Stories

SUZANNE

When Gabriel came to the Middle East, he had no idea what to expect. He knew it was a dangerous area, but he also wanted to help.
He helped out on a farm. He worked ten hours a day. Because of the heat, he got up at four in the morning. A coffee, then a half-hour drive, and he started working. He was young and strong, a well-trained football player.
He laid pipes to irrigate green grass for cows. Most of the time he was soaking wet from the connections after only an hour. Then, when the sun came up, he quickly dried up again.
Around nine o’clock he had a sumptuous morning meal, with vegetables and far too many eggs. But he was a young man, he devoured everything with ravenous hunger.
Afterwards, the work continued. In the early afternoon they went back. In the kitchen he prepared something, and afterwards he usually went to sleep for about two hours. He woke up sweaty and took a shower.
In the kitchen he got along well with Suzanne, also a volunteer who worked hard there every day.
Since there were dances every weekend, he asked her if she would come with him. She immediately said no. She didn’t care about that. Besides, you young men only want one thing anyway.
Gabriel understood what she meant only afterwards. He was a very serious guy. He didn’t fool around lightly or anything. He didn’t have a girlfriend, but he would have liked to be with Suzanne, but he understood that he had no chance with her, so he didn’t make any more attempts.
A few days later, Gabriel was back in the kitchen, when gunfire came from outside. He ran to the window and looked at a dozen heavily armed terrorists who were attacking them.
Hide, he said to Suzanne, and cover your ears. She gulped under the sink.
Gabriel had served a good year in the military and knew now it was up to him.
One of the guards came staggering in. He was bleeding profusely from a stomach wound, then sank down and stopped moving. Gabriel felt his pulse, but there was nothing there. He was dead.
Gabriel picked up his gun, a high-powered automatic rifle. He knew how to use it.
Two of the terrorists rushed in. Before they realized the situation, Gabriel had taken them both out with well-aimed shots.
Another stormed in, Gabriel mercilessly gunned him down.
He ran to the window, seeing several attackers rushing in. One had a rifle with a grenade on his shoulder.
Immediately back in the kitchen, he grabbed the totally terrified Suzanne by the arms, dragged her out of the house through the back exit. They ran down the slope into a hollow. A huge explosion sounded in the back. Someone had fired a grenade, and the whole house was immediately on fire.
Gabriel hid with Suzanne in a thick bush nearby, with his special knife, which he always had with him, he sawed off two thickly leafed branches. He placed them over her, making her virtually invisible. He held his index finger to her lips, signaled her to cover her ears. She nodded and pressed both hands firmly over her ears.
Gabriel now went from being the hunted to the hunter.
Crouched, he circled the hollow and got as far away from Suzanne as possible. On a small hill he could overlook the situation.
The terrorists were shooting with everything they had, the guards were almost just taking cover. They were not trained for such a thing. Gabriel, however, had been in his military days. He had taken a special course in combat training, knew how to handle most weapons.
He took the rifle off his back, set it to single fire. He knew he had 16 bullets left in the magazine. He had learned that too, always count.
He took aim at one of the terrorists and got him full. Immediately he made himself then from the dust. He was taught to change his position quickly after each shot.
Two of the attackers charged the hill with submachine guns, only Gabriel was no longer there.
They fired wildly into the bushes, Gabriel finishing them both off with two well-aimed shots. He knew he still had 13 rounds in the magazine. Immediately, he changed his position again.
He circled the property, watching the scene from the other side. One of the guards still fired occasionally, but hit nothing. That one didn’t dare come out of his cover.
Gabriel shot another attacker and away he went. Four more, he thought. With 12 shots, that should work.
At the new place he suddenly saw them all. He took aim and immediately got two of them. The remaining two took cover. They didn’t know where the shots had come from.
He stayed where he was, he had a good view. Sirens sounded, reinforcements seemed to be on the way. The last two took off and fled through a nearby forest.
When Gabriel thought it was all over, he went back and freed Suzanne from the bushes. He held her as tight as he could, she was totally terrified. Slowly they walked back. The main building was still in bright flames. They then went into an outbuilding. The fire department arrived, and started extinguishing the fire.
Gabriel and Suzanne went outside, leaving their shelter. They thought it was all over. But it wasn’t!
They were about to go into an outbuilding when suddenly another attacker came around the corner. He pointed a pistol at Suzanne as she stood closer to him.
Realizing the situation, Gabriel dived in front of her, a bullet hitting him full in the back. The last terrorist was then immediately cut down by a guard.
Gabriel was lying on her on the ground bleeding heavily. The guard came running, then freed Suzanne from him, pressed a hand to the back wound, and immediately called for backup. A paramedic came rushing in, carrying only a small emergency bag. But he quickly managed to stop the bleeding. Sirens of ambulances could be heard, they arrived quickly.
Gabriel was loaded onto the transporter. Suzanne wanted to go with him. At first they wouldn’t let her, but she didn’t let them get her down, and got on board. Her blouse was full of Gabriel’s blood, she was not even aware of it.
Once at the hospital, he was immediately taken to the emergency room. Suzanne took a seat on a bench outside the entrance. A nurse brought her a change of clothes and showed her where to clean herself. Afterward, Suzanne went back to the bench, and there she stayed.
Hours later, a doctor came to her. Go home, there is nothing you can do here. Suzanne, No, I’ll stay until they tell me he’s okay.
The doctor then, the way I was told, he saved your live. He must like you a lot.
I shouldn’t really, but these are special circumstances. We operated on him, the bullet is out, but his condition is critical. The next 24 hours will be crucial to his survival.
We will do our best. Suzanne thanked him, she sat on the bench again. All night. A nurse brought her something to eat and a drink and covered her up.
The next morning the doctor came again. Go home, his condition is unchanged, you can’t do anything here.
Suzanne, no, I’m not leaving here until I know he’s okay. You can’t get me out before then. As soon as you tell me he will be ok, I’ll go. Not before.
The doctor gave up. I will see that you are taken care of here. She stayed on the bench.
She hardly moved, she sat for hours. They brought her a drink and a sandwich.
Towards evening the doctor came again. He said it looked a little better, Gabriel had a good chance. Go home.
She didn’t want to know anything about that. She stayed again the whole night on the bench.
In the morning the doctor called her, come with me. She was allowed to go in. Gabriel was no longer in the emergency room, he was in a normal hospital room.
He had his eyes open, when he saw her, he greeted with a warm smile.
“How about a dance sometime soon”, he asked?
She burst into tears.
“Yes, yes, yes”, she replied, and then he received a tender long kiss.

End (or beginning)