Her neighbour, Zenith is the news deliverer of the neighbourhood. Everyone is rather extra careful around her to talk about anything. Seeing Membere looking magnificent she gasps surprised. She is thinking she would have something to talk about as she turns her jogging towards her direction, but she starts losing control with her eyes fixed at her; She looks so beautiful, radiant and her dress looks magical; floor length long, wine-red dress. She looks extra ordinary as well young.
“I wouldn’t beli…” she ceases on her words and stands still, as if something literally paused her. Standing still, Membere displays a slight gasping of smile as her eyes stays still and fixed at her. Zenith kneels down as she allows the presence of her smile in a ghostlike manner; it’s there and not.
“Your offer?” Membere asks and Zenith takes the knife from her hand. She doesn’t know why but she believes she deserves a reward for her beauty.
“This,” she says quietly but her left hand’s fingers holds out her own tongue and her right hand with the knife mercilessly cuts it off, as her eye sheds a tear. Breathing heavily, she stands up, placing the cut off peace in her fanny pack on her waist but she emptied it first. Smiling in satisfaction, Membere stands straight and look ahead of her and she proceeds on her steps as Zenith follows her besides her; her blood on her chest. Seems like there is more to come of this and they are about to collect many more.
It starts like this; simple.
Darkness never shows its true colour until it’s too late; it’s all about the glittering and beautiful attraction. It’s filled with many things and choices that are quite deceiving. It never appears in its true colour, perhaps at first. It wastes our time until it is too late; it takes us round and around till we sink deeper.
Man’s strength is faith and freedom of choice. When both can’t be used equally, man might lose the balancing capability. But from the ashes we rise again; it is in our nature to fall and to get up no matter how hard the situation may seem. It is in man’s nature to rise up as long as there is faith.
Maybe Membere is not entirely lost, maybe she still has that strength that can help her go on and take back what belongs to her, her body. For now, and maybe until a day come, she has fallen under the dress’s temptation up on her.
Chapter Seventeen
Haven’t I mentioned that my life’s plot to the end is climaxing and seems like there is no end to it? I guess I am right after all that everything seems to prove me right. I can’t believe that I believed Katrin, of all peoples. I just don’t want to believe that I am once again back in this very tormenting place; place or world of pain.
“What the…what did you do?” I scream, questioning her while sobbing as well breathing heavily and acting crazy; I am in the mood to jump back into the mirror that I just passed through. I kneel up as I gape looking at her, whimpering.
“Clever,” a voice behind me took my attention but I didn’t dare to look back. But I stopped whatever crazy senseless things that I am doing. “How did you manage to know this path?” the voice asks, and I look up at Katrine, who is smiling in pride. She looks excited as well as if she is in line for something big.
“It wasn’t hard. I heard the whispering of a temptation from the other side and thought it might be something that left this side to the other.” She shrugs with her left shoulder but is still smiling. “It wasn’t tricky to know that it must be a belonging that left this side with these ladies, since I know they have already escaped.”
What the hell is she talking about? I wonder to myself, frowning as I try to analyse what she is talking about. I am still kneeling but my hands are already on my belly.
“No way should you be asked of your loyalty, you will soon start your training to becoming one of us,” the voice utters and I hear footsteps walking towards me, and slowly past me to stand before me.
This isn’t his voice and I can feel his intention that I sit up, wrapping my arms over my showing belly. I can’t let anyone harm me, not when I am due in after a month or so. I am way too attached to them; I can feel them, sense them to the point that I feel like they are talking to me; like sharing my pain and joy with them. I bear everything these past months with them, as if they are my phycologists and I am their patient. Unlike my relationship with my real psychologist, what I have with them is quite frank; they listen to me and whenever I feel like crying, I can feel them moving, as if they are comforting me. I can’t lose my children; they are what I am left with and I have decided to keep them long before I started feeling them. I was just lying but back in this situation, I feel like I should admit it.
Slowly I start looking up to the creature that is speaking with Katrin; It looks young and a little thin, no muscles, just a young body. He is wearing a necklace, a mark I think it is; semicircle with a connecting curving line of an upside-down cross. This must be a sigil, I wonder as I recall some reading research I tried to do back home, about Zhemyaza. I slowly try to breath slow to stay calm, I need to be calm, for the sake of my children. It narrows its eyes at me as I come in contact to them, looking up. The only odd thing about it is it’s elf-like hairy ears.
“Oh,” he says, with his eyes still fixed at mine. He seems fascinated or perhaps surprised. “Such a mess,” he says in a joking manner as he tries to remind me that I wet myself. I should be embarrassed but I am not. I am rather in this raging disappointment that I am back in this dirt once again.
“You freak,” I utter through my teeth and he widens his smile as he looks into my eyes once again. “What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want. From me?” I ask in hatred. I am wishing to murder him or it in every way possible, but I can feel that I can’t.
It’s as if he is letting his guard down, looking into my eyes and he just reminds me of him…Shemyaza. Unfortunately, my vision or my mind just plays trick on me that I see him as a horned creature and I scream as loud as I could, shielding my belly with my arms tighter around my unborn children. I get up but I see this thing is gasping staring at me still, but in an enjoyment of whatever he found in me, just as Shemyaza once mentioned. I don’t care and don’t want to; I get up and start running out the house but the moment, I am out on the porch I don’t know why I feel the need of his presence around me.
“Uzza!” I scream out for him, with the other name I heard Katrine calling him with. “Come to me,” I whisper as I kneel down, confirming that I am really back in that very world. Back in that house where I made my calling to Mum that got her considered mad, that very forest is right before me.
Katrine and whatever that thing is are following me, and they are just a few seconds away. I can’t run to the forest. I know the temptation and I don’t want to risk going in there with my children. Besides, there are many demons right before the house and I doubt that I can pass right past them with no problem or speed that can help me get to his place.
I can feel and smell the smoke, filling my nose, and screaming of people in agony; something in this place has changed that it feels like it has waited for me turning into a warzone.
“It is true you are different and with his blood in you.” I turn to face him, swallowing nothing down my throat in fear. Katrine is behind him and she smiles, seeing that I can’t leave any further than this. “You are something and you don’t even know it,” he says, but as if he is already addicted, I can sense he wants to see in my eyes once again. “You will be examined. I shall study you…”
“I’m afraid not!” I flick turn to see the once I just call up on, but I face a blast of blinding light, pushing the demons away in every possible direction.
I cover my eyes and turn away and see that both Katrine and this thing just did the same as well. As soon as the light went out, I turn to see and he is walking towards my direction.
He is graceful and different. I recall the face I once saw that scared me away, but I prefer the demon I know than this, I simply run to him and hug him. God, I am wet and embarrassed now that he has to see me this way, but this is a result of what I have in me, something
of ours.
“Brother, I can help you,” the one with Katrine utters to him but his attention is all mine. He clears my hair off my face, smiling, and I partially smile but sadly. “I saw her too, you can’t possibly choose her over your brothers,” he is still talking to him. Trying to convince him…it seems.
“Of course I chose her,” he says, as he clears his way from me, by moving me behind him and like I am his pet, I hang on his right shoulder and look past him to Katrine, who seems disappointed, and the creature willing to do anything to take or kill me.
“You think they are here for you? To stand with you?” he adds but mockingly.
The soldiers are shaking their heads as they wake up. I can’t stop my eyes from looking around at our surrounding as we are surrounded by many lights covering me to see whatever it is behind it. One after the other and as if the lights are on our…I mean me and Uzza’s side, they keep appearing in numbers, hovering around us. I can feel it; the lights are a screen for something good behind them. His question is certainly directed about these lights.
“Indeed, I am with them, willing to protect the real thing in my hand. My miracles and I am willing to face everything,” he answers to him.
A circular motion wind takes my attention to our left side and I turn only to look at ladies standing in it. I guess a portal has opened.
“Adha?” Zhai just calls for me and I gasp impulsively, crying, but I look at him, hoping for confirmation, and he smiles, nodding.
“I will find you, but you should go now,” he says, and I shake my head, looking around. He really is here for me and war has broken between entities I can’t fully understand, but I know I am important, and I have children I must look after.
“Hurry!” Abebi screams in that demanding voice and I smile and laugh in sobbing manner.
I slowly depart from him and approach the windy portal hesitantly. I slowly look up around us to see that the entities behind the lights are approaching the portal in defensive manner and I look back to the house, where the demons are standing in attacking mode.
Should I really leave him behind, even though he is here for me? I can’t really believe I am wondering this now. I turn around and look at him once again and he smiles, nodding, encouraging me to go.
“Thank you,” I hardly whisper to him but unfortunately, I get pulled through the portal and I scream in the arms of Abei and Zhai, who are holding me. I look around us to the women holding hands and looking at me in satisfaction.
“Let’s close it,” a leader type older woman projects her voice and I gasp in shock as I look through the portal to him.
I can see he is happy that he feels my connection and feelings for him. I wasn’t sure until now, but I have to give him last words that can keep him stronger, for him to fight stronger and come back to us.
“We,” I say as I indicate my belly to him, “will wait for you,” I add but before I get a clear vision of his face, the portal closes and there is no more of him.
“Oh,” Zhai says, touching my belly. “It was true,” she adds in worry.
“I’m glad I found you two,” I sob but not sure if it is because I am happy, I found them or because it feels like I lost him. “Where have you two been?” I ask, weeping hard but as if they both understand me. They embraced me.
“I’m glad we found you. I’m Milagros,” the woman introduces herself to me. She doesn’t seem to care about my sobbing or that my friends are trying to comfort me. “There is always a war between good and evil, but the war to stop the chosen ones just began. It is our duty to protect you and them,” she adds smiling, pointing at my belly. “Everyone is after you and your children, it is only a matter of on which side they are on. And we are determined to keep you on ours.”
I guess they were waiting for me and I finally understand what the intruder said to me, when I visited her at her place.
I think I finally understands my life purpose is greater than what I imagined; I think I finally understand why what happened to me happened. I am the chosen one to direct his son back home to his forgiveness. After all, God is forgiving and loving; and it seems to me that he blesses me to be the one for Shemyaza’s return home. I am a mother chosen by God to carry the chosen ones that can stop evil and protect mankind or destroy mankind if they grow on wrong side. It is now up to us to face our reality and fight to maintain our position; to what we believe is good. Just when I thought my life is at the climax, I just learn that it has just began. I know now I have long way to walk, yet to begin.
Hell Again Page 35