It was pitch dark in the boot of the car. It smelt of petrol. There was little room – barely enough to move his legs. He could feel Motso pressed against his back.

“I hope that poor lady is ok,” Motso said. Her voice sounded husky in the darkness, like it belonged to someone else.

Sim thought of Toya’s terrified face peering out of the broom cupboard. She’d looked so vulnerable. All he wanted to do was protect her. That boyfriend of hers was a real jerk, running away at the first sign of danger. At least he’d had the guts to save her – to pull her into the backroom and find a safe place for her to hide. Maybe, once this was over – if he survived – maybe then she’d agree to go out with him. “Poor Toya,” he said. “She looked so scared. I hope she got home safely.”

“Poor Toya?” exclaimed Motso. “That spoiled, cowardly bitch. Hiding in the cupboard! Honestly, Simelane, you are so stupid. What do you see in her? You guys are all the same. You can’t see any deeper than the sexy smile and the push-up bra. But anyway,” she continued, “it’s pointless arguing about it. We’ve got bigger things to think about than her fake boobs. We’ve got to get out of here.”

Sim ran his hands along the edge of the boot. He could feel the ridge where the carpet covered the tail light. He ripped it free. A faint red light shone into the dark space.

“I could try and kick the light out,” he said.

“Won’t they hear?”

“Maybe. But what other options do we have?”

“If only they hadn’t taken our phones,” Motso said. “We could at least let the police know where we are.”

“I’ve got a phone!” Sim exclaimed. He dropped his voice hurriedly. “It was in my back pocket. They didn’t find it.”

“Here, I’ll get it out,” Motso whispered. She passed it over to him. “You should SMS. If they hear us talking they’ll stop the car and kill us for sure.”

Sim ran down his list of contacts, and selected them all. “HELP. Taken hostage with Motso. In boot of my car. Red Tazz CA 9099567. Help.”

“Switch the sound off,” Motso whispered. “In case they hear the message alert.”

Quickly he silenced the phone. Then, quietly, in the darkness, they waited for someone, anyone, to reply.

***

Tell us what you think: If you got an SMS from a friend saying they had been hijacked or taken hostage, what would you do?