Kabongo checked both sides of the vehicle before disembarking. He looked at his watch which showed him that it was sixteen minutes after midnight that Wednesday. Apart from the sound of dogs barking in the distance, it was quiet. The street was pitch dark with no sign of passing vehicles.
He parked outside 1523 on Benakali road in Northmead and waited. He peered into the yard and saw a block of flats inside the fence. There were two security lights facing the front lawn. He couldn't see any guard in the vicinity. In fact he didn't expect to.
He raised the side window up again and then got out but left the engine of his red Pajero running. He disembarked and casually walked inside the premises. He went round the block to the back doors.
His hands were in the pockets of his long brown coat and his head was covered by a black hat. He wore black boots. He reached flat 8 and knocked at the door. There was silence. He knocked again.
He looked around and still saw no one. All light bulbs were off except for the main security light which illuminated the front yard. He went over to the window and pressed his face into it, trying to see inside. He then walked back to the door and without hesitation took out a steel level from his coat pocket. He slid it between the door and its frame right next to the lock and gave it one mighty jerk. The lock shook. He again applied force on his lever and the lock broke, making the door swing open. He stood in the door way and checked behind him.
He sensed some crawling movement in the next room and took out his pistol from his coat.
"Police! Raise you hands!" shouted a voice from inside the room.
Kabongo immediately fired one shot in the direction of the voice through the door separating the kitchen and the sitting room. He then jumped out of the doorway and headed outside round the house. He heard footsteps in the house running after him. He increased his speed too.
At full speed he ran towards the fence, leaped on top and jumped over just as a gunshot missed his head. He landed outside the yard on his back. He at once got up and ran towards his Pajero. He jumped onto the driving seat and pressed hard on the accelerator. With a loud skid, the vehicle shot forward. Through his rear view mirror he saw two cops with guns aiming at him. He raced down Benekali road and swerved a little as a gunshot went off. He pressed harder and sped away. He crossed Paseli road without stopping to check either side and went straight up towards Manchinchi road. He remained focused ahead even as sweat was dripping off his forehead. He reached Manchinchi road and turned into it on his left side. He increased his speed and ignored a speed hump ahead of him. His vehicle hit the hump and landed on the wrong lane but he controlled it and sped on towards Makishi road ahead.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped his forehead with his left palm. He turned right towards Garden.
He checked his rear view mirror and noticed a white Corolla as well as a blue police van following him at a distance in Manchinchi road.
He cruised as he passed the sewerage Waterworks on his right. The police van also turned towards Garden following him. He reached junction with Katima-Mulilo and drove off the road. He parked just after turning right and jumped out of the vehicle. A few vehicles were moving about. He lay on the road, took out his gun and shot at the police van coming towards him. The police van suddenly stopped about a hundred meters away and three cops jumped out. They immediately scampered away from the vehicle into different directions. After a while there was a burst of gun fire towards him. He hid behind a concrete pillar and released four shots towards the police officers. Within a minute, people started running away from the nearby night club shouting in panic. Most were running away towards Olympia with beer bottles still in their hands. Others were watching the fire exchange while lying on the ground. After a silence of one minute, Kabongo got up but a bullet scratched the pillar next to him. He fell down and looked in the direction of the attack. It was definitely coming from a new, nearer position. He fired in that new direction, only to attract fire from another point on his left. Realizing that he was getting surrounded, Kabongo rose and grabbed a drunken girl in a mini skirt who was attempting to run away. She froze on seeing his gun. He dragged her along as his shield as he moved towards his Pajero. It worked. The police stopped shooting. Kabongo threw the girl to the ground and jumped into his waiting Pajero. He instantly sped off towards Olympia on Katima-Mulilo road. Two men with beer bottles in their hands were crossing the road trying to flee. He saw them less than five meters away and without bothering to slow down hit both of them in a loud violent impact. He saw in the rear view as they flew in the air before crashing heavily on the road side. Then he heard two gunshots behind him. He kept on driving straight ahead. As he reached the curve near the Kingdom hall on his right side, he heard another gunshot and this time his vehicle registered the impact. It produced a hissing sound before he lost control near the stream. The vehicle found itself off the road and into the bushes on the left before turning over and landing into the stream. Still trapped inside, he tried to open the door to no avail. He then kicked and shattered the side window and crawled outside into the muddy waters. He heard footsteps of people coming towards him.
"There he is," he heard someone shout.
Kabongo thrust his hand into his pocket to retrieve his gun. It wasn't there. He raised his hands in the air while still on his knees.