Shattered Headlight

Shattered Headlight
By
Raman Jalota

   He slipped in quietly, dragging his left leg somewhat apologetically with a crutch under his right arm.
“You need help”, asked the Mile High stadium security guard.
   “Naah, I am OK.” Afshin didn’t even offer to take off his daypack as the guard waved him in. He moved in slowly and stood aside, letting people go past him. He spotted Nazeer a little distance in the front waiting for him. He waved to him, made the OK sign and then pointed to his crotch. Nazeer smiled and headed for section AC.
   Their seats were nicely grouped together, nice enough to cover Afshin and his Uzi when the game ends. Afshin went to the restroom and found a stall where he leisurely disassembled the crutch, took out the steel tubes and cartridges around his leg and assembled the modified Uzi. He slipped the nozzle inside his pants and covered the top with the loose jacket he was wearing. Slowly he limped to section AC, no one noticed that he had lost his crutch.
   The Iranian soccer team took the field and the Red section waved its green, red and white flags cheering them on. And then the US team took the field and the Mile High stadium shook with thunder.

…..

   Barbara sat with Steve, he had talked her into going to the game just as he had talked her into everything in their relationship that was now three years old. He could almost read her mind and make her do what he wanted. She didn’t understand the game, but it wasn’t hard to follow. And as the soccer ball was kicked around from end to end she understood the basics of the game and cheered loudly for the US team.
   The US team had scored three unanswered goals by half time and the game was pretty much theirs. In the second half the Iranian team tried hard without much success. With two minutes to go, the stadium started shaking with unbelievably loud cheering from the crowd.
   The Iranian section had quieted down, but their time had come. Nazeer had walked over to the announcer’s booth a few minutes earlier. He had just walked in with his baretta with the silencer. Three quick shots and the announcing booth was lifeless. He sat down and at exactly 90 seconds to the end of the game, the speakers boomed, “Death to America. Death to America.”
   Afshin stood up with his Uzi, “Salaam Valekum Bin Ladin.” He shouted as he started firing indiscriminately among the players and the crowd.

…..

   “God damn Iranian bastards”, Steve screamed as he grabbed Barbara’s hand and ran for the exit. There was hysteria in the stadium, but they managed to get out and into Steve’s car. As he speeded up, he ran into a white explorer and shattered his left headlight. He got out took a quick look and just waved the other driver off. No one had time to worry about a simple thing like a shattered headlight.
   Afshin sat in the green Mazda, wondering how he was going to get out. He saw a blue Toyota hit an explorer, drive over the curb and speed away from the parking lot. Must be one of us. I better follow him. Afshin floored the car and kept pace with it as it raced across the road and onto I-25.
   Steve zoomed up I-25 and on to highway 6 and then he raced madly on Sheridan. As the road wound up a hill, another car approached with its highlights blaring and taking more space then the road allowed. He swung wildly trying to avoid the oncoming car. The car moved off the road and tumbled down, throwing Barbara out of the car. Steve reached for her as she went flying out of the car. The steering wheel came up to meet his chest and broke several of his ribs, exploding his heart, killing him instantaneously.
   She screamed as she landed on a mound of dirt. Dirt covered her mouth and nose completely. The force of the impact had left her completely dizzy. She inhaled deeply. Dirt entered her nose. She opened her mouth and breathed, dirt filled her mouth and throat. Her head started to throb and she couldn’t think of what she needed to do next.
   Suddenly all of her panic disappeared and she vaguely saw a white light ahead. She saw herself get up from the dirt and breath easily. A soothing voice called out to her, “Go into the light, Barbara. Go into the light.”
   She both felt his presence and heard him clearly. It was Steve. “Do not go into that light. Barbara, stop. Raise your head and spit the dirt out of your mouth, then you will be able to breathe. Do as I say, don’t go into the light.”
   She stopped. She was back on the dirt, face down. She felt her lungs exploding. She lifted her head and ran her hand across her eyes and mouth and spat. Her stomach gurgled and she threw up. As her throat cleared, her lungs sucked large amounts of air and she sat up shaking and crying hysterically on the dirt.

…..

   Barbara hadn’t smiled for a long time. But that redheaded boy in the Economics class had been getting to her and she felt a certain warmth towards him. When she opened her door to find him standing there, she couldn’t help but smile at him.
   “That’s so nice. Finally you are smiling Barbara.”
   She put her hand on his shoulder, “Tim, I really like you. I haven’t been able to get over the death of Steve and the memory of that accident, but you … you make me laugh. You make me happy.”
   He rubbed his fingernails on the front of his shirt and said stylishly, “She likes me. She likes me.”
   She got in his white mustang and they headed to the Aurora mall. He bought tickets to “The Sixth Sense” and they strolled through the mall, window shopping till it was time for the movie. The movie had started getting intense and they had finished the popcorn when the sound of gunshots filled the theater. The movie was stopped and an announcement to keep calm came over the speakers.
   Barabara was shivering and completely incoherent, “Th …th Iranians … here again … who are they shooting at …. Did they miss me the first time ….”
   “Tim held her steadily and whispered, “Let’s get the hell out of here.” He steered her towards one of the exit signs. The crowd in the theater was loud and scared, some people were running towards the exit and Tim and Barbara flowed out of the theater with the rest. They found themselves next to a dimly lit parking area with the sign of the Sears store shining about 200 feet away.
   People around them were just huddled together, scared, whispering, and unsure of what to do and where to go next.
   Tim looked around the area, “Let’s go to the Sears store and get back into the mall. We can then walk out of the Joslins store and get to our car and we can get the heck out of here.”
   Some of the people remained huddled near the exit and some settled on the idea of getting back in the mall. Barbara stood near the exit door paralyzed.
   “What’s the matter with you?”
   She stood transfixed. Steve was standing in front of her. It was Steve and she could see through him. He pointed towards the Sears store, “Don’t go there Barabara. Don’t go into the light. There’s danger … death over there. Stay here. Don’t go into the light.”
   His body started to disintegrate into thin air and he was gone. “No, we must not go there”, she screamed.
   “But that’s the safe thing to do.”
   “No, there’s danger over there. We must not go there.”
   As he tried to reason with her ten or twelve young boys came running out of the other side, shouting and yelling at each other. As two men from the theater crowd neared the Sears store, a fight broke out between the boys.
   One of them took out a gun, “You diz me, you are dead homeboy. You are dead.”
   “Watch out, his ass is high.”
   The kid started shooting from his semi-automatic gun. The kids started running everywhere. One of the men that was about to enter the Sears store fell down. His companion knelt by him, “What the hell. Let’s go.”
   “I been shot man.” He gurgled.
   Another bullet came flying by and hit the kneeling man. He fell over on his face and the two lay there bleeding side by side as the police sirens started getting near.

…..

   “Why … how .. how did you know to stop … to not go to the Sears store.”
   “I was told by Steve not to go into the light.”
   “Steve?”
   “I heard him clearly. He saved me again. He had saved me the first time too.”
   “I don’t understand. How could you be sure it was Steve? Did you hear him? Did you see him too?”
   “No. I didn’t see him this time. But it was the same familiar voice. I would know that voice anywhere.”
   “What do you think is happening?”
   She started to cry, sobbing uncontrollably, “I don’t know. These Iranians are hounding me and Steve is trying his best to stop me from going into the danger … death zone. He is around me many times. I can feel his presence very distinctly at these times. You don’t think I am going crazy? Do you?”
   “Well, I don’t know. These kids were some gang members not Iranians. Why do you think they are Iranians trying to kill you?”
   Tim shook his head. What a looney this girl is? I got to dump her. Even if I feel sorry for her, this is not fun anymore.
   Barbara looked at him with her tear-filled eyes. His heart broke. I can’t do this to Barabara. She needs me more than ever. And perhaps I need her too.

…..

   The next four months were almost like a dream. Barbara and Tim’s relationship had gone beyond the occasional dating to being steady to being engaged. Barbara had never felt calmer, assured and happier than she did now. The wedding plans were in full swing, with the date only a month away, there didn’t seem any time left for anything.
   The church they had chosen, our lady of heaven’s light stood smack in the middle of downtown Denver, surrounded by office buildings and skyscrapers, it stood magnificently defiant of its surroundings. The church stood waiting, waiting for June 17th.

…..

   Afshin glared at Nazeer, “What do you mean, we can’t get it by then? Everything’s ready to go. I got the tickets. I have the bags ready. You … you were supposed to get the cyclonite. We need it. It’s the only one we can carry into the plane. The RDX will be in the baggage we book. Are you having problems getting it from the mullah in LA?”
   “He has been blown. The FBI is on his ass day and night. He has asked me to stay away from him.”
   “What about New York? Can we get some PETN from them? We can mix it with TNT to get what we want.”
   “I talked to Abdul in DC. He says everything’s blocked. He’s going to spread the word out for us. What if … we can’t get it?”
   “Bachhe Kuni! You idiot. I will get one gun in, using our packs and I will assemble it. I am hoping the eight of us can get me thirty-two bullets, but we may be barred from the cockpit. We may have to blow the door to get in. Why do you think I am in-charge? None of you think far enough. Planning, that’s the only way to succeed. My plan is as perfect as can be.”
   “I’ll fly to Chicago and see if my cousin can put me in touch with someone. It’s either that or Abdul. I have no other source left.”
   “We only have five days to the seventeenth. If you can’t get it, we have to cancel our plan. What a waste it would be!”

…..

   June 17th dawned bright and cheerful in Denver. Barbara had hardly slept. She knew she had dreamt about Tim and life with him in their new home. The dream had somehow drifted and Steve had shown up somehow and had puzzled and disturbed her. What was that he said, “Don’t go out of the house. There’s danger around you. Watch out.”
   She shook her head to clear it of all the memories from last night. There was so much to do. Her best friend Desi arrived at 10.00 wearing the peach dress that all the bridesmaids were going to wear. She hugged her and started her day with a new excitement.

…..

   “Goddamn weather” shouted Afshin as he got up. The phoenix sky was overcast and a slow drizzle had added a mist to the city. He dressed quickly, carefully slipping one bullet in each of his pants pocket. He patted the four backpacks that he had carefully packed the night before.
   Soon the others arrived. He carefully repeated the instructions that they had gone over the previous night. Everything was in place. He kissed Nazeer on the cheek, “You are my brother, even though we have different parents. This is for Islam.”
   They got into the taxis waiting outside the motel and headed for the airport. The three taxis arrived at the airport ten minutes apart. As each Taxi arrived the occupants moved quickly to the United counter, booked their baggage and with their backpacks made their way to terminal 2 gate3.
   They mingled together, eight of them split in two groups who stayed away from each other. They were seated six rows apart and as they boarded Afshin took the aisle seat in the last row they were in.
   As soon as the plane took off, he was in the bathroom with his backpack. One by one two more backpacks found their way into the bathroom where he worked furiously. He assembled the small screw drivers and pliers first and then started putting together the gun he had taken apart and hidden in the backpacks.
   The flight attendant saw the foreigners huddled near the bathroom and asked if they needed help. She was waved away. She went to the cockpit and knocked, “This is Shiela.”
   Captain Jacobs hit the release button and she pushed open the door. She closed the door behind her and said, “There are some Arabs or such in the back. One of them has been in the bathroom for a while and the others keep going there with their backpacks and handing them in. There’s something going on.”
   “I wonder if they have smuggled some devices in. Tell Sherry and the others to keep an eye out. If you sense trouble, try and stay away from them. I’ll radio to DIA and tell them there may be trouble. Do you agree Tom?”
   His copilot nodded, “Sounds like the right thing to do. We should be there in about 45 minutes any way. We can have security board the plane and handle them. Which rows were they seated in? How many?”

…..

   As Barbara got out of the limousine in front of our lady of heaven’s light church, a sudden wind blew her veil up and a shiver ran through her. There it is again. That same terrible feeling. I thought I was done with it.
   She stared mesmerized as a shimmering Steve materialized in front of her. His face was gray and his eyes were sunken. He screamed, “Don’t go in to the light.”
   She stood motionless, blinking her eyes, hoping this terrible dream will go away.
   Her father took her by the elbow, “What’s the matter? Have you seen a ghost or something? You look terrible. Are you getting sick?” He touched her forehead, “She’s cold. My God, she’s cold.”
   Steve walked up to her. She could see him and see through him. He put his hands on her face, his hands were ice cold.
   “There’s danger in there. You must not go in there. Don’t go in to the light Barbara. You have to leave this place right away.”
   Barbara’s parents and friend stood around her. Someone suggested they carry her in. She stood shivering, tears running down her face.
   The warmth of the church was a little assuring. She felt safe surrounded by everyone. Is there really any danger here? Can’t be. Steve … Steve’s ghost must want to prevent me from getting married to Tim. He must have loved me dearly.

…..

   Afshin finally stepped out of the bathroom and handed Nazeer the backpack with the plastic explosives. He had the gun stuck in his waist, loaded and ready for action. Sherry was walking back to the kitchen area when she saw all of them walking down the aisles, four in the left aisle and four in the right. Afshin pulled out his gun and stuck it in her face, “Let’s go to the cockpit. Tell the captain to open up.”
   They walked up to the cockpit. Two by Two, they stood at equal intervals down the length of the plane.   They had no guns, but looked menacing and ready. Afshin and Nazeer reached the cockpit, “Open up. We have a gun to this pretty woman’s face. You don’t want her hurt, do you?”
   A clear answer came from within, “Go to fucking hell. We are going to land in Denver in fifteen minutes and I am not letting you in here. No matter what you say.”
   Nazeer shouted, “Shoot her. Kill the bitch.”
   Afshin nodded and fired a shot in the air. He knocked, “One dead. You want more dead.”
   “I don’t care, you are not getting hold of the plane. No matter how many you shoot.”
   Afshin smiled. He gestured for Nazeer to give him the backpack. Slowly almost leisurely, he applied half a hand full of brown putty like explosive to both side of the door where he knew the lock was. Nazeer looked inside the bag, there was at least another pound of explosive in his bag.
He took another handful of it out, “What the hell is this for any way. We have enough to cover the rest of the plane, in this pack and the others back there.”
    He stuck it on top of the previous mass and spread it. Afshin had one of the wires connected to the battery he was holding and he touched the other wire to the second terminal. A loud bang blew up the door. Debris went flying all over. As they stepped in, they found both the pilot and co-pilot dead.
    “Damn, who the hell is going to fly the plane now?”
    “Don’t worry, its not that hard.” Nazeer took hold of the strange looking dual control sticks and tried to steady the diving plane.

…..

   Barbara was finally calm. Her father stepped in and gave her a big hug. The music started and they walked out of the room and into the church. Everyone turned around and smiled. She looked pretty but pale. As she got about half way down the aisle, Steve came rushing out of nowhere and held her by both arms.
   “You only have a few minutes. Get out now. Get out of the light.”
   She smiled slowly at him. The sedatives are working. This is just a hallucination. I must get it over with today for sure. Perhaps I won’t have to go through this ever again.
   She had been able to move effortlessly even though Steve was holding on to her. Suddenly he screamed and she could feel the weight of his arms, his strength. She stopped in the middle of the church, afraid to go forward, afraid to go back, unable to move.

…..

   Nazeer chuckled and looked out the windshield. The mountains appeared gray and green. The city appeared gray and green. The sky was gray too. Oh shit. What do I do now?
   Afshin stared at him not understanding what he was trying to do. The plane nose-dived over the heart of downtown Denver. As he screamed and tried to pull it up, the nose of the plane hit ten feet under the steeple of our lady of the light and a ball of flame rolled in and around the church.
                                                       The End                          3447 words

Copyright © 2004 Raman Jalota. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

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