Asatru

  Chapter 2: Sabian

  She looks so nervous. I had thought to myself just before my sister had handed Rachael the glass. Clearly, I shouldn’t have joked around with her. My sense of humour was more one people excused rather than enjoyed - most of the time anyway. Now at least Rachael looked like she was a little more relaxed. Her shoulders seemed to have dropped a little, she smiled weakly. Still, it was only a few minutes into it, and we hadn’t introduced her to anyone else yet. I hoped Amber hadn’t managed to ‘warn’ everyone about her. I know her heart was in the right place, that’s why she had chosen the field of work she was in, but still, she had a surprising knack of forgetting the basic principals of privacy, trust and knowing your own business.

  This lack of foresight usually coincided with a topic that surrounded an interesting person she could parade in front of others, asking for donations, free medical access, furthering her department’s resources, such as in this case. Someone she could show off to the others about the people she helped, her chosen vocation. If she wasn’t so self centred she might make a good socialite and fundraiser like our mother, but as for the hands on work – maybe I was selling her short.

  Though Amber clearly brought this poor girl here tonight to show off to the crowd, she also was very attuned to Rachael’s needs, seemed invested in helping her and her kid. Maybe a short dog and pony show in the interests of the end goal wasn’t such a bad thing for her, but I wished people would stop whispering before Rachael heard any of it. Poor girl, the fireball she had left of the car had made the front page. Drove it straight into the local police station.

  “Sabian, are you listening to me?” Amber’s voice intruded. I drew my attention to her. “Sabian, Kes is calling you over.”

  “Thanks, I’m sure its nothing. Excuse me.” And I left the two of them to find out what was going on. “Kes” I addressed the man whom I had known for the last 8 months as protector and trusted staff. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing I hope boss, just wanted to let you know the phone and internet lines are out.” Kes responded. “I was looking to confirm a taxi for one of your friends and found the disconnection.

  “Out? Completely?” I asked.

  “Hmm. Only problem with the phone and internet being connected off the system like that.”

  “The emergency alarm still works though.”

  “No fault.”

  “Great, then aside from the fact the report I have due tomorrow is going to be a bitch, we’re fine. We can sort it in the morning.”

  “No problem, just wanted to make sure you knew.”

  “Thanks. See you a bit later, hey. I have a cigar with your name on it.”

  “Count me in Sab.”

  I headed back to the party and automatically sought out Amber. As I did I passed Helen, a tall slim woman with too much social time on her hands. She was regaling someone with a horror story of how she had known someone killed in a hostage situation in town three weeks ago. She loved to scare the pants off people that one. I sighed and headed towards Amber and Rachael as quickly as I could. So long as Amber wasn’t speaking with Natasha yet, I was set.

  Damn. There they were. Natasha and Amber. My wife and my sister – no way that was going to go wrong. I downed the rest of my drink in a hurry and picked up another as it floated past me on a tray. With the ups and downs our relationship had had lately, I didn’t need my sister feeding in to the situation. I made my way over quickly, but they stopped talking and changed the subject as I approached.

  “Hey cutie, how are you handling the crazies?” Natasha teased. She always called the local crowd we circled with that. ‘The crazies’. Like that was going to help us fit in. We had both been nearly ostracized as ‘new money’ jokes had flowed in from our neighbors, then pointed comments from people we had called friends, followed by blatant, shameless requests for money by others. When Natasha had a sudden break inheriting land overseas from a relative that had become disengaged from the family, we had made the decision to sell half, and build on half with the remaining money. Hotels. I had always loved the idea of building, she had always enjoyed holidaying at resorts, and the places we built were taking off. The plots we had kept were seaside locations which fed us a steady income, and gave us a place to stay when we wanted to get away. .

  Natasha in particular had been spending a lot of time in making their management and service delivery perfect. I had started travelling around with her initially, but then had come home to set up building our place. Our home. Only she had barely spent time here since I flew back. I knew it wasn't anything insidious. Not an affair at least. She wasn’t like that, but the time apart had found us, well, exactly that - Apart. I argued that part of her time spent travelling and babying the hotels was about substituting for the fact we hadn’t had kids. We had had that argument over the phone a month ago and I was still regretting it.

  I was having trouble connecting with her, and she was avoiding spending time alone with me. Superficially she would socialize, converse, drop details of all her comings and goings, but time alone was filled with awkward pauses. Only last night I had told her we needed to try harder. Do things together and she had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to spend the next three months with me here before thinking about going overseas. Just tonight, as. I had been floating around introducing myself, I had overheard her talking to a broker about how people grow apart as people, that maybe the expectation to be with one person forever was fallacious. My stomach churned, I knew what she meant, but I still couldn't accept that that would apply to me.

  I didn’t want to guilt her, I knew she felt enough of that already, but I did want my wife back. I was getting sick of spending time with Kes, and quite frankly, I think Kes was just as tired of entertaining me. But of all the well meant intentions, Amber was not the most subtle person I knew. I could imagine the innocent conversation in my mind as I approached the two of them. Amber would start off asking how long she was staying, saying how good it would be for me to have her around, reading too much into it all. I was nervous enough. Though at least I wasn’t as nervous as Rachael obviously was. She was still standing politely where I had left her, next to Amber, peering around the room. I drew close to them straining my mind to find something to kick off a casual conversation.

  “Nat, you met Rachael I see.” Even I was using the poor girl as a pleasant distraction. Way to go Sab. Upstanding. That’s what I was.

  “How couldn’t I? She’s the only one in here with a personality.” Natasha smiled at Rachael, who smiled back.

  “If you dislike them so much, why did you invite them here?” Rachael queried.

  “We don’t not like them, it’s just most people here we know through business, the bank, fundraisers. We need to keep up the invites, or we lose connections.” I reasoned.

  “They are ‘yes’ people, not real people.” Natasha offered pressing against me protectively, and grasping my arm with both her hands. She couldn’t be jealous – could she?. Rachael was sweet, but a bit young for me. She was good looking, but not exactly my type. I liked mysterious. That’s how I had met Natasha. She had met me when I was on Kontiki tour through Germany. She had been the tour guide, having moved from England to follow her travelling interests. She knew so much about Europe’s sights, the best places to find…anything, but had kept everything to herself. She had barely given me any details about her life outside of being our guide, her background, just kept diverting my questions with her quick wit and knowing smile. She remained mysterious and elusive right up until the end of the tour. Eventually though, I scrounged up enough cash to extend my stay for another tour. When she saw I booked in to a second round of the same tour, she had agreed to a drink, which turned in to dinner, then breakfast, and which turned in to her losing her job. Not that she really seemed to mind. Natasha never really liked sticking with one thing for too long, she despised obsessions as a waste of time, and she had said she was ready to move here, with me, to start fresh. She squee
zed my hand as she talked with Rachael.

  “Seriously though, there are some worthwhile people here. Rick went to uni with Sab.” Natasha pointed out a tall, balding man with an approachable face. “He is the one with the daughter, Kati, who is 15 going on 25. The one in the corner trying to look like she is blending, but texting her boyfriend every 15 seconds. His wife is a little …” she made a squeaky sound and pitched a hand back and forth implying Sandra was a little unstable.

  “Greg and Gary are fun” Amber offered smiling into her glass recollecting time with them before looking up again. "I went camping with them once and I was never so well catered for. Lights, first class wine, DVD player, fans in the tent….”

  “Sounds like you really roughed it” Rachael enthused back.

  “Larissa and Jacinta are actually good people too. You have to ask them a little later about their time climbing Kilimanjaro. Awesome adventurists. I looked over at the two women who were pointed out, both skinny, with overly tanned skin and overly white teeth. “None of them are front pagers, but they are definitely worth the time of day.”

  “I’ll go save them from Dave, bring them over to say hello.” Amber decreed, and disappeared into the crowd.

  Natasha took a look back at Rachael. “You though, you’re front page material." Before I could intervene, she dropped her tone and continued on "I think it’s just awful what happened to you. And to not be able to remember….I don’t think I could take that.”

  The smile faded from Rachael’s face as Natasha spoke. Someone passing by jolted her arm and Rachael spilled wine on herself. Looking like she was struggling to breathe, Rachael dismissed herself and disappeared just as Natasha’s face fell.

  “Oh Sab, I didn’t mean to upset her.” Natasha rued out loud as I followed Rachael. I caught up with her in a second, her eyes welling slightly.

  “I’m fine.” Rachael protested when she saw me. “I just need to find the kitchen, or the bathroom.”

  “Come with me” I offered and guided her to the side, a few people staring as we passed by. I brought her into an alcove that was at the end of the hall and next to my study. If there was a wall across the entranceway, you wouldn’t notice it was there, only because it ate into the space past the kitchen and behind the entertaining area. Rachael flopped down on the couch that was against the back wall, covered in pillows. She took a steadying breath and stared past me trying not to cry. She noticed a button encased in glass on the side of the wall.

  “What’s that for?” Rahcael asked to distract herself.

  “This space is actually the safe room.” I answered her. “I had it built into the design as a just in case measure.” I had always thought of safe rooms as being something you would rather have and not need than need and not have.

  Rachael half laughed at me. “That’s a little pessimistic don’t you think?”

  “Pessimism keeps people alive.” She smirked at my remark and I leaned back into the cushions satisfied.

  “So what is it you do?” She asked of me.

  “I write, I research. I…. Consult." I stumbled the answer for a reason. I was growing despondent with what I was doing. While Amber was all purpose and little business focus, I had become the opposite, all business, no heart in my day.

  "That sounds..." Rachael started encouragingly, so I cut her off.

  "Boring as hell, but I'm good at it so....."

  Rachael looked around and furrowed her brow. "Don't you have enough money to do pretty much whatever you want?"

  “I'm not that rich, but I suppose I could do something else, something I liked....but, it would probably help if I knew what that was. I used to have drive, passion for what I did, but lately....not so much." I sat forward again and leant my elbows on my knees. I looked over at her, gazing at me intently. "If you get any ideas, let me know. I'm open to suggestions."

  "Me?" she declared amusedly. "I had to learn my name off the ring I wore." Rachael took the single worn gold band she wore on her middle finger. Handing it to me I rolled it in my fingers. There was an inscription on the inside: to Rachael - stay cool.

  "Stay cool?" I responded in jest and handed her back the ring.

  "I know. Sexy hey." She joked back.

  "What if it's not your ring?" I asked hesitating as the words left me.

  "I thought about that, but I have a ring mark on my hand. It's mine. And I feel like I've been wearing it forever."

  "At least something feels right. Right?" I encouraged.

  "Yeah." she acknowledged. "Maybe I'm meant to have a new start. Maybe it's something I needed." she added thoughtfully.

  I nodded and decided it was time to get back to the party. "Stay here as long as you want. No ones in a hurry to come back here." I said rising from my seat.

  "Too busy schmoozing" she stated.

  "Too busy drinking my expensive wine." I joked and took a few steps forward before Jonah careened in to me as he rushed around the corner. It took a split second before I realized how pale he was, a look of panic etched on his young face. As Rachael stood, responding to the look on the young boy's face, a gunshot rang out.

  As I made it around the corner towards the main room, I was rushed by the three catering crew with their hands on the back of their heads. I pressed forward any how just in time for the rest of my guests to move towards me, and for me to catch the sight of Kes lying in a pool of his own blood on my front verandah.

  I initially saw two men, one who addressed us with authority, standing behind another with a shotgun. "Everyone. To the Back. That way, now!" he barked with intent.

  "Move it, move it." Shotgun man said, supporting the one giving the orders, their leader.

  My heart lurched as I was pushed back, Natasha grabbing at me and pulling me with her. Only Helen, a banking executive stood trembling and shell-shocked.

  A third man appeared "Hey lady, what’s the delay. Get your lanky arse in the back with everyone else." He also carried a gun, but it was smaller, though not any less deadly.

  "Everyone on the floor.” Yelled the man who appeared to lead the others. We all obliged without exception. “Paul!" he said to the man who had directed Helen, "You're on the door." Nodding in acknowledgement Paul took the door post while he took the front of the safe room location. They had herded us in the back - cornered us in the safe room. I doubted it was a happy coincidence for them. Here, there was no way out other than past them. Another man stood next to the button. If activated, the door would slam shut, locking us safely in. The silent alarm would be triggered. If only.....

  "Shit. Shit shit shit." Rick muttered.

  "Don’t worry. Everyone, be calm. We will be fine. We just need to do what they say, they can go, and we will all be alright." I advised running on adrenaline and a false sense of security. I say false because Rachael spoke to me from her spot on the floor beside me holding her hands on Jonah’s head which rested against her body. She explained what everything was really like in just a few chilling words.

  "No. We won’t be alright." Rachael looked at me when she spoke, her calm but serious face pitting my stomach further. "No one’s wearing masks, they call each other by their real names." She whispered. The men near us were busy whispering amongst themselves, or I was sure Rachael and I would have been told to stop talking.

  "Their real names…" I mumbled back confused.

  "They don't flinch. There is no delay when they call each other by the names. They aren't fake names. They aren't worried because none of us will be left to tell." Rachael held a finger over her lips. "Don’t frighten the others. But no one is getting out of here tonight."

  "Sabian." Natasha took my hand for comfort for the first time in six weeks.

  "It’s alright honey." I responded on automatic pilot.

  Another man appeared at the peripheral and produced a material bank money bag, a handgun in his belt. . "All the jewellery. Any cash." he ordered. As he walked around, everyone complied without question or complaint
. When he finished, he returned to stand behind the leader of the group. "Ready Danno?" the head guy asked him.

  "Ready Penn." Was the reply.

  Penn nodded towards Shotgun who pushed the gun in my face. "You! Where is the safe? Now!"

  "The third room on the left. In the wall behind the couch." I wasn't about to start messing these guys around before I could at least figure out what we could do next to help ourselves. I had a vague recollection of seeing headlines lately. Socialites slaughtered. Someone had been talking about it at the party earlier. I hadn’t been paying attention. What had they said? My stomach turned again and I began to breathe even more quickly.

  "What’s the code?" Penn insisted on me with the help of Shotgun.

  I could feel the sweat break out on my brow. "No code, it has fingerprint recognition."

  "Right". Said Penn as he grabbed my wrist, jerked me forward away from the others and flattened my hand on the floor. Instinctively I struggled, until Shotgun moved to stand on my back. Penn held my hand out down, drew out a long knife from a sheath attached to his calf. Natasha shrieked, a couple of other women screamed and I heard gasps over the sound of my pulse hammering through my head. I tried to breath deeply but my breath was arrested in my throat. He hiked up the blade ready to take my fingers. "Which one do I need?"

  Amber stood up from the back of the room. "Stop, stop it. Leave him alone."

  Still standing on my back, Shotgun fired at her without a second thought. Blood sprayed across the room. I felt it spatter on my face. They shot her. Killed my sister. No warning, no anything. The sound of the blast rang through my head and deafened me. Only just, barely audible behind the ringing I could hear my heart pounding though I felt like my heart had stopped beating altogether. Natasha wept into her lap beside me and I mentally willed her to be quiet, not to draw attention to herself.

  "That’s what’s going to happen if any one of you thinks you can be a fucking hero. Don’t forget it and everything will end with you making it home tonight."

  There were stifled sobs in the background.

  The man with the knife turned back to me. “Now. You!. Quick which one. Don’t think about it.”

  "It’s warm. It’s a warm system…..” I stammered.

  "What the fuck does that mean?" Demanded Shotgun.

  "You can’t just take the finger - you need the person." Replied Penn replacing his knife. He let my hand go and I withdrew it to my body protectively, Shotgun taking his foot off my back. I nursed my wrist, waiting for him to jerk me to my feet, but he didn’t. "Take the wife. She’ll have access." Came his response.

  They pulled Natasha to her feet.

  "No, don’t take her. I’m fine, I won’t be trouble." I got the shotgun pressed against my forehead pushing me down towards the floor.

  "Sit the fuck down." He replied, but I didn’t move.

  "Sit down!" A shot blasted behind me and caught Rick. He dropped to his knees and forward, his blood coating the back wall.

  "Did I not make myself clear?" I made out Penn's words and heard the gun cock at the same time.

  "Sab, do it, its alright." Natasha murmured, steadying her voice.

  No one is getting out of here Sabian. I heard the words ring true in my ears. All they needed was the safe. Then we were gone. Sure. All lies. I sunk deeper to my knees, next to Rachael and her boy. She was so still, quiet, stroking his head in her lap, her feet behind her on the floor. She looked as though she could be at a picnic, staring at grass grow as she ushered her child to sleep. She even managed a half smile as his face gazed up at her.

  "Hey you!" The sharp voice interrupted my thoughts

  Penn was looking at someone else in the crowd. "Come here beautiful." Kati, Rick and Susan’s girl, looked around disbelieving. "Yeah. You. Come here, take my hand." She stood trembling, but her mother dragged her back down.

  "No, No no, no… " Her mother sobbed, but the man with the gun just stepped forward and smacked her in the head. Susan fell unconscious to the floor. Kati whimpered.

  “Come on, come forward.” Kati rose to her feet, extending her hand to take his. He led her through the crowd and around me and I knew I wasn’t able to sit here and let any more of this nightmare happen. The man stroked her shoulder as she held back tears. I had just moved less than an inch when I felt her hand still me. Rachael looked at me and put my arm on Jonah's shoulder.

  "There’s nothing you can do Sab." She looked down at the resting head in her lap. Jonah looked almost placid, as though he was completely detached from what was happening, the seriousness of what was going on. "Make sure he’s alright Sabian." I was confused. What did she mean?

  "Shut up and stop talking". Shotgun commanded of us.

  I looked at Rachael. She seemed so still, so confident. Whether you call it trauma or shock, I didn’t protest. Didn’t know what else to do. Jonah moved into the side of my body as Rachael stood up. The gun pointed straight at her but amazingly he didn’t shoot.

  Penn turned to her. "Sit down. Right now." In spite of his orders Rachael stood her ground.

  "I just thought I would offer you something you can't get from a her, unless of course, you like little kids…." The gun shifted towards her and Penn had a rancid look on his face.

  "Fuck. You Bitch." He abandoned Kati and took a step forward grabbing Rachael by the back of her scalp and wrenching her backwards. He re-drew the knife and placed it at her throat. I covered Jonah’s eyes.

  Rachael spoke quickly. "I can be whatever you want. I know what I’m doing, she doesn’t. Do whatever you want to me. I’ll beg you to hurt me, beg you to stop. Fight. Whatever you want.". Penn let go of her hair in a sudden move and eased the knife slightly. Rachael moved her hand to sooth the nape of her neck.

  He regarded her, for the longest space in time before looking back at Kati. The girl shivered and trembled.

  "Go sit back down." Kati stumbled through the crowd and dropped back at her mother’s side.

  I watched wide eyed as the man with Rachael walked around her. She was surprisingly placid in spite of all that had happened. I held my breath as he walked, eyeing her over until he came to stop nose to nose. She met his eyes and he nodded as though agreeing with himself.

  At the same moment, I saw Natasha out of the corner of my eye. She was brought back in to the room and over to us. She fell to the ground near me.

  "We good?" Penn asked, without moving.

  "All good." Came the response of the men I hadn't seen up until now. "Danno is bagging everything up now."

  "Excellent. I’m going next door with this one for a while. Keep them in line.” He said referring to us, as though he was going to get any resistance.

  The other men smiled in acknowledgement, unmoved by the decision of their leader. This was not unusual then.

  Rachael followed him out of the room, though he dragged her by an iron grip on her upper arm as though she resisted. I struggled to take in breath, or at least not throw up. I had to close my eyes to keep from throwing up. So this was it, the end of my life. Ironically in a safe room. This was where the police or security would find my body.

  Penn had taken Rachael into the study room next to us. I heard him turn on the radio, find music to his liking and just a few short seconds later I heard a hit, things falling off my desk. I heard a crash, a thud, the grunts of her protests, the smash of the wall mirror, and then there was a quietness. My body felt like ice. Natasha placed her head in my lap. She had stopped crying. Everyone was quiet, frozen in shock and terror.

  It was then the lights went out. There was a brief moment of tension for our captors.

  "What’s going on Ray?" Shotgun asked switching on a flashlight he produced from his bag.

  "Nothing. We’re fine, nothing out here. I would have seen someone out here if they were shutting power." Two of the three others also found their flashlights and turned them on.

  "Not if they did it from the street." Came a nervous response
.

  "There's nothing to worry about. We’re good. But I'll feel better once we are on our way though." Ray assured. "But what's taking so long. He's usually the two minute wonder, today he takes his time”.

  "Christ don't let him hear you say that Ray." Shotgun warned.

  "Whatever Dub." Ray responded un-phased.

  The tension eased slightly, and I heard the study door open. A slim figure emerged in the half light.

  "Hey. She lives." Dub AKA Shotgun blurted, half surprised and half confused.

  "She stands." Added Ray sounding surprised.

  Rachael stood there in the bare light. All I could see was her standing there, skin almost bare except for a camisole she had been wearing under her dress her underwear. Her head was leant down, her hair matted, hanging down in front of her face. Still she just stood there.

  "Hey princess, if you're still standing, he's not done with you. Isn't that right Penn?" The one they called Danno called down the hall, but there was no answer. Rachael started walking then. Dragging one leg behind her. The men turned their flashlights to her. As the light hit her skin we saw she was covered in blood.

  What had he done to her? Limping, covered in blood, she looked up through the hair strung across her face. She looked barren of emotion. In shock, I told myself. I pressed Jonah’s head away from the sight.

  Danno called again as Ray took a nervous step backwards "Penn. Penn. Where the fuck are you? Finish her off and let's wrap this night up man. We're all waiting for you." He walked a few paces to the hallway entrance. Not daring to walk in and disturb Penn, he stood in the doorway peering down the hall, shining his flashlight.

  "Something's wrong." Ray stated nervously.

  Shotgun had walked around to Rachael now, shotgun pointed at the floor. He ran a finger across her shoulder blades as though in admiration. As he walked around her, Rachael turned slightly until her back faced our little group. She was covered in blood. I had never seen anything so confronting, so painful. She was shaking, and her leg looked maimed somehow. As she limped in a semi circle so as to avoid having her back to Shotgun, I saw a large gash across the back of her upper thigh. Blood seeped from it still, but something was lodged in her skin.

  "I love a woman put in her place, covered in her own blood. Quiet. Still. Obedient." Shotgun stroked up her chin and licked the blood that gathered from his fingertip. Rachael raised her head ever so slightly towards him as she reached behind her to the cut in her thigh.

  Almost in a sing song fashion, she whispered to him: "Not my blood.”

  Shotgun took a moment to catch on. By then, Rachael had started withdrawing a length of glass from her leg. The shard was large enough that I winced as she produced it slowly from the wound. It ran half her thigh, broader at the top which she held like a handle, than at the tip. Broken glass. She had hidden this huge piece of glass in her skin, between flesh and muscle.

  It felt like it took a very long time, but in fact it must have been only a second or two, because shotgun hadn't had the time to react before Rachael thrust the glass into his neck, cutting off the plea for help, and impaling him. She grabbed his hand which held the gun, but he refused to relinquish it.

  Kicking upwards she struck his hand which caused the gun to go off before falling to the ground. She followed the path of the gun with her eyes, then flicked a glance up at the emergency button that would seal the room. Both were out of reach, as Ray and Danno launched themselves towards her. Rachael leaped out of the way of one of Ray’s fists deftly, grabbed at the knife in the ankle hoster he boasted and swung upwards taking three fingers from his left hand. As he stumbled backwards in agony she moved deftly, dashing to the counter across the room from us, as another man arrived, coming in from guarding the outside. He fired a shot, but missed her as she ducked to the side, constantly moving.

  Paul was still at the door calling out to his friends. "What's going on?. What's happening? Do you need me?" Everyone was too busy to answer. Rachael had reached the counter and taken a loose DVD disc from it. Snapping it in half, she threw the pieces at the two men approaching her, Danno and the other guy with the gun. The other guy just got himself out of harms reach, sliced across the cheek by the sharp edge of the broken disc. The other half of the disk embedded in Danno’s thigh. A gun went off unexpectedly as there was a yell in response to the pain.

  Rachael kept moving, latching on to, and hurling a chair throughout the air and on to the head of Danno, who dropped to the floor. She propelled herself off him and through the air as Paul arrived to finally see what the commotion was. Feet connecting with his head which buckled backwards, she easily landed on the ground, then changed direction as another gunshot rang out. Running towards us, all I could do was stare in horror and amazement at her, how she moved and the carnage that followed. Skidding along the floor, Rachael kicked the shotgun that still lay there, so that it propelled to my knees.

  We sat in our places dumbfounded at the events, still unmoving and helpless. I was frozen, watching Rachael move in ethereal form, attacking our assailants. As soon as the shotgun hit my bent knee, she was standing again. Two of the men facing her down. Balancing on one leg, she used the other to kick behind her and hit the emergency close button. Our door slid closed, the silent alarm triggered, and the last thing I saw was Rachael standing her ground as Ray, who had regained himself, approached her, rage etched into his features. The other man was doing something strange. Standing with his face upturned, shaking as though he was having some kind of fit, and his hands gnarled as though in extreme tension or pain.

  The door slid closed, and I held the gun in my hand, shaking, waiting to wake up to reality.