Victim 2117 Quotes
"If God did exist after all, then he had to be absolutely sure to be in his good books."
"Luck would favor him at some point or other; after this, however, he didn’t have the energy to wait any longer."
"He couldn’t even leave the café with dignity. He couldn’t even pay the couple of euros for his cortado."
"Why torment yourself when everything was so meaningless?"
"The Aiguader family had slowly lost its perspective on life. Darkness had claimed them all."
"A life of damnation. And in the space of just a month, his girlfriend had left him and his career had been flushed down the toilet."
"Fuck it. Why torment yourself when everything was so meaningless?"
"Would it be too much to ask to end my life with an iota of self-respect intact and pay for my coffee?"
"Those who knew him would find it unfathomable. A weakling like Joan Aiguader committing suicide?"
"The screams from the beach in Ayia Napa cut through the sound of the ocean."
"He was still alive in spite of everything—and he was still a journalist, after all."
"This could be big! But could there really be no other representatives from the media among the hundreds of people gathered here except himself and the TV crew?"
"Was he in the right place for once? Did he really have a big scoop?"
"He had never had such a strong gut feeling before."
"Who could let an opportunity like this pass them by?"
"Joan looked up at the digital counter. Moments ago, the death toll had been 2080, and now it stood at 2081."
"He had been standing here with a childish focus on himself, filled with self-pity and defeat, while at the same time people were fighting for their lives out at sea."
"Fighting! The word hit him, and suddenly he understood what he had experienced and repressed."
"The light that would give him his raison d’être; the light from the digital counter in front of him bearing witness to the misfortune of others."
"As predicted, his foot had been pulled from the grave at the very last minute."
"He checked departures for Cyprus and ascertained that if he took the 16:46 flight to Athens, he could catch a connecting flight to Larnaca airport in Cyprus and be on Ayia Napa beach around midnight."
"At this very moment, the same sea thousands of miles from here is crushing hopeful refugees’ dreams of a better life."
"What on earth’s the matter, Assad? You’re crying. What is it?"
"I’m afraid you’ll have to go now," said the guard. "You’re agitating them. I hope you got your money’s worth."
"It’s you again," said the policeman. "Tell me your name because I don’t want to talk to you before I know what it is."
"Just drive," he said anyway, and pointed at the windshield toward the hectic traffic that flowed past the terminal.
"You can! Show me that photo of the man and women once more!"
"I’m giving half the money to one of the guards, so they’re in on it."
"You’d better contact our colleagues upstairs, Gordon. We don’t need a lunatic palmed off on us down here."
"You can see how affected he is by the situation."
"I’ve been wondering if he wanted to send a signal to someone that he was alive."
"The big question was whether or not the man even had a connection to Munich apart from the origin of the uniform."
"Joan hoped so, because regardless of what his investigations led to, he was forced to provide daily texts about his research to his newspaper."
"The warnings from Ghaalib had been indisputable and clear."
"Joan’s editor was naturally ecstatic about the article, which definitely brought in a good income and positive attention."
"Through the windshield, he glimpsed the grand buildings of the city center as they came into view from behind the Isartor gate."
"As long as we know we’re one step in front of you," it read. But what if he did actually find the photographer?"
"People on their way home from work, their thoughts already fixed on dinner, TV series, the few intense minutes with the children, a moment alone on the toilet, and subsequent sex."
"Assad was experiencing inner turmoil in every possible way."
"Assad hardly slept that night. No position allowed him to escape the unbearable feeling of being awake."
"No man-made gadget was going to tell him that the day awaiting him was wonderful."
"It was Allah’s will that we found Zaid al-Asadi so quickly last time."
"How long is it since it happened?" asked the photographer from the sofa, pointing at Ghaalib’s chin.
"A single look from Ghaalib wiped the smile off his face."
""Ich habe diesen Mord gemeldet." I reported this murder."
"Even though darkness was descending over the inner yard of the prison, it was clear to Ghaalib that sweat was dripping from him."
"It was true, Zaid was still alive, and Ghaalib had only himself to blame."
"The stench of sweat, sick, and piss was so stifling and stinging that it turned his eyes bloodshot."
"Assad had been unusually affected yesterday when explaining who the man standing next to his wife was."
"He had been silent throughout Assad’s account and had turned increasingly pale."
"I can see from your articles that you’ve entered into a sort of, shall we say, agreement with this Ghaalib."
"Suddenly, he was important. People were relying on him."
"Joan saw his reflection clearly when he leaned forward toward the window and the white ICE train carriages on the opposite track at Munich Central Station."
"That decision will have to wait until after I’ve changed trains."
"It only took a millisecond before Joan’s defenses kicked in."
"Who the hell was that man? Was he friend or foe?"
"If he used his imagination and observed the movements and density of people in each of the squares, he might be able to see into the future."
"But wasn’t it every journalist’s duty to speak up and warn the public when in possession of information on forthcoming catastrophes?"
"Death, torture, apprehension—he had to escape from here no matter what it took."
"It was actually a very peaceful experience to witness all this care and attention."
"I’m sure everything is just fine. Just look after yourself. Promise?"
"I’m going crazy, Carl. Nothing is happening, and we’re losing time."
"He glanced at Assad. Their wait had paid off."
"Everyone else, into the adjacent room with me."
"But Allah is great, and you’ll be cleansed and brought to glory like the holy warriors you are."
"We’ll stay in the house now for a day or two until the main roads are secure."
"But Assad had never actually seen suicide as an appropriate way out."
"Because you’re shameless, Mom. You and all the other pigs on this street and in this neighborhood and in this ridiculous town and in this ridiculous country are despicable hypocrites."
"That’s typical of you. You can’t even show empathy for a fellow human being."
"She tried to live her life in a terrible place, and when she couldn’t do it anymore, she ended up dying at sea."
"You and your sort think of nothing but yourselves."
"What can I say? The men had a preference for her."
"Kill the bastard, Lely. Kill Ghaalib! Let us put an end to it all."
"Satisfying! Why on earth did it feel so vulgar talking with this crazy jerk of a murderer?"
"The road to paradise has been paved for Ali. He faltered, and yet still I showed him mercy."
"What makes you so sure I’d want to miss out on that?"
"The day after tomorrow was so far in the future that it might not even exist."
"They said he was a totally normal boy who was led down this path out of nowhere."
"We need to talk about everything, Carl. Otherwise, I won’t be able to rest."
"When you’re up to your neck in shit, don’t hang your head."
"They would all meet each other in paradise regardless of what we did."
"I’m the last man in this city who needs to be delayed."
"We will all meet in paradise. Even you and I."
"It’s time. Let one of the wings locate the goal and be there in a few minutes."
"His doubts brought tears to his eyes as he ran."
"The world is just here outside, he screamed mentally."
"BERLIN BLEIBT DOCH BERLIN was written on the wall."
"I think you should let her sleep as long as she can."
"Only shots to the head can neutralize the enemy."
"He would have given his right arm to trade places with them."
"Everything in him shut down, even his breathing."