Hush! Be quiet!
The hands are removed from our mouth after convincing us to be calm. His short words is enough for us. The strange man goes toward the hole on the wall and while he looks through the hole, makes it clear with his hand that we should be quiet. The sound of shooting and then collapsing the wall are heard:
It was from here. I heard it. I don’t know where they disappeared.
Then the sound of two other men is heard who enter the room. One of them asks:
What happened, did you find them?
The other one replies from the room:
They may have escaped through the windows.
No, it’s too high. They couldn’t escape through them.
Then he begins cursing:
Damn! We should find them.
You two, go downstairs and stay there, and we both go to the fifth floor to search there. If you find them don’t let them escape, even one of them should not escape.
The sound of stamping feet, which seems to be for salute, is heard. Then the echoing sounds gradually fade away. The two other, noticing the footsteps, go upstairs. Their footsteps is heard such as the rats or wandering ghosts in the sewer.
There is a small room in which, like the old times, the king hid after a defeat. It has two windows in both sides to view outside. The only furniture in the room are the chair and a table with some burnt candles on it. The room is too small so that three persons could not lie beside each other. It has been built just for a reason, like a tiger’s camouflage, it is for being out of sight from the others, and also to view them all.
Unlike all other walls, no hole can’t be seen on the walls here. Their whitey color shows that the security measures have been considered. There is also a field glasses hung from the nail on the wall. In a corner, is a folded sleeping bag with a raincoat on it, and beside them is the stranger’s knapsack.
Vorarin rises hesitantly. The bandage around my injured foot has become loose and my foot is red. The stranger appraises us. His face is sort of familiar. When I see his grayish white hair, and also his bushy moustache which matches his short beard, I place him. Compared to a few years ago, his mostly black hair has turned into mostly white.
His moustache has not been an exception to this case. The wrinkles on his face have become slightly more and remind me of the cracks on the desert. But he looks at me as a stranger.
Wait till they’ve gone, then you go immediately. You’d better not to make sound.
Then he goes toward his knapsack and begins to arrange it. He also puts the sleeping bag on the back of his knapsack.
Whenever they go, we all would get out of here, and you would go on your way.
He looks at us askance.
I want to introduce myself but then I avoid it and just say:
But we both are members of the “Hope” shelter.
He frowns and this spreads all over his face. But he doesn’t throw caution into the winds and says:
So you are A-6 and A-7?
His eyes appraise us, while he smiles. He seems like an experienced teacher who can read his student’s mind at the first glance and is aware of their inner man.
Why you didn’t reply us? You should simply wrote a word then we never stuck in this funk.
He doesn’t notice me at all. As he become busy with the insignia, he says:
We couldn’t trust everyone, or reply to each message we receive. You know well each could be a trap.
I hear the blue soldiers who drag their legs like the defeated army and like a wounded tiger, going downstairs. Their curses echo through the building as in a mountain.
He is the same Nabidak whom Karisan talked in the “Dawn” shelter before going to bed, and then he left there. He goes toward his binoculars and takes it off. Then he goes near the window and looks at outside. After a while focusing on a single point, he moves his binoculars; he is following the soldiers through the binoculars. Vorarin is standing in a corner and is still shocked. Nabidak brings out his notebook and writes on it.
Until things become completely safe, you have a look at your friend’s foot. I think he couldn’t go on with this leg. This way we may lose one of our group personnel.
Vorarin, like the thunderstruck people, takes a clean handkerchief and gets busy with cleaning my foot, while he lowers his head. Nabidak hesitates a moment and then says:
How did they find you?
He is still looking outside through his binoculars.
They set some sensors in the corridors.
He sets aside his binoculars and asks:
How did you find them?
His looks is full of doubt.
Their lights are invisible, but I saw their supply on the wall by chance. They may set them in other locations.
He takes his binocular again and looks at outside:
I myself set them on the wall to inform me if someone enters. They found you otherwise.
Vorarin’s hands trembles while working and he just looks at my foot. He looks at me once in a while and steals a glance at me. He prepares stitching outfits again and then get busy with stitching. Nabidak pulls a nail on the door which is used as a handle; a quadrangular emerges from the wall and comes into view.
I go out to have a look at outside to see if there is someone. You get ready till I come back. They may back momently.
He closes the door and just his footsteps can be heard which fades away after a short time.
It aches too much.
Thanks god he showed up. Do you know this guy? I mean he maybe posed as one of the group personnel.
Don’t be afraid! Your anxiety is inapposite.
Can we trust him?
Yeah, if you don’t trust in yourself but you can trust him. He’s been in service as much as we lived. However I’ve seen him just two or three times.
But I don’t like him more.
The sound of Nabidak’s footsteps cut our words. Door opens and he makes us to get up by the sign of his hand. While his face shows the coolness and self-confidence, he says:
There is no sign of them for the time being. We can go.
He takes his knapsack and moves ahead of us. The soft breeze brings us the smell of his body sweat. His clothes hangs in tatters. He stops on the stairs ahead of us and shows us an object with a monitor on it. It can be held in his palm. A red light blinks on it. Then, he sits on his legs and takes two black small objects off the wall. He puts them into his knapsack and then we move again.
I feel as if I put my right foot on the thousands nails. Once in a while, Vorarin helps me and I put my weight on his shoulder. In the fourth floor, we are constrained to reach to the other side from where the stairs have collapsed, with the help of the banisters near the stairs. I feel like my soul is leaving my body until we finish passing through the banisters. Although it takes a long time we reach downstairs, he says nothing and moves forward in step with me. Before we exit from the building, I take the letters from under the debris. We manage to get out through a ruined wall and enter a rather broad street.
We should pass through the houses lest they see us. I go ahead of you, sign you when I find everywhere safe. Don’t do anything wrong. They may be everywhere. Look, do you have gun?
He receives his answer from our looks. So he removes two pistols from under his shirt and says:
Unlock them but be very careful. They each have just seven bullets and I’m out of ammo. Just fire in case of emergency; use them only when you know you would kill by them. They’re much more than us in number. If they find our place our number is up. It’s no long way to there but it may happen thousands of events in this way.
Then he goes to the other side of the street and enters one of the buildings. Vorarin sits on his knees and we wait till he informs us. The wind bears no news and just pours some sands on us and then goes away. Suddenly a sharp sound is heard. We hesitate a moment but we hear the same sound again. I move along with Vorarin and we cross the street. Then we see Nabidak who monitors us t
hrough a window. The house has nothing special to describe, it looks like all other buildings. Nabidak comes down quickly from the first floor. Vorarin holds out his pistol toward Nabidak:
I don’t need it.
Nabidak takes it with no question and says:
We should pass through these ruins. Although we would be seen less, don’t throw caution into the winds. We go on this way. Keep your distance.
Then he moves on and we follow him at a distance. We move forward through the buildings, cellars, basements, and roofs for half an hour continuously. Although we are half of his age, we drop behind him and we gasp. My leg is slightly better and allows me to walk faster. He always moves ahead and then signals us. Finally we enter a narrower street. He, with his short raincoat and the hat on his head, looks like a night killer who looks for his next victim.
All of a sudden, I hear a sound which causes me stop. I open my mouth to inform Nabidak but I see him bent down and shows us his hand to be quiet. Then he signs us to go toward the wall and hide ourselves.
We’d better bypass here.
My suggestion is out of fear. With the Nabidak’s signal, we go toward the wall of the building which has collapsed on the middle of the street and hide behind it to be out of sight.
No, we should have a look at inside. You stay here till I come back.
He stands up to go but he takes a pause and says:
Zairas, you must enter the building from the other side. We may need to blindside them.
Hearing my name from his mouth, I wonder. Maybe he knows me. Vorarin is so nervous that hears nothing.
Let’s see, do we need enter that building?
He fails to answer me. He just makes me to be silent by his hand sign. This is an almost big building that two big signboards, which are still readable, has covered its two sides. There are still some words readable on the signboards which are not faded and among them “Hotel” can be seen.
I go from right side, you from the left. And you, better stay here, and don’t ask this much when you’re in the mission.
Vorarin shakes his head but I guess he regrets for giving back his gun. I pass through some cars when he signals me with his hand, and reach near the building. I pause for a second and look at the dark alley by the hotel. I hold onto the wall. I am ready to inform others if I see something suspicious.
After considering the situation for a while, I hold the gun in front my eyes to be able to aim at. I go forward slowly but I reach to the end of the building sooner than I thought. I feel too much cold which trembles my body. I am almost behind the building. I check around carefully and stay there too much. I gulp my saliva and go toward the backdoor cautiously.
I wait for a short time, maybe I see Nabidak but there is no sign of him. So I decide to stay here, but suddenly it comes to my mind maybe he needs my help. There is no intact wall to makes me enter through the door. There is a break on the walls wherever I look which a car can pass through them easily. I put my feet on the hardpan to make less sound. I enter the building. Everywhere is suffused with a bad smell. I move forward slowly in the darkness.
The more I go ahead the more smell is. The strange sound echoes through the building. Here is an open space in which there is no room or corridor. There are just some shabby walls in front of me at the end of the building. I move forward like a sewer rat that just its sounds is heard off and on, and I hold the gun in my hand.
All of a sudden, a blue soldier appears from behind a half ruined wall like the thunderbolt and hold his gun toward me. I don’t know how he scented my presence? I also aim at him.
He holds his gun toward me and doesn’t move. I aim at his head. I can’t see his eyes and this makes me problem. I could read his mind easily from his eyes and the mood of his face but now I can’t make a decision in this situation. I should try to keep my spirits up lest I give my rival a chance. So I stare at him and hold my head up. I don’t wink my eyelids, I am standing without motion. I want to show him my self-confidence.
Suddenly I see the smoke which fades him away. I don’t lower my gun but I bend a little and lower my head. I wait until the smoke clears and I find out what happened. The white smoke disappears in less than few seconds and I see the blue soldier who lied on the floor but his gun is still in his hand.
My eyes slip from the gun on the soldier. I see no blood. I see in the darkness a faded shadow appears from behind that shabby wall. His body is in the dark but I can see that he wore his hair in ponytail. He goes toward the soldier with no words and throws the gun away of soldier’s reach. Then he turns the soldier with his leg and looks at him for a while. The glass on his helmet is broken like the car window and his face is invisible.
That trigger is made you pull and fire it.
He smiles as he shakes his head. His voice is soft, and his body seems a rather horrible in darkness; he is tall and his arms are thick and his body is an athletic build. He can do the same thing that the blue soldier experienced just with his punch. Nabidak jumps down from the first floor and lands between us:
What’re you doing here?
The strange man goes toward the stairs and sits on it. Then he smiles jeeringly and says:
You gathered people and made a group for yourself!? From where you find them?
Nabidak presses his lips and says:
Shouldn’t you be on your post now?
Do you teach me a lesson? We’re here for a week, despite you know no news here.
We can’t leave them so easily. We should be curious to find out about their motives. You speak as if it doesn’t concern to you and it doesn’t matter to you at all!
You, too, speak like you don’t know we’re wasting our time. We just keep our eyes on some soldiers to see what the hell they’re doing here!
It’s not a good reason you leave your post. Nobody knows where they might be.
The strange man sneers again:
Yeah, surely nobody knows their place. You detained so many people instead of you get ready for defense. Yea, nobody knows but Karisan and Parkad and a few more.
Nabidak, who cannot convince him, takes a deep breath and says:
Well, what’s up? What are they doing there? You were supposed to turn on your insignia once in a while and give us some news, what happened then?
As usual, they’re discovering. I think they’ve figured out now that we pulled their legs. But, a few hours ago they were busy as in their first day. The town will sink into the sands sooner than they thought. Almost all of their soldiers are working. They might find me at any moment, so I left there. I forgot this damned insignia absolutely.
All of a sudden, Nabidak turns and holds his gun toward the shadow who appears from behind the building.
It’s me, Vorarin.
Nabidak mutters some curses and lowers his gun.
Our mission is almost finished. We’ll leave here within next three or four days.
The stranger turns his eyes to the other place and says:
It’s good you arrived at this conclusion unless we would be suffocated under the sands by next week.
Now cut it out. You know that I can’t make any decision. You were free to choose not to enter the mission from the beginning. Now that you joined, you should go on to the end. Now we have to go to the base. We need to consult Parkad.
The stranger points at both of us with his eyes. Nabidak shakes his head and says:
You didn’t kill him, did you?
No. we don’t need to hide ourselves, they know we’re here. They posted guards in some buildings. They scour the town for us but they don’t give up rummaging.
Nabidak lifts his lips to show his derision, and then checks his cartridge clip:
Well, I go ahead of you. kidaton! You follow us behind these two guys. So, you two, stay between us.
Next he takes a pause, as if he changed his opinion. He says to Kidaton:
Come in to the room, I wanna talk to you in private.
Then they enter the room in the rig
ht side which is almost intact. I hear they stop and it seems they begin to talk. Vorarin comes beside me and leans on the wall:
You left me there high and dry to chat with each other here? Who was this one?
You guess!
I had never seen Kidaton, but I had heard his name. Vorarin doesn’t know yet that he is beside the most trustful persons.
Maybe he is A-3?
That’s right. Everything is going well.
Vorarin points at the blue soldier:
Who’s this? Did you this to him?
I shake my head in sign of no and then I go toward the blue soldier. Curiosity attracts me to him, I cannot lose this chance. As I guess, he is dressed in blue army clothes and fastened a belt with ammunition and a torch around his waist. Besides a machine gun, he has two pistols on his belt. His breast goes up and down fast and his breath, which comes out through the broken glass on his helmet, makes the sands fly.
Suddenly my eyes meet the dark room which the soldier and Kidaton have come out from. The room has no way to light enters, and only some parts of the sidewall which is joined to another room, are collapsed so that a thin man can hardly pass through it. The presence of Kidaton and the blue soldier in that room is slightly unusual. There is a hole on the ceiling of the room which more likely Kidaton has entered the room through it.
What’s the matter?
I have nothing to reply vorarin. I just say:
It’s clear from their words that they were already aware of the matter. They’ve gotten everything somehow.
The “Hope” group doesn’t lose anything so easily. They got ready for everything.
Then he becomes silent and I stare at the blue soldier. After a rather short time, Nabidak and Kidaton come out of the room and Nabidak says:
As I said, we move.
They check around, then Nabidak moves at a distance from us. He moves forward through the ruined buildings and we follow him too. Kidaton takes steps in silence. He stops once in a while to keep his distance from us. Sometimes, he pulls himself up with one hand from the height and then comes down easily from which I am sure if I jump down, I will broke my leg. His arms are bare and so many scrapes can be seen on them. He wore only two T-shirts together in this cold weather and his hands are black because of his gloves. He also has tied his short rain coat around his waist and a pistol is under his waistband. He reacts to any kind of sounds and looks immediately toward the sound origin; he just looks at there for a second and then moves on again. He may get older by next year or later on. His physical strength also proves this. When we arrive at their hideaway, he joins us without he pants.
Three floors of the building remained intact, but half of the third floor is ruined and there are so many windows in front of it. A big billboard is on the building, it is so big that it has made a single floor alone. The billboard is ruined completely and just its metallic body remained.
Nabidak and kidaton enter the building before us. A man is standing near the windowsill and looks outside. He has a normal face and the only distinction between him and others is his long white hair which come down to his shoulders. The wrinkles on his face, show that he has defeated in the fight with the time. He doesn’t show any reaction to us as if we are just some invisible elf. When all four of us stop and stare at him, he says:
Is this your first mission? Even a blind man can see you in this darkness.
Nabidak sneers and says:
Of course not when you’re here. What’s up? Something new?
Kidaton goes toward the chair and sits on it, which makes sound and likely to break at any moment. Then fills a glass with water from a flask on the table, and says:
Only the blue soldiers don’t know that here is our hideaway. We can’t stay here anymore.
The old man, who I guess to be Parkad, turns to Nabidak. Midway, his eyes stop on me and Vorarin, as if he sees us just now. Then he says:
What’s the matter?
Nabidak puts his knapsack in a corner and says:
Well…, leave it. Nothing happened?
Parkad still looks at me. He goes away from the windowsill and throws his binoculars toward Kidaton and says:
Well, don’t you want to introduce these two guys to me?
Kidaton goes up a ladder which is behind the wall. It seems to be his turn to stand guard. Nabidak opens his knapsack and brings two cans out of it and says:
Right is Zairas and the left one, Vorarin.
Then he throws one of the cans to the Parkad. Nabidak gives a cough and says:
Hey boys do you want any?
Vorarin shakes his head and I say:
No, thanks. We’ve already had some snacks.
Finally, my patience runs out and I am constrained to sit near the door. I feel pain in my ankle, but with an enjoyable, but cold, breeze my mind becomes calm; it mitigates my breast, waist and back pains. Vorarin also sits by me and leans on the wall.
Parkad opens his can and becomes busy eating. A number of guns are arranged on the table. Three mattresses are also spread in a corner. While he is eating his food, Parkad points at us and asks:
Well, what are these two guys doing here?
Nabidak with a full mouth, but clearly, says:
They’re new people of the group.
Parkad holds his spoon in front of his mouth and says in wonder and with wide open eyes:
New members?
Yea, Karisan sent them.
His words makes me wonder. I don’t know how he knows we came here on behalf of Karisan. Parkad frowns and says:
why he sent them?
Nabidak smiles:
I guess they’ve letters of introduction in which you can find the reason.
Parkad stares at us, and nabidak’s words suddenly remind me of the letters. So, I pull out the letter related to parkad and I give it to Nabidak. He looks at the back of the letter and then gives it to Parkad. He puts his can and spoon on the windowsill and becomes busy with reading the letter. His face doesn’t change while reading the letter. Then he throws it into the oven. The letter burns slowly and joins the ashes in the oven.
Karisan has explained me everything in this letter. Although he knew that our group is complete, made this decision. You shouldn’t do anything without consulting us. You shouldn’t show any heroic act. This group, like any other group, has its own laws which you must respect.
Then he takes his can and says:
If you’re tired now, find somewhere and take a rest. We’ll talk to each other about the mission tomorrow.
Vorarin stands up and tries to prepare somewhere to sleep on. I don’t know whether Karisan has not said anything about me or Parkard didn’t care it. But he looks at me with appraising eyes once in a while. Maybe Karisan discussed about my father with Parkad, but he didn’t mention it. Certainly something is written about Vorarin too, but he even doesn’t look at Vorarin.
Finally he eats the last spoon of his food and asks Nabidak:
What’s up? They’re still there?
Nabidak throws the emptied can aside and then says:
Yeah, they’re still there. They stand guards from three directions in turn. Seems they don’t want to give over.
Parkad, who also has finished his food, puts the can in a corner of the room and says:
Well, here would be under the sands by a week. Besides, they hope most for here. How many of them are there?
Finally Kidaton breaks his silence and says from above:
Thirty six. It seems another group supposed to join them. They haven’t so much time. They began to searching the west part of the town yesterday. They are searching up to a range. Except for the west, there still remained the east and the north sides. Half of their force are searching around the regions they already searched.
Nabidak reaches out his legs on the table, rubs them and says:
What should we do? Do need we ask reinforcement?
Parkad gives the negative answer with his eyebrows and says:
&nb
sp; No. No need to do this. They can’t find it. If things go like this and wind blows faster, they can’t search all over the town. Yet, we shouldn’t underestimate them. They know their own job well. They search in the more likely regions and don’t waste their time. Our plan is changed, we must find it before they do it.
Kidaton makes no objection but Nabidak says angrily:
What? Why? Why our plan changed? Is there any problem? They can’t find it as easily as you think.
Parkad looks at outside through the window and says:
Karisan asked me to do this. The plan supposed to be this from the beginning, now it’s sealed. We should talk about it tomorrow.
Nabidak winces and makes objection:
No, we can’t do this. The situation is too bad now, they’re everywhere and have guards all around the town. Surely they ask for reinforcements because of the weather conditions.
Kidaton also intervene from up the ladder and says:
We should do this from the beginning. But we’re just passing days and nights in this hell.
Parkad adds:
Some strange things are happening that…
All of a sudden, his word reminds me of that three soldiers’ talking. I cut his word immediately and say:
I’m not sure but I think the reds are also in the town.
Both stare at me but I can’t see anything special in their face. They don’t show wonder but Nabidak’s face changes slightly.
How do you know it?
The manner he asks the question, reveals his hesitation.
Before I saw Nabidak, some soldiers were talking about the red group, they were saying that they’ve seen one of them and also their footsteps in the west side of the town and recently, they’ve seen them in this part of the town.
None of them makes his eyes wide open and not even ponder.
I knew that.
Nabidak confirms parkad with shaking his head and says:
This was clear but I don’t know who was or were these spies who spread this news. This couldn’t be happened after so many years.
Finally it would be unmasked. Now we must prevent it. We should reorganize the group. Surely we have a rat in the group who could fixed himself in our group like the roots of a tree into the earth and we can’t find him easily.
Vorarine has spread two blankets on the floor and while he is watching their talks, stares at me once in a while. Some red root-like capillaries can be seen in his eyes, he seems slightly faint and yawns off and on. Parkad, while stretches his body, rises from the chair and says:
Nabidak I’m going to bed, I’m so tired. We’ll talk about everything tomorrow. You stay a little bit here to be sure everything is ok.
Then he goes toward one of the blankets. Following him, Vorarin lies on another blanket immediately, without gets any permission. Nabidak sits on the chair instead of Parkad and stares at outside. I go toward Vorarin in the room which seems to be the only room in the building. Except for the blankets and two knapsacks, there is nothing in the room. I lie on the blanket and put the knapsack beside myself. Although the blanket is thick, the small and big rubbles torture my back. So I have to change my place a little.
The only sound which is heard is the wind which brings and pours some sands into the room and then goes away. Occasionally, the sound of Kidaton’s footsteps which walks on the roof, or Nabidak who rises from the chair and walks because of rigidity of his legs are heard.
No sound is heard from Parkad. Even he seems not breathing. Karisan told me that when I reach hear, I would get news about Mansidan. But now I am just in the middle of a big trouble. Sleep finally comes to me as for the others and embraces me as a snake entwines around its victim. I close my eyes and the last thing I hear is the sound of the wind which falls on my eyelids as a lullaby.
Chapter 18
The familiar strangers