The White Feather- A story of infinite worlds

Crossing

A loud explosion broke in the middle of the night, waking up the team sleeping on the roof of Ashraf’s house. Tony got up carefully and saw the fire in distance. He also heard faint screams and several smaller explosions.

“What is happening?” Olivia asked, still lying on the carpet.

“Holy-f*****g-s**t! Looks like the terrorists blew up the bridge with a tanker or something. People are burning and there’s a lot of smoke.” Anthony said, peeping on the road to see if there was any movement.

“Or it could have been the government troops. I mean they are more likely to have that kind of firepower.” Emma said.

“What is happening?” Ashraf said, stumbling on the stairs while running on his way up.

“Careful there, last thing we need is for you to be unable to walk.” Gabriel said, waving his hands to urge Ashraf to slow down.

“I am good, I heard you talk about bridge. Tell me what happen at the bridge?” Ashraf asked, clearly tensed.

“It seems like one of the sides blew it up to prevent the other one from crossing.” Tony said, without lifting his eyes off the massive fire in the distance. He thought that he could feel the heat on his skin and the ashes on his face.

“It mean that Khalq have start to advance and government army blow up bridge. This is bad news, very bad news!” Ashraf said, almost dancing in terror.

“Calm down, brother and sit on the carpet.” Tony said, pressing his hands on Ashraf’s shoulders and forcing him to sit down.

He told him to close his eyes and take deep breaths to relax. As soon as Ashraf was a little more ‘under control’, Tony confronted him.

“Now tell me, how is it bad?” He asked.

“Don’t you know? The ground dividing the city is filled with landmines. No man can cross it with the watchtowers on them. That bridge was the only way to cross to the other side and now it’s gone. You could not have chosen a worse time to set foot in this city. There was a ceasefire from the past two years because both sides were equally powerful. But now the Khalq has started offensive on army, and there must be reason behind it. It is like they have found a new superpower or new technology to make them stronger.” Ashraf said and started shivering again.

He might have been courageous, but he was a man after all. If he died with the Americans while helping them get out, his wife and daughter would automatically be dead. And that is the fear that makes even the bravest men think twice about going on a mission.

But he was a pashtoons, and a pashtoons isn’t scared that easily. So after a few minutes of observing the city and the sky, he turned to the time travelers.

“We leave right now. The soldiers are all looking at the bridge, and the fighting will start soon. Pray to Allah that you cross the border before peace is restored again.” He said.

“What? You just said that the bridge was the only way to make it to the other side, and it has been blown in front of my own eyes. So now you’re planning to walk us through a mine-field." Tony said irritably.

“I….I know a place where we can safely pass. It is our secret passage when there is a conflict at the bridge. I wouldn’t tell it to any American in a thousand lives, but if you stay, it will bring back luck to both you and my family.” Ashraf said, looking down.

“It’s okay, I understand. Come on ladies and gentlemen, stretch your legs and be ready to move in five minutes.” Tony said as Gabriel lit up a g***a joint.

The night was dark with no moon in the sky and the team was moving quickly, keeping Ashraf in between to keep him safe from any harm. As they crossed the third alley, they heard a radio chatter not far from them.

“Go around the corner and check.” Tony, who was in the front, signaled to Emma.

Apart from being a decent sniper, Emma was also an excellent spotter. She could go in and come out of an area with the exact enemy number. And the fun part is that no one actually caught her.

“Three males, long overcoat and beards. I have a strong feeling that they are terrorists.” Emma said, returning after some time.

“They must be the sacred priests. Don’t worry, they are not any terrorists.

“They were carrying AK-47s. Religious leaders carry guns around here?” Emma said sarcastically.

"Then they might be terrorists. I guess we will have to take another path from here." Ashraf said, disappointed.

"No need to change course now. Ashraf will stay here, along with Emma and Gabriel. Meanwhile, Olivia will go with me to take care of the terrorists." Tony said, cracking his neck.

"No! It is too dangerous. I will not let innocent people die on my watch. You don't even have guns!" Ashraf tried to stop Tony but Gabriel held him back as Tony walked away.

"Relax Ashraf, and let the man do his job." Emma said and looked around, hoping to spot any other 'religious gurus'.

After a minute or two, two suppressed gunshots struck Ashraf's ears and his doubt was confirmed. Ak-47 dosen't make such a low sound.

"You people are not real reporters, are you? The general was right when he said you practiced black magic, wasn't he?" Ashraf asked, sweating.

"Yes Ashraf, we are not reporters and no, we don't practice black magic. You should just know that there is a future for your country, and you may not realize it now, but you are playing a very important role in it!" Emma said, holding Ashraf's face and looking in his eyes.

Ashraf stared into her eyes for a while, trying to grasp whatever he was just told. But then, he nodded in support.

"It's clear! let's move out." Gabriel said after seeing Olivia whirl her hand in the air.

Ashraf shrugged a little as he passed the bodies of the terrorists lying on the road with a bullet in their head. I bet he probably regretted taking the Americans inside his house.

"There it is!" Ashraf exclaimed after walking for almost one and a half hour.

"Careful now, Ashraf. The terrorists may have employed guards here to take care during the attack. Sit back down and move carefully." Tony warned Ashraf, crouching in the grass.

"There no threat now, Amerikaans. And if anyone comes with guns, you will kill them with your own, right?" Ashraf said and laughed a bit too loud.

The team expected some kind of reaction and laid down on the ground. But nothing happened. They couldn't believe getting into the city would be this easy.

They got up and as soon as Ashraf turned around to lead the way, a piece of lead went straight  through his right eye. Ashraf fell down immediately, but the agents ran towards the tunnel before the sniper could shoot again.

Tony looked back for one last time before entering the tunnel. There was Ashraf lying in the broken grass and bushes, with his daughter and wife totally unaware of his death.

"My daughter and wife will die automatically without  me......." Ashraf's words raced through his head and ear-drums as Tony rushed on into the darkness of the tunnel. He was falling into a tunnel of his own, and this one seemed to have no way out...