The fear in me

Jason

Nay sinks into my arms and weeps. I sense her despair deep in me, and I too am sad at Gabriel's death. Lukas also looks extremely sad and I have the feeling that he too will start weeping at any moment.

Rafael, in contrast, is lying with closed eyes on the floor in the corner. I have a strong wish to go to him and kick him, but at the same time, I'm ashamed of my brutal thoughts.

"Is Gabriel really dead?" Lukas asks hoarsely.

I nod sadly. The other AD's gradually fill up the room. I count them and note to my satisfaction that almost all are present.

"Who's still missing?" I ask Lukas.

He looks about and says, "Nobody. They're all here!"

"But ... I count only ten. Eleven with me. There should be twelve ..."

"Gabriel told me Rafael killed Hektor. He also noticed that by that he regained his powers ..."

"By killing the AD's? That doesn't make sense."

"It does. He took away the powers and life energy; basically, we're not different from the HA's, except that we kill instead of healing." I'm astonished and my glance slides over to Rafael. His hair is now jet black and he looks damnably young. I try to get into his head, but I get nowhere with that. The dead have no thoughts! So he must be dead.

But I stop short because it catches my eye that his cheeks are red and look healthy. He's not dead. But what's wrong with him? I take a step in his direction and simultaneously consider how we can take him, prisoner, as quickly as possible while he's lying there. Perhaps Sam will bring the paralysing ropes with him ... Nay's still clinging to my arm and the AD's are looking at her with longing. I can only too well imagine how much they're yearning for contact. I take a further step towards Rafael when he suddenly gets up and I falter in my movements.

What happens next takes away my breath, and in the room, there's complete silence. As though an invisible thread is pulling him upwards, Rafael stands up in front of us. He opens his eyes and stares at me. His gaze now resembles that of a demon. You can hardly make out the transition from the iris to the pupil, his eyes are so black. He totters and looks drunk. Perhaps he's only drunk with power. "Jason!" he says dangerously quietly. "I see we're very similar to each other."

"The boy has nothing in common with you, father!" Lukas booms and a murmur goes through the room. "I think your other sons want to know what you have to say," he adds in a shout. Rafael looks at him full of hate. I'm expecting that at any moment he'll rush at him, but instead he grabs Theo as swift as lightning and whoosh – he's disappeared.

"What's he planning?" asks an AD that I don't know.

"He's going to kill Theo just as he did Gabriel and Hektor. He's got Rafael's powers, so he can beam himself again," is Lukas's bitter supposition.

"Lukas, what exactly has happened?" I ask him, and at the same time, I'm worried about Theo. Why should Rafael now want to kill all the AD's?

"I was in the common room and wasn't paying attention. Gabriel had just told me about Hektor's death; probably he then saw Nay and Tim in my thoughts. I swear to you that he disappeared and came back again so quickly that at first, I didn't really know what happened ..." he sighs. "Well then ... he screamed at me and asked me if I'd lost my marbles and why I'd hide two kids ... Rafael heard that just as he was walking into the room, and he asked questions. Gabriel unwillingly told him. Then Rafael without hesitation stuck the hryll into my back and I could no longer defend myself ...I was completely helpless ... one minute later we were then suddenly in the hotel room of Nay and Tim ..."

"So Rafael knows what Nay is?" Lukas nods.

"What did he say about that?"

"Not much, just that Nay's a really special healer ... he'd just seen how she revived Tim. When Gabriel grabbed him while he was beaming himself he died. Well then, Nay gave an example of her ability ..."

"Shit! What should we do now?"

"Boy, I haven't a clue. You should've seen how he shoved the hryll into Gabriel's chest without hesitation ... he's gone completely mad!"

"No, he's always been mad, it's just that you never saw it ..." I reply.

"What do you mean by that?" asks Marcus.

Lukas then tells him the whole business. As was to be expected that new information gives grounds for a discussion. In loud voices the AD's talk about all of that. It quickly becomes clear to me that not all of them are convinced Rafael has done them wrong.

"They'll follow Rafael despite everything!" Lukas whispers in my ear, and I can only nod in disappointment. "Don't take it too seriously, little fellow. They'll get a chance, but whoever keeps swimming along that course in spite of everything will be eaten by a white shark ..."

"We should set out to find Rafael!" suggests Marcus, and two others nod. "What do you think he'll do to you if you find him!" Lukas says in contradiction. "In his condition we don't know how he'll react ..."

"Well what do you suggest?" Angelo asks. "I think we should think out a plan on how we can stop Rafael!"

"You don't seriously think he'd do anything to us, do you?" asks Angelo sceptically.

"Yes, I do. That's just what I think ..." Lukas has just spoken those words when we see three further AD's disappear as if by magic from in front of our eyes. An insane laughter fills the air that makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. So there are only five of them now, I think in shock.

"How did he do that?" I ask aloud, and for safety's sake I take Nay's hand so that she will not just disappear.

"He makes himself invisible and makes use of his speed. Then he beams himself to his victims ... meanwhile he might have all of the elements on his side, not that he knows how to handle them, but that would hardly be of interest to him in his present state of power drunkenness," says Lukas in despair.

"Do you think he'll use them against us?" asks Nay. Lukas nods. "The HA's will be here right away!" I whisper to calm down Nay. "Sam will help us!"