Red Path

-“It’s time, let’s go Danil.” The moment Nerayo said it, I felt a jolt of joy for the first time after what felt like eternity.

After that night, time feels different. It’s as if I exist beyond it. Minutes will take centuries and days will pass in less of a second. Except now.

I rushed to the medical tent. For the first time after a while, I want to rush somewhere. I feel excited but also worried, what if it won’t go well? What will I say? Katya will finally wake up. The only person on this god forsaken earth, the only loved one who survived.

Here I stand before her unconscious body. She sleeps peacefully under a nice blanket. This face is so peaceful, it feels contagious.

-“Shhhh” Olivia put her index finger on the lips.

There’s a small mirror outside of the curtains. I remember that Siggie said that I look like a bad guy with this eye patch. What if he’s right?

My face… It looks different now. Behind the eye patch were hiding scars. 4 horizontal scars across my right eye. Do I still look like a bad guy? What am I thinking about? She won’t be scared of her own Brother’s face.

We stand there in silence as she opens her eyes. She opened her eyes! If Olivia didn’t tell me to stay quiet, I would jump, dance, shout and laugh. Instead, I just happily cry in silence.

She looks around in confusion. Come on, say it. Say my name, call out to me. Please. Let me hear that you’re awake.

She looks at Olivia with distrust. At me she looks with different eyes. She tries to get up, but instantly collapsed back to the bed. Olivia touched her shoulder and Katya started to scream.

-“It’s alright, she won’t harm you. It’s me Dan’ka, your brother. You’re safe here.” I hold her in my arms, it doesn’t seem that she reacted to my words. She just looks at Olivia.

-“Good news, she is not dead.” Olivia still has that stoic expression. Not even a hint that she has emotions.

-“Katya’s probably just scared, confused… She’s not like this…”

-“Hopeful. Buenas noches.” She left.

-“Are you hungry?” I asked Katya while patting her slightly oily hair. In return, there was no reaction. At all.

-“Can you hear me?” I held my hand in front of her eyes, but she still stared at the wall. Right through my hand. Maybe she just needs to rest?

She fell asleep after a few hours, I fell asleep shortly. Even though the sleep was short, I feel more rested. She’s still sleeping like a little angel. The only angel in my life. I won’t fail you again, I’ll protect you.

In the middle of the tent, an orange sun shaft has hit the bottom. Small and very quiet footsteps are heard across the tent. Soon a shadowy figure appeared before me.

-“You’re still here?” She asked while keeping her voice down. With great hesitation, I put Katya’s head on a pillow and I stood up.

-“I don’t tell you to go. It’s good that big brother stay by her side.”

-“After sleeping so much, she went to sleep again. She liked to sleep before that...”

-“She need to wake up. She need food, water and work muscle. Enough rest. You wake her.”

-“Katyushka… Wake up.” I twitched slightly her shoulder. How should I explain all this?

She opened her eyes. She looked at me with confused eyes, but then she rubbed her eyes.

-“Aah!” She made a sound while extending her hand to me.

-“Good morning.”

-“Ah, Ah!” Why does she talk like this?

Olivia approached her with a thermometer. The moment she touched Katya, she started to scream. She rushed away to me and started to hold dearly, as if that thermometer is the manifestation of all of her fears.

-“Wait here.” She exited the tent. When I look into Katya’s green eyes. There’s still some sort of familiarity, but they seem different.

Olivia came back with some another person. When he approached her, she went into hysteria like she did with Olivia. She tried to hide from him using me.

-“Poor thing. Just as I thought.”

-“What is happening, Olivia?”

-“She suffering from trauma. The trauma is so big that she forget everything. She’s basically a baby.”

-“Will this be over?”

-“I don’t know. I saw similar things. Some return back after a few days. Some remained the same until the dead.”

-“What.”

-“I’m sorry.”

-“No… It can’t be…” Little by little, word after word, my heart sunk even deeper. I need air.

I looked up to the bright sky. It’s not too cold, just a little nice breeze. The clouds are numbered, the sky is mostly clear. Wasn’t it enough? You took everything, everything! My family, my friends, my home, my soul. Just when I thought that at least someone survived, my Katya is dead.

Why? What did I do? Please God, if you exist, tell me. Why? Which sin so evil I’ve committed to deserve this? Why did we deserve this? Why didn’t you help us? Why do you just stay up there, smile in your comfort while we suffer here.

You know what? Fuck you God, fuck you, fuck you and fuck you! Fuck everyone! I can’t take this anymore. Of all the people on earth, it had to be me? No! I’ll make you regret this.

I get it now. Gunkata, I will kill you. I will make you regret your own birth. If God does indeed exist, if he didn’t ignore our cries, I am the answer to people’s cries. It is my mission to kill you. I’ve been born just for this mission. I’ll do anything to kill you. I’ll slaughter every fucking animal on my way. Even if I’ll have to kill people. Even if I’ll have to kill women, even if I’ll kill children. I’ll kill you and I’ll make you suffer. God isn’t your concern, I am. Hell will be paradise compared to what I’ll do to you. I swear.

I feel it. The blood in my veins has turned into lava. The whole world is just a shade of red. Nothing will stop me, nothing will stand in my way. So much power, so much energy. I’ll become an unstoppable force, just with this, I’ll decimate you. I’ll stab you with your own bones. I’ll strangle you with your own guts.

I’ll kill you, I’ll do it now. I’ll track you from Novopotka. I’ll do it now.

-“Where are you going?”

I’ll continue, I’ll kill you.

-“Stop!” I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. Who’s stopping me? Who’s the fucking subhuman?

-“The whole camp can feel your bloodlust. Tell me, what happened.” Said Nerayo

-“Don’t get in my way!”

-“You’re going after Gunkata? You’ll die.”

-“I won’t!”

-“He has an army. He’s already far enough. Drink some water, it’s good for you.”

-“Fuck your water!”

-“What’s the commotion? Nerayo?” Asked Siggie

-“Danil is angry.”

-“Again?”

-“Fuck off! Don’t get in my way!” Siggie stepped in front of me.

-“Danil, rage will just get you into deeper shit.” Siggie said.

-“Shut the fuck up and fuck off.”

-“Nerayo he’s won’t listen. Plan B?”

-“Plan B.”

Everything went dark. There’s just me and the void. The shades of red cool down into just pitch black. The hell just happened? How did I get here? It’s so nice in here. It’s just me and darkness. Nothing is happening, nothing to be worried about. Time is timeless. I like it here.

I remembered something. It was when I we visited Vanya in the city. We had to take a bus because our car wasn’t good enough for those distances. That bus was gray and yellowish, even a little rusty. The paint from the orange stripe was almost all worn out.

Inside the bus were leatherette uncomfortable seats. When we boarded the bus, the sun was just rising. It was a very cold morning with a some light rain. The seats were really cold as well. We all were half sleepy and Katya was just asleep in dad’s arms. Only after the first 15 minutes my butt started to hurt. It was a long road.

Why do I see my legs? Am I sitting? I feel cold. Am I wet?

-“You awake?” I tried to move my arms, but they didn’t move. They’re tied up with a rope. At least that’s how it feels like. When I looked up, I saw Siggie and Nerayo staring at me from above. It seems I’m sitting.

-“Sorry about that my guy, you got a little too angry.”

-“…What…? What happened...?” My head hurts…

-“Long story short, plan B.”

-“You calmed down?” Nerayo kneeled down, meeting the same eye level as me. Little by little, I start to remember.

-“I guess.”

-“Well now we can talk. One acquaintance once told me that, all is lost when the blood gets to your head.” Nerayo points at my forehead.

-“And what do you expect me? To just deal with losing everything?”

-“To be honest I expect nothing. You’re a kid who lost everything and it’s not even your fault. I’d react the same if I were your age. We’re adults, we know and we warn you to not repeat the same mistake.”

-“Even so. I’m going to kill Gunkata.”

-“My guy, he has an army. He’s already far away. Even if you’re lucky, Gunkata will shoot you before you’ll shit yourself out of fear.”

-“I’ll do it quietly, from behind. I’ll bring the entire army of the world to hunt him. I don’t care how, I’ll kill him. You can’t change that.”

-“Let me guess, you’re on your revenge path or some other bullcrap like that?”

-“Just don’t give me this bullshit how revenge isn’t worth it. I’ve seen what Gunkata did, I’ve seen what his men did. Every good person will benefit if he’ll die.”

-“Taking down a man like him, it has a price.”

-“I don’t care. I’ll pay it. What is it? My life? Life of his men? They’re damn monsters too. Price isn’t that big.”

-“It’s more than that… It’s-”

-“I don’t care. I’ll kill him and I’ll cut through anyone on my way. Even if I’ll have to do it alone.”

-“And what about your sister? We’ve tried to make her drink water, but she was fighting everyone. She won’t let anyone touch her except you. Are you ready to abandon her?”

-“…That’s not Katya… They real Katya is dead...” The lump in the throat… again…

-“Who knows. Maybe she will wake up. The only way you’ll find out is if you stay with her.”

-“But I have to kill Gunkata.”

-“Why? Don’t you fear that you’ll live your sister alone?”

-“I am. But someone has to do it and it better be me.”

-“It’s no use chief.” Siggie looked at Nerayo and rolled his eyes.

-“Fine. But don’t blame yourself. The young always don’t listen.” Nerayo sighed as he went back. I can finally move my hands so I stood up. The rope is still around my wrists.

-“Wait-” I yanked hard at the knot and the rope fell off.

-“So you’re not going to reconsider?”

-“No.”

-“If that’s so, then come with me. It’s not a matter for other ears.” I went with Nerayo to a nearby forest which is just at the other side of the road.

On our way, we found a small and shallow river and a deer drinking from it. The river is so shallow, my entire foot cannot be submerged. It noticed us and ran away. We walked a bit more. We found little white mushrooms growing from a tree.

-“Can we eat them?” Nerayo pointed at the mushrooms.

-“I don’t know.”

-“I see, better to not take any chances.” We went a little further.

The birds are chirping. We can still hear the river, though the sound is weak. The wind makes the branches hit each other, disturbing the forest and the leaves.

We saw a bush with red Raspberries. I ate one, it was sweet. Nerayo joined in, but then the spat it out. When I looked to what was a whole beautiful Raspberry, is now a red jumble. Out of that jumble, a small worm emerged.

-“So, do you know why the AGG exists?”

-“To help survivors?”

-“Mainly. But there’s another reason to why it exists.”

-“What is it?”

-“To take down Gunkata, or at least help with it.”

-“Then why were you against me going to kill Gunkata?”

-“Don’t you realize it? Alone and without any training, you’ll die. You’ll die in vain.”

-“So? Are you going to train me or you’re still trying to convince me to give up on revenge?”

-“We’re going to train you. After that, we’ll send you on missions to weaken Gunkata’s power. It’s either that or you’ll go alone.”

-“I see. If it gets me closer, then I’ll do it.”

-“One more thing, don’t tell anyone about this. AGG isn’t an illegal group, but the killing, is illegal. Nobody has to know, even the campmates.”

-“Okay, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

-“Great, we have an agreement then.”

We came back to the camp. Olivia was waiting for me. She’s holding her left palm. We both went to the medical tent, where Katya was sitting on the floor.

-“You’re Danil? Her brother?” Another man asked me. His left hand is almost entirely in bite marks.

-“Yes.” Our eyes have met. I feel the lump in my throat again.

-“Ah!” She exclaimed with a happy expression. She doesn’t seem so defensive now. An innocent face has replaced the eyes of a cornered herbivore. She crawled closer to me and I sat down. The man gave me a water bottle. I opened it and tilted it to her mouth. Little by little she drank.

So this is my new life.

-> To be continued

Author’s note

Up until recently, I didn’t think that eggs and bananas worked together. After trying a banana omelet, I’ve changed my mind. What? Did you expect something related to the chapter itself? Oh well, I will give a few words – Get ready for edgy Danil. To be honest, not my favorite part of the character, but it’s necessary.