by Ayman Ghalit
“This is not a gas station.” worryingly said Jack.
The twin ignored him, and when stopped by the shack, they swiftly stepped out of the car. And with threateningly aggressive tone, they roared “OUT!”
“We will not, what is happening in here.” Gael said.
Alston pulled out a gun and pointed it toward Gael, saying, “Listen to me you fucking cunt, out of the car, NOW!” he roared. Alton pulled out his gun, and added, “Get out of the car alive, or we will drag you out of it dead, get out with your hands up… Quickly!”
With fear, regret, and self-blaming feelings, they couldn’t help but to abide and step out it.
“Alton! search them, and empty their pockets.”
“Aye, brother.”
“Please, we don’t want trouble,” said Jack.
Alston mischievously shrieked, and said “Is that so! Oh, alas, but we want it… Alton, search them well. All of you, listen, any move that I do not like will lead to death, subdue to us, and I might have mercy on you.”
With both hands up in the air, and a pointing gun in front, they knew they were done this time. A sense of a total shipwreck devoured them as despair slowly pulled them down when they found themselves under the mercy of too oafs in the middle of nowhere, and far, far from anyone who might feel sympathy for them if they suffered, and far from anyone who might hear their cries! Gael was blaming himself, saying in thoughts, “How naive and foolish I was, trusting these creatures that easy? I really deserve this… I fucking deserve this.”
And with face full of weariness while being searched, Kais sighed, and said in himself “Fuck this shit, fuck this never ending stupid shit, I am really tired, I really, really want to go home.”
Alton took the Phugwakian-made phone, their strange looking wallets, their strange-looking phones; which made them admirably smile, and their money including Earth’s currency. Then, his brother, Alston, hummed, and said, “Foolish, indeed. Traveling without a gun! Alton, search their bags in the car.”
“Aye, brother.”
Carl tried to reason them, saying “Please, take whatever you want, but let us go.”
“Silence!” Alston roared, “shut your mouth or I will shut it for good.”
Moments after, with shocked face, Alton, came back holding the water bottles while frettingly saying, “Brother! brother! water! they put water in cans!”
Alston looked at it, and asked, “Water!? Why the water? where is it from? And what do you want from it?”
Carl, who confoundingly stuttered, said “It is …umm? this is for us in case of any critical situation that might need bloo—! ...water, that needs water transferring.”
“You don’t preserve water like this,” Alston said. “Are you trying to make fool of me?”
“Trust me, I am a doctor. And we didn’t have the time to search for the proper equipment that preserves it.”
With questionably denying eyes, Alston who squinted and looked him in the eyes, nodded, and said, “Alright, it seems that we will have a long fun-time together.”
And with a mischief malicious smile, Alton pointed at Bob, and added, “True, and they have a good-looking fellow over there, brother.”
Bob, whom his hands were still up in the sky, hummed, and said, “To be honest! I don’t know what the hell am I supposed to feel right now.”
“Silence!” Alston roared. “Go bring the cuffs, Alton.”
The word, cuffs, was the last nail in their coffin of helplessness that they are crammed in. Gael, who was close to the car, thought about snatching out his gun and shoot him, but that was a risky move, and will not go unnoticed, especially with Alston who was far enough to shoot anyone who try to be heroic. So, they found out begging his mercy is the only safe way, but little did he care or listen. Then, a moment of frightening silence laid upon them, and while Alton still searching for the cuffs, something from beyond the unexpected staggeringly happened… their phone rang! Involuntarily, their feelings scattered and turned upside down, it was a mixture of curiosity, fear, joy, woe, despair, and hope embraced them all at once. Chaotically, they all begged him to let them answer the phone which made him confusingly mixed up, pointing his gun left and right while roaring and swearing out loud telling them to be quiet. Gael, who took his chance while Alston was in distract, swiftly pulled the gun out from the car. Alston noticed that and pointed his to shoot him, but Gael was much faster and more precise in aim. He shot him in the hand that was holding the gun. He painfully screamed loud as he dropped the gun. Kais and Carl quickly approached and pinned him down to the ground. Alton, who found the cuffs, swiftly rushed to answer his brother’s cry, but found a gun pointed at him. Gael demandingly roared, “Hands up! and your knees.”
Alton did what he has been told. Then Gael told Jack and Bob to tightly fetter the twin after Kaiser and Carl took their belonging from them. Kais, whom his hands were trembling, called back the caller, waited a moment, and disappointedly said, “Damn it!”
“What is it?” asked Gael
“The battery died.”
“Shit, what a kind of luck is following us” said Carl. “Don’t worry, we will deal with this later.”
With his hands and legs tightly fettered, Alton ironically begged them, “Please, we want no trouble.”
Kais chuckled, “Is that so? alas, but we want it.”
“Please, my brother hand is leaking water.”
“Shut your cunt mouth.” Gael ordered.
“Do not beg them, fool. By god I do swear, that they will pay for this, water isn’t blood. I will seek my vengeance.”
Gael, who said, ‘well, it our time to loot,’ took their car keys, their handgun, a shotgun made of gold and white bone they had found it in the shack, and lots of paper money. Then, they argued about the fate of the twin, Gael suggested that they have to leave them alone, cuffed and injured, but Carl reminded him about his origin and their goal as this is not a planet to seek vengeance in. Gael nodded in agreement, and said, “True, it will be unnecessary sins that will blacken our record.” They agreed, and told the twin that the cuff’s key will be near a giant boulder in the far distant. They chose that because it will take them a lot of time to reach. After that, they hoped into the car, except for Carl who have been called by Alton, who said, “Doc! please, check my brother’s wound.”
Carl approached them, checked Alston to see Gael’s bullet had badly hit his hand from the side, revealing his wooden knuckles and his shredded vegetal muscle. “Well, he will lose some fingers for sure, but that’s not going to kill him… don’t worry much.”
“All this water and you say to me not to worry! Stitch me up, and use the water if needed!”
After taking some picture of them, Carl smilingly replied, “Well, the water is not for medical uses, it is for drinking.” Then, he opened up a bottle of water and drank from it in front of them. Alton’s eyes widened in shocking fear, saying, “look, brother he is a water sucker. He is, an, an aquatic!”
“Curses upon you, wretched beast.”
“Hmm!? well, who knows what would happen to us if this miraculous outcome didn’t happen! You back stabbed people who trusted you, and you call us wretched beasts?”
“People?” they wondered.
Bothered Gael roared, “Get in, Carl. Leave these fuckers alone.”
Sorrowful Find
Luckily, the car was automatic and was easy to steer for Gael who was the driver. He went to the boulder at first to toss the cuffs keys out, then followed the railroad while doubtful arguments were sparking in the car regarding the identity of the caller; was it Mort? and if it was, did he find the keys? or are the keys still in Darg? or was it a miss caller after all!? How was it possible for the phone signals to reach that place? Was it a good idea to steal their car and leave the twin who might not quit searching for their car, or telling the authority about it! ...but, regardless of their disagreement, they all agreed and appreciated Gael’s precise aiming.
“Nice shot! tha
t was badass,” said Jack.
“Trust me, it was a lucky shot in the dark. Am not that good at aiming.”
Carl replied, “Nonetheless, it was fast and fierce, we truly owe you our lives.”
“Thank you, but we are still trapped in here. Let us hope that we leave this place a live and in one piece.”
“I thought you abandoned hope?” said jack.
“I see it working fine right now! I mean look at us! we have a car, guns, and an anonymous caller who highly might be Mort! Yea, I think I do believe in hope. It gave me a reason to stay sane a bit more.”
At about, 11AM, and after an hour from their miraculous survival, Carl spotted a circling flock of big flying birds in the far horizon. He asked Gael to go to its location, saying that the scavenging birds don’t circle on something that is not yet dead. But Gael refused, saying that they might be circling around an injured animal, and they must save time to flee this planet as soon as possible. Moments after, Carl, who saw the form of a human-like body shouting and waving for them to help, urged him to go saying to him, “Let us do a good deed that might whiten our records.” Gael groaningly exhaled, and turned the car toward the birds’ location to find a crying young boy holding a pipe-like object and helplessly swinging it toward the big birds to prevent them from reaching a dead man’s body that was lying beside him. The birds were big in size, reddish in color, with tall broad necks, and camel-like heads. Gael took the shotgun, stepped out of the car and dropped three birds with one shot. The rest of the birds swiftly fled. After that, the boy, aged 9, dropped on his knees beside the dead body, and sadly, he started to sob and grieve. Carl approached and checked the body to find it cold and dead. Gael, who was only concerning about their survival, took a short golden knife that happened to be in the car, and told Bob to follow him with bottles as he intended to haste toward the quivering birds to slit its throats and fill the bottles up with its water. The rest gathered around the young boy, who was gaspingly sobbing, and with discontinuous words they heard him saying, “O, God, Fredrick!... you left me all alone!”
“Take it easy, body,” said Carl.
“Easier for you to say, I am chopped out right now… All my family are dead.”
Kais, who gently patted on his shoulder, said “We are all in this together… What’s your name, little fella?”
“Howard,” he answered. Then, they asked him about his story which they’ve found it filled with rue and sorrow. He told them that an air strike killed his entire family of 6 while he was in the market with his brother; who took the car and fled the city with him after that. And before they go far, a small bomb shard shattered the car’s glass-window and hit his brother’s back! They took another road to a nearby village which they had entrusted, but sadly, the gas tank had failed them. They then decided to complete the journey on foot with small amount of food, nor drink. And with time, his brother’s wound grew critical and was in need for an urgent medical treatment, but it was alas for Howard in that place. His brother died after gasping out these last three words, “I am sorry.”
Gael, who returned from the birds, reminded them that they must keep moving.
“What about my brother!?” Howard asked.
They answered that they must bury him. The kid wept in fright and refusal, but they convinced him that there is nothing left to do but to bury him. Later, they used a shovel with a shabby bony-shaft and golden blade that also happened to be in the stolen car. And after managing to dig a reasonable hole in the ground that took about 10 minutes, they dragged Fredrick’s body, and threw it in. The kid’s weeping went rueful as they started the burial. And with three taps by the shovel-blade back, they done burying. Howard stood before the grave, and with flowing tears, he said, “O, Brother, by God, I will avenge you.”
They stepped into the car, and sat off following the rails. Howard was glancing through the window his brother’s grave till it disappeared from sight. Then, he grievingly said, “I am all by myself now. I am all alone!”
Jack, who felt sympathetic toward him, said, “Oh, don’t worry. Everything I going to be fine.”
“How is it going to be?” the kid replied. “My whole family is dead. No one left for me?”
Gael looked Jack through the rearview-mirror, and with an eyebrows gesture, he told him to leave the kid alone. Later, the kid wiped his tear and said that he is thirsty. Bob, who was about to outstretched his hand and give him a bottle of water, slipped, and said “Here. Take this water”
“What?” The kid wondered in confusing.
Carl laughed trying to correct this mistake, saying, “Always funny, Bob… Am afraid that we don’t have blood right now, for we had escaped Darg so fast we couldn’t bring any. But we will stop by any market on our way. Don’t worry.”
The sobbing kid nodded in agreement, and went in silent. And after half an hour, they encounter a bridge that is connecting for the train the sides of a blood river. Luckily for them, the Empire did not bomb it. The bridge was short in height, with thick golden arched pillars. Slowly, and carefully, Gael drove the car on the bridge till he reached the other side. He wanted to continue his road, but Howard stopped him, “What are you doing?”
“What?” he answered.
“Am thirsty, and this is the river!”
“O-Oh! Am sorry. I totally forgot.”
Carl, who volunteered to fill an empty bottle for Howard, stepped out of the car and approached the river to observe it up close and personal. It was bright-red, completely opaque, and with moderate metallic scent. Its stream flows calm, with constant refreshing rippling. He paused still for moments observing this bizarre view, and while doing so, he glanced some weird fish-like creature that pounce out and in. Gael honked twice, urging him to rush. He filled the bottle and returned while saying, “This is nothing but wonder itself.”
The kid drank in front of them, but this time it wasn’t shocking, nor frightening. He wondered and asked, “Why didn’t they drink or fill another bottle?” They simply answered him that they don’t feel thirsty.
Narbiz
Running over flesh plants and marching through golden hills, Gael sighted the main road to Narbiz on his left after half an hour or so. He turned and mounted the road, and after a while, they entered the dried-out golden-desert terrain. They doubted the road, but the blue road-sign that reads ‘Narbiz 120 Kilometers,’ assured them it is the right pathway. That made them sigh relief, and hope for this journey to come to a happy end. Minutes after, droplets of blood rain began to tap their windshield. They had never thought that they might witness such skin-creeping view as the blood droplets been smeared on the windshield by worn-out wipers making it hard for them to see. The view reminded them that this is not their planet, leaving them again in fear and doubt about Mort’s unknown fate. Luckily for them, the clouds weren’t generous with its blood, for the rain had stopped after 10 minutes. Then, due to the lack of good visibility, they stopped out and cleansed the windshields by some fabrics they had found in the car. They completed the journey, and with time, the road sign countdown the distant to Narbiz, and when they reached it, they found a long traffic jam that is caused by military check points by the imperial army! Golden shimmering tanks, armored vehicle, and armed soldiers from head to toe, were all over the place. Fear shocked their joints, as they were in a stolen car, with paperless weapons, and without any identification papers that the Phugwaks might accept.
That was important matters that the checkpoint-soldiers will certainly ask about. Jack suggested to run, but there is no way to run, even if they find a way, it will be suspicious and will never go unnoticed. Kais urged, “Keep calm and drive, there is nothing else to do.”
With every forward movement, their hearts beat escalates. Gael started to pray asking God to help them again, saying:
“Oh, my Lord, I beg Thee
Set a bar before them and a bar behind them,
and have covered them so that they see not.”
With a hand gesture, t
he desert-camouflaged soldier stopped the car. Gael rolled down the window and greeted the straight-faced soldier who didn’t respond, rather, with a serious tone, he said, “IDs.”
While fear crippling his tongue, Gael replied, “Well… we, we ran out from the war as fast as we could, leaving everything we had behind. Am afraid that we don’t have it.”
The soldier leant over to take a look at the passengers. He glanced Howard and his glittering tearful eyes. The kid’s look ignited his empathy, making him discontentedly exhale and groan, saying, “Fear not, young child. Everything is going to be fine… Alright, you are good to go.”
Gael, whom his teeth were almost pattered in fear, moved the car. And after moment, he comfortably let out a long sigh while thanking his God.
“Wow! nothing is preordained indeed.” said Carl.
“That was out of the blue!” said Bob.
They entered Narbiz to find it crowded and swarming with refugees. They were in an uncertainty about where to go? Gael said that they must buy a phone charger first to call the unknown caller. They did, and searched the town for a hotel to stay in, but they couldn’t find any with available rooms. They searched far and wide to meet the same result.
“Where to go now?” asked Kais.
Bob suggested, “What about the old man who welcomed us first time we came here?”
Jack snapped his finger when remembered, and said, “True, I think his name is Edward. We might find shelter in his home again.”
It took them five minutes or less to find Edward’s house. Gael intentionally parked the car in a narrow place to hide it. Then, they knocked the door to find the old man with a much more welcoming face that shows no disfavor nor upset. And with a nice affable smile, he greeted each one of them while correctly mentioning them by the name. Bringing comfort and relief to their worrisome souls.