Manifest

Forty-three

"ABASI ISONG," Uduak screamed, running into the gathering.

She fumbled to a stop as she took in the scene around. Edidiong was beneath the torch at the center, where he'd been pinned to the pole by a machete. Dara and Nature, who were previously attempting to pull the machete out, stopped and turned to Uduak as Dara stumbled away, trying to go behind the torch stand.

"Don't move," Uduak said, pulling a gun out with her left hand and pointing it at them. "Stay there. Stay right where you are."

Dara raised her hands above her head. Uduak jogged forward, never taking her aim off Dara. Around the three of them, mbono lay dead on the ground. A few of them looked like they were asleep, but none of them was breathing. The only people alive in the gathering were the three enemies at the center.

"What have you done?" Uduak asked, feeling weak at the knees. "How could you...? You grew up with them, Dara. How could you do this to your own sisters?"

Dara looked away, ashamed.

"You killed ekpo for the fun of it," Nature pointed out and suddenly, Uduak's gun was in his face.

Uduak considered shooting three of them in the heads. Eddie would survive, and Nature? Well Uduak knew so little about him that she barely even cared. But Uduak knew she'd never be able to kill Dara. She could punch mbono in the face or even shoot them in the leg or threaten them with bodily harm. Killing mbono was something she'd never be able to do. Her hands tightened on her gun, quivering at the futility of it all. Worship or perish. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she looked women in the eye and heard them say they'd rather perish. Dara already offered to die once, earlier. Uduak wasn't sure she could take if she heard Dara choose death over Abasi Isong.

Mbono filled the gathering, entering with their weapons out, the moment they saw the dead bodies.

"Watch them," Uduak said to the closest mbono as she took off in search of Abasi Isong. Ekpo set a trap for mbono. Where? What was the plan?

Abasi Isong came out of a hut just as Uduak was nearing it and she hugged Abasi Isong with all her heart. It was one-handed and awkward and when Abasi Isong hugged back, Uduak winced from the contact with her right hand. She didn't care. Abasi Isong was still here. Nothing to worry about.

"Ubokami."

"I thought something happened to you," Uduak said.

"Yes, please get this off me."

Abasi Isong gestured at the necklace on her neck and Uduak grabbed it and pulled it loose, breaking the string. Gasping like she'd been holding her breath for hours, Abasi Isong bent forward, wedging her hands on her knees as she coughed while the earth around them tremored softly. As the necklace crumbled to pieces, Uduak felt her anointing rush back into her body, so quickly, she ached with it. Beside her, Abasi Isong's eyes flashed yellow as she cringed and turning away from Uduak.

What was going? Was this it? Was this the entirety of the trap? Did ekpo only want to make Abasi Isong human? Why? The only reason that made sense was if they planned to attack.

Uduak looked around.

There was no attack. Nothing had happened except the few mbono who'd been killed. Ekpo weren't anywhere near the gathering, so that couldn't be the plan. Or the whole plan.

Abasi Isong headed to the hut where Abasi Enyong's body was kept. It made sense. If it were Uduak, she'd never have approached Abasi Enyong without powers. Maybe that was their plan, to humanize Abasi Isong as they waited for Abasi Enyong to wake from the effects of the other mkpo ufok.

It didn't seem plausible. It didn't explain why mbono had to leave the gathering at all. Why was that part of the plan? All that had done had made sure mbono discovered the empty street in Uyo. It wasn't important. Nothing had happened there. And they'd returned before any real attack took place. They'd left because...

They'd been sent away from the camp because Abasi Isong got comfortable. That comfort had come from the fact that she had the tusk with her and could control what happened with it. A tusk they'd gotten from an ekpo who ran one hundred feet in acid rain, searched for Mr. Martins on the other side of the rain and ran back another one hundred feet. But still, survived?

As Abasi Isong entered the hut, an unknown source sent chills through Uduak's bones.

The first thing Abasi Isong had done was stop the rain. Sending mbono away hadn't been the intent. The rain... iyammi.

"Abasi Isong, wait," Uduak called as she ran into the hut. 

Before she could say more, someone inside the hut held her by the hand as two fingers touched Uduak's forehead and the next thing Uduak knew, her whole body went numb. She collapsed on the floor, unable to move.

When Abasi Isong turned to Uduak in shock, her brother blocked the door with his body.

"It's just you and me, dear sister," Abasi Enyong said. "Can we talk now?"