Walking to the church was silent, only the strange look of those who wondered why I was walking with a travel pack, but I couldn't care less. I recognized many faces.
"Joshua. Joshua." A familiar voice called to me, but I couldn't meet his eyes. Leaving Bazel standing confused in his usual spot
Hannah was waiting outside the church with Pastor Elijah, both with sorrowful looks and unable to look each other in the eyes.
"I'm sorry I should have protected you, Joshua," said Pastor Elijah softly as soon as I had closed the distance between us. He was stuck between anger and sorrow, to the point where he could barely meet my eyes and didn't look at either Hannah or Adam.
"There is nothing to do now," I reply. My voice even, so even it shocked me, and with the lack of the voice in my head, it only made my words heavier.
"It's time to go," Adam said with conviction as the silence lingered. Pastor looked at him with anger, but it soon faded as he solemnly pulled a key out of his pocket. It was an old bronze key that hadn't been carved yet. I felt a slight pull, a feeling of wrongness from the key, something I couldn't put my finger on. Meeting each other in their eyes, they nodded to each other in solidarity and made their way inside the church with Hannah behind them and me trailing behind.
Making our way to the back, to the room where I first spoke to Mandela, I felt a pit grow in my stomach. Putting the old key inside, it slid in without issue and turned without any resistance, even without the carvings. Opening slowly, a bright white light began to filter out and fill the room. I squinted at it and waited for my eyes to adjust. Hannah grabbed my bag and made her way through first, silently, with Adam motioning for me to follow.
"Goodbye," I say as I pass through the doorframe, not sure to whom it is for. Walking through the bright doorway, its intensity shone even through my closed eyes, but in the next instant, it was gone. Blinking my eyes to recover from the massive room spanning two hundred square meters in an octagonal shape, rising to a high-pointed roof. There were eight doorways on each wall, each ten meters high and five meters wide: the wooden doors were plain, but the walls were decorated in intricate carving. One Door was fully open; without a door on hinges, it was where the most traffic was leading out of the room. The rest were made by men and women taking the keys of the teams going out, opening and closing the doors in blinding light to let the teams in and out of the room.
Moving out of the way, Adam moved past me and beckoned me through the archway and into a large indoor space, maybe the size of the Cape Town Stadium, completely in action, Tens of thousands making their way to and from both the teleportation hub. There were those moving at high speeds from place to place, those slowly walking in teams, and one or two in the air. I stood slack-jawed in awe, not just at the show but at how many there were, as even glances showed there were more in the rooms. With the inconstant stream of those from the teleportation room, I felt even smaller and more alone.
Patting me on the back, Hannah brought me back into reality, "Welcome to the hub, Joshua." Her words pulled me back quickly. I saw my bag was gone, and she was waiting with a sad smile.
"We should get going." she said, showing me the way, turning around and beckoning me to follow, leading me to where my fate would be decided.
"They are waiting for you, Adam." She said, looking back at us, and with a nod, he steps and disappears out of view in an instant. I followed her softly, the path was long, and about halfway down the hallway, the bustling sounds of the main hub faded out, leaving only the sounds of our feet on the stone floor to echo as we went. It took another minute before we made it to a large set of double doors about half the size of the doors in the portal hub, but they were still two and a half times larger than I.
"Please wait here." Hannah pulled me out of my musings and pointed to the bench that was on the opposite wall facing the door. I sat on the hard stone bench, and Hannah stood by the door, but it wasn't too long before the doors opened silently and slowly. Adam, looking dejected, made his way out.
"It's your turn." Adam said in an exasperated sigh, looking at Hannah before letting his eyes drift to me.
"Did it work?" Hannah asked, but he shook his head in response
"Thank you," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She placed her hand atop his, her face hidden as her back was towards me, before patting the hand and making her way to the doors that closed slowly as she entered. Adam looked at me before turning his head and telling me.
"Stay there, they will call for you soon." I had no choice but to listen, and as he walked away, the sound of his footsteps was like weights around my neck. But the footsteps didn't stop, just as his faded another's started before I felt someone sitting down. Sitting down on the bench next to me, a black man in a green suit sat next to me. He had an intrigued look on his face and a light air about him. He took a minute before he met my gaze and smiled down at me.
"So what are you here for?" he asked in a light tone as if trying to make small talk.
"I Murdered Someone," I said with a heavy tone as if to tell him and remind myself. But that did nothing to change his tone or air as if I said to him that I had only jaywalked.
"Oh Damn, that's not too good at all," he said sounding as if he was hold
"Don't worry, friend, I have to." his voice was even, but for the first time, his air changed cold and heavy as if it were Adam sitting next to me.
"ThaTho?" A surprised voice pulled
"Hi Han, are they ready?" he asked with a cheeky smile, only to be smothered in a bear hug. He reciprocated for a bit before patting her on the head, pulling away, she said.
"Thank you," she wiped her eyes with her denim jacket before trying to compose herself.
"Don't sweat it." He said before walking through the door, it closed behind him.
"Hannah, who... Who was that?" I was shocked by the whole interaction.
"That is ThaTho, don't worry, you will meet him soon," she said, taking his seat and filling it with silence. The silence was heavy, and the wait was drawn out.
The doors opened again, and as ThaTho pointed his thumb over his shoulder. So I stand up, leaving Hannah on the bench, passing ThaTho at the threshold, and entering the hall, the doors closing behind me.