Malik Idris

I drove the car down Sajdaa's street, Nathan sat besides me while Sajdaa and her brother sat in the back. They were playing a childhood hand game together, which Nathan would occasionally insult with his snide remarks. Of course, Sajdaa put him down every time he opened his mouth, tampering his mood. 

"No wonder Cole hates your guts. You just gotta insult all our egos," he mumbled to himself. 

Sajdaa smirked, "If I don't do it, then who will?"

"My parents," grumbled Nathan.

I felt my lips crack into a smile as I parked the car. The house was directly across from Sajdaa's place. I moved the car gear to 'park' and took my foot off the pedal. The group in the car quieted down and looked towards me. I turned in my seat to face Sajdaa and Hamza. Their expressions were curious, waiting for my command. 

"Okay we can't attract attention to us. Police are scattered around the area. If the killer shows up tonight, we'll be ready," I stated. 

"What if he doesn't show up?" asked Hamza. 

"Then you two will go straight home and we put this area in high security," I said, firmly. 

Satisfied with my answer, Hamza nodded. 

"We're going to go in and tell Mr. Hollen the situation and wait outside the house," I continued, looking at them for any objections. "Is that clear?"

They all nodded their heads. 

"Alright, let's do this."

Stepping out of the car, I walked towards the front gates of this victim's house. The neighborhood was extremely peaceful, which made me have some doubts on whether the killer would attack now especially with the police car in Mr. Hollen's driveway.

If the supposed killer sees that this neighborhood would be in high security, then he would probably target the high school kids. I gripped Nathan's arm, causing him to halt his steps. 

"What?" he asked. 

I pressed my keys into his hands, whispering, "Park my car away from the house. If the killer sees it there then he won't attack. Stay in the car and oversee the other officers."

Realization dawned across his features. Nodding his head, he left to the car. 

I gestured for Hamza and Sajdaa to follow me, which they did. Each step we took to the house made me worry even more. I couldn't allow Sajdaa to get hurt again, not this time or ever again. She and her family had been through enough. We had to end this madness. 

I lightly knocked on the door. The sky had darkened, the orange rays and hues of pink falling as a new darkness overtook the reins of the sky. Clouds seemed to shift and covered the moonlight. 

Crickets chirped, fireflies illuminating the eerie blackness with their dotted lights, flying past us. Sajdaa eagerly looked at them, reaching her hand up to catch one. 

I shook my head at her childish behavior. She jumped up and captured a firefly. Her hands cupped it gently as she stared down into her palms. There was this gleam in her brown eyes that I never saw before. It sparkled with joy as she watched the small insect fly away. I felt that urge of protectiveness again.

She was so innocent, so pure, so perfect. At that moment in time, it felt as if there was no killer out there. It was just us and the world, our very essence mingling with a place that had no worries or restrictions. We were just together and admiring the small beauties that was offered. 

I didn't know how long I stared at her, wondering if she felt the same. Time stood still between us, drifting slowly like blossoms in the wind. Was she always this beautiful?

The way her eyes brightened at the simplicity of life or the way her smile lit up my world all made my heart skip a beat. I knew there was no going back not when she held my heart so firmly in her hands. She eventually caught my gaze in her mesmerizing dark eyes. 

The door creaked open, snapping my attention back to the task at hand. "Isn't it a little too late for visitors?" asked the man behind the door as he rubbed his eyes from under his glasses.

The man was tall, his hair was a dark brown color almost black. He had the brightest eyes of blue. They sparkled like an ocean of waves within his eyes. He wore the Jewish tiny black hat on the center of his head, stroking his beard. His eyes fell on my police badge. He looked up at me, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"Mr. Hollen!" exclaimed Hamza, running up to him and wrapping his arms around the man's waist. 

He stumbled back a bit, letting go of the door handle. "Whoa there, son. What's gotten into you?" smiled Mr. Hollen. 

"Thank God, you're still alive," sighed Hamza, happily. 

Sajdaa whacked him upside the head. "Hamza!" she scolded. 

Hamza flinched, rubbing at the spot that she hit. 

Mr. Hollen looked even more confused. "What wouldn't I be alive?" he slowly asked as he looked between all of us. 

"Nice going, moron," she glared at Hamza. "You dropped the bomb on him too soon."

I cleared my throat, choosing that it was wiser for me to ignore the two siblings than get involved in their bickering. Turning to Mr. Hollen, I said, "I'm Officer Malik, speaking on the behalf of the police department. Sir, may we come in?"

He hesitantly nodded, but opened the door nonetheless. 

"Honey, who's at the door?" asked a feminine voice from the stairs. 

A woman, who looked as if she were in her mid thirties, was climbing down the stairs. Her messy brown hair was pulled back into a bun, the stray hairs falling across her forehead. Her body was round, chubby cheeks with smile lines at the corner of her eyes and lips. 

She paused at the bottom of the steps, taking in my police attire curiously before her eyes shifted to Sajdaa and Hamza. Her brown eyes brightened at the sight of Sajdaa before her, and she immediately ran up to her, pulling Sajdaa into a tight embrace. 

"Oh my, it's my sweet Saj!" she grinned, tightening her hold on Sajdaa's small frame. 

"I... can't breathe..." gasped Sajdaa as she struggled to get out of the tight embrace. 

Hamza snickered, crossing his arms over his chest in a smug manner. "That's what you get for whacking me."

Mrs. Hollen released her tight grip on her, smiling bashfully, "I'm sorry, dear. It's just been so long since you've visited."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you knock the breath out of people?" Sajdaa playfully questioned. 

I chuckled along with Mr. Hollen. Sajdaa always seemed to make a tense situation into a comedy. It was something unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Her life was in danger, her brother was in a coma, and her uncle was dead, yet she still managed to bring a smile to those around her with just her words. It was remarkable how strong her mental health was. If it were any other girl, I could have guaranteed a much more depressive state of mind from them. 

She was extraordinary. 

"Come, Officer Malik. Take a seat," said Mr. Hollen after our amusement ceased. 

We followed him into a large living room. Hamza and I sat on the couch across from Mr. Hollen. The coffee table was between us. Sajdaa followed Mrs. Hollen into the small kitchen that was adjacent to this room. Hamza fidgeted in his seat, visibly displeased about the situation at hand. I began to wonder if Nathan and my other officers were okay. 

"So," started Mr. Hollen. "Why is my life in danger?"

Why did it feel like I had to do these talks all the time? I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. This was the worst part of my job, being the bearer of bad news. 

"I'm sure you are aware of the recent serial killer on the loose, yes?"

He nodded his head, stroking his beard thoughtfully. 

"Well, it turns out that you are a possible victim for the next attack," I said slowly as I carefully watched his expressions. 

He looked at me in disbelief. "You're joking, right?"

I shook my head. "Sir, my job as a police officer is to protect you and everyone in this area. I don't joke about this type of stuff."

Sajdaa and Mrs. Hollen came back into the room with some snacks, which I denied to try. My stomach could not handle any food in this situation. All I was thinking about was Sajdaa's safety. I shouldn't have even brought her or her brother here. The second I turn my back, I knew something terrible would happen, something dreadful. I refused to let that happen to her. 

"Malik, you must be a real pain to your doctor," Sajdaa said as she took a cookie from the plate.

"How?"

"You're always so serious. You're going to miss out on stuff like cookies," she lightly joked. 

We talked about our plan with Mr. Hollen, Mrs. Hollen had tears in her eyes. The couple excused themselves to talk in private, leaving the three of us alone. I assumed that Mr. Hollen wanted to break the news to his wife in a much more gentler way than I did. 

Sajdaa munched on her chocolate chip cookies, staring out the window. When I didn't respond, she sighed deeply, dropping the cookie she was holding on the plate.

"What?" I asked her. 

Her eyes didn't meet mine, they were averted to the window. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked. My eyes were drawn to her. She gently took her bottom lip into her mouth, softly biting down on the tender skin. Her lips were glossed from the action, leaving me even more aware of her presence than normal as I felt a tightening in my pants. 

Now is not the time, Malik. 

Sajdaa turned to me, her eyes worried. "Do you think that the killer would actually try something on Mr. Hollen?" she asked. "All because of me?"

"Sajdaa-"

"People are dying because of me, Malik. I feel so guilty about it. Sometimes I wish the killer would just take me. I don't want anyone else to die or make sacrifices for me anymore. I don't want to keep doing this," she said softly, shaking her head. "I'm so sick and tired of this game he's been playing with us. I just want it all to end." 

Not even the strongest souls could handle all this drama. Sajdaa was a high school student. She didn't need all this. I desperately wanted to take all her pain away, but I couldn't. This wasn't something that could be fixed in an hour or a couple days. This was an investigation, a crime investigation where we still had no clue who our suspect could be. 

Hamza stood up and hugged his sister, resting his head on her shoulder. "We'll be okay, Sajdaa," he whispered. 

Sajdaa stayed silent, her frown deepening.

I stood up, knowing that I should probably step in. "Let me tell you guys something," I started to say. "There was a time in my life where I was forced into stuff I didn't want to do. In fact, I was in too deep in that mess. I felt as hopeless as you guys do now, but you can't let that destroy you internally."

"Easier said than done," muttered Sajdaa. 

I sent her a pointed look. "I'm serious. We're here to save lives. We will get through this together no matter what. Right now, just don't lose that hope inside you, okay?"

Sajdaa gazed at me with an unreadable expression. "Was that why you turned away from Islam?"

Her question surprised me. "What?"

"You left Islam because of your past?" she repeated. 

Scratching the back of my neck awkwardly, I mumbled, "Yeah."

A faint smile graced her lips, Hamza's hand tightened around hers. I noticed he also shared her smile. I wondered what had caused that. They were both so down a couple moments ago. Why were they slightly smiling now?

Sajdaa leaned against her younger brother, her arm outstretching around him as she hugged him closer to her. I was at awe in their sibling bond. 

Even after everything, they depended on each other like two small birds. They were bonded by their blood, their parents, their family. The connection that this family had was beyond me. It shook me into a different reality. I was used to tragedies that ended with splintered pieces of a heart, yet the case was never the same for the Taha family. Their hearts never broke in pieces and stayed broken because the rest of their family would piece back together. 

It was beautiful. 

Sajdaa's soft voice broke me from my thoughts. "You know why we'll be okay, Malik?" she questioned. 

"Why?"

"Because we have Allah on our side. Allah will never abandon us even in the darkest of times because Allah is the light that we all need."

There it was. A small prickling erupted within my chest as I felt myself shudder at her words. Allah. I abandoned Him instead of asking for guidance. I forgot about Allah because I believed that Allah didn't understand me.

For some reason, now I felt like I was wrong. Somewhere deep inside, I felt a little ease at hearing her words. They sounded right like the words my parents used to tell me. 

Her belief in Allah never faltered and I wondered why I was never like that. My faith diminished into thin air, yet hers kept getting stronger as she got more and more difficulties. Could I have been like that if I had kept my faith?

"M-Malik," Hamza shakily said as he pulled away from his sister. 

He sat up straighter. His face had gone pale like he saw a ghost. His fingers clutched onto Sajdaa's hand as if he were seeking reassurance that she was still besides him. 

"What?" I asked, looking around for anything that could have scared him like that.

Hamza said nothing as he pointed at the window. His finger trembled in fear. His poor body was shaking. My eyes turned to what he was pointing at, my hand hovering over my holster.

There was a shadow figure standing outside the window, only a couple feet away. He was wearing a black hoodie and was tall. I couldn't see his face, but I saw his pearly white teeth flashing a cruel smile that brought chills down my spine. 

The serial killer.

I pulled out my gun at the same time as he did. Sajdaa and Hamza screamed, alerting Mr. and Mrs. Hollen upstairs.

No one moved. 

No one talked. 

My finger was on the trigger, ready to pull. I heard footsteps thunder down the steps, but my attention was focused on the killer behind the window. He wasn't getting away this time. He stood still, not moving any of his muscles. It was like he was frozen to his spot, but his gun pointed right at my chest. 

Then I heard the gunshot. 

Assalamualaikum!

I guess you could say I dropped a bomb of a chapter.

Oh God, I'm sorry. My sense of humor is horrible. I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO OFFEND ANYONE. Please forgive me >.<

Oh yeah, LUTH got featured! I cannot believe it! Alhamdulilah I got this far, thank you to all my fans for the support and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy my books.

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