The Imperial Revenge

Chapter 6

August 12, 1918

My grief was starting to consume me. I wanted to cry all the time about my family. I had fallen into a depression and found myself wanting to lay in bed. Timofey and Ilya weren't making it any easier. Ilya's crime life was really starting to bother me and he was just making me ill. He had killed at least four people in the area and stole their belongings which nobody seemed to really care about. Was I the only sane one? And Timofey was wanting me to get on my feet all the time and kept taking care of me like a mother. I think he was just as lonely as I was. I couldn't tell him to buzz off.

I was asleep in my bed when suddenly I heard a trumpet blasting. I gasped and shot up. Ilya, Ilya's family, Timofey, and the other men were surrounding my bed. Ilya was the one holding the trumpet. They all grinned and stared at me for a second. Ilya's sister than revealed a tiny and unfrosted cake with a large candle. I knew what they were going to do and my mood quickly changed. I had a very goofy smile.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Alexei! Happy birthday to you!"  They all sang and handed me the cake.
"Make a wish, comrade!" Ilya cheered. My wish was for everything to go back to the way it was. I wanted to read books with Olga again, to play cards with Tatiana, to walk in the garden with Maria, to sing and dance with Anastasia, to have Mama sing and stroke my head, and have Papa take me to the Standart to speak with Imperial Officers. But I couldn't. There was no chance of that ever happening again. So instead, I wished that one day I'd get revenge.

"Yay!" They all cheered after I blew out my candle. I handed the cake back to Ilya's sister.
"I'll set this upstairs for when you're ready for it." She smiled and went back upstairs. Ilya sat on the end of my bed.
"Alexei, how would you feel about getting out of here for one night?"
"Where to? You're not making me commit any crimes. Because, if you do-"
Ilya scoffed. "Relax! There's none of that tonight. We're going to go to the local bar and have the time of our lives. It'll be you, me, Timofey, and a few of the other boys."
"Fine. But it's my birthday so I'm setting some ground rules. No killing anyone, no stealing, and no fighting. I can not deal with any cruelty. Do I make myself clear?"
"Finally! I've always wanted someone to have the guts to boss me around! Sure, it's your birthday so we'll play by your rules. It's not everyday a young man turns fourteen."

By dusk, we were on our way to the local bar. I hoped Ilya would keep his promise of not causing too much trouble. Timofey walked behind me to make sure I didn't fall. He had also asked me to stretch while I was in bed to help my muscles which became daily for me. I liked to believe it was working.
We walked inside the bar and there had actually been quite a few people in there. Ilya smiled and waved his arm up at the bartender.
"Hello! It has been a very long time!"
The bartender groaned and shook his head. "Get out of here, Ilya. You're banned after what happened last time."
"And what happened?"
"You got so drunk that you jumped over the bar and stole three bottles of vodka! I sent the police to your house and apparently you were blackout wasted on your sofa."
"Oh, that was ten-years ago!"
"Ilya, that was six-years ago. Get out of here before I send for the police again."
Ilya grabbed me and practically pushed me in front of the bartender. Ilya put on a fake look of sadness and the bartender stood there confused.

"This is my friend, Alexei Savenkov-" Ilya started before he was interrupted by the bartender.
"You don't have friends. Only people you bribe to act like they're friends with you or people you simply haven't made angry." He shrugged.
Ilya rolled his eyes. "Anyway, this is Alexei Savenkov. You see, he's crippled and has some weird disease. It's his fourteenth birthday and he doesn't have a lot of time left. So, let's make this the best birthday ever."
The bartender looked me down with a look of sympathy. He inhaled and exhaled sharply. "The boy does look pathetic."
"I am not pathetic! Give us the alcohol so Ilya will shut up for once in his life! Please!" I cried out. The bartender took out several glasses and showed a large keg of beer.
"That's fair. I'd like for Ilya to shut his mouth as well so we're on the same page. Beer on the house!" Everyone cheered. I sat down at the barstool and Timofey took my crutches off of me.

Everyone in the bar was singing songs. As I suspected, Ilya got very drunk. The songs that were being sang were all fun and a few of the men were even dancing with each other. For the first time in along time, my smile wasn't fake and I was content. I couldn't stop laughing.
I sipped on my third glass of beer as I watched everyone. Timofey sat next to me.
"Are you having a joyous birthday?" He shouted over everyone.
"I'm having much fun! This is surely the most interesting birthday I've ever had."
"It must be lonely without your parents though." He mentioned. And with those words, I slipped back into the darkness. Papa and Mama had always made a fuss over my birthday. They made cakes and spoiled me with gifts. Each one of my sisters always made me a card and gave me a large hug. Oh, what I would do for one last hug.
I rubbed my face and clear the tears that formed in my eyes. "It is not that large of a deal. Excuse me sir, do you have anything stronger than beer?" I looked at the bartender.
"Whiskey or vodka?"
"Whiskey please."
"On the house because it's your birthday."
"Thank you." I said as he handed me the glass of whiskey. It was strong but I just kept drinking. I was able to drift back into a happy mood and even joined in the singing.

I couldn't really remember what happened after that. It was all dark. I woke up in the morning with a very intense headache and my vision was a bit blurry.
"Timofey?" I moaned.
"Oh Alexei, you've finally woken up. Here, I'll see if there's any coffee left for you." I heard him say. He went away for a few minutes and then came back. I took the hot cup of coffee from him and slowly sipped it. The taste was horrible and bitter.
"I am never drinking alcohol ever again."
Timofey laughed. "Ah, that's the one promise no man can keep. I didn't think you were going to sleep for as long as you did. Well, you joined us this beautiful morning on August 14."
I gasped. "Are you saying that I slept for more than twenty-four hours?"
"You slept for thirty-five hours. That's a new record. Next time, please only drink your weight."
I nodded at him and took another sip of the coffee. "Noted."