38|The Flats—Part 1

There was a SaveRite down the road from Sea Point Primary. It wasn't the most stocked-up supermarket, but it was the closest Marybeth could stop at without going out of her way and upsetting the rest of her afternoon plans.

So, after arguing with herself in the parking lot for a few minutes, she finally plucked up the nerve to dash inside and take Austin's shiny black card for a spin.

She filled up her shopping cart with all the basic essentials a family of five would need.

Several grocery bags later, she headed to Sea Point Flats.

This area was notorious for hijackings and smash-and-grabs, so she quickly rolled up her windows and hid her handbag and phone under her car seat, her gut clenching when she passed the defaced, graffiti-riddled sign welcoming residents and passersby to The Flats, population 1.5 million, and crime and violence were the only currency.

Somewhere in this dusty labyrinth of desolation and despair, a man only saved as 'X' under the list of contacts in Danica's ph