THE PROMISE

After a while packing our stuff, we headed towards our liberty, equipped with camouflage clothes and fake imperial medals that we had made before. The path doesn't will be easy, the entire city is full of soldiers in each corner. The first destination headed us to Barışya, only a few hours from our starting point. Barışya is the most peaceful place compared with the other sectors in Yeni but with this state of alarm, any place couldn't be considered safe. Reaching our first destination, we will be closer to Zone zero, that is directly connected through an abandoned sewer where its water is partially corrosive but not at the point to suffer an injury. —Stay quiet Kaan, straight to us I can see some soldiers —Can warn me. We immediately veered off our main route just to avoid any other soldier that could appear.

«What a day, since I woke up, I haven't had the opportunity to rest or eat something, I started to feel tired». I thought. My unique motivation is not to die… Worried about being captured and decapitated, I haven't noticed that we are heading to Barışya. My golden ticket has arrived.

—Well, our first challenge was completely impeccable. But right now, we have to sneak away until we can get inside into the abandoned sewer. —Can said.

—Stop right there! Soldiers of Osman II —They ordered.

Can look at me and he said: "Run!".

We have initiated a pursuit in the middle of our journey, they have immediately set the alarm system and closed each principal gate, making it impossible to escape. We are trapped like rats again, running from corner to corner they started to shoot against us and in one of those shots they hit Can's leg. —Noo Caan! I don't let you die here. —I shout… We haven't stopped running for ten minutes or more, I can not remember. At the end of the corridor, we could see the entrance to the abandoned sewer where, fully charged with adrenaline, I just smashed the tiny door and we jumped inside the sewer.

—Fuck! the water melts my clothes —Can said.

—Shit! You are not going to die here; we are too close to reach the exit —I said worried.

Something was clear, we finally have passed the last obstacle, but Can is bleeding and bleeding without stopping and we can't take a break here. The gasses and the little puddles could kill us in less than a half hour due to intoxication. So, I decided to carry him on my back. I don't want to lose another important person in my life that would be unacceptable. My back is dyed with his blood, Can doesn't respond to my actions. «I need to reach a place where I can put him to try to heal him». I thought as I was panting from exhaustion. Walking and walking I spotted a tiny place where I could heal him but, in a try to stop the bleeding Can just said:

—My friend Kaan, don't worry, I'm a dead man right now. Just take this note and preserve it with your soul. Here I have the knife to safe your reputation, I stole it when I rescued you, when they found me, they are going to think that I was the real responsible, consider it as a forgive for your actions, you are a free man —Can said his last words, the shine in his eyes disappeared forever.

I started to tremble so much, I can not accept the death of my last loved one, I have lost everything. My mission has changed, now, I have to climb up this sewer to find my freedom of my judgments. «Dear Can. I promise you to remember your name with pride wherever I go». I thought before starting to climb up and leave the body of Can in the sewer.

The final part of the sewer was completely different from the other that I've seen during my expeditions and even the normal entrances were less dangerous than this one. It was covered with strange symbols of the old world where nowadays it was impossible to remember or know what that means. Also, my clothes started to melt with the bubbles of the gasses from the toxic water, I'm just running out of oxygen, I had forgotten to bring a gas mask for this occasion. Again, my unawareness played me a bad joke. Exhausted, sweaty, I began to see hallucinations due to the gasses that I had inhaled, just a few steps more and I'll have reached the sewer cover, just a little more…

With one hand I hit the cover with all of my strength until it drops and splashes against the ground. The cover immediately melted.

The intense sunlight blurred my vision where the sand dust entered my eyes making it hard to see properly but the relief of knowing that I'm safe. That I'm not anymore pursued and I have another opportunity to remake my life inspires me to continue. I just walk straight ahead looking for a new home, a new city where I could make a new beginning.

Tired of writing my life on paper, I decided to close my diary and leave the final chapter of my story unfinished. I gathered my things, and as I prepared to leave that foul-smelling bar where I found myself, I paid for a few beers with the bottle-tops that remained in my tattered clothes and left them on the counter. I looked at the bartender, and he brought back a strange memory of an old friend. It was possibly the effect of the liquor, but at the same time, I heard voices in the background, an echo, a whisper… I was going mad. I couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from, perhaps from the deepest part of the bartender's soul. I felt a strange presence emanating from him. Something told me I had to leave a duplicate of my old friend's memories.

And that's what I did... I left that place as quickly as possible.