friends, at 8.46 a.m., they heard, they saw, they felt a huge explosion. The noise was deafening. The heat that overtook them was unbearable. The ceiling began to cave in, and they heard shouts and screams from all directions. The lights had simply gone out. Everything turned dark, hot and noisy. The explosion had been felt in the upper floors, but the heat was very close. Bits of the ceiling began to collapse.
In the confusion, Sarah ran towards where David was. The corridor was only about 30 yards long; but, through the window, David could see his mother desperately trying to push her way through the throng, running along the wing of the building to get to him. Suddenly, because of the thick smoke that was filling the building, David could no longer see his mother. The ceiling started falling on to the people below, many of them were sheltering under tables, many were running, and the flames from the upper floors started to invade their floor of the building. David was paralyzed at the sight, unable to move, simply watching the scene of terror. He began to worry about his mother, gathered his courage and began to run towards where he had last seen her. People were pushing each other, climbing over each other to try and get through the door that led to the fire escape. Crawling between the legs of panic-stricken people, David managed to get to the office where he could find his mother. In the darkness, crying in desperation, he started to scratch through the rubble, looking for her. He began to shout her name, but without success.
‘Muuummyyyy!!! Where are you???’
His cries were unheard among so many other desperate cries.
When his strength ran out he fell to his knees on the floor, in tears and in despair.
‘Mummy, help!! Please, don´t leave me here alone,’ he called out in a weak voice.
When he was almost giving up, he caught sight of his mother´s red hair under a beam which could easily have weighed a ton or more. He got closer and saw that her face was covered with blood. It looked as if she was dead.
‘Mummy, please, don´t die,’ the boy repeated despairingly, trying to awaken her.
David got up and looked around him. He began to see several bodies on the floor and a lot of blood everywhere (what he was seeing there was something that even the bloodiest films didn´t show). He couldn´t believe what he was seeing. At the sight he began to go into shock. Smoke was everywhere. He could hardly breathe. The fire was beginning to spread from the upper floors. People were jumping from the upper floors and smashing into the ground. David, now lying down and practically unconscious from the smoke he had inhaled, decided to make one more effort and tried to drag his mother from under the debris.
‘Come on, Mummy, try! Try! Please don´t leave me now.’
Hardly had David stopped speaking when a huge piece of flaming concrete fell on to his back, crushing his ribs and his legs. David went out like a light. Darkness and silence reigned.
C HAPTER 2
Berne, Switzerland, April 1999
It was past two o´clock in the morning when several big luxury cars drove through the gates of one of the largest mansions in the Swiss capital. The mansion belonged to one of the most important bankers in the world, Benjamin Uggae, a leader of the secret society which called itself The Illuminati. He was an elderly man, looking to be around seventy-five years old, thin but broad-shouldered, balding and with a perfectly trimmed goatee beard. More than twenty heavily armed security guards escorted the cars, in addition to those guarding the door to the mansion. A total of eight cars drove in through the gates, which were sealed after the last one had passed. As the cars parked, men wearing black tunics with hoods got out and went up the huge marble staircase which led to the main reception room of the mansion. At the side of the stairs, two statues of winged lions in copper observed the guests passing. They were going to a meeting of
In the confusion, Sarah ran towards where David was. The corridor was only about 30 yards long; but, through the window, David could see his mother desperately trying to push her way through the throng, running along the wing of the building to get to him. Suddenly, because of the thick smoke that was filling the building, David could no longer see his mother. The ceiling started falling on to the people below, many of them were sheltering under tables, many were running, and the flames from the upper floors started to invade their floor of the building. David was paralyzed at the sight, unable to move, simply watching the scene of terror. He began to worry about his mother, gathered his courage and began to run towards where he had last seen her. People were pushing each other, climbing over each other to try and get through the door that led to the fire escape. Crawling between the legs of panic-stricken people, David managed to get to the office where he could find his mother. In the darkness, crying in desperation, he started to scratch through the rubble, looking for her. He began to shout her name, but without success.
‘Muuummyyyy!!! Where are you???’
His cries were unheard among so many other desperate cries.
When his strength ran out he fell to his knees on the floor, in tears and in despair.
‘Mummy, help!! Please, don´t leave me here alone,’ he called out in a weak voice.
When he was almost giving up, he caught sight of his mother´s red hair under a beam which could easily have weighed a ton or more. He got closer and saw that her face was covered with blood. It looked as if she was dead.
‘Mummy, please, don´t die,’ the boy repeated despairingly, trying to awaken her.
David got up and looked around him. He began to see several bodies on the floor and a lot of blood everywhere (what he was seeing there was something that even the bloodiest films didn´t show). He couldn´t believe what he was seeing. At the sight he began to go into shock. Smoke was everywhere. He could hardly breathe. The fire was beginning to spread from the upper floors. People were jumping from the upper floors and smashing into the ground. David, now lying down and practically unconscious from the smoke he had inhaled, decided to make one more effort and tried to drag his mother from under the debris.
‘Come on, Mummy, try! Try! Please don´t leave me now.’
Hardly had David stopped speaking when a huge piece of flaming concrete fell on to his back, crushing his ribs and his legs. David went out like a light. Darkness and silence reigned.
C HAPTER 2
Berne, Switzerland, April 1999
It was past two o´clock in the morning when several big luxury cars drove through the gates of one of the largest mansions in the Swiss capital. The mansion belonged to one of the most important bankers in the world, Benjamin Uggae, a leader of the secret society which called itself The Illuminati. He was an elderly man, looking to be around seventy-five years old, thin but broad-shouldered, balding and with a perfectly trimmed goatee beard. More than twenty heavily armed security guards escorted the cars, in addition to those guarding the door to the mansion. A total of eight cars drove in through the gates, which were sealed after the last one had passed. As the cars parked, men wearing black tunics with hoods got out and went up the huge marble staircase which led to the main reception room of the mansion. At the side of the stairs, two statues of winged lions in copper observed the guests passing. They were going to a meeting of
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