Kill Shots

The Devil Speaks Xhosa

"Yiza kum," the deep voice rumbled. It was the same voice that had been invading Alisha's dreams every night for the last few weeks.

"Yiza kum Princess," the voice called again as she began to stir.

"Ndilinde wena..."

--

Somebody pop all day (hol' up)

Somebody on they way (hol' up)

I wore the crown all day (hol' up)

Somebody can't relate (hol' up)

Stay down with no fakin' (go up)

Top-down, I've been racin' (go up)

She wild and been dangerous (go up)

My crown in rotation, yeah

The sounds of X by Kendrick Lamar filled the room as the alarm blared. Once again Alisha was awakened before she could get a good look at the man that the dark voice belonged to. The only thing she could make out in the darkness were long, neatly braided dreads and glowing amber eyes. She had tried researching on her own to determine the origin of the language the dark figure spoke, but so far was having no luck. She decided to question her friend Skylar, thankful that she knew someone that specialized in linguistics.

Skylar looked at the poorly spelled words for all of five minutes before she spoke.

"This looks like Xhosa, although you spelled a few of the words wrong," the young woman states, pulling off her glasses.

"What the hell is Xhosa and how did you.." Alisha's words trail off as she stares at her friend.

"It's my job love," Skylar replies with a smile, sipping her white chocolate mocha from Starbucks. Sensing more questions coming, she decides to continue.

"It's most commonly spoken in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Wakanda." Alisha raised an eyebrow, staring at her best friend incredulously. She vaguely remembered Erik talking about Wakanda once or twice but had assumed that it was merely a fairytale.

"So you telling me some African nigga is visiting me in my dreams?" Skylar could only laugh at her friend's exasperated tone.

"Seems that way my love."

--

"Are you coming my Halloween party or not?" Zara's small voice called from Alisha's headphones. Spooky Season as she referred to it was Zara's favorite time of year and every year she threw the most extravagant Halloween party Oakland had ever seen. Alisha had been going over the idea of social interaction for the last few days. Being the extroverted introvert she was, she wanted to go, but knew she'd regret it as soon as she got there.

"Come on bitch," Zara yelled as she came back into view on the screen. "You've been cooped up in the house ever since Erik left, you need to have some fun."

"What I need to do is mind my business and wait for my boyfriend to come back from SEAL training."

"I told you she'd say no," Skylar's voice called from somewhere offscreen.

"You bitches really don't have any faith in me, do you?"

"It's not that we don't have faith in you," Zara began.

"We just know you," Skylar finished.

"Fiiiiine," Alisha groaned, knowing her friends would never let her live it down if she stayed inside. "I'll go, but I'm not dressing as a sexy nothing," she scolded.