She Guardian (#Wattys2016)

Darkness empire

Darkness empire

There's thunder then lightning strikes, revealing the dark Queen's mansion up the hill. She is standing by  the window in a nearly dark room. A big shadow approaches but keep its distance. “So you failed again“ she says without looking. “she has grown much stronger my queen“ explains the shadow. “well, while you were playing around with your minions, i have been doing some work myself“ says the queen, walking pass the shadow into another darkish hall with fires at each corner. She speaks a foreign tongue in a bold voice and the room lit up. She's a young light slim lady with blueish eyes. Wearing all black. She stand in front of a large group of zombie looking people.

The shadow watches with fear, shock and confusion. “My queen, Are you replacing us with human mortals?“ He watches amazed. “Look in to their eyes, they have no souls“ she gives an evil smile then walks around. “I took their souls prison, to their own people they are dead, I left them a temporal copy to bury. They live to serve me now. See, there's no need to break you off the shadow prison anymore, I just need to cast your souls to these new bodies“ she explained walking amongst her zombies. “But, but, my queen, they have no tongues“ the shadow follows. “That was the only way to force their souls out while leaving the rest of the body unharmed. Plus you don't need tongues to obey and serve my purpose, do you?“ she says mocking

It continues raining cats and dogs with the thunder and lighting more violent. “It is time“ she says, taking out a small transparent bottle with colorless liquid, another with black contents and another filled with blood. All set atop a mat of animal skins on the floor, beside a large open bowl. A slow rhythmic drum starts playing, she undress and take a long waist cloth holding it with both hands stretched above her head, wind blowing it like a kite. She walks to the fire on the corner and covers herself and the fire with the cloth. Drums going louder and faster breaking the rhythm then stops. For a while the only sound is the blowing wind and the thunder outside. The drums slowly start beating. She uncover herself, covered in sweat walking to the animal skin mat. She rubs off her sweat to the bowl, holds up the small black bottle “The power of darkness, gift of the serpent“ she says loudly then pour into the bowl. “Blood of an infant, one as a pure god“ holding up the red small bottle then pour into the bowl. She spit into the bowl then hold up the colorless bottle “Sour taste of the sea god, waves of overflowing power“ she pour into the bowl then dances around it to the rhythm of the drums. Grabs an ancient broom made tall strong river grass using it to stir the bowl. Shadows break in from the hall windows as the colors in the bowl mix, smoke ascend from it like its filled with volcano

She looks up and her eyes now all black, she speak foreign words repeatedly, her tongue and teeth also black. She starts to spread the bowl mixture across the hall to the zombies her broom, repeatedly as she chant a melody to the rhythm of the drums. The zombies now have open portals on their bodies. One final swoosh with the broom and the Shadow's souls are cast into the zombies swallowed through the portals. She continue her chanting and dancing. The zombies start dancing along one at a time until all move as one. She kneels on the mat, there's a doll figure made of corn on the side, She grabs it violently and dips it in the bowl, sinking it to the remainder of  the mixture

On the other side of the city, the guardian wakes up from a dark dream. She can feel the energy looming in the far corner of the world. Trying to stand up she feels light headed, feeling wet on the cheeks she wipe only to see black serpent poison, like the bodies possessed by the shadows had. She realise her dream was really more than a dream. She cut one of her long hair locks and tie it to her staff with her bracelet then throw it out of the window. She struggles to get to the mirror, her green eyes bleeding black and getting dark. Her tongue and teeth darkening. She say one last word in foreign tongue, barely audible. There's a big bang of thunder and lightning and she see the dark queen through the mirror. She get one hard knock on the head and pass out.

Its a blurry scene when the guardian finally opens her bleeding eyes. Back at the black Queen's fortress, the guardian tied on a pole on top of a pile of wood. Her vision becomes bit clear by the second, hearing the heavy drums in the smokey hall filled with dancing zombies. The dark queen raise her fist and the hall became dead silent. “The gods revived us, they gave your souls new bodies, and all they want in return is a sacrifice, a living sacrifice, a burning sacrifice!“ She turns looking at the guardian, who is whispering to her roped self. 

The city night shows a different mood shade, colorful lights of skyscrapers and modern towers win the night sky. Even the residential suburb mimics daylight with the street lights on. In one of the houses, a white flickering light from a TV lights up the room. There's a gun in a holster on top of the dresser and a police badge nearby. A man lay peacefully on bed, A green snake climb from the feet to his belly and rolls itself. Looking at his face carefully, Its detective Khumalo. The serpent sink its teeth of both his wrist nerves, slowly pushes its tail through his belly button then gets off him falling on the floor, sounds like a dry stick. Khumalo is sweating heavily, green venom running through his system. He pass out to a short sleep. Wakes up gasping for air like he was suffocating. He gets off bed and finds a staff and bracelet on floor, he recognise them from the day the guardian healed him. He picks them up surprised, thinking maybe she's in his house. He calls her name, looking around but cant find her. He puts drops the tiny bracelet, picks it up and thinks of wearing it to avoid losing it. He puts it on and disappear that instant.

The dark queen walks to the guardian holding a small burning wood. Drops it on the pile under her and it catches fire and smokes like there's  gasoline all over them. Khumalo appears amidst the fire and immediately frees the guardian jumping off the fire with her. He lays her on the floor and check for her pulse. “Bracelet“ her whisper is faint, he puts the bracelet on and get on her knees. “Stand far back“ she says and he act without question. “The one who gives life protects it, never lets it die but heals it, fountain of life hear my call, send the bearer of life to fight for all!“ she shouts with the last bit of strength her, then falls laying on the floor. Khumalo wants to run to her but the building trembles like there's a quake. The ground right under her breaks a large opening and she falls in. The dark queen burst with laughter “you will take her place“ pointing at Khumalo. A splash rushes out of the ground hole, everyone looking away covering their eyes. The black queen raise her head and, behold the green serpent from the fountain of life, the guardian revived standing on its head.

[foot note- Hello everyone. Thank you for reading and i hope you like but mostly enjoyed this fourth episode. If you did please vote and leave me a comment. If you did not like it please advice me on where and how i could make it better 😃 N.B- this is based on a TV series idea i been working on and only adapted for wattpad. If anyone can help me with the series cover art or episode banners please let me know]