38 The Fire at BEB Building

Henry looked around and he could see people from the elevator ran out. He had not seen that many occupants fill the lobby in such a short amount of time. He grabbed his things and went calmly along with the throng of people that crowded the entrance. Outside, he looked up and he could see not exactly a fire but a cloud of black smoke coming out from the window at the topmost floor. He heard the sound of the siren as it moved closer with a pulsating vibratory hum as the group of fire trucks maneuvered from the nearby intersection.

He managed his way out of the mass of people that gathered outside. Some residents of the building panicked when they looked up at the top floor from their balcony. While some of those that ran out were still in their undergarments but thankful they were out of harm's way. He saw the group of firemen together with police go inside. Henry gawked at the ongoing spectacle-- as with the rest of the crowd until most of the smoke slowly dissipated.

He decided to walk around the building, as the front area going into the parking lot was blocked by firetruck and onlookers. It was at that exact moment when he heard a lady scream and ran past him. He called her out.

"Why? Lady, what happened!?"

She turned her back and her eyes were just too frightened.

"I saw someone fall from the building! I think it is Mr. Bob Lenel!"

Henry could remember who Bob Lenel was. He sold to him the estate on Palindrome Drive.

"Where is he?" he asked.

The woman pointed her fingers near the area where the generator set can be found and ran towards the entrance of the building. Henry walked some 10 meters towards the structure that housed the building generator and he could see Mr. Lenel's lifeless body sprawled on the pavement floor. His limbs were mangled and face disfigured. He looked up and he could see the open window above with its long curtain waving outside. Henry looked around and sensing no one was there with him, he walked away as quickly as he could for fear of being questioned by the police if they ever saw him as the first few onlookers.

All he could think of was the message for him by Silayman.

"Drive home and don't stop. This deal depends on you stopping or not." He went towards his black Mercedes Benz, started the car engine and drove away from the BEB building casually looking from his rear view mirror. The thick smoke at the top of the building had already dissipated but the people below were still restless as they patiently waited for the firemen and the police to complete their tasks.

What the f_ck is going on? He asked. He opened the radio to check the news. One station was broadcasting a live report inside the BEB building.

"A fire that broke out inside the BEB building was now under control based on the firemen we interviewed. It destroyed one room at the 77th floor and the management confirmed it was an old laboratory. Meanwhile, one person is reported dead at the BEB building and we are still checking the identity of the person who police said apparently fell to his death from one of the building floors. The police were now checking if it is related to the fire that just broke out or a separate homicide incident. "

Henry turned the radio off. Why would it happen at this time where he was just establishing a milestone in his business endeavor? Is there a particular reason for all of this incident to happen? But that is b_lls_it! And how did Sulayman know it before everyone does? Is he an omniscient presence to know all that is happening around? Is he inside the BEB building watching him all the time?

The traffic flow outside was smooth and he is on his way to Pink and Purple Place. But something in his feet did not feel right. His car brakes were not holding the car to slow it down. Of all the days that it would happen it had to happen in the middle of the road. Panic ensued in his brain. He tried to push his feet down but the repeated action had no effect on the car speed.

"Oh my…not today, da_n it!" The streets were filled with morning joggers and the sun in the sky were just warm enough to make strolling a perfect activity. He could see families with children. Business people on their way to work. Construction people taking their rests on the side of the streets. Dogs walking briskly tied to a leash from their owner's hand. This is the wrong time to lose a car brake.

He tried to lift the handbrake but it did not cut either. His car was on free roll and there's no human activity that can slow it down. He saw an intersection and while the traffic had the red light on, he breezed past the crisscrossing vehicles almost hitting one on the bumper.

"Is this the end of me?" he thought. He will actually die if no divine intervention happened at the very moment he is in. He looked for his cell phone and dialed Silayman's number. He put it on speakerphone so he could talk to him hands free. The line went through and Silayman picked it up.

"Hello, what can I do for you?"

Henry's voice was a bit tremulous.

"I am in a really bad situation right now. You said earlier to drive and not to stop. I think I just lost my brake. I am not stopping. I am on a roll where I can hit someone or hit a wall."

"Hmm…. Look at the gas. You might consider driving it till it ran out. Or you need to find water filled plastic drums that were aplenty along the highway but I can't sense where you are..."

The phone call was suddenly cut.

"Hello?" He checked the phone and it ran out of battery.

"F_ck!"

Henry looked at his odometer and saw his gas was almost empty. He drove two more intersections and luckily whizzed past them without a bump.

But the one thing he did not prepare for was the crosswalk ahead of him.

"Oh my…. No!" he shouted at the top of his voice as he swerved a bit to avoid a family walking along together with their three small children. But that all is needed for him to hit an old woman in a Naples yellow trench coat as she mindlessly crossed the busy street. Her body hit his windshield and it plummeted some 5 meters away. He could hear people shouting at the back of the car as he sped away.

At the outskirts of the city, he took the left turn and went towards the hilly part where his car mysteriously regained its brake back. He tried it again and his body could feel the car halted as he pressed on it firmly. He parked at the side of the road and immediately inspected his car. There's no damage in the thick titanium bumper and on the side of the car. He slumped beside the tire and covered his face with his palm.

What just happened? I don't f_ckin believe what just happened! He could feel his body tremble from the sheer thought that he just ran over an old woman and left her for dead. But it is what it is. He lit a cigarette and began to smoke so he could relieve his tense body.

He tried to rinse the thought inside his mind. What happened is not his mistake. It is a freak of nature, a fortuitous event, and no one can fault him for something he did not willingly decide for himself.