Chapter 30: "Barking Mad"

Author's Note: This was the first time I was writing a full Sarah P.O.V so I had a lot of trouble doing justice to her character. Expect and excuse mistakes. I just wanted to update quickly. Thank you.

Goals for a quick update: 300 comments. Let's go! 🥳

Trigger warning: r*pe threats

first draft: April 16, 2021

“Hello, Ms. Wickfield.”

Sarah looked up to see piercing grey eyes staring at her with a menace. She felt goosebumps on her skin. This man had tried to shoot her dead not too long ago. She took in his light mane framing his face that had a stoic, smug look about it. Her eyes did a quick once-over. No visible weapons.

She inhaled deeply, getting back to her laptop as she tallied the information from her phone.

"I thought dogs had a very good sense of smell," she said calmly swiping on the screen of her phone. "It took you long enough to sniff me out, but. . .” She typed the reference on her laptop, shrugging. “Hi . . . I guess?"

Toryal narrowed his eyes.

"You might want to reconsider how you speak to me --"

"Or else?" Sarah made a flicking gesture with her phone, turning her full attention to the spy. "What are you going to do about it?"

"You would regret it."

“Okay, anything else--?” Sarah raised a brow, and when Toryal fixed her with a stare she shrugged. "Let's not pretend I don't know why you are here. Cut to the chase, I have an assignment due."

"If you live to complete it." The spy hissed.

"You talk like you have the galls when you have none," Sarah returned. "You and I both know this isn't where you can draw blood and get away with it. You're a spy. Perhaps, blend in a little?"

Toryal scoffed and sat back in his seat, relaxed.

"You talk a lot," he said, his snappish tone contradictory to the apparent casualness he was displaying for the onlookers. “Woman that do that around me end up in a lot of pain."

"Now that's what I was talking about!" Sarah snapped her fingers and sat up straighter. She saw a kid hanging around the tree just a few yards behind Toryal. They were surrounded. He would not be stupid enough to attack in public. "Now that we're back on the agenda, what's first on the list? Threats? Blackmail? Picking up on my sensitivities and vulnerabilities?"

Toryal's jaw clenched as he narrowed his eyes on her again.

"I mean I know that's your game, right?" Sarah kept blabbering. "Mind games, manipulation, preying on people's weaknesses, getting under their skin?"

"Keep talking --"

"-- Oh, I will, Mr. Snake-stare--"

"--And, I'm going to have fun hearing you scream when I fu--"

"--The threats, here come the threats, people!--"

"--your insides out!" Toryal finished with a murderous glare. He was fuming at her nonchalance.

Sarah hummed as if thinking.

“That’s an avenger’s level threat,” she said, ignoring the bone-chilling tremble raking up her spine.

The spy seemed to have picked up on her discomfort, anyhow. He leered at her.

"Raping the attitude out of your rear is not a threat.” He leaned towards her. “It's a fact. Wait for it."

Sarah smiled as he sat back again.

"You have some real psychotic fantasies."

“I have lived every single one of them." He smirked, his eyes turning more and more demonic. He seemed to feed off of her growing anxiety.

“You need help.”

“I just need you screaming under me.”

Refusing to let him into her head, Sarah let out a dry laugh.

“I gotta applaud your optimism,” she mocked, stumping up the toxic feeling that threatened to pull her under. “I believe the ideas aren't generated by your brains but by your nether regions -- if you even possess -- I mean, who am I to judge? Just saying."

She saw the drastic shift in him. All the signs were there.

"I have heard men who talk big just do it to cover up for their inferiority complex, you know."

His posture stiffened. And eyes turned murderous.

"Criminals suffer from it a lot!"

Anytime now . . .

“It’s just an attempt for them to make up for their unusually small or non-existent --"

Toryal struck. Sarah backed off on instinct. The blade flashed. It sliced the air mere inches from her throat. His attacking hand stabbed in reverse. Only to clash with an opposing blade of Sarah's knife.

He glared at the blade with blood-shot eyes then glowered at her. If he was surprised to see her one-up on him, he did not show it.

“You really are a tiny man!” Sarah spat in disgust.

Toryal growled and attacked again but Sarah was quick to counter. He was, however, stronger, she noticed with a little worry. She had to try harder than usual to push his attacking hand back.

“You've just made it personal between us,” he rasped, too angry to realize he was exposing his true self to the student body at large.

“How the tables turn.” Sarah smirked.  “What’s it’s like to be manipulated?”

As if realizing his lapse for the first time, he glanced around. There was an audience, albeit small, but there were still people around. Horrified, ashen-faced students had seen them exchange killer moves. Toryal took in a deep breath and backed off. He snapped his fingers and pointed at her, laughing in merriment.

"Good move!" he said loudly for the few students around to hear. "But you still got played."

Sarah noticed the students exchange nervous, confused looks - some seemed disappointed. The people in the later group probably hoped to film some action. Or be the hero as they called the cops. In any cade, Sarah saw them hesitate as they lowered their phones uncertainly. Curious was the case of the guy standing by the tree behind Toryal, however. He seemed unfazed by everything around him. He did not even turn around to see what the ruckus was about.

"You think?" Sarah tapped the blade of her knife with her fingers. She turned to the worried students. "We're good. Just learning Kali!"

Some of the students nodded. Others exhaled a breath of relief. She saw one lowering his phone from his ear. He was probably calling the cops. The guy behind Toryal? He was still as oblivious as ever. Sarah figured he was listening to some really good music given his plugged ears.

Toryal sat back, sprawled. He was aware of the students still keeping an eye on him.

"Not by me," Toryal replied. "You got played by that friend of yours that you are so loyal to. That family knows nothing but the throne they lost. You're on your own. Her father's kind words and compassionate smiles are just that. Even your friend will get strategically sacrificed. So will her husband and most definitely you."

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Because it makes so much sense to kill your own daughter." She scoffed.

“It’s not going to be the first time they chop off family.” He cocked his head. “Ask your friend what her father did to her Uncle Kitty-cat!”

Sarah fixed him with serious look.

“He died.”

“Or did he?” Toryal laughed. “People’s stupidity never cease to amaze me. In the age of internet, one would think people would be able to see through the Green Coats made-up bullshit and find out the truth that is out there.”

Toryal clasped his hands on the table, happy to be in his element of mind-games once more.

“Still makes no sense,” Sarah said nonchalantly, her tone betraying no emotion but her curiosity peaking with each passing second.

“It does,” he replied. “Asim is next in line. His sister is collateral damage who’s cold body will pave his way to the throne.”

“I call bull on that,” Sarah said carelessly.

“Once a Pukhtoon, always a Pukhtoon,” Toryal said. “It's in our blood. Men make might. That's our baseline.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him.

“And woman . . .” the spy continued, knowing he was the one getting under her skin now. “They are only useful if they can bear those men.”

“Woman wakeup wild,” Sarah countered, jutting her chin out. “That's what happens when they have the misfortune of bearing smelly bumholes like you. You mother must curse the day you were born.”

Toryal was back on his feet in a flash.

“You keep my mother out of your filthy mouth!”

“A great lady I am sure, but quite unfortunate to have given birth to a dog!” Sarah spat.

Toryal glared at her, then glanced around to make sure he wasn't going to end up being reported or recorded again.

"Don't worry about those cameras," Sarah told him as he kept a subtle eye out for any students having filmed him. "Worry about this one."

Sarah raised her phone that she had been holding onto throughout their exchanged.

Toryal scoffed.

“You'll lose the phone before anyone sees the footage. Don't worry.”

“I'm afraid not, it's already getting sent to my classmates group chat.” Sarah smiled, flipping the phone. “A hundred and two students. How many will you hunt down if I suddenly disappear, am found dead, or anything else happens which results in me not being able to tell them on time that this was just an assignment, and not to call the cops on you?”

Toryal's features hardened.

“You see.” Sarah put the phone back in her pocket. “It became personal between us when you pointed that gun at me.”

Toryal's menace-filled eyes set firm on someone behind her, then widened.

"And I relay on my own devices,” Sarah said, as she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Yet, contrary to what you said, I do have my friend’s people backing me up."

Slipping her knife back up her sleeve, Sarah folded her arms and gazed up at him with a smirk.

Toryal looked around to see how well he was surrounded.

“You called them,” he muttered, more to himself, then her.

“You thrive by isolating people. I made sure to let the world know.” Sarah smiled sweetly, and when he returned his glare on her again, she leaned towards him. “You're welcome.”

Mr. Rahman clapped her shoulder, a gentle hint for her to stop talking.

“You want to take a walk?” Mr. Rahman's grim tone seemingly only suggested to the spy.

Toryal cocked his head at Sarah, his eyes calculating.

“I will walk,” he told Mr. Rahman without looking away from Sarah, “but let no one consider it their victory.”

Sarah raised her fist to her eyes and mocked him for crying like a sore loser. Toryal bared his teeth at her like a rabid dog before storming away. Mr. Rahman’s grip on her shoulder tightened warningly.

“What?!” Sarah whined.

First draft: April 25, 2021

“Sarah!” Salma rushed to her friend and embraced her. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Ya Allah! what were you thinking?! I mean, it was remarkable how you showed him who’s boss --”

“Sally!”

“But yes, you should have been more careful!” Salma quickly corrected.

Sarah stood in the doorway awkwardly, shocked to be attacked into a hug like that.

“I doubt I need to be careful of anything with you around to rugby tackle me,” she said.

Salma quickly pulled away.

“I’m just so relieved to see you!” Salma replied. “I was worried sick. Toryal is dangerous!”

“So I’ve been told,” Sarah muttered with a quick glance to Mr. Rahman as she entered the room with a conference table at the center. She was soon followed in by Spogmae and Burak.

Mr. Rahman and his men had surrounded her once Toryal left. Then, he had ordered her to follow him and brought her some place she did not know. The car’s windows were tinted. Sarah was more scared of her sharing a ride with the Green Coats to this unknown location then she was while squaring off against Toryal. Having Salma rugby tackle her was a relief she desperately needed to calm down.

“I’m not going to tell you again, you’re biting off more than you can chew,” Mr. Rahman warned. “Toryal is not your common street thug. He’s dangerous. Stop courting a fight with him.”

“I wasn’t courting anything!” Sarah defended. “I was just doing my assignment – which now I realize I’m late in submitting – and he just came along and said he wanted to rape the attitude out of me!”

Salma winced and turned to her father, looking deeply disturbed.

“What was I to do?!” Sarah continued.

“You should have just played scared, kid,” Mr. Rahman said, sounding frustrated. “You should have just fed his ego and let him think you were no threat. Secrecy is everything! Coming out with all your guns blazing is how you win in a street fight, not this madness of spies and murderers!”

Sarah folded her arms in defiance and looked away stubbornly. Salma knew that move. This is how she usually showed her silent disagreement with her father when he was angry. However, Salma agreed with the Green Coat this time. Sarah should have played smart and stayed low.

As the silence got thick with tension, Salma heard multiple exasperated sighs. Her father turned his back to them, one hand resting on his side, the other pinching the bridge of his nose. He was tired, Salma realized. Tired and scared. Spogmae was fixing Sarah with a disapproving stare. Burak Kaka shook his head at her in disappointment. Sarah noticed the later.

“Just stop, alright!” Sarah snapped at him, making him halt and fix her with a hard stare like Spogmae. “I did what I know best. I’m not a part your country's bloody politics!”

Mr. Rahman faced her again. Burak Kaka raised a brow.

“And yet, you jumped in wielding a bat when bullets were flying and bodies dropping like flies?”

Sarah shrugged.

“I’d do what I can for my friend,” she said, “doesn’t mean I’m concerned with the intricacies of your bloody politics. Leave Salma alone and y’all won’t see me with a bat again.”

“You’re going to make me cry,” Salma said, surprised to realize her voice was already thick with tears.

“That’s the plan.” Sarah smirked.

“This is not a laughing matter,” Mr. Rahman cried in exasperation. “You can die. Your family is in danger. You just squared off the most cruel person I know. With everything that you've said, he could be hunting your sisters down and you’d wake up to their corpses in your room! Do you realize what you’ve done?!”

Sarah winced as his voice reverberated around the conference room. Salma had frozen to a petrified shock. He was angry. Mr. Rahman was very, very angry.

“Given his fragile ego, he could be planning something horrible as we speak. Do we have eyes on him?” Spogmae asked, concerned.

“We do,” Mr. Rahman said, a hard frown still etched on his face. “But for how long? He’s slipperier than a snake! We’ve barely ever been able to keep track of him for a full day.”

“I’m already dreading where he’d turn up next time.” Burak sighed.

“We should keep an eye on her family.”

“We should but we are short on people,” Mr. Rahman said. “With operation Lazarus Feline in trouble and Dawood busy with his kid, I’m having trouble assigning shadows to this lot, let alone their families!”

Despite the complexities of their situation, Salma and Sarah exchanged a quick glance. Operation what?

“What happened to Will?” Salma asked what Sarah had been thinking. “I thought Uncle Dawood was doing some Green Coat duties or something. He’s with Will?”

Now that she thought about it, Dawood Rahman had indeed been missing in action for quite a while.

Her father gave her a brief look before averting his gaze.

“Dawood wanted to spent time with him,” he said quickly. “Also, with Toryal running wild, I wanted him safe.”

Salma seemed to have accepted that answer. Sarah felt otherwise.

“We need to work this out,” Spogmae said. “If shadows aren’t available, maybe we can assign someone else to keep an eye on her family for the time being?”

“Listen,” Sarah began carefully. Four pairs of eyes snapped at her. “He’s not going to be doing anything.”

“Why do you think that?” Burak asked.

“Because I threatened him,” Sarah replied.

Contrary to her expectation, the Green Coats exchanged a serious look instead of laughing in her face.

“With what?” Spogmae asked.

“The streaming you guys viewed,” Sarah said. “I recorded it.” She took in a deep breath, bracing herself. “Then I sent it to my class group chat.”

“What?!”

“They’re not going to take it seriously, unless I say so, or something serious happens!” Sarah quickly explained.

“And why is that?!” Spogmae asked, bewildered by what she had done.

“Because it’s a running joke in my class,” Sarah explained. “We are criminology students. During Criminal Psychology class, we are assigned tasks that make us approach different people, sometimes criminals, for interview of sorts. A lot of times, we share whatever we record with captions like, ‘if I’m found in a body-bag, report this guy/girl’. We treat it as a joke but I think most students just do it as a precaution. No one will take that recording seriously unless something happens or I tell them so. Also, the recording is too long. Nobody has time for that, honestly. Things are only interesting after some major mishap happens, not before.”

"Are you mad?" Salma cried. "We need something that would stop the mishap from happening!"

"What if you're wrong," Burak asked before Sarah could reply to Salma, "and your classmates pick an interest in your recording?” Burak asked.

“I’ll contradict their claim that I am in any real danger.” Sarah shrugged. “I’ll say he was a volunteer for my assignment. The knives were crossed to see how students reacted to the recording et cetra.”

The Green Coats exchanged another glance.

“What makes you think Toryal will take this seriously?”

“Because I told him about it,” Sarah said. “He doesn’t seem to use them much but his brains are sharp. He knows he can’t afford exposure.”

“And neither could you but you blew it up anyways,” Mr. Rahman said as he sank heavily in his chair.

The room fell silent again.

“I understand your concerns, Mr. Rahman, but I’m not Salma,” Sarah began. “My situation is totally different from hers. Toryal deploys 'isolate and manipulate' strategy. To counter him, secrecy doesn’t serve my purpose. Publicity does. I have nothing to lose if my feud with a Tor Gul becomes public unlike Salma’s, who has the secrecy of the position of the Guardian of the Zamarud to protect.”

Spogmae and Burak exchanged panicked looks.

“You told her?” Burak asked Salma.

“Yes,” Salma replied, sounding a little uneasy.

“How much?!”

“Everything,” Sarah replied.

Burak looked staggered. He turned to his superior.

“Atif Lala?”

“It wasn’t my call to make,” her father replied, calmly

“How can you guys be so reckless after what happened to Hurayra?!” he cried.

Salma frowned.

“What happened to Uncle Hurayra?”

“He dug himself a hellhole to rot in by trusting friends he should not have trusted!” Burak snapped at her.

Salma stepped away from him, taken aback by his tone.

“Burak, take it down a notch!” Spogmae scolded him.

“Of course you’d say that.” Burak rounded on her. “With him being in love with you and all.”

“Tufan, enough!” Mr. Rahman raised his voice. “This is not the time for you to start bickering about old rivalries!”

Burak backed off of Spogmae but the two still held a stare-down contest.

“I said enough!” Mr. Rahman repeated, making Burak look away almost instantly. “It’s Salma’s call to make. Sarah can be trusted.”

Burak sniffed derisively, still annoyed.

“That’s what he’d say about Zarrar,” he grumbled.

A very heavy silence descended over the room. While Salma squirmed with unease due to the thickening tension in the room, Sarah's sharp eyes traveled from one Green Coat to the next, wondering if she should asked. Toryal had mentioned something horrible happening to Hurayra but he blamed the Green Coats - particularly, Salma's father - for it.

"So . . ." She frowned, thinking. "What exactly happened to Hurayra?"

Everyone's attention snapped to her.  Burak turned to her, his eyes narrowed distrustfully.

"Why do you ask?" he said softly.

"I'm just curious," Sarah clarified, looking from one distrustful face to the other. She realized this was a question better left unasked, and it made her even more curious to know the truth. Salma's puzzled expression seem to tell her she was in the same boat. "Can't a girl ask a question?"

"No." Spogmae deadpanned.

"Word of caution," Burak continued. " When you've been in contact with a  prime suspect or a threat, according to the Green Coat's security protocol, you're considered compromised. Everything you ask will be treated as an attempt to extract information. Choose your words carefully."

Sarah scoffed.

"Take a breather. I was just wondering."

She saw Mr. Rahman eyeing her sternly.

"Nevermind," she muttered quickly. "I understand."

There was a knocked on the door. Thankfully, it made everyone turn away from her.

“He’s here, sir,” a Green Coat said.

Mr. Rahman and Burak exchanged a look, then quite swiftly, they sprang into action. Mr. Rahman’s chair was now filled in by Spogmae, with Burak sitting next to her. Mr. Rahman took a seat at the far end of the table.

“Let him in,” Spogmae said sternly.

Sarah looked at Salma with an eyebrow raised.

“He doesn’t know about dad,” Salma muttered.

“He?” Sarah asked, but Salma need not reply as in stepped Zayn. He looked around, confused.

“Assalamo alaikom,” Zayn muttered.

The reaction was funny. While the Green Coats returned the salams, Salma frowned and Sarah blinked.

“You really said that?” Sarah cried. “Like you know how to pronounce --"

“Sarah!” Mr. Rahman warned.

“Yes sir,” she replied quickly. “I’ll shut up, sir.”

“Come in.” Spogmae nodded at Zayn. “Take a seat.”

“What’s going on?” Zayn asked, eyeing Salma, Sarah and Mr. Rahman with confusion as he closed the door behind him.

“Toryal met Sarah,” Spogmae said. “He threatened her.”

“I feel sorry for him.” Zayn snorted.

Sarah looked smug while Salma giggled.

“Son?” Mr. Rahman frowned.

“She’s not human, Mr. Rahman,” Zayn said as if Mr. Rahman had asked for an elaboration. “Anyone coming in contact with her needs therapy sessions. I’m surprised Bee keeps her sanity.”

“And I’m surprised you keep your thick head on your shoulders!” Sarah returned angrily. “I should rip it off!”

“See?” Zayn jerked his head in her direction.

The adults blinked. Not sure how to react to that exchange.

“Anyways, why am I here?”

“Since our prime threat got in contact with one of you, we had to whisk all of his supposed targets to safety until the threat diminishes,” Spogmae explained.

“I don’t see Asim here,” Zayn raised a brow. “I believe he’d be a target, no?”

“He’s in the loo,” Burak lied easily. “You’re welcome to joined him.”

“I’ll pass, thanks.” Zayn rolled his eyes.

“We would also like to know if Toryal has made any contact with you? Any suspicious activities or run-ins you’d wish to report?”

Zayn shrugged, shaking his head.

“No. Why?”

“Because we know he’s been very interested in you,” Burak replied. “Perhaps he wants a date?”

“I’m straight,” Zayn returned. “And married. Sorry to let you down if you were tryna lure me in. Try your luck elsewhere?”

“What nonsense is this?” Mr. Rahman interrupted. “That’s my son in law!”

“My apologies Rahman saib,” Burak feigned a sorry face. “That was disrespectful.”

“If you guys are done, I’d like to take my daughter home now!” Mr. Rahman said crossly.

“We need you here for more information,” Spogmae replied. “Salma is free to leave with the others.”

Sarah sat there with her mouth agape, just marveling at how flawlessly the three Green Coats were playing their roles in front of Zayn. She did not realize the others had stood up to leave.

“Sarah?” Salma called.

“I was just thinking.” Sarah snapped back to the present. “Who’s dropping me?”

“And me?” Zayn added.

“Since there’s just the two of us, one of you needs to group with Salma so I can follow you, while the other rides with Burak.” Spogmae said.

“I drove dad so I have my car,” Salma said, “All of us can go back to the university together.”

“No, too much concentration,” Spogmae replied. “Easy targets.”

“Why don’t you take Sarah,” Mr. Rahman said to Spogmae, “And Zayn and Salma can ride with Burak.”

Salma opened her mouth to shoot down the idea of sharing a ride with Zayn but then hesitated remembering how he had taken it before. She glanced at him uneasily and shut her mouth close.

“I don't think I should be grouped with Bee,” Zayn spoke up, much to everyone’s surprise.

Her father raised a brow.

“You want me to send Sarah with either of you nonmahrams?”

“Bee's uncomfortable with me,” Zayn replied.

Three pairs of eyes snapped at her.

“I am fine!” Salma exclaimed. She realized her voice was a bit too high-pitched and that defeated the purpose of her words. “I'm fine,” she grumbled to no one’s belief.

Zayn attempted to hide a smile at her less than sincere claim.

“Sarah, go with Salma,” Burak said. “Spogmae can follow you in her own car. She needs to stay low anyway to stay off of the FBI radar. Pundookey bachy, I’ll be right behind you with him.”

“Okay.” Salma breathed out a sigh of relief. Zayn paused next to her on his way out. A mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

“Don’t worry, Bee,” he muttered on his way out after Burak. “I got your back.”

Salma had trouble hiding her smile as she filed out of the room after Sarah and the Green Coat lady.

Author's Note:

Oh, I sure missed posting on Wattpad 🥰

Thoughts on Sarah and what she's done? Do you think she should have done as Mr. Rahman said? Or would she be alright after squaring off against Toryal like that?

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J.