andhis hair was tied back in a short ponytail. He held an oblong of cardboard scrawled with the name Jason Cole. Standing next to him was a girl, perhaps three years older than Zak. She had short hair, halfway between red and ginger, and rather small eyes that blinked almost constantly.
‘Marcus?’ Zak held out his hand once he was standing in front of the young man with the beard.
The young man smiled and shook Zak’s hand. ‘You must be Jason.’
‘Call me Jay,’ Zak replied automatically. ‘Everyone does.’
‘Good to meet you, Jay.’ Marcus turned to the girl. ‘This is Bea. She’s only been with us forty-eight hours. Thought you two new bugs might like to get to know each other.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Bea.’ Zak offered her his hand.
The girl shook hands briskly. ‘Welcome to Angola, Jason. Is that all the luggage you have? Really? Well, I hope you’ve brought everything you need – it’s not like you can just nip out to the shops in Lobambo, you know. Now then, have you put your passport somewhere safe? You really don’t want to go losing that, do you, and I know what you boys are like. Now it’s very hot outside, so I hope you’ve had plenty of water to drink. And do you need the lavatory? It’s along drive, you know, and Marcus, we really ought to get going, because we don’t want to be travelling at night …’ She turned on her heel and started marching towards the exit.
‘Forty-eight hours, you say,’ Zak observed, suppressing a smile as he watched her go.
‘Er, yeah,’ said Marcus. ‘Forty-eight hours.’ He scratched his head and looked a bit apologetic. ‘Lovely girl. Bit of a … bit of a chatterbox, but I’m sure you’ll get on like a … like a … The truck’s just outside.’
Marcus’s vehicle was an old Land Rover. It was parked right in front of the terminal building and was by far the fanciest vehicle there. All the other cars, parked up in no particular order by the side of the wide, dusty road, were old saloons covered in rust and dents. Four Angolan kids about Zak’s age were hanging around the Land Rover. When they saw the trio approach they all ran up to them, shouting. One of them tried to pull Zak’s fishing gear away and carry it to the car. But Zak wasn’t letting go of that for anyone. The kids soon realized they weren’t going to earn any money, and they quickly disappeared.
The Land Rover was khaki in colour, but so covered with dust that the paintwork was almost invisible. Bea immediately took the front passenger seat. ‘You’ll have more room back there, Jason, and it’s probably best if I help Marcus with directions.’
‘It’s a straight road, Bea,’ Marcus said mildly, catching Zak’s eye as he spoke. Once more, Zak tried not to smile as he crammed his rucksack onto the seat and sat next to it.
‘Is this your first time in Angola, Jay?’ Marcus asked as he negotiated his way through the chaotic traffic outside the terminal.
‘First time in Africa,’ Zak replied. ‘Er, why don’t we want to travel at night, Bea?’
He heard Bea drawing breath and prepared himself for a long explanation, but Marcus got there first, leaving Bea looking like the carpet had just been pulled from under her feet. ‘Angola has had a difficult history, Jay. I’m sure you know that.’
‘Civil war,’ Zak said.
‘Exactly.’ Marcus knocked the vehicle into third gear. ‘Things aren’t as bad now as they were a few years ago, but it’s still a dangerous country. Most of the Angolans are very good people who only want peace in their country. But not all of them. There’s a risk of bandits on the road, especially at night.’
‘Goodness, Marcus. A risk? The roads are very, very dangerous, Jason, and I want you to bear that in mind. You’re not to go wandering off. Some of these people will rob you of everything you have and would much rather kill you than leave you to identify them later.’
Zak looked through the window. Already
‘Marcus?’ Zak held out his hand once he was standing in front of the young man with the beard.
The young man smiled and shook Zak’s hand. ‘You must be Jason.’
‘Call me Jay,’ Zak replied automatically. ‘Everyone does.’
‘Good to meet you, Jay.’ Marcus turned to the girl. ‘This is Bea. She’s only been with us forty-eight hours. Thought you two new bugs might like to get to know each other.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Bea.’ Zak offered her his hand.
The girl shook hands briskly. ‘Welcome to Angola, Jason. Is that all the luggage you have? Really? Well, I hope you’ve brought everything you need – it’s not like you can just nip out to the shops in Lobambo, you know. Now then, have you put your passport somewhere safe? You really don’t want to go losing that, do you, and I know what you boys are like. Now it’s very hot outside, so I hope you’ve had plenty of water to drink. And do you need the lavatory? It’s along drive, you know, and Marcus, we really ought to get going, because we don’t want to be travelling at night …’ She turned on her heel and started marching towards the exit.
‘Forty-eight hours, you say,’ Zak observed, suppressing a smile as he watched her go.
‘Er, yeah,’ said Marcus. ‘Forty-eight hours.’ He scratched his head and looked a bit apologetic. ‘Lovely girl. Bit of a … bit of a chatterbox, but I’m sure you’ll get on like a … like a … The truck’s just outside.’
Marcus’s vehicle was an old Land Rover. It was parked right in front of the terminal building and was by far the fanciest vehicle there. All the other cars, parked up in no particular order by the side of the wide, dusty road, were old saloons covered in rust and dents. Four Angolan kids about Zak’s age were hanging around the Land Rover. When they saw the trio approach they all ran up to them, shouting. One of them tried to pull Zak’s fishing gear away and carry it to the car. But Zak wasn’t letting go of that for anyone. The kids soon realized they weren’t going to earn any money, and they quickly disappeared.
The Land Rover was khaki in colour, but so covered with dust that the paintwork was almost invisible. Bea immediately took the front passenger seat. ‘You’ll have more room back there, Jason, and it’s probably best if I help Marcus with directions.’
‘It’s a straight road, Bea,’ Marcus said mildly, catching Zak’s eye as he spoke. Once more, Zak tried not to smile as he crammed his rucksack onto the seat and sat next to it.
‘Is this your first time in Angola, Jay?’ Marcus asked as he negotiated his way through the chaotic traffic outside the terminal.
‘First time in Africa,’ Zak replied. ‘Er, why don’t we want to travel at night, Bea?’
He heard Bea drawing breath and prepared himself for a long explanation, but Marcus got there first, leaving Bea looking like the carpet had just been pulled from under her feet. ‘Angola has had a difficult history, Jay. I’m sure you know that.’
‘Civil war,’ Zak said.
‘Exactly.’ Marcus knocked the vehicle into third gear. ‘Things aren’t as bad now as they were a few years ago, but it’s still a dangerous country. Most of the Angolans are very good people who only want peace in their country. But not all of them. There’s a risk of bandits on the road, especially at night.’
‘Goodness, Marcus. A risk? The roads are very, very dangerous, Jason, and I want you to bear that in mind. You’re not to go wandering off. Some of these people will rob you of everything you have and would much rather kill you than leave you to identify them later.’
Zak looked through the window. Already
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