Vaalbara; Visions & Shadows

by Michelle Horst

  “Let me go first.” Antonio seemed to have calmed a bit.

  A wave of fear, hopelessness, and dread hit me full on, driving me to my knees. I saw Sky fall to the ground from the wave that hit her.

  I turned around to see what had caused the strange emotions. A sea of dead faces greeted me. While we were busy talking to Antonio we hadn’t notice Mount Vesuvius spew the molten rock into the air. A cloud of ash began to rain down on us, covering all in a shroud of death.

  This was it…this was my vision.

  I was staring at the dark clouds above us - the black, red and yellow colors built into a thick mass. I was thinking of when I would turn around. I wouldn’t try and run as my vision had predicted I would. I would take the bullet with no questions asked. My heartbeat sped up as I saw Carter run towards me.

  I turned to face my shooter without any hesitation, and felt the bullet hit me hard in the chest.

  There was an explosion of sound.

  There was blissful darkness.

  I am free!

  Chapter Twelve

  Africa’s Sun

  Africa, how warm your sun shines on my face,

  while people are suffering in silent disgrace.

  For no reason, so many in horror are killed,

  leaving you now with only empty grass fields.

  *

  I had seen such beauty in your lands,

  now dying at greedy humans hands.

  Africa! Oh, Africa,

  how warm your sun shines;

  while the blood dries,

  and everyone inside your borders die.

  My body flew backwards. I heard my name being screamed and then everything around me became even more bizarre.

  “Alchera! Awo… No!” Someone fell over me. I was just about to make out his face when everything blurred. I saw shadows - thick shades of grays covered me like a pall of death.

  Alchera, listen to my voice. Follow me back. Carter was there between the shadows. I could feel him pulling at me. Other voices began breaking through to my consciousness.

  “Get the gun! Where did he get it?” There was the sound of a struggle. “Jason, take the gun from him!” I thought it was Lee’s voice booming around us, but then I heard a woman I had never heard before shouting urgently.

  “I need scissors! Anna, look at me! Pass me the scissors now!”

  There were two women dressed in casual clothes and white lab coats. They were both standing over me. They looked like angels in their white garb. I guessed they were mother and daughter. Both had the same deep brown eyes and thick brown hair hanging in low ponytails.

  “Alchera, open your eyes!” I pried my them open; my lids felt like they had been filled with lead.

  Raighne and Eamar were hunched over me. Eamar tore my shirt open as he spoke to me; his voice reminded me so much of my father’s.

  “Don’t worry, my child, we are going to heal…” His face morphed into the older doctor from my vision. It was so strange; it felt like I was caught in a movie. “… you just hold on for me, honey. Have you given her the sedative?”

  “Isobel!” The older doctor turned her head to the voice coming from behind her.

  “Yes?”

  “Are you okay there with the mother?” The other voice asked.

  “Yes, how are the children doing?”

  “Only one made it; the father’s dead, too.”

  “Dammit.” She looked up at the girl she had called Anna, who couldn’t keep back her tears. “Pull yourself together, Anna. Now is not the time nor place for tears. She needs us now. If you want to make it out here, and mean anything to these people, you’ll have to put your feelings aside and think only of them. Only they matter now. Africa is a hard place. The ground beneath your feet will kill you if you don’t toughen up.” Her voice was hard, though her eyes were tender as she looked at her daughter.

  “Alchera, open your eyes! Do not die on me.” I forced my eyes open. It was hard, the pain in my chest was excruciating at the moment. Raighne’s hands were pressed firmly on my chest. His familiar warmth pulsed through me. “There you are. Hi there, beautiful. Stay with me. Talk to me. Come on…stay with me.” Raighne had tears streaking down his face. Some dropped onto my hot skin. I wanted to reach up and touch them, but I couldn’t move my arms.

  “I’m sorry…” I struggled to breathe, it felt like I was under water. I turned my eyes away, no longer able to look at him.

  Carter fell on his knees in my movie. “I can save her. You are not healing her fast enough, I can smell death and he is not here for anyone else.”

  “Anna, the scalpel!” I was back with the doctors somewhere in Africa. I felt the sharpness of the scalpel slicing into my skin. I was expecting a sharp, cutting pain - not the searing pain I so clearly remembered from the shack that burrowed deeply into my chest.

  I heard my chest crack open like a walnut and I screamed. I screamed…but it didn’t sound anything like me.

  “Anna, the sedative is wearing off. Give her another, quick!” I felt hands digging inside of me, tearing my heart out.

  I forced my eyes open again, looking right into Carter’s deep blue eyes. I saw so much tenderness in them, but his hands were once again inflicting so much pain on me that I could barely breathe.

  I didn’t understand. “Why?” I could only murmur the word, not able to absorb the horror of the moment.

  “All will be well. This time I will save you.”

  I turned my head away and saw a shadow move towards me. He had large wings that reached high above his head. He pulled them to his sides and they dragged across the floor with every step he took. His whole body was made of different shades of grays and blacks, giving the impression of shadows and swirling smoke as he moved. I could see no face as he came closer. His touch was icy cold, and instantly stole the warmth from me. I shivered fiercely.

  “Who…are…you?” I breathed the words at him, as if they were my last.

  “I am Azreal, the one you have been longing for. I am the Angel of Death, Alchera. Close your eyes. It will be quick.” His voice was eerie, and it had a pull to it. I felt it when he began to draw me into him. I had no fight left in me, and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to fight anyway. My whole body slowed down as if on command. The shivering stilled and everything became quiet.

  Carter grabbed my frozen body in his arms. “You will not take her from me, Azreal!” I felt us shimmer away, and when we reappeared it was in a dark place. It smelled of rotten eggs and a red glow came from somewhere.

  “Where?” One word was all I could manage.

  “This was my home when Adeth was alive. We are in a volcano back on Vaalbara, in the Land of Shadows, Alchera. I can heal you faster here and it will take Azreal a while to trace you.” He was scrambling around, knocking bottles everywhere.

  “Why?”

  “I told you, I am not going to let you die. I am going to give you the potion Adeth gave me every time she almost killed me. It is here somewhere. Dammit!” He found it under a pile of empty bottles. As he lifted my head and held the foul smelling bottle to my lips, he saw the questions in my eyes.

  “I will not lie to you. It will hurt a lot. You will also keep the scar as a reminder…she always wanted that. Reminders of the games she liked to play. You will be healed in a few minutes and then it will be over. We can go back then. Alright?” He didn’t wait for me to agree, as he forced the vile liquid into my mouth. I didn’t have the strength to spit it out.

  After swallowing the most bitter tasting fluid ever, my insides began to twist. It felt like Adeth had returned. My chest began to heal; I heard the bullet fall to the ground, as the wound sealed itself. I couldn’t say the same for the rest of my internal organs. It felt like they were being ripped out of my body one by one.

  “Carter!” I curled into his chest the minute he took me in his arms, and for the first time since the night I was saved from the shack a scream pierced my aching chest.

  Carter held me tig
htly as I screamed at the power of the excruciating pain.

  “All will be well. I know it hurts, I know. Shhh, my precious.” He kept whispering in my ear, placing kisses in my hair.

  He was right. I could feel the horrible pain slowly subside until it eventually disappeared. Carter didn’t let go of me. We sat like that for a few minutes before I stirred in his arms.

  “I…” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say.

  He left me sitting on a chair and disappeared into another room.

  “I should have a shirt in here for you somewhere. It will be big, but at least it will do until we can get something else.” He came back with a black shirt.

  I got up, still feeling faint, though I forced my body to walk. As soon as I was in reaching distance of Carter I grabbed onto his back for support.

  “Thank you.” I leaned against him.

  Carter turned around, wearing a rare smile. “There is a potion around here somewhere to replenish your strength.” He helped me sit before he began sifting through the mess. Finding it, he knelt down in front of me and unscrewed the cap from the bottle.

  “You saved my life.” I bent forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was so shocked, his fingers reached up and touched the spot where my lips had been.

  “Did you go through that same pain every time you healed?” I immediately regretted the question when I saw the hurt in his eyes over what his mother had done to him. He handed me the small bottle to drink and then walked away from me.

  “Yes. She enjoyed watching. It was her favorite form of entertainment.”

  “Carter.” I got up to follow him when I was suddenly forced to my knees.

  ~*~

  “Shut up! Face down!” Anna and Isobel were splayed out on the ground; their faces were being forced into the dirty floor by two African men.

  “Where is medicine? We want medicine!” They were screaming at a male doctor; their eyes were bulging with hatred.

  “In that cupboard…over there. But it’s all we have. Please don’t…”

  They beat him with the butts of their rifles. “Shut up pig! You not speak. I am boss!” The big one standing in the doorway moved in on the male doctor. The look on his face was one of pure evil.

  “You are the boss.” The doctor’s nose ran with blood, as he backed away from the African. He made the fatal mistake of trying to maintain eye contact with the brutal man.

  “You filthy rich white pig.” He lifted his rifle, firing several shots into the doctor‘s already mangled body.

  Anna opened her mouth to scream, but Isobel slammed her hand over her lips, practically smothering her daughter.

  “You are his woman?”

  “Ungwe, leave them! Bring the medicine!” A new man dressed in camouflage appeared at the door. The African man who had just killed the doctor looked upset with his orders, but he obeyed, and a few seconds later they were gone.

  ~*~

  I came to with a jolt. It took me a few seconds to realize I was in a cave with Carter.

  “They’re in a bad place.”

  Carter helped me up, his eyes staring intensely into mine. “I can take you there now. I can feel them.” I looked at him and thought of Raighne. I wanted Raighne to know first.

  “Now, Alchera!”

  “Okay! Okay!” He stepped up to me, then shimmered away - giving me no time to back out.

  We appeared right in the middle of the mess the rebels had left behind. Isobel and Anna stared at us; their eyes were large with shock.

  “We mean you no harm. We’re here to help you.” I held my hands out to show I was unarmed. Not that it was helping, seeing that we had just appeared out of thin air. Isobel grabbed a scalpel, and a moan slipped through my lips. I was exhausted. I barely had the strength left to persuade them to come with me.

  “Give me a break,” I sighed. “I know you’re in shock from your friend being shot, but please hear me out.” I didn’t know if it was the weathered sound in my voice that did it, but Isobel backed down.

  “Thanks.” I pushed my hair from my face, not sure of how to approach them. “Do you have any water?” I was really thirsty. The sun began to rise in the east, and I realized we hadn’t slept at all.

  She handed me a glass, then moved quickly back to Anna’s side. They both looked just as tired as I felt.

  “Hi, Anna…Isobel. My name is Alchera, and this is Carter.” I reached out to them, and waited a second before they accepted my hand. I decided I would just go ahead and tell them my long worn-out story.

  “I have been sent to fetch you by the one you call God. You have been chosen for your talents as doctors and, I would guess, your love and passion to save others. The world is coming to an end and I need to get you out of here. We have a group of people waiting in a very dangerous area and we need to hurry and go get them. Just come with us and you’ll see for yourselves that everything I’m telling you is the truth.” Isobel was just about to say something when a young African boy came rushing in.

  “Doctor Isobel! They say by radio big rock she’s coming. Come hide!” He ran towards the huge commotion outside.

  Isobel frowned and followed after him, leaving us no choice but to enter into the fray.

  When we entered the chaos people were running everywhere - grabbing everything and anything they could get their hands on. Isobel grabbed an elderly man by the arm and spoke in his language. She turned to us, looking more confused than ever before.

  “He says there is some sort of big rock falling from the heavens. The radio said to wait for further instructions, but they want to go south to the mountains there - past Nelspruit in South Africa. There are caves they want to hide in.” Anna grabbed her mother’s arm, fear etched into her soft, young face.

  “They’ll all be killed! They won’t make it alive past the border. We have to stop them!”

  I felt for my two Chosen Ones, but we needed to leave now. We still needed to retrieve one more so I could get them all home to Vaalbara.

  “We need to go.” They stared at me in silence, and Anna shook her head.

  It was Isobel who answered. “These people are our people. We can’t just leave them and go with you. Anna is speaking the truth - they’ll all be killed. They’ve been placed here on this border camp because of the xenophobic attacks on them. They can’t go into either of the countries without facing violence…death. Most of them are survivor migrants from South Africa, or refugees from Zimbabwe. They’re stuck here. They’re just panicking.”

  She looked around her as if a miracle might happen. Then she spotted a group as they readied to leave the camp. “Oh, no, some are leaving!”

  “Speak to them, Mom! They’ll listen to you.”

  Running towards the group, Carter and I had no choice but to continue following. We watched as they spoke, begged, and argued with their people. The younger men started getting restless. They didn’t look too happy with Isobel for delaying them. She was still pleading with them when one of the younger ones jumped her - he held a broad, heavy knife in his hand.

  Carter moved faster, grabbing the young man before he could even get a hold on Isobel. Agonizing screams echoed around us when Carter’s hand settled around the man’s neck. I knew exactly what he was doing.

  “Carter, stop! Don’t!”

  His head snapped up; his eyes were wide with shock. Backing away, he gave the man a chance to get up.

  Carter turned his head, giving the man who was staring him down a fierce look. Isobel’s would-be assassin’s eyes grew large in their sockets, only to run away screaming.

  What have you done, Carter?

  Carter smiled wickedly. I told him if he dares me again I will rip his heart out and make him eat it.

  I shook my head while helping Isobel up, who didn’t look fazed in the least. I tried again to convince her. “They aren’t going to listen. It’s the end, Isobel. I’m sorry to say, whether they die today, or in a few days hiding in a cave, they will die. I’m here to save you and An
na. Let me at least do that.”

  “You cannot expect me to watch them die today. I have saved most of their lives in one way or another. If they survive today and they’re killed by some asteroid rock, then it is God’s will, but at least I didn’t give up,” Isobel whispered.

  Carter shook his head. “He just attacked you! You save him and he attacks you? How do their minds’ work?” He glanced at me. “It would be too many. It will kill me to shimmer with them all, and if I do survive by some miracle, I will not have enough strength left for the trip home.”

  “I understand.” I racked my brains, trying to come up with an idea. How could we move these people and do it fast? “It’s just… we don’t have much time left. Sarah is dying.” That caught Anna’s ear, who’d stayed quiet for a while now.

  “Who’s Sarah?”

  “She’s a chosen one, like you. She’s dying of cancer…a brain tumor. We only have a day or two left. This is why I’m in such a hurry to get her home - to save her.”

  Mother and daughter stared at each other; a great sadness filled the air.

  “Is it really the end?” Anna’s voice was soft.

  “Yes.” There was no breaking the news to them gently. After all, they’d seen first-hand the horror this world had to offer.

  “I guess it’s better this way.” Anna moved closer to us. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen any good in this world.”

  “Anna, how can you say that?” Isobel looked at her daughter with shock.

  “We’ve tried so hard, Mom. Everyone we save dies. Look at Bill! What did he do to deserve that? He just wanted to save lives. This world is cruel. You’ve said so yourself.”

  I took Isobel by the shoulder and gave her a supportive squeeze. “I know this is hard for you, but I really need to save Sarah. Let the world take care of itself, and let me take care of you. Let someone take care of you for once.”

  She turned into me, crying what I guessed were her first tears in a long time. “I tried so hard to save them.”

  “I know. Now you have to rest.” I held my hand out to Carter, who took Anna’s hand in his, as we shimmered back to the chaos we’d left behind.