Entangled

Working until late at night was the norm for James since he was the bread winner. He could leave home early morning and return late. He was a business man and could get little time for his family. James had a younger wife called Hellena and were blessed with two children. On many occasions, James traveled alone, but this time he had moved with the whole family to a far destination. They had gone for a family business tour and were on their way back. It was clocking to 6pm and the latest hour for any night movement was 7pm due to the curfew enforcement. "We should sleep at the chairman's home for the night. " his wife suggested. They had to spend the night safe at the chairman's home since they were strangers in the area.

Not long before they had reached the chairman's compound. The car turned swiftly around the corner and into the beautiful compound. They found the man closing his garage so it was definitely the right time to introduce themselves. "We're very welcoming in my area and your problem is understandable, I'll harbor you tonight" the chairman said. James' wife stared into the husband's face and smiled. "We're very grateful" she said as the kind man led them into the house.

The house was large with green curtains across the windows. The wooden table in the middle of the sitting room matched well with the carpet. The table cloths were gently and beautifully placed on the dining table. The lighting gave the room a golden look. James sat comfortably in one of the sofas and began man talk with the chairman. The talk went on for some good hours as they talked about the business environment in the country.

Just as the children were beginning to yawn, food was ready. Dinner time! A fat short woman came in with a tray of stewed meat. The scent from the hot sauce filled the whole room. The visitors had all been asked to sit on the dining table. "Good evening and you're welcome." the woman greeted them with a wide smile on her face. Three young boys came in from one of the entrances in the room and much older girls came in from the other. These were the children. The arrangement of plates and teacups on the table arose an impression of hotel care. James sat on the right hand side closer to the chairman. Hellena adjusted to the left adjacent to the chairman's wife. The home children interacted well with James' and this made the visitors so comfortable. No prayers were heard apart from the whispers amongst the children. Forks and table knives began getting busy all the way after the main man of the house grabbed his plate. The rate at which the inhabitants of the house were eating food was unbearable. Their mouths hobbled up and down restlessly. Soup oozed down the corners of their lips like tributaries of a drying up river. 

It wasn't a norm for the visitors to sleep right away after dinner while at their home but this time it was different. The children that used to watch television this time were scratching their stomachs and moaning endlessly. James was used to reading business magazines but his heavy eyelids indicated there were clouds on the horizon. Was there a poison spice or liquid placed in their sauce? Could it be a dinner gone horribly wrong? But due to the fact that they had come a long way, everyone one deluded to that reason.

Supposedly, due to exhaustion caused by the long ride, sleep looked vividly on the visitors eyes. Since all the rooms were occupied, the chairman's wife found the visitors mattresses which they placed in the sitting room. The tables and chairs had to be adjusted to create space for the visitors. James and his wife slept on one and the children on the other. The lady bid them goodnight and as the lights went off, the family slept off. 

It was clocking midnight when Hellena heard shouts and funny sounds inside the sitting room. The echoes that swept her ears made her believe it was just a dream, or probably drunkards from outside. The sound of cutlery being rubbed on the other is the one that woke up the visitors. This irritating sound compelled them to open their eyes. They were all surrounded by the family of the chairman. The boys were shirtless and held pangas that looked sharp. The girls were barely dressed. The lady who once welcomed us happily had a tough face and was completely naked. The man was humming a soft awkward song and looked more of a ghost than a human being. The salivation James saw on their mouths signalled cannibalism amongst the family in which they had sought refuge. They were entangled. One cut and the head of Tom, one of the children was rolling on the ground. The sight of blood of your own child led Hellena to let out a loud cry. This prompted a severe cut on her left foot adjacent to her ankle. The pain was unbearable. "The man is more delicious" snarled the daughters. James was still in shock when he felt a sharp panga cut through his throat. The girls started fighting over the body parts of James and soon they disappeared into the kitchen. The sounds they made were like that of hyenas being chased off meat by cubs. The whole room turned from the scent of stewed beef to that of fresh blood. The once beautiful house turned into the ugliest and darkest. The second child was slaughtered next at the sight of the energy-less mother. "Kill me and leave the child" yelled the mother. All this fell to deaf ears as the lady cut the child into pieces. The fight in the kitchen created some space in the circle that had been created since the daughters had left. Hellena used this chance to swerve past the chairman and out she ran for her dear life. It was such a devastating moment the thought of it. She reached a safe distance from the cannibals and let out loud sobs. She approached a nearby tree. She bent down, got hold of a sharp piece of log and stabbed herself. She couldn't handle life without her lovely husband and children.