CLUSTER
By
Terry Forster
Raggie threw his body out of his flat door and scuttled down the three flights of stairs at high speed. He knew the sound very well indeed and there was no time to stop and think irrationally as he would die. He felt weak as he hadn’t eaten anything for two days, there was no food to be had and he wasn’t alone, people were starving and people with children, fed them first with whatever food they might have.
Raggie stumble and fell forward down three concrete steps, he felt the pain in his left arm and elbow but he had to get up quickly and move ever downward. It was dark outside, his first reaction as to look at the sky and he could both see and hear the multitude of cluster bombs falling earth ward. It was better to be outside than inside as collapsing concrete from the buildings took many lives. The street was full of people running here and there as no one could be certain where the bombs would land.
“Are you ok there Raggie.” It was his friend Adnan who lived across the street. He held his young son Tariq tightly in his arms searching the sky wondering in what direction he should run. Adnan’s wife Ashira was not long buried in her grave, killed by a bomb three weeks ago and all he had left family wise, was his young son.
“I’m Ok Adnan” Raggie shouted back to his friend.
“I am heading for the tunnels, follow me and we might miss the bombs fragments.
The bombs make a different and definite sound as their shape is different from normal bombs. Cluster bombs are a cluster of bombs attached to a single missile. They peel off the central missile at about three thousand feet above ground level to cause as much damage as possible. They sound like a blown up balloon when the air is released by pulling the balloon neck and making that irritating squeaking noise that all children love to hear, only difference is that the squeaking noise either kills or maims you.
Down inside the tunnels there were amateur medics, some Doctors at times but without medication, bandages or anything else to stem bleeding or to stitch up wounds. Mostly it was up to family and neighbours to help the injured. Many people were injured and lots of burns from the phosphorous which was part of the cluster bombs make up.
It was breaking daylight when Raggie and Adnan along with his son left the tunnels and witnessed the damage done to the town. There were fires still burning inside and outside of almost all of the buildings. People were crying beside their dead or severely injured bodies of their families. Wives, sisters, brothers, husbands and children wrapped in bedsheets ready for burial.
A sudden explosion caused Raggie to fall to the ground, managed to push his friend Adnan and his son in front of him and then partly cover their bodies with his. The Pain was severe, Reggie’s left arm had been severed below his shoulder by the bomb blast. There was hardly any blood at all, just pain, the heat has sealed his shoulder wound but his missing arm was burnt to a blackened shrivel. It was no good going back to the tunnels as there was nothing anyone could do.
Adnan helped his friend onto his feet, both were covered in the white dust from the dust cloud caused by the collapse of the concrete buildings.
“We need to go to Aleppo Adnan suggested with a concerned look on his white powder covered face.
“Your son Tariq, is he ok, I fell on you both heavily and he might be hurt.”
“He is young but he is a sturdy lad and the few scratches he has will soon heal. I am concerned for you my friend, as you saved our lives and lost an arm in the process. We need to get to Aleppo, there are doctors there that can help you, at least they can clean and bandage your wounds.”
Aleppo city was 22 miles away, there would be many people who had travelled there to obtain help and hopefully some food and medicines would be available. It had been almost six weeks since the last emergency trucks loaded with food and medical equipment had arrived in town. As far as Adnan knew, the city was still open so there should be food, clean water and medical assistance still available.
There were many people on the road to Aleppo with the same thoughts of food and medical help. It was cold in the mountains, when morning arrived some of the badly injured were in the process of being buried.
On the third day the group arrived in Aleppo City. Many of the mosques had been turned into hospitals and their were small amounts of food available within the Mosque, just the bare essentials, but any food was a welcome sight to the starving travellers.
A British Doctor cleaned and bandaged Reggie's shoulder wound and gave him an antibiotic injection.
“That is about all I can do for you for now” he said with a saddened heart. “We are waiting for the medical and food trucks to arrive as we are very short of both but so far we have not heard that they are on their way with the supplies. Come and see me tomorrow and I will clean and re-dress your wound again, I’m sorry but that is all I can do for you at the moment.”
Adnan had obtained some food from a lorry parked outside of the Mosque. “They wouldn’t give me any food for you my friend, you must go there and collect your own before it is all gone.”
Raggie managed to obtain a slice of turnip, a small piece of bread, a small bag of nuts and a warm cup of tea from the lorry. “If you come back this evening we may have a few items of food left” the man on the lorry said, “but I can’t guarantee anything.”
It was becoming dark and Adnan had found a small room in a bombed building where they could stay for the night. It was an empty room with a concrete floor so it would be cold unless they could find a blanket or some warm clothing. Raggie searched the area outside the building and found a large sheet of thick cardboard to put onto the floor as insulation from the bare concrete. He was concerned about Adnan’s son and he returned to the hospital to collect a blanket from the doctor who had cleaned and dressed his wound. “Its only a loan” he said with a sad heart. “Please return it tomorrow morning as we may need it for someone who is badly injured.” Raggie promised he would definitely return it and that his word was his bond.
The following day when returning the blanket to the Doctor, he has some bad news. “The City of Hamada airbase in Iran had given permission for Russian Tupolev long range bombers and Sukhoi strike fighters to bomb Id-lib and Dar Al Zour in north west Syria. There are going to many casualties and dead in both cities in the next few days. I am hoping our convoy of food and medicines arrive today or they will be diverted Id-Lib and Dar Al Zour.”
The feeling in Reggie's missing arm was so confusing, he could feel his missing fingertips, the feel of his shirt sleeve rubbing against his skin and the ring that had been on his middle finger given to him on his marriage to his dead wife. His mind was in a turmoil, flashing images of dancing at his wedding, the constant clapping of hands from family and friend. He staggered slightly, unsure of where he was and where he was going. Then it was suddenly all over, his concentration lost for a few moments and was unable to check where his feet were taking him. He stepped onto a landmine that blew his body high into the air. His last thought was “God have mercy on me.” Adnan looked every where for his friend Raggie but never found him.
1,361 Words
By
Terry Forster
Raggie threw his body out of his flat door and scuttled down the three flights of stairs at high speed. He knew the sound very well indeed and there was no time to stop and think irrationally as he would die. He felt weak as he hadn’t eaten anything for two days, there was no food to be had and he wasn’t alone, people were starving and people with children, fed them first with whatever food they might have.
Raggie stumble and fell forward down three concrete steps, he felt the pain in his left arm and elbow but he had to get up quickly and move ever downward. It was dark outside, his first reaction as to look at the sky and he could both see and hear the multitude of cluster bombs falling earth ward. It was better to be outside than inside as collapsing concrete from the buildings took many lives. The street was full of people running here and there as no one could be certain where the bombs would land.
“Are you ok there Raggie.” It was his friend Adnan who lived across the street. He held his young son Tariq tightly in his arms searching the sky wondering in what direction he should run. Adnan’s wife Ashira was not long buried in her grave, killed by a bomb three weeks ago and all he had left family wise, was his young son.
“I’m Ok Adnan” Raggie shouted back to his friend.
“I am heading for the tunnels, follow me and we might miss the bombs fragments.
The bombs make a different and definite sound as their shape is different from normal bombs. Cluster bombs are a cluster of bombs attached to a single missile. They peel off the central missile at about three thousand feet above ground level to cause as much damage as possible. They sound like a blown up balloon when the air is released by pulling the balloon neck and making that irritating squeaking noise that all children love to hear, only difference is that the squeaking noise either kills or maims you.
Down inside the tunnels there were amateur medics, some Doctors at times but without medication, bandages or anything else to stem bleeding or to stitch up wounds. Mostly it was up to family and neighbours to help the injured. Many people were injured and lots of burns from the phosphorous which was part of the cluster bombs make up.
It was breaking daylight when Raggie and Adnan along with his son left the tunnels and witnessed the damage done to the town. There were fires still burning inside and outside of almost all of the buildings. People were crying beside their dead or severely injured bodies of their families. Wives, sisters, brothers, husbands and children wrapped in bedsheets ready for burial.
A sudden explosion caused Raggie to fall to the ground, managed to push his friend Adnan and his son in front of him and then partly cover their bodies with his. The Pain was severe, Reggie’s left arm had been severed below his shoulder by the bomb blast. There was hardly any blood at all, just pain, the heat has sealed his shoulder wound but his missing arm was burnt to a blackened shrivel. It was no good going back to the tunnels as there was nothing anyone could do.
Adnan helped his friend onto his feet, both were covered in the white dust from the dust cloud caused by the collapse of the concrete buildings.
“We need to go to Aleppo Adnan suggested with a concerned look on his white powder covered face.
“Your son Tariq, is he ok, I fell on you both heavily and he might be hurt.”
“He is young but he is a sturdy lad and the few scratches he has will soon heal. I am concerned for you my friend, as you saved our lives and lost an arm in the process. We need to get to Aleppo, there are doctors there that can help you, at least they can clean and bandage your wounds.”
Aleppo city was 22 miles away, there would be many people who had travelled there to obtain help and hopefully some food and medicines would be available. It had been almost six weeks since the last emergency trucks loaded with food and medical equipment had arrived in town. As far as Adnan knew, the city was still open so there should be food, clean water and medical assistance still available.
There were many people on the road to Aleppo with the same thoughts of food and medical help. It was cold in the mountains, when morning arrived some of the badly injured were in the process of being buried.
On the third day the group arrived in Aleppo City. Many of the mosques had been turned into hospitals and their were small amounts of food available within the Mosque, just the bare essentials, but any food was a welcome sight to the starving travellers.
A British Doctor cleaned and bandaged Reggie's shoulder wound and gave him an antibiotic injection.
“That is about all I can do for you for now” he said with a saddened heart. “We are waiting for the medical and food trucks to arrive as we are very short of both but so far we have not heard that they are on their way with the supplies. Come and see me tomorrow and I will clean and re-dress your wound again, I’m sorry but that is all I can do for you at the moment.”
Adnan had obtained some food from a lorry parked outside of the Mosque. “They wouldn’t give me any food for you my friend, you must go there and collect your own before it is all gone.”
Raggie managed to obtain a slice of turnip, a small piece of bread, a small bag of nuts and a warm cup of tea from the lorry. “If you come back this evening we may have a few items of food left” the man on the lorry said, “but I can’t guarantee anything.”
It was becoming dark and Adnan had found a small room in a bombed building where they could stay for the night. It was an empty room with a concrete floor so it would be cold unless they could find a blanket or some warm clothing. Raggie searched the area outside the building and found a large sheet of thick cardboard to put onto the floor as insulation from the bare concrete. He was concerned about Adnan’s son and he returned to the hospital to collect a blanket from the doctor who had cleaned and dressed his wound. “Its only a loan” he said with a sad heart. “Please return it tomorrow morning as we may need it for someone who is badly injured.” Raggie promised he would definitely return it and that his word was his bond.
The following day when returning the blanket to the Doctor, he has some bad news. “The City of Hamada airbase in Iran had given permission for Russian Tupolev long range bombers and Sukhoi strike fighters to bomb Id-lib and Dar Al Zour in north west Syria. There are going to many casualties and dead in both cities in the next few days. I am hoping our convoy of food and medicines arrive today or they will be diverted Id-Lib and Dar Al Zour.”
The feeling in Reggie's missing arm was so confusing, he could feel his missing fingertips, the feel of his shirt sleeve rubbing against his skin and the ring that had been on his middle finger given to him on his marriage to his dead wife. His mind was in a turmoil, flashing images of dancing at his wedding, the constant clapping of hands from family and friend. He staggered slightly, unsure of where he was and where he was going. Then it was suddenly all over, his concentration lost for a few moments and was unable to check where his feet were taking him. He stepped onto a landmine that blew his body high into the air. His last thought was “God have mercy on me.” Adnan looked every where for his friend Raggie but never found him.
1,361 Words