4 A bloody night

I wake up to Africa applying body lotion to her naked body

"when did you take a shower?"

"I took a shower while you were asleep I didn't want to wake you."

I got out of Africa's bed and stretched I picked up my bag to take out my toiletries.

" Imma go shower quickly"

"okay" she replied.

I walked out of the bedroom , headed for the bathroom. I got into the bathroom and opened the tap in the shower and left it to run so that the water could get hot, while I waited for that I wet my face and looked at myself in the mirror.

I then applied my face wash and brushed my teeth and examined myself in the mirror at the same time. I entered the shower and as time went on I just stood in the shower and I began having flashbacks again flashbacks of hell , I woke up from the flashbacks and tried to think of something that would distract me from thinking or experiencing the flashbacks again, I stood under the showering water and thought about what my plans were for the day and I remembered that it was Saturday and Africa and I are going to Thato's party. Thato is a rich kid whose always throwing parties at his parents house. It's going to be my first time going to one of his parties. I'm a bit nervous but it's probably just my social anxiety.

I get out of the shower and head back to Africa's room to get dressed.when I got in Africa was in her gown and looking for an outfit to wear.

" I don't know what the hell to wear, I think we should go out to the mall quickly to buy an outfit because I literally have nothing to wear for tonight."

I was curious to why Africa was in such a rush to get dress, the party was only tonight so I checked the time on my phone to see what time it is, it was four pm

"wait it's four pm I thought it was morning, why'd I wake up so late ?"

"I don't know I guess we were both really tired I guess because I woke up at noon."

I asked Africa what time we're leaving and she said in the evening at around six. I applied body lotion and picked up my bag to pick an outfit. I decided to wear a denim skirt with with transparent turtle neck that showed my black bra and high topped, black Dr. Martins. After I got dressed I went back to the bathroom to apply a bit of make up. I flossed my lips, put foundation on my spots and filled my eyebrows. I actually like the way I looked and gave myself a satisfied smile and walked out.

I got back into the room and helped Africa find an outfit because I believed that there was no reason to go to the mall ,she was really being unreasonable and insecure about her clothes. I picked out a white long sleeved dress , a leather jacket and high top black pair of Dr.Martins because I thought it would be cool if we matched. Africa got dressed and she looked great. I have a great taste in fashion, I really loved the outfit I picked out for her.

It was six now and Africa and I were ready we took our phones and purses went downstairs, I was hoping to see Africa's mom but Africa had told me she had gone out with her friends. Africa's mom is a sweet Woman , kind and loving. I was really hungry, I hadn't had anything to eat the entire day. So we made a quick sandwich, ordered an Uber and headed to Thato's place.

In the Uber Africa took out a mini Gordon's bottle and took a gulp, I was unaware that Africa drinks, I was actually shocked. Africa then offered me the bottle and I hesitated because I was worried that the Uber driver would see that we were under age but I took it anyways just to get rid of my social anxiety so I took a gulp and it burned and Africa giggled at the face I made when it burned. As the ride went on Africa sat on her phone talking to her other friends that I'm not very fond of so I looked out the window as we drove through the city of Cape Town . I had just moved to Cape Town and I hadn't gotten the time to explore my new home. It was a warm Saturday evening and the sunset looked really beautiful so I took a picture of it. I pressed the button on the door to open the window so that I can feel the cool ocean breeze.

The Uber stops in front of a big glass house. There are cars parked outside and loud music booming from the house. Africa pays for the Uber and we get out of the car. I'm calm and collected because of the alcohol. We walk into the door and it is almost as if I have just walked into another world, it looked like a world where adults are nonexistent. Amapiano which was the new, popular genre at the time was playing through out the whole house. There were so many people and everywhere I looked I saw people socializing, dancing and drinking. I was fascinated at the amount of alcohol that was in the house.

Africa and I walked around until we found a spot to sit.

"I'm going to get us something to drink" Africa said

"Alright don't take long"

"Alright" and she walked off

I remained and just began looking around and Everybody started cheering because had just Thato walked in. They were praising him he stood on the table and stopped the music using a remote that paused the sound system.

" Alright guys thank you for coming through tonight, there is plenty of alcohol and remember drink responsibly and Gents remember that no means no."

Everyone laughed and the music went back on. It seemed as though the music got louder . I felt a-bit out of place and I was worried to why Africa hadn't come back yet. I decided to look for her. I stood up and squeezed my way through a crowed of drunk, dancing teens and I went to the kitchen where I expected to find Africa but she wasn't there. I took out my phone and texted her asking where she is.

Thirty minutes past and Africa still didn't reply. I felt like she ditch my ass, I was irritated. I decided to get a drink out of the fridge, I took a cider and drank it while in the kitchen, after that I went to the lounge, the lounge was contaminated with couples making out on the couches so I went to the coffee table and took a shot , and then another shot.

I was starting to get drunk and I just went back to the spot where I was sitting to see if Africa was there and she wasn't. I just sighed and squeezed myself into the crowed and I decided to dance in the crowed too just to help get my mind off things. It was too mad, I was actually enjoying myself. I felt happier I felt like I didn't have a single worry.

I got the urge to go to the toilet so I squeezed myself through the crowed again looking for the toilet . I went upstairs where I found the rooms . I opened ,each door and found people making out, the third door I opened i found lesbians making out and I realized that one of those girls was Africa. I quickly shut the door and carried on looking for the bathroom I eventually found it . When I sat on the toilet seat I began thinking of what I just saw Africa doing, I couldn't believe she dumped me just to fuck some stupid girl .

I got up and flushed the toilet and walked out. I two stepped I. The passage and went down the stairs. What I just saw put me in a bad mood and I was over this whole place.

My phone began buzzing in my pocket , I took it out to see who was calling me and it was Africa's mom. I looked at the time and it was 2AM. Africa and I were supposed to leave at 11PM. I shrieked and turned to go up the stairs with my buzzing phone in my hand to go get Africa.

When I got to the room I opened the door to Africa covered in blood and her eyes wide open and looking at me.

"What the hell is going on"I shrieked

Africa wide open eyes began tearing up "I don't know what happened"

She fell on her knees and cried. I got in and closed the door and locked it. I wanted to comfort her but I hesitated because she was too bloody so I walk past her to following the blood trail in the room. The blood trail led me to the other side of the bed . My heart skipped a beat , I immediately started seating and the all the alcohol I drank came right back up and I turned to throw up .

Africa had chopped the girl she was making out with into pieces. I don't know how the hell she did that . After I had thrown up I looked at Africa weeping and instead of running for my life I walked right up to her and reached out my hand. She looked up at me with a face splatted in blood and blood shot red, swollen eyes. She took my hand and I helped her up .

"We are going to clean this up." I told her

Africa was my friend and I was not going to forsake her.

"I'm going to find somethings to clean this up and you are going to make sure that nobody and I mean nobody walks into the room"

"When I come back I will knock three times on the door okay?"

She nodded and I rushed out.

I got down stairs and headed to the kitchen where I assumed that I would disposable plastic bags, bleach and a cloth.i opened all the cupboards and I found all the things I needed and I took a bucket too. I went straight upstairs and knocked twice on the door and Africa opened up.

The room was an en-suite so I told Africa too get into the shower and and get cleaned up while I poured water into the bucket and emptied out the whole bleach bottle into the bucket of water. Africa finished showering and looked down at her clothes and began crying again.

I grabbed her by her arm "you need to get your shit together and clean this mess up"

"Now what we're going right now is going to be the hardest thing you've have ever done and you need to be strong, not for me but for your safety" "understood?"

She wiped her tears and said " okay, okay I can do this"

"We're going to use your clothes to pickup her body parts and put them into the the disposal bags"

"Alright"

" ohh, I almost forgot, switch off your phone your mom has been calling me she's probably calling your phone right now."

I switched my phone off too .

Africa picked up her leather jacket and I picked up her black velvety dress, I grabbed a disposal bag and we went to the other side of the bed and began picking up the pieces using the clothes as gloves. The girls body or pieces, I'm not sure what to call it.

I felt like throwing up, it reeked and my eyes were tearing up but I must say it was a lot better than that other time, the day my life changed forever.while doing this I started having the flashbacks again, this time a memory , a bloody memory. I stopped to take a break and Africa carried on while she was sobbing. I took a deep breath and went back and carried on picking up the pieces. There were a lot of pieces, I kept looking at Africa trying to figure out how the hell she managed to do this because she didn't have any sort of weapon according to my knowledge.

We eventually finished and dumped the clothes in a different disposal bag.i then went back into the bathroom to collect the bucket of water and I poured out the water and the bleach on to the carpet and I grabbed the broom and I began scrubbing the carpet. I only scrubbed the blood trail and gave the broom to Africa to scrub the rest of the blood stains in the room.

I ran out of breath and went into the bathroom my clothes had spots of blood but it wasn't so bad so I sat on the edge of the bath to catch my breath. I was also trying to think of plan to get us out of there and I decided that we're going to jump out the window but we had one problem...Africa was naked.

Africa finished up but the white carpet remained with dark marks.

"I tried" she said panting.

"We need to get out of here but you're naked and we need to get you clothes"

I checked the time on my phone and it was 4:16 AM and it was quiet down stairs. We had to leave or else we would end up being caught.

"There has to be something I can wear in this room."

Africa started panicking and walked in the room and she began opening the the cupboards in the room. I followed Africa and I saw that she found clothes. She grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt . The clothes looked like they belonged to a teenage boy, I think this was Thato's room , but then I also thought started asking myself why Thato would leave his room open .

Africa went back into the shower and rinsed the blood off her body and she got dressed.

"We're jumping out the window" I said while collecting the disposal bags .

Africa took our belongings and she opened the window. It was sunrise there was a soft morning breeze. Africa dropped our belongings out the window and I dropped the disposal bags. I climbed onto the window ceil I looked back at Africa and I jumped out . The distance going down was not as high as I thought it was. When I got down Africa followed and we began running away from the house.

We were running down the road with out a clue of where we were going because we certainly could not go back to either of our houses looking like this.Africa and I needed to get rid of the clothes and the body.

"Wait, wait we need to plan this very well" I said panting

My heart was beating out of chest and Africa looked like she was about to lose it. To my right there was some sort of forest, I looked into the forest - like place and grabbed Africa and we quickly ran into the forest, I made sure we went deep into it so that we couldn't be seen.

"Okay now we need to think" I said sitting down to rest

" how are we going to get rid of this?" Africa asked

" you tell me because you're the one who chopped someone's child to pieces, how'd you even do that. What did you kill her with?" I said angrily

" I didn't use a murder weapon." She said

Africa just looked at me right in the eye and rolled them as she looked away

"Look, how I did this or why I did this doesn't matter what matters is how we're going to get rid of this."

When I heard the words we're I realized how I just put myself into a life threatening position for Africa, I was doing this for her and I really didn't have to.

" hello, did you hear me?"

"Yeah"

I regretted what I had just done for Africa.

Africa and I just sat in silence in the the forest. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out and the beach was really close so the morning sea breeze felt good on my face. I eventually just ended up lying on the the sandy floor and closed my eyes. I sighed and started thinking of how I was going to get my self out of this, how we were going to get rid of the evidence.

"Zona why'd you help me, and how the hell did you know what to do because if it wasn't for you I'd be arrested by now."

" I don't know why I helped you."

I didn't want to answer Africa's second question because I didn't want her to know that part of me .I closed my eyes again all I could hear and all I wanted to hear was the sound of the waves and not Africa.

" I have an idea !"

"The sea water!"

"That's it !"

"What about the sea water?" Africa asked .

" we are going to dump the body in the ocean, we have to do it tonight"

"And the clothes?"

"We're going to have to burn them but we will do that at my house."

"But what do we do now till then" I asked.

"Let's go burn the clothes" Africa said.

As Africa and I walk into the door of my home and my mother

sees us .

" where have you guys been!"

"Are you two crazy , you know what happens to girls in this country you !"

" Africa your mother is really not pleased at all!"

" Mama, sorry we fell asleep at the house but at lest we are safe."

" you're not going out for the rest of this year" my mom said while she walked back into her room.

My mother shut the door and Africa and I quickly headed outside to the fireplace in the backyard.

"We need to do this before your mother comes to fetch you"

"Alright , I think it would be a good idea if I went home and meet up with you later on so that we dump the body ." Africa said

" where are going to do it?" She asked

"I know a place." I said

There was already wood placed from the previous fire but the wood was not burnt out. I took the disposal bag that had the clothes and I put it in between the wood. I poured paraffin all over and finally I lit the clothes up.

We just stood there by the fire look into the flames while the clothes burnt. I felt a sense of relief, at least one of the problems were dealt with. What was left was the body. The body was right beside me in the disposal bag.

My mother came to the fire place looking for Africa and I.

"Africa your mother is on her way and I'm leaving for church"

"Zona I will be back later on tonight and don't you dear go out, you hear me?"

" yes ma'am" I replied

She walked and I stared back into the flames.

"Switch on your phone, we need to know when your mom is here"

" alright."

"Do you mind me borrowing a pair of clothes because I need to look clean so that my mom doesn't suspect anything.

We go inside the house and upstairs to my bedroom.Africa changed and I put the bag of body parts in my bath.

I decided to take a shower so I ran the water in the shower and got undressed while in the shower.

-" hello mama"

-"Okay mama I will"

-"Alright bye"

Africa was just on the phone with her mother, she walked in and told me that her mom had an an emergency at work so she would fetch her the next day, after school.

"Then this gives us a better chance to dump the body."I said

I switched off the running water and got dressed into sweat pants and a hoodie. I checked the time and it was 5:30 pm .

I went and lay on my bed and sighed Africa sat on on my couch with her head held down.

" Africa you need to tell what the fuck happened."

"You're seriously starting to scare me because I can't even trust you right now I don't know if you have plans to kill me too!"

"She just would not stop so I just did it" she said sobbing

" she would not stop doing what Africa, what did you do!" I was angry now because she wouldn't tell me the truth.

"Isn't it obvious I killed her and I honestly don't know how I did that!"

"I'm a monster, I know!"

I just looked at her as she cried.

"Do you believe me ?"

I just looked at her swollen eyes .I didn't care about how she felt at that point I just wanted to clean all traces that led to me and at that point and if it meant killing her I would.

" please tell me you believe me" she said

Africa was now on the floor weeping.

And for my sake I told her " Get the fuck up and let's prepare to get rid of this body!"

I didn't believe her but we had to get rid of this body. If I had to kill her to do that I would, without hesitation because I would do anything to protect myself and besides it's not like she

would have been my first murder victim anyways.

I looked at the time and it was now 6PM.I went to the bathroom and took the bag of body parts in the bath and stuffed it in an empty school bag of mine. I called an Uber and waited for it to arrive, it was arriving in six minutes so in that time I just sat on my bed with earphones on listening to 'heartless' by the Weekend. Africa stopped crying but just sat on my couch staring into nothing and I didn't care about her or how she felt at that point.

The Uber arrived and I told Africa to get up so we could leave. I ordered that Uber to take us to St James danger beach. The Uber ride was quiet and I listen to music the whole way while Africa slept. We eventually arrived the Uber stopped by a subway because the beach could only be accessed through the subway. I paid for the ride and we got out.

" where are we, this place is scary"

I didn't reply to her I just grabbed her by her arm and we walked under a railway that led us to the beach. The beach was quiet and dark it looked really shady but the sound of the waves was calming.

Africa whispered "I'm switching on my torch, this place is too dark !"

" No there are people here probably criminals too and we don't want them seeing us so we're just going to have to deal with the darkness" I whispered back.

I went ahead and walked to the crashing waves and went to the rocks that led to the deeper side of the ocean. It was a full moon and there was a high tide I started walking carefully on the rocks because there were really slippery because the waves kept crashing, making my shoes and feet wet. Africa followed behind me also walking carefully. We reached the end and I just stood there as the waves hit my body. I was soaking wet now and Africa was standing beside me.

"Let me do it."

I handed the bag to Africa and she immediately took out the disposal bag out of my school bag and quickly untied the disposal bag and emptied out the bag into the ocean it smelled really bad. Africa then fell to the floor and cried. I felt sorry for her and tried to help her up. She looked at me and said

"I'm a monster!"

"How am I going to live like this!"

"Yes you can." I told her sternly.

I helped her up and we went back onto the sand we sat on the sand and I comforted her. While comforting Africa I felt calm, I guess it was because we got rid of the body.I was still really angry at Africa but she really seemed she was loosing her grip and she needed someone at that point.

"I'm calling an Uber, we have to go it's almost nine." I said

The Uber came and we got home safely, before my mom got home too.

It was Monday morning and I went to school with Africa that morning. Africa didn't have her school Uniform with her so I borrowed her one of my school dresses. I was a bit bigger compared to her so my school dress looked a bit baggy on her. My mother took us to school that morning. When we got to school everybody was talking about Thato's party,about tragedy that took place at his house. I was seated in my English and over heard two girls behind me saying that Thato was arrested . When I heard that quickly took out my phone and texted Africa, she was in her business class at the moment. I texted Africa to meet me in the toilet upstairs. I asked my teacher to be excused to go to the toilet.

I rushed to the toilet and Africa was already there waiting for me.

"Did you hear Thato got arrested!" She whispered

"Yeah I heard."

"Africa tell me , girl you were busy with that night , does she attend our school?"

"Well...I don't know but I have never seen her before so I think she is not in this school."

"At least" I said

" why are you relieved?"She asked

"The possibilities of the case leading to us are slim if they don't find the fingerprints and all the other DNA we left in that room."

"We just need to make sure that their tracks are squeaky clean."

"Don't scare me." Africa said

The bell rang for the end of the period and I had to head to class.

" Africa we will talk After school, I will meet you on the field."

"Alright"

                                            *****

It was After school and I was really tired , I hadn't gotten a good rest since Thursday. I met with Africa and she had to go home early so I headed back home . When I got home my mom wasn't home yet. It actually felt good to be alone after the weekend I had I needs to be alone.

I went upstairs and threw myself on my bed and let out a sigh. I lay there and evaluated the disturbing weekend I had. I know we some how left DNA in that room and I hoped they wouldn't find it. I wondered how Africa killed the poor girl, it was like she was some-sort of supernatural freak, this also scared me because what if Africa kills me too. I went on and thought about how I thought of killing Africa and came to a realization that I would still kill her if I had to. I had to put myself first no matter what. I wouldn't let anything ruin my fresh start. I would kill her before she killed me, if she ever had any intentions of killing me.

I stood up and decided to take a shower . I took my clothes of and wrapped a towel around my body and got into the shower.

The steaming hot water was really therapeutic . I felt really emotionally and physically drained. What Africa did brought back a lot of bad memories it brought back memories of my dad and my ex-boyfriend. The memory of my dad being killed played in my head and my heart started pounding really hard in my chest, I started crying and fell slowly to the shower floor. I just sat there as the water showered on me. My hair got wet and the oil from my hair was getting onto my face making me uncomfortable so I got up and got out the shower and dried myself up. While I was trying not dry up my hair I looked at myself in the mirror and saw how curled up my hair was, I looked at my red eyes. I was looked like an emotional wreck and I hated it, it was hard to look at myself in the mirror. After everything I've done I couldn't look at myself the same.

"He deserved it."

"They deserved it"

"People like them don't deserve to live"

The words I tell myself everyday to console myself when I look in the mirror.