TOMORROW: Trials of the Lost Swallows Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Mistakes of the past were thought to have been learnt from. Clearly the human race were incapable of that.

Clouds of dust lifted into the air as heavy chained tires herded its way through the Russian countryside. The road was endless and puddles of grey liquid sprayed the side of the trucks as they horded through the untouched scenery. A continues line stretch up to the horizon of military trucks hording their way up the road, like packs of blood hounds they did not stop to let anything pass.

The trunks carried two armed guards sitting at the end of each row were the men and women sat on opposite sides. Nothing was said because there was nothing to be said besides the fact none of which knew where and what was to be done with them. They had been travelling for hours; the last words they spoke were farewells to their family as they were torn away from their homes, thrown into the backs of armed vehicles like cattle and not promised of a return. The Defending Republic of Nations Known Armies were recruiting any man or women over the age of 13 and this time they had no choice but to sacrifice one member of their family, again. But because men were more valuable, the Dronkas were willing to take children as young as eight; resulting in Aurelia to take the place of her innocent and feeble bother.

A boy sitting opposite to Aurelia bent his head forward to face the ground, a faint humming came from him, drawing in the guards attention.

“Sit up straight boy” a guard ordered in a stern tone that the boy instantly sat up parallel to the others sitting beside him. His face seamed a pale green and lips whiter than the snow around them. Aurelia gazed at him with interest and sympathy. It was clear to see how hard the boy was trying not to completely breakdown, looking into his eyes was like looking into a murky lake, close to flooding over the riverbank. No one paid attention to him but Aurelia. The rest were as cold and still as stone in fear of their futures and also what the guards were to do if they dared step out of line. The boy continued to sober quietly as Aurelia watched in the horizon a wall stretching as far as she could see appearing from the snow. Thick black barred iron gates were opened and the trucks drove in one by one, Guards identical marched through, holding the gates and directing the vehicles. Row after row of indistinguishable grey huts sat waiting for the new arrivals. Walls of barbed wire ran all the way around the location, behind it the black bricked walls stood high, clearly there was no chance of escaping. Aurelia noticed this, realising that for the will to escape one must have reason to do so.

Men in military jackets with an upright x or cross clearly presented on each of their right arms, grabbed Aurelia by the shoulder, leading her and the others off the truck onto the stiff snow. Long rows were formed, Aurelia stood straight, hands by her side as they all stood there stationary awaiting their next orders. The cold bit hard at them as the soldiers paced up and down the row, wrapped in their thick black coats, lined with the black fur of some innocent creature. One soldier emerged from the black fog, he looked slightly different than the others as there were triple the amount of badges and awards displayed on his chest and within an instant Aurelia could see straight through him to see the icy emptiness in his heart. She was beginning to understand the problems and cold presence all the soldiers possessed. They just weren’t that human, or at least not anymore. Aurelia watched them carefully, was this really what war and weapons could do to a person. To strip someone of their feelings, personality, purpose. A soldier’s only purpose was to destroy; Aurelia thought to herself as the only privacy any of them were still to have were simply their thoughts. The Dronka finished pacing through the taut grey snow, stopping before Aurelia who seemed to be the only soul not facing the floor and starring straight back into the cold face of the Dronka. The dark figure approached her as she casually looked straight back at the man without even the slightest glimpse of fear in her eyes. He admired her bravery as the two just stood there gazing at the other, both waiting for the other to give up the staring match. Finally the Dronka’s stern attempt of a smile decayed into an ill hearted and bitter portrait.

“Girl, do you understand your purpose for being here” the General barked into Aurelia’s surprisingly calm face. Her eyes still fixed on him with no sense of fear within her, shocking the other captives with her serenity.

“My purpose of being here is to protect my brother, find my brother, raise a rebellion, end this war, protect the weak, save the world and go home. But I guess you want me to be like you and prance around with guns and badges? My purpose is to live a fore filing, meaningful life and not to waste the day when I know there are people in the world with less time than me. How can I for fill that purpose her, unless I’m trying to do the opposite. So yes I know what my purpose of coming here is. It is to leave.” Aurelia concluded innocently to the General all wide eyes and no indignity. She sniggered under her breath after confusing him to the point he had given up with her, a cherry red colour painted his face which Aurelia guessed was not due from the cold. Then suddenly a fight giggling came from further down the line. Aurelia dropped her smile and the atmosphere went silent. The General face went from red to purple in rage and then began to very slowly turn to the direction of the snigger. Gradually trudging through the grey slush Aurelia held her breath and watched the ground. The heavy footsteps of the Dronka stopped, right in front of a young man, barley twenty. Nothing was said and no one dared turn to see but they heard. The sharp bang of a gun was sounded, followed by the thud of prisoner hitting the wet ground. No one did anything. Statues in the snow. The Dronka marched further up the line of freezing, speechless men and women, cheeks blue while the night began to crash onto the land. Soldiers guarding the trucks urged the General to send the new arrivals in as the frost began to freeze its self onto the figures of the captives. The tall dark Dronka stepped back to be in view of all the chilling victims of the snow, scrutinizing each individual up and down as if he was checking them over for something.

“I suspect you have guessed the reason of why you have been brought here,” he bellowed. The heads of those before him did not rise but only glanced up a fraction with their hesitant eyes. “The Mindless have corrupted our planet by taking our people and destroying the lives of others. Shanghais... Delhi...Rio... Berlin... London... these are just five out of the twenty-two cities inhabited only by these creatures and until we are all like them they shall never cease their growth and the chaos they cause. This is where you come in...”The General carried on pacing through the snow from where he had left off. “The world needs its people’s defence and you and the people of the free world and it is your duty to fight, to win and to die for the sake of the human race. Tomorrow you shall all being your short training before you are to enter these infected cities, capture these “Mindless” creatures and to carry out every order given to you as you are all from now a member of the DRONKA ACADEMY. Good luck and long live Sar Dronka.”

Saluting with his head high to the dismal clouds and hollow stars the General and his follows marched off around the corner as the other soldiers led the new comers into their huts. Aurelia marched with them, with the questions of a hundred missing answers attached, holding together her hope and pride, she promised herself to never give in to their lies, never were she to become a Dronka. She would much prefer be one of the walking dead...