THE AFTERMATH

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MICHAEL 

PRESENT TIME

I am scared.

I think today is the day that I die.

I keep trying to ignore the lingering feeling at the back of my mind which keeps telling me that these are my final breathing moments. We have only been out here for barely ten minutes but damn its freezing cold. What is keeping me standing is the possibility of rescuing my love Alina and my son Chael. I get to meet him for the first time today even if it's probably going to be for just a minute.

Kaem is standing right next to me as we wait for the woman we both love. I can swear I hear his heart beating hard on his sternum just like mine as we wait in anticipation for her to show up.

"You love her right?" I vacantly ask in a husky whisper

He seems a bit startled but in subtle confusion he says, "I am sorry what?"

His eyes stay glued to the entrance as time keeps passing with no show at the door. Everyone seems to be getting agitated and ready to strike. There are about twenty men from Kaem's team and a thousand more from Joe's gang.

More bluntly this time I ask again, "You do love Alina right?"

For just a second he zeroes his eyes on me and sternly says, "Of course I do. I also believe this is not the right time to talk about this. You are distracting me!"

I think I have just touched a nerve but I have to do this nonetheless, there is no better moment such as this.

"Please don't hurt her. She means the world to me. If I don't make it alive from here, please tell her that I am sorry and I never for a second stopped loving her since the day I set my eyes on her."

I am sure my ears are not playing tricks on me but I literally hear a heavy sigh escaping from Kaem before he responds, "Michael, I promised you, no one is dying today, suck it up dude. You will tell Alina yourself and the hell the both of us have a lot of explaining to do to her..."

I interject his well-spoken reassurance speech when I fish out for a neatly folded letter from my pocket and slip it onto Kaem's pocket as I say, "No one knows that for sure right!"

"What the hell man?" I guess he wasn't expecting it and in that instance, I notice that I am truly distracting his concentration but for the last time I have to finish this.

"Please give that to Alina and tell her that I love her", I pause and in a voice fainter than a whisper I add, "You can love her too"

I didn't see this coming but Kaem squeezes my right shoulder gently and doesn't say anything else. For me it is enough assurance that he will take care of her. We continue in our short but longest wait of our lives. Our subtle silence is distracted when we both fix our gazes on Alina as she steps down the stairs with Chael strapped at her back.

Everything else stops moving and there is deathly silence as the tension rises from both parties. All eyes good and evil are glued on her as she puts one foot in front of the other walking towards us.

She looks so pale and dirty. It seems she has lost some weight or maybe my imagination is playing tricks on me. Her hair is unkempt dangling effortlessly partially covering her face in a beautiful disorderly fashion. She is only wearing some tights and a torn t-shirt. 'Oh my God! What have they been doing to her?'

Every single step she is taking seems to be like a piercing agony to her broken soul. My heart is breaking too as I watch her struggling and keeping on with so much confusion.