Caving

“Is this it?” Ali asked “Yes,” I said. “Make sure you grab everything. It’s a long way back down.” “Sure,” he scoffed. He shook his head and got out of the van. I parked the car at the bottom of the mountain with the engine running so it didn’t freeze over in the middle of the desert. Ali opened the back door. One by one, he took out the propane tank, the heater, the chains, and the food supply. He put everything in a box and opened the trunk. “Hey.” He smacked the man in the face. “Get up.” [[Scold Ali]] [[Splash water on the man to wake him]]

“Ali!” I scolded. He looked at me frustrated. "What?" He asked. "We are not animals," I responded. "You've obviously drugged him out of his mind. Just give it some time he will wake up." Ali looked at me, confused. "Why are we catering to his needs? Let's just wake him up and get this over with." "If you suddenly wake him up now he may have a heart attack," I explained. "...and?" I could see that Ali had a different plan in mind than I, and I knew going into this that it may be a problem. Nevertheless, he gave in. "Fine. Let's wait." He went back to the passenger seat and opened the glove compartment. He grabbed my gun and started cleaning it, humming while doing so. I put in my headphones and started listening to Quran. As I walked around aimlessly, I started listening more closely: <br> "BY THE END OF TIME, ALL MEN WILL BE AT LOSS. SAVE THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED, DONE RIGHTEOUS DEEDS, AND ADVISED FOR TRUTH AND PATIENCE" <br> I thought about this line as I stared at Ali, who was still cleaning the gun, slightly smirking. "What am I doing here," I whispered to myself. Just then, I hear a grunt. I looked in the trunk to see the man, half awake, moving from side to side. I run to the trunk. [[Untie the man's hands]] [[Splash water on the man to wake him]]

He doesn't wake, so I open a bottle of water from inside the box and splash some on his face. The man woke up panting and looked at both of us, dazed. “Ahmad," he finally said. "Ahmad, my dear friend. What is this? Where is this coming from-“ “Khalid. The more you speak, the longer this will take,” I said to my former partner. “You are stuck with us. Please, just get up.” “No. No,” he whispered, lowering his head. He became quiet. Under his breath we could hear him reciting surahs. “Good, Khalid. Pray. Seek guidance! Ask to be saved,” Ali laughed while untying his hands from behind his back. “Ask Him.” Khalid reluctantly got out of the van, his head still down. “Here,” he said. He cupped Khalid’s hands and held it in front of his face, as if he were making dua, and tied them back up. “For your prayers,” he said smiling. Khalid’s head was still down, but he kept his hands there. [[Start walking]]

I get to the trunk before Khalid and untie the mans hands. "Khalid," I whispered, as to not let Ali hear. "Khalid wake up." I covered his mouth with one hand as I untied the knot with the other He slowly opened his eyes, and to my surprise he stayed calm. "Go Khalid," I whispered again. I reach in my backpack for a bottle of water and handed it to him. I didn't know what I was doing. We were in the middle of nowhere, and there I was trying to tell this man to run away. "About 5 miles passed this hill there is a lodge. Wait there for me. Once I convince Ali to go back home, Ill come get you." I help Khalid slowly get out of the car, and watch as he starts making his way towards the hill. I close the trunk and start walking to the passenger seat. "He is still asleep, Ali, what do you th-" he wasn't there. Suddenly, I hear, "POP, POP, POP." I turned to see Khalid laying on the ground in a pool of blood, Ali pointing the gun at him. He empties the clip, and starts walking back to me. "Thank you, brother, for finally making this easy." He puts the gun back in the glove compartment and sits back in his seat. "C'mon lets go. We're done here."

And so, we started walking. Ali was in front, pulling Khalid by the rope. I walked behind, holding the box. I kept losing my step as we got higher because I was busy staring out into the distance, as I used to. I remember thinking that the [[sky was busier as a child]]. There were clouds that moved uncontrollably and planes barely visible. Something had changed, it was clearer. It was blue. And it was empty. The only other things we could see were the other hills of sand miles away. I glanced at Ali, who was now telling Khalid the story about a lion cub who survived in the middle of the forest that my father would tell us every time we walked up this exact trail as children. He told us we would become men once we were able to make it up the mountain without him. This was our first time. The rest of the way was silent. I thought about what I was going to ask him. How I was going to do it. All I discerned up until now was that he knew something, and he’d been under my nose for 10 years. When we got to the entrance of the cave, the sun was setting. I let Khalid make Maghrib prayer while Ali watched him as I picked up the supplies and went in. It was small in comparison to the rest of the desert’s rooms. There were two column looking rock structures on either side of the cave. Behind them was a round wall that was clearly wet. I put the things on the ground next to the back wall and walked up to the column that my mother had engraved. It was fading, but it was there. “A+A,” it read. The stones were cold and sturdy, and had the same muddy stench as it did years ago. “You boys will grow to be our protectors,” she always said when she looked at the mark. I was excited back then to take the title. Protecting would have probably felt less dismal than avenging. Ali came in and slammed Khalid to the ground, waking me from my trance. He walked over to the box to grab the chains and wrap them around Khalid. [[Take the chains from Ali]] [[Untie Khalid]]

As he turned around, I grabbed the chains out of his hands. "What are you doing, brother," he asked. I put the chains on the ground and picked up the propane tank, heater, and food supply. "You really have no decency, do you," I asked. "Exactly what part of this is decent?" He responded. I said nothing. He ignored my words and went back for the chains, first wrapping them around Khalid, then he walked to the column like structures and locked the chain around it. Meanwhile, I connected the propane tank into the heater and placed it next to Khalid, who was now sitting with his legs crossed and his hands tied behind his back, head still down. Ali walked up to me as I got up. "Theres always a soft spot with you," he continued. "You're lying to yourself, Ahmad. All of this- the food, the heat... for what? You just need to feel better. Fine. Go ahead. Make yourself feel better. But don't forget why we are here." “We need him alive,” I explained “For what?!” “To put it together.” "To put it..." he stared at me blankly. "We've already put it together. He is the killer. What part of this is confusing to you?" "We don't know that," I said. "Don't you want to know for certain that this is our guy." "I do know. You told me. You showed me the evidence. Please, brother, let me finish the job and go home." [[Tell Ali off]] [[Pretend to let Ali kill Khalid]]

I stopped Ali before he could tie the chains and turned towards Khalid. "What if we were to let you go right now, Khalid?" I asked. "Where would you go?" "He's not going to respond-" "I would go to my family," said Khalid. "So... you do have a family," I said. "Every man has a family," he said. "Unless... something had happened to them. He looked straight at Ali's eyes as he said it, and Ali lost it. He swung the chains and slapped Khalid across the face. He ran forward to tackle him, but I was able to grab him before he got too close. "You'll fucking eat those words you bastard!" "It is not me who is the bastard," he whispered. Ali didn't hear it, but I did. I let go of Ali, grabbed the chains from him, and slapped Khalid across the face once more myself. I then walked over to the box to grab a napkin, which I then put in his mouth for him to gag. I then took the chain and wrapped it around his mouth and secured it around the two column like structures. "Is it time?" asked Ali. I looked over at him and saw a childish anger. I saw a demon, eager to let loose on his victim. I saw myself in the moment, in his eyes. I looked at what I had just done and took a breath. "No," I said "What do you mean no?" "I mean you shut your mouth and do as I say." Ali turned around and screamed at the sky, making the animals that were near run away. He walked out with his head down. [[Follow Ali]] [[Talk to Khalid]]

“I don’t care about what you think you know.” I said, finally looking in his eyes. “I do this for a living. I show you my progress out of courtesy. You speak only out of emotion.” I was growing impatient. “There is something missing. All we have to do is get some words out of him, and we will act accordingly.” Ali’s face was red at this point, his eyes focused on mine. I could see our mother’s stubbornness in him. Literally see it in his eyes. He scoffed and walked to the entrance of the cave screaming. I ignored him and sat in front of Khalid. [[Give him food]] [[Give him water]]

I reach in my backpack and hand Ali my gun. He looks at my with a blank stare, but without hesitation he turns around and walks right up to Khalid. He raises his arms, and points the gun at Khalids forehead. Khalid doesn't move. "I'd give you time to pray, but I don't remember you doing the same for my parents," he says. Khalid sat still with his head still down. In a matter of seconds, Ali pulls the trigger. *CLICK* *CLICKCLICK* Ali looks back at me furious. He walks back with a death stare in his eyes. "Do you think this is a game? Why are you toying with me like this?" "Because clearly you are still a child," I responded. "I thought he would talk. "Yeah, well he didn't!" "So he didn't. Now we move on." Ali stormed out of the cave, leaving me alone with Khalid. [[Follow Ali]] [[Give him food]] [[Give him water]]

I took the food out of the box and placed it in front of him. He didn't move. “You know what this is,” I whispered. His head was still down, and he was still reciting. “I don’t know what you think is going to happen now, but I can assure you you’d rather be dead.” Still nothing. “That’s actually what Ali wants.” I looked back at my brother who was now standing outside smoking a cigarette. “Kid wants you out of this world this second. He wants you gone. But if you’re who he thinks you are, then I don’t want you dead. I want you to feel agony. And anguish. I want you to feel.” He was still reciting. “Just tell me why. That’s all I want.” Silence. His head stayed down. In the embassy, we weren’t allowed personal information. No pictures on the desks, no personal cell phones. Our private lives were private. Khalid took this more seriously than anyone in the unit. To a point where we had spent months together in a single bedroom in Afghanistan, and I never even learned his full name. It was like this kind of information was more top secret than the things we had our clearance for. I got up, and placed a bottle of water next to him before I began to head out. I grabbed my backpack and started to head out before looking back once more. [[Walk out of the cave]] [[Cave, kill Khalid]]

I went back to the box and took out the separate cantine of water. I opened it and held it up to Khalid's mouth. "Drink. You will die of thirst." He didn't budge. "It's Zam Zam," I said. He lifted his head, and looked in the cantine. Tilting his head back he opened his mouth for me to pour in, and I did so. "Its funny," I thought to myself. "How a little bit of religion can change the course of ones life." "Tell me," he finally said. "What's next?" "Well, you either tell me the truth or you die. And if the truth is what I fear, then you die regardless." "How is it that a man with this much faith can kill so easily?" He asks "Didn't you do the same?" "That was not so easy," he responded. Startled, I got up. "Did he just admit it..." I thought. I stared at him, as he lowered his head back down and recited again. That was it. I had to do it. I got what I wanted, now it's time to end it. Bring back justice into my life. But I didn't know why. Do I have to know why? [[Cave, kill Khalid]] [[Walk out of the cave]]

I looked back one more time and

I hand Ali his backpack as I pass by him. “Where are you going?” He asked. “We’re leaving” “Wait what?” he sped up towards me trying to catch up. “What happened to the questioning? What did he say?” “Nothing.” “Nothing,” he muttered. “So that’s it we just go back now and leave him there?” I stopped and turned around. “What do you suggest? You tell me what we should do.” My voice was getting louder than usual” “Kill him!” He yelled. “We kill him.” It was silent for about a minute. I sighed. “Please, Ali. Just please let me do my job.” He looked out into the sky and chuckled silently. Then he started walking down the mountain, laughing to himself. “You promised me, brother,” he yelled back. I did. I promised him he’d die. I just needed to know why. We walked back down the path, again in silence. By now it was close to sundown, and when we got to the car I couldn’t feel my hands. Ali hopped right into the passenger seat and closed his eyes. I got in the car, put it in drive, and drove. [[Go home... wake up morning after]]

All of a sudden, I remembered the incident in small flashbacks. I closed my eyes and felt the wind whirling, the helicopters. I saw flashes, a little kid. When I opened them, I felt nothing but anger. I reached into my jacket pocket, pulled out the gun, pointed at Khalids head, and fired *CLICK* *CLICKCLICKCLICK* I lowered my head as I remembered that I had taken the bullets out because of Ali. A sense of failure and embarrasment came over me, and I left. [[Walk out of the cave]]

The next morning, I woke up at 7 a.m. to a banging at my apartment door. I got up from the couch where I had fallen asleep listening to the Quran and put on my shirt. The banging continued. I knew it was Ali. He always hammered on the door when he forgot his key. I looked through the keyhole and confirmed my suspicions, except there was someone with him. A woman. [[Open the Door]] [[Tell Ali to go home]]

I opened the door “Ahmad!” Ali barged in with the woman. By her side were two kids, about 10 years old each. One girl and one boy.” “Ali.” I pulled him aside. “What is this?” “Please, brother,” said the woman, coming a little closer. She had a look of worry in her eyes. I could tell she had been crying recently. Her hijab was fully covering her head. So was her daughter’s. Her son was in a thobe, all of them with tears in their eyes. They all looked so tired. “This is Maryam. She is looking for her husband. He went missing a couple days ago.” I looked back at Ali, already astonished at what he was about to say. “His name is Khalid. Khalid Qasim.” I looked at the family and back at Ali, who was trying to hide his smile. I was so lost. [[Talk to Ali alone]]

I had a bad feeling, so I tried dismissing him. "Ali, what is it? I am busy." "No worries, brother," he said. "I just need your keys to the van." He started whispering something. I opened the door. "The keys?" I heard footsteps going down the stairs and heard the door to exit the building slam shut. "Is someone with you?" I asked. "Oh just a friend. I'm taking him to the airport. Do you have the keys?" I hesitated, but grabbed the keys from the table and handed it to him. "Be back in less than an hour, we have to make another trip up," I told him. "No problem." He walked down the stairs and left. [[Follow him]] [[wait for him to come home]]

“I’m sorry, sister, give me one minute. Please sit, act as if this is your home.” I guided them towards the couches in the living room. “Ali.” I looked at him and pointed to the kitchen. After seating them, I followed Ali. “What the hell is this? How did you find this woman?” I whispered “I didn’t. She was in the parking lot downstairs- didn’t know which room was yours.” He said, now fully smiling. “I have no idea what that fool in the cave is praying for but let him keep praying. This is a gift from God!” “Settle down, Ali. What is wrong with you? Look at them. They are terrified.” “Yes, they are,” he said. I shook my head. “Astaghfirullah,” I said under my breath. She most likely found me on the agency’s website. I am the lead detective, and my phone home number is under my contact’s name. I looked across the room at the voicemail box- 50 missed calls. I looked back up at my brother. “Pour them a glass of juice. I will sit and talk with them.” [[Talk with the family]]

I walked back out into the living room. “How are you, sister?” I asked sitting down directly across from the woman. “What is your name again?” “Maryam,” she said. “Maryam,” I repeated quietly. “And you, my friend?” I looked down at her son with a smile. The boy just stared at me, mouth quivering. “This is Yousuf,” his mother said finally. “And this is Ayesha. Guys, say Salam.” The girl was looking down, gently crying, her tears dripping onto the carpet. “It’s ok,” I said. I took a short breath. “Ok, tell me what is going on.” “My husband,” she said. Her voice immediately began to shake. “He has not been home for two days. His phone is off. Or dead. I don’t know.” She started crying. “Ok, ok. When is the last time you saw him?” I asked “He was going to work early Thursday. It was around 6 in the morning.” “Where does he work?” “His family’s business. A tech company. I don’t know exactly what they do.” My father had owned a tech company. This was news to me. “Ok. Have you gone to them? Have they seen him?” “Yes. They just say he is on business trip. He never leaves without telling me, what kind of business trip is this?” She started crying more. “He always tells me when he is leaving.” “Do you not think he is on a business trip?” “Maybe he is. I don’t know. I don’t know.” I sat back in my chair. Didn’t know what to make of any of this. I thought about all my options, and all the outcomes. Ali finally came back with the juices. [[Continue to play along]] [[Tell Maryam about her husband]]

I had to play along now. “This is what we will do. I’m going to take a shower and then we will go to the office. I can help you a lot more from there. Does that sound ok?” She nodded her head. “Please drink your juice,” I said to the kids. “You’re probably tired. You need some energy.” I picked up the glass and handed it to Yusuf and Ayesha. I lifted up Ayesha’s face from the ground and wiped her tears with my thumb. “Ali, stay with them please. I’m going to take a shower and we will leave.” He nodded and took my seat as I got up. [[Take a shower]]

I let Ali set the juices down on the table and sit before I spoke again. "Ali, I left my phone in the car. Could you please go get it?" "Sure, brother," he said. When he left, I turned to Maryam. "Maryam. I know where your husband is." She looked at me astounded. "How? Where is he? Please brother tell me where he is." "I will take you to him. But we have to move fast and not let Ali see. Hurry, kids, lets go. Quickly." The family got up quickly and ran to the door. "We will go to the garage. We will take my car," I told them. I quietly open the garage door and get in my car. When I see Ali enter the house again, I drive. [[go to the cave]]

The shower was warm. It was the warmest I felt since Wednesday night. Everything else has been freezing. I started to think about what I was going to do. I thought about Khalid sitting in the cave praying. I knew he was praying for his family to be safe. But how could they be? This was bound to happen. Thinking about this, I knew I was stuck. I had leverage. But what kind of human being would hold a woman and children hostage. I wanted him, not his family. They obviously had no idea what was going on. She didn’t even know what he actually did for a living. Then I thought of it. I was going to go back up to the cave tomorrow, this time alone. I would tell him his wife and kids came to my house. I would tell him their names, so he believed me. He thinks that information is safe. If I were to show him that it was compromised, I’d win the battle. He’d cave. <br> I stayed in the shower a bit longer to formulate the plan. Just then I heard the door slam shut. I assumed it was Ali, maybe going to the car to grab something. I took my time finishing up, making wudu and drying off. I got out of the shower and heard a cartoon playing on the T.V. For once, Ali knew how to take care of something. I changed my clothes, put on my coat and walked out of my room. “Everyone ready?” I asked walking into the living room. But there was nobody there. The glasses of juice were half empty, and all the shoes at the front of the door were missing. I ran to the window to see that the van was not in the driveway. A rush of panic overcame me. I unlocked my phone to a text from Ali saying, “I’ll be back.” “No. Ali no.” I said. I ran to my room and checked under my bed for my gun. It was missing. And it hit me. He had gone back to the desert. He was taking Maryam and the kids to Khalid in the desert. He was going to kill the family in front of him. [[go after him]]

I ran down to the garage, grabbing the keys to the sedan. “Why, Ali? Why?” I kept asking myself. I checked to make sure my other gun was in the glove compartment and started driving. On the drive there, I kept thinking of the night we captured Khalid, Ali’s words echoing in my head. “Justice brother. If this religion of yours has taught you anything, it should be Justice. Things will come full circle.” I plugged in my phone and started listening to a recitation of the Quran. God was the only hope right now. [[arrive at the cave]]

I saw the van from a half a mile away. I parked next to it, grabbed my gun, and started running up the mountain. I assumed they were about 20 minutes ahead of me. I looked up and saw arms swinging. It was them. They were close to the cave. I ran up as fast as I could, ignoring the view this time. I started climbing the rocky walls, skipping the zig-zaggy trail. I started running out of breath and looked up one more time. I saw the cave more clearly, and they were right by the entrance. “Ali!” I screamed. No response. He couldn’t hear me. I caught my breath and started sprinting. I finally reached the top and immediately heard sobbing. I drew my gun, slowly creeping up. My back against the wall of the entrance, I peeked in. In the middle of the cave was Maryam, on her knees with her hands on her head. Yousuf and Ayesha were by their father’s side, Khalid finally looking up. “La ilaha illallah…,” I heard her reciting. Behind her was Ali, holding a gun to her head. [[try to stop him]]

“Ali!” I yelled. But it was too late. As I entered the cave, he pulled the trigger. Pop. Her body fell to the floor. Yousef and Ayesha started screaming. Khalid’s eyes were glued to his wife on the floor. He started sobbing, and his recitation began once more. “Why, brother?!” I started panicking. My heart was racing, and my hands were shaking. This was real. This was happening. “Justice!” He yelled, his voice echoing. He turned his head, no emotion in his face. Nothing. He turned back towards Khalid. “He will see…” he started saying, reaching for Yousuf at the same time, “what we saw. I want him to see their bodies hit the floor. JUST AS WE DID.” “No. This isn’t the way, Ali. You will go down for this. Everything will fall on you.” “So be it. God made my purpose clear that night. This is it, brother. I will need nothing after tonight,” he said. He pulled Yousuf up who was still screaming. Khalid was still staring at his wife. “10 seconds, Khalid. I need to hear you say it,” Ali said. He forced Yousuf to his knees and pointed the gun to his head. “Ali!” I screamed, cocking my gun. “Khalid. Please! He will shoot. Please say something.” His head was still down. “10…” Ali started counting. “Khalid!” I yelled. He wouldn’t move. “Daddy say something!” Ayesha finally screamed. He looked at her and smiled. “It’s ok, love” he said. She started screaming again. “5… 4… 3…” “Ali please!” “2… 1” [[shoot ali]]

POP. <br> My mind froze. Everything started moving slow, my hands trembling. My brain wasn’t registering what had just happened. I looked at the floor confused, then back at my hands. Flat on the ground laid Ali. I walked over to him slowly, the children’s screams now inaudible due to the ringing in my ears. I crouched next to him and started whispering his name. “Ali… Ali,” I said. No response. He was dead. I closed my eyes, sat there for a minute and just breathed. When I opened them, I looked down to see the little boy holding me around the waist. I turned around and stared passed the entrance of the cave. The sky was blue again. Nothing else in sight. Nothing. I kissed my brother on the cheek and got up. I grabbed Ayesha and Yousuf and walked out of the cave. I took them all the way down to the car and only opened the driver door to turn it on. I told them I’d be back in a few hours, and told them to try to sleep. I slammed the door shut and locked it. I started walking up the path again, this time simply walking. It took me what felt like hours to walk all the way back up, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t feel anything. With my head down, I made my way up the mountain. I finally got to the top and marched into the cave. Without hesitation, I walked up to Khalid, lifted his chin to look into his eyes, cocked the gun and pulled the trigger.

When we were younger and our mother and father brought us up here on the hikes, the land wasn't as desolate. Cars could be seen driving to and from the caves occasionally. The sky was filled with airplanes and helicopters coming from the airport. My father somehow knew the make and model of each plane and heli that flew over. Knowing what I know not, it was more so his paranoia that was getting to him. The mix of the sky and wind heavy winds gave me flashbacks to the final day, when everything came sprialing down. Literally.

I watched Ali leave and turned towards Khalid again. I walked over to him and untied him from the chain, taking the gag out of his mouth as well. "You obviously know why this is happening." He was back to being silent. "I don't want to do what I've set out to do to you, but you are not leaving me with much of a choice." "Then you know how it was for me." I was taken back by his words. "Khalid. You know that I know. Just tell me it wasn't you brother. Tell me people forced your hand. Send me to them, this will all be taken care of." "There is nothing to do. No one to send you to. I am here in front of you now; the man you wanted. I am the answer. Do what you must." I stayed in my position silent, wondering what to do. I took his words as admission of guilt, but still couldn't move. I got up, and felt my blood boil as I looked around the cave and remembered. [[Cave, kill Khalid]] [[Walk out of the cave]]

I closed the door and thought back about how Ali was just acting. He was too... eager. It reminded me of the eagerness I saw in his eyes at the cave. I ran to the window and saw a woman get in the car. I sat in my chair for a second, wondering what it could be that he was up to. I walked to my bed to check if my gun was there, and saw that it was missing. Suddenly, everything fell into place. [[go after him]]

I closed the door and went back to sleep. In my dream, I saw a man standing in front of me, begging for forgiveness. When I gave it to him, I literally handed him something. He grabbed it, and his demeanor changed. He threw the "forgivness" back at me and I started falling. Right when I was about to hit the ground I woke up. I woke up to Ali sitting on my couch, with a smile on his face. His body was covered in dirt, and he was rocking back and forth. "Ali? Whats wrong?" "Wrong???" He says. "How could anything be wrong, brother? It's done. It's finally done." "What are you saying," I respond. I get a glimpse of his hands, and realize they are covered in blood. "It's done, brother. It's done."

We got to the bottom of the mountain and I walked with them all the way up to the cave. It took hours to walk all the way up, but we did. And we did in complete silence. We finally got to the top, and I let them into the cave. The family saw their father and immediately ran towards him. "BABA! BABA we were so worried!" I went behind Khalid and untied his chains. He got up, hugged his famly and turned towards me. "Ahmad..." "Do not thank me. This is a mercy, just leave now before-" "Ahmad!" I looked at the entrance of the cave to see Ali standing at the front, loading his pistol. Khalid pushed me against the wall behind me, almost paralyzing me. He reached into my jacket pocket and pushed his family aside. He pulled out my gun, pointed it at Khalid, and fired. I heared a thump. The kids and Marya started screaming. I start to run towards him but Khalid pointed the gun at me. I said nothing. He reached into my pocket again and grabbed the keys to my car. He grabbed his family and walked slowly out of the cave, keeping the gun pointed at me. As he leaves I walk up towards Ali and get on my kneese.