Epiphany

Marching. Hordes and hordes of desperate people are marching towards their inevitable doom, wearing nothing but ragged clothes and manmade improvised shields. The most disconsolate thing is; they know what it is they’re marching towards. It’s so utterly and ultimately sad…but necessary, requisite even. In a way one could call it beauty that is displayed here in these eclipsed lands. But here I am, waiting. Anxiously waiting for my own pending doom. And though I know it’s absolutely the only way, the most disconsolate thing is; I know I am. But that’s the plan, that’s the agreement and so here I am, waiting with some other fuckers with elderly worm-eaten rifles hanging over our skeletal shoulders, supported by hands that have tasted violence only when it was imposed on them. This collective of sacks and bones is nervously waiting on the cue that our dear friend is going to give. A red flare.

There it is!

As quick and silent as we can we open the wooden door and rush towards the bastion of the wall across the market square. The gushing rain is impeding my sight but also theirs. I keep running and keep my head low. I look to the left and right, none of the serpents followers seem to have noticed us so far. One of my co-insurgents point towards a place near the bastion. There! The hole in the wall our friend told us about! Keep running!

Bang! A loud bang takes over my brain and for a moment I’m blind. I fall down and cover my head.

Keep running! I feel a jerk on my right arm. “Get the fuck up! You’re alright, let’s go!” Without thinking I get up and within a few seconds I crash my back against concrete and. Safe…for now. Still dizzy from the bang and well disoriented due to the pouring rain. All I can think of is you and I close my eyes.

Slowly I’m stroking the rich fields of grain. To my left there is gently rippling a river blue like the sky. And I hear your voice softly getting louder as you come running towards me. A faint breeze in your waving dark hair and the sunlight beams gingery tickling your skin. A beautiful white smile meets my perplexed gaze. Even after all those years I’m in love. You reach out to take my hand.

“Get up let’s go!” The warmth I just felt is quickly washed away by dreadful reality. I look in the eyes of my co-insurgent and get up as quickly as I can. Still drowsy, dreamy even I walk inside the first hall of the bastion that the first team cleared out. I grab my rifle and take aim whilst taking turns opening doors and slinking through alleys. We take up pace and my confidence gets a boost. Although I never unload a shot I make myself helpful. A left, another left, a right, another right.

And there…I see the enemy. Though a blink of a second , everything seems to slow down and I see your face smiling vaguely in front of me, my love. I blink and fire. A clean shot through his esophagus, the man drops his rifle and slides down the wall slowly gargling to death.

One of my brothers in arms gives me a quick wink: “Good shot!” We continue. After systematically clearing the first floor, the way our dear friend told us, we encounter the main hall. Although historically this was the townhall, the serpent refurnished it as his main control room. Two large spiral staircases go up towards a center balcony. On it the control panel we ought to destroy. I stand in the entrance and look around…

“The serpent surely did understaff a room this important…” One of my brothers walks past me. “Easier job for us this way eh? Come on lads!” Suspiciously I keep standing inside the entrance whilst the rest of the group walks inside. Slowly and precisely scouting the area. Watching our every step. Silently we climb up the spiral stairs, one team to the left, one team to the right. I’m second in line and constantly watching the edge of the upper floor we are slowly approaching. Still no enemy in sight. I peek over the shoulder of our front guy and see the control panel, I signal the man with a simple hand move. Carefully we approach the control panel.

At once red lights begin to flicker and an insanely loud alarm rings. “Fuck it, cover me!” One of my colleagues cries and runs towards the panel. “Give me 90 seconds!”. We spread out and cover behind some pillars and flip over the oak-wooden diner tables as means of protection. “Let them have it!” the man next to me screams.

I feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I’ll make it through my love, for you…for us. I hear footsteps approaching and hear the first bullets ricocheting of off the stone pillars. An agonizing scream bellows up from behind a table, a first hit… The next seconds I keep firing and ducking and firing and ducking from behind my table. Constantly looking towards the control panel, checking if the man is still alive. “I did it!”

The man comes running towards me, but all of a sudden his eyes spread wide open. Blood comes seeping out of his mouth. The defusing of the control panel painted his demise. An honorable man indeed… “Let’s go!” I yell as loud as I can.

Duck and cover, duck and cover. I sprint towards the spiraling staircases and slide down as quickly as I can. Upon landing I feel my knees pop and a sharp pain shoots through my body. Luckily the adrenaline takes over and I manage to find a side exit and I enter the outside air. In front of me the market square and at the opposite end the house where it all started. I sprint like a madman and hear and feel the bullets flying around me. One ricochets of off my helmet. 50 meters, 20… A sharp pain pierces my left shoulder blade. I stumble as the door opens. I role inside and turn behind the stone wall, the door closes behind me. Ten companions are present in the house. I drop my rifle and breathe heavily, air of utter relief. “We’ve done it.” I whisper. Slowly I look towards my left shoulder and see the blood-soaked rags around them. “We’ll take care of that.” A raspy but friendly voice echoes through my mind as I close my eyes. All black now, all dark.

Slowly I’m stroking the rich fields of grain again. To my left there is gently rippling a river blue like the sky. And I hear your voice softly getting louder as you come running towards me. A faint breeze in your waving dark hair and the sunlight beams gingery tickling your skin. A beautiful white smile meets my perplexed gaze. Even after all those years I’m in love. You reach out and take my hand.
Our lips meet and it feels like we combine, two humans as one whilst warmth fills the space around us. A soft breeze passes us by, the scent of summer in the air.

I open my eyes, and my gaze meets yours.

An indubitably happy and familiar voice tells me: “It’s over”. And we kiss and smile and tears roll over our cheeks.

I get up, still weak, but determent to walk. You reach out to take my hand. Our lips meet and it feels like we combine, two humans as one whilst warmth fills the space around us. And where we previously marched towards inevitable doom, we now walk towards the sunset of uncertain but sanguine future.