Sam was at a loss. Thando, Nombu and Xolani had tried their best, but no-one had come up with a plan to save Zinhle from Bra Frank and his boys. They knew that going to the police wouldn’t help, and they had no money or contacts. Xolani had suggested a few things, but all could get them into trouble, and Sam was not willing to do anything illegal – look where it had got them so far. As the minutes ticked by, the group was getting more and more frustrated. And then there was Sinethemba … Sam prayed that Mam’Gqwashu had not hurt her.

Suddenly his phone beeped. An SMS from an unknown number… He read the message and his eyes grew large. His jaw clenched and he shouted, “Shit!” making the girls and Xolani jump.

“Hey, Sam, what’s the matter? Who’s the message from?” Nombu asked urgently.

“It’s Zinhle,” he said, and the girls gasped in both joy and surprise. “There’s more – Bra Frank has my sister too. Mam’Gqwashu took her to Frank. That evil woman is still there, planning with him how they’re going to split the money.”

“What money, Sam? What are you talking about?” asked Thando. Sam looked as if he was going to faint.

“I know,” said Xolani. “The money is from prostitution. Frank is going to take Zinhle and Sine to the club tonight – am I right?” Sam just nodded his head whilst Nombu started to cry.

“What are we going to do, Sam? We have to save them. We have to.”

“OK guys. This is what we have so far: Zinhle and Sine are locked in a room in Bra Frank’s house. Frank, Mam’Gqwashu and one of Frank’s boys (he’s a good guy, really) are sitting outside, on the stoep. What’s our plan of action?”

Xolani looked up at Sam, and a smile spread slowly across his face. “You know what, Sam. I think I have an idea…”

* * * * *

Zinhle and Sinethemba saw what time it was on the cellphone’s display: 20:15. Zinhle knew that Frank’s Club opened every night at 21:30 – she had heard her mother and the other aunties skinnering about some of the girls who worked there. How short their dresses were, how they took drugs to numb the pain of…

The door burst open and Frank stumbled into the room, his large body swaying against the light from outside. The girls could smell the alcohol on his breath: Black Label, his beer of choice. His eyes were red and he was sweating. Zinhle saw the outline of something in his hand and gasped. It was a gun. Frank came towards her and she shrank back. It was no use – she felt the rough wall against her back and knew that she was trapped. Sinethemba was frozen in the corner, too scared to move. Breathing heavily, Frank brought the gun up to Zinhle’s face and stroked it down her cheek. One tear rolled out of her eye, hitting the cold, dark metal of the barrel.

“There, there, don’t cry,” Bra Frank whispered, and a blanket of beer-breath suffocated Zinhle. “You’re my girl now. Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. I’ll be gentle.” Frank brought his hand up to her dress and slipped the strap off her shoulder. As he was about to grab her breast, Zinhle heard a terrifying shriek. Sinethemba launched herself onto Bra Frank and started attacking him with her bare hands, scratching wildly.

“No, Sine! The gun!” Zinhle screamed, but it was too late. A shot was fired.

The noise from the gun was deafening, and both girls recoiled in shock, hiding their faces in their arms. The bullet hit the wall, but as Frank got up to grab Zinhle, Sipho came running through the door. “Sipho,” Frank gasped. “Help me put these bitches in their place!”

Sipho pulled out his own gun, and moved threateningly – towards Frank.

“Not today, Bra Frank. I’ve had enough of this shit. Let them go or…” Before he could even finish his sentence Frank fired at him, hitting him in the shoulder.

Sipho dropped to the ground and the girls cried out. Frank motioned with his gun in the air and shouted like a crazy person: “Who’s next, huh? Wanna cause more trouble with me, you whores?”

Neither Zinhle nor Sinethemba said a word. Their eyes were fixed on Sipho, shaking on the ground, the deep red of his blood seeping through his shirt.

***

Tell us what you think: Will Sipho survive? What will happen next?