"Zoey…" I cannot stand foolishness but honestly she might be sick. "What else did you see in the room?"
"My room?" her eyes are big again. "They died. That's it."
"Nobody came and got them?" I ask.
"No… I was sleep. Maybe after…"
"I don't think you right--"
"WHY CAN'T I!" her teeth are gnarled. "Ok, Ok!" she's probably just hungry. "I'm sorry… you wanna try sleeping?" I coo.
She calms down, her eyes no longer big. I've never seen a vamp with brown eyes. "No." she answers meekly. "Can I stay up?"
It would be better to go to bed. "Alright."
.
.
.
The next day, I can't say it's morning. The same doctor came in and when he saw Zoey, he smiled. "I can take two and one day. That's fantastic."
He turns to me in bed while Zoey plays with the mirror. "What does seeing yourself in a mirror mean?"
"Uh, you have a reflection." I say. "You have a soul." says the doctor. "Ok, Zoey-Rose. Let's go over your condition."
She frowns in the mirror. "When are we going to the plant?"
"Plantation." he corrects. "I have a lot of patients today. Less than one now."
"Why you say that?" I ask.
"Ms. Robin just killed herself. She kept running into a wall until her head bled. Ok, Zoey, what happened when your mother died?"
"I don't know…"
"Alright, that's still the same." he marks something a piece of paper. "When where you born?"
"I don't know…" she answers.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Well, Mums answered a prayer. She's actually a very gifted child…"
"Whats that mean?"
"Well, I shouldn't say anything." Doctor Fisher chortles. "I'm just a doctor."
"What do vampires have to do with doctors?"
"Well, as we say in medicine. We can't make money off the dead." he chuckles. "But vampires in and out the ghetto is fascinating. I mean, patients in hospital are dying because of the meds we give them. But it's a test to make sure they can make it."
"What!"
"We have to kill people."
"No the fuck you don't! Do you hear you?"
"I do… I mean vampires are in America. Locucts started in Virginia. It's because of Jamestown, that's where them Negroes stepped."
"I'm a negro…" Zoey gasps in the mirror. "Yes you are Zoey…"
"Don't tell her no shit like that!" I get off the bed. "You just called a black child a negro!"
"Well… she is… especially being a vampire."
"What is wrong with you!"
"Well, the Obayifo came from Africa. Totally our fault with slavery and all that. But now, we misunderstood what Africa was and could do. So we decided to… harvest. Instead of being afraid of black people and making ties with countries… why not try to be them." he has this ridiculous goofy smile. "I'm not racist. I'm just jealous. Even China has it…"
"What do you have to be so jealous about?"
"Luckily black people eat bones. Somewhere… there is an African that's a 100 years old. How do y'all live so long?"
I step to him. "With no insurance?"
"Is this about making money?"
"I mean, I see why you would think that. And yes, we all could make money off the dead. I could pay to bring a dead body back or other. It's new, assassination. Hell, we could bring JFK!"
"What--What is wrong with you people?"
"We like you…" he beams.
.
.
.
I should ask about Zoey's father. It's odd for a kid to look at the last supper and say Jesus Christ is her father.
I've been away from home, my people--I don't give a shit about my brother…
I should ask about mama, the doctor said she was in a cell.
I'm sitting in the sitting area with Zoey. There are three black women in the room and a very thin Asian woman with her eyes missing. The three black women are by her and by tying her hair into a bun.
"There you go..." she pats her hair down. The woman doesn't speak English but I think she said thank you. "Don't nobody else wanna help her and nobody wants to tell it either..."
"Sasha what are you saying?" asks the black lady with red earrings. "You know who!" at first I thought she was looking at me but I turned. A very feeble white man with his white gown tucked in his underwear is holding his fist together.
I turn Zoey's head away. "If he come over here again, Imma cut him."
This calls for a buddy system. I get up out my chair and pull Zoey along with me. "Um, can I join yall?" I ask.
"Everybody doing it. I'm Tamara Walker." she introduces. Tamara has pink bright eyes with blue eyeliner. "I'm Vickie Norris…" Vickie is chubby and a little rough in the face. "Michelle Ali Hart." introduces the black woman with a thin afro. "I'm a werewolf."
"Really?" I'm almost excited. "Mokiri Pretty Gains."
"What!" she giggles. "You Yawa's kid?"
"Damn, you big child." Tamara grabs my arm and turns me around. "I mean… like of course you are the nigga himself was a giant."
"So tell me… did he make kids?" Michelle states with her lip turned up. "Is you human or ghastly?"
"What does that mean?"
"That settles it, she not made." says Vickie
"What you mean?"
"Rumor has it they taking body and soul. Even worst Growden think he can make a soul from nothing."
That's alarming. "OH!" Michelle gets behind the asian woman. "Excuse my manners. This is Ms. In-Sook, she ain't got no eyes but she got her soul." she squeezes the woman's arms. "Ms. Sookie, we got a new friend."
Again, she doesn't know english well. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Sookie."
"Geugeo saegeoya? Geunyeoneun goengjanghi yeppeo." she smiles. Her hand beckons, Tamara look at me, mouthing closer. I go near Ms. In-Sook and she grabs my gown. She pats down my thigh, "Fat."
Thank you.
"Baby, say hi. We gotta stick together in this bitch."
"Me?" Zoey states astonished. "Yes you. Don't be rude."
Without saying it, I know she saying 'You ain't my mama,' in her head. "Hello." she says in a small voice.
"Shipil…" she says. "I am 11…"
I look at Zoey. "You speak that language?"
"I picked up a book from the junkyard. It had asian languages in it."
"From the junkyard?"
"I used to live in a junkyard. Me and my brother literally built a house and everything."
Ms. Sookie shakes her head, "geunyeoui yeonghon-eun dolgoissda. Get salt."
"Salt?" questions Vickie. "If I can find some."
"Why does she need salt?"
"Blessings… the child got something on her."
I look at the four tables and ask for salt. A little girl with brown pigtails get's up and hands me a pack of salt. She then turns and points at Zoey-Rose, "Demon."
"Little girl, fuck you" replies Zoey.
"Lord have mercy--stop." I put the child's hand down and give Ms. In-Sook the salt pack. Without eyes, using her soul, she rips the pack open and spills it in the palm of her hand. "Beads." she says. "I'm wearing a bracelet Ms. Sookie." Michelle shakes her left arm.
"wiggle it." she picks up the salt and sprinkles over Zoey's head.
Let not a hand touch this child
Let not a claw touch this child
Nor teeth
Nor tongue
She throws salt at the feet.
Let her walk
Let her go straight
May an ancestor come down for her
She turns Zoey around and throw salt at her back.
Don't step on her shadow
Don't break her back
May a brother, May a sister, a mother--watch her.
She grips Zoey's shoulders and shakes her. "Stop following her! Stop following her!" she beats her back. "Ow…"
Michelle shakes her braclet and something nicks my foot. "OW!" I hop on one leg. "What the hell…"
"take yo shoe off!" urges Vickie. I take off my white slippers and my foot is bleeding. "Demons!" shouts a child. "That's a vampire…"
"Strong one too…" says Ms. Sookie. Zoey starts scratching her back, "Ooo-oo-oh!"
"Stop stretching yo arm like that!" warns Tamara. She catches Zoey and spins her. She lifts her shirt. "Oh my word…" she looks back at the women. "Do you see that?"
"What's wrong," I limp to see Zoey's back. All I do is ask myself, what is in this room. Her back has stop engraved in her skin.
"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen." the doctor stands in the door frame. "we'll be sending everyone to their assigned plantation for the rest of therapy. When I call your name, please line up one behind the other and be prepared. You may take belonging from your rooms. First name Arkamun?"
An old man is helped up and he walks a on a cane to the door. "You'll be going to Humblewood Plantation. Next Astrid?" A pale lady lines up next to Arkamun. The doctor redirects her, "You'll be headed to Sun and Water Estate. Can Mokiri Gains line up behind Arkamun?"
I have to keep Zoey with me…
"Can I go to the bathroom!"
"Make it quick!" I throw my hand at Zoey. "ME TOO!"
The doctor rolls his eyes. "Ok, whoever need the bathroom. Line up, we only have one."
We all get in line for the bathroom. What the fuck…
I have Zoey beside me, I squeeze her hand. "We gotta run somehow. We got kids in this, that's the start of life." I hear Tamara behind me. "I got nothing," says Vickie.
In the way back, Michelle is helping Ms. In-Sook. I'm thinking…
"Make it quick. The buses are here and we running on gas."
I'm thinking…
Zoey keeps trying to scratch her back and then I hear. "Stop writing on me…"
"Who?"
"I don't know," she pouts on the verge of tears. "Mokiri, help…"
I'm thinking…
"Her back is bleeding again." Tamara takes off her pants. "I told them I was cold so I got a second pair. Tamara tied the pants around Zoey's waist.
I mean… you gotta do something…
I'm thinking…
"Next one go in. The one coming out come to the--OW!"
I'm so deep in thought. "Where the hell did that--OW!" Someone is throwing cups at him. It's Ms. In-Sook, "STOP!" the doctor hollers. A chair is flown at him. "Enough! Somebody, help!"
I'm thinking…
I can't think no more…
I let Zoey's hand go and tackle the doctor. I punch him in the face and wrap my fingers around his throat. "What the--"
"Pass out!" I shake him. I force his head to the ground, raise up, push down, raise up, push down. Tamara kicks him in the head. His eyes glaze over. "Eat him!" shouts somebody.
"Eat him!"
"Quick we gotta search the rooms. Look for some charms or something. I hear Korean, Ms. Sookie points down the hall. "She said it's in the way back. It's what's keeping us still…" rushes Zoey. She comes by my side, almost trying to lift my heavy ass up. "Come on Mokiri!"
"We gotta get charms before we leave."
I look at Zoey, "Follow behind me."
Many of us race down the corridor. We make a turn. If we go straight, there is a set of doors. Down the hall is another hall to the right. "Go straight!" directs a man's voice. "I snuck out, to the right is the cafeteria."
We run to the door, our feet slapping against the white floor. One pushes the door in, in the room are boxes to the ceiling. "Do we just grab boxes?" says Astrid. "No, they have tabs on them."
I don't listen and grab one and give Zoey one. I grab another Box from a highter stack. "Tamara! You with me,"
"Girl say no more…" she jumps up a stack and grabs a box. Vickie grabs a box and shakes it, "Ms. Sookie… which ones?"
"Right one…" she says. She's by the door with her hand towards her heart. She's looking at the white man with a sneer.
"What?" he breathes. "I'm not hurting you. I was hungry." he eases towards her. "Sookie…"
She backs out the door. I hit him behind his head with the box. "Wrong one." she looks at me. "Back!"
"To the back?" I slam the box on the man's head and open it. It's some gloves, some necklaces, no… it's dogtags.
I blink and go to the back. "Zoey, check the box!"
"Whose looking for us?"
"I got it!" says Michelle.
I open the boxes before I just take one. "Y'all need to check! Before we be out sufferin'!" I rip open the box, it's candy in here. "It's a box full of nasty ass underwear!"
"I found a box with teeth!"
"I got some limbs…"
I check the next box, YES! "I got charms!"
"Stupid…"
"Huh…?" I'm flung to the back wall. "What else was in that box?" he unzips his pants. "Give me blood." he flashes his teeth at me. I get off the floor, "Don't you touch her!" Zoey-Rose comes behind him and bites his leg. "Get off nigger!" he punches Zoey in the head. "I rush to the box, I don't what kind of charm it is. It doesn't matter! I toss it to the ground. My body floats and below me my shadow is more than one.
What does this charm do?
My shadow can cover the room. I move my left hand and push somebody. I bring it up and cover Zoey and the man. I grip my fingers together and grab both. Zoey wiggles out of it, dropping to the floor. "Mokiri!"
I bring up my right hand and shut the doors. I toss the white fool at the doors. "Cool! You got a shadow charm!" she starts looking in the box.
"Over by the walls, the bottom." her accent is making it hard, she's repeating. "I got someone over here…" says Vickie. "I got eight together."
"I found three more." says Zoey. I hit the floor and the charm boost in the air. I catch it in my hands. "I got mine."
"Which plantation?" asks someone.
"Humble…" says Arkamun. "They got a rainbow up Indiana."
"Indiana?" Tarama proclaims. "Why Indiana?"
"Underground. This is the realm, remember?"
"That's up towards… the Vybe, right?"
"Let's get to the bus…"
"Wait!" I yell. "We still getting' on the bus?"
"I thought we were running out!" yells Astrid.
"We can't… if they know, nobody free."
Ms. Sookie starts talking, "Ms. Sookie says if we run out they'll send hunters. And that one…" she points at the white man. "That's Rusty Growden. He turned last night."
"Leave him…" a big woman steps on his face. "Let's get out of here. Or go somewhere safe."
Ms. Sookie speaks again and Zoey translates. "She said, we should go to Humblewood. They have a store."
"A store?"
"Humblewood is peaceful… It's a lot of vamps over there. And werewolves." she smiles.