The New World
(Based on a true experience)
“C’mon, we’ve got to go!”
A distant lightning lighted up for a moment Tom Sandman’s face. Dean stopped shocked by the thunder.
“Let’s go!” Shouted Sandman again.
But Dean didn’t react, he could only cry. Even though they were both soaked under the thick rain, it could be noticed on how he trembled.
“Tom… I don’t want to leave this place, I don’t want to leave my home.” He sobbed. “I can’t go on without her…”
“Dean, listen to me. Dean!” He grabed his shoulders. “Damn, there isn’t much time left. You must live. You hear? You must live. Everything’s gonna be ok, you’ve got two wonderful sons, both are waitng for you and they need you. That’s… what she would want.”
“You… You are right. I have to return with them.”
“Get inside the car with your sister.”
Dean entered the vehicle that waited for him.
Sandman peeked around; Most neighbors had already abandoned their houses, and those who didn’t, were doing it now that the war reached them. He took a last look at his friend’s house, while a thousand memories boiled in his head.
He closed the door of the car and waited still for them to leave, ignoring for some seconds the approaching noise of the shoots and explosions which mixed up with the people’s shouts. Luckily, Dean would scape in time… But a high-pitched whistle that he knew well made him react; Artillery! That could only mean that the enemy controlled the sky, so they had even less time.
A shell made impact near the car, raising a ground column and overturning the vehicle.
“Dean!” Sandman ran through the floating dust reaching the car. “Shit, Shit…”
His friend came out from the window, unhurt, then went in again and dragged out his sister.
“Are you all right?!”
“Yes… think so, but Alfred’s dead.” Tom helped him to lean his sister against one of the wheels. She was covered in mud.
“She’s passed out. Kate… Kate! Tom, she doesn’t wake up.”
“Let me… Katherine!”
He slapped her face and the girl woke up and looked at them, startled. Dean hugged her.
“Thanks god. Katherine, we’ve got to keep moving.”
“C’mon. There’s no time left, I’ll help you find another vehicle.” He said, as they could hear the shots approaching.
The war, which reached the city from one day to another, had caught its inhabitants unaware. Only a few days ago, it seemed that an agreement was near, but Mars representatives rejected Earth’s conditions, as those left them in a very unfavorable situation. They had less resources, but better technology, and a recent victory had encouraged them to keep fighting, seeking for independence. But the Earth did not intend to retreat; So they had deployed new weapons, or maybe old ones, nobody knew for sure. In any case, weapons forbidden decades ago, but of course, forbidden by Earth’s authorities. And finally, the Red Planet independence dream, aroused after two hundred years of Earth’s control, after the beginning of its colonization, had become a nightmare which end seemed to be very far away.
Still raining, the three friends walked down the street sticking to the house’s walls. Everything was deserted. Dean gazed at the gardens where, almost two days ago, neighbor’s children played carefree.
Another artillery round made the ground shake as they advanced; Both siblings shrank with each impact. When they reached the last house of the street, they stopped, covered behind the corner, waiting for Sandman’s signal to continue. After two everlasting minutes the deafening noise ceased and the storm also started remitting, as tired of so much noise. The intense rain transformed into drizzle, and the clouds opened slightly. Not clearing up entirely, now they did let the dawn light pass, and see through them the red and violet sky.
Tom, with a gesture, ordered them to keep going. He left their cover the first, aiming his weapon, and the other two followed him along the crossing street, always trying to move away from the East, to the outskirts.
Finally they reached the road and turned after the first curve, circling a high hump, artificially raised. On it, trenches and defensive positions covered the civilians retreating. After it, more refugees gathered widespread across the road, trying to escape. There were also some vehicles, essentially troop transport trucks, now filled with civilians. Many of them waiting in silence for their vehicle assignation. Most people, with the serenity of those who have suffered so much and have nothing left to lose. Some of them crying, others awaiting, glassy-eyed, deeply affected. Parents trying to calm their children, couples embracing themselves, friends cheering up each others…
“Well: Dean, Katherine, this is where I leave you. Get on one of the trucks, and good luck.” He didn’t mean to sound so curt, but they had to flee as fast as possible.
Katherine kissed him on the chick in silence; she wasn’t able to talk. His brother then shook hands with Tom, looking into his eyes. On them, he saw Sandman’s despair, but he also knew that he would never stop fighting. There was nothing left to say.
“Tom, thanks for everything. I hope I will repay you some day.
“Yeah… See you son.” He answered sadly.
They looked at each other in silence and finally hugged strongly. Then, trying to smile, Tom said to the girl:
“Kate, take care of your brother.”
And left them without looking back, wishing he had had more time to say goodbay to them calmly, and to tell them so many things.
He hastily ascended the hill and reunited with the few remaining soldiers. Five young men, not older than twenty, an old man, maybe in his sixties, and three lasses which also wouldn’t surpass twenty. They awaited the enemy covered behind improvised barricades. Some of them turned around, nervous, hearing him coming. Two soldiers, which he had missed, walked to him and saluted.
“Sir…”
“Who’s on charge?”
“We are, Sir. All what’s left of the Second Regiment in this area. The rest are isolated in the town.” Pointing the other people, he added: “Those are local volunteers. We expect your orders.
Sandman turned around, there were still five trucks left to leave. He sighted; they wouldn’t have time enough, and people were still arriving.
“Ok. We must defend this position until everybody’s gone.”
The soldiers looked to each other undecided. The three of them knew it was virtually impossible.
“Yes Sir!”
Tom noticed that the gunfire has ceased, but the radio was still in silence, which couldn’t mean anything good. As an answer to his fears, a bullet impacted on a nearby rock. He jumped to the floor and took cover behind the sandbags, where one of the soldiers replied with a machine gun, gripped with flickering fingers.
“Don’t let them aproach!”
The combat went fierce and the enemy didn’t allow them to rest. They kept arriving like a plague, and if by chance they withdrew, it was only to return in larger number. The continuous gunfire covered every other sound, but Sandman shouted with all his might, trying to cheer up those poor wretches.
“Thats it! Keep fighting! Reinforcements are about to come!!” Of course, he lied.
Once in a while he uncovered and shot, proving great ability, while his partner changed, as fast as he could, the ammunition belt. So they finished the last one, and with it, their hope faded too, because they still had some, in spite of the situation.
Then, over the gunfire noise, another sound reached them: the sound of an airplane. The enemy held their advance and ceased the fire too, leaving an absolute calm, except for the approaching plane.
Tom was disconcerted. Will they bombard the hill? No. It flew over them, directed to the city. As the small figure moved away, some of them could breathe again, relieved. —It didn’t rain anymore.—But Sandman had a dark feeling, somehow he knew what was about to happen. Although there were thousands of enemy troops in the area, he knew.
He left his weapon on the floor and stood, eyes fixed on the plane. His friends looked at him surprised. Far away he could see what he most feared, this time, the real end of any hope. Then they all understood.
A small point detached from the plane and started descending as the vehicle ascended. He then felt so scared… And he felt something holding his right hand, it was one of the young girls. He didn’t know her, but it didn’t matter in that situation; He embraced her strongly, still looking at the small, descending point.
A great peace overcame Tom Sandman, almost as a strange happiness flowing from the depths of his soul. Somehow, he also felt lonely as he had never felt, and an inmense love, as he had never experienced, instantly grew for his partners. They were all what he had left at the end of his life, everything he had. There wasn’t need to say anything, they knew too. Some of them also hugged between them, others cried. It was the end, also for the civilians left.
He saw the small point disappearing behind the highest skyscraper and a shiver run through his spine. He shut his eyes. A blinding light, more intense than the rising sun, covered everything, dazzling him even with his eyes closed. An inconceivable loud noise faded any other, deafening him. He felt the girl crying and the air on his face gaining strength, hearing as he recovered audition, the incoming noise of the dust wave that covered them, just before he told her in the ear:
“Don’t be afraid.”
