Merry Haven - Episode 14

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Annas often hanged out with Kashees at the Brilla hotel. It was their favourite spot now.
  Juliet loathed seeing them together, she wanted Annas to be away from Kashees company. 
 Miss Margaret welcomed kashees back, like a lost son, she brought him up like his, she wouldn't leave him. Not even Juliet could take that privilege away from her.
 Tettes stayed with Kashees if Juliet was away . Trying to know him well.
  Ernest was away, but Sydney was home. Sydney felt a deep hatred for Kashees, he wouldn't want to see him for anything in this world, avoiding him. Syd didn't forget his wristwatch, he took it back from Annas.

Annas was now seeing his nightmares even without the taste of a liquor. It was a sign that their curse would activate anytime soon. They fled from the jungle, leaving their past behind. It was their family's curse, not a general curse; they wanted to face it with family. The killer was unknown, it could be any of them.
 
"There is something I have noticed." Kashees said, they were in Eatery's delite, on a cold evening.

"What?" Annas asked, with a lackadaisical tone.

"I tried connecting with Tettes mind, but I couldn't. He has been veiled by a magician."

"I don't think so, Tess know no magician, he doesn't know anything about the curse, neither do Syd."

"Believe me, Tess knows, the way he has been acting

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. That was why I wanted to read his thoughts, but I couldn't."

"Hmmm... Maybe Ernest gave millions to a magician to do it while he was sleeping."

"But I can see through Sydney."

A group came to them, staring at Annas with disgust. "Annas you are not fair with us, I swear." Maleek cursed, looking at Annas.

"You have left us isn't it? We have Always been there for you. Why didn't you call that you are back." Anita said. His best friends all wore a  frown on their faces. He felt sorry about it.

"I am sorry guys I will make it up to you." Annas pleaded.

"We will leave you and your big bro alone, seems you have catching up to do." Marshal said, dismissing the group. They all walked out, Omachi and Bernard turned back to look at Annas, they looked angry. They moved away with the group when they had had their fill glaring at him. 

"Annas is a good thing you didn't call them, you need to cut your relationship from them. Is for their own good."

"But they are my best friends. It's hard..."

"The truth is hard. You need to do it if you really love them. Unkur kills people that are close to us at this time, so you need to keep distance."

 They stayed longer, catching up like old times. A very tall boy walked to them, he was wearing a brown Ankara native attire, with a black kilt skirt. His black sandals reached his calf. His outfit seemed odd to Annas.
 The boy seemed too young, but he was bigger and huger than Annas, he cradled a little monkey-like creature in his left hand. Annas was awed at the  boy's eyes, it looked like his. He had a straight mark on each of his cheeks.

"Gentle men, can I seat?" The giant boy asked with a calm and slow voice.

It now made sense to Annas, he knew why Reginald loathed his eyes. He perceived trouble. He could understand it all. But the boy next to him looked like a nineteen year old boy. 
  Annas heard no noise from the crowd, he all looked around, seeing what was impossible. The whole customers in Eatery delite were literally paused. He stared at a lady sitting with a boy, the girl left hand was stuck on her temple, the right hand was gripping a mug. He craned his neck to other customers. Some had a walking posture, probably trying to walk before they went still. It was a surreal sight.
 
"Eyo Annas Ernest Jacob. Don't look too much, just look here and let's do what brought me here." Said the giant boy.

"Unkur you know we are already marked to die a miserable death. Please leave us so we can die alone. Don't worsen our sorrow." Kashees said, not surprised at the paused customers. He looked pathetic. His dreadlocks looked so dirty and unkept.

"You are Unkur!" Annas muttered.

"A wonderful name it is, I cherish it.. How is your princess, Regina?" Said Unkur. He drew a chair to his side sitting on it.

"She has nothing of yours, leave her be...." Annas said.

"She do have a thing of mine. She used a tool which I can only use. She harnessed time, that is a thing of mine, I must know who she really is."

"She is just like every one else. Please let her be." Annas begged.

"That's not why I came... Wait for me, I have a gift for Kashees." He walked out of the restaurant, appearing back with a middle aged woman.
 She was shivering, too frightened. She wore a black gown, holding a bag. She dropped the bag with shock when she saw Kashees. 

"Kashees what have they done to you, you don't look well..." Said the woman, moving to Kashees. She took his hands, crying on them. Kashees looked lost, but he  couldn't release his hands.

"Kashees, that's your mother. I know  you haven't seen her all your life, it's so unfortunate that she will die today. Whatever you need to do to comfort her, do it now, so that her last memory of you will be a memorable one." Unkur said, he probably loved it all.

 The woman weeped the more, Kashees stood up, embracing her. Annas could see the tears trickling down the woman's cheeks. Kashees didn't let go of his mother, they held themselves tightly, trying to find solace in their warm embrace. 
  Annas pitied his half brother. Kashees was always trying to know his mother all his life, he wanted Ernest to tell him of her whereabout, but Ernest didn't know himself.
  All Kashees ever wanted was finding his mother, he couldn't find her with his blood empathy powers because she was shielded with magic, he never knew who veiled her mind, now he does. Unkur was too evil for making Kashees not to have a liberty of seeing her. Annas weeped in his heart for his brother.
 Now she was here with him, but he couldn't have her for long, it was a very vile experience. Unkur was the most cruel person Annas had ever known.

"Son, son I had no choice... I was poor, my dad wanted Ernest to take care of his responsibilities, but he didn't, he denied the pregnancy. We were all young then. When I gave birth to you it was too hard for me, I had to give Ernest his son by all means, when you clocked one year I dropped you at his gate and went away. That was the last day I saw you." Kashees mother weeped, still wrapped inside her son's huge arms. They never wanted to let go.

"Don't blame yourself mother, Mr Ernest is a jerk. He doesn't deserve you." Kashees muttered.

"H-he, t-t-the tall boy told me that Miss Margaret was your Nanny then." She stammered.

"Yes I grew up believing she was my mother."

"God bless her, she has raised a hero, I will forever be grateful." She said, sobbing.

"Sydney! You can come in now. They've had their good moment." Unkur shouted at the window. The enormous glass window shattered when a figure flew in.

 It was Sydney. Syde dusted his white polo shirt like he wasn't the one that flew in. Annas felt a sense of déjà vu.
  Sydney looked all around, seeing the paused people. His eyes were red, all of it. 

  Annas was having a bad feeling about his brother's show of strength. Now he knew it, the curse had worked on Sydney; he was to be the killer. Annas wondered who would survive.

 Sydney paced slowly to Kashees. There was hatred in Kashees eyes, he watched Sydney with spite. Kashees held his mother's arm, trying to defend her from Sydney.

The woman looked lost, she couldn't comprehend what was happening. "Why is his eyes red, he is coming to us!" Said Kashees mum, she looked frightened. She hid her face on Kashees's chest, sobbing. Kashees wrapped his arms around her back, comforting her. Kashees looked like one who had embraced his fate, he looked defeated.

"Leave her be, or I will hurt you." Sydney threatened. His voice was strange, it sounded like it was being said by millions of people. 

Annas appeared at his back, trying to touch Sydney. Sydney turned, gripped Annas on his neck, lifting him up. Annas was in pain, he couldn't breath properly. The eyes of Sydney was strange, Annas couldn't recognize his brother, he wasn't Sydney anymore, something had taken over him.
 Annas felt his heels leaving the floor, he was marvelled at his brother's strength.

"Syd, Syd I know you are in there, please stop it. You can fight this." Annas choked.

"Your great grand parents couldn't, why should he." Unkur's voice rang. He was still sitting, watching them like he was watching a performance in a theatre.

Sydney tossed Annas away, like he was weightless. Annas brushed his body against the window, where Sydney flew from, hitting the ground outside. 

 He noticed the stillness of the street outside. Cars, humans, bikes, and many other movable things were still. Not making any sound, it shocked Annas, how could Unkur pause time, it felt unreal.
 Annas stood up with effort, walking back to the window. From the broken window he could see what was happening inside. He halted, not wanting to go inside.
 Unkur was still sitting, watching. Kashees was on the floor, cradling his injured chest. Sydney tightened his hand on the woman's neck, there was a dagger in his other hand. Sydney poked the sharp tip of the dagger into her eyes, he drove it in and out, not wanting to stop. He scratched the sharp tip of the dagger on her neck when he was filled pricking her eyes, blood poured out of her neck like a soft drizzle. Sydney dropped the dagger with shock.
 Sydney leaped out from the window, running away from the chaos, he past Annas without noticing his presence.

 It was a sorrowful sight, Annas watched as Kashees screamed, wailing in pain for his mother, it was a cry that had many sad meanings.

Unkur appeared to Annas, stroking the little creature with his fingers, Annas watched how he did it. He noticed the number of his fingers, they were six. 
  The whole street couldn't feel the dread with Annas. The streetlight near him only shone her beam, oblivious of his woes.

"We have some time together now, just me and you, like old time." Unkur said, he was an overgrown boy to Annas, too young to possess a vicious heart. Annas watched the fingers, not breaking his gaze off it, he preferred looking at it, than watching his evil eyes.

"You like my fingers, don't you? You also have six fingers, but your father made the doctor to chop it off, that's why you have those scars. It is a scar that could never be erased, even if you undergo surgery, it will still stick, that's a mark to show that the world hates you."

"The world doesn't hate me, I didn't offend her."

"Your birth did, we share many things in common young cub. We were always scorned by the society, just because we are distinct from them."

"Stop it, you are saying this to make me feel bad. Leave my family alone."

Unkur chuckled, "You're living a fake life, no one loves you, I will show you..." 

 Unkur glued his hand on Annas's forehead. Annas felt light, he was warm inside, he backed away from Unkur, feeling dizzy. The world spinned around him.

  He opened his eyes, he was in a crib, watching two familiar men. Annas couldn't speak, he only made a 'tah tah ma ma' sound. It shocked him when he noticed who he was. 
  
"The boy is too cute Ern. It will be so unfortunate if you persist on your plan." Said a fat man, watching Annas.

"I have to do it, he is evil, look at his eyes, and look at his fingers, they are six. I must kill it." Said the other man, he wasn't looking at Annas, he wore a face that was filled with loath.

"But Ernest it doesn't matter. Though he has the likeness of Unkur, but his heart is pure. He is innocent, it's just a biological trait. And don't call the baby an 'it' he is a boy." Said the fat man. Annas knew him now, he was Benjamin.

 How did it happen? Annas asked himself. He couldn't be an infant when Sydney had turned into a demon.

I am trying to show you who you really are.... Said a voice in his head.

Who are you... Annas said in his mind. He was glad he could talk, even if it was in his mind.

I am Unkur... listen to your father, watch him....

"It's not only a biological trait, he is evil. He is still Unkur, they are all evil." Said Ernest

"I don't believe so. I won't be part of anything you are planning, if you kill him the blood will be on your head."

"I am freeing the world from evil. I won't father a cursed child. He is an abomination."

"This was what happened about seven hundred years ago with Unkur, you know how his father killed his little brother. Don't repeat it."

"If he killed Unkur as well, then we would have been safe today."

"No, we wouldn't, the blood would have been on our heads. Unkur was innocent, his society made him bloodthirsty."

"I don't believe you are saying this!" Ernest snapped.

"Unkur's family could have embraced the boy irrespective of his looks. He was also entitled to a good life, but they never gave him any. Please give your baby a good life, accept him as one of us."

Annas watched his uncle, he was glad Benjamin stood for him. Mr Ernest was a fake father. He wasn't counting Ernest as a father anymore. It gave him a feeling of rejection to witness such hatred from his father.

"He can never be a Jacob. Jacob would reject him." Ernest blared.

"I don't think so. If Jacob had had this son he would love him like he loved us. It will prove a point to Unkur."

Ernest moved to the crib watching Annas with spite, he took his hands, watching his six fingers. "But I will have to remove the fingers, it should be five  if he will be living with me."
"We will go see the doctor, he will see to that." Benjamin said, looking happy.

Annas opened his eyes, watching the warm smile of his mother, her smile warmed his heart. He felt loved by his mother. She picked him up from the crib, cradling him on her arms. 
  His mother danced all around the room, with Annas on her arms. Annas pitied his mother, she was oblivious of Ernest wish. She was so innocent, she truly didn't deserve Ernest.
 Ernest walked in through the door, moving to his wife. 

"Thank God you are here, please take Eyo, I want to be with Margaret in the kitchen." Juliet called, giving Annas to Ernest. She departed.

Ernest held him in his arm, moving to the crib, he dropped him violently on the crib. Annas opened his tiny mouth, crying.

"You demon!! I can't stand your eyes. You think you will live. You wouldn't, I must take your life. You are not meant to live, demons like you are meant to burn in hell!" Ernest cursed.
Annas cried the more, he felt hurt. A young boy came in, he watched Annas. He was about eleven, the boy looked like Ernest - he was Kashees. The young Kashees cradled Annas on his arms, humming a beautiful tune. It made Annas stopped his crying.
 Ernest walked out without saying a word.

"Eyo, when you grow up I will always take you to Claybourne park. It's a beautiful park, we will be in the Merry go round, it's lovely, you will see." Kashees assured him, with a child's voice, it lacked the manliness that Annas knew him with.

 Please Unkur I have seen enough, let me go... Said Annas in his mind.

They are more things you need to know....

Annas opened his eyes, this time he saw his father, watching him like a man staring at a disgusting being. 
  The room was dimly lit. Annas spotted a dagger in Ernest right hand. He clutched its hilt as though his life depended on it.

"Your brothers are not home, there is a Basketball match going on. They wouldn't miss it, not even for you. Your mum went to a fashion show, she doesn't even want you there, you will be with Margaret. I told Margaret that I will look after you, so I made her take a day off. So you see, I am well covered. After I kill you I will stuff your pieces into a polythene bag, and bury you far away." Ernest voice rang, he took Annas from the crib with his left hand. 

"Look at this? It will end your short life, the world will rejoice after I kill you." 
The door creaked open with a force. Three men came in  dressed in rich native attire. Benjamin was with them. "Don't!" Benjamin shouted, dashing swiftly to his brother. 

 Ernest was struggling with an invincible force, he tried striking Annas, but he couldn't. Benjamin snatched the infant away from him. Ernest felt numb, not moving.

 A man dressed in a brown stylish ankara was pointing his hands to Ernest, he was the man making Ernest to stay still. "Am still holding him, he might do some thing strange if I leave him." The man said, answering their bothered faces that seemed to be screaming 'leave him he is no longer with the baby'.

"It will be okay little one, you are safe now..." Benjamin muttered. He was pacifying Annas, humming so he could stop crying.

"Benjamin how did you know all this?" Ernest asked, unable to move

"I told them about your plan. We were always studying you, we have a blood-empath see to it, he alerted us when he saw you with the dagger."

"How did you get my blood?" Ernest asked.

"Just leave it be." Benjamin said.

"I say how!!!" Ernest bellowed.

"I drugged you a day before yesterday. You slept in my home that day remember?"

"You are a betrayer!" Ernest snapped.

"It's for the best, we wouldn't let you repeat what Ache did."

Life was getting useless to Annas, he felt grateful to Benjamin for saving his life, but he wondered why he was even safed. Death was better, with it he wouldn't live to know and witness the curse.

The room spinned in his eyes, making him sick. He was at Eatery Delite, near the shattered glass. Shards of glass were scattered around like spilled beans.
 Kashees was still inside, moaning with pain. The street and its inhabitants were still silent, all  were paused.
 He watched the giant boy, watching his eyes, his pet, and his six fingers. 

"Why did you show it to me?" Annas asked, he was dying inside with pain and regrets.

"You and I have things in common. We are rejected by our father. Killed by them - in your case you managed to live, but my brother didn't. The world hates us, our place is not here, we are like a piece of garbage to humans. We don't need them."

"I once saw the riches and happiness in life, not until you ruined everything for me with the curse and now this..."

"No you didn't, all you saw were just mirages, earth hated our kind. You should make your father pay, he has always hated you for no reason, you know he does, don't hide from it." Said Unkur. 

Deep down, Annas knew it was the truth. His father had always hated him for flimsy and unserious things. He did brought friends home, but his father hated  it, saying they were bad company. But Sydney could bring friends, girls and boys alike, his dad saw nothing about it. He did tell Mr Ernest about his basketballdream, but Ernest hated it, saying basketballers are irresponsible, but he sponsored Sydney when he was trying to take Basketball as his career. He wanted to work with his father in his oil and gas business, but his father was always finding faults at whatever action Annas took. But Sydney was different, the apple of their father's eyes. Annas was better at overseeing the business, but his father never wanted him around. His father was the cause of his joblessness, he loved seeing Annas suffer, he loved it when his mother cried about his reckless life.

"You see... Truly he doesn't like you." Unkur said.

"You are in my head. Stop it, let me have a room for myself alone. Don't read my mind." Annas begged.

"It is open, veil it if you don't want me to."

"Am not a magician." Said Annas.

"We will meet at your deathbed, Sydney will wipe you all out, he seems promising."

"But they will always be a survival, we can all survive."

"If it's Regina that you are hoping on, please don't. I already know her plans, a million magician can't stop me. I have learnt lessons from your great grandfather's time. It will never repeat it self again. I will kill all the jujumen alone, I don't need the Eigengrist for this, my loyal servants wouldn't be part of it, it's family's business. Family will do family business alone..." Unkur said. He withered away into nothingness.

The street started springing with life again, they all walked past, some stared at the shattered glass. He ran through the big shattered window, going to Kashees. 

All the customers in Eatery's Delite watched with shock, they were murmuring, and whispering all around.

"Some body help he is bleeding!!" Annas shouted. Kashees watched him, he looked pale, and worn out. He was gradually dying.

Five individuals dressed in colorful native attire came to them through the window, Reginald was at their back, she hurried to Kashees, sobbing. She was on her normal black t - shirt and black jeans, and a red sneakers. Annas had already hid Sydney's dagger in his shirt when no one was looking, he would be using it for something.
  Reginald clutched Annas on his hands, held Kashees with her free hand.

Annas found himself on his street basketball court. Reginald was nursing Kashees' injured chest. 
   Annas knelt beside his brother, hoping Reginald could do wonders, she was a vessel, the mysterious woman could do wonders using Reginald's body.
  He could hardly spot who the people around him were. They were all dressed in native attire. A little man, and a tall man knelt  near Reginald. The remaining fellows were more than thirty, all staring at Reginald, waiting to see what help she could offer, few were ladies. Some were holding burning torches.
 There was also a strange creature in their midst, it stood still like a statue. The creature was tall with a stunted figure, very pale, its eyes were all grey. He was very ugly
  Aaron, Miraj, Castro, and Faruq ran to them from the group, kneeling near  Kashees. 
"What happened?!" Castro asked.

"Not now please.." Reginald begged. Her hands were glued on the bleeding chest. The hands glowed, Reginald eyes was all white, glowing as well.

The people all watched with silence..

"He will live!" Reginald happily announced. Rubbing tears off her eyes with the back of her hands.The group probably felt the liberty to talk, they all murmured, whispered, and made other strange sounds.

"All hands must be on deck now, we need to pray and hope that he comes here." Said the little man kneeling near Kashees.

"Where is Ernest and Benjamin?" Kashees asked, with a frail and breaking voice.

"We don't know for now We want Unkur to come here, if we succeed then he wouldn't meet any of your family at home, but if we fail, he would be coming to see t - the the..." The man said, not finishing his words.

"Massacre, that's the word. He will be coming to see as Sydney kill us all." Annas said, his voice was cracky, and pathetic. He had given up on any plan, they were worthless, curses were curses, they could never be broken.

"I believe that wouldn't be happening, Reginald had talked to the lady in her head, the lady also want Unkur as well." Said the tall man near the little man.

"We will lock him like our grandfather did." Said one of the man in the group. Annas could recognize the voice; he was the magician that saved his life. He held Ernest with magic that day.

"You all should go home, you have happy families. Don't make them lose you, go to them." Kashees shouted. He turned to the tall man and said: "Ahiaba go with them, you have a son." Said kashees, looking at the tall man.
  Kashees stood up, slowly pacing around, studying the group "please leave us, we know you are trying to help but Unkur is too powerful, he has legions of demons in his side, they help him  harness time, they help him with the curse, it can't be won, the war is too great to win." Kashees said, stopping near the still creature "This sealed Ghoul wouldn't help as well, Unkur learns from his past mistake. By the time you unleash the ghoul he would kill it like he is killing a housefly." The creature stood still like a statue, it wasn't moving, not till they awaken it.

"It's also our fight. He murdered my  wife and six children right before my own eyes, I am fighting for them as well. So you can't stop me." Said Faruq Tapshat.

"He dismembered the whole of my family, burning all the heads in my presence, this has gone beyond only your family problem, is a problem we all are facing." A chubby woman contributed.
 The rest of the group murmured in agreement, they were all fighting to take down Unkur, it was all that mattered.