The Azrael (Book 3): Alpha Zulu

by Jesse Gagnon

“What about Peter?” Karl asked.

  “Maybe this is part of his plan?” Cindy suggested.

  “Or he wanted the toy back. He threw it far. Do you think he’ll find it?” Jordan asked.

  “Maybe he is getting the toy. Oh, look they’ve left the barn. Ooh, the big one looks angry.” Cindy added.

  Jason scanned the area frantically for the toy and found nothing. Where the hell did he throw it? Sounds of Azrael roared behind him. They were out. Oh, shit. They see him, he thought.

  Jason dashed towards the house and decided to run around the back until he could come up with a plan. However, his plan did not entail the two Azrael breaking into the house again. Once Jason rounded to the front he noticed the front door mangled and bloodied. When he entered the house he heard heavy footsteps upstairs searching for the children. The kids were quiet. Everything was quiet except for the footsteps. He felt a tug at his pants. Cindy was behind him. She put a finger to her mouth encouraging Jason to be quiet. The other two were hiding beneath coats on a coat rack near the door. The Azrael ran right past them. Cindy pointed outside and to the barn. Jason nodded and they quietly jogged over to it. Jason could still hear the Azrael searching the rooms upstairs. They began to act violent and damaged anything in their way.

  Before they all got inside the barn a window broke open. Jason glanced up and saw the small Azrael on the roof of the porch coming right for them. The large Azrael was right behind it. Shit! He pulled the door closed but didn’t have a way to lock it from the inside. He held on to each door handle and dug his heels into the dirt.

  Moments later Jason felt the doors slam as they rammed into them. They banged and pushed aggressively trying to get inside. Jason hoped that they would not figure out that they needed to pull instead of push. As if they read his mind the pounding stopped and he felt a slight tug. He held it okay but a second later the tug was much more vicious. His feet dragged forward digging ruts in the dirt as a vertical beam of light cut through the darkness inspiring fear from the children and they hid in the back corner. Jason could smell their breath behind the door. Jason didn’t know how much longer he could hold the doors or how long the handles would last. He could feel the housing shake loose with every pull. It was only a matter of time.

  Again the doors jerked even harder and he scooted even farther. A larger beam lit up the barn. Jason caught an eye of one of the Azrael as it looked inside and heard it sniff the air. It excited it and started to pull even more brutally. This was it, Jason thought. The handles became even looser and were moments from snapping off. One more pull broke the handles off and the light from outside flooded inside illuminating everything it touched. The waft of Azrael overwhelmed Jason and he squinted as the sunlight blinded him. Time slowed as he knew it was the end for the children. He shoved his arms out as if he could stop them from coming in.

  Suddenly, a loud bang deafened his senses and he felt numb. Before he fell backwards he saw the large Azrael’s head explode. A distant bang, as if it were miles away, sounded moments after and Jason noticed the smaller Azrael fall to the ground as he lied there. He couldn’t move. Was this the end? Through the light, a man with a cowboy hat carrying a shotgun stepped into the barn. A smaller figure was behind him. It was Peter. He wasn’t even in the barn this whole time. Jason’s eyes faded into blackness. He was at peace. The children were safe so he could rest. He finally submitted to the call to the darkness, the call to peace.

  CHAPTER 26: COOKIES AND HIV

  The smell of fresh baked cookies filled the room and caused Taliah to perk up.

  “Ooh, they’re almost done. Smells good huh?” She asked Samson.

  He brought his head up to her after hearing his name. She scratched his head and beneath his floppy ears. He leaned into the scratch and his tail wagged with enjoyment. She stood up, walked into the kitchen and stole a scraped ball of cookie dough from the bowl. She placed it in her mouth and her eyes rolled in the back of her head.

  “I’ve missed these so much.”

  The small plastic alarm buzzed indicating the timer was zero. She turned off the buzzer, grabbed a mitten and removed the tray of cookies from the oven. The aroma of awesomeness wafted through her and slipped under her front door.

  Simon was at the door and began to knock. The smell brought a smile on his face.

  “Just a minute.” She hollered at the door.

  She placed the tray on the stove to cool, locked Samson in her bedroom and stole another small ball of cookie dough before she went to the door. She popped it in her mouth, ran her tongue around it and chewed it up. She was expecting Simon and looked at herself in the mirror at the front door before opening it up. She’d hate to look like nobody loved her when he saw her. It’s been a few weeks since she last seen him. She opened the door after moving around a few wild hair strands.

  “Simon, good to see you.” She gave him a hug.

  “The place looks nice. Is that cookies I smell?” He asked.

  “I had to alter the ingredients a bit, but it’s chocolate chip cookie-ish.” She admitted while walking towards the kitchen. She stopped by her portable mp3 player and put on some music. She adjusted the volume until it was high enough to understand but low enough to talk over. It was something her parents used to listen to. She played it because she figured Simon might like it too. He did.

  Simon bounced his head to the beat. “Ah, I remember that one.” He sang along to the lyrics under his breath. Simon sat down on the couch in the living room. Taliah came into the room with a plateful of cookies and sat down. She folded her left leg under her butt as she sat down with a plate in her lap. She placed a cup of fresh milk on the table next to Simon and was already sipping hers.

  “So what’s up?” She asked.

  Simon grabbed a cookie and took a bite.

  “Mmm, this is good. Better than I remember.” He followed the bite with a drink of milk.

  “So?” She inquired.

  Simon noticed her joy radiating since he walked in. She had a new lease on life and nothing could be better. Simon wondered what information she needed to hear first.

  “I have news.” Simon spoke looking into her big beautiful brown eyes. She didn’t deserve this.

  “Is Mario okay? Tell me he’s okay.” Taliah sat up and her whole demeanor changed. Simon hated this part of the job. He wished that this could all just go away so he could tell her that everything is fine. Don’t worry about it.

  “He’s on his way back to the city. He’s alive.”

  “Oh, thank God.” She slouched but then sat back up. “He is going to be okay, right?” She asked searching his eyes for a reaction. He gave her none.

  “He’s had an injury and is getting his head looked at.”

  “But he wasn’t bit right?”

  “No, he wasn’t bit, just knocked around a bit that’s all.” He attempted to comfort her as best as he could.

  “Well, he’s tough. So he’ll be okay.” She comforted herself.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine Taliah.” He smiled at her but couldn’t keep eye contact and she noticed.

  “There’s something else isn’t there?” She asked.

  Simon couldn’t’ get away with just some of the bad news. He had to tell her all of it. He took in a heavy breath and exhaled.

  “Yes, there is.” Simon studied her eyes. Her pupils danced from left to right examining his face.

  “Are we still talking about Mario?” She asked.

  “No, it’s about you Taliah.” He shook his head and she noticed something was off about his tone and by his face. He appeared troubled.

  “Did I do something wrong? I swear I didn’t steal any of these ingredients. There was this guy…”

  “It’s not about that Taliah.” He interrupted.

  “Does Dr. Schwinn not like me?” She said fishing for Simon’s thoughts.

  “You see, how do I say this?” He paused. “Everyone that comes into our city is tested for certain things. You remember the physical e
xamination you received when you arrived, right?”

  “How could I forget? It was embarrassing.”

  “Um, and some results have come back concerning your blood.”

  “My blood? What’s wrong with my blood? Is the Azrael virus in it? Am I immune like Savanna?” She asked.

  “No, I’m afraid it’s something else.”

  “What’s wrong with me Simon?”

  Simon could see her face breaking. Her eyes began to water.

  “You’ve got the HIV virus.”

  She just stared at him with a blank expression.

  “How? What will it do to me?”

  “Haven’t you heard of it before?” Simon was confused at her reaction.

  “I was thirteen the last time I was in school. How do you get it?” She asked.

  “It’s a sexually transmitted disease. It, uh, breaks down your immune system making you more susceptible to weaker illnesses.”

  “Can it kill me?”

  “Indirectly, it can.”

  “Oh…” She glanced down at her hands and picked at her fingernails nervously. She tried to stay strong.

  “How long do I have?”

  “Well, it’s not full blown AIDS yet so you have time. Problem is that medicine is a scarce commodity these days and HIV medicine was extremely expensive before all of this happened.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “We don’t have HIV medicine Taliah. We just don’t have any. I’m sorry.” Simon stood up and paced around frustrated at the situation.

  “Are they going to kick me out?” She asked.

  “No, hell no. No one is kicking you out.” Simon scowled.

  “Am I contagious?” She asked.

  “Your blood is and any sexual activity can spread the virus. The use of protection helps but it’s not 100%.”

  “So I shouldn’t’ have sex then?” She asked.

  “This isn’t a conversation you should have with me. I’m sure there’s a female doctor that you can discuss this with.” Simon waved the question away and paced nervously.

  “I’m asking you, Simon, as my friend.” She looked into his eyes.

  “No, you probably shouldn’t.”

  “Okay…” She paused and thought for a minute. The silence was awkward. “Did I get it from those men?”

  Simon turned from her while shaking his head in anger. He formed a fist and wished that he could punch something. “Most likely.” He admitted and released an audible sigh.

  “I see. And there’s no cure, right?”

  “No, there isn’t. You’ll have it for the rest of your life.” He explained as he regained eye contact with Taliah.

  “Well, that sucks.”

  She brought her head down, studied her hands and felt a wave of emotion pushing its way out. She tried to stop it but she couldn’t. She cried. Simon walked over to comfort her and sat down next to her. He brought her into his chest. She buried her face into his right shoulder and wept. She cried worse than when she was in the shower back at the Paul Simon facility. Tears escaped Simon’s eyes as he rubbed her back softly soothing her.

  “Let it out. It’s okay, just let it all out.” He held her tightly and wished tonight didn’t have to turn out like this.

  After a few minutes, her sob dialed down to a heavy sniffle every few seconds. She eventually brought her head up. Her eyes were red and her face was soaked with tears.

  “Can I see Mario?” She muttered between sniffles.

  “Of course you can. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

  She smiled.

  “Does he know?” She inspected Simon’s eyes.

  “No, not yet. Only if you want him to know.”

  “When he gets better I’ll tell him. He should know…” She paused. “Can I even have a boyfriend?” She broke down into tears again and buried her head into Simon’s shoulder once more.

  “Of course you can, you just can’t…well, you know.”

  “Have sex!” Her voice was muffled pressed against Simon’s chest. She drew her face out. “Why would I want to do that anyway?’ She asked dismissing the whole idea.

  Simon didn’t know how to respond and didn’t.

  “So, what have you been working on with Dr. Schwinn?” He asked trying to change the subject of conversation. It worked. They talked about her job transcribing Highwaymen documents and journals into an Azrael history book. After a few hours of small talk, Simon left and headed for the medical center to be there when Mario showed up.

  CHAPTER 27: ROAD BLOCKED

  The morning came and thankfully Mario was still breathing. He did wake up screaming about three in the morning. Everyone ran in to check on him. Savanna was already in there comforting him, it was her watch. They asked him if something was wrong. He didn’t seem to remember why he was screaming. After a few minutes, he fell back to sleep. The others didn’t and it showed the next morning.

  “Were you guys able to fall back asleep?” Savanna asked.

  “Not a wink.” Chris admitted while rubbing his eyes.

  “We should get moving. The sooner we arrive the better chance Mario has if there’s something wrong.” She continued.

  “All of our gear is packed, Babe.” John said and leaned in to kiss her.

  “Thanks, Babe.” She bit his lip.

  “Ow, what was that for?”

  “I saw you checking out that young girl that brought in the blankets last night.” She questioned John.

  “I’m sorry that she’s attractive. I’m a man. It’s not like I touched her or said anything inappropriate to her.” John defended himself.

  “I know you didn’t, which is why I just bit your lip.” She gave him a devilish grin.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep my eyes to myself.”

  “Thank you.” She beamed and went to their room to retrieve her things.

  “I’ve got my gear in the car. It’s fueled and ready to go.” Chris added.

  They locked up the vehicle and carefully brought Mario to the car. He was still sleeping, very unlike Mario. Something was wrong. Savanna sat in the back with Mario’s head in her lap. Chris was driving and John was in the passenger seat. About halfway to the Chicago gate, the road became riddled with more cars on the road than before.

  “Do you remember all of these on the way out?” Chris asked knowing that something changed.

  “No, I didn’t. Something’s up.” John suggested.

  They carefully weaved around the cars. It appeared to be designed to slow down anyone passing through.

  “Get your guns ready.” John advised.

  “What’s going on up there?” Savanna asked. She couldn’t see around the front seat and was unable to move to see due to Mario’s placement.

  They came around a large blue van and as they navigated around it a few men tossed mud on the windshield blinding Chris. He accelerated and the tires blew out. All four were rolling on rims. Savanna could see the sparks on the side windows. She saw men, lots of men watching them. The car plowed into another vehicle head on. It stunned Chris and John momentarily. Savanna attempted to keep Mario steady but was thrown into the front seat knocking her unconscious. When John finally saw clearly he noticed a shotgun pointed towards him through his broken side window.

  “Get the fuck out.” The man instructed.

  John tried to reach his gun. It was knocked on the floor during the collision. The man noticed.

  “Tha fuck!” The man struck John through the window with the butt of his shotgun. Chris had his pistol in his hand but dropped it knowing that he wasn’t in any position to use it without getting one of them injured or killed. Another man smashed the window in on Chris’ side and dragged him through it.

  “Where you going white boy?” The man asked while aiming his Glock at Chris’ skull.

  “We’re headed to Chicago. Our friend back there has a head injury. We were going to get him help.” Chris answered with his hands up. He figured that the more he complied with t
heir orders the easier it would be for everyone. About fifty men were surrounding them. It looked to be a local gang.

  “Tell those other mothafuckas to get out.” The man instructed. He was about 6’2” and wore an army uniform. It was all out of regs. He obviously didn’t earn the rank of staff sergeant. The name on the uniform was Steele. Chris looked in the back and noticed both Savanna and Mario was out cold. He cussed under his breath.

  “They can’t. They’re unconscious.” Chris explained while still holding his hands up, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible.

  John was already outside the car. Two men were going in on him. He must have said something to piss them off.

  “Wake them the fuck up then.” Steele suggested.

  Chris unlocked the doors and opened Savanna’s door. He reached in to wake her up and she moved. She’s alive. He noticed Mario’s chest rise and fall. He was okay too. Well, kind of.

  “Hey Savanna, these men would like you to step out.” Chris tried to be as polite as possible as he shook her left arm.

  “Wake up bitch and get out of the fucking car!” Steele encouraged.

  Steele nodded at a group of men. They knocked Chris out of the way and dragged her out of the car by her left leg. She surprised one with a knee to the groin and shot her Beretta striking the shoulder of another. She trained her pistol to shoot the third but Steele stepped in and punched her across the face knocking her out cold.

  “Feisty little bitch ain’t she?” Steele laughed, shook his hand that punched her and wiggled his fingers. He resituated his rings on the fist that struck her. He noticed a bite mark on her arm and wore a crooked grin. “Pick her up and take her to the trucks.” He instructed. Two of them carried her while the third was on the ground crying about his shoulder. “Get up Jamaal, you’re embarrassing yourself.”

  Jamaal slowly dragged himself to his feet still sniffling. He followed the other two with Savanna. Chris knew if he acted out now, they would have no chance at survival or at retrieving Savanna. John was too busy getting his ass beat to notice that they took his woman.

  “Take their shit…” Steele instructed to some of the others nearby to raid their vehicle of anything useful. “…and pull that mothafucka out. This isn’t nap time nigga.”