37º 23’ 53” North, 5º 59’ 37” West
Alameda de Hercules, Seville
19 October 2012,
19.45 GMT+1
The bar was packed. People were standing elbow to elbow and spilling out onto the outdoor terrace along the Alameda de Hercules. There was a buzz of enthusiastic chatter as beer, tinto de verano and other cold drinks were enjoyed on a warm autumnal evening. Luis’s group was spread over most of the terrace and had managed to grab several bar tables outdoors. Almost all his closest friends had put in an appearance, including pals from school and university. It was wonderful to see how everyone had been rounded up for the party, especially when it had been such a surprise.
Eva had completely pulled the wool over his eyes. An hour ago, she had asked him if he didn’t mind swinging by the Alameda after the EAC because she had something important to do. It had been his turn to drive that afternoon so he told her it wasn’t a problem and they had left the complex together at seven o’clock sharp. After what had happened between them the night before, he was more than happy to spend as much extra time with her as possible. He felt as though he were walking on air.
That morning, they had woken up in bed together, their bodies and arms entwined. They had gazed long into each other’s eyes, deep pools simmering with emotion. Showering together had led to another irresistible moment of passion. There was no forgetting the intensity of the night before. Then Luis had driven Eva back to her house so that she could change while he had stopped off at the swimming pool for some exercise. It had given him a chance to think things over, to take it all on board. Although the funny thing was, it didn’t feel remotely strange. Quite the opposite, in fact. He felt totally relaxed about the situation. It all seemed so natural. They had met up again in class and greeted each other as if nothing had happened. It was too soon to face their classmates’ curiosity and gossip at university was rife.
But by the afternoon, when they were working on the Hermes Project, they had found it harder to keep their composure. Every time their hands brushed against each other or their eyes met, they had blushed and smiled like love-struck teenagers. Even Steinwall had realised and given them a sharp warning, telling the pair to concentrate.
By the time they were in Luis’s car, driving to the Alameda, he had known for certain that his feelings for Eva were special. This relationship was different. Worth fighting for. No sacrifice would be too great. And Eva’s behaviour made it clear that she thought the same. He knew his friends would be delighted when they found out. In fact, there was just one big stumbling block: Marta. Luis knew she was going to take it really badly and was bound to cause trouble. Thinking back over their relationship, their fling had obviously been going nowhere for some time now. He didn’t love her and Marta only wanted to be with him so she could show him off like a trophy or new toy. There was no doubt in his mind that she would replace him with someone new in a flash. Still, these things had to be handled properly. Luis had decided to meet her that very evening to explain things to her in person. Then he could start his relationship with Eva without anyone else muddying the waters.
How could he have known that the ‘quick thing’ Eva had to do on the Alameda was actually just an excuse? And in fact, she was tricking him and leading him to a bar where all his friends were secretly waiting? When Luis and Eva had arrived and he had been met by a sea of familiar faces, he had broken out into a huge smile. Laughing, he had told the gang that they were unbelievable. And that Raquel was bound to be behind all this. When she had popped out from behind the group with a big wink, he knew for sure. He had turned to Eva in surprise, only to see her grinning at his astonished face.
After saying his hellos, the drinks had started to flow and by now everyone was in high spirits, chatting and swapping stories. Luis approached Raquel.
“What have you been scheming⁈ You kept this very quiet!” He pinched her.
“Ha! You know I love a surprise party… Besides, it’s something of a tradition between us now, isn’t it?” She stuck her tongue out at him and smiled.
“It is… And you can’t imagine how much it means to me. I don’t know how you do it… Every year it’s an even bigger surprise!”
“That’s what friends are for… Actually, it was a bit harder this year,” Raquel admitted. “But Eva was the perfect partner in crime.”
“You know, this time around I really didn’t expect it. What with the accident and all the stress of the EAC project and university… I’d completely forgotten that it’s my birthday tomorrow,” Luis was left pondering.
“Well now you know… Time to enjoy it! No stress and worries tonight, OK?” Raquel touched his forehead twice with her index finger.
“Yes, ma’am,” Luis joked, giving her a military salute.
“I’m going to grab a beer,” Raquel said and Luis watched her as she wandered into the bar.
At that moment, Jorge, Roberto and Santiago, who had been talking among themselves, seized their opportunity for a chat.
“Hi guys, thanks so much for coming. I didn’t expect any of this,” Luis began to hand out hugs.
“You’re our number one rival… We’ve got to keep tracks on you, did you really think we’d miss your party⁈” Santiago said with a laugh.
“No having a wild night out without us,” Roberto elbowed him playfully.
“Besides, you seem to have lots of girls here… Any of them single?” Jorge looked around anxiously.
“You never change. Guys, I hope you’re going to keep Jorge on a leash tonight. I don’t want him scaring off any of my friends,” Luis held back his laughter.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got him chained up,” Santiago pretended to grab Jorge by the neck.
“What? You mean I actually go out for once and you won’t let me chat up any girls? Thanks, guys!” Jorge got away, pretending to be upset.
“Jorge, just be respectful and don’t be too full-on… I’m sure plenty of girls will be happy to talk to you,” Luis smiled, affable.
“Really? See? That’s why this guy has got the edge over us. He knows how to cheer a guy up. Not like you lot. Some friends!” Jorge laughed.
They all burst out laughing and drifted inside to order another round. Eva was at the bar chatting to Raquel.
“You slept with Luis last night⁈” Raquel gasped, struggling to keep her voice down.
“Yes,” Eva replied, blushing.
“Tell me everything. How did it happen?” Raquel asked, fascinated.
“Well, one thing just led to another. We went out for dinner, then went clubbing… And the whole night, I was just so sure about my feelings. And I started to honestly believe he wanted something to happen with me too… So, we went back to his…”
“Who made the first move?” Raquel was intrigued.
“Well, if you must know, it was me. I kissed him first… I surprised him from behind! But then he kissed me back and it was amazing. No one’s ever kissed me like that…” Eva said, picturing the moment in her head unable to help but bite her lip.
“That’s great! I love these types of stories… It’s like something out of a film. Shit!” Raquel put her hands on her head.
“What is it?” Eva didn't understand her reaction.
“I’ve just realised Marta’s going to turn up any minute now. She still doesn’t know, does she?”
“No, I don’t think so. Luis hasn’t spoken to her. He wanted to do it tonight. But there’s no way he’ll be able to tell her here, with all these people around.”
“Fuck, I bet she causes a scene. I mean, the worst thing is that she’ll get here still thinking she’s Luis’s girlfriend… He’s not going to know how to react without being totally rude. He’s just too nice sometimes,” Raquel snorted.
“I bloody hope she doesn’t try to kiss him… I’m not sure how I’d take it,” Eva shook her head.
“What a mess… I knew I shouldn’t have let her come.”
“How could you have known…? And besides, you couldn’t have stopped her even if you wanted to. Anyway, why isn’t she here yet?”
“You know what she’s like… Does things in her own time. She said she’d be here later, for dinner. Meeting up so early ‘isn’t her thing’. That’s how selfish she is… I really can’t stand her. Especially now you’ve told me all this,” Raquel snorted again.
“Well, let’s try not to ruin Luis’s party. I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end.”
“Of course it will. Come on, let’s drink to you and Luis. You’re going to make the cutest couple,” Raquel said, raising her glass.
Eva laughed. “You’re making me blush! But I’ll drink to that. To us and our wonderful friends,” Eva replied, joining the toast.
“To you, best of friends and apparently even better lovers,” Raquel said, lowering her voice again and winking, she fought to suppress her giggles.
Luis was circulating among his friends and had been chatting nonstop ever since he had arrived. Everyone wanted to congratulate him and catch up. Now he was talking to Lucas, Clara and Sandra.
“No flaking out tonight, Luis… We’re not having you going home early saying that you’re tired. We’re all just as busy as you are, slaving away at Uni and the EAC,” Clara glared at him.
“No, no, don’t worry… Tonight I’ll be here till the bitter end, no matter what,” Luis reassured them. What he was actually thinking was that he had also been out until late the night before and had barely slept a wink.
“And no talking about Uni. Or work. Not that I wouldn’t love to share everything I’m doing on the Hermes Project,” Lucas looked at them, acting interested.
“I know… I honestly think we’re in the middle of something historic. It’s so exciting,” Sandra was visibly excited.
“Hey! What did we just say? No talking about Uni or the project!” Luis pointed at them with his finger, narrowing his eyes.
“You’re right… Does anyone know where we’re going next?” Lucas raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, still smiling.
“Actually no… I thought I was the only one who was in the dark. But if you don’t either, we’ll have to ask Raquel,” Luis turned his head to look for her. “Raquel! Come here a sec.”
Raquel was still talking to Eva. When they heard Luis calling her name, both came over to join him.
“What’s up?” Raquel frowned, puzzled.
“Apparently I’m not the only one who hasn’t got the foggiest about what we’re doing tonight. Lucas wants to know where we’re going later.”
“You’ll have to wait and see… But don’t worry, we’re going somewhere very close. You’re going to love it. In fact, thinking about it, we can probably start heading over there now.” Raquel raised her voice and looked around at their group inside the bar. “No one order any more drinks!”
“What? I’ve only just got here and I’m not allowed a drink?” A female voice rang out from the entrance.
They turned around and saw Marta in the doorway with an unpleasant expression on her face. Eva and Raquel exchanged a glance but said nothing, waiting to see how Luis would react. He looked uncomfortable; her arrival had caught him off-guard.
“Oh! Marta, hi…” Luis said, approaching her. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“You’re my number one guy… As if I’d miss your surprise birthday party,” Marta smiled broadly.
When Luis joined her, Marta raised her head to kiss him on the lips. But instead of kissing her back, Luis greeted her with a kiss on each cheek instead. As if she were just a friend. Marta was taken aback. Lost for words, her expression turned to thunder. Raquel quickly started to usher everyone outside before she could cause a scene.
“Great to see you, Marta! We were just waiting for you to arrive so we could move on to the restaurant,” she said brightly.
“Oh, right. Sure, I’ll get a drink there,” Marta replied, her face a mixture of surprise and fury at Luis’s distant greeting.
“Come on, everyone. Grab your things, it’s time to head over to the restaurant. Let’s get this party started!” Raquel pulled Marta along while gesturing to the others.
With that, the group of friends finished off their drinks, paid and trooped out after Raquel, Luis and Marta, ambling along the Alameda de Hercules towards the restaurant. Eva was bringing up the rear of the group with Clara, Sandra and Lucas. Even though she had known Marta was coming, Eva had secretly hoped that she might not actually turn up. Her luck was out on that account, but at least Luis had stood firm and not let Marta plant a kiss on his lips. Kissing her cheeks instead had sent a clear message. It had been a bit of slap in the face for Marta, Eva admitted to herself. But she didn’t really care. She loved Luis. She knew he loved her back. The sooner Marta understood that there was nothing she could do about it, the better.
Luis was walking along with Raquel and Marta, deeply embarrassed by the awkward situation. His mind was racing, trying to come up with the best way of handling it. Obviously, he had to end things with Marta, but he didn’t want to humiliate her or hurt her unnecessarily. That wasn’t his style. Marta was clearly angry that he hadn’t kissed her on the lips. But what choice did he have? If he had kissed her, Eva would never have forgiven him. How the hell did he get himself into these situations? As if he didn’t have enough on his plate with university and the Hermes Project. Right, he thought, he had made this problem so he had better be the one to find a way out of it. While keeping the drama to a minimum. First, he would try to get through dinner as normally as possible and enjoy being with the gang. Once it was over, as soon as he had a moment alone with Marta, he would explain things to her. It obviously wouldn’t go down well. But had to honest and it was surely the least hurtful way to go about things too.
A thunderous noise interrupted his train of thought. Turning his face up to the sky, he saw a military helicopter rushing over their heads at full tilt. It was heading towards the other side of the river, maybe to the La Cartuja heliport, he thought. Luis was surprised to seeing it flying so low, especially at that speed. Military vehicles weren’t normally authorised to fly over cities, particularly not at low altitude, unless they were performing in an air show or were part of a special deployment. As far as he could remember, his father hadn’t mentioned anything about military manoeuvres in Seville this week.
Neither his friends nor any other passers-by paid it the slightest attention. Only a father and small boy had stopped, the man pointing out the military helicopter to his son. Luis concentrated for a moment, trying to see if he could hear the sound of more rotors. It was impossible to tell; there was too much noise from the street. More than one unit would have been deployed if something serious was up. There only appeared to be one, so it was probably just some politician abusing their position to get to an appointment on time. He chuckled to himself. How could he be wondering about all this when he had his own problems to figure out?
“Come on, Luis. What are you distracted by now⁈” Raquel reproached him, tugging on his sleeve. “Move it, we’re nearly there.”
Without realising, he had ground to a halt while he had been pondering why the military helicopter was flying over the city.
“Oh, sorry… I was in a bit of daze for a second…” Luis followed her without stopping looking at the sky.
They finally reached the restaurant, Los Viajeros. Just as Raquel had said, it was very close by. Los Viajeros was a much-loved favourite among the many restaurants on the Alameda and was famous for being decorated with mementoes from around the world. Its owners were ceaseless travellers and liked to collect miscellaneous objects from every place they visited. Despite the international theme, the food was typical to Seville with plenty of traditional tapas dishes. Luis had eaten here on numerous occasions, its reasonable prices meant it was popular with university students. The only thing that jarred slightly was the large television screen attached to one of the walls, currently set to a music video channel for some background noise.
In preparation for their arrival, the waiters had pushed several tables together so that the friends could sit as one big group. The owner welcomed them with a broad smile. Except for a couple of tourists, the restaurant was practically empty at that hour, it was still early for dinner in Seville. Raquel had explained to the group that the owner didn’t normally accept bookings. She must have been highly convincing because he had made an exception for them, on the proviso that they arrive early.
“Let’s see… The birthday boy better sit at the head. The rest of you, sit wherever you want,” Raquel called out.
Luis took his seat as the others found their places. He was surrounded by friends from his schooldays: Javi, Andrés, Miguel, Julián, Sara and Laura. His university friends, Clara, Sandra, Lucas, Santiago, Roberto and Jorge, were sat halfway up the table. Marta grabbed a seat next to him. Luis looked at her in surprise; she avoided his eyes. Eva and Raquel sat at the far end because they had fallen behind after chatting to the restaurant owner. It was a shame. He would have liked to sit next to those two more than anyone else. Never mind, these things happened when you were such a big group. Besides, he couldn’t complain. He was sitting with fifteen of his closest friends at a surprise party organised in his honour. He planned to enjoy this to the full. Yes, in spite of Marta’s sour expression.
“OK, everyone, listen… Let’s order some drinks and kick things off with a few plates of spicy potatoes… You know how good they are here! Meanwhile, take a look at the tapas menu… I was thinking we could order two per person, what do you think?” Raquel loved to organize.
Everyone nodded and started to scan the menus, deciding what to eat. Luis didn’t have to think twice, he was crazy about salmorejo and always ordered it whenever he could. His second choice was pork steak in whisky sauce. Glancing around at the others and listening in on their chatter, no one else seemed to be quite so decisive. Eating out with so many people was always chaos, he thought with a smile.
A waiter appeared and took their drinks order: several pitchers of beer and sangria. Only three people wanted soft drinks tonight. The pitchers arrived shortly afterwards and soon everyone had a glass in their hand. Despite being midway through October it was still remarkably hot in Seville, even this late in the day. A few moments later, Raquel stood up to make an announcement.
“Hey! Don’t you think Luis ought to say a few words before we start eating? The first of the many speeches he’s going to give us tonight,” she said with a laugh.
“Speech! Speech!” the group started to shout.
Luis tried to cover his face with his hands. “Oh, come on! You know I hate speaking in public.”
“Speech! You’re not getting out of this one!” His friends cheered him on, laughing when they saw him blush.
“Fine, fine… Let’s see—” Luis cleared his throat, trying to make himself heard.
He was immediately interrupted. “Stand up! Stand up!” everyone chanted.
Grumbling, Luis dragged himself to his feet amid more laughter. He ceremoniously raised his beer.
“Let’s face it, this year’s been a tough one… But a lot of positive things have happened too. I know we haven’t seen each other as much as I’d have liked. But I also know that time and distance don’t really matter… Whenever we do get together, it’s like we saw each other yesterday. I feel exceptionally lucky to have friends like you lot. And I hope we carry on catching up like this, for parties or whatever, for many years to come… To you!” Luis finished, raising his beer.
“To Luis!” everyone heartily shouted back as they stood up and raised their glasses for the toast.
37º 23’ 18” North, 6º 02’ 41” West
Odén family home, outskirts of Seville
20:15 GMT+1
Tristan’s fingers danced across the guitar strings as he tried to keep up with the song. After a long week, he had finally had the whole afternoon free to practice. And that was exactly what he had been doing for the past few hours, with headphones clamped on his head and his guitar plugged into the amplifier. Even though he was tired after hours of intense concentration, he had arranged to meet some friends later for dinner followed by a trip to the cinema. There was a new action film out that evening.
When he came to the end of the song he had been practising, he pulled off the headphones and rested the guitar on its stand. Luis’s present was sitting on the desk next to it. Tristan couldn’t wait to see Luis’s face when he ripped open the wrapping paper. He just knew his brother was going to love it. There wasn’t long to go now, Luis would be home tomorrow for his birthday meal.
Tristan was meeting his friends at nine, which left him just enough time to go online and scroll through his friends’ social media updates. Tristan grinned as he flicked through photos of one friend on a wild night out. Her parents clearly didn’t check her account. If they had, they would have soon realised that their daughter was on a tour of the city’s nightclubs instead of studying at a friend’s house. Tristan wasn’t allowed out late, although to be fair he wasn’t particularly interested in that sort of night out anyway. He would much rather go to a rock concert. Not that he was allowed to go any concerts either; his parents said he was still too young. All that will change when I turn eighteen and get my driving licence, Tristan thought longingly. Just then he heard his mother’s voice calling up from the ground floor. She never gave him a minute’s peace.
“What is it?” he asked, opening the door to his room.
“Come down and help your father move the kitchen dresser,” his mother called up the stairs.
“Now? I can’t, I’m about to go out. Can’t you move it some other time?” Tristan put his hand to his forehead, annoyed.
“Tristan, why do I always have say everything twice? Get down here right now and help your father. Or else you’re not going anywhere.”
Tristan gave in. “Coming…”
He traipsed unwillingly down the stairs, tired of always being treated like a small child. They could have moved the furniture at any point during the entire day… But no, they had to wait until the precise moment he was going out. His parents had spent the whole afternoon cleaning and getting the house ready for Luis’s party because his grandparents and a few family friends had now been invited too. Tristan couldn’t help feel slightly disappointed; he had been hoping to celebrate Luis’s birthday with just their immediate family.
When he reached the kitchen, he saw his father trying to lift the heavy dresser at the far end of the room, red in the face from his efforts.
“Come on, Tristan. We can shift it if we do it together.” His father looked at him, sweat on his forehead.
“Why do you want to move it? Mamá has some weird ideas…” He shook his head.
“She wants to clean behind it. And you know what she’s like once she gets something into her head. There’s no changing her mind.”
“Isn’t she going to give us a hand?”
“Your mother’s taking a break to watch the news for a minute. Look, while you were wasting your time with that bloody guitar, we’ve been working non-stop all afternoon. You could’ve come down to help, you know. This isn’t a hotel…” Guillermo looked at him disapprovingly.
“Here we go again. The same old story… How I never do anything. I always set and clear the table, don’t I? I help out as much as I can. Anyway, what have we got a cleaner for?” Tristan slammed his hand on the furniture.
“Get a move on. Come over here, I haven’t got time for excuses,” his face left no room for doubt.
“Yes, Colonel, sir,” Tristan replied, sulkily.
They stood on either side of the solid wooden dresser and cautiously tried to pick it up. Pushing it would only scratch the floor and then they would both be in the firing line. It needed to be moved at least three feet away so someone could fit behind it to clean. Just as they were straining to lift it off the ground, Tristan heard his mother dash back into the room.
“Guillermo, you have to see this,” She pulled at his hand, nervously.
“What’s the matter? Can’t it wait until we’ve finished?” her husband replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“No. Something serious is going on. They’ve diverted all air traffic away from southern Spain,” her voice was becoming more and more shaky.
“What do you mean?” Now she had captured all of his attention.
“They just announced it. It’s breaking news on the tv. Looks like there’s a strange weather phenomenon approaching and the electromagnetic interference could affect aeroplanes.” Isabel recited from memory.
“Really? Let me see… Come on, Tristan.”
They abandoned the dresser and followed Isabel into the sitting room. The television news presenter was repeating what Isabel had just told them. A few minutes ago, the public works minister had ordered all air traffic to be diverted away from Andalusia. Apparently, a strange weather phenomenon had developed in the area that could severely affect aircraft. Guillermo watched the report with a grim expression. He waited for the presenter to finish speaking. She eventually stated that further details would be provided as soon as they were available and moved on to the next news item.
“This can’t be right. We don’t get weather in Andalusia that affects aircraft like that… Especially on such a massive scale, so that all air traffic in the region would have to be diverted,” Guillermo kept shaking his head.
“What do you think it is?” She looked at him, worried.
“My gut instinct tells me something’s happened…”
“Papá, you don’t think it’s a hijacking? Or a terrorist attack, do you?” Tristan felt confused.
“I don’t know. But it must be something big. I’ll call Commander Aguilera, he’s bound to know more about it. Stay here, in case they say anything else,” he turned around to go up the stairs to find his phone.
Guillermo entered his office and closed the door behind him. He reached the table, picked up his mobile phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found Commander Aguilera’s name. He dialled the number and let it ring several times but when no one answered, he hung up. Guillermo paused to think. He could ring General Echevarría, but if they really were in the middle of a crisis situation, he wouldn’t be able to answer and the call would only be a distraction. Guillermo decided to wait for a moment and try Commander Aguilera again, but before could do so his phone rang. He answered the call.
“Guillermo Odén speaking.” He greeted firmly.
“Colonel Odén, Commander Aguilera here. I’ve got a missed call from you. How can I help?” His voice seemed tense.
“Commander Aguilera, I’m in my home office. I’ve just seen a news report about the air traffic here in Andalusia. I was hoping you could tell me what’s going on.”
“Well Colonel, you’ll appreciate that I can’t go into any details…”
“So there is something… What is it, Commander?” Guillermo wanted clear answers.
“We’re on combat alert.”
“Combat alert? Is it a terrorist threat?”
“No sir. It’s more complicated than that. A hostile invader has entered our airspace. It appears to be heading towards Seville. It’s about to be intercepted and shot down by two F-18s. You’ll understand that this information cannot go any further. What I’m telling you is strictly confidential. Although I’m afraid there are going to be plenty of first-hand witnesses…”
“They’re going to destroy it over Seville?” Guillermo couldn't believe it.
“No sir, before it reaches the city. But we don’t have much room for manoeuvre. That thing has already destroyed a reconnaissance drone over the Western Mediterranean,” Aguilera could not hide the tension he was experiencing.
“That thing? What do you mean by that? Where does it come from?” It all seemed absurd.
“I’m afraid I’ve already said more than I should. I need to go now, sir. My men are waiting.”
“Thank you, Commander. Good luck, if you’re flying.”
“Thanks, Colonel. I hope that won’t be necessary. I’ll call you when it’s all over with an update,” he hung up, leaving Guillermo to think of all the possible scenarios.
Guillermo now felt even uneasier than he had been at the start of the phonecall.
Tristan watched as his father reappeared and made a beeline for the television. His face looked drawn as he threw them a quizzical look.
“They haven’t said anything new,” Isabel stepped forward to explain. “I’ve just checked the other channels. They’re showing the normal news programme now and they haven’t said anything more about it.”
“Papá, what did they say at the base?” Tristan looked at him, sad.
“Nothing good. It seems that there’s a hostile object heading towards Seville. They’re going to try and stop it in its tracks before it gets here.” Guillermo did not want to hide the facts.
“What? Are we under attack? Is it terrorists? Or another country?” Isabel began to become even more alarmed.
“I don’t know. But I think it’d be best if we called Luis and told him to take shelter somewhere safe.”
“Luis! Nothing’s going to happen to him, is it? Tristan, quick, go and ring him!”
“OK.” Tristan’s stomach had started to churn.
He took out his mobile and rang his brother. It rang and rang but there was no reply and the call finally went to voicemail. He hung up and tried again. The same. No answer.
“He’s not picking up…” Tristan’s tense voice betrayed his apprehension.
“Call back and leave him a voicemail message,” Guillermo squeezed Isabel's hand tightly.
Tristan rang for a third time while his mother tried to control her agitation. Watching her face turn pale, Tristan felt waves of anxiety rush through his body.
“We’ve got to warn him. My poor boy… I’ve got a bad feeling about this. We’ve simply got to warn him…” Isabel repeated in distress, clutching onto her husband.
Tristan tried to ring one last time. Network failure. There was no way of getting in touch with Luis. Tristan’s hands began to tremble. A terrible sense of foreboding crept up his spine. A dread of what was to come, more terrifying than anything he had ever known.