by HJ Lawson
“I’ll see you outside,” Laura says. “We have to go in a minute.” She smiles and heads out of the tent.
“Gérard, she’s out there on her own because of me,” Faith exclaims. “I have to find her. What if she’s injured? It’s my fault. She asked me to protect her, and what did I do? I sent her out there to die!”
“I can go get her. You stay here. I don’t want you out there in the war zone. I cannot bear the thought of losing you; I’ve lost too many I care for.” Jesus, that sounds soft!
Faith marches out of the tent, turning as she gets to the entrance.
“Are you coming?”
Of course I’m coming. What a stupid fucking question!
Chapter 44
Lambs to the Slaughter.
JADA
I’m not sure how long we’ve been walking. It seems like forever. Mansur has not stopped talking.
Looking back at the church to try to figure out how far we have come, I see something moving in the distance. It’s coming closer. It looks like someone running in our direction, heading right for us.
I stop; Zak and Mansur continue walking, with Mansur still talking. They don’t notice that I’m no longer there. I squint my eyes, placing my hand on the brim of my cap to block out the sun. It cannot be. Is the heat getting to me? It looks like Tilly and Liquorice. They’re running toward us.
They’re getting closer and closer, and Tilly is waving frantically. Surprised, I wave back to her. She moves both her arms in the air wildly. I turn to Zak.
“Zak, Zak, your sister has followed us!” The whole group stops.
“Stupid kid!” Mansur says.
What did he say?! I look over at him. Did I hear right? The expression on his face has completely changed. He looks like a different person now.
Oh no. Zak was right… he looks just like the Keeper. I see it now.
“We were nearly there!” Mansur snaps. I can see the anger filling his eyes. He looks like he’s about to explode. Oh, my God, I’ve never seen anyone look this scary.
I glance over at Zak, and his eyes are bulging, his pupils dilated. His shoulders are up and his chest is out, making him appear bigger. He’s looking around the group.
All the watchers surround us. They do look the same, except now the zombie expression is gone from their faces and has been replaced by one of hatred and disgust. The inner group is acting like scared cattle that have been rounded up for slaughter.
The Keeper stands at the front of the group with his gun across his body, both hands on it, ready to fire. He has the same look as Mansur. They are brothers… I am sure of it!
Tilly is getting closer. What is she shouting?
“It’s a trap! It’s a trap!” she repeats, again and again. “It’s a trap!” She runs towards us with Liquorice, waving her hands in the air, and then the expression on her face changes. She is not looking at Zak and me anymore.
She stops abruptly, her face filled with horror, as if she’s looking at the devil himself.
I turn to the direction Tilly is facing, and I see Mansur standing there with his gun drawn, his eyes soulless.
The bottom corners of his mouth turn upward in an evil grin, and he places his finger on the trigger and squeezes it. Everything moves in slow motion except the bullet. Tilly collapses to the ground before the sound of the gun explodes around the streets, bouncing from one building to the next.
Zak is frozen with shock.
NO!
I know what is going to happen next, before Mansur even knows. It’s as if I’m reading his mind. Swiftly I remove my gun from my waist belt. Leaning over to Zak, I reach my arm outwards and push him back. Zak turns to look at me; the movement has broken his frozen state.
Mansur can see what is unfolding. I reacted faster than he did, and he wasn’t expecting me to have a gun. I look him directly in the eyes. For a split second, I see fear in him, and I don’t think twice. I pull the trigger.
He moves sideways, out of the direct line of fire, but I get him. I hit him in the shoulder. Blood sprays everywhere. Mansur drops his gun on the ground, yelling out in pain. Zak sweeps the gun up in one fast motion.
I grab the back of Zak’s shirt and pull him toward me before he can raise the gun to kill Mansur.
His time will come, but now we have to run. Our very own World War III is unfolding. The Keeper and the watchers are stunned as well…. Everything is happening so fast, they’re still processing it.
“Run!” I yell to Zak, as I drag him away from the screaming Mansur. We both sprint for cover, preparing ourselves for the shower of the bullets about to be released upon us.
We get to a building and dive though the open doorway, just as a hail of bullets rains down upon us. We quickly slide up against a brick wall, and I hold my breath as I look up and down my body. There are no bullet wounds; I’ve not been shot. Neither has Zak. It’s a bloody miracle.
“Tell me it’s not real… tell me he didn’t just kill her,” Zak moans.
The firing continues outside. Based upon the sounds, I think they are still in the same position in which we left them. They haven’t moved yet. We need a plan.
“Zak, they killed her because she was warning us. We have to kill them – kill them all.” I need to get him angry, get him fired up. He is of no use to me in his current state of mind. I need him to snap out of it quickly!
Zak moves his position, points his gun out the window, and begins firing round after round, aiming for Mansur.
Mansur dives out of the way, into the building behind him. Zak is firing in anger, but he’s not hitting anyone — he's wasting bullets.
Kneeling next to Zak, I begin firing, hitting one watcher after another. They fall to the ground and die. I do not want them to get back up. The remaining watchers realize that I’m firing to kill. They don’t know it’s me killing them. They cannot see which one of us is shooting.
They begin to retreat into the building where Mansur is hiding. The poor children are trapped in the middle, defenseless, and with bullets flying over their heads. They never got their weapons. Of course not. The Keeper bloody lied to us. Zak was right!
There is no one left to fire upon because they’re all hiding. Zak is out of bullets, and he throws his gun to the ground. Slumping down, he leans against the wall and fumes. I have extra ammo in my backpack. I begin to add the bullets into his gun.
“It’s pointless, I cannot use it. I can’t even kill the man that killed my sister!” Zak says, defeated.
In the silence of the battle, like the eye of the storm, I place my arm around him. It’s my fault Tilly is dead. I told him he was being paranoid and that Tilly would be fine… that the watchers would look after her.
“I’m so sorry, Zak,” I whisper into his ear.
My heart breaks as I say those words; it makes it all too real.
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t fire the gun,” he says.
I know I didn’t, but I may as well have.
“Come here, Liquorice. Come here. Good boy,” Mansur calls out.
No!
“Mansur, leave us alone! Why are you doing this to us?” I scream.
“Because I can! You shot me, you little bitch. Now I will kill your dog and then you!”
I slide out from the cover of the building. “Liquorice, come here, come here!” I yell desperately. Suddenly there’s a loud POP, and it feels like a hot drill is stabbing a hole in my leg and twisting it. A terrible burning sensation follows and shoots up my thigh.
My leg collapses, and I am on the ground, unable to move from the shock of the bullet ripping through me. I’m not in pain yet; it’s a weird delay.
But it’s coming. My body is preparing itself for the inevitable agony. A pool of crimson begins to form under my leg, pouring from the back of my thigh. I’m unable to breathe, and my lungs feel like they are being crushed.
“No!” I let out a piercing cry as the excruciating pain hits me and fills my body. I cannot stop screaming.
> The pain, the pain is unbearable. “Help me, Zak,” I gasp. “Help me!”
Zak stops firing and leaps to my side. “I got him,” he says, breathless. “I shot Mansur.” He quickly takes his belt off as he speaks. “We need to stop the bleeding. Do you have any bandages in your backpack?”
“I’ve been shot!” I scream out.
“We don’t have much time. They’ll come for us; they know you’re injured,” Zak says calmly. He is becoming the leader again. He’s right… they’ll be coming for us. Soon. We don’t have much time, so we need to move. I try to focus on his question, but my brain cannot think straight. The pain is scrambling my thoughts.
“Yes, there are some in my backpack,” I say, breathlessly.
Zak cinches the belt around my thigh and tightens it. “Ouch!” I let out a scream. He passes me a bandage.
“Hold this down. You need to add pressure to stop the bleeding.”
It hurts so badly, I don’t want to touch it! But I have no choice if I want to live. I push it down on my leg, screaming. The pain is indescribable.
“Jada, you are strong, you can do it. I’m not losing you as well,” Zak says. I look up at him.
He’s wiping my blood off his hands onto his pants.
“Zak, I need you.” I’ve never needed someone as much as I do him right now.
He kneels down, placing his arms around me, and gives me a passionate kiss. Oh, how I have longed for his kiss. I had to get shot for him to kiss me again!
We both open our eyes at the same time. Something is happening outside. I hear the sound of a truck suddenly brake, and then the sounds of heavy feet marching.
Soldiers are here.
Chapter 45
Reunited With Their Fathers.
ZAK
Jada is propped up against the wall, holding her bandage down on the gunshot wound. I don’t know how long she has left. She is bleeding a lot; she’s going to die here. The hospital is miles away, and there is no way I can get her there.
I carefully peek around the corner and look toward Mansur. There is a man kneeling over him wearing a red beret, the same red beret as Captain Reef, the man who killed my brother and took my father.
No! Why is he here? Why is he kneeling over Mansur? He killed all the teenagers; he doesn’t care about children!
“Get him to the hospital… he’s still alive,” Captain Reef says.
Damn, I didn’t kill him! Soldiers run over to Mansur. Fuck, Heen is with them. Swiftly, they lift up Mansur’s body and run with him to the truck. I look down at Jada. She needs to get to the hospital as well; blood is seeping out of her leg.
There’s no way they are going to help her, though. The truck speeds off with Mansur and Heen in it. I can see the Keeper standing next to the Captain.
The Keeper points over toward the building we are in. I duck down out of sight, but it’s pointless. They know where we are. How are we going to get out of this? It’s clear the Keeper and the watchers are working with Captain Reef and the soldiers. I cannot believe we walked into a fucking trap; they fucking tricked us. What the hell do they want with a bunch of children anyway?
I slump down next to Jada. She’s shaking, so I take off my jacket and place it over her, holding her close to me to keep her warm. I think she’s going into shock.
“Zak, how are we going to get out of this alive?” she asks me.
There is no way I can answer her. I just don’t know.
“Jada, we’ll go down fighting. We’ll get out of this.” That’s all I've got. My big plan. I have failed her... I have failed everyone I love.
“Zak, can you hand me my backpack?” She sounds so weak; I pass it to her quickly, and she takes it. “I’m sorry, I should’ve believed you. It’s all my fault.” Her eyes fill up with tears.
“Jada, it’s not your fault. I love you.” Oh, my God, I cannot believe I said that. I told Jada I love her.
She looks up at me. Jesus, I hope she feels the same. God, I feel like a girl! Ali would die!
“I love you too,” she tells me.
Thank God! My heart fills with joy and guilt; I couldn’t protect her. I lean forward and kiss her. She’s so cold; I can feel my own eyes welling up, but I have to hold it together.
There is movement outside, but it doesn’t sound like they’re getting closer to us. I pray they are moving away. I have to see what is happening. I have no choice.
Sneaking a peek through a window, I can see the horror unfolding. Oh God, no! The innocent children are lined up, kneeling on the ground toward us. They look terrified, and they are waiting to be executed. It is the same scene I saw at my school. He is going to kill them... all of them. My mouth begins to water. Fuck, I’m going to throw up!
“What’s happening?” Jada whispers. She's using a lot of her strength to speak to me. She is nearly breathless.
“Nothing, don’t worry,” I lie to her.
“Zak, you have a choice. Come out freely, or we will come and get you. It’s up to you,” Captain Reef yells to me.
What fucking choice is that?! Surrender to him, or let him come here and murder us?
“I’m bleeding to death. I will do whatever you want,” Jada says. She’s placing her trust in me; what shall I do?
“Come out now, and I will get Jada to a hospital. If you make me wait, every minute you waste, one of your friends will die, and so will both of you!” the captain yells.
What the hell? I look out the window. He is pointing a gun at one of the boys kneeling on the ground.
Oh my God, he’s going to kill him because of me.
I have to decide now! I cannot let them die. If we surrender, there may be a chance that we survive. Jada is sitting in a pool of blood; the color has drained from her face. I have no choice.
“Jada, if he asks you how old you are, say seventeen, and that you will join his army. Do you understand?” I rush my words out.
“I understand.” Jada doesn’t question my decision. She knows she will die here if we stay.
Please, Lord, I hope I am making the right decision.
I stand up, holding my hands in the air. “We surrender, we surrender,” I yell out to the captain. He smiles at me as I make eye contact with him. I wonder if he remembers me. I hope he doesn’t.
“Slowly throw your weapons out of the window and walk toward me,” Captain Reef instructs us.
I bend down to take Jada’s gun from her hand. Her grip is frozen onto the handle; I have to peel each of her fingers off one by one.
Following his instructions, I toss the guns out of the window.
“Very good. Now slowly walk to me,” Captain Reef shouts. Jada raises her arm so I can lift her up. Bending down, I hoist her to a standing position, giving her a moment to recover from the dizziness.
“I’m sorry, Jada.”
“We’ll be okay.” It almost sounds like she really believes it.
We hobble slowly toward the door; there are two soldiers waiting for us. If we hadn’t surrendered, we’d already be dead. The soldiers quickly pat us down.
“Be careful, she’s been shot,” I explain, trying not to yell.
The young soldier looks at me with a smug smile on his face.
We continue slowly walking forward, each with a soldier by our sides. The innocent children are still kneeling on the ground, looking down. None of them have weapons, but, as Jada said, “They must’ve been able to protect themselves, since they got this far.” Maybe she’s right, or am I just crazy to think that?
I stand in front of Captain Reef, waiting for him to recognize me, waiting for him to speak. I can tell by the weight of Jada that she wants to crumble to the ground, but I will not let her.
“My son Junayd informs me that you shot my son Mansur,” Captain Reef says to Jada.
Oh fuck, we shot his son, and Junayd and Mansur are brothers! I knew it! Junayd stands next to Captain Reef, smiling.
“It was I who shot your son!” I protest.
He slaps me a
cross my face with an open hand.
“I am speaking to Jada!” My face instantly stings and I recoil. Captain Reef inspects me closer. “I know you.”
This is it… he’s going to kill me now.
“Boy, where do I know you from?”
Fuck, what do I say? My throat is frozen in fear; I cannot speak, even if I knew what to say. I just look up instead. As soon as I do, I can tell he remembers.
“Ha, I know you! Did you find your parents nice and chargrilled? What happened to you taking revenge? You stupid kid!” With that, he slaps me across the face again, knocking me to the ground. “I will deal with you later!”
Captain Reef moves his attention back to Jada. “Girl, did you shoot my son?! Answer me!”
Her head is facing away from away from us… something has caught her attention. I can see what it is.
It’s Liquorice's and Tilly’s lifeless bodies. Mansur has killed them both. Tilly’s body looks so tiny; I just stare at her, willing her to get up.
Jada turns to Captain Reef and spits a mixture of phlegm and blood in his face. What the fuck is she doing? Within an instant, he pulls his gun out and shoots Jada in the shoulder. Her body is thrown backwards.
Everything moves in slow motion as Jada falls toward the ground. She pulls her leg inwards and moves her hand down to her ankle.
I can see something black on her ankle as she falls. She fires the gun before her body hits the ground. Captain Reef’s gun drops, and I scramble forward to grab it as he staggers backwards, grabbing his collar bone.
She did it; she shot him in the neck!
Junayd runs over to his father, trying to catch him before he falls.
Jada’s body hits the ground, and the sound of the gun follows. I raise my arm with Captain Reef’s gun and fire a shot at the soldier standing next to Jada. I get him directly through the heart, killing the soulless monster.
The other soldier standing next to Jada’s lifeless body raises his gun to me. We place our fingers on the trigger at the same and fire.