by Ammar Habib
Ethan lightly chuckled. “Well, there you go. You can’t believe those types of stories. They’re usually made up.”
Katrina did not join in Ethan’s laughter. “I think they were real. I think he really saved them. They would have been arrested if they’d used their real names in the article.”
“I think the police could still figure out who they were.”
“I hope not. I hope they’re safe. I’m sure he would look after them. He would’ve known that saving them would make them targets of the police. He would have kept them safe. Whoever he is, I think he’s trying to help save the country.”
Ethan looked away. His heart sank upon hearing those words come from Katrina’s mouth, but he did not show any emotion. If only she knew the truth. After a few moments, Katrina changed the subject. “What about your dad? Have you seen him lately?”
“Not for couple of weeks.” Ethan paused before looking back at her. “And I’m in no rush to do so.”
Katrina was silent for what seemed like a long time. ”Did you ever think that maybe he’s waiting for you to reach out?”
“I’ve tried for years, Katrina.”
She paused before speaking. “Ethan, sometimes you just have to give it one more try.”
Ethan let out a sigh. “You don’t understand. You’ve never met him.”
“He’s your father, Ethan.”
“My real father died six months ago.”
She reached over, and held Ethan’s hand. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. “Ethan…I don’t know if anybody’s told you this or not. At your funeral, nobody wept more than your father. After your burial, after your casket was put in the ground, he was the last person to leave. Hours after everybody left, he was still there crying over your grave. It was pouring rain and he wouldn’t go. Only when Jonathan came back and physically helped him home did he leave.”
Ethan was silent for a long time as he stared into the gorgeous eyes only a few feet in front of him. He hung on every word she said.
“Maybe you leaving made him realize some things.” She let go of his hand.
He took a deep breath. “…Alright.”
“Alright what?”
“I’ll give it one more go…just for you.”
A smile instantly reappeared on her face. She laid her soft hand on his shoulder. “I’m proud of you…no matter what happens.”
He smiled back at her. He looked away at a few of the clouds that were drifting through the sky as he thought of a way to change the subject. He turned his head towards Katrina. “Remember that dog of yours. The one that got hit by a car?”
She tilted her head to the side slightly. “I try not to.”
Ethan pointed his finger towards one of the clouds. “That one reminds me of him. It looks like a fat dog.”
Katrina playfully gasped. “Ethan!”
He let out a chuckle as he lowered his finger. “Hey, he never liked me. Always trying to bite me and everything. This is payback.”
She crossed her arms with a smile. “So you pick on him when he’s not here to defend himself?”
“More or less.”
She shook her head.
After a few moments, he suddenly leapt to his feet. He grabbed her hand and lifted her to her feet with ease. A look of confusion came across her face before he spoke. “Come on. Let’s go to the bridge. Neither of us are eating anyways.”
The two comrades turned and left the picnic behind. Leaving the shade of the tree, they began to make their way down the hill and towards the path that lead to the bridge. As they went, Katrina reached over and took his hand into hers. Feeling this, Ethan’s smile grew on the inside tenfold.
It seemed too perfect.
They were soon on the paved path and wordlessly continued to make their way to the bridge. Ethan slightly turned his head towards her with a smile, but she was looking straight ahead.
Under the warm sun the two headed towards the bridge. A few birds glided gracefully through the sky right above them. Ethan didn’t know why, but he felt like this was exactly where he needed to be. This was exactly what he needed his life to be like. This was exactly what he wanted his future to be like. A peaceful life with Katrina. A free life with her.
They could be absolutely free. Just like those birds.
As they came to the bridge, they could hear the laughter of children playing along the shoreline. Almost halfway across, Ethan stopped and set his elbows on the railing. Katrina stood alongside him and the two of them gazed over at the carefree and peaceful swans skimming across the water.
As Ethan stared at them, he knew what needed to be done, what needed to be said. Here and now. The consequences of his words did not matter. After a long moment, he looked over and their gazes met. “…Katrina, I need to ask you something. Something important.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I’m all ears.”
Ethan knew that there was no turning back from this. He was coming to the crossroads that had haunted his dreams ever since he returned to Crown City. The choice he feared making because no matter which choice he made, he would lose someone he loved. It was an impossible decision. However, standing right here with her, he knew what his heart really wanted more than anything else.
This was it. This was what he had to do. He took a deep breath internally, preparing to say what was on his heart.
But then he saw her: Naira.
She was staring right back at him. Her innocent eyes…her dead eyes. Covered in her own blood, her corpse hollowly stared right back at him. And her dead gaze shook Ethan back into his reality.
Slowly, Ethan looked away from Katrina. He couldn’t do this—couldn’t give up his past or his quest. He didn’t deserve this happiness…not anymore.
Chapter 20
Storm’s Passing
It was a quiet car ride in the red SUV. Sitting in the driver’s seat, Jonathan kept both hands on the wheel as he slowly moved through the traffic of downtown Crown City. As he firmly held the controls, he impatiently drummed his thumbs against it.
There had been an accident about a mile up the road and the streets were now badly clogged up. Vehicles were bumper-to-bumper as they slowly inched their way towards their destinations. People were blaring their horns for no reason. It was as if all social decency suddenly did not apply to anybody here.
Jonathan looked into his rear view mirror and saw the backseat of his vehicle. Securely strapped in was a white car seat with a soft, comfortable blue cushioning. Their son, Benjamin, was tightly fastened into it, wearing his green dinosaur shirt and blue pants. His eyes were shut as his head leaned to one side. Even as he was sound asleep, he continued to suck on his pacifier as his plump, white cheeks slowly moved in and out as he did so.
With a smile, Jonathan looked at his wife who sat on the front passenger seat. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail as she leaned her head against the side window, clearly annoyed by the delay. “Is something on your mind, hon?”
She looked over at him. Her look affirmed that something was indeed on her mind. “I need to tell you something.”
“Go on.”
“Yesterday when I was on my way back from mom’s, I drove by Ethan’s place.”
“And?”
“…I think I saw Brett walking out of there.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened. He blankly stared at her for several moments. “…Dad? You think you saw my dad walking out of Ethan’s building?”
She nodded. “I didn’t get a good view and I wasn’t completely sure. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. But now that I keep thinking about it, I’m sure it was him.”
“Well…how sure?”
“Enough to tell you.”
Jonathan looked away for a long time. His gaze was towards the traffic jam, but that was the last thing on his mind right now. Turning back towards his wife, he spoke again. “Wow…that’s the last thing I was expecting you to tell me.”
She reached over and placed her h
and on his shoulder. “It’s a good thing, isn’t it, Jonathan?”
“Of course. Maybe he listened to what I said.”
Cathy slightly nodded. “Maybe.”
A smile came to Jonathan’s face as he shook his head with disbelief. He suddenly began to laugh, forgetting that his infant son was sleeping in the back of the car. Excitedly, he slammed his hand against the wheel. “I can’t believe this!”
Seeing his enthusiasm brought a smile to Cathy’s face.
Jonathan looked back over at her. “I don’t know what to say, Cathy.”
Without hesitating, she replied, “Why don’t you say a prayer that whatever started between Brett and Ethan works out for the best? And that whatever peace your brother is looking for…he soon finds.”
Jonathan nodded as he and Cathy bowed their heads.
***
A thick level of heavy, grey clouds blocked almost all the light coming from the moon. Claps of thunder could be heard every few minutes as they lit up the sky with their brilliant flashes. The city was being warned of the coming fury of the heavens as the storm drew closer every minute.
Ethan stood right behind the railing of his building’s rooftop. The entire area was completely deserted. In his open palm, he held one of Naira’s rainbow bracelets. It was outstretched right in front of him, on the other side of the railing.
His eyes never left it.
“I’m…I’m sorry…” He spoke in a low tone that was almost inaudible even to his own ears. “The pain just isn’t…isn’t…so bad anymore.” Every time he blinked, the image of her innocent face looking at him consumed his mind. And every time he saw it, his heart sank deeper and deeper into regret. He began to doubt the decision he had made. “You have to understand, Naira. Things…things have changed.”
A few drops of rain fell from the sky and splattered against Ethan’s outstretched hand.
“I love her. I love Katrina and I don’t want to lose her.”
More raindrops began to fall from the dark skies.
“I can’t keep doing this. Too many people are dying…too many innocent people are suffering because of me. Those women…Carl… ”
In the crook of his palm, a small puddle began to form and the rain began to fall faster.
“Isn’t this what you wanted? Didn’t you want me to be happy?” Ethan closed his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks.
The wind began to pick up and blow the tails of his coat.
He closed his palm. “I did the best I could. I did the best I could to keep you alive. Isn’t that enough? Didn’t I do enough for you when you were with me?”
A few seconds passed as the rain continued to descend on the rooftop and drench him.
“I need a sign, Naira. I need you to tell me that I’m doing the right thing here. I can’t go down this road anymore…it’ll destroy me. It’ll destroy Katrina.”
There was another clap of thunder. This one caused Ethan to shudder.
He closed his fist even tighter as more tears came out. “Please, Naira…let me be happy now. Tell me it’s okay. Tell me that I can be happy.”
The clouds lit up with another thunderous roar. Ethan’s body began to shake, and it was not just from the cold. He suddenly looked towards the skies and let out a cry that shook the heavens themselves.
“Tell me!” Ethan let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. He slowly lowered his head and let it hang low. The tears continued to pour as the endless rain battered against his body. His fist closed around the bracelet. There was only silence now. The same silence that had filled his heart for so long. But Ethan could read between the lines. He could read the silence.
Just when he thought he had received the dreaded answer , he felt a soft, leather gloved hand come onto his shoulder. His eyes slowly opened and he turned his head around.
Standing behind him in her black trench coat was Katrina.
Even in the darkness, he could perfectly make out her face. As Ethan turned around, she pulled her hand off of his shoulder and stared lovingly into his broken eyes. His arm that had been outstretched came to his side. The two faced each other and Ethan hid the bracelet from her in his fist.
Katrina reached out and touched Ethan’s cheek. “Maybe she has been talking to you all this time.” Rain continued to pour. “Maybe you just need to open your heart and listen.”
Ethan’s fist opened and the bracelet quietly fell into the puddle of rain. Within moments, it floated over the railing and towards the far sidewalk, never to be seen again.
Without a thought, he put his hands gently on either side of Katrina’s head. A few more silent moments passed as the rain splattered against their cold, wet bodies. Neither of them seemed to notice. Suddenly, she pulled him closer, her lips touched his lips as she lightly kissed him.
At that moment, Ethan knew he was doing the right thing. Ethan did not regret confessing his love for Katrina or letting go of the bracelet. He knew that everything would be okay.
His reunion with Katrina couldn’t be a coincidence. She was here for a reason. This was all a sign. She slowly pulled her head back from Ethan’s, but her hand remained on the back of his neck. Her loving smile was all that Ethan needed to see.
As he held her shoulders, he couldn’t tell what he was feeling. There wasn’t a word to describe it. His heart was racing faster than ever before. It felt that at any moment, it would go over the edge and stop. He was freezing cold, every bone in his body was trembling, but he felt warm inside.
With a slow move, he pushed aside a lock of her hair, but their eyes stayed locked on each other. Without thinking he suddenly, put his arms around Katrina and drew her even closer to him. As he pulled her close her arms wrapped around him.
The trembling stopped. His heartbeat slowed. The cold rain that covered him and drenched his clothing disappeared. She was in his arms and he was in hers. The woman that had visited him in his dreams every night was right in front of him. The way he had imagined it would feel when she was in his arms was exactly what it felt like right now.
Everything was perfect. Right now, nothing could force them apart. They were in one another’s arms.
And their hearts were finally at peace.
Chapter 21
A Beautiful Light
Two weeks later:
At the store, William had seen that the front page of the paper was once again about his mysterious associate. Numerous dead bodies had been found in an abandoned building. They had all been killed with knives. Nobody in the city doubted that this “guardian”, as the media had taken to calling him, was responsible.
The tortured bodies of two dead women were also discovered. If William was a gambling man, he would bet that they were the ones who had claimed to be saved by this so-called guardian. Apparently, he had failed to save them just like he had failed to save Carl. As the sun was now almost completely beyond the horizon, William turned the golden knob of his front door. With two brown bags of groceries in either hand, he used his back to push open the door as he stumbled into his empty apartment.
The reporter set the bags down next to the door before turning around and closing the entrance. Putting the keys back into his coat pocket, he flicked the lights on as he turned around.
He suddenly jumped back as he saw an intruder standing on the other side of the room.
William almost whipped out the gun strapped to his waist before stopping himself. The intruder wore a pair of black sweat pants and a long-sleeved, black sweat shirt. A black ski mask covered his entire face, except for his eyes and mouth. As he leaned against the beige wall, his crossed arms showed how long he had been waiting. But even with this mask on, the intruder’s cold stare gave him away.
The reporter’s heart rate gradually settled down as he took his hand off of his holster. He cautiously slung off his coat and tossed it onto a nearby chair. “You’re out of costume.”
Ethan did not reply as his eyes followed William.
William took a few steps towards the
intruder. “You’ll be happy to know that I found a new job. It’s with another newspaper, Crown Chronicle. I’m going to try and use them to publish the information you got me…but I’m sure you already knew that.” William took a seat on a chair a few feet away from the intruder. “It won’t be easy. The mayor has the entire city too scared to publish anything against him or his circus gang. I could use your help.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“If it is possible, it’ll certainly take a lot of good persuasion.”
“There’s always the other route to bring him down.”
Ethan looked down at the gun and William followed his gaze before looking back up. “Assassinating the mayor isn’t exactly a walk in the park. At least, not for us normal people.
“I hear you’ve been trying to track down O’Hara.”
“He’s a hard man to find.”
“No legal route for his justice?”
William was silent for a few moments. “…I’m not sure if I could wait that long.”
Under his mask, Ethan slightly smiled. He was beginning to rub off on this man. “I came here to tell you that I’m leaving.”
A startled look came over the reporter’s face. He was sure that his ears had deceived him. There was an uncomfortable stillness before he finally replied. “Leaving? What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m out of the game.”
Another awkward silence momentarily captivated the room, but it did not last long. William’s shock had been replaced with anger. He suddenly shot up out of his chair. As he did so, it tipped over, loudly landing on the ground. “This isn’t a goddamn game! You can’t leave!”
The masked man calmly remained silent.
“How many people suffered because of you!? Carl died because of you! Innocent people were hurt at the hands of the police because of you! I’m in a mountain of crap right now because of you!” William’s body violently shook as he took a deep breath, waiting for a response.
If his rant had affected the intruder, it did not show in his stare or voice. “I’ve kept up my end of the deal. I didn’t promise you a happy ending. I don’t owe you or anybody else anything. I found what I’ve been looking for and I don’t need to do this anymore.”