Begining of our end

THE BEGINNING

We heard stories, saw men dying for their country, sacrificing their lives, their sanity to keep us safe. But it was nothing compared to the real thing, compared to watching broken bones and spewing blood, wondering how much sane humanity was left in your empty carcass, weather it was ok to feel just like every other day.

But it was actually like every other day, quiet, boring. Hearing about the news of the war in the frontier, saw the destruction, people crying, running, screaming. It was awful, horrid, but it happened to other people, not us. So we prayed for them, then continued life like always.

If I was so bored, I went to the market, not to buy, just to watch, to watch others with their moms going about their business and sometimes imagine what it would be like if I had one. I had my sister, who took care of the house in Mom’s stead, my brothers who signed up for the b****y war too, and a father that was always too busy to remember which son was named what.

Sometimes I read on a lazy day look out, old books about guns and tanks or bikes, things used 300 years ago. Or the nuclear bomb that seemed like such a big deal, such a big waste. And today seemed to be another lazy day, just like every other lazy day…

Or so I thought.

The first explosion made the ground shake like a class 6 earthquake, the calm, then people started panicking, screaming, voices, blood. I was scared, I ran to the kitchen searching for Amea, she wasn’t there, bedrooms, parlor, kitchen.

Then I froze…. What if Amea was the one screaming.

I have to find her, where is she? then someone grabbed my hand and started running, out the parlor, through the kitchen door, towards the rear gate where the guard house is, sparks, explosions. Then the second major explosion happened and it sunk, life became like a dream. There was no other explanation, they had come, the army had failed to protect us, they were here. It has to be a lie.

Hell’s gate broke loose; all I could do was run. I didn’t know where, I didn’t care, I had to get away. I rounded a corner, moving let towards the rear gate. Amea was ahead waving at me, shouting. Then they came in shooting, turn right, head up the hill, go for the fence we could get lost in the first then move east towards the outpost. Then I heard a scream and I looked behind. someone was falling, she was bleeding.

Then time stopped

Amea was falling, she was bleeding, she wasn’t running, she wasn’t moving.

I ran towards her, my voice kept ringing for her to wake up, for her to run, the fence was so close, my vision was clouding, everyone was running to the fence but I didn’t care, they were shooting at us, still I didn’t care, I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

She was too still, I stood there, over her, and nothing made sense anymore. I could see people shouting, everything was burning yet I couldn’t hear a sound. It was all too silent as though God pressed mute. Amea wasn’t breathing, my friends aren’t breathing, everything was gone.

Then I turned and started going home… Home was safe,

Dad would come back, Nedu and Okey would come back, Amea would wake up. Everything would be ok. All I had to do was go home and wait. The thought was nice, I couldn’t help smiling a little.