Now it was his turn to blush.
“Very happy to help you, Mizz Cristal.”
She was about to respond when his smile quickly left his face, his eyebrows furrowed into a knot; he stared at the bottle in her hand.
She glanced down, too, wondering what he was looking at. The water was bubbling out of the bottle, like someone opening a bottle of pop after shaking it.
“Cristal?”
She looked up and saw Gabriel standing in front of her, a worried look crossing his face. Rinaldo and Serena were behind him, with similar stunned expressions on their faces.
“Drop the bottle, Cristal! It might have been poisoned!” Serena cried out.
Serena ran up to Walid and twisted his arm behind his back.
Cristal dropped the bottle to the ground, spilling the water, or whatever it was, onto the street.
“That is a lie!” Walid yelled. “Let me go!”
She was certain Walid was not trying to kill her. Although she had no way to prove this, her sixth sense assured her that he had nothing but respect for her.
Her confidence in herself began to waver, when suddenly everything around her started fading in and out.
Had someone really put poison in the bottle?
She saw Kerim running towards her and Raffe was grabbing his arm, trying to hold him back.
Several flashes of bright white light streaked across the sky, followed by cracks of thunder. The thunder clapped in back-to-back succession as if someone up there was massively pissed off and lighting gargantuan firecrackers.
To celebrate the impending storm?
Did she really think that? She shook her head wondering why her mind wasn’t making much sense. Another boom from the sky. And another and another. The sounds were so deafening, and they triggered car alarms to go off in the street.
“Kerim!” she cried out, or tried to.
She couldn’t hear herself above the thunderous roar.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small silver car drive up onto the sidewalk. It was gunning towards Kerim before skidding to a stop beside him. A young man jumped out of the car and ran toward her.
Harry?
“Cristal!” Harry screamed, but his voice was covered by the roaring thunder.
When he opened his mouth, she could only hear the thunder as if it were rumbling out from his lips.
She felt the ground swaying beneath her feet.
Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick, she thought to herself. She could not stop herself from falling over. Help me, she thought, while trying to form the words to speak, but couldn’t.
A strong arm grabbed her by the waist, keeping her steady. Then she felt someone else hold onto her other arm. Cristal glanced down and saw Kerim holding onto her waist. Dr. Saeed was on the other side of her, holding her arm.
How did Dr. Saeed get here? Did he ride here with Harry?
Harry was running towards her, his eyes wide with fright, his mouth open, screaming words that she could not understand over the thunderous booming sound above them.
“Just relax, Cristal,” Dr. Saeed said in his usual reassuring tone, his voice cutting through the noise like a sharp knife slicing a stick of butter. “Let me take you to the car.”
No, no, no!
She pushed Dr. Saeed away from her, and leaned her full weight on Kerim. The ground churned violently beneath her feet.
“I’m here, Cristal. Don’t be scared,” Kerim said into her ear.
He lifted her into his arms, carrying her away. She knew he would do whatever it took to get her to a safe place. She saw a flash of light and then heard more claps of thunder. She noticed the ground was rippling in small waves. Another lurch of the ground sent Kerim forward releasing her from his arms.
In her delirium, Cristal felt herself flying into the air, in slow motion, in a free-fall upward.
Free-fall upward?
It sounded ridiculous, but it was true. Higher and higher she felt herself ascending. Over her shoulder, the fortress wall behind her was whipping down the higher she rose.
She glanced down and saw Harry, frantic, screaming. He was waving his hands above his head. Gabriel and Rinaldo seemed to be holding onto Kerim for dear life. And little Serena, she seemed so lost standing there by herself, staring up at her.
Cristal blinked her eyes, still not fully comprehending what was happening. She realized she was floating ten feet, now twenty feet above all of them.
How is this happening?
Glancing down, she watched a grey cloud-like shape rise up from the ground, almost like a mini tornado, twisting and growing. It was rising off the ground and forming into a shape. Before she could blink her eyes, the grey cloud transformed into an eagle, and its wings spanned the length of the van. The eagle flapped its glorious wings and flew up into the sky, circling and soaring between the lightning strikes and swirling black clouds. It gracefully ascended higher, until it hovered in front of her.
She stared in amazement when the eagle transformed once again. Everything, except for the wings, metamorphosed into the shape of a man—his body was like a translucent silvery glow. She squinted at his face, which was taking shape now with a nose, eyes, and mouth.
I recognize this face, she thought to herself.
Gasping, she realized that this being that was levitating in front of her, seemingly oblivious to the demented storm around them, was none other than Kerim’s strange friend, Raffe.
Raffe’s lips twitched into a smile, as if acknowledging her findings.
“Who are you?” she tried to ask, but the wind swallowed her words.
No time for that! Take my hand! His voice bellowed out in her head, and the pain cut through her like sharp knives.
Her body began convulsing; her head felt like it was going to explode.
Raffe reached his hand out and touched her forehead. As soon as she felt his hand on her, the pain was replaced with a sweet relief.
His voice entered her mind again.
Sorry, I haven’t taken this form for many years. I have forgotten how sensitive you humans are. I will decrease the volume of my thoughts so as not to mutate your brain cells.
“Are you serious?” she asked, half hoping that she had passed out and this was just some preposterous hallucination. A thought came to her mind. How come when she first met him, he didn’t speak any English?
He opened his mouth to speak, and said, “The English language is so rudimentary. I prefer not to speak it unless necessary. I shall speak to you with my mouth instead of my thoughts, as this requires less energy. Best to conserve my energy for later.”
He sounded like a foreign exchange student learning English. His words came out in a staccato-like fashion. He spoke with proper grammar, but he lacked the idioms and slang terms that most native speakers use.
He continued, “As I said earlier, there is no time. Give me your hand, now. You must do this willingly.”
Despite the terrifying situation she was in, the fact that she was suspended fifty feet up in the air didn’t prevent her natural stubbornness from surfacing.
Glowering at him with defiance in her eyes, she asked “Or what?”
His nostrils flared slightly before he said, “Or the demon that is pinning you to the wall will drop you to your death below. But the frightening part will not be the fall. That part is fairly quick and simple. Really, the ghastly part would be the way “it” would manipulate you to release your soul willingly before you crash to the ground.”
Oh, my God.
The fear that would wake her up in her sleep, the dreams, visions, voices in her head, all started flooding back to her.
“Ah, yes. Calling out to our Lord our God, Father to all, is a good start,” Raffe said in his monotone voice.
He reached out his hand.
“Do you believe in God?” he asked bluntly.
“Yes, of course I do. I have always had a strong faith in God. But I definitely don’t believe in religion.”
/> Now, why did she have to admit that?
Raffe shrugged.
“Religion is a manmade institution. Not made by the Almighty One. So, no worries. You have passed the test.”
He motioned to her with his hand to come towards him.
“That’s it?” she asked.
Suddenly, she felt as if something released her, causing her to free-fall again, but this time, it was downward and much, much faster—dizzyingly faster. She reached out her hand, or tried to.
“Dear God, help me! I don’t want to die!” she screamed in her head.
When she realized that her body was about to go “splat” onto the ground below, she felt arms underneath her swooping her up, and holding her tight. Her body felt like it was drifting down like a feather falling from the sky. She realized Raffe had caught her and was flying her down into the arms of Kerim.
The bile was rising in her throat against her will. The disorientation in her head and general chaos around her was overwhelming. The many faces looking down at her revealed their mouths moving, but their words were unintelligible. The storm still blustered above. All this made her want to crawl up into a fetal position and retreat.
She watched Raffe transform from a winged angel back into his human form. Then she noticed that the storm seemed to have lost its anger, and the thunder was now a dull roar.
“Cristal, are you okay?”
She turned and saw Kerim’s face looking down on her. His look of sincere concern comforted her. But, before she could enjoy the moment, another voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Cristal, oh, my God!”
She turned and saw Harry. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and terror was written all over his face.
“Please, be okay. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Tears were streaking down his cheeks.
Harry Doubt, crying for me? I must be tripping out.
Kerim pulled her closer to himself and away from Harry. She let her head lean against his chest, and felt calmed when listening to his heartbeat.
“Let’s lie you down in the van,” he said, as he carried her away from the gawkers.
A loud sound like a firecracker blasting in her ear made him freeze in his tracks. She saw Kerim staring at something in front of him. With the little bit of energy she had left, she turned to see what it was.
Oh, freak. This can’t be happening!
Chapter 27
Not So Lucky
STANDING A FEW FEET AWAY, Yaffa Bauer had her 9mm semiautomatic pistol pointed at Kerim’s chest. Cristal saw several other agents in black suits surrounding her, and they had their weapons drawn.
“Kerim Ilgaz,” she said, “I am Yaffa Bauer, National Security Agent, informing you that you are suspected of terrorist activity against the State of Israel and the world. You do not have to say anything. Whatever you say might be used as evidence against you. Refraining from answering questions might strengthen the evidence against you. Place the woman down and come with us without resistance.”
Kerim stood as still as a statue.
Yaffa said something to the other agents and they instantly came swarming around them. She saw Raffe, in human form, walking up to Yaffa, who waved her gun at him, yelling and screaming that she was about to shoot.
He spoke to her in Hebrew, saying something that caused her to stop. She motioned to the other agents to stand down.
Turning to Kerim, she said, “Okay, your friend here is going to prove that you are not behind these terrorist activities. I’ve asked my men to stand down. I will be going with you. But if you try anything, I will have my men shoot you on the spot.”
Kerim stared at Raffe, unsure of his plans.
Kerim, did you know that Raffe was this weird bird man? She spoke to Kerim in her thoughts.
He frowned, his jawline tensing. That meant no.
Yaffa turned, faced them and asked, “Who wants to join us to find out the truth?”
Walid looked over his shoulder at his friends, who seemed to be shrinking in their shoes, before stepping forward.
“I will join.”
Harry stepped forward, and said, “I’m in!”
“Count me in,” Serena said.
Rinaldo replied, “If they go, I go.”
Harry said, “Leave Cristal here. She needs to rest.”
Yaffa shook her head firmly.
“No, she is necessary.”
She pointed at Gabriel, and said, “He must come, too.”
Gabriel looked around and pointed at himself, saying, “Who, me?”
He turned to Kerim, his eyebrows arched.
Yaffa nodded.
“We watch you every day. You and Kerim are conspirators.”
Gabriel said, “No, not me. I’m just a gamer. I’m not a terrorist.”
Kerim shot him a glare, his nostrils flaring.
He whispered in Cristal’s ear, “Can you stand?”
She said, “Yes, I’m feeling better now.”
He gently lowered Cristal to the ground, and then offered his hand for her to grab, helping her stand.
He reached up and held her face in his hands, searching deep into her eyes.
“Cristal, do you believe in kismet? A pre-destined moment, where fate steers your life? In a direction you never meant to go. Where reality takes a back seat to what only your heart appears to know?”
Her heart filled with a warmness she had always yearned to feel. She had never heard such beautiful words before.
“Kerim, that sounds like a poem. It’s so beautiful.”
He smiled, his grey eyes softening. She could see tiny tears sparkling in the corners.
He said, “It’s a song I wrote for you. When we get out of here, I promise I’ll sing it to you.”
She swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes.
“Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?”
There was an ache in her heart, and the pain felt like it was being twisted like a dagger.
He kissed the tip of his finger and then placed it on her lips.
“Believe in me and never doubt. Promise?”
She gulped, unable to say anything. Hot tears streamed down her face.
Why does this feel like you’re leaving me? I can’t live without you.
“Promise me,” he whispered, his eyes were probing hers while his fingers stroked the tears away.
Finally, she agreed and said, “I promise.”
“Very touching. For an innocent man, you bleat like a martyr. Let’s get moving,” Yaffa called out.
Kerim gave Yaffa a dirty look. With his fists clenched, he took a step forward. Cristal could feel her heart racing.
Don’t do anything crazy, Kerim!
Yaffa raised her gun and pointed it at him.
“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot.”
The other agents followed suit and leveled their weapons.
“Cristal is staying here,” Kerim said in a low voice.
He reached out his hand and guided Cristal towards Raffe.
The agents raised their guns.
“Kerim!” Cristal cried out as she stumbled into Raffe’s arms.
She frantically looked over at Serena and Rinaldo, praying that they could do something, anything to stop this. Counting the number of agents that surrounded them, along with where they were positioned, and the weapons directly pointed at them, she realized that they were outnumbered and couldn’t win this battle.
Not surprisingly, it was Harry who stepped forward.
“Kerim, let’s just all go together,” he said.
He placed his hand on Kerim’s shoulder.
“We will prove that you and Gabriel are innocent. And we can deal with Yaffa later.”
Kerim gave him a blank stare, his body tensing. He shoved Harry’s arm off his shoulder.
“Leave me alone,” he said. Reaching for his Lucky Strikes, he mumbled, “I need a smoke.”
Yaffa’s face tensed and squared off.
; Cristal’s mouth dropped open.
Oh, sh*t! She thinks it’s a gun!
“Yaffa! Stop! It’s just a pack of cigarettes!” Cristal cried out.
She tried to run, but Raffe wouldn’t let her go.
Gabriel must have seen Yaffa’s reaction, too, because he rushed towards Kerim, and shoved him out of the way.
Shots rang out. Bap! Bap! Bap!
In horror, Cristal watched Gabriel crumple to the ground as the bullets pierced his body. Kerim and Harry grabbed him before his head hit the pavement.
“Gabriel!”
Their screams echoed in the air.
“Raffe, I demand you to let me go!” Cristal cried out.
Raffe blinked and released her arm. He stepped back and let her pass. With a burst of adrenalin, she sprinted towards Gabriel’s motionless body. Serena and Harry were kneeling down beside him and trying to revive him.
She flung herself down on the ground, kneeling into the pool of blood that was pouring out from underneath his back. She scanned his body to see where the exit wounds were. She saw three bullet holes in his chest. The voice of her CPR coach rang in her head.
Focus, Cristal. Remember the ABC’s of CPR. Check Airways, Breathing, and Circulation.
Her training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation was keeping her calm. No air, no breath, but there was a shallow pulse.
Good. He’s still alive. Hang in there, Gabriel.
She blew into his mouth and pumped his chest.
Breathe, dammit, breathe.
After thirty compressions, he still wasn’t breathing. The weak beat of his pulse earlier had kept her hopes up, but to her shock, there was no more pulse.
She began pounding on his ribs in desperation.
Beat! Come on, beat for me!
But after repeatedly slamming her fist into his chest, there was still no pulse.
“Gabriel! Don’t! Don’t die on me!”
That’s when she realized that it was too late. Her body was shaking, and her energy was spent.
“Cristal, he’s gone,” she heard Serena say quietly.
“Nooooo!” she screamed, with her eyes looking up into the dark purple sky. “How could You take him?”
Like a mad woman, with hands that were soaked in Gabriel’s blood, she shook her fists at the heavens. It was as if she was demanding an answer from a silent God.
“Cristal, please don’t,” Harry said.
His voice sounded broken. He wrapped his arms around her as she moaned into his shoulder. Suddenly, her body shivered, and she felt herself sobbing from her delirium. She opened her eyes and saw Walid and the others standing around, watching.
Cristal pushed Harry’s arms away and stood up, numb with grief.