BooksBarbecue
Back The Desert of Glass Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. BY MICHAEL C. GRUMLEY
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. EPILOGUE
  82. II
  83. III
  84. IV

Rickards raised the gun and yelled.  “Let her go!  Right now!”

The man paused before being bathed in bright light when the SUV swerved out of its space and headed toward them.

Rickards grabbed Mona and jumped back with the gun still raised while the truck skidded to a stop, allowing Badawi’s man to scramble back into the vehicle.

With the squealing of tires, the SUV was gone, reaching the end of the lot and careening out of sight and leaving Rickards heaving and looking back at Mona, the gun still in his hand.  “You okay?”

She nodded and shrank to the ground, leaning against a nearby fender before remembering the girl and scrambling down to ground level.  She scanned the asphalt and found her stuck two cars over.

Back onto her feet, Mona circled and knelt next to the girl’s only visible appendage—a thin, exposed right leg, along with short white sock and black shoe.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” she reassured the little girl in Arabic.  “We want to help.”

The girl stopped struggling.

“I promise,” breathed Mona, falling back again and trying to catch her breath.

Beneath the car, Eshe could see the woman’s feet and then her knees, hands, and finally her face and dark hair.  A few moments and several breaths passed before a man’s feet appeared next to her, following in the same order until she saw his light-skinned face, larger and breathing just as heavily.

65

65

Saad’s face was utterly livid.

They’d lost her!  The one thing he needed more than any other…they’d lost!

Next to him, Khoury was on the phone speaking angrily at Badawi.

“Stay where you are and maintain visual contact.  Do not let the child from your sight no matter what you have to do.  I’m sending reinforcements.”

“No weapons around the girl,” added Saad, smoldering and leaving Khoury to nod and repeat the order.

He’d finally found her after decades of searching and waiting, studying the pictures and knowing he was growing ever closer to his one chance in a million.

Whether a girl or a boy, it didn’t matter, as long as they saw the needle, giving Saad what he ultimately needed.  ‘The needle to reveal the child.  And the mind to survive the binding.’

How many children had he taken to the glass field?  Thousands?  One at a time, he’d locked each one in the room overnight and allowed the energy to build, rising first through the glass and then through their bodies.

This energy created the visions Saad forced them to draw upon waking, before their minds were slowly wiped clean by the trauma.  Over and over again.  Thousands of children over fifty long years.  Hand-drawn pictures that would ultimately allow him to see what was coming.  The great catastrophes before they struck.

And profit from them.