The roomy and pillar-less{in German it’s one word}
Suddenly Artyom was awake. He realized immediately what was going on and started to gain full control of his assault rifle. They hadn’t been able to hold stand! Or was it still not too late?
Two husky and sleepy fighters emerged out of the guard’s house and joined them. The commander gathered all reserves, everybody who was still standing and could hold a weapon. Some of them were already coughing.
Through the heavy, used up air a strange and terrible sound came to their ears. No scream, no howling, no order, just the moaning of hundredths of throats, tortured, full of hopelessness and horror.
A moaning framed by a metallic sound that came from two, three, no ten different directions.
On the train platform was as giant barricade of ripped and fallen down tents, fallen down cabins, parts of wagons, wood and all kinds of furniture. The commander cleared the way through this junkyard like an icebreaker.
Artyom and the others followed him. On the right, out of the darkness they could see the not totally complete train. The light in both wagons was gone; the open doors had been hastily nailed shut with metal grids. Inside, behind the dark windows was a cooking and terrible crowd of people.
Dozens of hands held on to the bars and ripped on them and made the noise. At every door snipers with gasmask had been posted, where from time to time black mouths opened and raised their rifles, without beating or shooting at them. At a few places the guars tried to calm down the masses. Did the people in the wagon even realize what the soldiers were saying? They had imprisoned them in the train because some had tried to flee from the isolation into the tunnel. They had been to many, more than the healthy. The commander ran past the first wagon and Artyom finally understood why he was in such a hurry: At the last door a pus bubble had exploded and strange creatures flew out of the wagon.
They almost couldn’t stand on their feet and their faces were covered in tumors so that you couldn’t recognize anybody. Their arms and legs were bloated and sickly.
All remaining marksman had been gathered at the door. The commander broke through the ring and stepped in front of them. “To all patients! Turn back immediately to your seats! That’s and order!” With a strong move of his hand he brought the Stetschkin from his belt.
The sick people who were standing closest to him needed many tries to raise their heavy heads.
Then one of them went with his tongue over his bloody lips and asked: “Why do you treat us like that?”
“Like you know you’ve been infected by an unknown epidemic. We are currently searching for a cure… You have to be patient”
“You’re searching for a cure.” Repeated the sick man.
“I think I am going to laugh.”
“Return to your wagon immediately.” The commander unsecured weapon. “I am counting to ten, and then we open fire. One…”
“You give us hope so that you don’t lose control. Until we die on our own.”
“Two…”
“It has been 24 hours since we have gotten any water. Why should you give water to death candidates…”
“The guards are afraid to go near the bars. Two heave already been infected… Three.”
“The wagon is full of bodies. We are stepping on human faces. Do you know how it sounds when a nose breaks? If it’s a child’s then…”
“We have no room for them, we can’t burn them… Four.”
“At one part there is so few room that the dead are standing next to the living. Shoulder to shoulder.”
“Five.”
“Damn it, just shot! I know that there is no cure. At least I’ll die fast. It is like somebody is rasping my insides with a tool and then covers it with alcohol…”
“Six.”
“…In the end burn me. As if my head was full of worms that slowly chewed through my brain and soul… Nom, nom, crack, crack, crack,…”
“Seven…”
“Idiot! Let us go already! Let us die like humans! You don’t have the right to torture us! You know as good as I do that probably we’re all…”
“Eight… All of this is for our own security. So that other can live. I am ready to die but none of you pest bubbles is getting out of here. Take aim!”
Artyom raised his assault rifle and aimed for one of the sick that was closest to him. God in heaven, was that a woman?
He looked into her eyes and put the barrel of his gun on an old and tumbling man. The group of creatures retreated moaning at first, trying to press itself back into the wagon but more and more sick came out of it, like fresh pus from a wound. Moaning and crying.
“You sadist, do you know what you’re doing to us? We aren’t zombies!”
“Nine.” The voice of the commander had broken. It sounded like a whisper.
“Let us go!” Screamed the sick man while he reached with his arms after the commander. As if he was the director the crowd followed his movement and raised their arms.
“Fire!”
As soon as Leonid had put his instrument against his lips the people started to gather around him.
Even after the first sparse and unclean sounds the first people started to smile, clap and were happy.
And when the voice of the flute got stronger their faces transformed. It was like all dirt had fallen off them.
This time Sasha had a special place: Directly next to the musician. Dozens of yes were only on Leonid but even a few looks were on her. At first she had felt uncomfortable because she didn’t even deserve their attention. The melody, like a good book that didn’t let people go and let them forget anything around them, had carried her away from the granite floor as well.
It was the same melody, Leonid’s own, nameless one that flew through the white room. He started and ended his performances with it. With it he straightened wrinkles in the faces of his listeners, wiped away dust from their eyes and lit small lights.
Even though Sasha already knew it, Leonid was able to open small and secret doors on his flute so that the music still sound differently. She felt like she had been staring at the sky for a long time and suddenly between the clouds she had seen an endless green distant land for a second. Suddenly she felt a sting. She winched and was under the earth again and turned around fearfully. There it was: A head bigger then all others in the publicum, a little bit further away, his chin raised. Hunter.
He had put his hard look on her and it only went to the musician form time to time. Leonid didn’t even look at him. Even if something was bothering him while he was playing he didn’t say anything.
Strangely hunter didn’t leave immediately and made no effort to take her with him or stop the concert. Only after the last sounds had stopped he retreated and disappeared.
Immediately Sasha left Leonid standing where he was and made her way through the crowd, to catch up to the bold one.
He hadn’t stopped far way, he was sitting with Homer on a bench. He had also lowered his head.
“You’ve heard everything.” Said the brigadier with a husky voice. “I am continuing. Are you coming with me?”
“Where to?” The old man smiled at the girl tired.
“And she knows.”
Hunter looked at Sasha again with his hard look, then he nodded his head silently and turned back to the old man.
