Gender: Female
Age: 32
Sign:
Scorpio
Signup Date:
November 12, 2020 |
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04/15/2021 07:28 PM
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Blue Lights - pt. 2
 “I got you”—those were the last words Chima would hear. If anybody told her that this would be how she would die a year ago, she probably wouldn’t have believe them. Why would she? She started from strip clubs to now hanging off the arms of criminals, plenty of room for danger and close calls. But this? This felt… odd. This felt mistimed and disappointing. A reality check to her guilt riddled thoughts of cheating death that one time her son couldn’t. God had a sick sense of humor like that. She was trying to stay with Apollo, but was out by the time she was passed off to the medics. His words would be the last ones she would hear coherently. And even then, it sounded like he was shouting down a hallway. His words were muffled, dicing in and out as she fought her best to follow it. But at last, she couldn’t. Underwater sounds turned into nothingness, as if she had jumped into a void.
Chima was the void. Eyes opened to vast darkness, with nothing offering light but a bluish beam in the distance. She took a few steps, each one light and airy. Weighless, deathless, each step like a glorified float. By the time Chima got up on it, her life was flashing before her eyes and bringing tears to them.
Everything went by so fast, a collection of twenty-seven years of life condensed into one giant scene. Everything, from her childhood birthdays up until her laying in her husband’s arms, was on display.
The times she was ever hurt, or scared, or deeply happy. The times she ever felt loved, even from just a night ago. She and her husband exchanged I love yous for the first time the other night, like they knew something would happen. The revelation brought tears to her eyes, carrying with it this warm, salty breeze. It was familiar, swelling her heart with euphoria and comfort. Made her put her hand out, desperate to feel the warmth again. Feeling a hand hold hers right back, guiding her over slowly.
But it would be the sound of a child’s laughter that made her freeze dead in her tracks. Her son’s laughter. She was looking to the right, seeing another light source coming closer. Engulfing her vision until all she could see was blue, making her eyes cut from the brightness. Vivid shades of blue hues flooded her, all the way until it morphed into a dreary, rainy day. She was back in Franklin, standing on the driveway of her Grandmother’s shotgun home. Still had on the white dress she wore when she was shot, but without the blood. Standing and blinking, looking around like she was lost. That was until Miss Katheryn spoke up.“Mhmm. Now didn’t I tell your ass to leave dangerous people alone? Now look at you…” Huh? Her eyes cut up from the pavement to the wooden front porch, now looking her grandmother in the face. Years of experience and worn were etched into Katheryn’s face, the woman’s skin tight and a bit gaunt around the eyes. Had a scarf on her head, with ropes of grey braids pushed to the back. Had this look of irritation to match the brand of Southern sternness she often possessed. “I know you ain’t lookin’ at me like I’m not talkin’ to you, Miss Chimamanda…”“N-No, Ma’am… I—” It was all so overwhelming. She hadn’t seen her grandmother in a decade now, had almost forgotten what she looked like. Chima stepped forward, coming up the porch steps to gaze in the other’s face a bit. Blinking away tears and giving a soft smile in return. “Damn. I guess I did die, huh?” Gave a weak laugh, though it was no laughing matter. Was too heartbroken to say anything, but also happy to see a familiar face. Katheryn just shook her head and came closer to her granddaughter, pulling her into a hug and giving her a peck to the cheek. She still smelled of White Diamonds perfume and the sweet, tangy scent of Beechnut chewing tobacco. “No. You didn’t die. Came close, but you will live. They already operated on you a few days ago.”...A few days ago? Chima stepped back and stared at her grandmother. Fingers absently grazed over her stomach through the thin white dress, feeling the new scar on her stomach. A bullet sized crater now rested right above her cesarean. Life had a way of leaving her these little reminders of the things that hurt the most. Even now, as she stood at her grandmother’s side, she was hurt just being reminded of the life she once had. “So why I am here, ma’am?” Her voice was cracking at the end. “You’re here because he wanted to say hi.”Standing in the open doorway with a goofy grin on his face was her late son, Malik. He still had on his little blue and black pajamas, long pants with a tank that had rocketships and moons patterned all over them. His hair was still in the four neat, sideways braids Chima put in his head the night before he died, his hair full and curly like hers. Malik had her everything, really. From his skintone and height, but he seemed to keep Blu’s demeanor and eyes. “Mommy! You’re here!” She was stunned to absolute silence as the boy came up and wrapped his arms around her. It all hit her at once. She sank to the floor, coming to the porch in shock and tears. Remained still as the boy laughed, wrapping his arms around her neck and leaning on her back. “Don’t cry, Mommy. You’re not supposed to be here now. Thats why I told Grandma to get you!” Katheryn took her seat back in her rocker, nodding her head. “He’s right, you know? You were about to give in, like you don’t have greater things to accomplish. Tch. I didn’t raise a quitter, gal. You know good and well it's not your time.” The words hurt more to hear than anything. Chima wiped her eyes, sniffing away her tears. “But what if I want to stay? I don’t want to lose you two again…” But Katheryn was hearing none of it.
Suddenly, her vision was going from grainy to a slowly building blue, the azul tones washing over them and her vision. She clung to her son tighter as he did, had a hand to his back. She could feel the bumpy bullet holes along his spine and shoulder blades. Could even feel the exit wounds on his chest and stomach as he pressed into her. Hard to tell what felt worse—this experience or the day she lost him.
The blue lights still building, right as Katheryn gently guided Malik from his mother. The two walked towards the doorway of the house, with the boy going first as he gave his mother a wave. “Sorry, baby girl. You have so much to offer the world and you’ve barely even begun your journey. If you were meant to be here, you would’ve been here. There was a reason you missed the raid, Chima. Don’t take that for granted…” Katheryn stopped at the door, giving a kind smile in return. “We’ll be here, baby. Now go back. You got people waitin’ on you.”
“But—” WHOOSH.
Suddenly, she was sucked back from the porch, being dragged back by the legs like they were caught in a cyclone. Slowly, the environment was changing from Franklin to a dark void yet again, her body getting dragged back like she was getting pulled into a vacuum. Her entire body was engulfed in flashing lights that went from hues of blue to a vivid, blinding white. In the distance, she could hear monitors beeping and people talking amongst each other.
By the time Chima opened her eyes again, she was laying in a hospital bed.
Confused and angry, hurt and in a deep pain she had never felt before in her life. One that ran from physical to mental, as she thought about her son and the choices she had made since she lost him. Was I a bad mother? Once again, sobbing. Uncontrollably so. So uncontrollable, it took her a minute to even digest what had woken up to. And wouldn’t digest it until she stopped crying long enough to sniffle—that was when she heard a gun click from safety. Had a barrel set to her temple only seconds later. ...What the f***? Chima’s eyes went from the hand holding the gun up to the familiar face of Dionira sitting behind the trigger. Then followed over to the snapped eerie golden grin of Apollo as he seemed to stand at the room door’s window, tapping at it with a phone in his hand. She could hear the droning of a reporter from BBC news playing on a small television in her room. “Carnage in London continues, as gang activity following a driveby shooting has left twenty people dead… More from local authorities when we return from these messages…” She blinked, looked from Dionira to her husband. Remembering the drive by, but also not sure what else carried on while she was comatose. So when she spoke up with her eyes wide and lips chapped, tone raspy from being in silence of day on end.
Chima finally broke her silence. “...Apollo, what did you do?” 
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