Into The Dark

8.

Dealing with the last few details before getting ready, Selassi was exhausted and it was even 9 am yet. She headed back to the house,  making her way to her room and changing into her custom-made funeral outfit that was in the traditional funeral colours of black and red. 

Looking at her face, she noticed how deflated and fatigued she appeared and deciding not to dwell on it, immediately concealing her face with a simple makeup look. She put her dry coils into a bun quickly before heading out.

She reached the living room to see the two urns settled in the middle and room adorned with small decorations. Seeing her uncles and aunties standing in front, she stood behind them as it was a tradition for the families the deceased was born into lead the funeral rites.

Selassi joined the family in singing the hymns for the wake keeping as they walked around the urns and they carried out the rites until it was time to go the church.

She waited as people piled into their individual cars, her phone rang and she looked at the name, smiling at who it was.

"Morning beautiful" Theo's husky tone vibrated through the phone.

"Morning handsome. How are you today?" she asked, twirling her baby hairs.

"I should be asking you that. How you feeling, babe?" he said in a concerned tone.

" Exhausted but I'm still trudging on," she said, walking around. Theo got up from his bed, lifting the arm off his body and standing near his window, trying to focus on Selassi instead of the body that laid naked in his bed right now.

" That's a good baby. I wanted to you know that they may be gone but they will always be with you, no matter what. You've got this, stay strong" He said. Shuffling could be heard the background as the person woke up.

"Theo baby, why you are-" The woman asked.

"What was that, Theo?" Selassi asked. She didn't want to believe that he was doing that now as she grieved for her parents. She wanted badly fo it not to be what she thought it was.

In that time, the fetish Priest appeared behind her, smirking at her despair and moved closer, with its lips inching closer to ear, whispering words of discouragement that seem seep into her psyche.

Theo's explanations just seemed to trigger her and with that, she hung up and the fetish priest disappeared instantly. Just when she thought this day wouldn't be more draining, she was met with the impending realisation that she won't be seeing her parents anymore.

Deflated, she looked out the car window as her and the funeral party drove to Christ The King. Today was like any usual Saturday with people bustling through the streets and things were happening at every corner of the streets.

They reached the church, getting out the car and as they entered, Selassi saw the large pictures of her parents near the urns near the altar and the tears fell down her cheeks as she took steps towards the front pew, not taking her eyes off the pictures.

She sat down, her mouth felt numb as if her lips had sewn together. She attempted to open it but it wouldn't as she continued to silently sob, the strain was causing her agony like something was paralysing in her seat.

Father John began the service as everyone rose to sing the first hymn but Selassi remained where she was. To everyone, she looks lost in a trance with a distant look in her eyes, tears pouring and mouth slightly ajar but for her, it was something much different, something more horrifying.

She wanted to call out to father John but he was preoccupied with the mass to see.  She managed to turn her head to the side, seeing the menacing face that had been tormenting for the past few weeks.