Story: On The Run

[Imaan]

Assalamu alaykum,

So, who likes to read? I want you guys to rate my story please, and let me know is it captivating and like where you would wanna read more. I will post the first chapter here. Also, if you don't mind, could you please answer the three questions after the story, posted at the bottom of the page. I bet that I sound like a teacher now :P!


Chapter 1

They came at night, using the darkness of the night as a cover for their cowardice. He knew his weapons stood no chance compared to their machinery. So, they were not prepared to meet face to face. Instead they chose the other available option.

He positioned himself on the wall, tucking his hair underneath the hoodie he used to disguise himself. He pretended to smoke. He picked up a twig from the ground, lit it and watched the tiny balls of smoke curl. He tried to portray himself as a normal guy sitting out on the street and enjoying himself. He wondered if the pilot in the cockpit could zoom in on his face. He had gone as far as shaving his beard that morning to disguise himself. He picked up a stick and wrote in the sand, ‘I am not yet ready to submit’.

He wasn’t afraid to die. He wasn’t sorry for his actions. He pitied nobody except his parents. He knew what it meant to lose a child. An only child! He experienced that, a month earlier with his little girl. She was only a year old, yet her memories never vanished. Imagine him, a 25 year old grown up! How many more memories will his parents have of him? He needed to leave before they started having fearful memories of him. He needed to remember that it was the end of him sleeping at home from now on. He thought back to the visit with his mother earlier.
‘Mother, tell them whatever you want. Tell them I am criminal. Tell them that you have cut ties with me. Tell them your son is a traitor. Mother, tell them as you like. As long as the message is loud and clear – you have nothing to do with me! You do not know if I am still alive!

She leant against the wall weakly. ‘My son, why do you have to do this?’
‘Mother not again,’ he scolded, ‘we’ve gone through this before!’
‘Mother, tomorrow I want you to stand tall and proud over my body,’ he said softly, ‘and announce to everyone proudly that my son died as a martyr. Mother, I do not want tears over my dead body. I want the happiest of smiles from you.’
She just started at him blankly.
‘Mother, bid me farewell for we may not meet again’.
He kissed her gently on her forehead before closing the door softly behind him, whispering in the darkness.
‘Father, you are not with me. Father you were never with me. Father, I just wanted to say I love you and Mother! Father, you mean the world to me. Without Mother and you, life is incomplete.
‘Father, father...’ he called out.

The wind blew harder and his voice faltered. He tied the scarf around his neck tighter and tucked his hands in his pocket to keep himself warmer.
He walked on and on until he reached her grave. He bent down to clear the dirt before sitting on a rock nearby. ‘Baby, I love you.’ He said in a hushed tone. ‘Tonight, Daddy might join you.’
He drew hearts in the sand above her grave and decorated it with flowers. The moon shone brightly over the grave making it look like a perfect scene.
In the distance a wolf howled followed by the buzz of a helicopter close by. This was not the place to be. He headed towards the beach, walking through the crowds as casual as possible.
And here he was now, sitting on the edge of the wall, mimicking some teen on the street, enjoying his night out. He pretended to play on the toy cellphone he kept in his pocket.
But, from the corner of his eye, he watched the plane circle once then twice. By the time it started its third round, he realised the truth too late...

- What do you think this story is based on?
-What do you think the character in the story is (the man)?
- What do you think happened to the father?

[Muhaba]

When will you post the next part. It needs improvement but is captivating. And the ending is great because it makes you wonder what will happen next. A page turner