CHRONICLES OF THE FOURTH HORSEMAN

GAPS

"Will you please shut your mouth and get up little soldier," those were the words that woke me up.I still couldn't tell where I was or how I got there.I had woken up from what felt like a dream and I found myself strapped on a bed.There were people screaming and yelling for help all around me and for some reason I couldn't see or even hear clearly.My body was entirely week and I could feel my heart racing from inside my chest. I could feel my hungry tummy rumbling.

It took me sometime to truly come to and when I finally did, the dude who looked like someone I used to know tightened whatever it was he was using to tie me."How could I even shut up if I wasn't even conscious?," I asked the guy, not because I wanted the answer but because I had totally nothing else to say."You never shut up.Even when you are asleep, you are always talking," he answered.I watched him walk to the corner of the huge room which seemed like a hospital room from where I was lying.

"So, are you ready to tell me what I want to know now?," he asked walking back towards me with what looked like a long slim knife.Without another word he pushed the sharp knife through my right lung.Taking his time during the painful process. The blade went in slowly and I felt every single second of it.I had never felt greater pain.I tried to scream but I couldn't.When he finally took it out, I felt a little relieve as I could breath again.It was painful to breath but at least it was possible.

"I don't understand, i don't even know you, why are you doing this to me? What do you want from me?," I asked when I could finally talk.He brought his face close to me and put some sort of a tube through my nose."I need you to tell me what the government is planning," he said."What government?," I asked now completely confused.He had barely taken out the tube from my nose and it hurt when I talked."You know, your government little soldier.You can play as hard as you want, but eventually you are going to talk," he said, half singing half talking.

"I don't know who you are or what government you are talking about.The last thing I remember was...well...aaah...," i started but then realized I wasn't remembering a thing.What was happening? " Nothing...you claim to remember nothing.Two days ago I believed you, but now, now I don't.Let me try and jog your memory, again! You and your friends from the Kenya Defense Forces came down here about two weeks ago.You had a full prove plan to wipe one of our camps and you deed exactly that.You killed everyone including my wife and two kids before crawling back to your camp and enjoying the victory.You planned another attack and again you succeeded but you never expected the camp had a back up plan.Another group was waiting for you.You, yes you little soldier, decided to be a hero and stayed back to fight while the rest ren back to safety.That was how I caught you and now you will tell me what your friends are planning next,"

It all sounded like a story, or a dream.I didn't neither could I ever understand it.Maybe it was true I was who he said I was, but why didn't it feel that way? I couldn't remember anything.Not even single memory flickred in my head.I just lay their waiting for his next t*****e method.He pushed the portable bed I was strapped to out of the room which I was now pretty sure was not a hospital.We walked through this hallways and all around I could hear people crying out in pain.There were rooms sort of that I figured were holding cells for others like me.I could taste blood in my mouth and the sharp pain on my chest was somehow getting worse.I was struggling to breath and I could feel something blocking the air ways.I knew it was the blood from the wound,I also knew I couldn't do anything about it.All I did was wait for the next shoe to drop.Between shortness of breath and hunger, somewhere along the way I went unconscious.I thought I had died or something, but then I was brought back to the land of the living by what seemed to be a little girls voice.

"Mom! hurry I think she is waking up," Slowly I opened my eyes which by the way were on fire.The first thing I saw was this little girl who had a pretty smile on her face.She was speaking pure Somali language and I could hear and understand her.I waited for a while as I heard some footsteps approach.It was a Somali lady fully dressed in the way of her people, complete with a veil that didn't cover her face.A true presentation of beauty.

"Hey can you hear me?," she asked forcing my eyes open and checking on them using this tiny torch.I knew exactly what she was doing, but I had no idea how I knew it.Her english was not perfect but I could totally understand her.I was okey with the Somali language but I didn't tell her right away.I thought maybe she was to be the next on the line of questioning me.I moved my arm and to my surprise, I was not tied up.I looked at her questioningly and she knew what I was about to ask.I made it as if to sit down but she leaned over and helped be back.

" That is not a good idea...I am Bishaaro and this is daughter Nala.She is the one who found you.You were beaten up and left for the dead.She and her friends were playing outside when the saw you and two others.Unfortunately the two were dead.I am a trained doctor but at the moment I have to stay in the house as I am on my off week and I can't go anywhere with this late of insecurity.You are one lucky lady you know that? Of someone else found you on your military clothes they would cut your head off," she said with a painful smile on her face and I could tell she was a lady who had seen a lot.

She helped me up slowly and placed a pillow on my back so I didn't have to support my back.The pain on my chest then almost unbearable.She then got up and told me she would be back.I took the time to look around the simple house with the sophisticated touch of a Somali woman.The place didn't have much but it was well arranged and it had a sweet fragrance.She had one of my arms strapped to my chest which was covered in a white bandage.I was still getting to know the surroundings when she came back milk which she helped me drink.All the while, the little girl was studying me closely.I couldn't tell why but I felt like she could see something her mother and I weren't aware of.

"Are you an angel?," she asked with a sharp serious voice."Nala," her mother called probably in an attempt to get her to shut up."It okey," I said looking at the mum before answering." I don't think so. why?," I paused my own question.There was something about how she asked the question that made me curious." Because you look like an angel and I thought I saw your wings," she answered innocently.I smiled and thanked her as I thought she was just trying to say I looked beautiful.Her mother smiled too and for a moment a blinding flash of light flooded my head.Images flickred in there, but I couldn't bring them to focus, neither could I tell them apart.

" So can you tell me what happened? if course I won't judge if you chose not to," The lady asked as she helped me lay back again.I wanted to talk to her I would have told her everything if I could.But I was not remembering a thing." I only remember waking up in a strange place strapped to a bed.I was tortured by this guy who claimed i had something to do with this wife's death.I don't remember anything else from before that day," i said.

I was trying too hard to remember and she knew it.She told me to relax and assured me that she could do everything possible to help me.She seemed so loving and so kind.She told me she had to go out and get some drugs and foodstuff and she would be back.She told me that Nala would be around and I would be just fine.I watched her walk away and a few minutes later I was asleep and having the most weird dream ever.

I got up to a sweet aroma where the lady helped me eat before checking on my wounds.I could feel her cold hands all over my skin.Every once I a while she asked whether I was in pain and of I was but I didn't want to show it.If anyone was an angel, it had to be her.The way she took care of me, the way she nurses my wounds the way she spoke softly.It all made me wonder how it would have been like if the roles were reversed.Was i a good guy? Would I have helped her? Who the hell was I?

"Hey, was there any sort of identification on my clothes?," I asked as a though suddenly hit my mind." No, but there was some sort of a letter from Tom," she answered."Can I see it, please," she was gone for a while but she came back with an envelope.The letter was short but it had just what I needed, a place to start.Part of it read.

"Hey Mall, its me from the other side.School is going well and USA is actually better that I thought.John Is fine too and he is still his usual pain in the butt self.We miss you and hope to see you when you get here.Remember to call when you get to the airport"

There was a number written on the bottom left corner of the letter, and something told me it was from Tom. The truth was however that I had no clue who Tom or John were.The letter was not all that formal or serious and that meant we were close.Maybe one of them was actually my boyfriend, or maybe brother.I would have liked to call right away but I decided against it.I would wait until I was better then I would know how to get to him.

By then, Bisharoo had already dressed my wounds.She handed me a glass of water and some pills which I took without hesitation.By now I knew she was a good person and hoped I was too.She seemed tired but she didn't want to leave my side.Nala was already falling asleep by my side.She just didn't want to let go of me.Her mum had earlier tried to get her to go to sleep on the other bed but she had begged me to let her sleep next to me and I could not say no to her.Her beautiful words had seen to me loving her instantly.She had a kind heart and that was topped by sweet smile and and optimistic attitude.She had grabbed her doll and lay next to me and she was already snoring softly.

"I think she likes," her mum would say every time she told me I was pretty.She could never understand my kinky hard hair but she thought it was beautiful nevertheless.She was a little girl with a golden heart.However, after everybody was asleep.I was left up thinking about the little I knew so far.There was absolutely nothing about all that was happening that made sense, not even a little.Something was off and I could feel it.I kept having this feeling that I was supposed to be somewhere else.I also felt like there was something I had to do.Yet I couldn't remember what.I fell asleep still trying to fill the huge gap in my head.