JOHNNY GONE DOWN by Karan Bajaj Read Free Book Online

you a citizen of the US?’ the marine repeated. ‘Where is your passport?’
    Sam stared at him nervously. ‘I…I…’
    ‘We are both students of MIT,’ I said forcefully. ‘The Massachusetts Institute of Technology inBoston.’ The Ivy League namedrop didn’t have an impact.
    ‘American citizens only,’ said the marine flatly.
    ‘His citizenship is being processed by General Electric,’ I said in a rush as the street shuddered with the rumbling of the approaching tank.
    ‘Please,’ I said. ‘We came in with a group of marines from Boston just this morning. They must be inside. You can check with them.’
    ‘American citizens only,’ he repeated impatiently. ‘Is there anyone else with an American passport?’
    No one came forward.
    ‘Okay, we are all in,’ he shouted to someone inside. He began to move the Americans away from the gate, perhaps to board the helicopters that would shepherd them to safety.
    ‘Wait,’ I said, rushing up to show him my passport and escape to safety.
    I glanced at Sam quickly as the marine came up to us. Sam’s baby-face had contorted in fear.
    I don’t know what came over me. ‘Here is his passport,’ I said quietly.
    The marine looked at the passport reluctantly, then looked at Sam.
    Our grainy photos would pass for each other’s, I knew, at least to an eye unaccustomed to Indians. Besides, all he cared about was matching the number of passports to the number of people; if somebody wanted to be stupid, that was their choice.
    What was I thinking? For a second, I almost wished he would catch the bluff.
    ‘Okay,’ he said. Sam looked confused as the marine pulled him inside.
    ‘Do you have an American passport?’ He looked at me.
    I shook my head and turned away from the gate.
    I walked with heavy steps to join Ishmael. Fuck, I thought with a sudden, sinking feeling, what had I done? What would happen now? So far, escape had felt like a certainty. Now I was caught in the middle of raging lunatics who were likely to shoot me on sight. I was about to die , I thought. It felt surreal.

    ‘Holy fucking fuck, you gave him your passport, didn’t you?’ said Ishmael amidst the roar of the departing helicopters.
    ‘Can we get to Thailand? How far is the border?’ I asked, my eyes stinging with tears.
    I wasn’t a hero. I didn’t want to be a hero. My life mattered more to me than anyone else’s, but did I have an option after seeing the way pale, petrified, clumsy Sam had floundered along since we landed in Phnom Penh? I at least had a sliver of a chance of making it alive; Sam had none.
    ‘How could you do that? How could anyone do that?’ Ishmael said.
    Sam had pulled me out of the darkest phase ofmy life. I couldn’t turn my back on him now. Or could I? Was anything more important than your own life?
    ‘We need to get out of here,’ I said.
    Gunshots and hoots filled the air as the tank began to roll our way. From that distance, they couldn’t make out that we were foreigners, but that would change very quickly.
    ‘Get out where?’ he asked.
    ‘Thailand?’
    ‘I told you, the border is a hundred, maybe hundred and fifty miles from here.’
    My heart sank. ‘Let’s at least get started, shall we?’ I told him.
    He shrugged. ‘Sure.’
    We began running in the general direction of the border, knowing we wouldn’t even get close.
    ‘I can’t believe you did that,’ he repeated.
    ‘Enough of that now,’ I said sharply. ‘There are things you don’t understand.’
    But did I really understand any better? What had made me behave like a hero in a cheap Hollywood flick?
    Another tank with soldiers entered the street from the other side and we ducked into an alley, which led us smack into what looked like the city centre.
    I stared disbelievingly at the sight in front of me. Like a scene from a low-budget zombie horror flick,hundreds, maybe thousands of Cambodians were on the street - men, women, young, old - crying, begging, pleading with the