BANG!

Catching Up

Kerri, slightly dazed, found herself in the parking lot of her high school. Hope Valley High is 4 miles away from where she originally stood. How did she get here? She staggered a little bit, trying to get her footing, but the trip caused her to throw up. She was dehydrated. She reached in her pocket for her phone and called Travis.

"Kerri! It's was a lot of noise coming from Nai's. You alright?" he asked

"Pick me up from school. I'll be in the parking lot," Kerri replied.

"School? You said you-"

"PICK ME UP NOW!" she yelled into the phone cutting him off. 

She hung up the phone, put it in her pocket, and began to walk towards Naima's house. A short time later, Travis drives past her and makes a u-turn. He stops a few feet ahead of her. "Are you ok?" he asked as she got into the car.

"Drive, please. I'll explain later." She looked out the window. "Hopefully," she muttered.

Travis hit the gas and headed back to their neighborhood. By then, Naima's house was back to being quiet. Kerri reached under the driver seat to get her gun. "Ay. Kerr. What's going on?" Travis asked.

"Just go back home," she answered.

"I am not just going back home. Tell me what's going on!" he yelled. Kerri continued to stalk the house. "Kerri, please!" he pleaded.

Kerri hopped on the porch and got closer to the front door. It was still opened as it was before. It was still quiet. There must be something that is shielding the commotion. She continued to be stealthy in the foyer. She took a deep breath, surveyed the living room, and ran inside into the couch. Much like her first experience, the couch went up in smoke. She was ready this time. As soon as she saw the strange man, now looming over Naima as she laid in pain, she took a couple of shots at him. The shots were made and it seemed to wound him. She walked forward and popped a few more shots, but before they could hit, they were stopped in mid air.

It stopped Kerri in her tracks. She watched in bewilderment as the bullets rotated. The man turned his attention from Naima and unto Kerri. He had a murderous look in his eyes. Blood stained the collar of his shirt. Ms. Oluwerki and Naima's siblings were still in the corner. It was as if they couldn't move, but the hurt in their eyes could be felt. Kerri could hear her heart beat outside of her chest. 

"Who are you?" he asked. "Who are you and how did you infiltrate my spell?" he inquired.

The bullets dropped and it made an audibly loud noise. Naima's nose was bloodied and he eyes were swollen. "Kerri, please," she whimpered.

"I'm not scared of you," Kerri announced. 

The man laughed into a roar. "Dauntless, this one." The s sounds at the end of his words hissed like a snake. He began to walk towards her and Kerri took a few steps back. "Allow me to introduce myself." Kerri couldn't move anymore. Her gun fell from her hand. The living room began to disappear around her. It was as if she was in a trance. "My name is Kofi Mostafah. I am a king. I am a provider. I AM A GOD. Do you understand the weight of my words?" he asked.

Tears formed in Kerri's eyes. She couldn't blink. She was completely paralyzed. She moaned a "No" sound.

"Oh? Did Naima not tell you about me? Her father? The King? The Priest? I am the thing that goes bump into the night. I am what nightmares are made of," he boasted. Kerri mumbled as much as she could but no words would form. "You have something to say, my child?" he asked.