Chapter 4. Road Trip.
Amir made strange calls during the journey and spoke in jargon. He talked about animals, dolls, substances, hypocrites, and deliveries. Sara did not understand much of what he said (no loss). To Amir, this all seemed like a trivial inconvenience. He paused once between calls. Sara looked at Amir when he suddenly went quiet. His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses and his face was unreadable. She noticed several minor scars on his face and saw that Amir was turning grey. Sara found the silence awkward; the others had not said a word throughout the journey or turned on the car radio. She rubbed her arms and checked her pulse. Sara was unsure about what to say.
Someone called Amir. Sara involuntarily jumped. All except Amir sniggered. His ringtone was not what Sara expected. He answered and changed his language but said little. (The caller asked if some bystanders should continue to live.) Once Amir had ended that call, he made another and soon after said, ‘The price for your life is everything you know and if that happens to include something I wish to know, then you may live.’ He hung up. Sara wondered if Amir was just being melodramatic to scare her; there was no need.
They drove past an unofficial public hanging. A young man had been hanged from a tree, a crude sign dangling from his neck. His groin was bloody and his face showed that he had experienced an informal interrogation. Ravens sat on his shoulders and in the branches, waiting for the crowd to leave and let them eat in peace. People were taking selfies with the corpse. Policemen were arguing with the crowd, taking notes. Sara stared. Everyone else in the car seemed unconcerned. Caro asked, ‘Sara, do you miss learning about the world through books?’ Sara winced. Caro had a point. Sara had read about vigilante justice and discussed it in class, but she had never seen it carried out. Sara asked, ‘Did someone see what the sign said?’ Caro replied, ‘Rapist.’
An HR representative came by and gave me a new calendar with cats hanging on for dear life. She said that it was more appropriate for me. HR had heard about me and she made it clear that they would read everything. She told me to behave. I asked her what that meant. She told me to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble, then she left. I also left to get a printout. I found that the printer was out of paper and that the paper tray was stuck. It broke somewhat when I opened it with a crowbar. I thought it best not to tell anyone. I felt certain that they all had enough to worry about.
