Tenth entry
#12 of The seven Days of Fire
Tenth entry
"When I regained consciousness it was already dark. I didn't expect to still be alive. But apparently Hawkins has routed the Shrikers. Hawkins... so now he's dead too. None of the others survived either. The drones did a great job. I am alone now. The last one who survived. This fact tore me into a deep mental hole. For a moment I thought about letting it end here and now. But then everything would have been in vain, our journey, the deaths of others, all the suffering. I have made a final decision: I will complete the journey or perish. I owe it to the others. I gathered everything that was still usable. It's not much. The drones have rendered all weapons useless. So I head towards the river. I feel the drones watching me. I can hear them, but I don't see them. Why don't they attack me?
...
I arrived in a village in the afternoon. It was deserted. There were no signs of battle. The windows and doors were properly locked. It appears to have been properly cleared. I didn't find any supplies or useful equipment. The residents took everything with them. However, there was a picture in one house that caught my eye. An old man could be seen on it. He reminds me of the old man we met at the granary. He said then: Don't go north. Did he know what would happen here? Now I'll move on. There is no more point in turning back than in staying here. Besides, there are still a good fifty miles until I reach the first suburbs of the garrison. A lonely march. I still hope that Ephthalian or at least Serumian soldiers are waiting for me there."
Hiredeki closes his diary again and puts it in his bag. He looks around again. In the distance you can still see the church tower of the village he passed through. It's late afternoon, the sun is already low over the horizon and casting long shadows. It is completely silent all around. Only the characteristic crunch of boots on the asphalt can be heard. Hiredeki slowly walks towards the garrison town. The rustling of the leaves in the light breeze is shockingly loud and it is only now that Hiredeki notices that the high-frequency whirring of the servos, typical of his companions, has completely disappeared. He looks around nervously and listens, but there is already absolute silence again and the rustling of the leaves has also stopped again. Hiredeki looks at the forests around him with a skeptical look. But he finds no sign of his pursuers. However, after a while he decides to move on.
...
It is already late evening when he reaches a small hut that turns out to be a bus stop. Hiredeki amusedly studies the timetable posted on the outside of the hut.
"What a shame, I missed the last bus to the garrison. Well, I guess I'll have to spend the night here."
Hiredeki enters the hut and examines the bench attached to the back wall.
"Well, it's definitely better than lying on the floor. I won't lie soft in either case. Well then, let's go."
He takes his bag and places it at one end of the bench to use as a pillow. He lies down on the bench and tries to fall asleep. It takes a while until he finally calms down. It is a restless, unrefreshing sleep. In his dream he relives the last days. He tosses and turns on the bench, making loud complaining noises until he finally falls off the bench and wakes up bathed in sweat. He looks around completely confused. For a moment, Hiredeki is completely disoriented until he finally knows where he is again. He sits up with difficulty, leans against the wall of the hut and rests his head on his hands. He only slept for two hours. Thousands of thoughts race through Hiredeki's head. As soon as he closes his eyes, his deceased companions appear before him and reprimand him for still being alive. He tilts his head back and looks up at the stars through the small holes in the roof. He looks for justifications as to why he should survive until now. But even with this he cannot calm his conscience. Only when the morning dawns and the birds announce the next day does Hiredeki fall back into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
... to be continued...