Fourth entry
#6 of The seven Days of Fire
Fourth entry
"We lost Simsibar. He had probably come into too much contact with the poison in the grain. The refugees tried everything, but he didn't make it. The other three of us more or less survived. It seems to be a particularly insidious poison. It kills you without you realizing it. You get tired at some point and that's it. This war is hell. But as they say, the first casualty of war is innocence. We buried Simsibar last night. We spent a few days with the refugees. It amazes me how calmly they bear their fate. They feel no anger towards us. I learned a lot about the situation at the front from the priest. It seems that the Torekmetians have occupied the entire principality and are driving out or killing all the locals. Hmm well, we didn't do anything else. As the priest said, I will carry this guilt, as well as the guilt for the death of my comrades, for the rest of my life. The three of us will now continue on our way."
Hiredeki rises from Simsibar's grave and walks back to the other two. Together they go through the equipment once more. Despite the fact that their chances of survival have increased immensely as a result of Simsibar's death, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth to lose a good comrade. After checking their equipment, they set off again in the direction of Seruma. They leave their comrade behind in no man's land. No one will remember him if they are dead too. There is still a long way to go, they have only covered just under 400 miles.
...
Further ahead lies a small village. The priest had spoken of it. He said there was no one left there. A good opportunity to sleep in a bed again. So the three of them quicken their pace and approach the village. Most of the houses are still intact, the fighting here didn't seem to have been that bad. Hiredeki sends the others off to search the houses for supplies and equipment. Meanwhile, Hiredeki heads for the house they have chosen. It is an old house in the middle of the village with a good view of most of the village. He slowly approaches and pulls his rifle from the cart. He could have sworn something was moving in there. Slowly he walks towards the front door. The others are out of shouting distance and leaving the house now would be too conspicuous. He stops next to the door and loudly loads his gun. 'Let them hear this...' he thinks as he prepares himself mentally and physically to storm the house. At that moment, he hears a young voice calling from inside.
"Hold your fire. We're coming out."
So he was not mistaken.
"OK. I'm not going to shoot. Come out. Nothing will happen to you."
It takes a moment, but then he hears the old lock on the door being turned. Slowly and creakily, the door is opened and a young woman comes out of the house with a small child. They look startled at Hiredeki, who is still standing next to the door with his rifle. Hiredeki takes a moment to make sure it's not a trap and lowers the gun. He looks at the two of them, dumbfounded. Suddenly hundreds of questions come to his mind, but before he can react, the others return. They also have company. Two older men, obviously refugees. When they see Hiredeki leaving the house with the two of them, their expressions change from dejected to hopeless. Hiredeki looks them over and waits until they have all reached him. When everyone is finally together, Hiredeki puts his rifle away again and turns to his companions.
"Where did you find them?"
One of the two soldiers shrugs his shoulders.
"Hmmm, they were more likely to have found us. We were searching a house when we heard them outside. Well, they didn't put up any resistance, they just said we shouldn't hurt them. We weren't going to. We said we wanted to bring them to you so we could see what happened."
Hiredeki nods and thinks for a moment before turning to the men.
"We are deserters. You have nothing to fear from us. We just want to survive. We'll stay here for a night or two and then we'll move on. We don't want to bother you, we're just looking for a place to stay for the night. Maybe something to eat. We had no intention of frightening you, but in times like these we have become cautious."
The older men look at Hiredeki sharply for a moment, but when he doesn't avoid their gaze, they relax a little and reply:
"Strangers. We don't have much, but we will share what little we have with you. We too are on the run. The fact that you belonged to the armed forces does not change the fact that we are all in the same boat. Come in and share our camp with us."
The older men lead the way and take the young woman and the child into the house. Hiredeki and the others follow them and take their equipment into the hallway. After they have stowed everything away, they go further into the house and join the fugitives.
...
The next morning, the three soldiers set off again. They have learned a lot from their hosts during the night. Where the Torekmetian army is located, where the routes are safe and which areas are to be avoided. In return, the three reveal what they know about the granary traps and the route they have already taken. It is still early in the morning when Hiredeki and his two companions set off. Protected by the fog that morning, they pass a Torekmetian troop unnoticed, who are on their way to the village they left that morning.
...
Even as they move on, the soldiers' shots can be heard far behind them. With narrowed eyes, Hiredeki walks on. There was nothing they could have done, even if they had wanted to. He pushes the feelings of guilt out of his head and tries to concentrate on the road ahead so that he is not consumed by his emotions. However, he doesn't really succeed.
...
Towards evening they reach a forest, just as one of the refugees had described, where they should be safe. For now, at least.
... to be Continued ...