Otherland (15 page)

Chapter 25

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Cherise asked.

“Well, first, we need to do something about the fact that you stand out like day against night,” Aliyah whispered. She conjured up a black cloak, tossed it around Cherise’s head and body, but it went right through her and fell to the ground.

“I got dis,” Cherise said, lifting her smoke-hand and floating the black cloak around her. Instantly, they returned to darkness.

“You act like you’ve been this way your whole life, Cherise,” Aliyah said appreciatively.

“It feels that way. It’s … different. I feel mo’ free than I ever felt in my entire human life. Neva’ recognized how uncomfortable my human body was. How they with diversity here?”

“You’ll be fine being who you are. It’s humans they’re prejudiced against, so now you’ll fit right in. Things feel different now. You hear those sounds, the cries of the Lost souls. It never used to be like that here. The Darkness was always one of silence. Something is very, very wrong, and I wonder if that’s why you still have your memories.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Cherise asked.

“You’re Light. Typically, those that cross over Light lose the burden of their memories from the human world. The Darks retain the memories as a type of punishment.”

“Well, somethin’ keep pullin’ at me, like I’m s’pposed to go somewhere.”

“Is it telling you to go toward the light?” Aliyah jested.

“How you know?”

“Must be the Orientation ritual I’ve heard about. Perhaps that’s where you’re cleansed of your memories.”

“I ain’t goin’.”

Aliyah inhaled and said playfully, “You’re going to defy the High master? What wrong wit’ you?” she mocked their earlier conversation.

“Well I ain’t die for nothin’. He can wait. I know what to do. Stay behind me, keep yo’ head down.” And Cherise just pranced, or rather floated, into the place of imprisonment, as though she belonged there. “I want to see the prisoner Light knight,” she demanded of a Dark prison guardian.

“Who’s asking?”

She lifted her hand sharply and flung him across the room. “Don’t you know a elder when you see one, fool?” Aliyah tried covering up her laughter, to little avail.

“Sorry, Dark elder,” he bowed. “I did not recognize you. What happened to -?”

“All us black things look the same, stupid. Question me again and I’ll strip you of yo’ duties, and you be the incarcerated one.”

“That’s what I always said about black people,” Aliyah whispered in laughter.

“Oh, like you white folk don’t all look the same. Only thing that changes is the color of yo’ hair.”

“I’m sorry, Elder, I did not hear you.”

“Boy, I’ve ‘bout had it wit’ you. Been standing here five minutes and you ain’t shown me the prisoner. I have somethin’ you all want.” Cherise stepped aside and revealed Aliyah.

“What’re you doing?” Aliyah tried hiding behind her again.

“Aliyah. Dark elder, you found her.”

“And befo’ we put her in her eternal restraints, I want to see the Light knight’s devastated face, as they nothing mo’ give me greater pleasure.”

“Certainly. He is here.” The Dark guard unveiled the stone wall for them to enter. The Light knight was sitting, dejected, on the stone bed.

“Close it,” Cherise demanded. “This my pleasure and my pleasure alone. None a’ you fools could manage to get the job done. You be lucky if I don’t reassign alla you.”

The Light knight jumped up and ran to Aliyah, “They got you, too? All is lost now. The Dark have begun a rebellion here. They allied with the Lost souls and brought the Nothingness here. They plan to take over Otherland, and then make a new place on Earth where they can thrive.”

“They’ve already started in my world. I knew there was something terribly wrong,” Aliyah said.

“That’s why we come to bust yo’ fine ass out.” Cherise shred her black cloak and filled the room with light.

“How? … Who?”

“It’s Cherise, Jacob. They killed her. She’s stuck here, now, in Otherland.”

“Stuck? That ain’t how I look at it. I’m free. You ain’t know. You still human in your human bodies,” she said with a tone of disgust.

“You’ve been a spirit, what, ten minutes, Cherise? And you’re already looking at humans as an us – them?”

“I’m just sayin’. You can’t do this.”

And with the spread of her arm-form, the wall opened, and she flung the stone bed at the guards, which accomplished their distraction, if anything, as it passed right through them. “Run,” Cherise said. “I’ll hold them off.”

“Cherise,” Aliyah cried.

“Oh, stop yo’ blattin’. You see me again when it yo’ time. Spent my entire life believin’ that if I good, I die and go to heaven, so I got a heaven to fight fo’ and get back. I earned my eternal bliss, dammit, and I’m goin’ to have it. Go. Take care of your world … humans,” she laughed, while exercising all her new-found spiritual powers with ease.

“Aliyah, you must trust the High master. She self-sacrificed. That’s the greatest sacrifice a human can make. She will be well taken care of, I promise you.” the Light knight attempted to reassure her.

“Yeah, cause your Father has done so well at keeping the evil at bay,” she said bitterly, then ran in front of him, as far ahead of him as she could get.

“Wait, Aliyah, I can’t get through there. I can’t go through the portal from the Darkness. I have to find the portal of Lightness or find a Light elder to get me there.”

“Why not? I got through there easily.”

“Because you’re the prophecy,” he said.

“What prophecy? You never told me about any prophecy.”

“Not now, Aliyah,” he said, talking to her like she was nothing more than a child. “You may be able to do all these things and not have to be afraid of capture. I do. I’ll meet you on the other side.” He summoned for the Light soul he’d had keeping tabs on his home, hoping they hadn’t captured him too. “Go Aliyah.”

“Promise me. Promise me you’ll find a way back. I can’t fight this alone, and I didn’t come all the way here and lose Cherise just to lose you again,” Aliyah said emotionally.

“I promise!” he vowed.

CHAPTER 26

Lydia came through, feeling like her body was undergoing a seizure from the way Cherise’s mom was shaking her. “Mama, I’m here,” she said. There was a gash on the side of Mama’s forehead, bleeding down her face, and the pain on her face was shocking. “Mama, what happened? You okay?”

“Oh, I broke my damn hip when I fell down them stairs, but I got him. I shot all up the bastard that had his hands around my Cherise’s throat. Right there,” she pointed at a dead body of a boy that couldn’t be more than 25 years old. “She gone, ain’t she?” she cried. “My girl, my baby girl.”

Cherise’s face looked content in her death. Had her soul been present, her face would have been distorted and horrifying in dying by suffocation, but she hadn’t felt any pain, because her soul had been with Aliyah.

“Mama, I’m not going to lie to you. You know that I, of all people, have religion and faith issues, but she’s where she needs to be. Her body is dead, yes, but her soul was with me – .”

“She in heaven? Did you see to it she got to heaven? Please tell me, I ain’t never questioned my faith befo’ now. Now I see the depths of hell gone opened up and come onto earth, but what of heaven? Is it there?”

Lydia nodded, trying to contain her own tears so as not to make Mama’s pain worse. “Yes, she’s a Light soul as white as an angel. She’s happy to be there. She said that she’s free, but she’s still Cherise through and through. She acted like she’s been there her entire life. She acted like … it was her home.”

“Oh, thank God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, finally bringin’ my baby girl home. It’s where she started. Only make sense that where she go back to. And I hope – no, I pray – that my time be comin’ soon so I be back with my baby girl and my Jeffrey. Not right fo’ a mother to live longer than her children. Just not right.”

“If it’s any consolation to you, Mama. She’s still young and strong, and they need that there in Otherland – I mean, heaven. They need young, strong, hardy souls, because the old souls wouldn’t have enough energy to maintain the place. It’s the youth and their energy that keep it beautiful and rich and blossoming, while the old get to – let’s say – comfortably retire and enjoy their blissful eternity.”

“Then dis be cause for celebration instead of grief,” she said, suddenly strong and proud.

“What happened, Mama?” Lydia placed her hand on her shoulder.

“They be nine of them. Big men. Loaded with weapons. Tryin’ to storm the house. We got them, or thought we did, but two of them was still alive. We got them too, but not before they kilt two of Jerome’s friends and Cherise here. I don’t know why you still alive, but we can thank the heavens for that.”

“It’s because he doesn’t just want my body, Mama, he wants my soul. The kids? Muh – my son?”

“They all fine, last I know. Jerome and his boys was loadin’ them in the car when I come get you and Cherise. I just been waitin’ fo’ them to come back, cause I ain’t walkin’ any time soon with a busted hip.”

“Mama,” they heard being called from upstairs.

“Down here. It about time you remember me,” she chastised.

Jerome came rushing down the stairs. “Skull said Cherise is dead.”

“She move on to a betta’ place, she did. Lydia said she saw her, she in heaven now, and be as light as an angel.”

“Why
you
still alive then?” he glared at Lydia with something close to hate in his eyes. Lydia dropped her head while he lifted Cherise in his arms and cradled her.

“Oh, my baby. I’m goin’ get the bastard that done this, took you away from me too soon. You were too good. Just too damn good to stay outta business you shouldna’ been made a part of to begin wit’.” And he looked up at Lydia, and glared and glared at her throughout his tears and pain.

He blamed her. “You shoulda’ died. Not her,” he said, and took off skipping two stairs at a time, recalling the smile on his former friend’s face when he’d declared Cherise dead, even though there was no way he could have known, as they’d had him guarding the vehicle the entire time.

“Ugh, son-in-laws. They never do care ‘bout they mother-in-laws. Take off and I got no way up them stairs.”

“Come on, Mama, we need to get you to the hospital. We’ll come back here when it’s light, grab Cherise, and give her the proper burial. I’m so sorry,” Lydia broke down crying. “He’s right. It is my fault.”

“Stop yo’ blattin’ and feelin’ sorry fo’ yourself, Chile. None a’ this your fault. My Cherise just be an angel, that’s all. Angel in life, now an angel in death. Don’t you take that away from me by actin’ like it yo’ fault.”

Lydia smiled in her tears, “Cherise would have said the same thing.”

“Where you think she got it from? Now help me get up these stairs so I can see my grandbabies.”

After the sounds of gunfire, Jerome returned, oddly quiet, to help get Mama to the vehicle. Once comfortably placed in the passenger seat – as comfortable as possible with the type of injuries she had – Lydia peered into the back where she saw two pairs of fearful tearless eyes.

“Where’s - ?”

“Your son?” Jerome finally spoke, a bitter smile on his face. “Gone. That’s all they was after was the baby you brought into our house, our home, our family! Now half of us is dead while you, Lydia, still got away wit’ yo’ life. I hope they kill it. It’s nothing less than you deserve for bringin’ this nightmare on us. … OW!” he cried out.

Mama had smacked him hard across the back of his head. “You stop that, Jerome, and you stop it right now! I ain’t listenin’ to you act like that to Cherise’s friend. She eva’ hear you talk to Lydia like that, she be boxin’ your ears, and givin’ you a piece a’ her mind. Jus’ cause she ain’t here no more don’t mean she don’t live inside me now. I won’t tolerate you disrespectin’ her friend like that, you hear me, boy? We goin’ help her find her chile, and you ain’t no otha’ say in that, cuz that what Cherise would do.”

“Jerome, I know you’ve got your problems with me, right now, and they’re completely justifiable, but Mama needs to get to the hospital, and your kids need to eat and a place to sleep,” Lydia said in as neutral a tone as she could manage.

“This ain’t -.”

“I know it’s not over, believe me, I know. And you can do with me whatever you want to make yourself feel better, but right now, there are other things that are more important.”

“Wait, where you goin’? You gotta keep wit’ us,” Mama said in her commanding voice.

“Let her go,” Jerome said.

“I need to stay here and wait for Jacob to return, and then I have to find a way to get my son back. I’ll be fine. Take care of yourself. I’ll – I’ll call you.”

***

“Dark master, I have a perfect solution to our problem,” the Dark soul found Dwayne while he was tucking the baby into its temporary bed, recalling memories of his Aliyah when she was but a babe, staring up at him with large eyes, trusting him. Too bad the child was a boy, or he’d find a better use for it, besides using it as bait to lure Aliyah and killing it in front of her, just to get the pleasure of his winning the last round, the final battle, before ridding of her.

He just kept reminding himself that once she was gone, with he being Dark master and freely roaming the earth, able to possess whatever human form he wanted, he could have many, many more Aliyahs. His legacy could continue for eternity, and eternity never sounded so good. Immortality.

“Don’t you see I’m in the middle of something? What do you want? You’ve already failed me, just like all the rest who I sent back, so why shouldn’t I do the same to you?”

“I kept an eye on them, like you asked. Aliyah is awake now and knows the child is missing. The black boy, Jerome, he blames her for Cherise’s death. I can possess him with little resistance, as you possessed his friend. She said to him, ‘Later, you can do with me what you want to get it out of your system and make you feel better’, or something like that. She’ll have no idea he’s possessed, and she won’t hurt him, because he’s Cherise’s husband and the only parent left to care for their children.”

“You really think he’ll go for it? Shut up, human,” he said to Gerald’s screaming voice reminding him that he’d taken care of what was asked, and wanted to be released now.

“Yes, I felt the darkness in his soul. He’s vulnerable. He can be turned completely.”

“Very well.” Dwayne removed himself from Gerald’s body. “Jerome is mine.”

Gerald began to pathetically run. “Get him,” Dwayne said with a heavy sigh. “He’s now yours. Watch over the baby. I’ll be back with Jerome.”