Chapter 12-The Voice In The Infinite Darkness (1/2)
Tanaka and Daniel dined in on the biscuits, apples, and chips and imbibed the water. This fellows.h.i.+p between two men was a blissful privilege in the dark era of death and decay. Tanaka ate a lot, exhibiting a startling gluttony. Daniel took notice of this and said, ”You don't have to finish it all, we gotta keep some for tomorrow.” Tanaka immediately glanced at Daniel and said, ”You never know when it's gonna be your last meal, don't hold back.” Daniel did not challenge Tanaka, and left him to his binge feasting. After munching for a while, they began to hear the ominous sounds from outside, pervading with great malignancy. Daniel at first was startled until Tanaka told him to calm down. Daniel couldn't quite understand why Tanaka was so calm, but he was soon told, ”We're safe because we have the torch, don't worry. Just eat and forget about them.” Daniel who was still trying to adjust to the world as it was, tried to figure out why Tanaka wasn't remotely disturbed or at least frightened. What he didn't realise was that Tanaka was afraid, but his fear rested on other thoughts not pertaining to the creatures in the dark, thoughts that he alone delved into as he finished feasting. Tanaka finished off the bottle of bonaqua still water whilst Daniel sipped intermittently one can of Lion lager. The m.u.f.fled sounds of their chewing and swallowing went had in hand with the cacophony of the creatures outside. The mirrors that were yanked off from the toilet walls were placed in the cubicle, bouncing off a lot of light onto the walls, making the room feel more natural and lively. Beyond the entrance of the examination room, the darkness from the shadows that were cast was great, leaving a scintillating mystery of the unknown. When Tanaka finished his meal, he took the antibiotics and pain killers that Daniel had insisted on to alleviate the pain that Tanaka had hinted as he fumbled his back from time to time with a grimace on his face. After taking his meds, he flung himself on the bed and looked at Daniel who was sipping his can slowly. Tanaka then asked, ”How does alcohol taste like?” Daniel glanced at the curious youth and replied, ”It's brittle and sour, good for calming the nerves and for Dutch courage.”
”What's Dutch courage?” he asked, oblivious of the term and its meaning.
”Well you don't know what that means?” he asked as he chuckled, ”It's when you drink to gain confidence or at least when you want to feel charged up.”
”Can I try it?” he asked, with the hope of being obliged.
”I don't think I would be a responsible adult if I let a minor drink before they were of age.” he said in a coy manner.
”Well um 16 years old.” he lied.
”The legal age is 18 kid,” he said getting another bottle from the 6 pack casing, '”but then again, not all of us started drinking at a legal age. You might as well give it a try” Daniel threw the can at Tanaka who barely caught it in mid-air. Tanaka received it in a manner similar to that of an American football player catching a ball, immediately fumbling it and then finally opening the can. Tanaka saw the foam build up and instantly took a sip. His face at first grimaced, folding his fine features into a severe squint but he then opened his eyes wide open and said, ”It's not bad, but tastes like nyevhe.” Daniel chuckled a bit then responded, ”Well at least you now know how it tastes. Now give me the can.” Tanaka at first thought he was joking, but Daniel's facial expression reflected a pa.s.sive seriousness that he didn't want to contest. Tanaka thus got out of the bed with the can and placed it on the ground, next to Daniel, with a snivelling gesticulation. As he trotted back, Daniel then asked, ”So what do you think is going on in Harare?” Tanaka sat on the bed, his back fastened to the wall and said, ”I don't think its Harare alone, maybe the whole of Zimbabwe or even the whole world, but I learned a few things before we met.”
”And what did you learn?” asked Daniel whose curiosity had reached its apex.
”I met this old man in a flat who told me things' things about those monsters being here because of our sins or something. It didn't really make sense, but I think maybe we might be in h.e.l.l. He said that these things are here because of our sins, that they have come as a result of us or something.” said Tanaka who looked dismayed as he narrated his tale.
”Our sins are the result of these things? Wait what happened to the old...” he asked before being interjected by Tanaka.
”He got killed. There was nothing I could do, he just died like the rest of the people in the Avenues.” he said in a sullen tone. Daniel couldn't help but pause after hearing that, but eventually said, ”Sorry kid.” The brief silence was subsided by the guttural ominous voices that were all emanating from outside as if the demons were marching on Old Mazoe road in the darkness. Tanaka went on to say, ”I saw the thing they call their master just before he died. It was the scariest thing I ever saw in my life. I felt like I was possessed by an evil spirit, as if I wasn't myself when I saw it. That stuff that pastors like Makandiwa and Uebert Angel talk about. It was really scary. That thing is supposed to be the leader of those monsters. That's all I know.”
”A leader?” he asked, engulfed with fear due to the revelation. Daniel put his beer can down and flicked his eyes as he tried to accept what was being said. This was all new to him and he felt as if he was close to reaching hypertension the more the terror of the world was unravelled.
”Yes and the old man called him Mweya Mutema. That's what his called. Everything that's killing people and the reason why there is no sun or moon and just darkness is supposed to be related to him. Well that's what I think, I can't really make sense of this s.h.i.+t.” he said as he starred at the ceiling with an almost empty gesture. After a brief mental meltdown, Daniel retained his claim to sanity and then asked, ”So how is it that this torch is the only thing that works? When I was at the shop, I tried lighting a match stick, but it couldn't light. But when the torch's light was lighting it, it seemed to work. How is that even possible?”
”I don't know. I was in the back of a moving vehicle with two white guys who were telling me things that didn't make sense. I just woke up with the torch when their car crashed.” he said with a tang of frustration.
”Wait you came out of a car accident?” asked Daniel with his eyes wide open.
”Yah, its been a bad day from the beginning.” he said as he sighed, mortified by his own struggles. Daniel just looked at the boy with unbelievable stupefaction, wondering what else he had gone through before they had met. Tanaka had gone through a lot and this realisation was drawing the man into being more sensitive and selective with his words.
”Did the white guys die in the crash?” he asked in an almost hesitant manner.
”Yes. They did. They deserved it” replied Tanaka. Daniel was disturbed by the fact that Tanaka had rejoiced in the death of his two kidnappers. They had committed a grave crime indeed, but seeing such a young man behave in an angst manner was not something he was used to. In fact, the very display of such was extremely foreign, but something even more unfamiliar pressed his mind.
”I know that this is totally unrelated but how did you do that with the torch. I mean you burned that thing alive. How do you make it do that?” asked Daniel who seemed intrigued by the torch's special attributes.
”I honestly don't know. When um angry it just listens to me or something, even at that time when I killed that thing, I was really just angry at it. How it works is beyond me.”
”I guess it all adds up now. Have you noticed something about the torch?” he asked as he got up from where he was sitting and grabbed the torch, ”it has no batteries inside.”
”Huh?” asked Tanaka who was surprised by what Daniel had just stated.
”I guess you never checked it. It felt a bit too light, as if it didn't have anything inside. I then noticed that it had no batteries at all.” he said with a hint of bewilderment. Tanaka just starred as he was utterly dumb founded by the information. Daniel even twisted open the latch of the batteries compartment to show Tanaka the novelty of the torch. Tanaka was left speechless when he found no batteries inside and then kept quiet for a while. Daniel went on to ask, ”So what's the plan?”
”Plan?” iterated Tanaka.
”Yah, what do we do now that we know all this. You have a plan right?” asked Daniel who looked at the boy earnestly.
”I don't know. I don't even think a plan is even possible with the way things are.” said Tanaka who seemed irked by the question.
”What do you mean even possible? There is always a way, you just have to be optimistic.” said Daniel who seemed disappointed by what Tanaka had just said.