Moira

***

Mmakwena Nkwana

SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE STATION HEADQUARTERS.

One month earlier…

I walked into a very busy office confused. Everyone was running around as though there had been a natural disaster.

"Detective Nkwana, My office, Now."

I looked to the side and saw my superior standing at the door of his office. What an occasion for me to start my day dropping off at his office. It made me wonder who ticked him off this early in the morning. And out of all the people present why me? I sighed taking a deep breath before I immediately walked to my superior's office, confused and anxious. It was only seven in the morning and way too early for problems. We usually started working around eight. For me to be here, in the office of my boss before that, was what we in the office dubbed as the curse of seven am.

"Good morning sir." I saluted him as I entered his office.

"Detective, does this morning look good to you?" He asked, upset.

"No Sir?" I answered, bewildered and hesitantly.

"Exactly. " he responded, turning on the television in his office.

"Something unnatural happened." he explained as the news played.

"Morning to you viewers at home, Welcome to the Morning live show, I am your news anchor, Mandisa Manamela. Today's news will be a complete surprise for everyone. A building in Johannesburg, Sandton has collapsed. That's right! Collapsed! and it is believed that it is due to an induced earthquake created by terrorists," the woman on the television reported.

"Did you hear that?" He asked as he turned off the television.

"We have a possible terrorist attack case!" He exclaimed, rubbing his temples.

"You have to investigate this Case now." He added after a few moments.

"They want you to investigate this case." He adds again after a while.

I stared at him astonished. He knows that I had other important cases and there were so many other detectives present with nothing too significant to do.

"Sir, isn't there someone else who can take this case?" I asked hopeful.

"Detective Nkwana, I would not be asking you to take this case if we had someone who could take the case." He answered.

He was lying, I could see it in his eyes. He was brazenly lying to my face. The only reason he would give me this case is because he wants to make himself seem amazing in front of the higher-ups. He wanted to get promoted and probably even become the Minister Of Police. I nodded my head as I left his office. I walked to my desk and saw Thato. He looked pale and nervous.

"Hey, why do you look so pale?" I asked, concerned as I walked towards him.

"Huh? What? I'm not Pale!" he spoke nervously.

"What happened?" I asked sternly.

Thato only ever got nervous around me when he discovered something that would affect me nervously. He looked at me panicking. It was like I had asked him to destroy the world.

"Thato, speak up." I ordered him sternly.

Hesitantly he looked around before he spoke.

"I…I was looking at the video footage from the so-called earthquakes, and I…let me show you." he stuttered, hesitantly showing me his computer.

Confused I watched the footage and I felt my body running cold. She was there before the building crashed. She was there when the building fell in but she was there after the impact. None of this made sense to me. Was she alive? Was she hurt? Is she okay? Who saw this video?

"Thato, do not show anyone this footage yet, and please send it to me, and also try to retrieve more footage from the Cafe." I said whispering sternly.

No one can know. No one should know… I have to fix this before anyone finds out.

"Don't worry, no one has seen it yet." Thato whispered.

My heart that was pounding so loud finally for a moment stopped and went back to its regular heartbeats.

"I'll send it to you now." Thato added.

I found myself walking back to my car. I had to make sure this was all just a misunderstanding. She is probably still at home. Shaking nervously I called her while I was driving.

"Please pick up Thalia," I begged as I heard the phone ringing.

[You've reached the voicemail of *beep* Thalia Millards, please leave a message after the tone.]

"Thalia, Please pick your phone up, I need to talk to you. I need to know if you are...if you are...safe." I said when the phone made a beep sound again.

It couldn't have been her, because I would have received a call from anywhere. I am after all her emergency contact number. She wouldn't just die like this. She wouldn't.

"Nothing bad will happen to her."

"Nothing bad will happen to her."

"Nothing bad will happen to her."

"Nothing bad will happen to her."

These words kept repeating in my hand like a school sports team chant. Over and over like a record player that could not be stopped.

When I finally arrived at her apartment I found myself running up the stairs instead of using the elevator. It would have made me impatient and I cannot be impatient right now. I cannot fall apart right now. I finally reached the seventh floor and vigorously shuffled for the spare key to open the apartment. I attempted to open the door and found that the door was not locked. My heart started pounding through my ears. I nervously reach my waist to grab my gun and I slowly walk into the apartment. It was a mess. The apartment is a mess. My heart started pounding even louder than before. Loading my gun, I walk through the apartment, cautiously looking around whilst pointing my gun in every direction I search.

"Alia?" I called out.

"Alia!" I called out again, terrified.

Please keep my best friend safe. My heart pounded vigorously as I walked further into her apartment. I walked past her room and I could hear someone crying and sniffing. I turned my head and my heart...my heart broke. My best friend was hugging her legs like her life depended on it. She looked so frightened.

"Thalia?" I called out concerned and gently.

"What happened?" I asked, crouching down to her level.

Tears were streaming from her eyes as she stared at me hesitantly. She looked so frowzy and scared. Her body was shivering and shuddering.

"I went to Delight cafe because I had to meet someone for an upcoming story. They told me that they were on their way, but they didn't show up for three hours, so I got up and wanted to leave, but then I saw me… She stared at me and smiled. My head then felt heavy and I felt my eyes closing, she said that we had unfinished business and that I had something she wanted. She opened a door in my head, and…and… the next thing I knew was the building shaking furiously. The building… the floor… everything was just shaking and the next thing I knew was that I was back in my apartment, I didn't mean for the building to shake…I didn't mean to," Thalia said crying.

I hugged her to calm her down. For some reason, this sounded and felt crazy, perhaps she was just very tired and had imagined it all.

"Are you sure that was what happened?" I asked, gently after she calmed down.

This sounded farfetched. We lived in South Africa, and such things could just not happen. Money getting embezzled? That made sense, but my best friend vanished off camera in the middle of what we wanted to believe was an 'earthquake' sound beyond far-fetched.

"You don't believe me," Thalia said, breaking the hug.

"No, I believe you, Thalia," I lied calmly.

I didn't want to upset her because what she feels is important even if it sounds crazy to me.

"You don't!" Thalia screamed angrily.

The apartment started shaking and I saw dark, gloomy, dreary, clouds form around Thalia.

"Stop it, please!" Thalia clamored crying.

I gazed at the clouds around Thalia. This didn't make sense, the clouds rumbled and I knew that this was dangerous. I ran out, back to my car, trying to contemplate what happened. My best friend was in trouble and needed me but I ran away. What an awful friend I am! I got out of my car and ran back to the apartment only to find it empty. She was gone. I searched the entire apartment and still no sign of her. This was the last time I saw my best friend…

My phone rang and it was Thato.

"What is it? What did you find?" I asked anxiously.

"I just sent it to you and it was going to shock you," He answered.

Never did I ever imagine this. Never did I think that this case would become troubling and problematic. Never did I imagine... Imagine that... I... that I would not be able to hear or see my best friend for a long time.