The Anubis Plague полностью

They rode in silence the rest of the way. Two minutes later, the local pulled off and announced that this was where they would be getting out. Zahra thanked him for his help, and she and Rabia waved their goodbyes. Ali, Elyas, and Tajj did not acknowledge the local in any way. They were too busy rubbing their aching backs and asses.

Zahra curled her nose.

“Don’t say a word!” Ali stopped her with a pointed finger.

She and Rabia shared a look, but neither one of them laughed. It wasn’t their fault they now smelled like a barn. She knew that if the situation was reversed, Ali would have kept his mouth shut too.

As the local pulled away, the baby goat popped his head up and bleated at Zahra. She smiled and waved, getting a second bleat out of him.

“You make friends fast,” Rabia said, stepping up next to her.

“Yea.” She sighed. “Enemies too.”

The group headed into the throng of tents and stands. The market seemed to be part of a bigger celebration, and from the looks of it, these people weren’t leaving anytime soon.

“What is all this?” Rabia asked, getting the attention of a nearby vendor.

“We celebrate!” the man shouted.

Zahra looked around. “What are you celebrating?”

“The day the first owners of Big House died.”

That wasn’t what Zahra was expecting to hear. “And that’s worthy of celebrating?”

“Yes,” the vendor replied. “They were very bad people.”

And with that, he turned to a group of patrons, holding up his wears.

Zahra’s front pocket buzzed. She removed the device and saw a number she didn’t recognize.

“Um, hello?”

“Zahra?”

She knew the voice in an instant. “Baahir!” Zahra’s hand went to her mouth, and her eyes welled with tears. “Thank God!” Zahra yelled, grabbing Rabia’s shoulder and stopping her. The sniper waved for Ali and the others to do the same. “Where are you?”

The response came back immediately. “Turn around.”

Zahra spun on a dime and frantically looked around. She saw a lone, unmoving individual gazing at her from only one-hundred feet from where she was standing. Without looking away, she ended the call and pocketed her phone. She moved off, walking slowly, at first. The crowd was thickest here. She shoved through, unapologetically, keying in on one thing and one thing only.

Her brother.

Baahir matched her stride for stride. Soon, the siblings were speed-walking, then sprinting toward one another. At the very last moment, an elderly couple walked out in front of them, making the pair skid awkwardly to a halt. Once they had safely passed them, Zahra threw herself in Baahir’s arms, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Baahir whispered to her. “It’s okay, Zahra, I’m here. I’m fine.” They separated, and Zahra wiped her eyes as he continued. “They told me you were dead.”

“She should be,” Rabia said, coming up behind Zahra. “This one has a death wish, for sure.”

Baahir grinned. “Zahra has always been a little reckless… yet here she is — alive and well.” He took in the state of his big sister. “Maybe not so well, huh?”

Zahra laughed softly, nodding. “I’ve been better.”

Baahir slipped his arm around Zahra’s shoulder. “Who are your friends?”

She ticked off the names of her companions one at a time. “This is Rabia, and the two big guys are Elyas and Tajj.”

“And him?” Baahir asked, tipping her chin at the third man.

He held out his hand. “I am Ali Badawi.” Baahir shook it. “You may know my father.”

“Wally?”

Ali nodded. “Yes, but no one here calls him that.”

“Speaking of fathers…” Baahir said.

“Dad is fine,” Zahra replied. “He’s in Port Said with Wally.”

“He’s here?”

“He is, though it wasn’t by choice.” Baahir went to say something but was stopped by Zahra. “We’ll catch up on all that in a second.”

“Baahir?”

A stunning, dark-skinned woman approached Zahra’s brother from behind. She wasn’t at all happy with the attention she was getting. Whoever she was, she seemed to know Baahir.

“Everyone, this is Durah.” He held out his phone and gave it to the woman. It was easy to see that the device belonged to her and not Baahir. “She helped me escape — hid me from Ajmal.”

“Ajmal?” Rabia asked, tensing as she gripped her bag. “Is he still here?”

Baahir shook his head. “I don’t think so. That doesn’t mean he isn’t still close by, though.”

“We need to take care,” Ali said, looking around. “He’s a very dangerous man.”

“Tell me about it,” Baahir said, scratching his head. He winced when he touched some unseen wound.

Durah eyed Zahra. “What your brother tells me, it is true?”

“I’m afraid so, yes.”

She bit her lip and nodded. “Well then, go with God. May he protect you.” She looked at Baahir. “Don’t forget our deal…”

The group found a quieter place to continue their reunion. Baahir led them to a low stone wall to the right of the front gates of The Big House. He sat and let out a long breath. Zahra sat next to him. Rabia sat next to her, cradling a large duffel bag between her knees.

“What’s in the bag?” he asked.

Rabia leaned around Zahra, eyeing Baahir. “A very big gun.”