KOLLUPIA episode 10

The street was still.

Nothing stirred, save for the loud flies over rotten corpses and whiffs of smoke from burning buildings.

She kept to the walls of buildings as Micheal had taught her.

"Always stay close to the walls"He'd told her.

"Always stay close to cover"

The sun's heat was unusually intense this morning she thought,as she stepped over the corpse of a young boy.

His bloodied skin was broken and torn
up in many places.

She looked away and tightened her grip on her gun, as she prepared to cross the street.

Sound of gun shots up ahead.


Nse ducked into the corner of a building.

She heard screams ...she couldn't tell if they were male or female.

She held her breath and  wiped the sweat from her brow.

More gunshots.

More screams.

She crouched low, as she heard the the sound of running feet.

She held her breath.

More gunshots.

Then silence.

She waited a few more seconds, holding her breath as a silent clock began ticking in her head.

More silence.

Then she  heard  something.

At first, it sounded like wild wind rushing through the tops of pine trees.

That sound couldn't have been produced from the vocal cords of a human being.....could it?She wondered.

It was a high-pitched continious sound.

It was coming from the next street, the Safe house was only a few blocks away.

There was no way she could avoid going by the next street.

Could it be a trap?she wondered.

Should she wait it out?

But the longer she waited, the slimmer her chances of meeting up with Micheal.

She checked the street again to be  certain.

There was no one about.

Then she darted swiftly across the road and ducked into a narrow path between houses.

It was a path she knew very well.

She'd used it a couple of times on her way home from work.

Work. She thought to herself.

With everything going on, the concept seemed alien to her.

It had been just a few days since the chaos started, but it just seemed like it had been going on for decades.

Kollupia had gone from a great shopping Metropolis to a gutted, burning cesspool of violence and death.

She wonderd if things would ever be the same again.

As she reached the other street, she saw more bodies littering the road.

But these were fresh kills.

In the past few hours she'd seen enough dead bodies to fill her nightmares every night for the next ten years.

The wailing was louder.

She watched the street for a few more seconds, making sure there were no soldiers or rebels lurking about.

The sound had broken down into a series of whimpers.

The cries would definitely draw the wrong kind of attention, sooner or later.

She had to get off this street,She thought to herself.

Who ever it was would have to fend for themselves.

Once again, she surveyed the street and began to cross it.

The sunrays baked the concrete.Its surface burned through the thin soles of her sneakers.

She could hear a voice....a male voice muttering something between sobs.

She spied the fresh corpes on the road.

 Two children.Their bodies riddled with bullets and still dripping with blood.

She swallowed back the vomit in her throat and kept on moving.Whoever did this wasn't very far away.

This was no time for empathy.They were dead and there was nothing she could do about it.

Keep moving.

Something caught the corner of her eye
She ducked swiftly behind a battered car and stayed low.

The wails were now pitiful whimpers.

Against her better judgement she peeked to see where it was coming from.

A man was  seated on the hot concrete, his back against the tyre of a bullet riddled van.

He seemed dazed, his tear soaked eyes vacant.

He wore a tattered blood drenched rag that used to be a white shirt.

His face and arms were covered in fresh lacerations and dirt.

On his lap lay the naked lifeless body of a woman with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Surrounded by so much death and ruin...he seemed dead himself,save for his whimpering and quivering lips.

"Just keep going"She told herself.

"You can't do anything for him"

Her path would bring her into his line of vision.

But she doubted if in his seemingly trance-like state he'd notice.

She came out of her hiding place.

Staying low as she stepped over the bodies, making a conscious effort not to stare in the traumatized man's direction.

"...they..(sob)...they made me....watch..."The man's shakey voice said.

Nse paused

"...they raped her...(sob)...in front of me.... all ....five of them....they made me watch!"

The man was speaking as if to himself.

"...I (sob)....promised I'd always protect her.....(sob)...she was my wife...why couldn't I protect her?" He wiped the tears from his face,smearing more of her blood on his skin.

"....they told me...(sob)...there was no point killing me,....that I was already dead....(sob)....they were right...."

He broke into a series of uncontrolable sobs.His shoulders shuddering as he bent his head over the woman's body.

"keep moving".She whispered  told herself.

This isnt your problem.

"...kill me...(sob)....please...just kill me".

Nse stared at the broken man in shock.

She looked around the street.

Surely, it was only a matter of time before someone came by.

So why am I still standing here?she asked herself as she stared at the man.

"...Sir..."she heard her own voice say.

"....I am sorry for your loss,but if you stay here any longer....."

"....I said kill me!!!"

His sudden out burst startled her,on reflex,she pointed the gun at him.

He was crying again.

Long pause.

Nse felt sorry for him.

The war had taken it's toll on the city in these past days.

So many lives lost, so much pain felt.

"....we were ...(sob)...on our honeymoon,...."The man continued as he lovingly stroked the side of the woman's face.

"...'Kollupia is a romantic city'....she'd said...."the man's forced smile was pathetic to watch.

"Can you walk?"Nse asked pointing her gun to the ground again.

"....I don't want to walk,...I want to die..."He said  flatly as he stared at her.

She hated herself for doing this.Micheal(if he were still alive)was waiting for her.

She had to keep moving.

"...if you stay here any longer,...you will get your wish..."she said simply.

"...and trust me, it wont be a quick death...."

"Then give me a quick death!!!"He said with a hint of rage as his blood smeared face  glared at her.

Long silence.

Nse nervously looked around some more.

The sun's heat was getting worse.

"..listen,"Nse began scarcely recognizing the anger in her own voice.

"....I don't have to listen to your whinning,...your wife is dead.Deal with it.This is war!...if you want to end your own life...be my guest...."She looked about again, fearing her voice was a little loud.

".....but that's on you.Because,I doubt if that is what she would have wanted for you"

The Man looked at the dead woman in his arms again.

"...You've lost someone?(Nse shrugged) we've all lost someone.I'm looking for someone right now who's probably dead...but even if that were the case, I know he'd want me to go on"She said with eyes focused on the Man's.

"....I'm going to a safe place right now....you're welcome to join me...if not,....quit your whinning and just die in peace."She knew she was being harsh, but death was harsh....the war was harsh....life in Kollupia right now was harsh.

The dude had to get with the program.

For a long time, he just sat there.Staring into a face that would never stare back at his again.

Long silence.

She'd seen enough.

"Good luck!!!"she said with all  the finality she could muster.

Then she turned around and went on her way.

As she moved passed more dead bodies with matchete cuts and bullet holes, she could feel a lot of sympathy for the man.

How would she feel if she found Micheal's dead body?

She'd probably would'nt want to go on either.

She understood the despair in the man's eyes.

It was the same despair she saw every where she looked.

It was an empty hopelessness.

She forced herself to think of something else...something less traumatic.

The thought of being in this world without Micheal was just too frightening to contemplate.

The Safe House was less than Fifteen minutes away.

"I'm almost there Micheal,"She whispered to herself.

She heard something behind her.

She spun around gun first ready to fire....

"....Please...." said The Man from the street.

He had his arms in the air in a gesture of surrender.

He looked pitiable in his tattered and bloodied state.

The adrenaline was still surging through her.

What was he thinking,sneaking up on her like that?

This guy wouldnt last ten minutes out there on his own.

"....How...how far...is this Safe house you mentioned?"He asked.




His name was Tari, a software designer from Ursiliria.He and his wife had been honeymooning in a hotel nearby when the war broke out.

Well, that much he told her before she told him to shut up.

Nse almost wished she hadn't offered to help.

The guy was clumsy, loud and had zero survival instincts.

No wonder.....

But she decided not to complete the thought.

It wasn't his fault that the war broke out.

Well, at least Micheal would know what to do when they got there....if he didnt berate her first for bringing a Tag-along.

What was she thinking?

This guy was a sitting Hen inside a forest of wolves.

Instructing Tari to stay close, they made their way towards the Safe House

"...which way are we going???" came Tari's hushed tone.

"Just stay close" she said as she made a quick dash for the alley....gun ready.

Tari limped and tripped behind her, but otherwise kept up.

Her heart froze when she saw the steel door ajar.

Micheal would never leave the door like that.

Calm down, she thought to herself.

It doesn't explain anything.

With Tari's noisy panting in her ear, they ran up the stairs.

It was too quiet.She thought.

She held her breath, and opened the second steel door.

She felt a tremor run through her.

The room was empty.

Nse stood in the middle of the room,staring at the walls of the room.

Long silence.

"...There is no one here...."Tari whispered.

"Please be quiet" she said softly.

How long she stood there, she wasn't sure.

Was Micheal still alive?

She shuddered at the thought of him being dead.

There was only one option left for her.

She dreaded that option.

"Listen to me carefully...."she began.

Tari still had a traumatized look on his face.

"...we will head for the border..."

"The border???...But you said....."

Forget what I said before.......I need you to stay close to me...always.The journey before us  will be very dangerous. ..."

"....I ....can't fire a weapon" he said softly.

At that point she wished she'd left him  to die in the street.

This guy was dead weight. She thought.

But she had to get to the border...one way or the other.




The air was tense.

Both men stood watching each other as the warm  air blew passed them.

Captain Dumo had no delusions.He had seen Micheal fight.

The man was quick and deadly.He'd never seen anyone move that fast.

The last thing he desired was a one on one with this Spartan-like warrior. But he was no coward.He'd never backed down from a fight in his life.

He had to return to his post and that was the end of the matter.

Micheal's eyes were blank.

The man's face expressed Zero emotion like a Greek statue.

"Please....don't ....!!!"Kadilo's small voice said.

There was a momentary flicker in Micheal's expression.

"We can't trust him" Micheal said simply without taking his eyes off the Captain.

"But...he fought alongside you"  She said rising to her feet.

"...so have a lot of Men I've buried" Micheal said simply.

Kadilo stepped between the two men.

"What are you doing...?"Micheal said with some emotion.

"...Then I guess.... you'll have to bury me too" She said in a slightly shakey voice.

Long silence.

"Captain.....you're free to go..."She said holding Micheal's gaze.

"This trusting spirit of yours will get you killed" Micheal said calmly.

"...At some point, we all have to trust...what are we if not human?" she said evenly.

Long silence.

"..Go...Captain!!"

Dumo hesistated...then picked up his rifle and started to leave.

"Soldier....!!!" Micheal barked.

Captain halted in his tracks.

"...If I ever see you again...I'll kill you" Micheal said.

The Captain slowly turned around and replied;
"....Not if I kill you first"

Then he walked away.

Long silence as Micheal watched him leave.

".....we've been stripped from our homes,we may never see our families again,...death follows us every where we turn...at what point do we start being human beings again???" She was still staring into his face.

"....When the war ends" he said moving past her.

"We have to leave...now!!!"Micheal said to the others.

Kadilo stood there looking on in silence.



THREE HOURS LATER.


First lieutenant Soki and his men moved through the streets slowly.

They'd been walking for hours.

After Major Kuro's body was found, their superiors sent Lieutenant Colonel Graham to take over "Operation Kollupia"

The Lieutenant Colonel's orders were specific,and First Lieutenant Soki was going to follow them to the letter.

This was his chance.He thought.

This was his chance to shine.

Finally,he could come out of Captain Dumo's shadow and.....

"Sir?"Came a junior Officer from behind.

The First Lieutenant hated these interruptions.These moments were his "time in the sun"so to speak.

"What is it?"He snarled at the officer.

"Look!!!"The Officer pointed.

The First Lieutenant's eyes followed the Man's hand.If there was anything he hated more than the blasted heat of Kollupia, was his time  being wasted.

Then he saw.....

"Halt!!!"Came another junior officer's voice as he leveled his rifle at the figure approaching them.

"Halt!....Identify yourself!!!"Soki demanded as he raised his weapon.

"Captain Dumo,Echo-Tango,472 Alpha Battalion.The figure said as it approached with its hands in the air.

"Captain Dumo was listed as K.I.A(killed in action)..."Soki  said still holding up his rifle.

 With all the smoke on the street,it was hard to make out the figure's features.
Seconds later.
The figure emerged.
"Captain!!!" came the startled Lieutenant's voice.
They put their guns down to salute the Senior officer.
"At ease men"Dumo said walking towards them.

"Lieutenant,why are your men in this area?"
"Sir,we recieved intelligence that some dangerous rebels are making for the border sir"The Lieutenant said quickly.

" our orders are to get to the border before they do and apprehend them"
Long pause .

"I see..."said the Captain thoughtfully.
"...and who is giving these orders?"
"....Lieutenant Colonel Graham sir"Soki responded.
"Hmmm..." Captain Dumo said after another long silence.
"Would you be returning to base sir?...There's another contingency of men nearby that could escort you to..."
"That wont be neccessary Lieutenant",Dumo said checking his weapon.

"I'm taking over your command"He said simply.

The Lieutenant looked like he'd been slapped in the face.
"But sir...?"he began.

"Lieutenant, are you about to disobey a direct order?"The Captain asked softly.
Long Silence.

"...No sir..."Soki said, clearly defeated

There goes my moment in the sun.He thought.
"Good,lets go!!!" He said simply.



Opuwari stood perfectly still with the matchete in his hand.
From the corner of his eye he saw Dagger and about five other men slowly..... reached for their  rifles.
No one else seemed to notice.
"Maybe you need another lesson"Chiefo said with a snarl.
"Your hand will never touch me again"Opuwari said in rage.
Chiefo's laughter was loud inside the small room.

"Grab him"He ordered.
None of the men stirred

Long silence.
All seemed to regard Opuwari with...uncertainty.
"I said grab him!!!"Chiefo barked again at the men.

One of the men ...hesitantly moved towards Opuwari when.....
"One more step,and I'll drop you"Dagger said pointing his rifle at him.

The small room came alive with rapid movements and the sound of rifles being cocked,as the other men had their weapons trained at their former colleagues.

"What the hell is going on...Dagger?"Chiefo's face was a mask of shock.

"We're with you sir!"Dagger said to Opuwari.
"You turned them against me?"Chiefo yelled with the same look on his face.

Opuwari tightened his grip on the matchete,as Dagger ordered the "prisoners" to their knees as they were stripped of their weapons.

"Dagger...I order you to....!"But he never got a chance to finish the order
.
In a flash,Opuwari raised his matchete into the air and brought it down hard on Chiefo's skull.

The blade sank into the resistance leader's head with a loud cracking sound..
For a few seconds,Chiefo stood there eyes blank as streams of thick crimson blood oozed from his head.

Long silence.

Then he fell backwards,body landing with a heavy thud on the hard cold floor.
The blade of the matchete was still stuck in his head.

The hushed silence that followed was eerie as the men looked on.
Opuwari stepped forward and with some effort,yanked the matchete out of the fallen leader.
There was a monsterous glare in his eyes as he hacked at Chiefo's limp body again,again and again.

Blood spewed forth from the dead man's body as hacking continued.
Some of the men looked away in horror.


to be continued.....


LIFE IS A CHOICE MY FRIEND
SO CHOOSE WISELY
ENOUGH SAID