Page 74 of Iblis' Affliction
Reluctant to express his interest in Slater’s wellbeing, he was grateful for the updates.
“A few hours…” Unconsciously, Talha checked his gold watch. It showed seven PM.
His eyes hurt. Every movement of his eyelids sandpapered his eyeballs. He needed to rest but was short on time. To make his plan work, he had to meet Güvenç in one hour, pass the delivery to Savas tonight, and speak to every staff member who survived that night. Taking care of the wounded Slater would ruin everything.
“If he wakes up, keep him sedated. I can’t deal with him right now.”
The metal doors slid open letting them into the chilled, spacious morgue; a portable medical refrigerator placed on a dissection table. The bluish light, coming from the tube lamps, glinted off the chrome sinks and tables. Blue checkered tiles reflected in the polished aluminum cabinets, and everything felt dead, even the air saturated with formaldehyde. The temperature here was lower than on the upper floors, and Talha already felt his skin prickling.
Snapping the medical gloves on, Miraç approached the refrigerator and hauled one of the body trays out. There, covered with a white sheet, something delicate rested on a stainless steel plate.
With a habitual casualness, the doctor tossed the sheet aside, picked up Camilla’s body parts, before placing them into the portable fridge.
“Here you go.” He smiled with the tranquility of a pizza delivery guy. “If you are going to keep her in here longer than twenty-four hours, you need to plug it in, ok?”
Talha didn’t answer, staring into the fridge. Camilla’s eyes were still open, and despite the milky fog covering her pupils, he couldn’t shake off the illusion that she stared at him, accusing him.
“Sorry about her eyes. I don’t think that closing them would be wise in this situation.” Miraç flung the cover closed and fastened the lid with the gray, plastic buckles. “I washed all the traces of DNA and possible fingertips off her, so make sure not to touch her.”
Shaking off the unpleasant feeling the dead eyes settled in him, Talha picked up the fridge. Giving the doctor a long look, he said, “Thank you, Miraç. I appreciate it.”
GÜVENÇ DIDN’T DOUBTa single word of his story, making things easier for Talha. His wide face reddened with every word, nostrils flared, and bushy brows knitted. A few times, he jumped to his feet, shaking his massive fists in the air in a powerless fury, but after glancing at Talha, he would huff and sit down again.
When Talha finished his long explanation, Güvenç got up, pressed his palm to his chest, and bowed his head.
“I’ll make them pay, Reis. I swear on my blood, your bride will be avenged.”
“Thank you, my friend. I never doubted you.” Talha nodded, keeping his face straight. “Can I expect the army to be ready tomorrow?”
“Just command, Reis.”
SITTING ON THE HOODof his car, Talha rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. Despite the engine being turned off for almost half an hour, the hood was still warm.
“How much longer?” he groaned, taking in the sleepy sky, cloaked in featherlike clouds. Exhausted, he craved the soft warmth of his bed before he collapsed.
“It’s almost twelve. She should be here any minute,” Dinçer said, glancing at his watch. “Oh, here she is.”
Talha got up and straightened his t-shirt. After a long day, it clung to his skin, making him feel filthy. The slender woman peeked over her shoulder, in the depth of the dark alley, before hurrying toward him.
“Did you bring it?” Impatience forced him to take a step toward her.
“Yes, Reis.” The young woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail and her eyes heavy with makeup, fished for something in her huge bag. A handkerchief transferred from hand to hand. Cringing with disgust, Talha unwrapped it, revealing the tied up condom, containing creamy liquid.
“Whose?”
“Musa Kiliç,” she replied, eyeing him. The redness of her sclera and the hooded lids spoke of her exhaustion, yet they clasped him with predatory interest.
“You are a smart woman, aren’t you? I don’t need to say anything, right?”
“Don’t worry, Reis. I’m certainly not stupid.” A sour smell so characteristic of chain-smokers washed over him with her words.
“Okay. What do you want for your service and silence?” Looking her in the eye, he read her facial lines like an open book. She didn’t have an easy life, but she kept herself well-presented. In her mid-twenties, she covered dark circles around her eyes with a layer of make-up the same way she hid the hickeys and bruises left by her clients.
“I have a child. I want a future for him. A secured future. Food, education, clothes. I don’t want him to be in need of anything. You must know how hard it is for a single mother to provide for a child.”
“I do…” Talha nodded.Better than anyone.
He remembered his mother and all those nights when she had been gone. The shame of her downfall, the guilt for his own insignificance, the hope to change things for the better.
