==Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Beirut==
By the time they got to Sabirun, it was getting dark. The early power outage swept through Beirut, lights dying down. The hospital's generator couldn't handle any extraneous sources, so many of the corridors were dark with individual lights lit here and there where light was needed.
Sabirun was in incredible shape for his age. Wearing pajama pants and the bandages around his wrists, he was finishing trimming his beard when the two entered. He put down the razor and washed his face before turning toward the two. "Good evening." He stated calmly. "Do you happen to have a car? I need a lift soon." The old man moved to grab a shirt and started pulling it on, grimacing a little whenever the cloth grabbed onto his bandages. While getting dressed, he dropped a statement with a solemn voice. "This wasn't the first time something like this has happened. I admit that I didn't believe it back then, but I do now."
Nano nodded at the question of having a car. "Yeah, i got you." Her head turned, her eyes holding questions in them at the latter, more solemn statement. "Dare i ask what happened then as compared to what happened yesterday?"
Asun entered the room with Nano: "Good evening, good to see you up and about at least. Wasn't sure you were going to make there for a bit."
"Thanks to you and your friends, I did make it." Sabirun commented to Asun and bowed his head, repeating his gratitude specifically to the woman. "Thank you."
He then glanced to Nano and turned toward the mirror, eyeing his reflection. "It was a long time ago. 1982, in the nearby Sabra neighborhood and Shatila refugee camp, a horrible atrocity took place. The Israeli Defense Forces surrounded the camp and ordered the Christian Lebanese Forces militia to clear Palestine Liberation Organization fighters from them. Several thousand Palestinians and Lebanese Shiites - civilians - were massacred. And worse. It went on for three days."
Sabirun shook his head, talking about the situation seemingly weighing on him. He looked back up to the mirror, staring himself in the eyes. He sucked in a breath grit his teeth. "There were reprisals, but one of them is not talked about. They called it the Lion of Allah taking vengeance. I know my Qur'an and my hadiths; what happened to those Christian militia men was not an act of God, but of Iblis. The devils unleashed on their camp in the dead of night, they tore them apart." Sabirun rubbed his bandaged wrists. "From the inside out, like I was."
Nano stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. ”I’m sorry I wasn’t there and I’m sorry I got you wrapped in on this.”
"No." Sabirun reached to pat Nano's hand and then gently removed it from his shoulder, clearly not agreeing with physical touch but being polite about it. "I am glad you were not present and remained safe from this threat. Your friend is involved in things far more concerning than we first thought."
"Don't mention it." Asun said awkwardly to Sabirun's thanks. She listened to his story. "So this lion you mentioned. Is there any chance at this place the dead were disturbed or their bodies disrespected?"
Sabirun thought about Asun's question with his eyebrows low and then nodded. "Yes, I heard that they mutilated many of the bodies. Castrations, scalping and cutting the Christian cross into the bodies. Dead children discarded into garbage piles, pregnant women with their stomachs cut..." Sabirun shook his head and lifted a hand up to the side of his face. "Yes, they... disturbed and disrespected the dead." The old man regained his composure with a quick exhale. "Why do you ask?"
A simple yes or no would have sufficed. "Well... The carvings in Jenny's body we deciphered to mean Astarte, a Phoenician pagan Goddess. Her symbol is a lion and she apparently gets upset when people don't respect the dead. Our current working theory is that Voro, the surfer looking dude if you recall and Jenny summoned it and then lost control. We also believe it sees what Lyre & Orpheus were doing as messing around with death with the whole out of body experience shit. That's why it went after them. I know it sounds ridiculous..." When she woke up yesterday she was blissfully unaware of this.
Nano sat down in a seat and laced her fingers together. It sounded preposterous, but she didn’t have any reason not to believe them, especially after the talk with Ashlee. Nano hung her head. She wasn’t there and she should have been.
Sabirun held up his arms to show Asun his bandages. It was very real to him. He then clicked his tongue a few times to indicate he was thinking. "Astarte? I believe she is the same as Al-Lat. I remember the Lion of Al-Lat in Palmyra being drenched in blood during that time. But -- No, I wish not speak of the Satanic Verses. You should seek an Islamic scholar for more, this is not for me to talk about." He made a dismissive gesture and moved to the next. "When it comes to the American company, I cannot help much. My contacts are limited to the Muslim side and they do business with the Maronites."
He did remember something, giving them another clue. "Know that the word 'waswasa' means satanic whispers, seduction and temptation that leads one from a righteous path. When one slips from the path, it is known as azallahuma. Just like Adam and Eve did to eat the forbidden fruit - promised angelic status and eternal life by Iblis. I heard these waswasa in that hotel, calling to me. I heard her, my wife. She has long been with Allah."
"Benedict, the soldier, had remembered that certain predators can mimic prey sounds. It somehow got into our mind and showed a sound we wanted to hear." She thought for a moment: "Sorry to hear about your wife, however." Asun sighed: "These people that summoned it. They are based from the Temple of Bacchus in Baal'bek."
"Bacchus in Baalbek?" Sabirun asked. "I will look into it. You two still have the phone number and the address, yes? Come to the address in two days time at 4 PM and I will let you know what I've found."
"Thank you."Asun said. "We will be there. By the way, we're still looking into the missing people that were kidnapped by those cannibals. We're building a plan for how to find them. Are you still willing to help us on that?"
"It is still a problem," Sabirum said,"but Ramy's original fears are proving to be correct. Your friend is tied to Baalbek and the situation there is incredibly volatile. As dreadful the missing people cases are, they do not compare to the horrors of a new civil war. We seem to have stumbled on them by accident. I doubt your friend is working with the Maronites, considering what happened at the hotel. My focus will be on preventing more sectarian conflict - and from Lebanon from turning into a battleground. I might not be able to defeat the shayatin, but I can defeat the people who worship and entreat with them. This is more important."
Having dressed, Sabirun walked up to Asun. "You should study..." He asked for a pen and something to write a name on. Once he had them, Sabirun wrote the name in both Arabic and in Latin alphabet. Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi. "These things, like the lion, exist in a realm known as Malakut. This philosopher's teachings will help you. If you find something you can use against them, let me know. It might save our lives."
Asun hesitated. "I don't feel comfortable leaving Joaquin and Lily to a group of cannibals. But I will do as I must. Thank you for the information though. You've helped as us a ton. Rest up and get well soon." And as she left, she texted Ashlee: "'Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash', a philosopher you might want to look into. I think you'd be interested in a place called Malakut."
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