Alan slumped his head in sadness as he found it hard to even digest the fact that Rose was dead. The silence that followed Hibeon’s question was a deafening hush of devastation and a blanket of grief.Hibeon knew immediately that Rose was dead and the grief was transmitted to him.“Shlupp was also shot dead by Mr. Lawrence,” Alan informed, suspicious that Hibeon was going to ask about Shlupp next. “Look, it is very painful and devastating but we can mourn at some other time,” Alan whispered, his breath set in an urgent exhale of tension. “Now is not the time to run for our lives or we will also be killed. We can't revenge Rose and Shlupp if we are dead.”“And where is Ralph?” Alan asked, his eyes widened in a desperate hope that he was dead. “We had to separate during the shootout with Mr. Lawrence and his men. He is somewhere hanging around as well. I can only hope that he hasn't been caught.”There was an urgent hum of hope from Alan.“How many bullets do you have left?” Alan whisp
****Mr. Billing’s body lay still in a state of inactivity as monitors were beeping with an incessant rhythm of life, each sound was a pulse of persistence as he had been on the treatment bed for almost two days.Tubes were snaked to his body with an eerie twist of necessity as the air was thick and filled with the oppressive smell of antiseptic. Mr. Billing’s eyelids soon flickered open with a silent flutter of awakening. His gaze was unfocused and he was staring with a vague stare of confusion. ‘Where the hell am I? What am I doing there? What is that smell? Am I in a hospital? Why the hell am I in a hospital?’ Mr. Billing asked himself repeatedly.It was very strange for him as he tried to get a feel of what exactly was happening. He could barely even remember his name.Mr. Billing’s hands grasped with a frantic struggle of confusion as his eyes darted with a flicker of fear. His breath heaved with desperation as he struggled to remove the tubes with a frantic twist of resistance
Griffith’s eyes twinkled with a mischievous going of arrogance as his fingers danced with gentle affection and tenderness on his parrot’s feathers. “Oh, of course, you are right Mr. Billing. We have a common enemy and I think that is why we can actually be friends.”“It was necessary that you experienced everything that you had to go through.”Mr. Billing retorted, his muscles tensed in frustration. “Oh, so you admit that it was intentional. You intentionally got me hospitalized. Isn't that shameful?”Griffith’s lips curled with a smug smirk of satisfaction instead. He didn't have a concern for any of Mr. Billing’s rantings. “Come on, Mr. Billing. Let's not exaggerate situations here. You didn't pass through as much pain as you are making it to be.”Griffith rolled his eyes. “Well, apart from the sharp pain you experienced when you got bitten by the serpent, you were unconscious throughout every other process till now that you are back healthy. It's not like you were crying in pain fo
The mark was truly ugly enough to make anyone scream out of their lungs. Mr. Billing wondered how strangely he didn't feel any pain in that area of his legs and until he saw the mark, he wouldn't have been sure which of his legs was bitten by the snake.Griffith settled back with a deadly air of satisfaction, his lips quirking with a grin of achievement. “Oh! Mr. Billing, like I said before already, you ask too many questions.”“Sometimes all you need to do is to relax, eh? Just relax - you are alive already. At least, that has to count for something, doesn't it?”Mr. Billing was still darting back and forth with fear and trembling.“All of us have the same mark you see on your legs so you are not alone. It is a sign that you have been initiated into our family,” Griffith explained.“Family? You call yourself a family?” Mr. Billing asked, his eyes wide open in terror.“Yes, of course. Or a cult? Or an organization? Whichever you feel more comfortable with. What matters is that you are
A smug smile escaped from Griffith’s lips. “Don't worry, I will show you what I am talking about soon. You don't get it now but you will, I am sure.”“And the mark, does it get to clear off?” Mr. Billing asked again. He wasn't ready to let go of the idea that the mark could be erased. He could imagine how he would cringe at himself seeing the useless mark on his body every day. How would he look at himself in the mirror when he wakes up every morning knowing that he has a very ugly scar on his leg?Griffith smiled in response. “Don't worry about the scar. It's the same for every one of us. Wait a bit, I will show you.”Griffith walked to the door of the hospital room and called out three of his men - Dwight, Uqaman, and Zonam. “Dwight, call you guys in here and I need three of you in here.”The way Griffith called his men made Mr. Billing realize that the hospital room where he was wasn't quite far from the crime organization he visited - in fact, it might just be in the same building
“Are you serious?” Mr. Billing asked, his eyes wide open with interest.“Of course, this is no joke at all. The kind of war that I have with the Greysons would continue with my precious son, Kumar even after I die - it is that serious.”“It's a long story but I will try to break it down for you okay?” Griffith said. This time around, his composure looked nicer and he wasn't laughing and making a mockery of Mr. Billing any longer. He was more patient to explain things to him and Mr. Billing was beginning to feel more comfortable.“You see, the name Jamal which has always been that of my ancestors up to my generation had always been special. I am Jamal Griffith but my great ancestor which originated from my lineage was Jamal.”“He was a great Syrian army - he fought and killed many people for the great cause of freedom for his people from the oppression of neighboring countries who wanted to bully his people.”“Jamal was known all over the world during his time for being one of the bes
“They vowed to do anything in their power to make sure that Idliba doesn't get to own the sword. They couldn't understand why Jamal would choose the youngest grandson when he had other children and grandchildren who were thought to be more mature and capable.”“It was very unfortunate but this led to wars among Jamal’s children and grandchildren. They fought for the sword for many years and possession was exchanged among his heirs for many years.”“On one occasion the war was taken place on a very high mountain but beneath the mountain was an ocean. When the fight got so intense, the sword fell off the mountain and into the ocean and that was how it got lost.”“Many decades, even centuries later, deep-water divers found the sword and extracted it and since then it was hidden in a museum in a land where no man could enter.”Griffith heaved a sigh of relief after explaining the story, his eyes gleaming with a desire to explain.“Wow, that is a wonderful story but I still don't see how i
Mr. Billing watched with intent as the ladies were telling Griffith something but it seemed as if they were still whispering. It seemed like what they were telling Griffith was for his ears alone and not for any other person.Their conversation soon transitioned into a murmur of voices as they whispered words with a flow of urgency and a whisper of secrecy.Mr. Billing remained patient and thought that it was nothing. After all, when did Griffith’s private affairs start becoming his problem? He asked himself before laying back on his bed but checking the wall clock to determine the time he was going to leave the hospital and Mr. Griffith’s whole residence.Almost 10 minutes had passed and they were still whispering words to each other. He wondered what was going on and this time his curiosity was heightened like never before. Mr. Billing's fingers dropped with an inquisitive tap of speculation. He noticed that one of the ladies talking to Griffith was intentionally backing him as if