INFRARED – 6
Zimbabwe’s second chimurenga was inspired by the first, some say the fulfillment of the promise of the dying Nehanda who promised to rise again. Others who look at this claim with skepticism say that those who believe this may have been using the legend of the medium to their own advantage.
Wendy is currently in the middle of conflict, with reinforcements restored. It was touch and go there for a minute, disconnected from the vadzimu and confronted with a threat unlike anything she could fathom.
Tendayi is ready for this. The Alia had warned her of the great banishment done by the first Alia, how there would always be forces that sought to undo her work, and she is ready, co-piloting the body of the brave Chimutengwende, in this fifth installment of her adventures.
The Fight Continues
The Alia does not waste time.
“Everybody, behind me now!” she yells and Wendy is happy to already be behind the taller than average woman whose eyes are large and brown, and in the moment showcase her determination and resolve, her natural leadership ability that corralled the old Mexican man that Wendy assumes is in his sixties; the tall, black, and statuesque body builder of a man next to him; and even Rhode and Miriro, the thorns in Wendy’s side of late; into a ready formation behind her as the giants birthed from the fires of the Red Father take shape before them.
The Alia unleashes a blast of starlight from both her eyes that are like beams of white light that she sweeps across the newly formed giants. Their growls and screams of agony join in a chorus with the Red Father’s loud curses of the woman as the light cuts the giants in half and their parts tumble to the ground, then explode in high, red flames.
The Red Father grows as he absorbs the monsters and the heat of his energy raises the temperature in the area by ten degrees. The entire scene around the evil man is distorted through the radiation around him and ever so slowly, things begin to melt, the people drained of energy begin to sweat.
“Aim for him!” the old man yells to Alia as the group braces themselves against the heat of the supernatural flames that curl around buildings and cars, but do not burn them, though they do provide heat.
She does aim for the red man; the Alia yells with all of her might and a bright white beam of starlight rages from her mouth, but not before the Red Father noticed and began to hurl balls of flames in their direction that landed like boulders and shook the ground, causing Alia to miss. They are tactile balls that crash into houses before they disappear and Wendy’s instinct is to follow the destruction to see if she can help, but she gets orders.
“Let’s get back to Clay’s house!” the Alia says and they all retreat away from the house and duck into backyards, jump fences to obscure their position.
Crazy hardly characterises it. If you ever see a woman focus beams of light from her eyes at monsters, and watch them slice in half, lose what can only be described as molten lava as blood, then you may puzzle over the characterization and be more successful than Wendy whose mind boggles as she sticks close to Alia in the line that follows her. It’s a beautiful day in the quiet neighborhood and Wendy hears the ice cream truck, but it is her mind retreating to comfort as the danger of her situation becomes apparent to her.
They arrive at the house where Wendy’s car is inverted on the lawn.
“Why is there always something in my yard!?” The bodybuilder yells. He charges the car, then flips it right side up in his driveway. The surreal nature of the scene makes her dizzy. The events of her night and the apparent concussion from which she suffers suddenly catches up to her and she loses her balance.
When she comes to, she smiles at all the faces staring down at her, the smiles of her ancestors and the new one Tendayi. Wendy sits up on the couch as the ancestors smile at her, happy that she is ok, and then she notices the meeting of the minds under the light in the adjoined dining room. The full cast of characters from before, including Rhode, surround the table and they discuss plans of action in earnest. Wendy stands to join them, shakily at first, and then she elbows Rhode away from his standing position next to the Alia. He shoots her a look of consternation but relents; she has proven herself a much more powerful medium and the goal this morning is to end the Red Father, all other beefs aside.
“Glad you could join us,” Alia says, smiling up at her. “You got a message for me or you just another person I have to babysit through this?”
Wendy doesn’t know, but she is referring to the woman who transforms into Crude and who was still blacked out in one of the backrooms of the house.
“I came to do what I can,” Wendy says and then Tendayi enters her body. She says, “It is good to see you again. And the circumstances! Just like you said! Different bodies and…”
“Do I know you?” Alia asks, genuinely hoping that she does know the woman who is suddenly very warm and Alia notices what seems to be a light blue glow around her body.
“You said you would say that!” Tenda-wendy says. “You are my most favorite person that I never had the honor to meet. If only you could know who you were.”
Tenda-wendy grabs the Alia’s hand and smiles warmly.
“I trained as your mirror,” she says to Alia, “I can do what you do if you will allow it.”
As they hold hands, they close their eyes and both women experience a vision of a younger Tendayi with the Alia of her generation; a lithe woman with mocha brown skin and big light brown eyes. The women stand together as the Alia moves and Tendayi mirrors, even when she levitates and raised her arms above her head to summon a ball of fire that she tosses high up to dissipate. Tendayi does it all.
“What are they doing?” Rhode asks, and everyone stares it him. No one knows, but it is obvious that the Alia is in charge and if she needs a minute, then they were all happy to stop and wait. Rhode shrinks back and keeps quiet.
When Wendy and the Alia return to consciousness, Alia says, “I don’t think I can stop him, I just slow him down.”
“I don’t know this red thing,” the old Mexican man, the Don, says, “but I can use what I know to try and scatter his energies.”
“Wendy and I can give cover, while you and Clay try to scatter him,” Alia says.
“What about the monster in my backroom?” the bodybuilder, Clay, asks, staring down the hallway.
Before Alia can answer, the group hears the voice of the Red Father.
“Don’t delay the inevitable, Mou. You owe me retribution. I should be your beacon, but you shunned me. I have one of my own, she is my Ssin.”
The group looks to Alia.
“Wendy come with me, Clay and Mr. Santana, go stay out of sight but stay close.”
They all stand to leave and then Rhode asks, “What am I supposed to do?”
“Who the hell are you?” Alia asks.
Wendy sighs, “He’s with me. Come on and don’t say anything.”
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