Survivor's Guilt

A Story by Anor

The story of a rescue in a warzone

Boom. Boom.

The constant, incessant noise and tremor of exploding shells and the screams of the damned formed an almost pleasant, albeit melancholy, tuneful sound in the child’s ears. Slowly, she rose from her stupor, and became aware of her surroundings. She was laying face first amidst a pile of rubble. There was a foul stench upon the air, and the child grimaced as she stood up.

Boom. Boom.

All about her was a scene of carnage. Destroyed buildings, fires, and flying shells sullied the crisp morning air. With a shock, the child realized that this ravaged landscape was her own town, her whole life. Flashes in the sky caught her attention, and she looked up to see bombers and fighter planes shooting at each other in the sky.

It was all too much for her to comprehend, and she collapsed onto her knees, cupping her head in her arms. What was happening? There was a small glimmer in the wreckage near her; something had caught the cold light. The child stood up and walked towards it, and gasped as she realized that she was covered in cuts and bruises everywhere. They began to hurt even as she made her realization, but she determinedly trudged onwards towards the shiny object.

Boom. Boom.

Shells tore into a tall military building only a mile away, eclipsing all the sight and sound of the area. The girl spared a second to glance at the falling building, then turned and retrieved the object. A lump formed in her throat as she recognized it. It was the silver candlestick which had decorated the dining room. This was her house. Only, it wasn’t really a house anymore.

A burning new question drove everything else from her mind and occupied her full focus. Where were her parents? She had to find them! She knew she had to do it quickly, because bad things would happen if she did not. She was not quite able to say what, but she simply knew she had to find them instantly.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She whirled around, arms outstretched, screaming wildly to call for help, when her eyes fell upon the figure’s face. It was her father. The child choked back a sob, and rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly. She then noticed that her mother was right next to him, and emotionally embraced her too.

Boom. Boom.

“What’s happening, Papa?”, the girl asked in a scared tone.

“The enemy’s attacked us. This is an invasion. Now, we have to get away from here somehow. I think our side’s managed to capture this side safely. Thank God we’re all still safe and alive.”

The girl cut in, fear evident in her face, “How do we get away? There are planes and men with guns everywhere.”

Her father frowned, twiddling his fingers, as he tried to give a positive answer. “I don’t know, dear. For now, we should just stick together and keep far away from trouble.”

The mother nodded in assent, and the three moved away from the general direction of the fighting. They kept trekking for almost half an hour, with the father constantly looking concernedly over his shoulder, when he called them to a stop.

“It’s as I feared. The fight’s moving our way, and very quickly. We need to speed up and find some sort of rescue quickly. And in case anything happens, don’t get separated.” His voice had a slight tremor in it as he spoke, betraying the fear behind his generally neutral tone. The child had the feeling that his last sentence was directed specifically at her, rather than to the whole group.

They began to run again, covering ground much faster with the knowledge that the danger was increasing. The child saw all the carnage and destruction as she ran, absorbing all of it, changing internally, becoming a new person. Nobody who sees war can ever be the same afterwards. Where only hours ago had been a prosperous town, there were now ruins and death.

Boom. Boom.

This time, the roaring of the shells was accompanied by a loud whirring. A helicopter pierced the sky in front of the group and moved towards them. The family huddled together, child sweating nervously, mother praying fervently, and father steadfastly looking what appeared to be certain death in the eye. But as the helicopter landed, it became evident it was not hostile. A smile dawned on the father’s face as he realized what was

happening.

“By God’s grace, it’s a rescue! They’ve got the rescue copters here!”. His voice was jubilant and full of victory.

The pilot stuck his head out and spoke, in a stiff voice, “Sorry folks, we’ve only got space for one.” It was as though cold water had suddenly been poured on the child. Only one? They couldn’t do that, it wouldn’t be right. She looked back to see both her parents smiling at her.

She spoke blankly, “No. I’m not leaving.” Her voice began to stick in her throat as she grew more emotional. “You said we had to stick together.”

“This is different, dearest. You have to escape. Your mother and I are adults, we can take care of ourselves. But if there’s any chance to keep you safe, we have to take it. No but’s about the matter. Now, be a good girl and get on the helicopter.”

The girl’s eyes filled with tears, and she ran to embrace her parents, overcome by the emotions. She sobbed into her father’s shoulder, saying, “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to leave you. Please.” Her father held her shoulders and slowly, carefully, pulled her away.

The pilot seemed to have been touched by the emotional scene unfolding before him, and took out two metallic button-like items from the helicopter, handing them to the parents. “These here are transmitters. We’ll be able to see where you are from inside the copter, and I’ll come get you soon as I’ve got your girl out safe. I promise you that, I give you my word.”

They took the transmitters and cupped them in their hands, then motioned the child towards the helicopter. Choking back tears, the girl stepped into the helicopter, and waved ferociously as it began to take off, the sound of the rotors drowning out everything, even the farewell shouts of her parents. And then they were gone, up in the air, flying away from all the fighting.

The pilot seemed to take pity on the girl, and pulled up the transmitter screen in front of her. “These two red dots here, they’re your mum and dad. So long as those transmitters keep transmittin’, we’ll be able to find ‘em easy as dandy. So don’t you worry your little head about it, your parents’ll be just fine.”

The girl seemed to be placated for a moment, and the next minute or so passed in silence as she stared intently

at the screen.

Boom. Boom.

The shrieking of an exploding shell tore through the sky, and an immense shockwave hit the helicopter, sending it spinning into the air, cause such a tremendous vibration that it seemed to the child as though the very metal of the copter was disintegrating. Teeth were jarring, rotors were screaming, and all was shaking, shaking with a devastating intensity.

And suddenly it was all over. The shaking stopped, and the pilot let out a relieved sigh. “Whew, that was pretty close. Looks like we made it though, eh?” He didn’t receive a reply, and turned to look at the girl, who was staring, shocked, at the screen.

Amidst the mass of green lines and white spaces, something had changed during the blast. The red dots were gone.

Boom. Boom.

It was in a melancholy, confused state, that the passengers of the helicopter continued their journey towards safety.