“Really?”
“Yup. Hurt, disappointment, betrayal or any other emotions along those lines are hard for him to express. Usually, he’ll just channel those emotions into anger but for this, he just went cold. But he was always there though. I remember when the burden of losing my mother was too much; I would run into his arms and just collapse there. He’d comfort me and tell me everything would be all right. When I had calmed down, he would go off to his room again.” Isabel knitted her eyebrows into a frown, “Wow. I’ve never even bothered to ask him how he was holding up. What a big sister I am…Lana, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being there for him - for being good to him. He deserves it. I know it’s hard, but please be patient with him. He suppresses a lot of emotions. The funny thing is, the last time I remember seeing him cry was the day our mom went missing.”
Lana had an ache in her chest; the conversation saddened her. He cried when we fought. Guilt consumed her. All I wanted was for him to show me he cared, and he was doing it right before my eyes. And I go out and kiss Doug? Ughhh! I’m so stupid!
“Hey, are you all right?” Isabel asked, disrupting Lana’s thoughts.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Good,” Isabel nodded. “Lana, why did you stay with us when your grandmother lives inside the walls? I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time now, and I totally get it if you don’t want to answer.”
“No, it’s all right,” Lana said, flashing a shy smile. “Well, my grandma always said when you start doing things that don’t make sense then it’s love.”
“She’s a smart lady,” Isabel said, laughing.
Lana gripped the edged of her shirt and twirled it between her fingers. She kept her head down as she spoke.
“In all honesty, I’ve asked myself that question before and the simple answer is…I love him. He’s flawed, but he is the best man I know. The way he protects me, protect us, I’m not going to find that type of love inside the walls. Besides, I don’t want to live within a lie, shielded by the same people that might be responsible for your mother’s disappearance.”
“I understand and I’m so happy you stayed with us,” Isabel said, stretching her arms and pulling Lana closer. “Now, are you ready to run back home?”
They ran down the sidewalk. They were three blocks away from home when, out of nowhere; an unmarked milky van screeched past them and stopped. The back door flung open as two white men dressed in black hopped out. Isabel wasted no time turning around and pushing Lana to do the same.
“Run,” she screamed as they took off in the opposite direction.
Fueled with adrenaline, Lana forgot how tired her legs were. She looked behind her and saw the men chasing them. Isabel ran ahead without looking back; she made a sharp right turn into an alleyway. Lana made a sharp left and took cover behind an old car parked along the sidewalk.
I’ll just slow her down, she thought as she drew out her gun.
She poked her head around the car to aim. She took a deep breath as she squeezed the trigger. The bullet exploded with a flash and entered the head of the man running in front. He dropped as his partner took refuge behind a parked car along the sidewalk.
Gunfire kept Lana pinned down. Two more men hopped out and charged toward her. She managed to hit one of them before shots forced her once again behind the car. Things weren’t looking good. With little ammunition and no idea of who was after her, Lana’s chance of survival dwindled by the minute. Still, she accepted her fate if it meant Isabel’s safety.
The firing ceased. Peering from behind the car, she held her gun aim ready as she waited for a clear shot. Someone pushed her back behind the car.
“Isabel?” she yelped. “What are you doing here? No, no, no. Why did you come back?”
“I won’t let them take you…not on my watch…not again,” Isabel replied as she drew out her weapon. “Take that alleyway to the other side, make a right and keep running until you see our backyard.”
Isabel fired two shots at their pursuers.
“Go, I’ll cover you!” she ordered, but Lana refused to leave her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.”
Lana bolted into the alleyway, dodging the barrage of bullets flying at her. Once across, she turned and waved at Isabel to follow.
“Cover me!” Isabel said.
Lana stuck her hand out around the building and fired shots. One of the men tried to get closer, and she shot him in the neck -but that was after he had let off a shot that struck Isabel as she ran toward the alleyway.
Isabel fell to the ground, holding onto her right thigh. She roared in agony as she crawled back to the relative safety of the car. Thinking the worst, tears streamed down Lana’s cheeks as she ran back to the car, untouched.
“Isabel, are you all right?” she screamed.
Isabel was squirming in pain. She mustered all of her energy just to talk.
“No, it’s my leg. I can’t run. Go!” she said, pushing Lana away.
“No!” Lana replied, choking back tears. “I’m not leaving you here - not like this.”
Grabbing Lana’s shirt, Isabel pulled her closer, “Leave your gun and run, I’ll cover you. Go and tell Cory, he’ll find me. Now go. Go!”
Lana laid her gun on the ground and bolted once more into the alleyway. She looked back and saw Isabel on her stomach, shooting at anything that moved. She ran until she was in front of their neighbor’s abandoned house. She crossed the yard and hopped the fence, landing in their backyard. Running up to the patio, she placed her thumb on the electronic scanner, unlocking the back door. Yanking the door open, she threw herself inside, pushing the door shut behind her.
Lana was safe, for now...
15
“Cory,” Lana yelled at the top of her lungs.
“What? What is it?” Cory said, running toward her. “Where’s Isabel?”
Lana was breathless and too overwhelmed with emotions to talk, but when Cory realized that Isabel wasn’t with her, she didn’t have to say a word. Cory hurried to the cellar and came out holding an M16 rifle, and an extra magazine tucked inside his back pocket. He grabbed Lana’s arms as he said, “Quick, take me to her!”
They stormed out of the house and got into the old Nissan. Cory sped down several blocks, before Lana ordered him to stop. A faint smell of burnt powder mixed with blood lingered in the air. Cory could already see the bullet holes that had ripped through the vehicles parked along the sidewalk.
Bursting out of the car, Lana ran to where she had left Isabel. She pulled her hands over her mouth as she broke down.
Cory came running up behind Lana, not aware of the situation. He placed his gun on the ground as he knelt down to console her.
“Lana, talk to me… where’s Isabel?”
Lana tried to speak, but she couldn’t. She was crying so hard that she struggled to breathe. She pointed down at the pavement. Cory stood up in disbelief. He shook his head at the trail of blood that vanished a few feet away from the car.
“No! No! Lana, tell me that’s not Bell’s blood!” he said, his voice cracking more with each word. She was too distressed to respond, so Cory asked again.
“Lana! Look at me! Tell me that’s not Isabel’s blood on the pavement?”
Lana did nothing but nod.
“No! No! No! No! No!” Cory cried, shaking uncontrollably.
He took two steps backwards and stumbled to the ground like a drunkard. “Not again,” he screamed.
He began to hyperventilate. As soon as Lana noticed, she crawled over and held him. His body was rigid, and his breathing control wasn’t returning to him anytime soon. Cory broke free of Lana’s grasp and wobbled toward the car - but after a few steps, he stumbled back to the ground and vomited on the pavement. Exhausted, he rolled over onto his back, gasping for air as his head swayed from side to side. Lana clamped his head between her thighs. He stared up at her face as she cried and pleaded, “Breathe, Cory, breathe.” Her
voice became fainter with each second until he blacked out.
*
When Cory regained consciousness, he was lying on the couch. The first thing he noticed was Lana arched over him, holding onto his hand. Discombobulated, he tried to piece together what had happened. The memory of losing Isabel hit him like a train wreck, and anxiety returned with a vengeance. Lana saw this, and jumped on top of him.
“Cory, look at me, you gotta breathe!” she instructed.
This time, Cory managed to calm down, keeping his composure.
“Tell me what happened,” he commanded.
Lana explained in detail the events that led up to his sister’s disappearance. Tears ran down his face. The initial shock of losing his sister was gone, but now he had to deal with the reality. Without a word, he stood and went into his room, locking the door behind her. He needed to be alone. His emotions made him unstable, and in his present state, he felt it wasn’t safe for Lana to be around him.
That didn’t matter to Lana. She kept banging on the door, pleading to be let in, but he ignored her. The twin burdens of losing his mother and sister were unbearable; and it was time to face his demons. It was his time to vent his frustration in the only way he knew how. In his fury, he screamed, kicked, and punched anything he could get a hold of.
The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and he had no one to blame for Isabel’s abduction but himself. He knew he shouldn’t have let them go running while his gut was telling him otherwise. A full hour passed before he opened the door.
Lana walked into the room open-mouthed. The bed was flipped. Everything else was on the floor or broken, and there were so many holes through the wall; it reminded her of a scantron answer sheet from school.
She sobbed, fearful that Cory’s act of aggression had been meant for her. She flew into his arms.
“Please don’t hate me,” she kept repeating.
Cory only blamed himself for Isabel’s disappearance. Plus, deep down, he was proud that Lana had tried to sacrifice herself for Isabel, and even more proud that Isabel had come back for Lana.
“I’m going to get her back,” he said, gently pushing Lana away.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed the old man’s number.
“Talk to me,” the geezer answered.
“Hello, this is Cory. I need your help.”
“Say no more, wait by your phone. I’ll send you the address where we can meet.”
After a few minutes, Cory received a text of an address and instructions to pack their things. It was eight o’clock in the evening, and the old man expected Cory to be there no later than ten. Cory and Lana wasted no time getting ready. They left the house carrying just one suitcase full of clothes, which they tossed in the back seat of their Audi A5.
Going back inside, they retrieved their metal gun cases, along with their bulletproof vests. Popping the trunk open, Cory placed the gun cases on top of each other and threw the vests inside. Just when he was about to close the trunk, he remembered he’d forgotten the box filled with the devices. He ran back into the house as Lana waited in the car. Once everything was packed and loaded, he closed the trunk then climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Did you finish setting up the security?” Cory asked.
“Yes, all the live feed can be accessed directly from our phones, and it will notify us via e-mail of any intrusion,” Lana replied.
“Are all the doors locked?”
“It’s telling me that everything is locked,” Lana said, looking at her phone.
“All right, we’re all set.”
“Do you need to GPS where we’re going?” Lana asked.
“Nah.”
Opening the garage door, they peeled off into the streets. Cory sped down the lonely highway without saying a word. Lana expected as much and respected his space. Now wasn’t the time for her to be asking Cory to express himself. Reclining her seat, she tried to take comfort in the silence. Everything had happened so fast, and just like Cory, she too needed time to herself. Isabel’s face tormented her thoughts - telling her to run, over and over again - until a teardrop rolled down Lana’s cheek like water on a leaf. Before long, she fell asleep to the sound of the soft music playing in the background. It wasn’t long before the slowing of the car awakened her.
“Where are we?” she asked as she opened her eyes. Bewildered by her surroundings, Lana sat up and bellowed, “Cory, what are we doing here?”
Before he could answer, Lana asked again.
“Why are we at Doug’s house?” This time, she waited for his response.
“Lana, I don’t have time to argue. Go inside, call your grandmother and make arrangements to get out of here first thing in the morning,” he replied, avoiding her question.
In protest, Lana folded her arms across her chest and reclined back in her seat, “Unless you drag me out of this car, I’m not leaving.”
“Lana…I don’t have time for this.”
Adamant, Lana sat still, looking straight through the windshield, refusing to respond to Cory’s plea. Picking a tree, she vowed to stare at it until they left.
“You’ll be safer with your grandmother. That’s where you belong,” Cory continued.
Again, no response. She remained still and unmoved.
“This isn’t your fight, and I can’t afford for you to get hurt. I already lost my mom and sister. Lana, get out!” Cory howled.
Waiting for Lana to respond grew tiresome. Cory was perplexed: Lana would argue with him all the time, but now she had gone mute. With no patience for Lana’s stubbornness, he unbuckled his seat belt, leant over to her side and pushed the passenger door open with his fingertips.
Lana responded by grabbing the door and slamming it shut.
Cory got out of the car and stormed over to the passenger side. He guessed he would have to drag her out after all. Just as he reached for the door handle, he heard Doug stepping outside.
“Hey, did we have plans for fixing up my security today?” Doug asked, walking over.
“Um, nah,” Cory said awkwardly.
In his head, the plan seemed perfect—leave Lana with Doug and go save Isabel. He had forgotten how upset Lana was the last time he left her there. But seeing Doug brought back the memories. Now he didn’t trust Doug as much as he did two minutes ago when he’d tried convincing Lana to stay with him.
“So why are you here?” Doug asked, confused and slightly hostile.
“Um, uh—I was going to drop Lana here for the night. She needs to go home to her grandmother tomorrow. I have some….stuff I need to handle, and I don’t want her in it,” Cory sputtered, regretting the fact that he had to depend on Doug.
“It doesn’t look like she wants to be here,” Doug replied, jaws clenched as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.
Taking a deep breath, Cory tried opening the passenger door. It was locked. He glared down at Lana, who was still looking out the windshield at the same spot.
“Lana, stop this bullshit. Open the door!” he demanded.
Lana seemed undeterred. Cursing under his breath, Cory walked back to the driver’s side and removed the keys from the ignition. Now she couldn’t lock him out. Striding back to Lana’s side, he opened the car door and stepped aside to give her room. Doug stood back and watched to see what would happen. Nothing, she didn’t move.
“You two are like a fucking soap opera, aren’t y’all,” Doug added with a frustration. “This is just another rejection, isn’t it? Lana and her fucking games, I’m over this,” Doug declaimed, walking back to his veranda. He stopped and called out, “If Lana is staying, the door will be open, but I’m not waiting to see what happens.”
Cory wasn’t sure what games he was talking about, but he had little time to inquire.
“Lana, get out of the car!”
Lana leaned over, glaring at Cory. Her eyes watered as she screamed, “You’ve insulted me for the last fucking time, Cory. I’m not getting out this fucking car. You’re not doing this to me
; you’re not blocking me out. No, not this time! It’s my choice, not yours. Fuck you, Cory. Fuck you! I’m not staying with punk-ass Doug and I’m going to find Isabel—because I’m more than capable of doing it. Ask me to get out of the car one more time and see how far I’ll go to make you understand.”
She slammed the car door shut, crossing her arms across her chest again.
Cory stood still, shock written over his face. He threw his hands up in defeat and climbed back into the driver’s seat. Without saying a word, he reversed the car out of Doug’s driveway and sped down the narrow country road. As they reached the highway, he pulled out his phone to give Lana an address.
“Pull that up on the GPS,” he instructed.
They drove to an abandoned parking lot. There was no one at the rendezvous point, so they messaged the old man, notifying him of their arrival. They got out of the car and waited. Soon they heard a car engine approaching. They hoped it was the old man. Around the corner came a white Mercedes Benz G wagon speeding toward them. The car made a wide turn, pulling up beside them. The door opened and out came the old man. He was sporting a black tailored suit with a white dress shirt tucked underneath. The shirt’s top buttons were undone revealing his hairy chest. Cory and Lana were too focused on Isabel to question the old man on his stunning change of appearance and the unexpected flashy entrance.
Their meeting was brief. They didn’t have to say much. Isabel’s absence alone gave the old man all the confirmation he needed to know that she had gone missing.
“Did she have on the bracelet?” the old man asked.
“Yes,” Lana responded.
“Okay, well let’s go find her then. You guys follow me,” the old man instructed them.
Turning around, the old man started toward his car, but stopped and turned to point at Cory.
“The name’s Bienaimé, and I promise I will do everything within my power to get your sister back.”
His vow gave Cory and Lana a little more faith they could find Isabel. They shook hands before following him out.
The Sabbath Page 10