CH24

BURNING BLUE.
BY BELLA ROYALTY.
24

[NTANDOKAZI NGEMA]
Ndalo showed me her phone, Shaka was calling her again, for the millionth time and I exhaled and continued to tie up my shoe laces.

Ndalo: Please just talk to him, put him out of his misery, at least.
Me: Fine.

I grabbed my phone and called him, he answered on the first ring.
Shaka: Ntando, what the f***?
Me: You are angry.
Shaka: Angry is an understatement!
Me: Please calm down.
Shaka: Ey, don't tell me to calm down! Not when you discharged yourself from the hospital and didn't even come to my apartment or requested keys to our house in La Lucia, you chose to stay with someone you barely know!
Me: She's your sister and a friend.
Shaka: Whom we barely know! I have been coming there for the past 3 days but security hasn't been letting me in, do you know how fustrating that's been? I don't even understand what's going on, Peach!

I exhaled.
Me: I just needed time out Shaka.
Shaka(emotional): Even from me? Baby I want to be there for you, you cannot go through this alone, allow me to be there for you, mom wants to be there for you as someone who's been through this before.
Me: Can you do me a favour? Please pack all my bags and take them to your apartment. I will be living with you from now on.
Shaka: Okay, okay, I can do that.
Me: Take everything that's important to you as well.
Shaka: Okay, baby, when can I fetch you?
Me: I will call you.

I dropped the call.
Ndalo: Okay, so once I see the Zwane family at the hospital, I will call you okay?
Me: Okay.
Ndalo: Please be careful Ntando, the second I don't hear from you, I will call Shaka.
Me: Okay.
Ndalo: Don't forget to take a video as evidence for Shaka.

She gave me a tight hug and walked out, so 3 days ago, I discharged myself from the hospital, Gogo Manzini took me to her place where I went through a physical and spiritual cleansing, I was also strengthened and protected, as we speak I have white beads on my wrists and ankles.

I can't believe I almost slept with a snake, that was going to feed on me and leave me to die, so when Aunty Mandisa said her husband liked girls, she meant their money making pet? And she knew about this, this whole time? And she invited me to come here and stay with them knowing very well they had a snake?

You know, you hear people talking about these things and you think, nah that's not real, that's made up stories, but then you experience them and you're like damn? People really do these things, sell their souls like this for wealth? I'm not gonna lie, I'm struggling to accept this, I looked up to Aunty Mandisa, you know she had it all, she was working with her husband, creating a legacy for their children, creating generational wealth for them, she had a beautiful family, a mansion, the cars, the lifestyle and it was funded by girls my age? Some of them were even dead, some were alive but they didn't even remember what happened to them on that fateful night?

I've honestly tried to give my aunt the benefit of the doubt. Even when her husband did that to me, I believed she was innocent and didn't deserve the slack. I sympathized with her when I found out about Shaka not being hers, but now? This?

This was the last straw, I am going to destroy this entire charade they have going on, I have to find this secret room they have and put an axe on that snake's head and burn that house down, because that snake won't stop coming for me, even if I move, it'll still feed on me through my dreams where I'll be thinking I'm having wet dreams about Shaka and I being intimate.

When I was told I had to be the one who brings doom to all of this I was scared, scared because I had to be the one to kill this snake and burn the house, I know very well Shaka would have done this, but I have to be the one because I'm the last person it tried to feast on, it has my blood on its skin.

I had to be brave, for the first time in my life, I had to be brave, channel my pain and hurt into bravery, after that I am cutting ties with the whole Zwane family, I don't care that Aunty Mandisa is my aunt or whatever, I want nothing to do with her.

"I've just arrived back at the apartment baby, I took everything but if there's something I didn't, we can always go there and take it, please tell me when you want me to come and fetch you, Peach I miss you, please."

I sighed.
"Ndalo will drop me off any moment, please don't go anywhere."
"I won't, you'll find me here, waiting for you I promise."

Ndalo also sent me a text.
"They've just arrived, all of them, including the twins."
"Okay, wish me luck."
"Put Shaka on speed dial, please."

I grabbed the keys to her car and drove off, we had bought about seven 25 litres of gasoline, I finally arrived at the house, I went inside and double checked that indeed nobody was here, I went to Aunty Mandisa's bedroom and looked for important documents, you know their ID's, the twins birth certificates, insurance policies and every document I thought would be important, I took it back to the car and started taking the heavy litres of gasoline inside the house, I started pouring it everywhere, all around the house even at the cars, garage, everywhere.

I grabbed the axe and went to their main bedroom, Gogo Manzini said the room should be in their bedroom, I started recording.

I opened the bathroom, I couldn't find a secret door, I looked in between the walls, there was a huge cupboard that had books, I pushed it aside and there was a door, I took a deep breath, my heart was pounding, I could literally hear its beat, in my eardrums.

I said a little prayer before I opened the door, I picked up the 10 litre of gasoline that was left, I went in, the little room was filled with grass, it smelled of dry blood and herbs, in the corner there was a basket which I assume is where it was because it wasn't anywhere on sight, I started pouring the gasoline all around the room, it even had pictures of girls in uniform, I saw my picture as well.

The basket started shaking, the room smelled of gasoline, I went back to the door, the basket fell and the biggest yellow and white snake slipped out, I placed my hand on my mouth to prevent myself from screaming, it couldn't even crawl properly because it was that huge!

I took out the herbs that Gogo Manzini gave to me to weaken it, I threw it at it and went back to the door and grabbed the axe, it stopped moving, maybe the herb was doing it's job already, I said a little prayer before I swung the axe over it, with my eyes closed that's how scared I was.

Because I had my eyes closed and not close enough, I hit the empty space, and did this thing not move? It almost tripped me with its tail or body, I don't know, I was able to balance, I pulled the axe from the space where I had hit, I swung it again and this time I got it, but not the head but close enough, it began moving vigorously and that scared the heck out of me, I was trembling.

Me(crying): Please god, give me strength!

I swung the axe again and missed and fell, it turned, crawling my way, I screamed moving my weight back, I had its blood on my face.

Me(crying): Come on, Ntando you can do this! You can do this!

I grabbed the axe and closed my eyes and just hammered it, like I was chopping wood, I didn't stop, my eyes were closed, I chopped and chopped till I didn't have the strength to swing the axe, I spat out feeling its blood on my lips, with my trembling hands, I grabbed the remainder of the gasoline and poured it over the pieces and then lit the matches and threw it and closed the door, I lit another one in their bedroom and ran out, I lit another one on the stairs and corridor, in the kitchen, smoke was starting to fill the entire mansion, I got out of there and opened the gate, I threw a match in the garage and another at one of the cars and then ran to Ndalo's car and drove out, closing the gate.

I didn't immediately drive out, I needed to see the whole house burst into flames, it was only then that I drove off, I didn't want the neighbors to see the car, they would be able to tell Aunty Mandisa that someone set the house on fire.

Ndalo: Oh thank God! I've been so worried.
Me(exhales): It was touch and go for a moment but I've slayed the beast in its castle.
Ndalo: Are you okay?
Me: Yes, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm on my way to Shaka's apartment.
Ndalo: Okay.

I dropped the call and drove to Shaka's apartment, I was crying the entire time I felt so overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

When I got there, I stayed in the car for a while so that I would gather myself.

After a while, I got out of the car and walked slowly to the door. I was a mess, I had its blood all over me, I looked like I had just survived on the battlefield.

Honestly, I might as well have survived.

[SHAKA 'PRIME' ZWANE]
I was busy cooking for my baby when the door opened, I couldn't help but smile.

Me: Babe hey I thought I should prepare a meal for you to wel—

She looked a mess, blood all over her, I panicked rushing to her.
Me: Peach! Baby are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?
Peach: I'm okay, I just need to take a bath.
Me: What the hell happened?

She went to the bathroom and locked the door, what the f****?

I grabbed my phone and called Ndalo and she didn't pick up, why does she look like that? I turned the stove to low and went to wait for her in the bedroom, after a while the door opened and she got out, with a towel wrapped around her body.

Me: Babe!
Peach(smiles): I'm okay, I'm okay I promise.

She gave me a tight hug and I held on to her tight, my phone rang, it was Mrs Grahams, our neighbor, I frowned.

Me: Mrs G?
Mrs Grahams: Shaka! Your house is on fire!
Me(shocked): What?!
Mrs Grahams: I've called the firefighters, police! The whole house is in flames!
Me: I'm coming, I am coming!

I dropped the call, my hands trembling, I called my mother.
Mom: Shaka.
Me: Mom, Mrs Grahams just called me and said the house is on fire.

I heard someone scream in the background.
Mom: Mama what's happening?
Gogo: He's dead!! My son is dead!
Me: Mom? What's happening?
Mom: Shaka, get here now! Your father just passed on.

She dropped the call and I sank on the bed.
Me: My dad just died, our house is on fire
Peach: I did that.
Me(shocked): What?!
Peach: Yes.
Me: I… Peach I don't understand… you did that? How and why? That's our home? Is that why you asked me to pack your stuff because you wanted to burn my home down?
Peach: Yes and this is why.

She handed me her phone, it was a video, at home, she was getting inside my parents bedroom, it looks like she was looking for something, she kept opening doors, she stopped in front of the book shelf, placed the phone upside down and it was like she pushing the book shelf away from the wall, she took the phone and there was a door behind the book shelf?

She opened it and the room had grass, a basket, dried blood on the walls, she zoomed in on the pictures of different girls in uniform, she grabbed her picture, her hands were shaking, she screamed as the basket started moving, no, that better not be what I think it is.

I held my breath as the basket fell and the biggest snake I've ever seen slipped out, yellow with white spots, it couldn't even move properly, it was so fat!

The video ended.
Peach: That… that is what tried to get inside me through my coochie that night and your whole family knew about it, Sfiso bethwele Shaka, that's how they became rich! Those girls your mother said your father messed around with? They were feeding them to this thing! When your father came into my room? He didn't want me for himself, he wanted me for this! And since he failed and landed in hospital, it couldn't control its thirst! It came for me, I thought it was you, but when I felt something about to penetrate me I knew it wasn't you, you always rub your tip on my lips and folds, making me feel the coldness of your piercing, the first few thrusts are always slow and deliberate so that the piercing doesn't graze me and hurt me, I didn't feel that and when I realised something was off…

She wiped her tears.
Peach: I tried to scream, I tried to fight but it had robbed me off sight, mobility and sound, but I was able to pray, beg God to help me and it couldn't fulfill its mission, so it left but even thought my vision was just getting back, my eyes a little blurry, I saw it slip through the door, so I screamed for help, and when your mother, Gogo and Aunt Khethiwe saw the scene they all exclaimed in horror, they said isilwane sa-Sfiso had got me, Gogo said I didn't need to remember that, so they splashed some white powder on my face and I blacked out next thing I'm waking up with my lower abdomen hurting and the only thing I remember is you sneaking inside my room, but it wasn't supposed to hurt the way it did, I never had a miscarriage Shaka!

I held her tight as she broke down, I couldn't control my own tears.
Peach(crying): They paid the doctors to say that, so Ndalo came to see me with her friend who is a healer, she told me what had happened, she made me remember and I had to get out of that hospital, so that I could be cleansed and strengthened in order to be kill that thing and burn it inside the house, which meant it's master would die and that's your father.

Me(emotional): You could have told me this Peach! I could have killed that thing myself!
Peach: I had to take back my power Shaka! I had to be the one that kills it! It had to be me! I didn't want you to carry that as well on top of everything else that you've done to me.
Me: I'm so sorry, Ntando I'm so sorry!
Peach: It wasn't your fault, I thought Aunty Mandisa loved me but she got me here so that she could feed me to that thing so that she could continue being wealthy, my own aunt Shaka!
Me: I'm going to f**** kill her!
Peach: No, her Karma has begun, she's going to lose everything, people are about to turn on her, even her glorious in-laws will turn on her even though their son is the one who chose this life, I just feel bad for the twins.

I kissed her forehead.
Me: From now on, it's you and me okay?

She nodded, my phone rang and I just switched it off, my baby needed me more than those monsters I called family, like how do they allow all of this and not call my father to order? What was mom's intention for real, bringing Peach here when she knew what was going on? Was she planning on sacrificing her for more wealth? Her own sister's child? Is that why she was so hellbent on finding her sister?

And the nerve to lie to me and tell me she tried to commit suicide? And then the miscarriage? I feel like I don't know the people who raised me at all, they are monsters, how am I not like them? Is it because of who I really am? A Miya? Otherwise if truly I was a Zwane I would have been as rotten as they are?