Chapter 7

It was a little after midnight, and even the noisy animals had retired, leaving technology to continue its solo vigil. Asha and Eric were fast asleep, both enjoying the many scenes their subconscious had to offer. Although they had been through a troublesome ordeal with Jason, they had no nightmares. For in each other's arms, they could feel no fear. They were perfectly safe in their bubble of love and peace.

However, while their minds, spirits, and souls were perfectly wrapped in their love, their bodies remained tethered to earth. And as we all know, the earth is full of dark horrors and mad predators.

Eric's eyes opened slightly as he noticed a disruption in the noise that filled the airways. A strange and definite sound kept interrupting the constant whir of air conditioners. It sounded like the jiggle and scrapping of metal. Eric looked at his alarm clock and was amazed to see that it was a full hour past midnight. 'Nothing could be going on at this time of the night,' he thought as he tried to get back to sleep. However, the noise persisted and even became more apparent. He looked at Asha, who was lying next to him. She was fast asleep and totally undisturbed as her mind remained fully invested in the land of dreams.

Eric closed his eyes tightly and then opened them up again, trying his best to wake his body and mind to solve the puzzle of the strange sound. He sat up and looked around in search of the source of the sounds. His eye widened with shock as he realized that the noise was coming from the door of his apartment.

He stood up and looked around in search of a weapon. A knife or a club would have sufficed. However, he noticed that the door was about to admit the intruder. He had to rely on the prowess of his body. He ran towards the door, fist ready to knock out whoever was trying to get in.

He was a few inches from the door when the door opened slightly, and a familiar face appeared. Eric stopped in his tracks and froze as he saw Jason emerge. Their eyes met for a split second as both men stood frozen in a standoff. Eric was about to order Jason to get out when he saw the man reach back and pull out a gun.

'Shooooooo,' Jason shushed, putting a finger to his tongue. He moved the same finger forward and waved it left and right as he clicked his tongue, signaling 'no.' Or more accurately, 'don't try anything stupid.'

'What do you want Jason,' Eric muttered with his teeth clenched.

Jason's lips curved into a devilish smile as he cocked his head to the left.

'What do I want? Now that's a very important question. What I wanted is to have a peaceful life. A simple life. With my wife next to me as we push our miserable life to the end, just like my parents did. Then you came along and offered her happiness. You came along and stole my dream to fill yours. And for some reason which I still can't fathom why you believe your dream to be brighter and more legitimate than mine.'

'She is a human being, Jason. She can make her own choices. She isn't like some trophy that you can keep on a shelf and expect to remain there forever without proper care. She is a woman. A strong, powerful woman with her dreams, wills, and emotions. You must understand that.'

'Oh, shut up,' Jason whispered hatefully. 'I don't want her anymore. I have told you that much.'

'Yes. You just want to make her suffer. I cant al…'

'Nope, I don't want that anymore either,' Jason said, cutting Eric short.

'Really?' Eric asked, his brows furrowed in suspicion. He had dealt with Jason long enough to know that all signs of rationality that ever emanated from the man were ruses.

'Tormenting her would take too much time and energy. We would both be captives of the process. I could be spending this time sleeping or doing something productive, but here I am, arguing with you. She deserves to be free, and so do I. So instead of making her life miserable, I would end her life.'

'What?'

'We would both be free. She shall be free in the heavens, and I shall be free on earth. Both of us can't stay on the same plane of existence. When I finally die, I would go to hell. And like that starting from tonight, we would never be together. I can't stand the sight of her joy. And if I can't destroy her happiness, I can at least get her out of my sight.'

'You are crazy,' Eric said as he shook his head in pity.

'No shit. What was your first clue? The eye bags or the fact that I am pointing a gun at you. Look, man, I like you. You seem like a standup guy. I don't blame you for what is happening between Asha and me. But I would really like you to get out of my way. You might think that I am wicked and heartless, but I assure you that I am not. I wanted to kill you, you know. Oh, I really did. Rather than take her life, I wanted to take her joy. Killing you would make her miserable. She would be broken, and rather than tormenting her through a series of actions. I can torment her in one single blow. But I couldn't bring myself to do that. You didn't betray me. You are merely the instrument of her betrayal. Now step aside and let me do the holy work that is my duty and right. All unfaithful betrayers deserve death, and today I assume the position of the Grim Reaper,' Jason said as he tried to step forward and walk past Eric.

'No,' Eric thundered in anger, forgetting that they were whispering to avoid waking Asha up.

Eric's yell was enough to push her out of the realm of dreams into reality. She opened her eyes and was shocked to see her past and her forever in a standoff.

She blinked over and over again as she tried to figure out if she was dreaming. The apartment looked the same. It was dark, but it still had the beautiful simplicity that it always has. The details weren't blurry, and so she knew it wasn't a dream. And yet, Jason was standing at the door of the apartment, and Asha couldn't make sense of that being part of reality.

'Ahh, The query is awake. Come on, babe, be a dear and tell your dog to stand down,' Jason said, looking past Eric and referring to Asha.

Eric didn't dare look back. He knew that Jason was cunny and given to underhanded tricks.

'What are you doing here?' Asha said as her lips trembles with fear and sorrow.

'Oh, sorry, love, but I am not answering that question again. Now, if you don't mind. Eric, get the fuck out of my way,' Jason said cocking his pistol to come off scarier.

'No,' Eric said firmly without moving an inch.

'Now let me tell you something, you little piece of shit. I had had it with you,' Jason said as he walked threateningly towards Eric, reducing the small distance between them. Once he got close enough, Eric flew into action. In a flash, he grabbed Jason's hand and pointed the weapon to the right just as Jason pulled the trigger, and a shot rang out, flying straight through the window of the loft.

Eric twisted Jason's palm and forced the weapon out of his hand. The gun fell to the ground with a loud clang as Eric turned Jason's arm to his back and wrestled him to the floor. A flurry of movements later, Eric was seated on Jason's back, holding both his arms down.

'Call the cops now,' Eric yelled above Jason's screams, curses, and swears. Jason went hysterical as he tried all he could to regain his freedom. He stumbled through a series of tactics from threats to pleas then promises of special bribes. However, Eric was going to have none of it. He understood the man, and he knew that the only truth that escaped his lips were his threats and promises of evil. He decided to stop sitting on him as he feared that could block his airways. So he stood him up and held him against the wall. This was dangerous for him as Jason was in a better position to counter-attack. However, Eric couldn't stand the thought of hurting the man anymore. So he took the risk, and the risk was almost too high to afford as Jason tried many dirty tricks to escape. From a backward head but to stumping on Eric's bare feet with his boot. However, Eric held on firmly, giving him no quarter.

A full seven minutes later, the cops arrived to see Jason being held captive. They immediately flew into action, pulling the two men away from each other and arresting them both. Detective Walters walked in just as the two men were put in cuffs.

'You three again,' he said as soon as he recognized the characters he had dealt with a few hours ago. He looked tired and stressed, almost like merely seeing them had added a few years to his age. He was a middle-aged man, but the pride and dignity with which he held himself were that of a middle aged king. He slowly paced to and fro the loft as he searched for any accomplices to the break-in that might be hiding somewhere in the apartment. Satisfied that there were no new players on the board of madness, Detective Walters went back to face the two men.

'So, after this man has shown you mercy by not pressing charges, you break into his home and bully him. Have you no shame, Mr. Daleel. Is there no limit to your desperation?' Detective Walters said and was about to carry on with his ramble when he suddenly noticed the dressing of the two men. Jason was dressed in a black hoodie, black jeans, and a pair of heavy boots. Eric, on the other hand, was dressed in nothing but a light tee-shirt, loose sweat pants, and was barefoot. Detective Walters cocked his head to the right as a possibility struck him, and he tried to fight it off from reality. However, when the clues became too obvious to ignore, he decided to ask.

'Whose house is this?' the detective asked, facing the two men.

'Mine,' Eric said.

The detective stared at Jason with shock, hoping for the seemingly rational man to say something. However, Jason had suddenly lost his tongue and held on to silence like a new religion.

'Mrs. Vickers,' the detective said, facing Asha.

'Yes,' Asha replied from where she sat at the edge of the bed with her body wrapped with a duvet to cover her nakedness.

'This is Mr. Daleel's apartment, isn't it?'

'It is,' Asha replied. 'Jason broke in, and I was the one who called 911.'

'Trust me, Mrs. Vickers, you aren't the only one who called 911. The whole goddamn street kept the lines buzzing till we arrived. Apparently, a shot had been fired, waking everyone up. Mr. Vickers,' Detective Walters said, turning his attention back to Jason. 'I must say that I am utterly disappointed. I thought you were a rational and upright man. What were you thinking, breaking in with a gun in your hand? It seems that all three of you would have to follow me to the station again. However, this time there would be actual consequences. All three of you would write sworn statements, and I would have to push for a restraining order to avoid this from ever happening again. It seems that anytime all three of you meet, violence ensues, and the general public is greatly disturbed.'

With that, the detective signaled for the cops to lead the trio into cruisers and to the police station. Eric and Asha were permitted to get decent before being led out of the house. Eric's hands were released from the handcuffs as the detective came to the realization that he wasn't an attacker but a protector. Jason, on the other hand, was deemed too volatile to be let loose, so his hands remained cuffed till they arrived at the station.

And so the detective started the strenuous process of understanding the details and intricacies of the case. Hours later, Walters could see beyond the facts and the monochrome color. He pulled off his tinted windows and saw from an objective perspective. He saw all three of them for who they were. Jason- a man, driven mad by jealousy and spite, willing to go a million miles to have his revenge and satisfy his thirst for evil.

Asha- A woman who wants nothing but love, peace, and happiness. Who wants to be free from the shackles of her marriage and the chains of her mistake. We all deserve happiness, and Walters couldn't blame her for reaching for love.

And then there was Eric- An upright man whose moral compass had been stretched to its greatest limit. A man constantly torn between what is good and what is right and at all times choosing love.

In the end, Walters saw three souls trapped in a wild and complicated dance with good and evil blurring into a colorful hue. He found himself forced to see things from the perspective of the law and freedom. They were all free to do whatever they wanted, provided it wasn't against the law. Unfortunately for Jason, he was going to jail for trespassing and using a weapon to attack Asha and Eric. His case would be a complicated one, especially when the divorce gets mixed in.

It was going to be a messy case, and Walters pitied the judge who would be caught in the middle. He was happy for Eric and Asha, two people who had found love so pure and strong in the middle of misery. However, he hoped their love would be strong enough to bear the strain of the hurdles ahead, for Walters knew without a doubt that the new couple was in for a bumpy ride. But at the end of the tunnel was an immeasurable joy. Walters found himself rooting for them and hoping that they made it to the end.

As for Jason, Walters felt nothing but pity for him. The man was broken and probably beyond repair. Walters could see the madness in the man's eyes. A piece of his mind had twisted and broken. He was a monster. That much was true. Even before his wife left him, he was mad. But Asha leaving him broke him and unleashed his madness. He was a sociopath. He would have killed Asha, and then that would have triggered his thirst for blood, and from there, he would slide down a slippery slope. Jason had begun to stumble down a path that led to murder. If he wasn't stopped, he would become a serial killer, for madmen don't stop at destroying a single life. In truth, madmen never stop; they are only stopped.

In the end, Walters released and Eric and Asha and kept Jason in custody. Eric and Asha drove home and slept off as soon as their tired bodies touched the memory foam. They were too tired to entertain any thoughts of a shower or sex or a combination of both.