The Red Line by R M Reef Read Free Book Online Page B

do we have here?" Tamer heard a sarcastic voice just above his head. It was impossible for him to move; he felt close to blacking out. Suddenly, someone pulled him up by his hair. He screamed in pain.
    "Hey, I can't believe it! Look guys, it’s our Romeo! What happened to you, man? You look like you’re in a really bad shape."
    Tamer could finally breathe again. These were his guys, the ones who used to wait with him for Nora every week, the guys from the front lines.
    "They want to kill me in the W est. I have to cross the line into the E ast—if you could just help me!"
    "Are you an Israeli spy or something?" They asked suspiciously.
    "Oh my God. I was fighting here with you at the beginning of the war! It's my uncle; he's after my money, and it's a long story." Tamer felt so weak; it was a huge effort to put words together. He needed help and fast. "Please help."
    "Hey guys, let him be. I know his family. Omar, the old guy who brings us news, is their chauffeur. Let's help him."
    At these words, Tamer breathed a deep sigh of relief and then blacked out. When he woke up, he hurt everywhere. He found himself in an underground bunker which had undergone a complete transformation into some kind of emergency room. His chest was wrapped in a heavy bandage, and he had an open I.V. line in his left arm. On the other side of the bunker, a group of heavily armed guys and girls were talking, d rinking, and enjoying hanging out.
    "Hey Romeo, feeling better?" A guy standing just behind him asked. The guy walked around to face him; they looked about the same age. "I remember you, you know, from fifteen years ago. We started fighting together in these streets. Damn! These filthy Christians! They're killing each other right now. I remember that something happened to your dad. He was shot, isn't that right? Sad, very sad."
    "How long was I unconscious?" asked Tamer, who was thinking that his story was no one else’s business.
    "About three or four hours. It's nighttime now. We had an exchange of fire with the 'comrades’ across the line, but the latest, really intense battles have been going on between the guys on the east side. A bullet went through your body, but our doc patched you up well. You should take antibiotics for at least five days. Do you have any plans right now? Leave or stay?"
    "If it's okay, I'll stay the night, and then I’d be grateful if you could help me cross the line tomorrow. I can't stay longer."
    "Cross the line? While the battles are going on? Are you suicidal?"
    "Hey friend, I'll be killed for sure if I go back home," Tamer answered darkly.

XVIII.
     
    “Mona! Thank God you’re home!” Kamil strode into the living room in a completely disheveled state. Mona, absorbed in the news on the T.V. about what was happening on the Christian side, didn't notice at first.
    "Oh my God! What happened to you?" She exclaimed when she finally looked at him.
    She left her seat and was in his arms in two seconds. He hugged her hard, gave her a deep kiss, and sat down beside her on the sofa. A huge wave of fear and impending doom overwhelmed Mona. She had never seen Kamil in this state except for once: when Toufic got killed.
    "What happened?" She asked again. In her heart, she was frightened to hear the answer. "It's Tamer, isn't it?"
    "Yes. He had a huge meltdown today. He flew out of control and tried to kill me."
    "But he looked great at breakfast with Nora this morning. Kill you? That’s impossible! I’ll never believe that. How could he go to such extremes? It never happened before."
    "Well dear, it happened for real this morning. And if it wasn't for my secretary, who started to scream, I would be dead right now."
    "Oh my God. Oh my God! Where is he now? Is he back at the hospital? I thought that he’d completely recovered and we were done with these crises. Oh! He was doing so well."
    "I'm sorry, Mona. My guys tried to catch him, but he ran toward the front lines. They couldn't cross that crazy jungle out there