Different Skies: The Bird & The Star

Major Cadmus Dios

"Everyone needs to get out of the bus in a single line and submit themselves for questioning. You are not permitted to take your luggage."

Asav caught snippets of someone trying to talk to the passengers inside the bus. What would he have not given to be with them at the moment.

He cried out in pain as he was pushed down on his knees on the gravelly land. His hands were forced behind his head with his elbows spread outwards.

"Please Don't hurt me, I didn't do anything, I was jus---"

"AAaaaargh!"

He was forced to stop midsentence when someone slapped him. For a moment, his world went black and then he heard someone speak.

"Don't speak unless you are asked to."

He looked up. A man in his forties was glowering down at him. As the man seemed to notice the tears in his eyes, the expressions on his face faltered a bit but they were quickly replaced again with passive stoicism.

"He looks too young to be operating alone, but it might be their new strategy. Interrogate everyone. Did you get the weapon yet?" He asked a lanky soldier standing behind him.

"The weapon has been found and the boys are sanitizing the bus. We were told that he was talking to a man during the commute, we are interrogating him."

A couple more soldiers walked towards them with a black cloth full of ammunition that they spread on a table nearby and stepped back.

The Soldier who appeared to be in command there, walked towards the table and started talking with them.

When Asav saw the blonde soldier from the bus walking towards them slightly favouring his left foot, he tried to speak "Please Sir, believe me! I didn't do anything! "

Unfortunately, the commander heard Arwin, came over and gripped his hair tilting his head up.

"You tried to shoot my soldier while you were hiding below your seat like a swine! Now, I am personally going to make sure that the rest of your life is spent comfortably in the prisons."

He flashed Arwin a look which crept him to the bones and then turned to greet the injured soldier.

"I hope it's nothing serious, Issac! We can't bear to lose one of our best!"

Asav started at the name! Issac? Could he possibly be related to....A warm smiling face swam up in his mind and then the lifeless hand appeared again. He shook himself to get that image out of his head.

"No, Major Dios! Fortunately, the bullet didn't make past the bulletproof boots. It just shook the bones badly, I think. I bet the wielder didn't have much experience."

Issac looked briefly at Asav's bruised face and tearful eyes. A flash of concern appeared on his face.

Asav gathered courage again and said, "I swear sir, I didn't---I was just looking for my ID below the seat and my hand got stuck with the trigger. The gun---the gun was already there!"

Major Dios pointed at the bus and looked meaningfully at Jason who nodded and limped back towards the bus.

The lanky soldier standing beside the table walked towards them and handed something to Major Dios.

"Sir, it was found near the weapon."

Asav felt his hope rise and breathed a sigh of relief. They had found his ID.

Major Dios looked at the ID and frowned and then he looked up at Asav. Before Asav could react, Dios threw it casually in the river below.

He instinctively moved towards the edge of the bridge to look at it but Dios blocked him.

Asav's eyed widened as his spirits fell. His Identity card! He looked at Dios who was smirking at him.

"Please, I am just a student. I don't know anything!" Asav pleaded desperately.

"You and your father think that you can fool everyone, don't you? Unfortunately for you, I am not very gullible. I know exactly who he is and who you are!"

Asav finally understood. It wasn't just about him anymore. They were trying to get to his father through him.

"I couldn't find it anywhere sir!" Issac had returned, Asav found an opportunity.

"He already had it and he threw----!"

Before he could finish, Dios punched Asav. He fell down, bruising his face on the ground.

Tears fell from his eyes. He saw Issac bending instinctively trying to help him up but Dios pulled him up roughly through his collars.

"I told you not to speak unless asked!"

"Sir, I saw his ID the first time I went in the bus, he really is a student." Issac spoke tentatively, his voice visibly rattled.

"How many people travel daily from the town, Sergeant?"

"Hundreds sir!"

"Do you remember all of them?"

"No, sir!"

"Then how do you remember this particular boy."

This time Issac took a few minutes before he answered

"He is Dr. Mellilot's son, Sir!"

"The same Mellilot who thinks that the security forces need to be disbanded? I always knew that he was a rebel sympathiser but this? Working with the rebels!"

Before he could express just what this meant, the sound of gunshots rang in the air.

Despite themselves, they turned around to see an armed group of people running towards them, shooting everything in sight and being shot at by the soldiers."

It was pandemonium. The soldiers towards the tent in which the passengers were being interrogated bore the full brunt of it.

They came out in the open, tried to take cover and then started retaliatory fire.

The sand bag fortifications between them and the rebels, shielded Asav and the others around him so, very few bullets actually came their way.

Asav just stood there too flabbergasted to move and saw a few soldiers run towards Major and surround him.

Two of them stood in the fortification and started shooting towards the rebels. Issac also went behind it and started firing at them.

Four soldiers made a human shield around Dios and led him towards a military vehicle on the other side of the bridge.

"We can't just abandon our ammunitions and the post!" He protested.

"We are seriously outnumbered sir! We tried to call for reinforcements but due to the landslide a few days ago, the lines have a snag." One of the soldiers escorting Major replied.

Dios looked towards the fortifications and gritted his teeth. Asav looked there as well. Only two soldiers still standing, the lackey one and Issac.

"We need to retreat sir, we have been ordered to put your safety above anything else!"

"But what about the civilians?" he enquired.

"They will be okay sir! They don't kill civilians unless they suspect them of spying for us! Please sir! We need to leave, now!"

As Asav just stood there dumbfounded, Dios grabbed his shoulder harshly and started dragging him towards the vehicle.

Asav protested instinctively but his strength was no match for him. When they were only a few steps away, Asav heard a gunshot and a cry of pain and his insides gave a very violent jolt.

Memories rushed to surface in his head again.

A gunshot! Waking up terrified at night! A pale hand lying lifelessly on the floor, warm eyes staring up, lightlessly.

"CLIO!!"Asav shouted.

Shrugging his shoulder free from the Major's grip, he ran desperately towards the fortifications.

*Updated on 8/02/21. Please vote, comment and share.*