Dawn of the Epoch

Chapter XLII - Showdown in the Slum

Hongo muttered something into the interpreter’s ear. He promptly called out to the youths. They looked over and made eye contact. Then, en masse, they approached. The interpreter offered them twenty American dollars for information about the pirates who took the Kasse Alexander. The boys talked amongst themselves for a moment. Then, a large boy stepped to the front of the group. He held out his hand and said something to the interpreter.

“He wants to see the money.” The interpreter said.

“Ask him what he knows.” Instructed Hongo.

The interpreter spoke to the boy. The boy shrugged his shoulders and they talked back and forth for a while. Eventually, the interpreter addressed Hunter and Hongo again.

“He says there is a rumor going around that Iblis took them and turned them into jinns.” The interpreter said.

“What?” Hunter asked.

Hongo talked with the interpreter briefly. Hongo’s Kiswahili and tribal language got him nowhere with the Somalian, but for some reason, the man understood Hongo’s English better than Hunter’s.

“Iblis is the devil in Islamic lore. Jinns are like angels or demons. They are not good or bad though. They are just spirits.” Hongo explained as best as he could what the interpreter was telling him. He went on, “There was a pirate group that was rumored to have a big heist coming up. They did a big recruiting drive shortly before the ship was taken. Some of these boy’s friends signed up with them. They went crazy, lost their minds, or got sick or something like that. I am not sure if something is getting lost in the translation here.”

“Let’s show them some green.” Hunter said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of United States currency.

The greedy eyes of the youths fixated on the roll. After a moment of thought, Hunter gave each of them a five dollar bill. He gave the big one a ten.

“Tell them that there is more where that came from. Much more. We will pay one hundred dollars to anyone who takes us to the headquarters of the pirates who took that ship.” Hunter said.

The interpreter talked with the boys. They all got excited and an argument ensued.

“Well, what’s the deal?” Hunter asked.

“They will take us.” The interpreter said without elaboration.

The large group headed off in a northerly direction. Passersby eyed them suspiciously. The boys seemed excited. Eventually, they arrived at a large warehouse. It looked old and the sun had taken its toll on the exterior, but, otherwise it seemed in decent condition. They walked inside and found an incredible sight. Air conditioning units surrounded the sides of the warehouse supported by beams and rafters. Coils of power cables stretched from their backsides to the floor where they wrapped around the length of the building and exited at some point. The building actually felt cool and comfortable on the inside. Also, brick walls had been built throughout the large building. The building had been partitioned off into cells where new-looking beds and mattresses and stylish modern furniture bedecked the rooms. The cells had granite countertops and gleaming silver faucets with running water. All the work on the renovations had been done by hand with many daylaborers. Flat-screen televisions showed various programs. Each television had stacks upon stacks of DVD videos and blue-ray video players.

“So this is where all the ransom money goes.” Hunter remarked.

Hunter noticed something wrong though. Most of the rooms were empty. Some were occupied, but the occupants did not look like pirates. Many were women and children. There were some elderly folks. The boys talked with the translator.