Rob a bank (wanna)

“I need to hit the bank.” Morag turned into an alley between two blocks of flats. Her companion staggered along, arm in arm with his new date. Noddy brought up the rear.

They made a cute couple. Hawaiian shirt and black leather. Italian shoes and Doc Martens. Long wavy hair and spiked green mohawk. Noddy almost felt sorry for the guy, imagining his expression when he woke up next to her in the morning. Morag was a good-looking girl, but this was an acquired taste.

His commiserations were premature. Halfway along the alley, Morag swung her date against a wall. Hard. Noddy could practically feel the back of his head bounce against the bricks. The ridiculous hat fell to the ground. Morag grabbed a handful of the Hawaiian shirt, and a knife appeared in her free hand.

“Your wallet. Now.”

Glazed eyes struggled to grasp this new concept in dating. In slow motion, he reached for the knife.

Morag slashed his palm, smacked him in the face with her elbow and backhanded him so his head bounced off the bricks again, all in one smooth movement. Noddy was impressed.

“Money. Now. Don’t try that again, or my boyfriend here will stab you in the face.”

This was pure exaggeration. Noddy might have had a relationship with her once, but he’d screwed that up a long time ago. The man looked slowly in Noddy’s direction, tears clouding his vision, and all Noddy could do was shrug and smile encouragingly. What choice did he have? Walk away, and leave him to the tender mercies of the queen of the night? Try to get him out of the jam, and risk his own disembowelment? At least if Noddy played along, they might all live to tell the tale.

The victim reached in his back pocket and handed over his wallet with trembling hands. The typical bulging macho wallet. Morag dropped it somewhere inside her leather jacket, then grabbed the chain from around his neck.

“Your watch. And the chains.”

He was starting to catch on at last, as these were removed more quickly. They disappeared into the depths of the jacket, then Morag slammed another elbow into his face. His head cracked one last time against the wall before he slid into the urine-stained gutter.

Morag took off down the alley like a winged mammal escaping from the netherworld, looking back over her shoulder.

“Come on!”

Noddy decided to tag along.

Hard to believe I launched Dancing in Valhalla on Amazon a year ago. To mark the occasion – and to keep people entertained while we all struggle to find our feet in a world suddenly flipped upside down – I’ll be releasing the title story in weekly installments.

Read them each week on  FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Twitter, Tumblr, GoodReads, or Amazon.

No charge. No obligation. Read for free. Share with your friends.

Cheers.

Morag wants to fly to the States and shag her favourite singer.

Noddy wants to leave Johannesburg, move to the coast and get a fresh start.

Janine wants Noddy to find a job and settle down.

Dirk just wants to run his nightclub and live a peaceful life.

But Mick… ah, Mick… There will be no peace once Mick comes out of his coma.

For anyone.

Ever again.

Experience life on the streets in 1980s Hillbrow as five volatile personalities struggle to survive a violent rollercoaster ride through Johannesburg’s underground club scene.

Full published version includes 13 twisted tales of music, magick, mayhem & murder.

Some torn from headlines in sunny South Africa where, for many, these are part of everyday life.

Shop for shrunken heads in a village that time forgot.

Witness an ancient ritual passed down from the Aztecs through Jack the Ripper to modern-day London.

Savour the sweet taste of revenge in a French restaurant.

And sit in on the Grim Reaper’s disciplinary hearing.

Relax and enjoy an assortment of characters nearly as twisted as the endings of these 13 tales of psychological suspense.

Physical paperback copies are once again available from BookDealers of Rivonia – 40 Wessel Road, Rivonia, Sandton – 011 234 1250. Open from 9 to 2 on Saturday and Sunday & from 9 to 5 from Monday to Friday.
Strict protocols will be observed.
Wear a mask or you won’t be allowed in.

And if anyone has taken the trouble to read this far – my new short story, Book of Faces, is free on Amazon today (Amazon time). Also “free” to read on Kindle Unlimited. Enjoy.