Chapter 1 - The Shattered Glass and the Resurrected
The sound of splintering mahogany echoed through the grand hall of the funeral home like a gunshot. Adrian’s hammer struck the reinforced latch a second time, sending sharp metal fragments skittering across the polished floor. Sweat poured down his forehead as he ignored the shouts of panic behind him. Two armed men in dark suits, who had locked the heavy oak doors moments before, drew concealed handguns, pointing them wildly at the terrified mourners.
"Drop the weapon, cop!" one of the gunmen roared, his voice trembling with a deadly mix of adrenaline and fear. "Don't touch that casket!"
Adrian didn't even turn around. His focus was entirely singular: his wife was inside that box, suffocating in darkness. Payson scrambled behind a heavy display of white lilies, his twelve-year-old body shaking uncontrollably, but his eyes never leaving his father.
"Dad! Hurry! She's running out of air!" Payson sobbed, clutching his small hands into tight fists.
With a final, desperate surge of strength, Adrian jammed the claw end of the hammer into the seam of the coffin lid and levered his whole body weight against it. Wood cracked, metal sheared, and with a violent POP, the lid sprang open.
Gasps rippled through the room.
Inside lay Preston Sherrill Salim. Her face was pale, her lips tinged with faint blue, but her chest gave a sudden, desperate heave as fresh air hit her lungs. Her eyelids fluttered open—dazed, terrified, unfocused—before settling directly on Adrian.
"A-Adrian..." she rasped, a sound barely louder than a whisper, but to Adrian, it was the sweetest melody on earth.
"I'm here, baby! I've got you!" Adrian shouted, reaching in to lift her limp body into his arms.
Before he could pull her clear, a muzzle flash illuminated the dimly lit hall. A bullet zipped past Adrian’s ear, shattering a nearby stained-glass window into a shower of colorful shards.
"Get them!" the lead gunman yelled to his partner. "We can't let her leave this room alive!"
Adrian acted instantly out of years of tactical police training. Rolling to the side while cradling Preston against his chest, he drew his service pistol from his holster with his free hand. He fired two precise rounds into the ceiling. The deafening booms echoed through the enclosed space, sending the gunmen ducking for cover behind the pews and causing the crowd to scatter in chaos.
"Payson! Under the altar, now!" Adrian commanded.
The young boy didn't hesitate. He army-crawled beneath the heavy marble altar, keeping his head low. Meanwhile, the gunman who had locked the doors made a run for the back exit, realizing the situation had spiraled out of control. But Adrian wasn't about to let any of them escape.
Holding Preston securely in one arm, he aimed his weapon directly at the leg of the fleeing suspect and pulled the trigger. The man dropped with a agony-filled howl, his gun clattering across the marble floor. The second gunman, seeing his partner down and hearing the distant wail of approaching police sirens called by the funeral guests, kicked out a side window and leapt out into the alleyway.
Adrian didn't chase him. His hands were on Preston’s neck, feeling for a pulse. It was faint, thready, and wildly erratic, but it was there.
"Hold on, Preston. Please, stay with me," Adrian pleaded, pressing his forehead against hers.
Preston lifted a weak, trembling hand. Her fingers, cold as ice, found Adrian’s cheek. She looked past him toward the altar, her lips moving without sound. Adrian followed her gaze and saw Payson creeping out from his hiding place, tears streaming down his dust-covered face.
"Mom?" Payson whispered, coming closer on his knees. "Mom, you tapped... I heard you."
A faint, loving smile touched Preston’s pale lips. With the last ounce of her fading energy, her fingers reached out and tapped three times against the side of Adrian’s arm.
I. Love. You.
May you like
Then her hand went limp, her head lolled back, and her eyes closed once more.
"Preston! No! Stay awake!" Adrian screamed, pulling her tight as the heavy front doors were suddenly kicked open by responding uniformed officers, their guns raised, taking in the chaotic crime scene.
