by Willow Rose
THREE WEEKS LATER
Chapter 24
“Hey, everyone. It’s me, Amal again. Broadcasting live from my hospital bed, as you can see.”
Amal lifted her phone to show her viewers the monitors next to her and the bed where she was laying. Then she returned to pointing it at her face again. She had lost a lot of weight and didn’t really like the way she looked.
But at least she was alive.
She turned the camera toward her brother Samir, who was standing by the window looking worried. He had been with her since she woke up in the ICU, and every time he looked at her, he had that concerned look in his eyes.
It drove her crazy.
“Say hi to the viewers, Samir.”
He waved at her to stop filming him, and she turned the camera to face herself again.
“The doctors are going to do another surgery today. Now, for those of you who haven’t seen my earlier broadcasts and who are just tuning in, I can tell you that the bullet entered here in my side just above my right hip, then traveled upward and lodged itself just below my left rib cage. The bullet landed in a place that you usually don’t survive when a bullet is caught there. I guess I was lucky. The bullet is still in there since they haven’t dared to risk taking it out yet. So far, I have gone through seven surgeries; today will be number eight. I won’t go into too many gory details, but one of the surgeries is one they normally perform on people with pancreatic cancer. Several organs were removed, and the remaining organs are reconnected so I can live. I no longer have a colon or a gallbladder; I’ve lost my left kidney and a third of my stomach. The bullet has, however, now moved closer to my skin’s surface and is poking out under my rib cage, which makes it possible for them to remove it later today. Yay.”
Amal tried to smile, but it was hard. She was still in a lot of pain, and the thought of having to go through yet another surgery was unbearable. She was sick of hospitals and of just lying there, doing nothing. She had begun updating her followers as soon as she was well enough to do so. The video from her being shot had gone viral as soon as her brother posted it when the police gave him the phone at the hospital, while she was fighting for her life. It had reached more than a hundred million views, and when Amal finally woke up, she had close to ninety million subscribers to her YouTube channel. A number that made her the second largest after PewDiePie, who had ninety-nine million.
“But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about today, dear friends,” Amal said. “Today, I have a serious subject on my agenda, not that my surgeries aren’t serious, but this is a matter that has an impact on us all. I don’t recall a lot from the day I was shot inside that plane, but the more I learn, the more I realize that what happened to me wasn’t an accident. It happened because of my skin color. I am more than convinced of this. The police received a fake call telling them that I was carrying a bomb. They took action as they should, no problem there. But then they entered the plane, took one look at my skin color, and decided I was dangerous. You saw the video. You all know that I wasn’t armed and that I was doing what they told me to. I went for my bag, yes, because I thought I had to bring it, but as soon as they told me not to, I stopped. You can see it on camera; I raise my hands again after they yell at me, and that’s when the guy decides to shoot. I could have died. I should have died, according to the surgeons here. It makes no sense that I am still alive. And that’s why I believe it is my duty to address this matter. For years and years, we have been witnessing police brutality toward people of color. And we have been sitting on our hands. We have done nothing. Yes, Black Lives Matter. Brown Lives Too. I have decided to join the fight against police brutality. I am suing the police, filing a civil lawsuit against the police department in Houston. I believe in holding this man accountable for his actions. He didn’t have to shoot me, and I don’t think he should be allowed to hurt anyone else. He belongs behind bars like the rest of us would be if we shot an innocent person and almost killed them. And I ask you, my dear viewers, to come along with me on this road to justice. I am not stopping at the lawsuit. We need to wake up our politicians. So, I have decided to arrange a great protest in Washington, D.C., on January 15th. Let’s see how many we can gather. If all of you come, then we will definitely make an impact. I will be there, no matter if they have to roll me there in a wheelchair. My brother will be in charge of all the arrangements since I will be busy with surgeries and recovery, but mark my words: They think they can do this to us; they think they can shoot us down in the street, in our own homes and even public places and get away with it. I say not this time. Not anymore.”
Chapter 25
I took the escalator down, my suitcase in my hand. I looked at my watch, annoyed. The plane was delayed half an hour, and the turbulence had been terrible as they prepared for landing. I still felt a little sick to my stomach from all the bumping. While the plane was in the air, I thought about Amal Bukhari, the YouTube sensation who had recently been the latest swatting victim and who was now stirring up a fight against the police. I couldn’t imagine how terrified she’d have to have been when seeing those fighter jets outside the window and then learning that there was a bomb on the plane. I couldn’t imagine the terror that had to have been going through her mind and the rest of the passengers for that matter. She had talked about it in her YouTube videos that she now made from her hospital bed. I had watched all of them, mostly because I was so thrilled that she was still alive, that the Swatter hadn’t been able to get her killed after all. He had suffered a defeat, and it gave me hope.
The black limo waited for me outside the sliding doors, and I handed my suitcase to the driver, then got in.
“How was your flight?”
Liam looked at me from above his glasses. I didn’t remember ever seeing him wearing glasses before, but then again, I didn’t know him that well.
“Bumpy,” I said.
“Welcome to New Orleans,” he said with a smile as the limo took off, leaving the airport behind.
“Yeah, well, I wish I was here on vacation or just to experience the town. That would have been more fun.”
“You should at least get some crawfish or beignets while you’re here,” he said. “I know the right places to visit.”
“Of course, you do,” I said.
“So, what are we looking at here?” he asked. “You said you found the Swatter’s next victim?”
I nodded and found the boy’s profile on my phone. “FaZeYourFeaRs hasn’t been active for a very long time. My guess is that he felt such a setback from what happened to Amal Bukhari that he needed time to plan his next move. And I have been playing that silly game every day since. It’s become an obsession almost. At least that’s what my family thinks… That I’m just playing video games. My mom thinks I’ve lost my mind, while the teenagers find it kind of cool, yet a little embarrassing; they haven’t really determined how they feel yet. Meanwhile, Alex, my seven-year-old son, is thrilled and wants to play it too. But I’ve told him no. He’s not old enough. So now he’s cross with me. But yesterday, FaZeYourFeaRs showed up again and entered a game with this guy here. My dad found his real name.”
“Who is he?” Liam asked as he looked at the picture. “He seems awfully young.”
“That was my reaction too. I just can’t bear to see a young kid like him lose his life. Now, the kid is one of the top gamers on Fortnite. He actually won the world championships last year, so he’s quite good. But what scares me is that the Swatter is desperate now. After the setback at the airport, he’s in dire need of a win. He wants to be sure that nothing goes wrong this time.”
Liam nodded and took off his glasses. “Then we’ll just have to make sure everything goes wrong this time.”
Chapter 26
THEN:
@MIsstressWolf: Welp! I can’t believe it. Went to Chicago Comicon. The event just got evacuated. Standing outside now. Waiting.
@Legy: What’s going on?
@MIsstressWolf: Apparently, there was
a threat. Someone called 911 and said he was on meth and that he would shoot the place up. It was all evacuated. I was so confused as I ran out underneath the whir of choppers. Police are everywhere. It’s so cold outside.
@ DeVilSQuaD666: Ha, ha, baby girl. I can just see you running for your life.
@MIsstressWolf: Excuse me @DeVilSQuaD666? You find this funny?
@DeVilSQuaD666: Sure do.
@MIsstressWolf: How? What could possibly be funny about me running for my life?
@ DeVilSQuaD666: It happens, baby girl. It happens.
@MIsstressWolf: I’ve been standing in the cold for three hours. I’m terrified and thought I was going to die. You still find that funny?
@ DeVilSQuaD666: Very.
@MIsstressWolf: There was a little girl who couldn’t find her mother. She was crying because she thought she was dead. She kept clinging onto my arm while she called her mother’s name. Is that funny too?
@ DeVilSQuaD666: Sure is. To me, at least.
@MIsstressWolf: How can you say that? What kind of a person says something like this?
@Legy: I can’t believe you @DeVilSQuaD666. Why would you taunt her like that? Are you a Troll? Who are you?
@DeVilSQuaD666: Someone having fun, that’s who.
@MIsstressWolf: You’re sick. For all I know, you called it in.
@DeVilSQuaD666: Ha, ha. Maybe.
@MIsstressWolf: You’re not well. Please stop commenting. I’ll block you.
@DeVilSQuaD666: Will do. But I’m telling you. You ain’t seen nothing yet.
Chapter 27
“Liam Berkeley. Welcome.”
A handsome man in an expensive suit opened his arms to welcome Liam. He couldn’t be more than in his late twenties. He hadn’t lost his hair yet but had a very obvious receding hairline. He laughed and hugged Liam, who seemed uncomfortable and pulled away quickly.
“So stoked that you’re here. My client will be so thrilled to meet you. As soon as he heard you wanted to meet him, he got so excited. He’s seen your show like...a gazillion times. And he loves it.”
Liam nodded. He looked embarrassed and uneasy. It was one thing I had come to learn about this guy; he was nothing in real life like he was on TV. On-screen, he would yell and scream at everyone and say loads of offensive things. But in real life, he was actually quite humble and didn’t seem very impressed with his own career. At times, I even got the feeling that he was a little embarrassed by it. I wondered if it was because it wasn’t really him; it was a character he played. I also wondered how it had come about. When had it started? Did he used to be angrier, or had he always played a role? How many people knew his real self?
Jamal “Buddha” Robinson’s manager barely noticed my presence with more than a nod, and we followed him into the Superior Seafood Restaurant, where they had set up the meeting with the young gamer and Fortnite world champ.
The teenager sat alone at a table, his fingers tapping on the screen of an iPhone when we entered. From a distance, he looked like any of Olivia’s friends at school, with his cap and Nike sports jacket, except I had a feeling all his clothes were sponsored. His hair underneath the cap was dyed purple on one side and had been bleached on the other. His dark brown eyes lifted as he heard us, and he spotted Liam. They fist-bumped, shared an awkward half-hug, and we sat down. The waiter arrived and took one quick glance at Liam, then looked like he wanted to run away. Jamal ordered crawfish for all of us, while Liam told the waiter he’d like a good old-fashioned burger.
“I know it’s not what you expect from me, but I like a little guilty pleasure now and then,” he said when the waiter nodded, looking like he could cry. “And I promise not to criticize it. You have my word.”
That made the waiter smile as he left, partly starstruck, partly terrified the restaurant might end up on TV, being mentioned as the worst restaurant and him the worst server. I knew Liam would keep his word. He had told me it was partly why he seldom went to restaurants anymore. People were terrified of him and his criticism. I had thought a guy like him didn’t go out to eat because he could cook it better himself and because it would never be good enough for him, but that wasn’t the case.
The agent left us, and Liam used the first twenty minutes to congratulate the boy on his big win and the three million dollars that came with it. He then went on to giving him advice on being suddenly famous and how to avoid being used, and he told him to make sure he invested his money properly, so he didn’t spend it all. It was all to win the boy’s trust and not scare him half to death.
“Why do I have the feeling this is not why you’re here?” Jamal suddenly asked just as the food arrived. I had to admit, I was quite jealous of Liam’s burger, but the crawfish was amazing too. Liam had told me I had to taste it here, and I was glad I got to.
“You’re right,” Liam said and glanced at me like it was my cue. I wiped my mouth and fingers, then looked seriously at the boy.
“This is FBI profiler, Eva Rae Thomas,” he said. “She’s here to warn you about something that we fear might happen to you.”
“Technically, I’m not a profiler anymore,” I said. “But that doesn’t matter. What matters is your life, Jamal, and I believe you are in serious danger.”
Chapter 28
“Do you know FaZeYourFeaRs?” I asked. “Do you know who’s behind that alias?”
Jamal shook his head. “No. I teamed up with him yesterday for like five hours, but then he left, real sudden, and I had to finish on my own.”
“Did he threaten you in any way?”
“Not at all.”
“Did he say anything to you in the chat?”
“We spoke, but only about the game.”
I could tell Jamal was shaken up. The latest story of Amal Bukhari and how she was shot on board that plane was scary to everyone. The fact that Jamal was black didn’t make it less frightening.
“So…what do I do?” Jamal asked. “If the police come to my house, I can’t very well keep them from coming inside.”
I bit my lip. “I’ll warn the local departments that this might happen, and hopefully they’ll listen to me. But I’m afraid it’s no guarantee. I warned the police before they got the call involving Liam’s son. Still, it went terribly wrong.”
Jamal gave Liam a horrified look. “But…what do I do? I can’t just sit at home and wait for the police to show up and kill me.”
“If they do show up, at least make sure you keep your hands up. Get to your knees immediately and keep your hands over your head at all times,” I said.
Liam leaned forward. “But the thing is, once it goes down, once those body-armored men enter your house, you’re so terrified that you can’t think. It all goes so incredibly fast. You don’t know what you’re doing in the moment,” he said. He took a break to gather himself, and I felt a knot grow in my throat. “You don’t really think. You just act, and it gets really easily mistaken for a threat.”
Jamal whimpered and leaned back in his chair. His fingers were fiddling with his phone, turning it between them.
“But what do I do?”
“Do you have somewhere you can go?” I asked. “Somewhere where no one knows where you are? In that way, when the call comes, and the police come to your house, you won’t be there.”
“But my family will be. I live with my momma and sister.”
“Take them. You just earned a lot of money, am I right? How about you take a trip for about a week or two? Go somewhere that you always wanted to. Or treat your mother to a nice trip. Maybe a cruise or something. I’m sure she deserves it.”
Jamal’s face lit up. “I could do that. She always wanted to go to Canada.”
“There you go,” I said. “Take the trip, and that way, when the police arrive, they’ll find the house empty.”
“But what about school?” he asked. “I’ve already been absent way too much due to the competition and all the things they’ve wanted me to do afterward.”
“Deal with that once you get
back,” Liam said. “This is your life, and maybe even your mother’s and sister’s lives we’re talking about. Get out of here, now. Deal with the consequences later. I’m sure you can find an excuse, or maybe Eva Rae can write them a letter telling them the FBI told you to go.”
“I can’t exactly do that,” I said. “Since I am no longer technically FBI, but I can write a letter testifying to the threat on you. No matter what, I’m sure you’ll get through it as long as you get out of this town immediately. Go home and pack, but tell no one where you’re going; do you hear me? No one. Not that agent of yours or your best friend or even a neighbor. Don’t tell your mother and sister where you’re going either. Say that it’s a surprise. And whatever you do, don’t go online while you’re there. No gaming and no live-streaming on Twitch. Stay low, go to the beach, enjoy your sister and mother. Survive this, Jamal, please.”
Chapter 29
“Are you sure you don’t want to come downstairs and hang out with the rest of us?”
Matt stared at Elijah. The boy had come home from school, then run up to the room he shared with Eva Rae’s son Alex. He was now sitting at his computer that Matt had just bought for him to make him feel better about the move. Matt knew he missed his grandmother, and he was angry about having to live with Eva Rae and her children. He had hoped the expensive computer would help.
So far, it hadn’t. So far, it had only made him stay in his room longer, and Matt had soon regretted buying it for him. Elijah didn’t even take off his headset or turn his head to look at Matt.
Matt closed the door with a deep exhale, then walked down the stairs where all of Eva Rae’s three children were gathered eating snacks, fighting over who was supposed to feed the bunnies and who had played with them last, while Eva Rae’s mother was in the kitchen, cooking tonight’s dinner. Matt stood at the foot of the stairs, observing them all, then wondered what he was even doing there.