Free On the riverside of promise by Vasileios Kalampakas

look for himself.
     
    “Probably neither. Rebels wouldn’t be so
frivolous with their ammo. Government troops would have a column of
vehicles, squads of men fanned out on the roadside, carriers. That
sort of thing.”
     
    “Then who are they? Who’s shooting at whom?”
asked Ludwig, his voice anxious, unsteady.
     
    “That’s not really important. It’s people we
need to run away from, right now,” Ethan said as he pulled out a
Browning High Power pistol from his backpack and drove home a
clip.
     
    “You have a gun?” asked Ludwig, as if he had
never imagined he’d see one up close. Ethan loaded a bullet in the
chamber and clicked the safety off.
     
    “It’s American but it’ll do nicely. Gather
your people and just go. Pack nothing, just follow the ravine
eastwards till nightfall. If all goes well, I’ll try and meet up
with you by morning. If not, wait it out another day before coming
back,” said Ethan with a grave expression. The echoes of gunfire
grew apart in time.
     
    “What? That’s preposterous, we can’t leave
everything behind! What are you saying?” exclaimed Ludwig, arms
raised in dubious protest. Another rattling sound echoed, this time
stronger, closer than before. The sound of motors revved up high
could be heard, faintly but clearly.
     
    “I’m saying these folks are trigger-happy
bastards. Can’t guarantee they’ll just take your stuff and
leave.”
     
    Ethan felt like he had to shout to make the
doctor listen: “You’re wasting time, go! Now!”
     
    Ludwig hesitated for just a single moment,
but then ran to the door. He barely paused in his stride to
ask:
     
    “What about the wounded and the sisters? What
about you?”
     
    Ethan wiped the sweat of his forehead, gun in
hand: “I’ll sell them bastards a front-page story they can’t
refuse. I’ll do my best, promise. If it comes to it…” he said and
nodded at the gun. “Now go!” he shouted. Ludwig nodded and ran off.
He could be heard rousing people, urging them to put on their boots
and just follow him. Dumbfounded, groggy voices mixed with the
shuffling of feet, thuds and protests. From the sound of it though,
they were on the move.
     
    The gunshots could be heard, growing weaker
and further apart. The fight was dying out. Ethan packed a couple
of clips in an ankle pocket. He grabbed his Leica, and tucked the
gun away in his trousers, behind his back. He went looking for
Nicole; he knew that his real priority would be to keep the two of
them alive, if it all came down to that.
     
    The chanting from the church had stopped. A
few of the sisters were crowded together outside the church doors.
They stared through the wide open gate at the hazy hillside, as if
waiting for some sign. Some were praying softly.
     
    The sound of roaring motors had became
clearly closer. Mingled with the sounds of churned dirt and gravel
from the Rovers’ tires, it was an uneasy, threatening sound in its
own. The absence of gunshots meant they were moving up towards the
monastery again, unhindered.
     
    Nicole rushed outside the small hall where
the wounded and the sick lay. She was wearing a plain work apron,
her hair tied up in a bun. Ethan saw her then and rushed towards
her, his camera swinging wildly from the strap around his neck. She
barely seemed to take notice of him; she was staring at the shabby
road and the approaching rovers with a cold, crisp fixation. Anger
seethed clearly through her. Ethan told her with urgency in his
voice:
     
    “You need to keep calm. I think I can handle
this. Follow my lead when you can, and don’t just hand over
everything. If they sense we’re scared shitless, they’ll stop at
nothing. I’ll try and sell them a news story, front page on the
Times. You just stay firm. They might want to check up on the
infirmary. Let them.”
     
    “Keep calm? That’s your advice? Stay firm?
What makes you think you can talk things over with them? We can’t.
We can’t just talk.”
     
    Ethan was taken