of affection in Afrikaans,similar to sweetie/honey.I thought that despite living in Zimbabwe,I would make Archer's Mother Afrikaaner,lol.
Read and reviewwww :D! C/C welcome.
xxxxx