Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 13-9

5:18 p.m.: A car started at full speed under a heavy thunderstorm in a wooded clearing not far from downtown Los Angeles. The driver, named Zoe Reyes, was trying to drive through the cataclysm as best she could.

5:20 p.m.: At the Baylor University Library, Victoria Mattew closed the umpteenth collection on the different parliaments around the world.

5:21 p.m.: Ray Jonhson had just hung up with Faïz Mattew, who asked him to go as soon as possible to the high school where he thought his younger sister was.

5:36 p.m.: Zoe in her Mustang, with her foot on the floor, honked at all the vehicles in her path, screaming at them to let her pass.

5:42 p.m.: Ray was running in the middle of the Downtown buildings. Traffic jams at this time of day did not allow him to take his car and turn around. In addition, traffic was partially blocked by the waters that invaded the city's streets. He rushed into Faïz's building to pick up his motorcycle that he had parked a few days earlier.

5:45 p.m.: Zoe's vehicle was running all the red lights in the city, getting on the sidewalks when it was impossible to get on the road with jams of several kilometers. She knocked on the wheel with all her might if an obstacle presented itself to her, and above all, she begged. She begged him with all her soul, this God in whom she had never really believed.

5:48 p.m.: In the library, Victoria was packing her things to go to the campus cafeteria, where she was supposed to meet Zoe. Only, the discussion of a group of people sitting at a table next to her caught her attention. She understood that a shooting alert had been triggered at her high school. She listened carefully to find out more.

5:54 p.m.: On the way up to the university, several dozen police vehicles passed Zoe with their flashing lights on. She sighed, reassured, thinking that the authorities must already be present on the scene. Unfortunately, her hope collapsed when she realized that they were not going to the university, but to Victoria's High School. They had the wrong information, which Faïz had given them. Zoe and Victoria had changed their plans that morning. She was screaming and crying in rage. She wouldn't have time to stop to explain it to them, knowing that every second counted.

5:55 p.m.: A man dressed in black with leather pants, a T-shirt, and a long coat, trod on the grounds of Baylor University with his gothic boots. With an empty gaze, devoid of any humanity, he carried out the orders that resounded in his head. The rain ran down his face by the long scar that covered part of his cheek. Jarrod Graham had taken care to hide his assault rifle under his long coat.

6:03 p.m.: Zoe abandoned her vehicle in the middle of the road, in front of the university entrance. She rushed towards the campus cafeteria without even bothering to close the car door. She couldn't breathe, her lungs were suffering, but she didn't slow down in her frantic run.

6:07 p.m.: Jarrod entered the library, encouraged by the demonic whispers in his skull. First, he decided to walk along all the alleys of this place, where the smell of books was floating in the atmosphere, in search of his victim. He stared at each face he ran into to find who he was looking for. After a few moments, he finally saw her. Standing, listening carefully to the words of people who were near her. He was finally going to do his duty.

6:10 p.m.: Zoe arrived in front of the cafeteria doors, out of breath and in a state of total exhaustion. She took a look through the glass doors. The place was almost deserted. She saw David behind the counter, who immediately noticed her. He invited her to come in with a wave of his hand, noting, worried, the state his friend was in. He understood that she was looking for Victoria, so he shook his head and raised his shoulders to tell her know that he had not seen her. Zoe ran off without delay towards the library.

6:14 p.m.: Jarrod, bored by observing his target, decided to get closer to the group. At that moment, he noticed that the girl was taking a quick look at her watch. She turned around and walked away. He must have been about two meters away from her when he decided to call her by her first name.

— "Victoria?"

The girl turned at the voice calling out to her.

— "You are Victoria Mattew?" he asked.

6:14 p.m.: Zoe was running through the aisles. It was there that she saw Victoria, only a few meters away. She was standing in front of a young man. Zoe heard her answer him,

— "Yes, that's me."

The scene took place in a few seconds. The young man grabbed a gun hidden under his coat and fired a shot, the bullet going right into Victoria's heart, and then a second bullet came to lodge directly in her skull. Zoe stopped running, watching helplessly. Victoria's body fell to the ground. A terrible scream came out of her mouth, a scream that came from deep inside. Before she had time to throw herself at Jarrod, the young man turned his weapon against himself and fired a third time.

6:15 p.m.: Victoria Mattew was dead.