Escape From Aleppo

Mahdi sat in the passenger seat and thought about the body in the trunk. How did he end up in this place? He thought he was done with dead bodies when he came to Canada. He stared out the window and memories of Syria five years ago flooded back into his brain.

What did these guys want with him? Why did they grab him? Why didn’t he stay with his wife and son?

So many questions.  And no answers, yet.

He raised his head and looked into the eyes of the man who called himself Farron. Those eyes, they looked right through him. He shuddered and looked past him for a way out.

“There is no way out of here, we need more men to fight against the evil Assad. We are your ticket to salvation. Your way to get revenge on those who killed your family.” Farron Bin Basheer looked down at the young man in front of him and smiled. The smile was not one of happiness it was one of bitter revenge.

“How do you know they didn’t escape? I need to go find them…” Mahdi struggled to stand again but two strong hands held him from behind.

“No one survived the blast, we saw the bomb strike. It was a direct hit and there were no survivors. Assad has been bombing his own people for too long now. It is time for us to take action. It is time for revenge.”

Sobs of anger and remorse surged from Mahdi’s chest. What could he do? He really had no choice but to join the Syrian rebels. “Ok, what do you want from me?”

Thus began the most tumultuous time of Mahdi’s life. He learned to fire a gun, he learned to wire a bomb. He found ways to hide and ways to fight. Most disturbingly for the devout Muslim, he learned to kill.

Days turned into nights on the streets of Aleppo. Months passed and he never saw the enemy up close. Until one day they were caught in a firefight with a unit of Syrian Army fighters.

He dove for cover as bullets ricocheted off the car in front of him. He sat and trembled with fear and adrenaline. He looked to his right and saw Karim, the newest recruit. Karim smiled and pointed to the alley to his left. Mahdi knew what he was planning.

It seemed like suicide.

But Mahdi didn’t care if he lived anyway. He pointed his AK47 up over the hood of the car he sat behind and pressed the trigger. The recoil almost took the gun out of his hands but it had the desired effect. Bullets flew over his head and bounced off the car in front of him. Karim stood and ran toward the alley, swerving as he went.

Mahdi saw the ground erupt behind the other fighter as he launched himself into the alley. He lay there for a second and Mahdi feared that Karim was hit.

Until he stood back up and smiled at him. Karim then leaned out of the alley with his gun and began firing.

Mahdi knew what to do. He needed to move and move fast. This was his chance, he got up and willed his legs to run faster than he’d ever had them go.

Time froze as he covered the twenty feet to the alley. He sensed the bullets bouncing off the ground behind him. Nothing mattered just run.

He dove.

The wind sailed out of his chest and he landed next to Karim in the alley. Safe.

Whatever safe meant.

He got back to his feet and grabbed Karim. That’s when he saw the blood flowing from his arm.

Then came the pain.

“You’re hit…” Karim looked at his arm and shook his head. He reached down and grabbed his belt. He then wrapped it around Mahdi’s arm and synched it tight.  “Let’s go, we need to get you patched up before you bleed too much.”

The two freedom fighters sprinted through the alley and towards the nearest safe house. Mahdi hoped there was a doctor there to stop the flow of blood.

The door to the safe house was locked and they knocked quickly. One knock, then three, then two, then one more.

It opened up to reveal the face of a teenage boy. The recruits were getting younger all the time. Mahdi felt faint and dropped to one knee.

Everything went dark.

When he opened his eyes he saw the face of an angel looking down at him.

“Glad to see you made it,” it was the voice of an angel as well.

Mahdi looked past her and saw Karim and Farron talking in the corner of the room. He felt dazed but he began to understand where he was. And why.

He lay in the bed of the rebel field hospital and saw the nurse look at his wounded left arm. He felt a slow ache and pieced together what happened. Karim saved his life… Part of him wished he hadn’t but the rest of him wanted to live. To escape, to go somewhere other than the war-torn streets of his homeland.

Karim walked over and looked down at the wounded man, “I’m glad you made it, rest now. It will be  time to leave soon enough.”

Farron walked up to the bed and stared down and through Mahdi. Mahdi always felt under scrutiny whenever Farron looked at him as if he was being analyzed for auction like a camel. Mahdi wasn’t very tall or intimidating but he had built up strength from his years as a butcher. He wondered if he was strong enough.? He needed to conserve his strength so he closed his eyes and drifted off into an unsettled sleep.

His sleep was plagued by visions of his family. He dreamed of times when life was happy, when his wife and son were by his side. But the war took its toll on him and his city, where could he go to escape the turmoil? He dreamed of a place where bombs didn’t fall in the night. If only he could bring his family with him.

But now he was alone.

He woke up with a start and looked around the room. His angel was gone he could hear the moans of other patients and he saw the light filter into the covered windows. Dust floated in the air and he thought again of everything he’d lost.

He had nothing more to lose.

He realized his life was now in the hands of others. He hated the feeling of being out of control, he rolled on his side and felt the pain from his arm surge through him. But that pain was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his soul.

He opened his eyes again and there stood Farron looking down at him. Behind him stood Karim holding what looked like white helmets.

“Good morning Mahdi. How is your arm feeling today?” Farron asked.

“I feel fine, just a slight ache.” Mahdi lied in response. What did Farron really want from him? As if he cared how he was. And what was with the helmets?

“Good we need to go. Karim has convinced me to bring you with us. Time for you to get up, we need to move.” Farron held out his hand and Mahdi reached up and grabbed it.

He put all his effort into hiding the pain he felt. He sat up on the bed and moved his left arm. A groan escaped his lips but he managed to suppress the rest of the agony sheering through him. He already knew if he was too injured they might leave him behind. He pushed his body with his right hand and stood next to the bed.

“Good, good. Here put this helmet on.” Farron took one of the helmets from Karim and handed it to Mahdi. Then he grabbed one and put it on his own head and Karim did the same.

Mahdi had heard about the White helmets who worked in Aleppo helping people and they were also being helped by the United Nations. But why were they wearing them?

Soon it became obvious as the sound of gunfire erupted from outside the building.

“Move, they’re here! Time to go, Mahdi, Assad has found our hospital. We may be able to escape through the alley. They are leaving the White Helmets alone because the UN and the news people are treating them as heroes. Get your things and let’s go!” Farron pointed at the door and the three men walked out.

At that moment the nurse came down the hallway, “wait, where are you going? The doctor hasn’t seen you today.”

“Sorry, it is time to check out. And you should go too. Assad’s forces will be here soon.” Farron pushed his way by the young nurse and led them toward the exit.

The three men exited the building into the alley and the sound of gunfire echoed through the streets.

“Move!” Farron sprinted across the alleyway and found cover behind a dumpster. The other two dashed over to join him. “The van is on the street around the corner. If we can make it we should be able to get clear of the area before their full forces come.”

Farron didn’t wait for them to answer he just turned and ran. He disappeared around the corner followed closely by Mahdi and Karim.

Mahdi’s mind jumbled as he followed. Pain surged in his arm but he ignored it. Survival mode kicked in again. It was the only mode he’d lived in for as long as he could remember. Peace seemed like a distant dream.

The men jumped into the Dodge Caravan and Farron fired up the engine. He put it into gear and started to drive away. Bullets bounced off the street beside the van and Farron pushed the throttle to the floor. Mahdi said a quick prayer to Allah and he grabbed his seatbelt and clipped it in. Karim grabbed an AK47 and pointed it out the side window and pulled the trigger. A burst of shots echoed through the vehicle and Mahdi felt his stomach lurch.

Farron steered the van around a corner and narrowly avoided a car that was lying on its side. Where were they going? Mahdi didn’t know and he didn’t care he just wanted to go anywhere away from there.

“Hang on!” Farron shouted as he floored the gas pedal and drove straight toward an open street. Mahdi heard bullets bounce off the side of the van and Karim fired again. Down another side street, they went and headed for the main highway. The gunfire seemed to retreat in the background and Karim pulled his gun back in the window.

Shards of glass littered the floor and Mahdi stared down into them. Everything felt shattered including Mahdi’s life.

Farron slowed the van and they turned onto the highway and drove north. It was a drive toward freedom.

Mahdi felt the vehicle slow to a stop. Voices pierced through the fog of his mind.

“Mahdi, wake up you lazy Kaf. Time for you to earn your keep…” Farron opened the door and Mahdi almost fell out. He looked around and came back into the present.