When They Steal Our Land

Chapter 2

Ahmed strolled the razed road, following Jamal who walked unsteadily relying on the cane in his grip in front of him. They passed through the miserable view of bleeding people and crying children who just lost their parents.

Ahmed watched the rescuers running around in their attempts to rescue the victims. The journalists were busy reporting the tragedy to the world under the threat of bombs that could kill them at any time. 

On the other side, Ahmed witnessed how struggling the doctors were in saving the patients who had been taken to the ambulance or how the people worked hard to save those buried under the rubble. 

Ahmed bit his lower lips, enduring the overwhelming pain that flooded his chest. His heart wanted to betray the agony his eyes caught so he shifted his gaze to the other side of a group of women and men with their children or babies on their backs or arms wandering with no destination to go. 

Ahmed kept going, tracking the old man's steps before him without any single word of complaint out of his mouth. After seeing the suffering of his people, he no longer had the courage even to lift his chin.

"Buzz….Boom!"

The sound of a bomb followed by the people's screams shocked him and the old man; his heart leaped as his feet sprinted, avoiding the mishap.  But he could not run fast with the old man next to him who counted him for his safety. 

"Are you ok?" Ahmed inquired after he paused and managed to breathe properly. That man only nodded his head as he was still in nervousness and panic. "We need some rest before we continue our journey but it's not here. No one can guarantee that the carpet bombing will stop. So, we…"

"Just go ahead for there is no time to rest before we reach the North." The old man, Jamal, cut his words off. 

Ahmed's eyebrows arched, questioning the old man's decision who chose to resume the walk despite his bad condition. With his fragile legs, it would be hard for him to stride even a few meters away. 

Ahmed rushed to his side as he had taken a few feet in front of him. He doubted that Jamal would make it to get to the destination without recess. Besides, they also had to strive against hunger.

"Are you sure you can still walk? The north takes ten kilometers from here."

"Don't worry about me, Ahmed. I have walked a long road in my whole life. This occupation that we are facing now has started even before you were born." 

Ahmed swallowed the bitterness he could sense from his words that his people had been going through this anguish for decades. And during that time, none of them surrendered to the brutality and barbarism those monsters had always been committing.  They faced the foes – the oppressors – with their heads held up as to them, they were born with courage and dignity. 

Ahmed asked no more questions, neither about the old man nor about where they were heading. He only possessed one aim in his life which was to liberate his land and country from those who have stolen it. 

The presence of the old man, Jamal, brought positive things to his life despite their short meeting. This man taught him an important lesson about struggle and reminded him of his true identity as a part of a tribe born with high moral values and intrepidity. 

It was only the crying little kid behind them that made them halt; both Ahmed and Jamal turned their heels to a woman who strove to persuade his son to be quiet as she was afraid would attract the snipers to snipe them. 

"I am starving, Mom." The kid whined while holding his empty belly. 

That view of a woman who tried hard to restrain her sadness through her red eyes rubbing the back of a kid whose head rested on his mother's shoulder while sobbing split Ahmed's heart to pieces. 

No child should go through this pain he was watching now. Wiping his tears, he thrust into his pant pockets to find something to eat; just in case he kept the food inside it. 

He could only look at the kid with regretful teary eyes when he found nothing there. His gaze moved to his empty palm while he heard the woman thanking Jamal.

"Thank you so much, Sir."

He took a side glance at Jamal who just fished the bread out of his pouch and handed it to the woman. Ahmed was touched to see how the kid immediately grabbed the food and chewed it voraciously.

"Are you hungry too, Ahmed?"

"No..not yet," 

It was not that he declined his starvation but he should not waste the bread for himself. He never knew how many children who were being starved they would come across on their journey. 

"Off we go."

Bidding goodbye to the woman who was still patiently feeding her child, Ahmed and Jamal continued their walk over the curb which now had turned into a steep shred of stone pieces. They had to mind their steps to evade the puncture of the sharp shred of the objects on their bare feet. 

Only a few minutes into their walk, the old man groaned as his feet slipped away. His legs could not support his body which ended up on the ground. His butt tossed the rough ruined pavement.

"Sir…."

It was too late for Ahmed to save him; that man's lips cringed in pain which he tried to endure but his old age didn't allow him to get up. Ahmed assisted him to rest in the clean area, free from the debris. 

"Thank you, Ahmed. You have taken care of an old man like me. But, I am fine now."

"Still, you should stay here. We will only continue walking once you are in fit condition." Ahmed was trying to convince the old man.

The old man didn't protest against Ahmed's words and let silence consume them afterward. Ahmed took space away from the old man so that the old man could lay his body on the ground under the date tree.

As they were resting, groups of people who were on their journey to nowhere but danger passed by. Most of them were women, children, and old men; none of them dared to raise their voices with the surveillance of the monster's tanks which ran behind them.

The mothers tried to calm their babies in their arms not to cry along the way for they had to bear the worst consequence of being sniped if any of them broke silence. It jabbed Ahmed's heart with a blade of anguish because of not only their fate but also his inability to do something to save them.

As if the old man could read his mind, he said something beyond his expectations. "This is why we have to go to the north. If you want to do something for your people, we have to meet the leader of the resistance warriors."

Ahmed's eyes squinted in wonder and bewilderment. He had the urge to inquire more about his statement but before he could not open his mouth. He heard one of the babies crying loudly which attracted the monstrous sniper to end the baby's cry.

"Pops….bang"

The baby's cry stopped as the bullet took his life. Not only did he not cry anymore, but he would not also open his eyes forever. The sniper finished his journey in this world. 

Among the screams of fear, Ahmed heard the sobbing of the baby's mother who hugged the lifeless body of his son. She didn't even dare to cry harder, not to mention curse the killer. If she did, she would end up the same, leaving this mundane life.