The city no longer felt like home.
It felt like a battlefield.
Every corner carried suspicion. Every passing face looked like a threat. Every slow-moving car made Thabiso's chest tighten just a little more.
Because now—
He wasn't just surviving.
He was being hunted.
And worse…
He was hunting something too.
Thabiso and Sizwe moved quickly through the streets, leaving the tavern far behind. The sun was beginning to dip, painting the sky in shades of orange and grey.
But there was no beauty in it for them.
Only pressure.
"So let's think," Sizwe said, his voice low. "If the package never made it… then where did it go?"
Thabiso didn't answer immediately.
He replayed everything in his head.
The job.
The pickup.
The route.
The drop-off.
Every step.
Every second.
"I didn't lose it," he said finally.
"I know that," Sizwe replied. "But something happened between those points."
Thabiso stopped walking.
"There was a delay," he said slowly.
Sizwe frowned. "What kind of delay?"
Thabiso turned to him.
"Traffic," he said. "Near the bridge. Everything was blocked."
Sizwe's eyes narrowed. "And?"
"And I had to take a different route," Thabiso continued. "Through the back roads."
Sizwe crossed his arms. "That's not enough for something to disappear."
Thabiso shook his head.
"No… but there's more."
He paused.
Thinking harder now.
"There was a guy," he said.
"What guy?"
"A street kid," Thabiso replied. "He came up to me while I was stopped. Begging. Talking nonsense. I ignored him."
Sizwe leaned forward slightly.
"Did he touch the bag?"
Thabiso's expression changed.
For the first time—
Doubt appeared.
"I… don't know," he admitted.
Sizwe let out a slow breath.
"That's not good."
"No," Thabiso agreed. "It's not."
Because if that kid had taken it—
Then this wasn't just a street problem anymore.
It was chaos.
"Then we find him," Sizwe said.
Thabiso nodded.
"Yeah."
"But where do we start?" Sizwe asked.
Thabiso looked ahead.
"The bridge," he said.
Night had fully taken over by the time they reached it.
The bridge stood tall and worn, covered in graffiti and stories no one ever wrote down.
Below it—
Life existed in a different way.
Small fires burned in metal drums.
Groups of street kids gathered in corners.
Laughter mixed with tension.
Survival in its rawest form.
Thabiso stepped forward slowly.
His eyes scanned the area.
Searching.
Watching.
"You see him?" Sizwe whispered.
"Not yet," Thabiso replied.
They moved deeper under the bridge.
A few heads turned.
People noticed strangers here.
Especially ones who didn't belong.
One boy stepped forward.
Young.
Maybe fifteen.
Skinny.
Eyes sharp.
"You looking for something?" he asked.
Thabiso met his gaze.
"Yeah," he said. "A kid. Around your age. Came up to me a few nights ago."
The boy smirked.
"That's half the people here."
Sizwe stepped in.
"He talks too much," he said. "Annoying. Doesn't stop."
The boy laughed.
"Oh… you mean Kabelo."
Thabiso's heart skipped.
"Where is he?"
The boy shrugged.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"On what you're offering."
Sizwe sighed. "Here we go."
Thabiso reached into his pocket and pulled out a few notes.
He handed them over.
"Talk."
The boy took the money quickly.
"He was here earlier," he said. "But he left."
"Where?"
"Didn't say," the boy replied. "But he's been acting strange lately."
Thabiso frowned.
"How?"
The boy leaned closer.
"Like he found something," he said. "Something important."
Silence.
Sizwe and Thabiso exchanged a look.
That was it.
"That's him," Sizwe said.
"Yeah," Thabiso agreed.
"Where would he go?" Thabiso asked.
The boy pointed toward the far end of the bridge.
"There's an old warehouse," he said. "Some kids hide there."
"Thanks," Thabiso said.
The boy stepped back.
"Be careful," he added. "If Kabelo has something valuable… he's not the only one who knows."
The warehouse stood in darkness.
Broken windows.
Rusty doors.
Silent.
Too silent.
"This feels like a trap," Sizwe said.
"It probably is," Thabiso replied.
"But we're going in anyway," Sizwe added.
"Yeah."
They approached carefully.
Every step measured.
Every sound important.
Thabiso pushed the door slowly.
It creaked open.
Inside—
Shadows.
Movement.
Voices.
Low.
Whispering.
They stepped in.
"Hello?" Thabiso called.
No answer.
Then—
A voice from the darkness.
"You shouldn't be here."
Thabiso turned toward the sound.
A figure stepped forward.
Small.
Nervous.
But holding something.
A bag.
The same bag.
Thabiso's eyes locked onto it.
"Kabelo," he said.
The boy swallowed.
"You know my name?"
"You took something that doesn't belong to you," Thabiso said.
Kabelo shook his head quickly.
"I didn't steal it!" he said. "I found it!"
"Where?" Sizwe asked.
"Near the road," Kabelo replied. "You dropped it!"
Thabiso's jaw tightened.
So it was true.
"You have no idea what that is," Thabiso said.
Kabelo stepped back.
"I know it's important," he said. "People have been asking about it."
Sizwe frowned. "Who?"
Kabelo hesitated.
"Men," he said. "Dangerous men."
Of course.
The Black Vultures.
"They're coming, aren't they?" Sizwe asked.
Kabelo nodded slowly.
"They said they'd come back tonight."
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
Headlights flashed through the broken windows.
A car.
No—
Two cars.
Sizwe cursed under his breath.
"They're here."
Thabiso stepped forward.
"Give me the bag," he said.
Kabelo hesitated.
Fear filled his eyes.
"I just wanted money," he said quietly.
Thabiso softened slightly.
"I know," he said. "But this isn't worth your life."
A moment passed.
Then—
Kabelo handed it over.
Thabiso grabbed it tightly.
And for a second—
Everything felt still.
Like the world had paused.
Then—
The doors slammed open.
Men rushed in.
Black clothes.
Cold eyes.
The Black Vultures.
"Well," one of them said.
"Looks like we're right on time."
Thabiso stepped forward slowly.
The bag in his hand.
His heart steady.
"You want this?" he asked.
The man smiled.
"Oh… we're taking it."
Sizwe moved beside Thabiso.
"This is bad," he muttered.
"Yeah," Thabiso said.
"But we're not running."
The men spread out.
Blocking exits.
Closing in.
"This ends now," one of them said.
Thabiso tightened his grip on the bag.
"No," he replied.
"This is just the beginning."
The tension snapped.
Everything moved at once.
And in that moment—
The hunt was no longer one-sided.
Because now—
Thabiso wasn't just the target.
He was part of the war.
And he was ready to fight.