CHAPTER 19: NIGHTMARES AND MEMORIES

Droplets of water fall on Rachael's face, sliding under her eyelids and causing her to itch. She rubs her eyes and turns over to the other side of her bed. Tears fill her eyes and a silent cry of a child begins to break a slumber.

She wakes up and gasps when she finds herself on a hill.

The sun shines so brightly she almost misses the little child at the edge of the hill. "Hey, get away from there. Come over here," she calls out to the little girl.

The little girl refuses and continues to cry. Rachael walks gently towards her, "Why are you crying?" she asks, "I'm looking for my mom," "Where is your mom?" "She is dead. The twins killed her," the girl cries.

Rachael is confused by the girl's statement.

She doesn't know how she got here but she knows she and the child have to leave, "Come now, let's go somewhere safe and then maybe I can take you to your dad" Rachael says.

"You can't, he works in hell" "What?", she is even more confused.

Who is this child?

Her long black hair falls on her shoulders and her nightgown begins to change from white to red.

Rachael startles and steps backward, "What the hell?". The sky goes dark and the clouds begin to dance like a whirlwind. Flashes of lightning terrorize the sky and the deafening sounds of thunder gives it a tune.

Thick black smoke appears from behind the child and she gradually walks backwards into the smoke.

It thickens as Rachael watches in fear.

What is this? Is this another kind of monster?

Burning red eyes appear amidst the smoke and two thin hands appear as something steps out of the smoke. The creature is covered in black cloak and its hands are white and pale. A scythe erupts from the ground and enters its palm.

Rachael can feel the air get cold and her breath escape her lungs as her hands shake.

She falls to her knees as she struggles to breathe, "Nothing escapes death," the creature says in a deep voice.

"Come to me,".

"No!" Rachael screams as she shoots up from the bed. Her heart beats fast and her face is wet with sweat.

Samuel flings the door open and rushes to her side, "Are you alright?" he asks but she is quiet. He hugs her, he knows something is wrong but he can't put a finger on it.

Amanda looks around the room, "Must have been a bad dream," she says, "Yes, a bad dream" Rachael says weakly.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Samuel asks, "No, I'm fine. I will be alright," she says.

"Come on, let us leave her to rest" Elma says.

Rachael takes deep breathes as they exit the room, she has no idea what just happened.

It was a dream but it felt so real. She looks at her hands and can see goose bumps everywhere.

She wishes she took Samuel on his offer but she doesn't want him to worry. He already has Gabriel's death to worry about, telling him about this dream will only make things worse for him.

I can't be a burden to him or any of them.

ELSEWHERE…

Gabriel rubs his elbows as he keeps walking in the desert of white sand. He has never felt this cold before. His body usually creates enough heat that prevents him from feeling the cold but that must have changed when he sacrificed his immortality.

In the past, if he was killed he would appear with a body of a beast and a map of the soul realm ingrained in his memory but now he is like any normal human soul, clueless about the soul realm; its beginning and its end.

A door comes to view a few kilometers ahead.

A door in the middle of a cold desert.

This would be shocking for any normal person but he is familiar with this realm and he knows there is nothing normal about it.

Gabriel walks while hugging his body tightly until he reaches the wooden door. He opens it and enters.

The change he meets behind the door is drastic. He finds himself in a forest with an atmosphere that is friendly to him. It smells of wet wood and dead leaves. He sees two set of footprints on the floor and follows them, he pushes a branch from his way and almost trips over a log.

He finds an impala grazing and somehow the sight puts a smile on his face. It looks peaceful and graceful until an arrow pierces through its head and kills it instantly.

He turns to see a man and a young boy emerge from the covers of the forest.

He sees the bow in the hand of the boy, "I killed it," the boy says and the man runs to examine the game.

Gabriel seems invincible to them. He watches as the man wears a perplexed expression, "Your arrow pierced the head. You are strong, Gabriel" the man says.

Gabriel's eyes widen with shock as he realizes where he is.

This is my memory, my past.

"Come Bandile, look at it" the man calls another boy from behind. Gabriel can see the irritation in the boy's eyes as he stares at the game.

"On his first trial, Gabriel is a natural hunter. Unkulunkulu has blessed your hands, boy" the man says.

His praises annoy the second boy as he clenches his fist and stiffens his jaw. Gabriel frowns as he watches this memory.

The man pulls out the arrow and gives it to the little Gabriel, "Take this Gabriel. This is your first kill, never forget this day," he says.

He lifts the impala and carries it on his shoulders, "Come Gabriel, Bandile. Your mother will prepare a delicious meal fit for kings," the man says and leads the way.

Bandile spits on Gabriel's feet before following his father. Little Gabriel clenches his fist and tightens his grip on the bow. His blood boils as the thought of putting an arrow through Bandile begin to seem like a delight.

Gabriel looks at his younger self, "I know how you feel," he says.

They enter a village surrounded by the trees of the forest and the chatters of creatures beneath their feet. But the beauty of their art and lifestyle is not missed in the busy village.

There are totems and little sculptures and animal skin on almost every door.

The younger Gabriel runs off, "Hey be careful," the man shouts as he runs off to a hut.

Before he knocks an old woman opens the door, "I can hear your feet beat the ground from a mile away boy. Enter," the old woman says.

She has a necklace made out of animal teeth and cowries tied into her braids, her hut is small but she has a lot of unusual things inside but he isn't here to admire her decoration, if they can be called that.

Gabriel kneels beside his brother who lies on a bed with his eyes closed. "He breathes well now. Don't worry, soon he will be up and strong again," the old woman says.

"Thank you madam Khethiwe," "Don't worry about it boy but you haven't told me who the both of you are," she says.

Her eyes are white but he still feels them pierce his, "I don't understand," the young Gabriel says.

"I have examined your brother's body and it is not like any child I have seen. This curse is a strong one and if he was a normal boy he would be dead. So, don't lie to me boy, who are you?".