The Journalist

Part 67: I Keep Choosing You

The sudden maneuvers I made not only shocked them, Ameena did too. The man in my arms is not warting, while the other man is looking windy.

"Are you an American soldier?" tanyakanya.

"Do you think I look like an American?" I asked back while smiling sideways.

His eyes were pointing at my hair.

"Let down your gun!" my orders to the man.

The man was still tightly holding his rifle pointed at us.

"I said put down your gun if you want your friend to be safe!" my firmness.

"Don't do! Do not give in to the enemy! Just shoot us both! Go on, shoot us both! I'm ready to die!" shouted his friend who is my prisoner at this time.

My eyes widened instantly. Damn, he instead asked his friend to not be daunted by my threat! I forgot they were a group ready to die. If it's like this, Ameena and I are in a dangerous position. Even so, his friend seemed hesitant to shoot towards us.

"Come, what are you waiting for! Shoot us! This is your chance to kill one of the American troops!"

"No! He's not an American soldier! He's not American!" Ameena shouted from behind me. His voice vibrates.

"Mina-chan," I sisiku quietly.

The two men then gasped. "So you know each other? You guys live together?"

"He's a journalist, he just came to interview me and these kids because we chose to live in the mountains" Ameena explained.

"They lied! The two knew each other's names and were like having a relationship!" the man I held back interrupted Ameena's words.

"How can a Muslim woman live with a foreign man. You must be judged for committing a great sin! Surrender yourself, both of us will be witnesses before the clerical judge," shouted the man with the sniper who remained on standby.

It's hilarious! They talk about sin as if forgetting the depraved intention that was to be done a moment ago.

"No! I'm being honest! He is just an ordinary journalist. We're not doing what you're accusing of!" Ameena who was behind me kept trying to defend me

"Then ... show me your identification card!" the man's orders to me.

The man's request made Ameena's remark look a lie. It's because I don't have any identity cards. So, there's nothing I can prove.

Ignoring what he asked for, I focused on finding a way out of this place. Our position is unfavorable to linger here.

"Mina-chan, stay behind me and follow my every footstep!" I gave instructions to Ameena while continuing to detain the man who was part of the extremist group.

Keeping the gun on the temple of his friend, I began to drag step by step towards the door. Ameena followed the instructions well. Holding the edge of my shirt, he also shifted behind me. On the contrary, the man holding the sniper was still on standby.

"Mina-chan run!" my yelling.

Ameena ran through the door first. The man pointed his rifle at Ameena. Fortunately, my toe quickly closed the door to dispel his shot. I pushed the strong man in front of me towards the man holding the weapon. I jumped over the window to catch up with Ameena. The second shot immediately took off but failed to hit me.

The man ran to the window and tried to re-spit the bullet. However, I first shot his hand and made his weapon fall. The man I held back earlier, rushed after us both. I took a hot bullet to his leg so he couldn't hunt us down. I honestly don't want to hurt anyone. But I have to do this for our safety.

Me and Ameena ran together. Unfortunately, a battle car with a black flag flying over it, stopped not far from us. And then we turned around.

"Catch them! Get them alive! That man is probably a spy!" yelled at the man I just shot at his feet.

Inevitably, we were chased by the five people who had just got off the car. I looked back while pulling the trigger. Shit, the bullet's over!

We successfully crossed the river and began to climb to the mainland, then ran down the barren land that was shaking. He and I tried to go down these arid hills by passing by roadblocks.

From where we were, the sound of bombs and a barrage of weapons began to sound like each other as a sign that the war had flared up. The sky became gloomy as it was blighted by a thick puff of smoke. On the other hand, we continued to run without a definite direction. There are only two options at the moment, to the village where the war has been sparked or to enter the desert area.

Ameena held back my movements as I was about to turn left. "Don't go there, Khai! It's a desert region!"

We stopped for a moment while looking back. They're getting closer. We cannot go down to a village that is a war zone between extremist groups and the American military.

We also entered the desert. We ran in the sun very stinging. There's no reason to stop. There's no time to rest. There's nowhere to hide. All we can do now is keep running.

Ameena's move began to crumble. Suddenly he was sitting in the sand. I then asked him to stand up immediately because the five people were still chasing us. However, he was petrified while looking lara at me.

"You why? If you can't, let me carry it!"

"Run! Run Khai!" her door.

"Let's run together!" reply hoarse.

"It seems .. I should let them catch me. That way, maybe I can meet the children they have brought," he said slowly. Even already like this, he was still thinking about the fate of the children.

"No!" I shook my head while squatting in front of him. "I'm not gonna let them catch you. I'm not gonna let that."

"They're there!" shouted someone who turned out to be one of the members of the extremist group.

They ran towards us. In a panic, Ameena asked me to leave. Like I was fixated, I chose to be still and not move.

"Mina-chan, I've chosen to stay by your side. Even if you only bring a little happiness, I still choose to be with you," I said, glancing at her eyeballs.

We looked at each other in submission. No matter who is getting closer. At the same time, there sounded a boisterous sigh that was so deafening. The wind seemed to rage, throwing so strong that it was able to lift the sand around us. I saw, Ameena was trying to hold back the pashmina that covered her head. My hair feels like it's going to come off my scalp.

"That's haboob! It's haboob!" shout them.

(Haboob: sandstorm in Arabic and around the Middle East)

From far away, it looks thick dust lumps that resemble waves. At the same time, the storm that came with untold speed not only swept away the millions of tons of sand and dust all around, but also charged at us all. My body swung to and fro following the wind. Like a piece of paper floating in the air. My eyes spontaneously closed as this face collided with millions of sand particles.

I felt Ameena's hand holding on to the end of my shirt. I reached his hand. Just for a moment, the grip of this hand loosened gradually. It feels almost gone. Even so, I tried to grasp his fingers.

Four fingers. Three fingers. Two fingers. One finger. Yes, only the index finger I can hold. Even my grip stayed at the end of his fingernails. In the end, it was all for naught because our hand link was completely detached. I was as if I was carried away by the wind.

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Author notes ⁇ ️️

Not long ago the adventures of the Khai bang in the Middle East will end, gays. What is it like and how is the ending of Kei Ayano's past story? And what about the future of this journalist? Will anyone be present in the future?

Look forward to....