Kadian

The Great Annihilation

Shango had no control over its victims thoughts and feelings. Kadian still experienced all of the frantic, petrifying feelings anyone in a similar situation would, despite her zombie like movements.

Kadian struggled with all her might to turn around. It wasn't that she couldn't feel her body-she just couldn't move it. She panicked far more than she had when the villagers had attempted to take her to Shango only nights before. It was the lack of control over her body, and the situation that made her heart race. To her, the walk was no different than looking death in the eye.

It was all over. Life, for her and her only, was over. She would go up there, get struck by lightning, and no one would ever find her. Why would Sister do something like this? Kadian supposed it didn't matter at that point, but where were the villagers?

"The crematorium!" She remembered. They couldn't have assisted her either way, but it still would've been comforting to hear their voices. She decided to use the last of her time to think about her parents and her old life. For a moment, she forgot that they had no memory of her.

The constricting feeling disappeared as soon as Kadian reached Shango's flat, circular top. She blinked her eyes and shook her body in disbelief. She was free!

The air was sharp and arid, making it much harder to breathe. She looked at the large stalagmites surrounding the circular ground, preventing anyone from jumping. It was undeniably Shango.

A thought occurred to Kadian. "Hello, hello.." she murmured, pleased that her voice had returned. She dashed across the wide stone, went towards the edge of Shango, and looked between the thick stone stalagmites.

Before her lied a clear, complete view of Azuraya that would've been beautiful in different circumstances. There were dim lights in the distance that seemed to be coming from lanterns. The villagers were returning! Kadian saw a brigade of Azurayans heading back to their homes.

It had grown too dark for them to see Kadian, so she relied on the light wind to carry her voice. Kadian took two deep breaths before screaming "HELP!!!" at the top of her lungs. Not a single head turned her way.

When the villagers began to reach their tents and huts, she tried it again. "HEELLLP, I'M ON SHANGO! IT'S KADIAN! HEELLP!!!" she shouted. A few villagers paused and scratched their heads, and it was clear they were wondering where the sound came from.

"OVEER HERE!" Just as she began to shout again, the wind picked up. "HEEL-" She broke into a fit of coughing, her voice hoarse. The wind was so strong that she struggled to stand against it-there was no use yelling now.

Squinting, she looked up and watched in horror as a yellow zig zag cut through the navy blue sky. It was descending downwards, heading her way. It was unlike any bolt of lightning Kadian had ever seen, and she didn't wish to observe it for any longer.

She rushed back the way she came, wondering if she could run down the trail. When she tried to get past the entrance, however, it felt as though she hit a wall, and she plummeted to the ground. She hopped back up and ran against the entrance again and again, but there seemed to be some sort of invisible barrier. Zee hadn't mention that! But then again, no one ever returned from Shango alive, so she would have no way of knowing.

Banging, kicking, slapping-it was all in vain. The barrier would not give away. The winds shrieked and whirled around violently. The lightning was almost to the center of the ground, but not quite.

"I could slip between Shango's spikes, and climb off," Kadian thought. It was a perilous plan, but it had potential.

She managed to fight back against the winds, and made it to a set of spikes wide enough for her to slip through. But just as she was beginning to stick her leg through an opening, the wind snatched her by hair, and hauled her towards the center of Shango. Kadian shrieked and kicked, tears streaming down her face. She flailed her arms around and tried to fight against the invisible attacker.

The wind responded by snatching her arms, placing them behind her back, and binding her legs together as it continued to drag her across the stone floor. She turned her head and saw that she was about ten seconds away from reaching the middle of Shango. The lightning would be within her reach by the time she made it.

There was only one more chance of rescue. "GOD!" she shrieked, her fading voice being devoured by the wind.

"PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME GOD!" The wind anchored her firmly to the center of the stone.

"No, no..." she whispered, holding her head down and shutting her eyes. She couldn't face what was about to become of her. The dragging came to a halt, and her body went into the same trance like state from earlier. Her twists were yanked downwards, forcing her head to tilt back, and her eyelids flew open.

"No!!" The tip of the lightning was a foot away from her face. Moving was futile, but she tried regardless.

"OH GOD NO!" She tried to run, or at least close her eyes, both unsuccessfully. "AHHHH!!!!!!"

Kadian was forced to watch the lightning tap the bridge of her nose. An excruciating blast of pain shot through her body, worse than anything anyone could have ever imagined. Screaming, Kadian collapsed to the ground. The silent lightning continued to wrap around her body, scorching and electrocuting every inch of her,inside and out. The agony coursed through out every vein, every crevice of her body- her entire being-and caused them to burst as they burned. The closest feeling to relief wasn't felt until after her heart exploded. Then, and only then did the loudest clap of thunder roar across the land.