LEGEND OF DEATH'S ASSASSINS

CHAPTER 3

PRESENT DAY


The first time she had seen too many people on the beach was the day her father had killed, The Sea's demon. The 'Sea's demon' as some of the local fishermen called it, was a majestic shark that had wrecked the boat of many while rendering others useless, and others injured. There were no deaths. Or maybe the elder ones kept it away. Death was a thing of an adult. It was not something children meddle about with. But Isak, had killed the Sea's Demon with his fishing net and dagger. It had been a breakthrough in his career. A pinpoint for their family. And the name Isak, which means Demon Slayer, was also given to her father. It was not a title that rests on the lips alone, as the income of her father had doubled after the incident. Her father was like the king of fishermen. The best in the village. But with all these people…
Bella tried to keep her mind sane as she allowed her mother to drag her through the ocean of people. Like always, the shoreline held that chilling air about it, and the stench of decayed fish from unwashed net and boat hovered in all directions. Bella rubbed her nose with a free hand, wishing she was old enough. She would have joined Nadi and some of the other boys into making money by washing the nets of these old and lazy fishermen. There was no music too, not even a smoke could be seen on the entire shoreline. Maybe the fish traders have decided to call the day off, or maybe they were all tired of trading fish. After all, Mama Kita, had said she wished all the fish traders would skip a day or two so that she could make more profit from her meat trade. The gods must have answered her prayers.
"How did it happen?" Someone was saying.
Bella could not place a name on the dark old man, standing above her father and folding those heavy arms on his chest. His face was all rumpled and unwashed. Nothing about the man was pleasant, even his hair was uncombed and his mustache unsaved. The heavy eyebrow, also made him look like one of the petrifying creatures she had seen on the news.
"Nadi," Iyella shouted
The sudden scream of her brother's name made Bella look up to her mother. The woman had left her and had run towards Isak, whose back was turned to them.
That must have been the signal everyone on the beach was waiting for. Bella could not say for sure. But the scream of her mother and the wail from some other women left her on the fence. Nobody paid attention to her. Nobody cared at the moment. They were all weeping, shouting out the name of her brother, as though he had run away with their fish.
"Mother," Bella sobbed and made her way to her parents.
Like the rest of the people, Isak and Iyella were crying when Bella finally found her way. While her father sat on the sand and wept, her mother, on the other hand, was rolling herself on the ground. It took about three women to hold her, but with the way she was struggling, Bella could see the loose ends. These women were barely keeping up with the strength of their mother. It was only a matter of time before she breaks free again.
"Papa," Bella shifted her eyes to her father, whose features were much calmer. She placed her hands on his shoulders and was about to call out his name again when she saw the person lying on his lap.
"Nadi?" Bella called, but she was surprised when her own voice echoed in her ears. She held her brother only to wipe the falling tears when she noticed the coldness in his hands. That was an early sign of death. She has heard her father's tales before. She knew how to analyze a dead body, even though she has not seen one before. Or would be allowed to see one until she was eighteen.
"Nadi," Bella called again and nudge the older boy's shoulders. His horny-colored skin had lost its brilliance to some pale, unnatural color. His hair was still hanging behind him, but his eyes were closed. His lips were dry, too. He was not even breathing. He was motionless, almost like a dead fish.
"Nadi, please wake up. Nadi." Bella screamed and continued to shake her brother's shoulders, hoping the boy would wake up and stop playing one of his old dead tricks.
From the corner of her eyes, Bella saw her father nodding to a man.  Must have been a signal or something. It was hard to tell, not with her elder brother in her hands. Thinking straight would have been possible if her brother's corpse was not in her hands.
"Hey, dear." Someone said.
Bella wiped the foggy vision as she lifted her head to the owner of the voice. It was dark-skinned man, but with a clean shaved beard. His long hair was tied behind in a ponytail and somewhere at the side was a streak of gray running from his ear to the backside of his head. Pa Kechi. The name of the man came without effort. He was Isak's best friend. And even though Bella hated the man's children, she held great respect for Pa Kechi, who at a time had bought her some fried fish from the fish traders.
Pa Kechi's lips parted with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. The sorrow was obvious. Bella could see them. But what she could not understand was the reason behind the sudden sympathy. Pa Kechi, like the rest of the villagers, was also among those who had prayed that Nadi would meet a tragic end someday. Because of his notorious behavior, nobody wanted Nadi by their side. Not even their parents. But it was as if everyone had suddenly developed a great love for her brother. The way they grieved for him…
I hope it's genuine. A voice seemed to say in Bella's head.
"What really happened?" Pa Kechi asked.
Isak rubbed his eyes, careful to keep the sand away. He was staring into the vast water body by the time he started speaking.
"We were out fishing like any normal day."
The man sobbed and blew out the phlegm, hoping to clear his throat. The beach had grown quiet now and the people had also converged, to hear the appalling tale from the king of fishermen. Bella also shifted her weight in the sand, eager to hear the story of how her brother had died.
"It was not too good fishing night." Isak continued reluctantly. "After toiling all day, we decided to return home. That was when I saw a bright light from heaven. It had fallen from the sky. It was as if a streak of lightning has lost its balance and had decided to crash into the sea."
Falling lighting? Bella shook her head. She could read the amusement on the faces of the villagers. Any other day, these people would have burst with laughter. But for the death of her brother, Bella doubts if she could have believed her father too. The story he was telling now was only painting a mental picture of Thor, the thunder god. She had seen him in the avenger's movie. Even though she was not old enough, she was smart to know that tales like that were fiction and were meant to entertain.
"Falling lighting?" Pa Kechi asked again.
The many creases on his face made it impossible to detect if he believed Isak or was in doubt like the rest of the villagers.
"Yes," Isak nodded. He was looking down at Nadi now. "I saw it with my own two eyes."
"But," a plump woman raised her hands so that she could be seen in the crowd. Everyone turned their attention to her. Bella could not place the woman's name, but with the apron hanging on her neck, she could tell that the woman was a fish trader.
"How did it kill, Nadi? Was he struck with this, falling lightning?" The woman had stressed the last part as if that was a way to make her believe them.
"No," Isak shook his head with regret. "He was not struck by lightning. He was…drowned"
"Drowned?" Someone shouted from the crowd.
"Who goes into the sea to fish without learning how to swim?" another asked
"And what fisherman's son hates fish?" Came another nasty question.
Bella could see the pain in her father's eyes. He had tried teaching Nadi how to swim, but the boy was just too stubborn for his age. Look where it has gotten him.
My sweet brother.
Bella wiped her eyes and stroked the side of Nadi's cheek. Everything was cold to touch, but his nostril…
Siting up, Bella placed her hands on his nose and something jumped in her stomach when she felt the warmness.
"NADI IS ALIVE" She screamed.
Silence returned to the beach for a while until rough hands push her way to check for Nadi's pause.
"He is Alive." The man shouted, "Get the ambulance. Hurry."