Epilogue
Two months earlier,New Year’s Eve
As he turned awayfrom the festive crowd celebrating the arrival of the new year, Sam Sarkhan strayed deeper into the city, seeking solace he knew was nowhere to be found, neither in the heavens nor in the underbelly of Chicago.
For a week now, nightmares plagued his soul whether he was awake or battling for sleep with an intensity he could no longer bear. The suffering and trauma he’d tried to suppress from infancy couldn’t be contained anymore.
It was one of the reasons he enrolled in the army as a young man and became one of the most skilled and dangerous soldiers in his home country; to be prepared to confront and take down the demon who’d made sure to destroy his life from the very moment Sam took his first breath.
What wrecked him even more was that it had been all for nothing. The demon had won.
Sam hunched against the bitter wind and as he reached the river. The area was so peaceful at this time of night, free of tourists and busy workers milling around. It wasn’t as calm like the desert of his youth, but there, that was the only thing he had.
The water echoed the sky, dark and deep with blocks of ice floating along like glittering stars. It beckoned to him, beckoning his soul, promising peace, and the quieting of the demon devouring him.
He wished he had another solution, but Sam knew there wasn’t one.
Silence and calm were pulling at him like a siren’s song. He’d had enough and wanted to end it tonight.
His thoughts went to his brothers, all five of them, who’d pulled him out of the darkness, if only for a time. Good men, honorable men in their own way, who’d bonded to slay their common enemy. Sam was convinced they’d succeed, even without him.
As a soldier, he knew that the weakest link decided the outcome of a battle, and he wouldn’t allow himself to be that link. His brothers deserved to defeat their common dragon, their father.
When his eyes got lost in the flowing waters, Sam barely noticed the soft snowflakes whirling all around him.
A faint smile came to him as he thought about the young boy he’d been, raised by the Bedouins in the desert, who wouldn’t have believed the marvels of the world, let alone the miracle of frozen water coming down from the sky.
It had been so long ago, with very few moments of happiness in between.
Tiredness pulled at Sam like a terminal disease, one he knew he wouldn’t survive. One thing was for sure; he wouldn’t wait until he became the very thing he despised.
He looked around and there wasn’t a soul to see him. With a certainty of what he needed to do next, he pulled his cell phone from his coat. He owed it to his brothers, especially Lazarus, to let them know to no longer search for him, and wish them well on their mission. He’d leave a message and be done with it.
With numb fingers, he dug up his phone and dialed his brother’s voicemail.
“Hello?”
The female voice that answered took him by surprise, he didn’t expect someone to answer at all. Sam didn’t recognize who was on the other end of the line. As he hesitated, the woman continued.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
The voice was soft and warm, with a hint of worry in it. Sam didn’t like being the one causing this mysterious woman to worry.
“I’m sorry. I think I dialed the wrong number.”
The feminine voice lightened. “Who were you trying to call?”
Before he could stop himself, Sam answered. “I was trying to reach my brother. I must’ve made a mistake. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“No worries. It’s New Year’s Eve after all. You want to share it with your family. You’re lucky to have one.”
Sam caught that sad lilt in her voice. It mirrored his swirling darkness, unexpected kin of some sort.
“You don’t have a family?” Sam was surprised he even asked the question, as if it were pulled from his mouth without his consent.
This time, the silence stretched from the other side of the line. That’s when he heard the faint background noise of a car passing by and the wind picking up. She was outside like him.
“Miss? Are you still there?”
