To Live Her Life

Oceané began panicking, she didn't know what to do. Looking over her shoulder, back at the hallway she had just gone through, she saw the mountains of debris littering it already. More had fallen since she had been through and the debris was falling rapidly, in a matter of a few seconds she could be trapped. The building was unstable, collapsing in on her, and she knew it.

The only thing in question right now, was if she should go back the way she came and try a different way.

And how long the building would stay in tact?

Oceané was quickly running out of time to do anything let alone think of the consequences and the bad vs. good aspect of each particular decision.

With a now sobbing Ibrahim in her arms, she jiggled the door knob back and forth in front of her. Screaming was fruitless, the blasts from outside were all too loud so she barely even tried to do so. Why waste the energy when the simple action was basically useless?

Momentarily setting Ibrahim next to her, but so that he was still protected by her larger body, she pulled on the knob with everything she had. Putting her all into that simple gesture moving it side to side, back and forth, and towards her and away even.

Ibrahim grabbed a hold of her leg as she went to take a step backwards as she continued her pulling. Throwing her off a bit, she tripped from the tiny arms restricting her fluid movements and ended up falling hard to the ground, on shards of cement and rock. Groaning, another huge chunk of the ceiling came down making a huge crash from somewhere around the two of them. It was extremely close by though. The building shook and rumbled amidst the gunfire coming from outside that “protecting,” yet not so much, door.

باب الله اللعنة ، فتح يمارس الجنس حتى!” (God dammit door, open the fuck up!) She wailed loudly, tears coming from er eyes. She knew better than to curse, let alone use “God's” title in vain but the realization of dying slowly and painfully by being buried in heavy, solid, pieces of walls and ceilings was scaring the hell out of her. It would scare anyone really.

Plus she had Ibrahim to think about and to get out of the locked building as well.

“Oceané!” A voice yelled from behind her setting body. Whipping her head around she saw the last person she would want to see.

Mayine...

He was coming through the broken apart and debris filled hallway, crawling and ducking (at some points) over the large stacks of cement towards her and Ibrahim. In his arms was a bundle, clinging to those same arms and to his neck.

"وهو عالق" (It's stuck.) She stood on shaky legs looking at the older boy. “مؤمن عليه وأنه متعود تأتي مفتوحة.” (It is locked and it wont come open). She was barely whispering, so she wasn't sure that he had heard her or not.

Mayine threw down a duffel bag from the cliff of rubble he was kneeling on and it thudded as it landed right beside Oceané's feet. She looked down at the bag in question, wondering just what was inside. What could have made that 'thud' noise. But she looked quickly, instead, to the blood that was staining her leg and the area around it. It was a bright red, all watery and shiny around her in a puddle.

Hyperventilating, she didn't even notice Mayine, who was now standing merely inches away.

Mayine was worried about her. He saw the blood and didn't need to think twice about who it was from. The blood after all was soaking through her clothed legs. On the other side, at least he knew that it was her leg that was bleeding instead of something else. Yet still, a leg wound could be the worst at this particular time. There was a lot of blood. And if she can't walk, or move...

He just hoped it wasn't that bad, the wound, whatever it was. They needed to run.

He gently put Aleia down on the ground next to her brother and looked briefly yet concerned, at Oceané before he began to jiggle the doorknob around. He found out it was locked, just as Oceané had minutes prior. He pulled on it before he then started beating on the knob with a random chunk of cement laying around. It wasn't too incredibly hard to decide what object to use; just the first random chunk he seen next to him.

The knob flew off on the first try and then he gripped the opening and pulled again. With the lock gone, the door easily swung wide open.

He grabbed the duffel and slung it over his shoulder and head, so it was laid diagonally against his back, same with the strap and his chest. Then he brought Ibrahim into his arm and then did the same, bringing Aleia up towards his chest with his remaining arm.

“Oceané?” Mayine questioned, she glanced up from her trance on the shiny, drying blood and finally seen the blackness of the land now around them.

Outside.

She followed him cautiously and wordlessly into the “crossfire” area. People weren't anywhere to be seen but the screaming and yelling sure was heard. It was coming from every which direction, as were the 'booms' from (what were assumed to be) bombs, and the 'pinging' sounds coming from the ricocheting of various forms of artillery. Guns blasting, bullets flying incessantly from their barrels with the simple action of a gentle ghost-like tap on the trigger.

Smoke was also around them, everywhere. The sun wasn't shining despite being in the day-time at only around 2 in the afternoon. Instead the blackness sent off the aurora of night-time although it wasn't even close to being so as of that particular time.

Oceané reached for and grabbed Aleia from within Mayine's arms as she followed quickly as well as closely behind him. He ducked and flinched to the side randomly, all the while yelling directions towards her. Luckily, with the heat of fear and excitement she didn't even notice the pinching and stinging her leg had with each subtle movement. She full out ran when she needed too and fell to the floor when told too, instantly without a second thought crossing her mind.

Mayine only knew what he was looking for, the flag of their nation; not where said flag would be. From there they would travel back with their own people into safety from their “captors.” It was all planned. He knew everything that would happen. Hence, knowing where to find Aleia and where to look for Oceané, plus the reason Ibrahim was there in the laundry room with her then, whenever was never had been before.

Sources were leaked and he knew Arabian forces would attack sooner rather than later. That was why he had been trying profusely to get Oceané to want to escape with him. He hadn't wanted her to have to leave against her will 'as the booms were going off.' Instead he wanted her to like the idea and for her to agree to leave with him in this situation.

She told him, she 'liked the freedom here.'

But, she only knew the good side of being on the enemy's base camp. Youri however had been protecting her from any and all dangers. If only she had known what it truly was like for the other women, and men for that matter in their everyday lives while being slaves to the Ukrainian army. Mayine knew if that was the case she would want no part of this- this... enemy army camp.

Yet here they were, Oceané was forced to come with him from out of fear. She still didn't know about the attempt at freedom they were actually taking part in. She was sort of just following him. Without much thought or question...Which lately, was not like her at all.

The one thing Mayine wondered however, was how terrible this was. You know, on the actual fighting grounds which... actually were everywhere. How many people are dead. What does it look like out there? Are they loosing the battle... or winning? How is the escape coming. Is it even coming, at all?

He was trying his hardest to avoid these battle, death-ridden grounds for the sake of Oceané and the twin children but in doing so, finding the safely of the Saudi Arabian's flag was becoming incresingly difficult.

“البقاء هنا ، سأعود.” (Stay here, I'll be back)

“ماذا؟" (What?) Oceané thought for sure she had heard him wrong. She watched in fear as Mayine sat Ibrahim onto the ground next to her as well as the duffel bag filled and overflowing with various goods. “الى اين انت ذاهب؟!” (Where are you going?!) She was one millisecond away from hyperventilating again. She collapsed onto the ground beneath her feet, not even noticing she had done so. It was safe to say that Oceané was going to have some sort of “freak-out.”

She wasn't the biggest “fan” of Mayine after everything that had happened the past few days since Youri had left. She still wore the bright red slap mark from earlier much to her disdain... But she was happy he was here, that someone she knew was around. She didn't know too many, so when compared to other choices in this particular situation; Mayine was the best to be there with her. Yet now he was threatening to leave her alone again, with now two (barely three year old) children- in the middle of some sort of a battle.

For what? Why?

“سأكون الظهير الايمن ، والبقاء هنا ، وسوف تكون آمنة. أعدك.” (I'll be right back, stay here and you will be safe I promise.) Mayine whispered before kneeling down and kissing Oceané's cheek. Then he left quickly, running away; while she sat there in utter shock, with two wailing children snuggled close to her neck and chest, blood still pouring from the gash on her leg, and with them barely under any form of coverage.

If only Mayine had known what waited for him; And what would happen the moment he had left the three behind in front of that already damaged building.

Maybe he wouldn't have left her there, them there.

Alone