Child Soldier

the start

Some people think that many of the kids get recruited and kidnapped. But some of the kids just want something new for a change.

I got to the border by the end of the week. The fence not to far. A black Tahoe sitting on the other side. I stumble forward and fall a couple inches away from the fence. I quickly get up. I pull my cap down low, my eyes straight. I lick my lips, my mouth as dry as the desert I am in. A boy comes out of the truck. He wears tan cargo pants and a faded camouflage shirt. A M15 dangling from his shoulder. He stops about ten feet away. "Are you Raven?" He asks. A thick accent coming off.

"Yes."

He slides a black box towards the fence. Making the hum of electricity disappear. "Hurry." he says already turning his back to me and walking away. I quickly slide under the fence. I make it in time before the electricity buzzes back to life. I grab the black box and hand it back to him. As I hand it to him he looks at me and I at him. His bright amber eyes ablaze from the suns rays. Now that I have had a closer look at him I can see how young he was. Around my age. He turns away quickly and heads back to the truck. He leaves the door open for me. One other guy sits inside. Maybe in his 20's. The boy that I first met says something in another language, talking to someone in the passenger seat. The voice belonged to a female. He turns back to me. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

He nods and turns back. The other guy takes out a jug of water and takes a drink. He wipes his mouth and hands it to me. "You must be thirsty."

I take it and start to chug it. I screw the cap back on and hand it back to him.

"Let me guess you are from America?" he says.

"Yeah. You as well."

"No. Actually Canada." he nods.

"Ohhh. I heard a couple of y'all came down here."

"Yeah. I am Josh." he holds out his hand.

"Well as you know, Raven."

He smiles. He turns and looks back out the window. The car starts moving. The boy leans back on the seat. The M15 on his lap. His eyes closed. Some of his jet black hair falls onto his forehead. His eyes flash open. I turn feeling my face go red. "My name is Alexander." I hear him say. I turn to him. He looks at me. He still is leaning back. His hair still on his forehead. "It can be fun here. But first you have to pass the test."

"Alexander!" The person says in the front. They turn around. It was a woman. She wears a niqab. "You will find out soon." She says looking at me, she turns back around. Alexander sits up.

I could tell we were getting closer. Loads of trucks with guys passed us. Some of them had kids younger then me some older or the same age. Tents were coming into view and some buildings.

We stop about twenty minutes down the road. We get off the car. The steaming hotness surrounding me. I feel my clothes get damp right away. "You might want to change later." Alexander says. We follow the woman into a large building. As I walk by a couple of people, I feel them turn around and look at me. As a group of young guys walks by. They look and as I pass them, hearing the whistle. "Ignore them." the women that was in the car comes beside me. She is slightly shorter. "I had the same reaction." she starts taking off her niqab. Her light brown eyes go along her olive skin. She wears a black t-shirt and black cargo pants that I just noticed. "I am Aafreen. Raven right?"

"Yea. When did you come here."

"Um... my bother joined. So if I didn't go with him. I would have been alone."

"Who is your bother?"

"You will meet him."

We go into a room. Alexander and Aafreen stand in a corner and I in another.

The door swings open. Two guys come in. The first one maybe in his thirties and the other is Josh. Josh pushes in a little kid. His hair plastered to his face with tears. His screams piercing. The first guy stands in front of me. Aafreen walking next to him. "Muhammad, no you are not going to-"

"Aafreen. She has to do it." he says it so calmly. "Raven right?" he looks at me.

"Yes."

Josh pushes the kid towards me. Muhammad give's me a 45 handgun. "Kill him."

Aafreen looks at me. Alexander still stands in the corner, but he looks at me. I take the gun. The boy wails even louder. Everyone steps out the way. I put the gun up to the boys chest. "Close your eyes." I say. The boy stops crying and looks at me. He slowly closes his eyes. Fluttering them ever so slightly. My heart pounds against my rib cage. My head screams for me not to do it. I take the safety off, and load it. The little boys breath slows down. While mine races.

I squeeze the trigger.

It all goes down in slow motion. The spray of blood on the floor to the child swaying down to the floor like a leaf. I put the gun down. The regret filling me with fire. The sounds muffled in my ears. I feel a couple of pats on my back.

And the sound comes back. "You did well." Muhammad says. He takes the gun from me. "Josh get someone to clean this up." he says pointing at the body. He nods, he quickly looks at me and walks out the room. Muhammad walks out the room. Leaving just Alexander and Aafreen in the room. "They didn't make me do this when I came in. I am sorry that you had to do it." she says.

"Leave her, Aafreen. Give her time." Alexander says.

"No Alexander! Muhammad should have never let her do that. It was a child."

Alexander grabs her arm. "Aafreen."

They look at each other. Aafreen shakes him off and storms away. Alexander looks at me. "You are here now."he takes my hand."Safe and sound." he kisses it. He leaves me here. I look down at the child. His small eyes closed as if he was still alive. Calm. I look away the pain filling every inch of my body.

"Oh, uh. I didn't know someone was in here." I hear a voice by the door. I look up. A guy just like Alexander stands by the door. With the same olive skin but bright blue eyes. It was like they were glowing. He was lean and muscular. He wore a navy blue muscle shirt with tan cargo pants like Alexander. He was like Alexander.

I see him look down at the child. "We all needed to do something to get in here."

"What did they make you do?"

He looks at me."Kill my brother. But I didn't know at first. They had put a bag over his head. They told me it was a anonymous person. But somebody told me it was my brother after I joined. They took me to see his body."

"Sorry." I didn't think of what else to say.

"No. At least I got out of poverty." he puts his hands in his pockets and leans against the door frame."Whats your name?"

"Raven."

"Altair."

We stand there looking at each other for a little. "You got a little blood on your face." he says with a smile. He starts walking towards me. He runs his thumb along my cheek bone. "Better "he says looking down at me since he was taller. We were just centimeters away."Well I better get going." I say starting to walk away.

"Wait let me show you around."

I turn around."No its fine."