War Kids

by HJ Lawson

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 across 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.

  The bullet rips through my bone and muscle and exits out of my back, shredding my shoulder blade. But I’m still standing, unlike the soldier. He is down and not getting back up. Jada taught me well.

  Unaware of the situation around me, I am focused on Jada... but, luckily, the other innocent children are aware. With adrenaline running through their bodies, they have a chance to save themselves.

  They react faster than the soldiers do. The children run at the soldiers like a pack of crazy wolves ready for a taste of blood.

  The watchers have run off, leaving the soldiers with the crazy children. They are beating the soldiers to death. Jada was right… they made it this far, and they do have special skills — killing people with their bare hands.

  “Jada, Jada, stay with me.” I franticly shake her. She’s ice cold and her lips are turning blue. Her eyes burst open as a surprised look comes over her face.

  “Am I alive?” she blurts out. She looks like she’s in shock.

  “Yes, Jada, you are alive. Please stay awake; I need to get us out of here.” I force myself to hold back all my emotions. I want to scream, “Don’t die on me, don’t you dare die! You are all I have left! ”

  “There is no pain when I close my eyes,” Jada whispers.

  “No, stay awake!” I beg. But she is dying right in front of me.

  I have to get us out of here. There is a truck. I can just see Junayd lifting his father into it, and within seconds there is a cloud of dust... the truck is gone.

  The pack of crazy wolves is beginning to slow down. Bloody bodies lay strewn about like they are on a slaughterhouse floor. There are a few children, but it’s mainly the soldier’s bodies. They were not prepared for the attack. The pain in these children was finally released on the enemy, on the ones who murdered or kidnapped their families and turned their world into a living hell.

  Now there are no soldiers left.

  Reali
zing that they are all gone, I sit down next to Jada and pick her head up and rest it on my lap. A faint smile appears on her face. I stroke her hair, moving it out of her eyes.

  “I told you we would be okay,” she whispers.

  Bang!

  We both jump at the sound of the loud shot. What the hell was that!? I look over and see a small boy standing in the pile of bodies.

  He’s dripping in blood and holding a gun in his hand, pointing it down at a soldier on the ground.

  The small boy has no emotion on his face. An older boy stands up and takes the gun from him.

  He fires at the next dead soldier on the ground. One after another, the boys and girls get up and shoot a bullet into each and every dead soldier’s body, all with a blank look on their faces, similar to the look the watchers had. They take turns killing the soldiers as if to end their nightmares, to confirm these soldiers will never get up or hurt them, ever again.

  Then, after several moments of loud shooting, the eerie silence is back. There is no one left to kill. No bullets left in the gun. No words left to speak.

  Jada is quiet, but breathing heavily. I hold her closer. Maybe we will die together.

  Blood is pouring from my arm, but I feel no pain from the wound, only in my heart. I rest my head onto hers, closing my eyes, hoping our suffering will come to an end quickly.

  The silence doesn’t last long. Soon we hear the sound of trucks approaching. I have no fight left in me. I close my eyes and submit to my fate.

  “Zak, Zak, get up, get up!” Dani yells.

  “No, I’m staying here. I’m not leaving her on her own,” I mumble to him.

  “They’ll kill you!”

  I roll over and hold Jada tighter. “I’m ready to die. Now run, run fast and get to tent town. Get away from here!” I say to Dani and the other children. Why are they just standing there looking at me?

  “Run, I tell you! Run! Now!” I shout.

  With that, they begin to sprint away from the fast-approaching trucks.

  I close my eyes and press Jada to my body. Her breathing is slow and shallow. If we stay still, will they think we’re dead?

  Eventually, we will be.