Khalesia sat up on her mat. She was groggy, but not because she was sleeping. Sleep had not come to her. All night, she tossed and turned, straining for the sound of vehicles in the distance. Sound could travel for miles in the country. She'd heard nothing.
She was confused about her feelings. Why was she worried? The American could take care of herself. She refused to let Khalesia help her. She was carrying a weapon. Two of them. By now, she had probably disappeared back to the camp from which the Americans were rumored to have come.
Khalesia knew that she and Musa were safer now that the American had left. If those men came back and found that she was here, Khalesia and her brother would be dead for sure. Actually, Musa would be dead and something far worse might happen to Khalesia. She knew that because of what happened to her mother.
Yet she could not shake off the uneasy feeling. She needed to know if the American was still out there. She could not say exactly why, but she felt it was her duty as a good Muslim to ensure that the American was safe. She should have given her more food, although they had so little themselves. It didn't matter now. She would go out and look for the American. If she couldn't find her, at least she would know she’d done her best.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she heard Musa snoring softly in the far corner. They both pretended that Musa slept in the same room in order to protect her, but the truth was that Musa was still afraid of the dark. She pretended she was the one who was afraid, so that he could save face.
She got up slowly and slipped on her shoes. It was dark, but Khalesia knew the house like the back of her hand. Moving around in the dark was not a problem for her. Besides, she knew exactly what she was going for and where it was. She walked into the other room holding her arms out in front of her, just in case.
What she was about to do was crazy. Musa would have a heart attack if he even suspected. But she didn't have time to listen to him worrying. And she was never going to get to sleep if she didn't do this.
After a moment, she felt the coolness of the wall against her fingertips. She doubted if she would wake Musa even if she crashed into the wall. But she didn't want to take any chances.
She ran her hands in circles until she found the edge of the nub of the water skin. She wanted to take it just in case the American was thirsty. She grabbed it and walked outside towards the sheep pen.
How beautiful the sky was at night. It never ceased to amaze her. There was no moon tonight, which made the stars shine all the brighter. While Musa was afraid of the dark, Khalesia revelled in it. No one was around at night. It was the only time she didn't have to wear her hijab. She could let her hair flutter freely in the wind, and run as fast as she wanted. It was the only time she could pretend she was still a little girl.
But she wasn't outside to play tonight. She was on a mission.
In the darkness, Khalesia made her way to the sheep pen, guided by the bleating of the animals. When her hands touched the metal wire, she let her fingertips graze it until she found the wooden nub of the torch. It was their only source of light at night and normally she didn’t even bother. But she was going deeper into the wilderness and there could be snakes or wolves. No matter. She wasn’t afraid even though she knew she should be. She suspected sometimes that something just might be a little wrong with her, not being afraid of the dark at all. But rather than stop and think about it further, she headed around to the back of the house, carefully stepping over the rocks. She had memorized their positions after years of sneaking out. When she was safely behind the house, she lit the torch.
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It was so cold. Where was my blanket? When I reached for it, all I felt was air. Something slithered down my neck and I woke with a start. My cry rang out into the darkness.
I slapped the back of my neck, feeling for the creature that was attacking me. It was just my hair, loosening from its bun. I had twisted slightly and the wound in my side felt like a group of wasps had just started to wake up and were stinging me in various parts. It made me immediately regret moving so quickly.
The pain had spread, and the area around the wound felt hot to the touch. This is a sign of infection. Which meant I was now on the clock. My stomach ached and I felt nauseated, but I had nothing to throw up. I thought I might have contracted botulism from drinking unfiltered water.
The night was dark, and it was strangely quiet. I wondered if I should turn around and head back to the house, but I was all mixed up. Even if I had a flashlight, I wouldn’t know in which direction I should go. The darkness was a blanket smothering everything and making the landscape look like one big area of nothing. Besides, in training I had learned that it’s better not to move if it put you at risk of further injury. Without any light, there was no way I would make it back to the house before dawn.
That's when I saw a small pinprick of light. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me or that I was hallucinating. Maybe I was starting to lose it.
The pinprick got larger. I looked at my watch. It was 3:36 a.m. I watched it for a while, wondering what I should do. Was it a hostile person? I had the safety on my rifle switched to red, ready to fire. But how would I know whether the person intended to harm me? It was pitch black, except for that little light. If I remained still, it was unlikely that the person would find me. However, what if this was the rescue team? Maybe they were coming out here to look for me.
Wouldn't they come in a helicopter? Wouldn’t they have a loudspeaker and a team of guys? Wouldn't I see several little lights in the distance? This probably wasn't them. So who the hell was it? Who would be out here in the middle of the night? There was nothing around here, not even a road. Maybe it was those bad guys who had come earlier. Maybe the boy had told them about me.
I didn't like the idea of shooting an innocent person, but I wasn't going to take any risks. I readied my rifle. I would wait. And watch. Most likely, if I kept still, this person would never even see me. Gripping the cold metal of my rifle grip, I watched the pinprick. Over the next hour or so, it grew larger. I wished I had binoculars.
The light was so close to the ground that if it wasn't so dark, I might not have noticed it. But I kept my eyes trained on it, despite the increasing discomfort of my stomachache and my wound. I needed to use the bathroom, but I didn't dare move.
Eventually, I was able to make out a figure. This person was small. I couldn't see his or her face, but I could see the way the person moved very lightly over the ground. Every few seconds, the person would stop to wave the light around, and continue in a certain direction. I got into the prone shooting position, because it eased the pain in my side and laying close to the ground allowed me to stay hidden.
It seemed as if the person was heading towards me. But how was that possible, in this darkness? And who knew that I was out here? I thought it must be a coincidence. Another few minutes went by, and the light came even closer. And then I saw her. It was Khaleshia, holding what appeared to be a torch.
What the hell was she doing out here? I got up from the prone position and almost tripped over a rock. I gasped, and she turned her head.
"Brit-nah-ney?" she called out.
"Khalesia?"
She walked towards the sound of my voice, even though I had only said her name once. As she got closer, I could see that she carried a waterskin under her other arm.
Her torch illuminated a small path to her. I limped over, my legs aching. The smoke from the torch made my eyes burn, but I didn't care. The light was glorious. In all my life, I had never been so relieved to see someone.
Khaleshia let out a burst of words, none of which I understood. Then she ran up and hugged me. Actually, it was more like she pressed herself against me, because both of her hands were full. When I patted her on the head, I realized she wasn't wearing a hijab. No head covering. She really was living dangerously.
She handed me the waterskin, and I took it gratefully and drank every last drop. I was beyond thirsty. I couldn't even taste the griminess of the water. As I drank, she kept talking. I had no idea what she was saying, but I didn't care. It felt good to hear a voice, even one I didn't understand.
"I need to go back to your house." I pointed to where she had come from.
She gave me a funny look, and I pointed again. She shrugged and turned around and started walking in that direction. I followed, letting the light from her torch guide my feet.
We walked back in silence. Every now and then, she turned to see whether I was still following.
I'm not going anywhere without you right now, little one, I thought.
Soon, this whole nightmare would be over. As I walked, I felt for the picture that Captain Andrews had given me. Still there. I was terrified of losing it. I knew I had to survive in order to tell those kids about their mom.
The edges of the sky started to lighten up and turn pink. It was an hour until sunrise. Soon we would no longer need the torch. And I hoped that soon, I would see a rescue team. The torch looked heavy in her little hands. I can't believe she carried that thing out to come find me. As we got closer, the little house came into view.
I wondered why she had come looking for me. It seemed a strange thing to do, even though her hug seemed to indicate that she was fond of me. I wanted to get to the house and be picked up as soon as possible. The less time I spent with Khalesia and her brother, the better off they would be.
We came up from around the back of the house. I was exhausted from walking, and I seriously needed to use the bathroom. I felt it would be disrespectful to do that right beside where they lived, so I turned around and went back to duck behind one of the rocks. Khalesia waited for me, but then I think she realized what I was doing. She went around to the front of the house.
Sweet relief. I realized this was the first time I had gone all day, and I thought I must be severely dehydrated. Just then, a pounding headache set in, which confirmed it. I started to walk back towards the house. As I approached the front of the house, I heard Khalesia scream.
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Hey All,
Hoped you like this update. Let me know what you think.
Hugs,
Nicki