The Curse of 1977 (Book 2)

Rising and climbing over mounds of rocks, trash and debris, Lynnette and Cloyse arrived at Hollis Estates just shy of noontime. They could have taken a bus or a cab like Cloyse had urgently insisted, but Lynnette chose to take the hard, long way, past gang territory and even the police station to reach the buildings.It was reaching noon.

The sun was full and blazing in the cloudy sky. Lynnette and Cloyse were sweaty, soaking messes to where even their clothes were drooping off of their bodies. Lynnette, with Cloyse bringing up the far rear, climbed over piles of rubble and a few old couches on her way to the very top of a brick heap to see the three shelled out hulks standing crippled and broken down before her.

Within the lonely vicinity was a dead quiet. All around all Lynnette could see was ruin, much like a war-torn section of some combat riddled neighborhood from decades earlier in a foreign country.She stood there with her arms folded and her misty eyes locked ahead of her as though she were caught up in a deadly daze.

Breathing hard, Cloyse came up behind Lynnette and said, "In my vision, I saw three buildings, but I never envisioned dey would look like dis."

"My aunt and uncle on my mother's side used to live here way back in the sixties." Lynnette continued to stare at the buildings. "I used to hate coming here because people would always be selling drugs."

"Well, we're certainly not going to accomplish anything by standing here." Cloyse remarked as he stood next to Lynnette. "We've wasted enough time just walking all de way here."

Lynnette noticed that Cloyse was moving ahead of her down the rock pile and towards the buildings, but she couldn't even take one step forward.

Cloyse stopped plodding down the mound long enough to turn around. He then sighed in agitation before ascending the pile and facing Lynnette.

"I know you are scared, but—

"But, what," Lynnette interjected. "What are you gonna tell me? To have courage? To face my fears? You've seen those things. For the past six months I've been doing everything imaginable to erase my memory of it."

"But your son," he pressed.

"You don't have to tell me about my son!" Lynnette fired back. "Do you know what it's like to look at your own son and see nothing but his father in his face? Every time I look into my child's eyes I see Isaac!"

"So what, you're just going to stand here and let dem kill your child?" Cloyse just shrugged. "Do you think me to be simple? Hell yes I am scared! I get scared every time I look one of dem in de eye! And yes...I may die in dere, but I can assure you dat I am not leaving dis world until dey come along with me! They wiped out my entire village! You cannot erase any of dat!"

Lynnette braced herself as tight as she could while trying in earnest to shove Cloyse's speech out of her head. The main road was only sixty or so yards behind her, and it appeared so luxurious in all its stained glory.

"Dat's exactly why you took so long in getting here, because of your fear!" Cloyse screwed up his already disappointed face at her. "If you will not go inside and get your son, then I shall!"

Lynnette stood and watched in dread as the man defiantly walked right by her on his way down the rubble and towards the buildings.Her legs were completely stiff to the point where just moving one of them felt as though they would break apart.

The closer Cloyse approached the buildings the more Lynnette realized that he wasn't going to stop; the man didn't even bother to look back at her on his way, he just simply trekked on along like the reluctant warrior that he had seemingly grown up to become.

With sweat drizzling down her face and her fists balled up Lynnette treaded down the mound until her feet met with solid pavement. Between both her and Cloyse was about a hundred yards, give or take. She wasn't all too concerned with catching up to him as she was about the welfare of her child.

Yes, Lynnette pondered and worried much about Isaiah; as hard as she may have wanted, the boy would not vacate her soul. All the drugs in the world couldn't erase her love for him. All the distance that she kept between her and him for the past few months was never far enough to escape Isaiah. Not once did her baby leave her thoughts, but her stuttering feet had a mind all their own.

With every step they kept on moving slower and slower, tripping over themselves every other minute before Lynnette had to actually stop.Cloyse as well stopped just short of the left building's entrance. Lynnette stood behind only a mere thirty feet and watched the man gaze all the way up the shabby structure's exterior. She then ultimately met him side by side.

"Are you sure that's he's here?" She asked with vibrating jaws.

At first the young man didn't reply, he stood with his head pointed to the sky in a trance-like state. Lynnette looked at him before slowly backing away from his side.

"What...what if he's not down here?" She whispered.

"When I was but six, for a whole week straight I had a dream of a fire dat killed seventeen people inside a slaughter house at my village." He gently uttered. "My mother and father kept telling me dat it was only a dream. Dat I liked to make up stories and fables. Den, after the week was over, dere was a fire at de slaughter house. But de fire was only a cover-up for de Bushards. All five of dem went into dat place and killed every man inside."

"And after all of dat, not one of dose old fools in dat village ever questioned de odd, little boy again." Akoni suddenly appeared from out of the middle building's entrance.

Lynnette and Cloyse both jumped at the sight of the woman. Cloyse made sure to stand right in front of Lynnette, while Lynnette began backing away from not only him, but from Akoni and her auburn eyes.

Akoni, with a smirk on her completely healed face, steadily strolled towards them both with her hands inside her pants pockets. "Do I appear different to you, my love?" Akoni asked Lynnette.

"Stay back, sorceress!" Cloyse hollered.

Akoni stopped and kept her eyes solely on Lynnette. "You fear for your own life." She peered at the woman. "I have seen dat look on people's faces more times than I can recall. Did ya tink me a dream, love, especially after what your sisters did to me?"

Lynnette held up her hands. The urge to turn and race away caused her entire body to shake. She couldn't believe that she was actually in the woman's presence, just feet away from her. In her mind was Isaac standing right beside Akoni with the same devilish, auburn eyes.

Pulling out a patch from his back pocket, Cloyse pointed at Akoni saying, "Come no closer, witch. You know what dis is."

It was as though someone were pointing a gun at her face, because Akoni steadily began backing away with her eyes opened wide.

"You know what dis is." Cloyse dared.

am aware of its power, just as you are

"Wait...please, my baby!" Lynnette tapped Cloyse on the

behind him before lowering his pouch. "Den

held out her right hand. After about an entire

Slipping the pouch into her back pocket, Akoni asked, "You came all de way

up his fists. "You know why

both pathetic individuals before turning and heading straight for the middle building

"You will follow me!" She

to him, Lynnette unwillingly followed Cloyse, who in turn followed in behind Akoni

Once inside Lynnette viewed her filthy surroundings which included soiled furniture littered throughout what was once the lobby area. The floor was soaking wet with smelly, rust colored water while some of the mailboxes that were attached to the walls were open to reveal dead rats and

smell of the building was beyond putrid; the odor was an

through the lobby like she owned the place before coming to the stairwell. So badly she wanted to turn and run away, but

often Akoni would glance back at both Cloyse and Lynnette with her strange eyes and a stale frown on her face. Lynnette's hands slid across the chipped paint of the bannisters

"Where are

without looking back. "If you try to attack me, my brother hears

"Is my son alright?" Lynnette's voice

Akoni did not answer; she kept on ascending the stairs as if

Lynnette could hear voices within the hallways. She bobbed her head up and down and from side to side trying to figure out just where the people

caught sight of a glowing, female figure walking down the hallway and into one of the vacant

"Who was that?" Lynnette jolted. "I hear

"Be silent." Cloyse whispered with an index finger against his lips. "De dead do not know

her footing at that point trying to gulp down the man's response. After that, she made sure to keep her eyes locked solely on the two beings in front of her.The voices, however, became louder the higher they climbed before Akoni finally stopped at the eighth floor and ventured down the ominously dim hallway. It was ominous for the fact that while the rest of the building just happened to be bathed in afternoon sunlight, the eighth floor looked as if sunset

a complete stop at a door labeled 207. The woman then simply twisted the rickety knob and pushed open the door.Inside the apartment was a calm brightness. The blinds were shut leaving the room in only a candlelit menagerie from one corner to

three large lumps. Lynnette's body was shaking so much that she couldn't even hold herself in place. Her eyes were witnessing a malevolence that only made her wish that the drugs she had been abusing for

lying, Akoni said, "You will

"Where is her child?"

Isaiah coddled in his arms, casually came out of one of the bedrooms. "You

Isaiah reached out and cried for his mother, but

is terrified beyond words."

to restrain Isaiah. "Do you not want to come and see your boy,

Lynnette stood absolutely still. Her child's cries were shrill and deafening, but taking at least one step forward only seemed to send a piercing tingle of pain down her legs that made it feel

mama, come see your boy."

her and her child go!" Cloyse stepped in. "Let

Lynnette watched as Arthur restrained Isaiah underneath his armpit.

second the boy tried to get up, Arthur turned and growled at him, which in turn caused Isaiah to

"Now dat we have you all here, let us

of Negril." Akoni presented. "He, along wit de rest of his village idiots

his hands. "But he did not complete his final duty dat

"He was only my boyfriend!" Lynnette breathlessly

two were to be betrothed?

that was never the

dem, Lynnette, dey know all." Cloyse

he is correct. Did he regale you wit

told her enough. Now, free her and her son...and I shall at

and Akoni glanced at each other for a moment or two before Arthur reached

was small and odd shaped,

eyes made sure to emphasize that startling fact.Clutching his chest, Cloyse

at Arthur only to have Akoni grab him from behind and tackle him face down to the

Cloyse wrestled and tussled while being restrained by the woman whose body looked as if

will go to hell!" Cloyse hollered

diamond in his left hand and a cheesy smirk on his face, Arthur

before finally relenting and resting his body on

to resist our master, but he failed, hence, why you and your bastard are still here." He then looked down at Cloyse. "Even your dear sister tried to resist, but her best efforts led to her end."

dat is left," Cloyse spat on the floor. "Your father, mother and brother

forward and knelt down saying, "You came

snarled before taking her

bawled and cried to her knees. All she could see was the man writhing in agony as Akoni used her hand to