Page 36 of Terror at the Gates

“I will,” I said. “Love you.”

“Love you, babes!” she said.

I ended the call and dug my headphones out of my purse along with a handful of change and wandered toward Tori, who was still shouting.

“The church is a slave to the gods under the mountain!”

“Hey, Tori,” I said.

He paused his oration and met my gaze. His eyes were a startling shade of blue, so light they almost looked white.

“Oh, hey, Lilith,” he said.

His voice was warm and friendly.

I held out my hand with a fistful of change. Tori cupped his beneath mine, and I dropped the coins into his gloved palms.

“Bless you,” he said.

I offered him a half smile. “Are you doing all right?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m okay.”

There was a childish edge to his voice that made me think his struggles had begun at a young age, which was not at all surprising. There were few resources for people in Hiram who struggled with their mental health, which meant there were almost none in Nineveh. Zahariev had at least tried. He’d started a center near the Trenches, an area also known as Tent City, where those in need had taken up residence.

“Do you hear that knocking?” Tori asked.

I always tried to remain stone-faced when Tori asked questions like this. I didn’t want to invalidate what he was experiencing, because I believed he actually heard it, even if it wasn’t real for the rest of us.

“I think you have better hearing than I do,” I said. “All I can hear is traffic.”

“It’s getting louder,” Tori said. “You’ll hear it soon.”

“I appreciate the warning,” I said. “Take care, Tori.”

“Yeah,” he said. “You too.”

I headed down the street. Behind me, Tori returned to preaching, but his voice drifted away as I put in my headphones. I liked listening to music while I walked, though I rarely got the chance because I was usually out at night and preferred to stay as alert as possible.

Gabriel and Esther lived in an old factory building in Sumer, an area of Nineveh populated mostly by warehouses. Their complex was several stories high and surrounded by a concrete fence that was topped with barbed wire. It looked menacing, but I appreciated the extra security.

I used the call box at the gate even though I had a code to their building, covering the camera as it rang.

“Who is…”

I heard Esther’s voice and then dropped my hand, sticking my tongue out.

“Lily!” she said, her voice so bright, it honestly felt like sunshine.

“Hi, my love,” I said. “I’ve come for a visit. Oh, and I brought Gabriel’s jacket back.”

“I am sure he will appreciate that. Come in,” she said. There was a loud click as the doors unlocked.

“I’ll be right up,” I said, smiling.

I took the elevator to the seventh floor and found Esther waiting for me just outside her door. When I saw her, I broke into a run. I had to rise onto the tips of my toes to hug her. She was taller than me, and her round belly put more distance between us.

“How are you?” I asked, meeting her hazel eyes. I didn’t know what it was about this woman, but she literally seemed to glow with an inner light. Everything about her was beautiful—from her dark, curling hair to her warm, brown skin.

---