A sense of confusion and disbelief rained down on Darnell as he tried to comprehend what the hell had just happened. Eight rounds had been fired from point-blank range, and yet he missed everything. That was simply not possible.
The other guards resumed their firing. Darnell snapped out of his stupor and dived for cover.
He lay face down on the ground, his body pressed hard against the cold marble floor, doing everything he could to awaken himself from this wretched nightmare. Bullets flew inches above his head. Other people’s blood soaked his clothes. A piercing howl rang in his ears. This could not be happening, he told himself, over and over. That was the best he could deduce from such an absurd situation. None of this could possibly be real.
Until he saw the trail of dust on the floor, surrounding the old man. It was arranged in a perfect circle, about two inches thick and five feet in diameter. Darnell watched for a moment longer. Piece by piece, the true cause of this enigma became apparent.
The bullets weren’t missing at all. They were disintegrating. Every single bullet fired at the priest broke up and turned to a fine powder the instant it reached the light. The priest stood in the center of the ring of ground ammunition particles, growing larger with every subsequent shot fired.
It was the spotlight. It somehow acted as an impenetrable force field, protecting him from harm.
Darnell’s rational mind knew this was completely absurd and illogical. He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t been there to see it with his own two eyes. But he couldn’t deny it. It was happening.
He followed the trail of light, high up into the roof, above the rafters, searching for its origin. But there was nothing there. This beam of incandescence did not come from a spotlight, or any other artificial source. It came from a place much higher up. The powerful pure white stream had somehow, incredibly, penetrated the museum’s ceiling.
A tunnel of clouds stretched far into the sky and the heavens beyond, on and on as far as the eye could see. It was a sight both surreal and stupefying.
He lay there in a state of paralysis, gazing with wonder at the vision above him. He could do nothing except stare into this awe-inspiring vista with his mouth hanging open and tears welling in his eyes. Even if he wanted to, he could not look away.
Darnell had not lived an easy life. In and out of foster homes, his upbringing had been marked by years of poverty and violence. He had endured numerous tragedies over the years, events which caused him to openly question his faith. Years had passed since he last tried speaking with God.
But any skepticism or doubts he may have had evaporated like dry ice the moment he viewed the startling phenomenon before him. He knew his life could never be the same again. After seeing what he had seen, this tiny glimpse of heaven and beyond, there was simply no way he could look at the world through the same eyes.
A sense of calm came over him, and he slowly picked himself up off the floor. He was a different man now to when he entered the room just a few minutes ago. His life had a renewed purpose. He knew what he was put here on earth for, and what he knew he could do to make the world a better place.
He reloaded his weapon, oblivious to the orders being screamed at him by the other guards. He ignored the bullets whizzing by and strolled over to the far side of the room.
He climbed up on the elevated stage area. He found The Chainsmokers, the musical duo booked for the evening, cowering beneath the DJ booth.
He smiled at them both, then unloaded his full clip.
PART II.
THE HONEY TRAP
Chapter 8
Gregor: heyy whats up?
Aimee: hi gregor
Gregor: I like ur pics
Aimee: thanx
Gregor: i like that 1 with u on the horse
Aimee: that was from a few yrs ago
Gregor: u still go riding?
Aimee: yeh when i can but i dont get the chance to go much
Gregor: im a stallion u could ride me
Gregor: ;-)
Aimee: oh my god i so hope u dont use that line on all the girls
Gregor: no ur the lucky 1st
Aimee: id make it the lucky last if i were u
Gregor: no good?
Aimee: no good
Gregor: do over?
Aimee: yes please
Gregor: greetings aimee i hope this evening finds u well
Gregor: my name is gregor and its a pleasure to make your acquaintance
Gregor: how was that
Aimee: better lol
Gregor: so what r u doing 2nite?
Aimee: other than stalkin cute guys ;-)
Gregor: yeh other than that
Aimee: dont no
Aimee: probly just watchin a movie or sum thing
Gregor: what u gonna watch?
Aimee: wrong turn
Aimee: i seen it already but want to watch it again
Aimee: u seen it?
Gregor: nah
Aimee: u should its really good
Gregor: horror movies not really my thing
Aimee: why not u scared?
Gregor: no
Aimee: yeh u r scaredy cat
Gregor: hey if i wanted to see bella thornes bloodied corpse i could just look at those pics on the internet
Aimee: whoa!!
Aimee: dude!!
Gregor: too soon?
Aimee: waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too soon mister!
Gregor: come on thats funny
Aimee: no its about as funny as cancer the holocaust and dane cook combined
Aimee: u should b sorry
Gregor: (not sorry)
Aimee: it was so sad when she was killed tho
Aimee: :-(
Gregor: yeh i no she was a god actress
Aimee: best actress of Her generation
Aimee: thats why u should watch the movie
Aimee: 2 pay ur respects
Gregor: maybe i will then
Aimee: ill hold your hand if u get scared
Gregor: i told u im not scared of horror movies
Aimee: sure u not
Gregor: ive seen the original wrong turn and thats way more brutal than the remake
Aimee: what remake?
Gregor: wrong turn is a remake of an earlier film with eliza dushku
Aimee: whose that?
Gregor: faith from buffy
Aimee: whats buffy
Gregor: r u serious???
Aimee: no what is it
Gregor: a tv show
Aimee: is it still on
Gregor: no this was the late 90s
Gregor: wrong turn came out in 2003
Aimee: no wonder i never heard of it i was only 1 years old then
Gregor: damn that makes me feel old
Aimee: no the date on your birth certificate makes u feel old
Aimee: ;-)
Gregor: ouch!
Aimee: burn!!!
Gregor: wait, how odd r u?
Gregor: *old
Aimee: 20
Gregor: but u just said u were only 1 in 2003
Aimee: um
Gregor: which by my calculations means u were born in 2002
Gregor: right?
Gregor: still there?
Gregor: aimee?
Gregor: hellooooo?
Aimee: yeh im still here
Gregor: so how old r u really?
Aimee: im 15
Gregor: seriously?
Aimee: yeh
Gregor: seriously!!??!!??
Aimee: yeh
Gregor: u dont look 15 in ur pics
Aimee: i know
Aimee: makeup does that
Gregor: u seem older too
Gregor: more miniature
Aimee: ???
Gregor: damn autocorrect!!!
Gregor: i meant to say more mature
Aimee: oh hahaha
Aimee: thanks :-)
Gregor: so whens your bday
Aimee: in 2 months
Aimee: is my age going to be a problem
Gregor: it does complicate things
Aimee: sorry
Aimee: i didnt mean to lie
Gregor: thats ok
Gregor: u told me now, thats the main thing
Aimee: i only wanted you to like me
Gregor: i do like u
Gregor: but i could get in trouble
Gregor: BIG trouble
Aimee: only if someone finds out
Gregor: someone always finds out
Aimee: we have only chatted so far
Aimee: cant get in trouble for that
Gregor: no i guess not
Gregor: does it bother u that im older?
Aimee: not really
Aimee: u seem really cool and guyz my age are such idiots
Gregor: ur not interested in them?
Aimee: more like there not interested in me
Gregor: i find that hard to believe
Aimee: believe it
Gregor: i bet u have every guy at school totally in love with u
Aimee: lol yeh rite!
Gregor: i mean it
Gregor: they all too timid too do any think about it
Aimee: nah
Aimee: they always go for the pretty girls
Gregor: u dont think ur one of the pretty girls?
Aimee: no
Aimee: im gross
Gregor: ninja please
Gregor: u just fishin
Aimee: im what?
Gregor: fishin for compliments
Gregor: saying your gross just so i can tell you how beautiful you really are
Aimee: no im not
Aimee: im a freak people make fun of me
Gregor: stop it
Aimee: no one would ever touch me
Gregor: i would touch u
Aimee: you would?
Gregor: i would if u let me
Gregor: ;-)
Aimee: aww thanx
Aimee: your really Sweet
Gregor: and ur really special
Aimee: can i tell u something
Gregor: sure
Aimee: no one has ever been this nice too me before
Gregor: well im glad to be the first
Aimee: and ill let u if u want
Gregor: let me what?
Aimee: touch me
Gregor: really?
Aimee: yeh
Gregor: u sure about that?
Aimee: yeh
Gregor: when?
Aimee: how does tonite sound?
Gregor: tonite soundz good
Chapter 9
A queasy feeling of nervous apprehension billowed in Gregor’s stomach. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel in time with his palpitating heartbeat. A fist-sized lump formed in his throat. Fifteen minutes beyond their agreed meeting time, and still no sign of Aimee.
He switched on the radio, hoping it would help take his mind off things, then switched it off again when it only made him feel more anxious.
These idle moments gave him plenty of time to think, and to question what he was doing here parked in this dimly-lit side street, meeting up with some teenager he had just matched with on Tinder. Only now did it occur to him that this may not be the smartest thing he’d ever done. This was how countless reputations were destroyed. This was how myriad names were added to public registers. He must have taken leave of his senses to risk anything like this. At the time it seemed like a good idea. But at the time, his judgment was impaired by the two bottles of Pinot noir he had poured down his throat that evening. Now the effects of the alcohol were wearing off, and with increased sobriety came deep reservations.
A cold post-inebriation sweat hit. This was such a stupid, reckless thing he was doing. He had to get out of there before it was too late. His hand moved towards the ignition.
He saw movement ahead. A lone figure emerged from the darkness, fifty yards up the road. Gregor squinted. Someone was coming his way.
The silhouette passed under a street light, and Gregor laid eyes on Aimee for the first time.
Aimee was cute in those few pictures from her Tinder profile, but photos could be deceptive. The maxim about the camera never lying did not apply to the digital age. Anyone could make themselves artificially photogenic these days. Take fifty or a hundred shots and there’s bound to be at least one or two that capture you from your best angle. Combine that with the various filters and digital touch-ups freely available, and a five can easily masquerade as a nine with the click of a button or the tap of a touchscreen.
But this wasn’t the case at all with Aimee. If anything she was even more stunning in person, despite being dressed in an unflattering outfit consisting of a baggy gray hoodie and faded black jeans. She was a vision of purity, her beauty positively celestial. She quite literally took his breath away.
Their eyes met from across the road. She gave him a smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial. Her flawless white teeth were framed by perfectly symmetrical dimples and waves of golden hair. Gregor couldn’t stop himself from returning the gesture.
His hand moved away from the ignition, and he reached for the passenger-side door. He took a deep breath. This was really happening.
The door opened and Aimee climbed inside.
“Um, hi,” she said. The slight waver in her voice exposed her nervousness. “Gregor, right?”
Gregor swallowed. “Right.”
“I’m Aimee.” She let out an embarrassed laugh. “But you probably know that already.”
She pulled the door closed, and the vehicle’s central locking snapped shut. Aimee flinched at the sound of the locks retracting.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Gregor said. He scrambled to unlock the doors. “Force of habit. I do that every time I get in the car.”
“No, it’s okay,” Aimee said. “I just wasn’t expecting it. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I can totally understand why that might freak you out.”
Amy nodded and forced a smile. A few seconds of awkward silence followed.
“I wasn’t sure if you were going to show,” Gregor said.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Aimee said. “It just took me a while to convince my mom to let me go out tonight. She’s really strict with me.” Her eyes moved around the interior of the vehicle. “Wow, you have a really nice car.”
“It’s a Lexus. An RX350.”
“I don’t know what that means but I assume I should be impressed.”
Gregor laughed. “Well, it is the latest model.”
Aimee nodded. “You must make a lot of money.”
“I do okay, I guess.” Gregor colored his words with enough false modesty to let Aimee know he did more than just okay. “No complaints, anyway.”
“What is it you do again? I’m not sure I asked.”
“I work in management. For this large entertainment firm.”
“That sounds exciting.”
“It’s not. It’s the complete opposite of exciting, to tell you the truth.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Honestly, I would put you to sleep if I even started talking about it.”
“Okay.”
Another pause followed that soon began to drag.
“So ... what time do you have to be home?”
Gregor regretted this question as soon as he asked it. He was doing his best to forget that he was meeting up with someone young enough to have a curfew.
“I don’t have to be back tonight,” Aimee said.
“You don’t?” Gregor said, a little too eagerly.
“I told my mom I was staying with a friend. She believed me, luckily.”
“You didn’t think she’d believe you were staying at a friend’s place?”
“Well ...” Aimee’s eyes moved to the floor. “I was worried she wouldn’t believe that I actually had any friends.”
There was an unmistakable sadness in Aimee’s voice. From those few words, Gregor could tell there was
little joy in her home life.
“I’ve sure you have plenty of friends,” he said, trying to sound comforting.
“Not really.” The volume had all but disappeared from her voice. She spoke barely above a whisper. “Everyone at school thinks I’m weird.”
“You seem pretty normal to me.”
“Then you obviously don’t go to my school. I don’t fit in anywhere or with anyone. Everyone there is into stupid stuff like dumb parties and clothes and who Justin Bieber’s dating and what happened on Next Top Model. To them I’m just some awkward loser who talks to herself and spends her lunch break alone in the library, reading J.D. Salinger and listening to David Bowie on her headphones.”
Gregor shook his head and smiled to himself. “I know this probably won’t mean much to you now, but when you’re older you’ll realize how much cooler you were than everyone else at your school.”
Aimee scoffed. “Yeah, right.”
“No, I mean that. You seem so much more intelligent and self-aware than I was at your age. I still can’t believe you’re only fifteen.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I lied.” She squirmed a little in her seat. “I know I should have been honest with you right from the start. I just really wanted you to like me.”
“You seem so much older.”
“Thanks.” Another shy smile. “So do you.”
Gregor lifted his eyebrows, and Aimee realized how her words had sounded. “Oh no! I didn’t mean it like that–”
Gregor laughed. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not that I think of you as ... I mean, you’re really not that ...”
“I know what you meant.”
Aimee groaned as she threw her head forward. She hid her face behind a curtain of yellow hair. “I’m such a spaz! I’m sorry. I’m always making a complete idiot of myself.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s just that ...”
Aimee trailed off, and Gregor waited for her to continue. “It’s just that what?”
She took a deep breath. “It’s just that ... when we first met, earlier tonight, maybe you thought I was like really confident and funny and all that. But I’m not. I can act that way when I’m online, but when I try to talk to someone in real life I always end up saying something inappropriate. It kinda feels like ... like everyone else has had lessons on how to interact with people and how you’re supposed to behave in social situations, but somehow I missed out on all of it.”