The Mark of the Rebel

by B K Thomas

  ***

  Souariri, Lebanon

  The journey has taken eight hours of walking. Sahila and Yaqeena are exhausted. The initial path became less of a trail and more of an off trail hike the higher they went up the mountain. The small rocks were a nuisance at first, but the longer they walked, the more the rocks drove into their feet. The larger rocks tripped them and made them fall. They are bruised and battered by the mountain the longer they walk. The gradual incline became steeper the higher they went and the more their legs ached. Then the downhill part worked their legs even more it seemed. Their legs were weak and aching by the time they are in the middle of the pass. They focused on the people ahead of them to keep moving as their legs started to feel numb and useless the longer it took. Neither had expected the journey to be so hard. The night is cold and walking up and down the mountains has taken its toll. The emotional shock of the explosions and what they meant for their family adds to the hardship. They do their best to manage the strain as exhaustion presses upon them. As they begin the final descent, they can see a strand of lights marking a city below from left to right. A shiver of fear goes through Sahila as she grows afraid suddenly of being caught at the border. Too late for that now.

  ***

  Al Masnaa Border Checkpoint, Lebanon

  (One Mile from Souariri)

  The Lebanese border station has turned into pandemonium. The Syrian guards have already fled their posts. The empty Syrian checkpoint spikes fear in the people as they come upon the empty station. The people drive through to the Lebanese crossing where the fear is electric. It passes through the mass of people as they exit their vehicles, trying to escape the destruction behind them. They are impatient and scared. They press their way into the Lebanese checkpoint. People of all ages cry, eyes are wide, and the crowd presses into the barriers and soldiers in front of them. The crowd starts to force themselves to safety. The horde sparks fear into the guards. The initial sympathy the Lebanese felt melts away as more and more Syrians arrive.

  The guards start to fear for their own safety. A prejudice arises in them at the weakness of the people in front of them. They are crowding the gate trying to enter Lebanon uninvited. What kind of trouble are they bringing with them? Reinforcements are on the way, but the people at the gate are becoming belligerent already. Some walk away from the gate down the border fence. The guards know they will cross the fence on their own if they can. Seeing the ocean of people in front of them, the guards are becoming defensive. The guards are ready to restore order. They have rotated to the weapons room to receive extra ammunition. There is always one way to get people’s attention and they know how to do it. The mob presses forward, and a nineteen-year-old guard is pushed down by the mob. As he falls, he squeezes the trigger on his rifle and shoots the man standing in front of him. Screams fill the air as the crowd retreats.

  ***

  Souariri, Lebanon

  Sahila and the group hear the shot as the sound travels through the crisp night air. They all look to the right where the sound erupted from. Adrenaline shoots through them as the prospect of being found out strikes them like the shot’s echo. Their new-found energy propels them forward and they pick up the pace and scramble to the bottom of the mountain range. It is four o’clock in the morning when they officially entered Lebanon. There is no celebration or crowded gathering to welcome them into the country as they cross. The journey has been physically taxing and emotionally defeating. Sahila and Yaqeena have to assume their parents are gone with the idea of nuclear explosions, but they hold on to a thread of hope in the dark despite the pragmatic view.

  Tarek has arranged a place for them to stay. When they arrive, they are welcomed by extended family and they all mourn the loss of lives in Damascus. They don’t have much of an appetite but are hungry from all the physical effort to walk into Lebanon. They have a small meal and collapse onto beds that have been made available. Sleep is hard to manage. Sahil awakens after a few hours and can’t get back to sleep. Yaqeena is still asleep so she leaves her resting.

  In the kitchen she finds Tarek eating dolma and drinking tea. He smiles as she enters. “Rested?”

  She smiles back, “Yes, did you get any sleep?”

  “I have too much to do to worry about sleep.” He replies brushing off the idea.

  “Oh, what are you busy with now?” She picks a teacup and pours some boiling water over the leaves she has pinched out of a can.

  “My first task is how to survive today and the next is how to get us out of Lebanon.” He informs her as he takes a drag on his cigarette.

  “Why do you need to get us out of Lebanon?” Sahila asks as suspicion sits at her feet.

  “I know who you are.” Tarek lets the words hang for a moment then continues. “When you contacted me out of nowhere, I knew something was happening, so I did some checking.” He pulls another drag. “You have become a bit of a star cousin. I am sure you left because you were in danger or had something waiting on the outside.” He pauses again and stares at her. He searches her with his eyes and awaits her answer.

  “I don’t know about being a star Tarek, but we have a great deal of support from people across the world.” She sips her tea. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at here, so you’ll have to help me. I’m new to all of this.”

  He smiles and snickers. “You think I don’t see what’s going on? You were lucky to escape with your life. The timing is impeccable I must admit, but mostly just dumb luck. I can help you get to where you want to go. I know how to get you out of here to New York. It will cost a little, but not too much for someone with so much support from across the world.” A sly grin remained.

  “Okay Tarek, how much?” She braced herself. She is already disappointed in the direction of the conversation as they talk. She always saw him as a brother more than a cousin. It hurt to hear the greed reaching out from him trying to grasp something from her that she didn’t even have.

  “Ten thousand.” He blows smoke above his head.

  “Ok, how fast can you get us out of here?” She asks enduring the conversation.

  “Us? That is for you. For the two of you, since you are family, I will give you a bargain, fifteen thousand.” He lays the offer out plainly.

  Sahila scoffs. “Really Tarek? We have lost our family. We have been running from the same enemies that harass you and you will take advantage of us now?”

  “I don’t have enemies’ cousin, only opportunities. I see one now and I’m going to make the best of it.” He smiles at her coldly. “The intelligence service here might be interested in who you are though. If they were to find out who you are and how you entered the country illegally. Maybe they will just be interested in using you as a bargaining chip with someone. I don’t know, but there are options I am sure. Don’t think they’re going to embrace your threats to their power here anymore than they would back home.”

  “So that’s where we are?” Sahila makes her best effort to put on a strong face but feels utterly inadequate inside. The prospect of being turned over to a completely unknown enemy is somehow more frightening. It is one thing to be turned over to your own country but to be captured by another is altogether more frightening. She wonders if she can raise the money to escape Lebanon and Tarek, finally.

  It isn’t long and Yaqeena is awake. Neither of them can sleep much. The past few days turned out to be more than they ever would have imagined. Though they are tired and sore, they are restless. Sahila takes Yaqeena on a walk to discuss the situation.

  “Let’s get out of here and get some tea,” Sahila suggests after Yaqeena has washes her face. They walk a block and find a café.

  “I know it’s been a hard few days, but you look different. What’s going on?” Yaqeena asks as they find a table and seat themselves. “I know what happened to baba and mama is hard, but we have other things we have to worry about right now.”

  Sahila looks at her in disbelief. “You don’t know the half of it, Sis.”

  A man
comes over and takes their order for tea. Sahila continues after he is gone, “Our beloved cousin Tarek is blackmailing us to pay him to get us out of the country.”

  “What?” Yaqeena’s head tilts trying to grasp the news.

  “Yes, while you slept, I had a long talk with our cousin and he let me know clearly in order to get out of the country safely and not turned over to the intelligence services, we have to pay him fifteen thousand dollars,” Sahila explains unequivocally.

  Yaqeena is stunned. Her admiration for his bravery in helping them escape evaporates. The disappointment is another punch in the gut. She looks away and tears fill her eyes. “Will people ever stop disappointing us?”

  Sahila grabs her hand and squeezes it as tears fill her sister’s eyes. They sit in silence and finally notice the television with reports about Damascus and the detonations. It is horrific. The devastation is sickening. What was once their home is now smoke and rubble. They had never seen anything like it. It is unexpected and frightening. Any hope of their parents surviving disappears as they watch the coverage.

  Mashal and Zamir are well-rested as they enter the café. They find a table near the back facing the front door. Mashal works hard to not be surprised by anything and even when getting tea, he is cautious. As they wait for the tea, Zamir studies the news coverage of the Damascus explosion and weighs the commentator’s conclusions on the yield from the images that are available. The commentators are downplaying the sophistication of the devices stating they are merely fission bombs. They attribute the detonations to rebel factions within the Syrian government that did not know what they were doing when they had stolen nuclear materials from the government facility. There is not a television that does not have news of the attack on it. It is difficult to determine the amount of destruction since the country’s resources are already strained by civil war, but satellite imagery of the area shows that the damage is more extensive than the commentators want to accept from a non-state aggressor. Still, Zamir is not impressed with the yield projections they have provided. He determines to make a much better showing the next opportunity.

  Mashal sits back in the seat and takes in the accomplishment. The West in its arrogance can still not accept that members of the Islamic State can pull off such a feat, but they will know soon enough that even more is possible for the faithful. They will find out soon enough they are more capable than anyone suspected. He has achieved more than even he expected already. He had hoped he would be able to pull it off, but there were so many obstacles he knew it would take meticulous planning and execution. So far, he is ahead of schedule and plans to stay that way. Zamir had only expected to be able to set off one device, he had not planned on setting off multiple. When the plan was discussed with Mashal, Mashal pressed for more out of him than he would have done himself. Zamir would not have risked making more than one device if he had been in charge. Mashal is willing to take risks and it worked this time.

  Mashal notices two women sitting near the window. The light from outside makes them look like angels. One captures his attention. He can see a fire inside of her from across the room. The two are talking intently then turn their attention toward the television. They look shaken at what they see, and it makes him look to see what has disturbed them. He sees the destruction of Damascus and felt a sense of pride. The estimates of death are over three hundred thousand. It is a resounding success. He looks back at the women and studies them.

  Sahila turns her attention back to Yaqeena. “So, what do we do now?”

  “Does it even matter?” Yaqeena complains.

  “Does what matter?” Sahila asks confused.

  The pauses as the man delivered the tea. They put sugar in and stirred as he left and continues their discussion.

  “Does it even matter that we are here illegally? Our country was just bombed or something, I don’t know, but does anyone even care about us being here?” Yaqeena asks.

  “I don’t know, but I think it still matters. I think they can still put us in a prison or a camp or something if the government here finds out about us, about our protests. There aren’t many governments that like protestors. Especially if they know about the support we have. It could be dangerous. I don’t really want to see what they might do.” Sahila argues.

  “Fine, we tell him we will pay him then,” Yaqeena replies with a businesslike manner.

  “What? Are you serious? We just pay him? Do we even have that kind of money?” Sahila did not expect such a quick response.

  “Of course, we do. We don’t have any options. Do you know anyone else here? How can we get out of here without his help? We have enough money to pay for it. People have poured in much more than what he’s asking. We should pay him and be rid of him,” Yaqeena informs her.

  Sahila is stupefied. “Okay, if you think we can manage the cost.”

  Yaqeena smiles. “Sister, I have not bothered you with the volume of information and money coming in, but we will be fine. We have more than enough to pay off our greedy cousin and make it to safety.”

  “Fine, let’s do it. We need to make a video letting the people know we are alive and made it out. We need to raise a voice against the people responsible for this,” Sahila insists.

  “Yes, you are right. Let’s make a video and then tell Tarek we want his help.” Yaqeena smiles broadly at her sister. “We are going far away from this madness!”

  A pang of guilt and sadness strike Sahila, but relief follows quickly behind as the thought of escaping it all sounds like a dream come true. “If you think we can do it.”

  “I haven’t checked, but I can imagine after what happened yesterday your followers want to know what has happened to us. They will want us to be safe too,” Yaqeena reassured her.

  “You are right as usual. Let’s finish our tea and go make the video.” Sahila sips her tea. Content with the plan she takes a moment to look around the shop. She notices a man with wired glasses at the back of the shop. He is looking at her and she looks away, embarrassed. They finish their tea and stand to leave. She looks back as she walks out of the café and he smiles as her eyes meet his. He has a coldness about him that made her nervous.

  Mashal watches the women leave. That is the beauty and purity that he is fighting to preserve. He will find a woman someday if Allah is willing. Today he revels in his triumph. He achieved more than the entire Islamic world has accomplished in recent memory. He has cleansed Syria of countless infidels and wiped out their influence in a single stroke. The so-called Islamic republics and their leaders have never been able to inflict the damage that he has been able to command. All the Arab nations have sought the ability, but he is the first to bring it to reality. He could not be more satisfied with the operation so far. He wants the greatest impact possible and knows that Zamir will deliver given the time to refine his design. The torch is burning, and it will grow brighter very soon.

  Sahila and Yaqeena make their way to a field behind the home they are staying. They find a cluster of trees. Sahila sits on a rock and gathers her thoughts. There is so much happening that she could talk for too long if she isn’t careful. She needs to focus. “Okay, I’m ready,” she finally tells Yaqeena after a few minutes.

  Yaqeena starts recording and gave her a thumbs up.

  There is a long silence then she takes a deep breath and exhales. She looks up at the camera and begins, “Brothers, sisters, friends, and enemies. I have good and bad news for you. I am alive. I have survived the attack against my home. I do not know who did this or why, but I know this is enough. Why would anyone use nuclear weapons in this day and age? We have grown past such pointless mass killing. Only small-minded or evil people will advocate or use these kinds of indiscriminate large-scale weapons. These weapons had a place in our time, but they are history. We as humans have moved on from such archaic tactics, haven’t we?” She pauses and lets her listeners resolve the question for themselves. “I have. I do not see the value of such reckless weapons. We should remove them from all
existence. The ability to use such weapons is because we allow them to exist. We as citizens of this planet must come together and rise up as one against the governments that develop, hold, or use such weapons. We must stand up and end this type of threat from our world. We cannot wait any longer. I have lost friends and family to these evil weapons. How long must we suffer? How long must children and innocent people die so governments can wield power and hold people in fear? We must end this now. We cannot wait any longer. I am on my way to New York. Mark the day. May the sixth. Join me wherever you are. Go to your capital, if you can’t make it there join us online, we will make the world hear us. We will make them listen and we will start a new day for humanity. Join me,” she stands up and raises her fist in defiance “and we will end the reign of fear that governments have held us under for our entire lives.” She stood; hand raised staring into the camera.

  Yaqeena records for a while longer then signals with a thumbs up.

  “Let’s not waste any time sister. We must pay Tarek and get to New York.” Sahila remarks. The events of the past few days have made her more determined than ever before. She knows in her heart that her parents are gone. She wants to hold on to the hope that somehow, they might still be alive, but she knows it isn’t true and it makes her more focused. She is becoming the person she was meant to be, the woman that will not stop until the governments and people running them are made to account for their actions. She will make them answer for their actions no matter what it costs her or what it takes to make it happen.

  Her following eclipsed five hundred thousand within a matter of hours then into the millions as her broadcasts continued to go viral. Her passion along with the horrific attack on Damascus has the world on edge and looking for answers. Her words resonate with what people everywhere are feeling. The attack invokes fear across the world. When the terrorist surfaces and spread across the internet people start to question their own safety. The threats declaring their city will be struck next puts people on edge. They demand their leaders provide explanations and assurances that they will do something to prevent it from happening again. Sahila’s words strike a chord with her listeners. They feel her loss but are drawn to her strength that comes through her voice and her eyes.