Escape from Darkness

When he shouted like that, my whole body trembled and my heart contracted, especially when he said the word “understand” angrily and loudly. I heard another voice in my head telling me to say, “Understand.” I didn't feel myself, but I heard a voice telling me to give him an injection of the solution that was attached to me. She was yelling at Diab, who looked worried and scared, and I went into darkness, hearing nothing but the voice of someone scaring me, saying, “

What I say goes. Don't repeat what I say twice. Understand?”

I don't know how long it was before I opened my eyes and found Safia next to me.

Safia, anxiously... Sumaya, finally, I'm awake. Reassure me.

Sumaya, her eyes closed... I have a headache. Every time I open my eyes, I feel a severe headache.

Safia... Okay, wait a few seconds. Dr. Maher will be here soon.

Sumaya, fearfully...

No, no, don't leave me alone. He'll come in and scare me again. I don't want him to. I swear.

Safia, surprised... Sweetheart, calm down. I asked him to leave the hospital. Why are you so scared? Why did you come here in the first place?

Sumaya shook her head in denial...

I don't know, I don't know, I was really scared.

Safia said tenderly... Okay, calm down, he's gone, and I made sure with security that he left the hospital. Calm down and let me take you to Dr. Maher, okay?

_ I shook my head without saying anything. I didn't know why I was scared. I didn't have an answer. After a short while, I left the hospital with Safia on our way to her house. On the way, Safia tried to talk to me about anything to distract me, until she suddenly fell silent and her face showed signs of distress.

Samia... What's wrong, Safia?

Safia... I feel like there's a car following us since we left the hospital.

Samia... How? Are you sure?

Safia... I don't know... Look, we're almost there. Let's just hope for the best.

I got out with her, and I felt like someone was watching us. Why did I feel that way? I don't know. It's just a feeling I have, but my mind is completely blank... We entered a building and went up to an apartment that was very comfortable. The furniture and colors were simple and cozy.

Safia... Light the way, Sumaya. Come on in.

Sumaya... Thank you. I'm sorry again for worrying you.

Safia... We agreed not to talk about that... Would you like to rest a little while I make lunch?

Sumaya... No, I'm very rested. Can I help you?

Safia...

Of course, come on. Hassan will be back from work soon, starving, and if he doesn't find anything to eat, he might ruin my life.

Sumaya... Is Saif your brother?

Safia... Yes, he's my brother and my friend and my father. He's everything to me in this world. I'm very afraid that he'll fall in love and get married and our relationship will change, but I push those thoughts out of my mind and wish him all the happiness in the world.

Sumaya... May God keep you together forever.

Safiya... Amen... Look, since I'm late today, I'll make pasta, bread, and salad, and you make the salad.

Sumaya... What, my dear? Do you want me to help you make the salad?

Safia... Of course, Seif loves it, and I'm not good at chopping. Come on, and God willing, it will be ready in half an hour. I'll get everything ready before I go down.

Sumaya... Yes, as you wish.

Safia... Put a lot of pepper in it because he likes it spicy.

I was about to answer when I heard the doorbell ring.

Safia... He's here. Wait, I'll open the door and bring him to you.

I nodded with a smile and remained silent. I wondered if I also had sisters who were close to each other like that, or if I was alone. I was startled by Safia's voice.

Safia... Come here, Seif. Let me introduce you to Sumaya... Sumaya, this is my brother Seif.

Seif smiled... Welcome, Sumaya.

Sumaya shyly... Thank you, and I'm sorry for the mess I caused you.

Seif... Don't say that. There's no mess or anything.

Safia... Leave her alone. Ever since she saw me, she's been saying sorry and thank you. There's no one else. I'm going to hit her and get it over with.

Saif... I'm the one who's going to hit you and stick you to the wall. You're making pasta and building a wall too. 😡

Safia 😂... Hey, monster, what am I still doing here? I'm still a little girl. What am I supposed to do?

Saif 🤨 ... I don't eat anything else. I'm sick of it. Go to the gym and burn some calories. I'm going to build a house.

Safia... Let them be three 😂

Saif.... I'll get you, I swear.

Safia... Okay, I'll make it up to you on my day off.

Saif... Like last time when you said you were tired and ordered pizza for us, right?

Safia... No, no, don't be silly. I'll make it up to you on my day off.

Saif, look at Sumaya... Are you happy with what you're doing to me?

Sumaya smiles... No, honestly, I'm not satisfied.

Safia... I'm the one who accompanied you. Focus, are you confused or what?

Sumaya... I'm focused.

Safia... Okay, you agree with me. Everyone will get two, but no more, and I'll take four times as much.

Seif 🤨. .. Yes?

Safia... Give me the whole plate, big guy, and we'll eat pasta and salad. Okay?

Seif... Her name is Taakli. You eat pasta and salad by yourself, and Samia and I will eat the banh mi, okay?

Safia... The strong rule, okay, okay, what's the problem?

I don't know how time passed with them without me thinking about anything. They made me laugh a lot. Seif was tall, broad, and handsome, but why did he have such an aura? He worked as an engineer in his own office with a group of friends... A few days later, Seif suggested that we check the hospitals for any accidents that happened on the same day that Diab found me, and the police stations for any missing persons on the same day. So I checked the hospitals and he checked the police stations.

I spent my time at home thinking about tomorrow and discovering that I was very good at cooking.

Two months passed without any news, except that I became very attached to them and got to know Uncle Mohsen, who was a very kind man. He had a bookshop in the city center, and one day I decided to open up to them about what was bothering me.

Samia... Safia, I want to talk to you about something.

Safia... What's the matter?

Samia... To be honest, I want to work.

Safia... How can you work? Have we been bothering you in any way?

Samia... No, God forbid. I just don't like sitting around without a job. I'm bored, and you always tell me to relax and stop thinking. Well, I'm free and I have free time, so naturally I think about things. Should I fill that time with work or what?

Safia... That's true, but what kind of work will you do? You don't have any proof, Sumaya.

Sumaya... I looked into it and found that I can get a temporary document with the report I got from the hospital before I was discharged.

Safia... How is that possible?

Sumaya... Believe me, it will work.

Safia... We'll ask Seif and see what the rules are for this paper, and then we'll see about the job. Agreed?

Sumaya enthusiastically... Agreed.

I was very excited. I thought a lot about my life until I got tired of thinking and decided to leave everything behind and trust that God would provide for me. And indeed, when Seif came and I told him, he said he would look into the document and get back to me as soon as possible, and then we would go to work with Uncle Amr. in the library with him. He was in the office, and I don't know why, but I was happy and excited to go down with him. I smiled and imagined myself with him every day at home and at work, but then I asked myself a question: Did I love before I lost my memory? Today, I thought a lot about that question, and I fell asleep after feeling a severe headache that had been bothering me for a while.

The next day, they came down, and I started cleaning the house and preparing lunch. Two hours later, I heard the doorbell ring.

Somaya... Yes, I'm here... Who is it?

Diab smiled... I missed you.

Somaya 😳... Yes? How did you find me?

Diab... You haven't left my mind for a moment, Sumaya.

Sumaya, upset... What exactly is going on? What do you want from me?

Diab... I want you all to yourself.

Sumaya, angrily... No, you've gone too far. Please leave, and I hope I never see you again.

I came to close the door and found it locked, so I went in.

Diab... I'm not leaving unless you come with me. I can't believe I got another chance. I can't believe you're with me again. Why do you want to deprive me of you, Noha? Why do you want to push me away again?

Samia returned fearfully... Another chance? How? Do you know me? Didn't you say you found me lying on the road? And who is Noha?

Diab... Come on, let's go home and I'll explain everything to you. Come with me, my love. Don't be afraid.

I was still responding to him when I heard Uncle Mohsen's voice.

Mohsen... Where are you going? And who are you, anyway?

Diab frowned... It's none of your business, man.

Samia, frightened... Help me, uncle. I don't know what he wants from me. Help me, don't leave me.

Mohsen... Don't be afraid, he'll leave quietly now.

Diab 🤨... So you're afraid of me?

Mohsen... No, before I went in, I sent the doorman to get his men because I suspected something was wrong, and now they're coming.

Diab clasped his hands in anger and turned back to me.

Diab... I'm leaving now, but next time I come, you're coming with me whether you like it or not, and no one can stop me. I hear you, whatever it is. Goodbye, my love.

As soon as he left, I burst into tears, and when Uncle Mohsen failed to calm me down, I called Safia and Seif, and within a short time, they were both with me.

Safia... Here, my dear, drink this lemonade. It will calm your nerves a little.

Seif... How can you open the door like that without saying who it is or looking through the peephole? It's not necessary to have a peephole in the door.

Safia... Relax, Seif, she's not missing.

Seif angrily... Relax, what's the big deal? If it weren't for him, he would have believed Uncle Mohsen's lie, and God only knows what would have happened. He said he would come back again.

Samia, crying... I'm sorry, I'm leaving.

Seif... Samia, don't get more upset than I already am. Where are you going? You're not leaving here.

Safia... Seif, calm down. You're scaring her even more.

Seif, take a breath and speak calmly... Don't be upset. I was just worried about you.

Sumaya 😔... I'm not upset.

Seif 😏... It's obvious.

Mohsen... Okay, God willing, what are you going to do, Seif?

Seif sighs... I have a friend at the office whose cousin is an officer, and I asked him to inquire about this document. I will call him now and ask him to find out the full name of this Diab. But we need his full name.

Sumaya... All I know is that his name is Diab.

Safia... I can get his full name from the hospital.

Saif... OK, call him and get the name quickly. I want to know everything by tomorrow morning.

And indeed, on the same day, Saif found out his full name and told his friend, emphasizing that he needed this information by tomorrow and that his friend would do whatever he could.

The next day, his friend called and told him that his cousin wanted to see him himself, so Seif went down to meet him, leaving me and Safia waiting anxiously. After three hours of waiting, fear, and worry, Seif came back, looking very upset. I couldn't speak or ask any questions.

Safia... What's the news, Saif? Please reassure us.

Saif... No response.

Sumaya, crying... Saif, don't say that I know him or that I have a relationship with him.

Saif... Can you calm down and stop crying? I haven't even started crying yet.

Safia... Then speak up and explain it to us. Come on.

Saif... Reassure me, Sumaya, you have nothing to do with him.

Sumaya... Seriously, you mean?

Saif... Sit down first, because this is a big and long story, and even though you have nothing to do with him directly, unfortunately, your life has been in great danger since the day he saw you.

Sumaya... What kind of danger? I don't understand!

Saif... When I met Khaled, the officer who is a relative of Muhammad, he asked me to tell him first. I asked him about Diab, why I told him everything about you and that we don't understand him. Does he really know you or what exactly? Khaled was silent for a while, gathering his thoughts, and then he started talking.

Flashback

Khaled... Look, Saif, if I didn't know you were a trustworthy person, I wouldn't talk to you about something like this. To be honest with you, I suspect something. If it turns out to be true, I might be able to benefit from Sumaya and do the country a great service.

Saif, surprised...

I don't understand. Khaled... I'll explain...

We've been working on a case involving arms smuggling and large-scale money laundering for a year now, and the main name in it is Diab Aziz. Every time we get a lead, unfortunately, it slips through our fingers. Once we recruit someone, he gets killed, and another time, important documents fall into our hands, but before we can get them, they disappear, along with the person we were going to get them from. We've been going around in circles for a year now. It's useless because he's very careful and very smart.

Saif... And then?

Khaled... Diab was married to his aunt's daughter, Nahi. He loved her, and she was his only weakness. Five years ago, she got cancer and spent six months getting treatment. She traveled to more than one country, but it didn't help. The disease spread quickly through her body, and in the seventh month, she died. At that time, Diab disappeared for two whole months. No one knew where he was or what he was doing. There was a lot of talk that he had broken down and was receiving psychological treatment in clinics abroad, and that he was depressed and had shut himself off from the world. After two months, he returned and resumed his work, and since then, no woman has entered his life, not even for a single night.

Saif, what do you mean?

Khaled, I'm absolutely certain... What I mean is that it's very likely that Sumaya is like Noha, and that's why when he found her, he didn't take her to the hospital and didn't take her far away. Sumaya was with someone in this accident, and Diab got rid of him, but he didn't expect her to leave the hospital with your sister. He's definitely planning something big and well thought out to take Sumaya away. From another source

Bak

Saif... He asked me to tell you that he will come tomorrow to talk to you personally, Sumaya.

Sumaya...