Shadows of Death

Chapter 3(Christopher section 6)

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With slow steps he went into a small restaurant located a few meters before the crossroads on the left side of street. He sat at a table next to the window. He ordered two burgers and one soda from a girl who came to take his order. The food was prepared without much delay but Christopher could only eat one of the burgers before his hunger subsided.

He began to think about what he should do tomorrow morning. Going to Black County Prison and meeting Jome made him a little anxious. Of course, he didn't like to think about the negative point of tomorrow. Until he went to the prison and met Jome he couldn't say what would happen. But this little anxiety made him lose his appetite.

He stood up from the table. The restaurant was a little busier than a few minutes ago. He paid for his food and got out. After exiting from the restaurant a cool wind caressed his face and caused the bad thoughts and imagination to leave him alone.

Without any thought in his mind he walked back toward the boarding house. He didn't like his night out. But when he arrived at the corner of the alley he looked at the third floor of the boarding house involuntarily. The lamp of the room was on, and he saw a shadow behind the curtains. Someone was in his room!

He didn't linger. He ran up to the pension. Very fast he put his finger on the doorbell and when Mary opened the door he ignored her and passed by her like a bullet. He ran very fast and for a second Jerry looked like he was going to attack him, but at Marie's command he sat back on the floor.

Christopher sprinted up to the third floor. When he arrived on the last stair he stopped. He slowed his breathing and slowly and with careful steps approached the room. He still didn't know who was in the room. He needed to act carefully. For second he thought it could be Jolie. Women like Jolie certainly could be a threat. They befriended men and ripped them off.

But when he got three steps away from the room he drove thoughts of Jolie out of his mind. The door of the room was open five or six inches. The lamp light spilled out from that gap. Christopher could see a boy who was about the same age as himself. He wore a short-sleeved white shirt with blue jeans and muddy sneakers. The boy was standing over Christopher's suitcase and rifling through its contents.

Christopher paused, then he quickly and abruptly ran into the room and before the unknown boy could show any reaction Christopher raised up his right foot and kicked him in the stomach with all his strength. The boy flew back into the wall and fell face-first on the floor with a crash. Christopher straightened. He waited for a reaction from the unknown boy. His equipment was scattered everywhere in the room.

The boy didn't move for a few moments. For a second Christopher thought he was dead. But after a few seconds the boy put his left hand under his body and tried to get up from the floor with great effort. As he rose up from the floor in Persian language he said: "Damn you! Where are you mom? They killed your boy in this strange country. I can't breathe... for Genghis Khan's sake! Damn, why did you kick so hard? Ugh...I'm going to vomit...Where is the fucking human rights committee?! They killed a young thief over an empty suitcase. Help..."

Christopher didn't think about the nonsense that he was talking about. When the boy moved to stand up, Christopher saw a black crescent on his left wrist!

Could it be possible? Besides him and Charlie, someone else in this world had this unknown and mysterious sign? The black crescent sign on his wrist was exactly the same as Christopher's. Even the angle of that sign was the same! Christopher's eyes were glued to the left wrist of the boy. He couldn't look away.

With both hands clutching his stomach, the boy stood up and with great difficulty dragged himself to the window. He struggled to open the window and tried to breathe the fresh air.

Christopher's attention snapped back to the room and what had happened. He heard someone coming up the stairs with great effort. Christopher could guess from the sound of the footsteps that it was Mary, coming up with her dog; Christopher could hear clearly the sound of a dog snuffling and breathing.

Continue: Chapter 3 (Christopher section 7)

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