I'll be honest over here, this story was inspired from a real event. Not entirely though, the different scenarios that have happened in my perspective are what you may come across here. Stories from the news and everything.
I've been cooped up in my house for two days now. Classes have been called off since September 9, 2013. I and my family may have to evacuate because rebel soldiers were around the vicinity of my home. I know it's a bad thing to have been able to write something in this time, but I also know that I need to escape from the madness that's happening in my home.
I keep a journal wherein I wrote as much as I could. I hope to be able to share with you all the things that I wrote in that notebook. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
Please, Pray for Zamboanga City.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Boom.
"I just put them to sleep. Hopefully this will all end soon." A woman came into view as she stepped down the stairs. Her emerald eyes were full of worry towards the idea of her children having to live through such madness. Her pink hair, now reaching her mid-back, had been twisted into a bun to avoid being a distraction. She dressed in a pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt. She made sure to be dressed well in case of emergencies.
"This will take time to subside, I'm afraid," said a man of unruly black hair. He was dressed comfortably, as if he was prepared to run away at any moment. His black eyes were hard as he peered out on the streets. Though he saw nothing, though the fight hadn't been brought to their side of the city, he kept himself vigilant and poised for action. He had lost his family once, and he didn't plan on losing them again.
The woman kept going down the stairs until she sat down at one of the steps closest to the ground. "Sasuke, you should sit." She says this while patting the part next to her, but the man refuses to turn his head. "You've been staring right out on the street since 4pm. I may not be an eye doctor, but it doesn't take one to say that you need to let them rest."
"Sakura, my family is in complete danger." He finally turns his head. "There's a battle going on at this moment and we don't even know who's on the winning side, them or us. If you think that for a second I'll stop thinking about that, then you're dead wrong. You, of all people, should be aware of that."
Sasuke then turns his head once more towards the scene before him. It's been two days since the initial gun attacks had been happening. Because the rebels had reached around his home, he and his family had to evacuate in one of the complexes in the city. He expected that there be many of them, he just didn't expect them to be this many.
Because of his wife's profession as a doctor, she volunteered to tend to injuries that had sprung among both adults and children. She had left Sasuke to tend to their children; one of which was a 13-yesr-old boy, the other being a 6-year-old girl. Luckily for them, the children had remained calm up until they fell asleep.
Hostages were taken and used as human shields. One of those hostages had been the twelve-year-old daughter of his closest friend, Naruto Uzumaki. He, along with his wife, Hinata, had arrived in the evacuation site with head down and dried tears on their faces. It took all of Sasuke's strength to keep his best friend from rampaging around the city and provoking the rebels.
Fortunately, news spread that the Uzumakis' daughter had been spared. She was now staying with their Hyuuga relatives. Naruto couldn't help but cry once more at that time, he couldn't even speak in the midst of all his snorts and tears.
With good news, however, came bad ones as well. A woman had been shot while fleeing towards a direction that no one knows. Her body had been found around a neighborhood where the rebels had passed. After a video of it had spread online, the identity of the woman had been confirmed to be Hanabi Hyuuga. It was confirmed that she had volunteered to help out evacuees and was on her way to deliver medicine in one of the evacuation centers. The Hyuugas might not even be able to give her a proper funeral in the middle of all this chaos.
Ino Yamanaka, Sakura's best friend and fellow doctor, had her own set of problems. Her father, slowly dying due to old age, has been put on life support for the past two days. The following day, he will be cut-off from the machines and will be observed then. She has been preparing herself for the day she may have to say goodbye to her father. She knows that he lived without any regrets. He has become captain of the communication team of the city police force, watched his daughter marry, and became a grandfather of three beautiful children.
She is thankful to hear that her father's condition seems stable after the life support had been cut off. She is thankful, also, to the staff of the hospital she checked her father into as they continue to monitor for any progress.
Sakura continues, "This sort of thing, you'd usually expect it to happen in the movies. I mean, us running away, people fighting over food, people running away, it all seems rather unreal."
"I don't think I'm the right person you should be talking to about that." Sasuke finally gives way and sits beside his wife. He wraps his arm around her waist to make room for her to use his broad shoulder as if it were a pillow. "As much as I love the idea of watching movies with you, I've never exactly pictured having to experience one, with you, that is."
His hold on her tightened as if he knew something was to happen at that instant. Sakura held the hand of the arm that wrapped around her and kissed it. Surprised by the gesture, Sasuke looks toward his wife and displays a confused expression.
"You may not believe me, but I can feel you trembling," she says with a voice of worry and fear. As much as she knew that she did want to experience a real-life movie with her husband, she never imagined it to be a disaster movie. "I know you're scared, and I understand that you have to be strong not only for your family, but for your friends, colleagues, and fellow men as well."
To be men and women for others, is what their school had always taught them. He couldn't help but feel helpless. All the belongings of him and his family had been burned. The rebels took advantage of the idea that the houses were close to each other. They were devastated to hear that their home had been reduced to ashes. Four fire trucks had made their attendance to the scene. Sadly, the rebels had been present throughout the fire, so military forces had told the firemen to wait for their signal. No other casualties had occurred at that time since all citizens of that part of the city had evacuated safely.
"That look on your face, put it away. Please." Sasuke is startled by the way his wife had said that. He gapes at her, confused. "I don't like seeing you feel useless. It makes me feel as if I didn't do a good job at comforting you."
And that is indeed how he felt, useless. He felt useless because they had left their home unprepared so he had left his weapons behind.
He felt useless because now he didn't know how to protect his family.
He felt useless because he wasn't of much help to the evacuees.
He felt useless because it took three men to keep his best friend from doing a mistake.
He felt useless because he didn't know what to do.
"You've done everything you've had to do. You saved your family and your best friend. You made children smile today and made sure everything was in perfect order." Sakura brought her right hand towards his cheek. His eyes, from being hard and confused, had softened and relaxed. "You're here... with me."
Slowly, as she said those last words, Sakura had brought her lips towards Sasuke's. The kiss was chaste, but he felt way too many things while it was happening. He felt love, care, and even fear. But most of all, he felt reassurance.
Moving away from his wife's lips, he felt calm. "Thank you, for being here."
"You sound as if I'm a ghost," she said with a short giggle. "But I'm glad." She leans into his chest at this statement. "I'm glad that you're here too. That our children are sleeping peacefully amidst all this madness. That our friends are safe...
"... that you're here."
"This will end soon. And it will end with us being able to sleep without fearing for the worst in the following day." After his statement, he got up and offered his wife a hand. She took it and together they headed towards where their children have been sleeping.
Author's Note:
Yes, this is happening, and this is how I feel. I didn't even bother to proofread this whole thing. I want to spread the info as soon as possible. This is expected from someone on her Junior year of Bachelor od Arts in Communication.
I just want it all to end soon. I hope that you will take time to pray for my city, pray for my country.
Pray for Zamboanga City.
