Ten Days: Bludgeon Ball

By Sibeko VR

This is the second Book in a series of Afro-postapocalyptic novels set in a future run by Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, San, and Venda territories. With everything else ruled by the sun. Following Nati, a sixteen-year-old scavenger who's dream is to be a superheroine. But first must navigate humanity, including her own, which is vastly different from the comics hidden under the wastelands...

Out of the frying pan and back into the inferno. Nati is back in the wastelands, the Oasis at her back.

She's headed for her first taste of civilization, and not alone. Rachelle is her right hand, but at her left is Avu who'd had some of Nati's water and was out like a light. Rachelle had been out for Ten Days when she'd made that mistake. 

That gave Nati time to be with Daki, Avu's boyfriend. Only, he wasn't alone either. Khu, !Xhu and a group of unknowns were in the equation. 

People who were under strict instruction to follow Nati's every order to the death, at least until Avu wakes up.

But something has gone very wrong. She's made her first wrong turn and subsequently, Rachelle and Avu are out of the picture.

Now Nati has to lead a group of strangers in a new environment so hostile, that it will take all Nati has, with all her abilities, to keep only herself alive.

What of the ones Avu entrusted onto her?

They knew the danger, and now it looks like they could end up eaten alive. All before they have a chance to face the greatest enemy of mankind. The heat. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: VR. Sibeko
• Release date: May 26, 2019

Book preview

The First Day.

Nati was not making great time and nightfall was coming. She should have been faster, the old man would never have forgiven her. The fur straps on her shoulders dug into her skin unnaturally, prickling into her flesh in a way she’d never known. Where her skin had gone numb, the muscle below did her the discourtesy of letting her feel the iron chain.

Chain the thickness of her thumb, linked to chain the thickness of her wrist, wrapped heavily around chain the thickness of her head. Chain enough to hold freighters and tankers, locked to a heavy-duty industrial eighteen-wheeler that had, almost a century ago, lost its color. At the cab’s rear were two and a half containers, tearing into the ground, dragged across the sands by Nati. Sweat dripping off her chin like a leaky tap.

Hours passed and still she pulled, dragging with muscle and brute force of will acting as an engine to ram her way ahead.

The first chill winds turned her sweat cold, sending a shiver up her spine and Nati’s run slammed to a halt.

It happened to be at the base of a tall dune, having just come down a massive one. Momentum made an enemy of her and the truck slid down fast. Nati did not so much as lift her head up as it struck, bowling her over. She was slammed into the desert soil, her head burrowing into the sand as she coughed up sand and wailed. Tears mixing with sweat as the truck came down at speed, digging into the hill in a cloud of sand.

-----

Rachelle didn’t jump so much as ooze out of the back of the truck. She was trembling, her whole body weak. It took a world of effort just to get to her knees. The doors were kicked open and more bodies escaped, rushing over each other like rats out a sinking ship. None that walked out stayed vertical past the first step.

Rachelle sat up, beat a breath out her lungs and pulled herself to her feet. With noodle arms she dragged off her mask, gasping, almost screaming out a demand for air. A chill breeze kicked hair off her face, the rest sticking tight, painting her bright red, making her look a murder victim.

Nati! Rachelle yelled, before collapsing again.

No reply.

Answer enough to lift and break her into a run, a slow walk compared to what she should have been able to pull off. After eons, she got to the front of the truck to see nothing but sand. Rachelle screamed, diving onto the dune, clawing. There was barely a difference with more sand just filling the hole.

Two hands became four, four became six, eighteen then twenty and the hill, became a mound which was dug until it hung over their heads like a claw. Rachelle sped up and stopped, catching sight of Nati’s thick, black dreadlocks.

She cried out, all hands centered around her and the mound caved. Rachelle flung herself over Nati as the sand collapsed.

Daki’s thick beefy frame towered over her and he grabbed her ankles, she held onto with all her might and they were yanked free. Rachelle flipped her over, punching her in the chest.

Nothing.

Daki come here! She yelled, pumping her chest as Daki dropped next to her. Tilt her head up and blow air into her.

Daki gaped.

Hurry! She yelled.

A girl half a decade under her stepped in front with her hands raised. I will

Your lungs aren’t big enough! Daki we’re too far away to make it back to the oasis and we can’t carry this thing. If Nati dies, we die. So stop being embarrassed!

Daki took heavy breathes before pressing his lips to hers and blowing, Nati’s chest rose and dropped.

Again! Rachelle yelled.

Daki pressed his lips to hers and her entire frame burst to life, her arms wrapped around him, gripping him tight. Her lips puckered and moved to his, parting in a manner that suggested shared saliva before he poked her in the eye. Nati pressed her palm against her face as if holding it intact, she laughed the whole time.

Rachelle grabbed her wrist, yanking her half blind friend to her feet and walking.

That, was funny. Rachelle found herself giggling out. Did you do that on purpose?

Nati shook her head, No, I think I lost it for a while there. I woke up when Daki kissed me.

I’m sure that doesn’t count as a kiss.

Nati snorted. How would you know?

Rachelle ruffled her hair, peeling it off her face, she let it fall to her ribs.

Because I’ve kissed a boy before. Rachelle said.

Nati’s face fell, We both know you lie. This is one of them, right?

Rachelle sighed. It’s not as good as you think. Boy kissing. It was just, stuff. She finished with a shrug.

I’m guessing that’s as far as you go in terms of the truth. Nati shot back, despite there being no initial shots.

Nati don’t. We’ve been over this. Don’t make me the reason you’re upset. This is about the boy from the San territories. Mr. Daki. Which I don’t get. Is it to upset Avu?

Nati held herself tighter and stared at the sand as though willing them to move and swallow her up. This has nothing to do with Avu, it’s got everything to do with me. Avu is a selfish woman planning, scheming and you’re a schemer too, a lair at that. !Xhu and Khu are imperfect little ones who just aren’t right. Daki reminds me of the old man, he’s very strong, and smart enough to know or deal with the land around him. And. Her teeth gritted in frustration. "There is honesty in his eyes. It’s impossible to believe he would do anything wrong. That means everything."

Rachelle sat down next to her and scooped her up, wrapping her arms and legs around Nati’s waist and neck, coiling tight around the girl like a boa constrictor. At first Nati resisted, pushing on Rachelle’s ribs, but as painful as it was, Rachelle kept on.

The girl had the physical strength to snap and fold her in half, then fold her again. But somehow, she could not get away from Rachelle who succeeded in holding until Nati could not fight a moment longer and just held on.

This was not Rachelle’s job, she was absolutely the last person to be helping a person who constantly referred to her as ‘her father’s killer’. But there she was. She had no idea how much time had passed but was surprised by the sound of snoring. Her face was buried into Rachelle’s neck.

The whole thing was frustrating.

It was the first day away from the oasis, their first in the wastelands. Nati had answers, she wasn’t allowed to sleep. Rachelle had never witnessed Nati work, what was supposed to happen? Was this it?

As if by clockwork, the first of the other faces appeared. The first was of the youngest of the group, Buhle.

The kid was small, very much so for a twelve-year-old but not small in terms of height. It made her weird. To add to just how strange, she looked was an overwhelming sense that the girl was a thousand times bigger than she actually was. She wasn’t ‘skinny’ or ‘thin’ but incredibly long boned and lanky, like Rachelle wasn’t staring at a short twelve-year-old but a tall, impossibly mature five-year-old. The kid was unnerving, but beautiful, from her large cartoonish eyes to her lips unblistered and unchapped despite the time they’d spent cooking in their personal stove.

The moment their eyes met Buhle turned and ran away. Rachelle sighed and tried to come up with something. It didn’t even have to be the truth, she was, after all, the group liar, or at least she would be, if Avu had any say. She cursed realizing just how much she wanted her hovercraft back.

The entire ride had consisted mostly of silence. But there’d been enough words to know that the first two faces she’d see would be those of the group’s two largest.

There was something primitive about the whole thing, like they were apes but the type associated with the ancients. Like clockwork Daki and Senzo appeared over the dune, shoulder to shoulder. Something about them working as a pair seemed to piss her off more. Daki was broad, every part of him seemed wide and overbearing. He was a brick wall. He looked as though he had bricks on his shoulders with bricks strapped to his chest and arms.

Senzo on the other hand was incredibly tall, with large meaty hands and a lanky frame, he was what she imagined Buhle should have looked like.

From all around the others showed up, like water from a boiling pot.

Daki, whatever it is, it will have to wait. She said but by the looks of it, the person she had cut off was Senzo.

His teeth gritted, he stepped ahead of Daki but stopped when Daki’s hand fell gently onto his shoulder. The way his coat creased around Daki’s fingers suggested the hold itself was none too gentle.

We need to talk about what we do next. The room is too small and hot.

"You mean the lab? It’s what she calls the second ‘container.’" Rachelle said, correcting him. It was the best answer she could come up with, that wasn’t ‘You idiot, you think I didn’t notice while I was in the truck with you!’

Whatever. Senzo said placing his hands into his pockets.

You’re going to complain when you were literally dragged along to safety.

This is nowhere near safe.

And you are nowhere near grateful. Rachelle snapped.

Senzo was undeterred. I won’t be grateful for dying. He shouted, standing directly in front of Rachelle, his back arched as he bent low to look down on her.

The collar of his shirt tightened and shrunk as a fist closed up around it and twisted. He jerked back but only ended up being pulled forward with a force of steel. He got Nati glaring up at him with a face like death.

Rachelle grinned, it was childish to be so smug but she couldn’t exactly help it.

Nati sighed and sat up with one hand, the whole time her other hand held tightly onto his collar. We’ve never met before, but I’ve seen you. You are?

Senzo pulled his head back, the sound of his shirt starting to tear kept him in place. Senzo.

Zulu territories, right? Senzo nodded his head. Nati nodded, , it sounded like it. The old man taught me a lot about Zulu names.

Nati let go and got up to her feet and patted herself down before pulling Rachelle up.

Well, should we turn back? Rachelle asked.

Nati put her hands to her sides with a heaviness that said there was no decision-making process that she was simply figuring out the right words.

"Look around you. Feel the soft texture of the sand, the light color. There’s no burn, we are not in the heat yet. We haven’t left yet. If you’re burning here… The true heat will kill you."

But Rachelle survived. Daki said.

Yes, the truck still had its functional aspects, the water systems still worked along with cooling.

There was a murmur as voices traveled back and forth silenced quickly by Senzo’s raised hand.

Avu gave us clear instructions. We either come back with a way out or we do not come back. She was very specific.

That was before she ended up on the trip. Rachelle said with a wide grin.

Her grin faltered when she realized that somehow, she’d made them all angry. Senzo was the first to react, grinning in a way she was sure constituted as a scowl.

You both know nothing of the woman who saved your lives.

Rachelle’s eyebrow raised. Saved us?

Stop this, this is meaningless. Nati snapped. You are saying you will not go back, even if it kills all of you?

Senzo nodded but Nati’s eyes had moved to Daki who nodded too.

Well, that doesn’t mean it applies to all of you. Some might want to come back. If even one of you want to go back now, you all go back. Fair deal?

Senzo looked outraged, his eyes flashing but calmed. Yes, but I would like to speak to them first,

Nati nodded but at that moment Rachelle jumped to her feet.

No, not Daki or Senzo, it should be Khu who tells the others. I’m not crazy enough to let Senzo talk to them alone.

Why? You don’t know me. Senzo growled.

"I do not have to know you. I know Avu and I know a little about nature. You both aren’t the oldest in the group but you’re in charge? Avu was the smartest but now the group’s two biggest are the ones taking the lead and you want to have a little ‘chat’ with the smaller members after making it clear you want to die for your little cause, a cause none of you have to die for. I already know Senzo is going to threaten, maybe even kill anyone who tries to go back."

Senzo grinned but didn’t say a word, Daki’s face was stone. Rachelle’s eyes moved to Nati’s and she realized that Nati was staring right at Daki. Rachelle’s heartbeat sped up, she could almost feel Nati’s as her mind put one and one together.

I’m sure Daki wasn’t planning on threatening them, at least on purpose. Rachelle glared at him using little more than blind hope to transfer her message of ‘agree you idiot’.

Daki crossed his arms. Avu made me promise to do everything and anything to keep moving forwards even if it meant hurting my own, a promise is an important thing.

That was specific, Rachelle found herself thinking out loud but when Nati nodded in approval Rachelle was impressed.

Nati was hard to lie to.

For a woman who had never interacted with others she had a gift for reading truth. It was at that moment the Buhle decided to pop up and with her was the rest of the group.

The girl swallowed, We know everything, I passed the message along.

Rachelle sighed, knowing full well where this was headed. Then what are your answers?

We were all told the risk and what it would mean to every single person if we came back with nothing.

I’m scared to ask but I’ll ask anyway.

This time another woman spoke. This one stood out as the oldest. She was Daki’s height but thin and yet nowhere thin enough to be called skinny, an athlete without definition. Rachelle couldn’t take her eyes off her. It was a strain every time she looked at the damn woman. It was like staring at the sun. Only the sun didn’t leave her insecure.

The only thing that came close was the first time she met Avu. Only Avu was trying, successfully, to intimidate. This girl wasn’t trying. She radiated a model’s beauty even through the cover of darkness. But Rachelle wasn’t that shallow, there was more to it, being perfect wasn’t the reason. There was a logical explanation to why all she wanted