Crimson Hunger

Chapter 23

"Mate," Ian cried, frozen as he stared up at Ali.

Ali burst into laughter. "Now what you do?" He asked.

"Digging a grave," he replied in a matter-of-fact manner.

Ali's jaw dropped. "Who is zis you kill?" He demanded, squatting and extending a hand.

Ian first gave Ali the shovel, which he placed on the ground next to him before he helped his new friend climb out of the hole and listened to his abduction story followed by the very recent incident leading to the huge man's death. Ali requested to see the assailant's face and immediately identified him.

"His brazar make many trouble and zen we hear he get in trouble wiz thugs and zey kill him," Ali said, "zis one not very smart—only does what his brazar say."

Ada appeared behind the two men, her face as pale as someone who'd just seen a ghost.

"You okay?" Ian asked.

"I killed a person," she replied, as if to herself, "I can't be alright."

"You save a life," Ali said, stressing every word. He rewrapped the body then added, "Now let us bury zis one."

Before tossing the body into the grave, Ian found himself obliged to look inside and say, "Come on, my lady, you need to get out of there."

Ali and Ada exchanged bewildered looks but did not utter a word. The two men tossed the body into the grave and covered it with dirt then disguised it with snow.

Holding her hands in front of her chest, both palms facing upwards, Ada recited Surat Al-Fatiha from the Koran under her breath then wiped her face with her palms. Ali followed suit. Ian stood and watched in silence.

The three went into the house, boarded up the broken window, gathered their possessions and locked the doors before they left.

In the car, Ian gave Ada the pouch he'd stolen earlier. "I believe this is yours, ma'am," he said, grinning and raising his eyebrows.

"Thank you," she replied, "I should've told you this earlier, but I didn't think it necessary. I used to be a nurse, and when I first arrived in Damascus, I volunteered at a military hospital, but resigned after three months. I brought this kit in case we needed it."

"Glad none of us did."

***

Back at the Saqr's, they were offered hot Sayadiya (rice with fish), but Ada did not have an appetite, so she politely excused herself and went out to walk on the beach. It had been years since her bare feet last touched the salty water of the sea, so she found the endeavor quite therapeutic.

The water was above her ankles and the greenish rocks on which she stood were covered with small sea snails so attached to the rocks it appeared the shells were embedded in them. The water was warm but the wind was quite the contrary. She didn't mind though.

The sun was reddish, about to disappear behind the horizon. The spaces between the now-sparse clouds were different shades of pink and violet, but the rest was a mixture of orange, yellow, red and gray. The water's surface was sliced by a reddish sword that got wider and more intense as it neared the sinking sun and slowly thinned and faded as it touched the land.

She wished to scream, but her body refused to cooperate. A huge rock in the shallow waters offered the perfect veil from the neighbors' curious gazes. The water was deeper now but her jeans were too tight to be further folded. Her knees were fully immersed, and she was loving it. Never in her entire life had she imagined taking someone's life... yet it happened in a split second. Unable to think, she leaned against the huge rock and started to watch her feet under the water as she swayed one leg side to side, as if to draw a crescent.