stepped outside. Liam put on his sunglasses. The one called Azrael led him to a bench in front of the library. Liam put his briefcase down and sat beside him. “Okay. You have five minutes. Azrael, you say?”
“Yes. Liam, what does the name Amish mean to you?”
“Amish? Is that a place or—”
“Amish Handover. Do you remember who Amish Handover is?”
“Is he in first year Med?”
Azrael shook his head. “No. Do you remember when you were treated for depression and—”
Liam stiffened. “Are you trying to blackmail me? I came clean about that when I applied for the job here at the university. They know I had problems after coming home from Yemen, so...” He stood up. “This discussion is over now.” Liam grabbed his briefcase and began to quickly walk toward the street.
The younger man hurried after him. “Listen, Liam, please.” He put a hand on his arm.
Liam glared at him. “Kindly take your hand off me, sir. I will be forced to call campus security.”
“There is no need for that.” The young man took a step back. “Please, just hear me out. I don’t have a lot of time. When you were in the hospital, you tried to tell them about Amish. They wouldn’t believe you. They convinced you that there was no such thing as angels.”
Liam sucked in some breath. “Angels? You’re insane. Get away from me.” Liam was almost running now. Please, don’t tell me it’s starting again. Angels. Every time he saw an image of an angel, something strange happened to him. He felt such sadness, despair.
Liam slowed down, out of breath. He looked around. The young man was gone, like he’d vanished into thin air. He slowed his pace until he got to his small apartment near the campus. When he inserted the key in the lock and was inside his refuge, he felt his breathing return to normal. He still took medication occasionally for anxiety, but he didn’t have any nightmares about Yemen anymore. He didn’t tell the doctor about the angels. He’d been through a lot. His time in Yemen with the Doctors Without Borders program had done a number on him. He’d had a mental breakdown a few years back, had to be institutionalized. He couldn’t practice medicine anymore and was grateful for the teaching job. He really hoped that his history with mental illness wasn’t going to jeopardize his position at the university.
Liam took a pill for anxiety and swallowed some water. He put a frozen dinner in the oven and switched on the television. This had been his routine for some time now, come home, eat alone, watch TV, go to bed, and find the courage to face another day. The job at the university was his whole life. He couldn’t lose it. The microwave beeped, and Liam went to take his dinner out. When he turned around, he gasped, taking a step back. The plate he was clutching crashed to the floor. There he was again, that beautiful young man. “How, how did you get in here?” he demanded. “I’m calling the police.” He looked around frantically for his cell phone.
Azrael held Liam’s phone up in his hand. “Listen, I want my lover back. I want Ravish more than anything else, and you need to be with Amish. He is miserable without you. I’m here to tell you that we may have a solution, but you need to remember, to believe. Liam, you haven’t always been alone here in this tiny place, eating frozen food and... so lonely. I can feel it deep in my soul. You spent many human years with Amish. He’s willing to give up everything to be with you again.”
Liam’s whole body was shaking now. “I need to believe what? You aren’t making any sense.”
“Amish had no choice but to leave you that day. The garage was a portal to the world below. He came to you in a dream. He told you how much he loved you. Please, Liam, try to remember.” Azrael came closer. “My powers are weaker than before, but I’m going to try. He placed both hands on Liam’s head. Remember. It was real.
“What are you doing?” Liam demanded, trying to push the man’s hands off his head. But the one called Azrael kept his hands on him as if his fingers were cemented to Liam’s temple. Azrael’s eyes were closed. Liam’s eyes widened as he watched streams of blood run from the young man’s nose and eyes.
“Oh, my God,” he said.