From Russia With Love

The following day, Gerard sat up in his second story bedroom sketching in a black notebook. The walls around were covered with a mix of military propaganda and his own drawings, with some posters thrown in for good measure. He was trying to concentrate on his work, but every time he put pen to paper all he could think about was the look on Dominika’s face when he’d been trying to tell her how he felt. He understood she was younger than he, but he always knew that she was wise beyond her years, mature and intelligent underneath her shy and stubborn exterior. Ever since the idea had been put into his head by his parents, all he could think about was making her fall in love with him, falling in love with her and removing some of that shy exterior she held onto so tightly. Such a shy, pretty little flower.

He screwed up the paper in his fist and turned to a fresh piece, attempting a second time, but all he could imagine was running his hand through long, white blonde hair and placing gentle, soft kisses up the side of her neck as she took a sharp breath and flushed pink underneath his lips. Tracing his fingers up the curve of her bare, milky thigh and under one of her pretty sundresses. Making her body his…

He mentally slapped himself and pushed the chair out, heading down the stairs and to the kitchen. Just as his foot touched the bottom step, a sound he knew all too well rang out in the distance. Military training mode engaged, he slunk into the kitchen and held his head to one side, listening. Another shot rang out, closer this time. And another, and another, and then a barrage of shots all at once. His blood ran cold and he dropped to the floor, crawling to the other end of the kitchen and then standing up and running out the front door of the house.

Pressing himself flat against the wall of the house, he edged around the corner and looked around, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. He jumped the tall brick wall that separated his house from next door and used a thicket of trees to make his way unseen to the exterior of the house where a large window was. He pressed himself to the wall again and peered around into the window, hand flying to his mouth to stifle a yell.

The sight before him was pure horror. The normally immaculate house was ransacked, and on the floor lay the bloodied bodies of the Queen, King and some of their children. He counted eight Chinese militants standing over their bodies, armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Another two rifled through a cabinet nearby, no doubt stealing valuables. He forced himself to concentrate on his training and determine how many victims there was, maybe there was a chance there were some survivors. Monika lay on the ground in the doorway, and Alik and Vadem were slumped together against the far wall. It was a bittersweet relief to note Dominika’s absence, maybe he still had a chance to save her.

He stayed flat to the wall as he inched along it towards the south end of the house where Dominika’s room was. A large oak tree outside her window allowed him enough leverage to scale a low branch and scramble up to the limb next to the window. He scanned her room quickly, heart sinking as he realized it was empty. He pressed himself against the wall obscuring himself in the leaves as he caught his breath.

Maybe she’s hiding.

He reached out and tapped on a pane of glass softly, silently praying it would be enough to get her attention without alerting the militants ransacking the house below them.
The top of a blonde head appeared from underneath the far side of her bed, and popped down again before she looked around properly for the source of the noise. When they locked eyes, she looked like a deer in the headlights, blue eyes so wide they dominated her facial features.

“Gerard” she mouthed silently, scuttling across the floor to underneath the window. He pressed his finger to his lips as she eased the pane open slowly.

“What the hell is going on?!” she hissed. He clamped his hand against her mouth.

“Quiet, they’re still downstairs. Come with me now, don’t make a sound”

She nodded, complying silently and taking the hand he offered in front of him. He shuffled down the end of the large limb under her window and hung from the branch for a moment before dropping noiselessly to the ground. He held his arms up and motioned for her to copy, catching her by the waist and setting her on the ground. He led her through the thicket again, back towards the direction of his house, all the while knowing it wasn’t a safe place to take her either. No doubt it was their very next target. He needed to get her back to the military base.

“Where are we going? What’s going on, Gerard? Was that gun fire? Why won’t you answer me?!”

She’d been minding her own business in her room, working on an essay piece her tutor had set her when she’d heard glass breaking and screaming downstairs, followed by what she could only guess was shots being fired. She’d followed protocol she’d been taught from childhood and hidden under her bed till she heard Gerard at her window.

“We’re under attack, well I think so anyway, unless you’ve got some Chinese visitors I didn’t know about” he replied exasperated.

“Where are you taking me then?”

“Back to the base, it’s the only safe place for you now”

It dawned on her suddenly and the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

“What about my family?!” she cried “Aren’t you going to take them too? I won’t go without them!”

“Please Domi, just listen to me, I’ll explain it all later, but now is not the time!”

He pulled her arm and she wouldn’t budge. Her eyes were wild as the wind picked up around them, her hair dancing around her face. She looked at him straight in the eye.

“No! I won’t leave them behind. Go get them too, and take us all to the base together”

“I can’t, Domi, you come with me now or I make you, those are your options”

He tensed his body like he was ready to spring if she made a run for it, his jaw set hard and his eyes set on hers. She was still for a second and then turned away from him suddenly, trying to disappear back into the thicket. He caught her arm, circled her waist and threw her over his shoulder in one fluid motion.

“PUT ME DOWN!” she yelled. She fought against him, kicking his chest and beating her balled fists on his back but it made no difference, “Why are you doing this Gerard? You promised you’d never hurt me, let me go back to them, I need to know they’re okay!”

“They’re all dead Domi! All of them! I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to tell you like this but we are in serious danger right now and I need you to stop questioning me and just do what I say ok? Just till I get you safe again”

“I’m sorry” he whispered again. He put her on her feet and put his hand to her back, trying to be comforting.

She was silent as they continued through the trees, too shocked to comprehend his words fully. All she could do was look up at the skies of her beloved homeland and wonder if she’d ever be able to see them in the same way again.

Notes

Shits going down!