Aftermath

I’m hungry, I’m tired. Where am I going? We’ve been walking through this forest, I’ve seen the sun rise and the sun set. All this time I was walking, carrying Katya on my back. She’s been silent ever since.

I just have to keep on walking. I can’t stop, I won’t stop. If my legs will rot away, I will use my arms, I will keep moving forward. I can’t stop until I’ll see Gunkata’s mutilated body rotting with garbage.

My breathing is hectic and heavy. I don’t think I can keep on like this, I need to rest, for just a moment. At least Katya has to survive. I found a small pit, we can lean on the low mud walls for just a second.

I sat down Katya and then myself. I tried looking up for the stars, but I saw darkness. Probably the leaves are blocking the skies. I just need to close my eyes for a moment. Just let them rest for a few seconds.

BANG BANG BANG

I’m trapped in a burning house, trying to yell for help but no muscle will move. My hands are leaning on a wooden plank that’s starting to burn. It hurts, my hands hurt. I hear loud screaming from behind, but I’m paralyzed. I see this pig holding my Katya and defiling in front of me.

My hands burn, it hurts. The flame has swallowed almost most of the house, the screams are muffled. From the little flame opening, I see his face. All smiling and aiming a pistol at me.

BANG

I see a forest during the night. I’m all soaked from sweat. When I look sideway, I see Katya sleeping peacefully. I got closer to her and leaned a little. I’m tired, I’m hungry. I want to rest my eyes, but I don’t want to go back there. I don’t have a choice, I have to stay awake for a little more.

I heard distant howling. I’m so exhausted, if I’ll blink I’ll fall asleep. I have to fight, I can’t let Katya die here. I picked the bloody dry knife from my right pocket and barely managed, but I stood up. All around me is darkness, but I can feel them, I can hear them. They’re hungry. My grip is so weak that the knife slips away from my palm. I leaned on a tree so it’ll be easier to stand. Come at me.

A wolf pounced from the darkness. My vision went red, but so has its fur. With all of my left strength, the knife is sticking of its supposed neck. It started to wail and backed away leaving me with no weapon. We have to continue.

I picked the peacefully sleeping Katya and we resumed walking. Each step is heavier than the last, each breath I take is deeper and deeper. I feel as if each bone was erased into bone meal, but I can’t give up now. I have to at least try and save Katya.

Each step feels like an eternity. I felt like a day has passed since the wolf attack, but it’s still dark. My face starts to hurt, the redness of my vision won’t go away. The pain is agonizing, I want to scream, but then I won’t have the energy to carry her. I barely have space for another step, I can’t afford to scream.

Something is bright, I can’t see. My body fell down, everything has just collapsed. Everything is blurry and it starts to get brighter. Is this the end of the tunnel? I can’t, at least not now. God, please. I didn’t ask you a thing before. Please, God. Don’t let me die yet. Please.

Before me is something strange. I see it clearly. It’s gray with a line in the middle.
Wait, where am I? Where’s Katya?? When I looked around, I saw that I’m in a small room surround by walls of cloth. Is this a tent? Am I alive?

I’m lying inside a sleeping bag. I tried to get up quick, but everything started to spin. I still managed to stand, it’s not as hard anymore, but every limb in my body hurts. When I pulled the zipper down, everything started to blindingly glow, only after a minute I could see what’s outside.

Tents, tents are everywhere. Is this a dream? It would explain everything. There’s no way some bad guy would come to our peaceful village and destroy everything. It can be in books, movies, but not in reality. It just doesn’t make any sense.

-“You’re finally awake?” A tall man came asking me. He’s dark skinned and bald. He has a light African accent. In return I just stared, why would a black man be in a small Slavic village? It’s clearly a dream.

-“Can you hear me?” He asked again.

-“Huh?”

-“Can you tell me your name?”

-“Name? I’m Danil.”

-“I’m Nerayo, I’m in charge here.”

-“What happened to the elder?”

-“What elder? Do you remember what happened?”

-“I… I had a bad dream.”

-“I see… I have some bad news…”

-“No! It wasn’t real, it can’t happen!” my vision has gotten blurry and my throat started to hurt, as if I had a stuck bone there. This man is lying.

-“I understand kid, you’ve gone through hell. Take your time. If you need anything just ask.”

My memory, it’s hazy. I can’t believe it, I just can’t accept it. It all seems too surreal, like a bad dream. The sky is gray. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to rain, just overcast. Yet, my face is wet. It all feels like a bad dream.

Where’s my house? My family and friends are waiting. I can’t sit here, I need to see them. They’re alright, I’m sure. I looked right and saw a paved road and a forest further. It seems familiar.

I rushed in that direction, but fell down. My legs, damn you. Will you not fail me at least once?? Damn you, damn you all!

Left of me is a quad bike, it’s of dark green color. I remember one from a movie my brother showed me. I sat down and put my hands on the handles. Now how was it? There’s a key at the right side, I twisted it clockwise and it started to make sounds and shake. I’m coming Vanya.

There are no pedals, I think they used the handles. There’s a lever on the right handle, I guess it’s the accelerator. I pressed the lever and the bike has abruptly gone forward.

If I’ll follow this road and take the third right dirt road, I’ll see Novopotka. I vaguely remember riding on a tractor with dadya Pasha. The wind is hitting my eyes, it’s hard to keep them open. Just wait, I’ll come back.

I passed the first road, the second road and on the third I turned right. The scenery was getting more familiar. Green meadows, dense forests and orchards. The fresh smell of the wilderness slowly started to get replaced by the smell of burned wood and another smell. A smell so foul my heart started to beat faster, cold sweat started to erupt, my stomach got weak and chills climbed down the spine.

Behind the woods hides the smoke. Maybe I shouldn’t ride there? Maybe they’re not there. My hands are stone hard and cold, won’t let go of the handles. I don’t think can handle what will be in front of me. I slowly entered another forest, blocking my view, but slowly approaching a grim light.

Beyond the woods are charcoal black ruined houses, dead silence and a blend of different fetors. The moment I saw, felt, heard this, my heart has sunk. Now it’s just sadness. I don’t want to be here anymore, but there’s still something holding me. North west of here, is my home. I can’t go without looking at what’s left. My heart aches just from the thought, but my soul won’t let me leave without seeing.

Crows started to fly when they heard the motor. I was passing through burnt houses and remembering the sweet past. Roaming here with carelessness. I started to see the neighbors destroyed houses. It wasn’t burnt, but it was destroyed and probably even looted. Animals. No, monsters.

There it is. An unassuming wooden house, my home. On first sight it looks intact, but when I looked at the opened door, I saw drag marks on the ground, dark red.

When I got closer, I felt that my house is reeking. It reminds me of the time when we found a dead rat in the cellar, except that the stench is stronger. Whatever was in my stomach went back up, in addition for that smell, I also have this disgusting acidic taste in my mouth.

I can’t get in. I physically can’t, but even if I could, what I’ll see will haunt me in my nightmares. This dream starts to feel more real, I start to remember everything. That night, those screams, that scarred face, the name Gunkata. It’s all vivid now.

From the distance, I hear the sound of an engine. Within a few seconds, I saw a man riding a bike. Roughly 20m away he stops and takes off his helmet revealing his face. A young guy with a slightly oily clumsy blond hair that barely covers his big forehead. It takes at least half of his face.

-“Hey bud” His brown eyes are slightly close, his nose is average and the skin is rough. He smiles awkwardly, but I feel no friendliness from him.

-“What do you want?” I asked. He’s high, even from this distance. He wears a woodland camouflage coat with black cargo pants.

-“Listen my guy, I don’t want any trouble. I just want my ATV.” His left hand constantly hides behind his back.

-“Get me a shovel and the quad is yours.” He scratches lightly his stubble.

-“Hmm I see. I will, but you’ll need to do some explaining first. Who are you and why did you steal my bike?” He puts his left hand in his pocket and walks closer.

-“To get here, why else? For a blyadski1 joy ride?”

-“Alright, alright! There’s no need to be hostile, bud.”

-“Blyat, just get me the ebaniy2 shovel and you’ll get your sraniy3 quad.”

-“I have no idea what those words mean except for Blyat. Fine! Where is it?”

-“In the elders house. It’s in the center where all the houses are.”

-“Which house exactly?”

-“It’s supposed to be white colored.” Last summer me and my friends were coloring it as a punishment. We got in a fight with Grzegorzs’ guys. He was a jackass and called Senya a big nosed prick. Jokes on him, his nose after that was bigger due to the swelling… Why am I remembering that now?

The man went for what felt like eternity and then came back with nothing.

-“There’s no white house.” So they burned it too.

-“Go to your camp or whatever and get me a shovel.”

-“This is ridiculous. What you’re trying to do fella?”

-“That’s none of your business.”

-“I get it, you’re a tough guy. Just because you’re not one of Gunkata’s goons doesn’t mean I’ll stand your bitching. Now tell me, why you need the shovel.”

-“To bury my family.”

-“Oh… So you’re not a marauder or anything, you’re a local. Do you by any chance know a little girl, around 5-6?”

-“Yeah she’s my sister. Why are you asking?”

-“I’m from the camp, name’s Siggie Hopp. I heard we caught some refugees. A kid and a little girl together, 2 days ago.”

-“2 days…? So you’re saying that I was unconscious for 2 days?”

-“If you’re the kid I’m talking about, then pretty much. How’s your right eye by the way?”

-“Eye?”

-“The one behind the patch, does it hurt? I’ve heard some stuff, now it all makes sense now.”

-“What?” I started touching my face, on my right eye I felt a soft cloth.

-“Listen, I’m sorry for what happened, truly, but you need to forget about it. Considering the smell, you can’t enter that house without a biosuit or something like that.” For a second, his words seemed genuine.

-“So you want me to let my family rot?”

-“I want to do a lot of things, but some stuff can’t be real. Remember your family how they were, don’t scar yourself by seeing them like this. Come, let’s go. Nerayo’s going to kill me if you’re suddenly gone and my ATV is gone.”

-“I don’t see any graves. How do you expect me just to give up?”

-“Accept reality and move on, that’s the only choice you really have. Say your goodbyes. I need to piss, so I’ll go to the woods, I’m shy and I don’t like it when people hear me piss.”

-“Just go already.” He walked away.

Here I am, standing before a house which was once my home. My family, people who are dear to me are probably there rotting and I can’t even bury them. The place where I had my childhood, my future, everything was taken away by that monster Gunkata. I curse you Gunkata, I hope you’ll die the most painful death possible.

Goodbye dad, goodbye mom, goodbye Vanya, goodbye Valera, goodbye Senya, goodbye Karina, goodbye Novopotka, goodbye everyone…

Strange, I’m supposed to cry but nothing comes out. I guess I’ve dried up everything. It’s time to go, someone waits for me, goodbye.

I turned around and sat on the quad, minutes later Siggie came back.

-“Before we go, if Nerayo asks, tell him you stole the key.”

I drove the quad, he drove the bike. The ride was silent, only the motor and the friction with air was heard. Even during spring what was once a colorful now seems gray.

-“Why didn’t you just shoot me?” I asked while driving. Because of the wind I had to shout.

-“What?? What am I some kind of monster?”

-“I could be an enemy. Why?”

-“My only enemies are Gunkata and his goons. I know those bastards well, they don’t need shovels. They just let everything rot. Now as long as you’re not with Gunkata, I don’t care much. You could be a marauder, grave robber or a corpse lover.”

We parked our vehicles, some guy told Siggie that Nerayo waits for us. Siggie has leaded me to where this Nerayo is. In this camp, there’s almost a sea of those different tents. They’re all in different shapes, colors and sizes. But the most common are the triangular gray tents. Siggie led us to a secluded spot near a tree where no tents are, just Nerayo standing under its shade and looking over a forest.

-“Siggie, what the hell?” Neyaro asked.

-“What?”

-“What? what?. Where did you go??” He said angrily.

-“This guy stole my keys.”

-“Don’t feed me bullshit, I know you forgot the keys.”

-“…Shit…” He said to himself.

-“Do you understand what your forgetfulness could cost us?”

-“Yeah, I know Nerayo. I don’t usually forget. We all humans, we all do mistakes.”

-“A mistake can cost lives, Siggie.” He sighed.

-“Fine, Siggie you can go. Danil, you stay.” Siggie walked away.

-“That was not the best first impression. Well, let me introduce myself, formally this time. My name is Nerayo Tedros Tesfaye. I’m the leader of the AGG – Anti Gunkata Group. We help those who suffer by his hand.”

-“So all those tents…? All those people suffered because of him?”

-“Everyone. We group together and help each other, be it a medical situation or those who lost all meaning.”

-“Where is Katya?”

-“The little girl? She’s in care of the doctor.”

-“Where is she?”

-“In the medical tent. Come, I’ll show you.” Nerayo took the lead, he navigated through all those different tents and showed me a big tent, maybe even a pavilion with a red cross.

The tent itself is white, even on the inside. As we entered, I saw a woman with the fizzy gray hair and an olive skin tone. She was standing near a closed blue screen. There are 4 curtained areas, but only one is closed.

-“Good day Olivia, I brought her brother.” Nerayo stated.

-“There’s nothing to see here, it’s rest time.” Her voice is monotone and eyes lack any glimmer.

-“It’s just for a moment, I won’t bother you any longer.”

-“Okay, disinfect your hands first and don’t touch equipment.” She gave me a bland light blue wearied spray bottle. I sprayed its contents onto my hand, it smells like vodka. She opened the closed curtain and I saw Katya sleeping on a bed.

-“She’s comatose, no food, no water make her organismo weak. She’s need to rest and you too.” She said with her Spanish accent.

I held her cold hand dearly. It’s not room temperature cold, but colder than my own hand. Seeing her somewhat alive is making me at peace.

-“How long do I have to wear this thing?” I pointed at my right eye.

-“If you don’t move a lot, maybe 3 days. Don’t rush it, you don’t want infection. Now go, she need rest.” I left her hand, me and Nerayo made our way out of the medical tent.

-“Did you find any other survivors?” I asked Nerayo.

-“No. From Novopotka we found only you and your little sister.” I was prepared for that answer, it didn’t hit me as hard as I thought it would.

-“How many people are here?”

-“52”

-“Every single one of them suffered because of Gunkata?”

-“You could say so.”

-“So if Gunkata dies, will the suffering stop?”

->   To be continued

Author’s note:
This chapter and the next few are going to be less eventful. After the chaotic 1st chapter, I believe there needs to be a little “rest” time.

Glossary:

• Blyadski1 – Form of blyat. It means that something is fucking or fucked. In that context it means “Fucking joy ride”

• Ebaniy2 – Literally translating it means that something is fucked, but in the context it means “fucking shovel”

• Sraniy3 – Literally means shitty.