Chapter 0:

Wake me mom

Footsteps of Aru


It is pitch black. Why is there a loud sound?

whweeee-shhhhh.....hummmmmm-zzzzt.It is shaking. I don't know. I hear voices.

"Comrades, are you ready for the jump?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Remember, everyone, kill the bastards!"

The loud sound makes it hard for me to hear his voice clearly. I hear the siren sound every second, WEE-OW-WEE-OW. I hear a loud boom. I don't know what is happening.

First, I see a light, and it's a little hazy. What I see, I can't believe. I don't know where I am. Is it a dream or not?

There is a huge metal box. I don't know what this is, maybe a plane. It trembles as if every bolt would escape its frame. I see the sky is dark. Many planes are in flames. Huge sirens sound. Some flames flash. The sound of guns.
Strong wind hits our faces. The smell of grease, oil, and rusty metal.
I look around. I see faces. I don't know who they are. I don't know where I am. Is it a dream?
Please, somebody, wake me up. Please, Mom. I know this is wrong.
I look around. I see many faces crying, praying, some smiling, someone vomiting while sitting.
I grab somebody's hand. I ask where I am, what this place is, and I want to go home.
Somebody help. I don't know what is happening.
A middle-aged man around 40 comes, looking confident, but in his eyes, he is scared. He grabs my collar, slaps me five times, and says, "Listen, comrade, I know this is your first time in war. Just sit in your position."A middle-aged man around 40 comes, looking confident, but in his eyes, he is scared. He grabs my collar, slaps me five times, and says, "Listen, comrade, I know this is your first time in war. Just sit in your position."
I want to say many things. I want to ask many things, but at that moment, my voice is gone. I don't know what is happening, if I am dead, or where I am.

somebody help.......

Then I hear one loud voice: "Are you ready now? Fight for your country!"
Loud engine sound. Wind hitting.
One by one, they jump from the plane.
My hands are shaking. I can't feel my legs. I can't breathe. The roar of the engine. The plane siren sounds everywhere.
At that moment, everything becomes slow. Pin-drop silence.
I don't know why, but one thing I hear is my heart: thump, thump, thump....
The commander is shouting. I can see his mouth moving, but the words are in slow motion. One hand is on my shoulder.
"Aru, are you alright?"
I don't know whose name this is.
"Are you listening, Aru?"
He shakes me. I see his nameplate: Nick. A young boy, terror in his eyes but a small smile.
He says, "Are we waiting for this moment?"
I don't know.

I remember his face. I don't know why, what is happening, or what is real.
Maybe I am in a game. I don't know who is controlling me. Please, if this is a dream, wake me up.
My eyes become wet.
Nick says, "I am going. We meet on the ground."
I want to say, "Stop, don't jump," but what can I do in this situation? I don't know who I am, where I am, or what is happening.
Then I hear the same voice: "What are you doing?"
I say, "I can't."

He grabs my collar and takes me to the edge.
I see the ground. Everywhere, blasts. Thick smoke. I see the sky. A huge number of planes. Guns. Blasts. Doom.
Then I hear a voice: "Jump! If not, you die. If you want to go home or survive, just jump."
I don't know who jumped. That's what I am thinking.
He pushes me, and I shout, "Aaaaah, aaaaah, Mom!"
Then suddenly, my plane is hit by some debris. Everywhere, huge fireballs. The smell of fuel.
I don't know what is happening. I don't know if this is the end of this dream.
I see one rope that comes from the bag on my back. I've seen on TV how to open the parachute. I open it.
I am crying. I almost peed, but I somehow opened the parachute.

Huge wind hitting my face.
I see many soldiers opening their parachutes. Every metre I go down, I hear the sound of guns, grenades, and artillery.
I see black smoke and booms everywhere.
I see soldiers die in mid-air. Someone shoots from the ground. I see some bullets hit my parachute.
I don't know how to land, but somehow I know how to land.

I land harshly. I cut the rope and load the magazine in my gun.
I don't know what role I am in. I just follow the unknown voice that said, "Just survive and kill."

Now I must survive to return home.

Yumya
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