Finding Muna: A Palestinian Novel

Chapter Thirty Six

The next two days were like hell for both friends, the roaming helicopters seemed to have multiplied in number and they kept dropping leaflets in warning that the civilians evacuate Rafah. Although that wasn't the first time they would drop leaflet to warn them to leave Rafah, this time around it seemed like they were more serious than the last time and wouldn't hesitate to wipe whoever that was left in Rafah.

Lamees's mental state seemed to have gotten worse during those two days which led to April's mental health to deteriorate rapidly as well, but April knew she couldn't allow herself to give up completely, if not for anyone's sake, then for the sake of her friend that was automatically depending on her.

April was afraid because she knew she and Lamees would die soon either out of hunger or through the missiles the IDF wouldn't stop firing at them. Each time she attempted to go out in search for food, she would return minutes later in fear that something might befall Lamees in her absence just like what had happened to Muna. Lamees's current mental state was almost similar to the state Muna's during their last few days together and April dreaded anything happening to the one person that was left for her.

And so she would return back to the camp and watch Lamees as she rolled over in hunger while she would be feeling the impact of the hunger herself. April tried to think of what Muna would have done if she were present with them, and she knew Muna would have found a way out for them, April sighed as her shoulders dropped, her eyes filled with tears she was too tired to shed.

Her tears slid out of her eyes one after the other without her sobbing, she kept an emotionless face as she stared at Lamees who looked like she would had only a few hours left. April's body shivered in fear and she rushed out of the camp, in search of the old woman who used to make bread out of flour and animal feed.

She hadn't gotten anywhere when she suddenly heard a group of aeroplanes roaming above the camp, her eyes widened in fear as she halted in her steps and looked up, whenever it was aeroplanes roaming instead of helicopters, she knew the attack would be worse.

She dropped her gaze back to the ground and turned towards her tent where Lamees was still lying asleep, but she was stopped when she suddenly heard the joyful screaming of the camp members. She narrowed her brows in confusion as she saw them waving their hands up in the sky, her gaze followed them and she glanced back up only to see the aeroplanes dropping food aid from the sky.

Her jaw hung in shock as her eyes filled with tears yet again, her stick dropped from her hand in shock as her gaze followed the food aids, she heaved a sigh of relief and she let out a small smile. She was jolted out of her state when a person bumped into her, headed towards the sea shore where the foods were dropping onto. It was then she took the initiative to pick up her stick and hurry as fast as she could towards the sea shore, she eventually got there after being shoved and knocked over many times.

But by the time she got there, almost everyone from their camp was there already, which made it fairly impossible for her to get a box of food amongst the flood of thousands of people at the sea shore. Some people were even fighting for the boxes, some knocking each other over and some people dropping dead due to how rough everything was. April just glanced at the sky again to see it was only two aeroplanes that were yet to drop the food aids, and everyone was watching just as she was watching in anticipation, even those who already had boxes of food waited for more and other who had nothing were even more desperate.

She knew there were no chances for her; she couldn't fight through the crowd especially being disabled. But with hope, she still watched in anticipation, maybe a miracle could happen. Both aeroplanes opened up at the same time and the foods quickly dropped one after the other. And as the foods were approaching the ground, the people were already fighting and screaming, pulling each other's hair, ripping each other's clothes while others wriggled their ways out of the crowd, some with huge smiles on their faces while others returned with teary eyes.