Hell Again

by Mihret Adal Gidi

  “Ar you su…”

  “I’m good,” I utter as I walk down to the water and I walk into it, I swim a little further and use it to clean as well freshen up myself. I turn to Zhai’s and Abebi’s direction and take a moment looking; I swim back and walk out soaked, but feeling fresh. “We need to do this, right?” I smile but Zhai looks at me, rather concerned.

  “If you say so,” Abebi utters as she walks past me. “I will come back as soaked as you,” she smiles and I join her on the smile, but Zhai walks to me. Following me to the root.

  “I know, you’re not okay,” she says, and I can tell she is not expecting a response. “What happen?” I know this is a question, but I am not sure if she is looking for an answer.

  “I’m okay,” I add and when I try to get in the hole Abebi holds me still and shakes her head, which makes me look at her, baffled. She is back in a hurry, I thought.

  “When we are done and we have to go in there, you will carry the water and Jane’s journal for me; that’s enough work for you?” she says and I exhale long and walk back to sit on a rock where Jane’s journal is placed by.

  “I feel so sorry for Jane,” I utter, holding her journal in my hands but I really am looking forward to reading it.

  “You know, she was working on summoning a demon to be rich,” Abebi says and I look up to their direction where Zhai is spreading another piece of her torn dress part on the root; it’s soaked well as well but she hops into the hollow they form and starts hitting it making a booming sound, as she hit to burst it open. “I guess she summoned a wrong one and she end up here.” Abebi shrugs a shoulder. “Funny it’s like that for most of us, some of them wanting to stay here and us running away to anywhere but back there,” she says, pointing up with her index finger to the world we left behind, looking forward to the home we are looking for.

  “We’re not a fool to never give up, are we?” I ask her and she shakes her head, looking down as her hands are placed on her hip.

  “It’s best to die like a fool than leave their wise,” she says, and I smile, satisfied at what we are doing.

  “Oh!” we hear Zhai screaming and I stand next to Abebi, looking into the hole she is in.

  “What happen?” Abebi screams.

  “I think I found it, it’s open, I found the pith to the root; see, the substance must be all the way to the heartwood starting from the sap wood,” she explains and I nod happily.

  “So that’s the part of the root?” Abebi asks.

  “You can say, bu we did it!” Zhai screams as she gets out and Abebi gets in there with speed. I follow Zhai to the water and start gathering it as she drinks one and runs back to the water to refill the empty one and the one, she just drinks from.

  “I can do tha…” I follow her for three steps and stop as it spins making me staggers losing balance.

  “Hold on,” Abebi runs to me and stands supporting me. “Are you okay?” she asks me, and I nod, smiling.

  “Let’s go in,” I say, and she stops me.

  “With weak energy, I think the journey will be rough.” She blocks my way.

  “Is she okay?” Zhai asks, walking to us with the waters in the plastic seal.

  “I’m probably weak... may be hungry,” I shake my head pressing my lips and rolling my eyes. “I am fine,” I answer, disappointed, as I snatch the waters from her and I place it in another peace we wrapped the others in, and vertically, I hold on to it with Jane’s journal among the waters.

  “I feel a great pool. I think it’s not going to be easy for her,” I heard Abebi suggesting to Zhai, whispering as I walk into the hole.

  “I can hear you and we don’t have time; they must be looking for us anyway,” I add a truthful suggestion and I hear them following me in, one after the other. Once I get to the edge that’s open, I feel burning on both my knees from where I am kneeling by and I look down to see that the garment is dry. “Hurry up, girls,” I add. I slowly allow my left leg into the empty hole and then my right, and suddenly, I feel a great pull down that makes me scream as I hold still on the edge of the hole Zhai formed for us to pass through.

  “Hold on!” I heard Abebi screaming but it’s really not clear through the deafening sound in here. The space is filled with light and though there is no burning liquid like substance, perhaps acidic, its moist here, but the pull is too much to take.

  “Adha,” I see Zahi. “Let go when I told you to let go,” she says and I nod as she works on trying to hold me as I see Abebi’s arms wrapped around her waist from her back.

  “I…can’t…” I utter and before I know it, my tears start. Curse this space, even my tears betray me that they’re wiped off easily. I really can’t hold on because my hands are starting to bleed from the sharp edges of the broken way in.

  “Hol…” Zhai screams as she tries to hold my right arm, but I slipped away. Looking at them both falling down hugging one another, I scream but Zhai holds another edge that seems like another path to another direction. I can tell she is trying to hold still, but the moment they both try to hold the edge of another way, I see them sucked away from my sight to the left into a direction I can’t see them any longer. I want to stay still on my grip but I simply couldn’t; my strength is betraying me and before I know it, I let go and I yield to the pull and to where ever it is taking me. I simply wrap my hand on the garment with Jane’s journal and the water in the plastic wraps in it, that’s tied to me.

  I can still feel I am rested, but I still can hear the ‘wind blowing’ like sound with the pull that pulled me away earlier. Murmuring, I open my eyes slowly, shaking my head and I sit up. I breathe long and shake my head to clear my thoughts from my worries. I look to my surroundings and find nothing and no one but I see that Jane’s journal and the water stacks are still confined to me. I take one out and drink from it; I am indeed, in need of something in my belly but a drink with no food makes the hunger worst. I stand to look around. There is nothing here, except the pulling feeling and it’s pushing me to the wall; to my understanding, I think I have come to the end of the root path. This should be the end of my journey.

  “Oh God,” I whisper, squeeze-shutting my eyes. “Zhai, Abebi!” I call out for them and there is no response at all. I lean on my knees and take a moment to breathe but breathing here seems a bit harder. It feels like air here equals a huge stone weight. I turn around and start hitting what seems the tip of this root, hoping it is less thick; from the shape of it, it looked like its pin pointed and it can’t even fit me in it any longer.

  It’s really moist in here and definitely not hard to burst through that tip end of this wall and I seem to succeed; after bursting the wood part I can see soil coming down at me. But with so little energy and breath I have, it is becoming quite impossible.

  “Oh God,” I utter as I sit back, but I see something is pushing through and down at me. I stand in speed but then take a moment as what Zhai once said hit my mind. I remember she once mentioned a lady who turned into ghost for falling down in that mirror room and I take a moment to think for my own good. I need to be more careful so I wouldn’t turn out to be something like that. “Yes,” I whisper and spill the water and open Jane’s journal to write something in it, something to send out. “I’m sorry Jane,” I whisper and take out a pencil tucked from the cover of the journal and write, ‘Help, get me out of here!’ on empty space and rip it out and wrap it in the plastic. From the moist air, the pages from the journal are starting to wrinkle and I doubt if I wrote it right. I any ways push it up, with little energy, to the soil that just fidgeted.

  What would I feel like if I was out there and something strange is coming out of a tree? I ask myself. That’s if I’m not coming out the ground since I’m in a root, as far as I can understand it; it’s highly possible that I might be coming out the ground, since I saw a soil. I frown to my thoughts of question with obvious answers.

  “Of course, I would think something evil,” I utter loud but my breathing is slowly dying. I am not eve
n sure if I complete it nor if I write something that can explain what I really want to say. I stagger to that tip and slowly push it up, losing energy. I simply close my eyes, with my right hand still spread to that so little path formed, to pass the note in my hand. Standing on my tip toe, I push the paper with the plastic, once again, a little further and wait for a moment. When it is pulled away, I gasp in shock but I am able to inhale some air, I feel oxygen making its way into the root. I don’t know what took it, but after it’s gone it takes a very long while and I sit back, waiting for anything to happen. Just to be sure lay down looking up to the slightly parted gap, as I feel like sleeping, the air is not enough and I am growing weak with each passing minute. I simply get the note book and once again write, but I am not sure what I just write, I get up and stuck it in the hole and lay back.

  ***

  “It’s best to die like a fool than leave their wise,” Abebi’s voice pours into my ears.

  Land: grassland and a bright sky; it looks like a beautiful morning and I can hear Zhai and Abebi screaming in happiness. Happiness; joyful laughter and running in freedom. Fresh air and I can smell it, its home.

  I think I am daydreaming; I mean dreaming with my eyes opened and I am still in the same place.

  “Come, take my han,” Zhai offers me and I smile as I grab it, but I suddenly feel hope as if I am breaking free and I am not alone anymore.

  What would you do when you finally grip hope? How hard would you fight to never let it go?

  I don’t know about you, but I am using my entire so little energy as well as the energy I don’t have in me. I don’t know where it comes from, but this was something I was craving for and I just have it to let it go.

  I start hearing voices, screaming and crying. I am not really in the condition to be sure of anything, but I know I am finally drawing air into my lungs heavily. I then start coughing hard as I struggle to adjust myself to normal breathing.

  Shaking, I look up to whoever helped me out and I see two girls. I just can’t tell if I know them well, but they are looking at me fearfully; both of them hugging one another. I am shivering as I am trying to crawl towards them, but they keep getting away from me, screaming.

  “Malo, Malo…” I can hear a male voice coming from behind me.

  “What are you doing?!” I hear another one in Amharic, but since I am out of energy, I just fall down flat on the ground and everything is silenced and turns gloomy all at once.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shemyaza closes his eyes as he smells the ripped piece of her dress, from last night. He is so sure that she is not here any longer. He is satisfied to know she is safe. Whatever fight he would face in this world because of what he decided to do with her, it is now simple, for him; it is easy to face any of his brothers when she is away.

  After all, he already has sent one of the tempting demons to dare Hadiya to go down that river and Rihanna to follow her, just as his brother, Gabriel, promised, him that he would send other angels to implant good thought and a strong will in Hadiya’s thought, which he did. He knew they would pray, and the demons would just come back to him in pain; this is so they won’t be able to see Adha coming out.

  “It was, I…” the demon is breathing heavily, trying to explain to him about what happened.

  “You may go, all I was looking for was what you did,” he said, and the demon bowed at him and walked out.

  How long is he supposed to hide away from them, all of them? He doesn’t fear to face a fight with them but he fears to wake them all up to what brings his change; he also doesn’t want to be tempted to use his power to use against the women he just saved. Gabriel warned him dearly and he is willing to do anything possible, impossible included.

  With her away, all that’s left for him to do is leave this place once and for all. He can’t take chances and he should be prepared for the worst. He walks out from the closet he was locking himself into with his warrior outfit well put on and all his weapons in their right places. He is dressed like the time when he was an angel and seems like grace is standing by him once again, though he is different; unlike before the time his grace was stripped away and also after, he knows he has changed again with a choice to make. This time around he is choosing love and is willing to do anything possible to make it possible to be there for Adha.

  “Andrealphus draw a concern in me, and I couldn’t contact you, like you blocked m…” Baal utters, entering Shemyaza’s room.

  “Hello, brother,” Shemyaza stands, giving him his back as he tightens the vambrace on his right arm.

  “I didn’t know we are at war, Ouza,” Baal says, calming down as he stares at his brother evaluatively. “And you are in that outfit, once again?”

  “What is it you desire Baal?” Shemyaza asks with exasperated tone.

  Despite the fact that he still couldn’t see Shemyaza in his eye, Baal can tell something odd about him. He now understands what Andrealphus was trying to mention.

  “I think that lady is too different to stay with us, but it seems to me that it’s too late to send her back as well.” He is taking a very slow and thoughtful steps towards Shemyaza.

  Baal is dressed as usual; bone white harm pants with his sangria-purple coloured palla hanging on his left shoulder. His argali horn well displayed; wider base as it starts from his frontal forehead going back narrowing. He is barefoot and his feet muddy, as his oil black long hair subdued in a messy men bun. He is standing straight and taller; to own it up to his name meaning, ‘the lord.’

  “The ladies are of my concern,” Shemyaza answers quietly. “I do not like it when I am questioned of my doings.”

  “You know wha…” just as Baal stands to his right, Shemyaza flick turns away to his left and start walking out his room in speed.

  “I have matters that desires my attention,” he says on his way out and Baal stays, still looking out the burst down wall with his eyes narrowed. This has never happened between them; they would cross paths quite a lot and this wasn’t their way of greetings or even communication level as well.

  “And so, I shall take matters in my own hand, brother,” Baal utters to himself as his jawlines form hard visible lines on his skin. “There indeed is something quite peculiar,” he adds and jumps out the wall, from Shemyaza’s room all the way, through the busted down wall, onto the burnt sand. He takes sample of the sand with his right hand’s index finger and thumb and starts to feel it as he stands tall. “There is indeed something you aren’t sharing,” he quietly adds and jumps up high, but he spreads bat like, but red wings and flies away.

  ***

  The ladies are murmuring in whisper, they seem scared. They haven’t seen her the whole morning and they don’t know what to tell Shemyaza. All they can do is whisper about it and in fear. He walks down the stare after he draw a satisfied smile on his lips. For a moment, he prefers to enjoy the talk in fear. After all, this might be the last thing he might enjoy as doing a bad thing.

  “And she is nowhere to be found?” he walks down, asking.

  “Actually, all four of them,” answers Katrin. She is dressed in long yellow dress and she looks too bright and glamorous, as always.

  “Adha, Zhai…” he elevates his eyelids and brows up; he wants her to complete the other two names. He doesn’t want to act like he knows already.

  “Abebi, Jeni…” In a slight mocking-like tone, Andrealpus answers, to his surprise. Pressing a smile, he turns to his right to where everyone is waiting for him; all the ladies and Andrealpus, sitting on his chair as he is facing them all.

  Now he knows what the fuss was about, Andrealpus must have warned or say something that can create something fearful in them; they’re all really worried.

  “Oh, how cruel you can sometimes be,” Shemyaza says, standing right where he is. “I told you I can take care of my matters on my own,” he says bluntly.

  “Indeed, but we fear this matter touches all of us; she might be a spy,” he says and takes his smile off from his fac
e.

  “You may all leave,” he permits them all and the ladies walks out, but Katrin remains. “And you are looking for?”

  “Your guards are hoping to hear from you; should I tell them to look for her?”

  “Tell them to evaluate the oak tree,” Andrealpus orders.

  “I can feel her in the woods, to the woods you shall send them,” Shemyaza changes the order.

  “Oh brother, I am sure they aren’t there,” Andrealpus answers. “I have to admit my work; I have spied on them through Jane, she is disposed if I may say as well…”

  Katrin looks to Andrealpus’s direction, in shock to the simple explanation he just gave to Shemyaza, like their lives doesn’t mean anything at all, but she’s more struck by Shemyaza’s anger.

  “How dare you!” he jumps to his presence but hits him to fly across the room and he fall flat on his belly. He turns to her and she yelps as she presses on her chest. “To the forest, I say,” Shemyaza utters demandingly, which she feels obligated to answer, nodding frantically and runs out the house in fear.

  “Are we starting to divide?” Andrealpus asks, staying on the ground as his hands press on the ground to crick lift him up.

  “Are you testing my limits?” Shemyaza asks and presses a smile.

  “How dare I, brother,” Andrealpus answers. His chest hurts that he falls back on the ground and he once again manage to rise up and stand straight, but he bows to Shemyaza showing respect.

  “Leave, I say,” he adds and takes a step closer to him as his eyes are narrowed to strike one more time. He didn’t even use a bit of his power, but this change must have changed him into something stronger.

  “Whenever you need me, I am at your disposal,” he says, pressing on his chest with his right hand’s palm as his left arm goes around his back and rest on his hip.

  It’s really over and Shemyaza know it is. This kind of disrespect in touching one another’s business as well going further to fighting level never happened between the broken ones. They have rules and boundaries they respect, none of them intrudes each other’s business; they respect one another. They have hierarchical levels and they highly consider it, just as there are limits to things they can do.