The World of Angy Wong

The rain subsided as we huddled inside a lobby of a deteriorated  hotel. The walls were covered with mud, bullet holes and black dust most likely from the smoke that had consumed the building weeks prior. Furniture was sparse yet there were limbs of chairs and tables randomly scattered around the room. The only light came from the setting sun which was disappearing slowly. It would not be long before we would be sitting in complete darkness listening to the sounds of gunfire and bombs which despite being quite a distance a way, still felt closer than we were comfortable.

There were six of us, though I could only make out the faces of three people – Leoma, Tracy and Aaron. We sat on two makeshift benches facing each other. None of us said a word as we waited and Leoma finally stood up and spoke, “Well, I guess I should get going now.”

All of us had been dreading this moment. The idea of losing a friend was unbearable and I could not stand the idea of her leaving alone. I immediately stood up and said, “I’m coming with you.” The rest of the group remained silent. Nobody protested or even lifted their heads to acknowledge our departure. Their guilt ate away at them but yet, they said nothing. I held Leoma’s left hand in my right and she said one final good-bye before we turned and walked towards the glass door. We heard a faint “good luck” as we exited the dilapidated building.

As we walked towards the setting sun, I noticed the sky was streaked with pink, orange and red. It was remarkable to see such beauty still present in this hub of destruction and despaire. We walked mainly in silence and suddently it  me. I became consumed with trepidation and could not focus on anything but my fear of dying. I realized the severity of my decision and the inevitable consequence.   I was not ready to die. I did not want to die. At that moment, all I wanted to do was let go of her hand and run back to the hotel as fast I could. Ironically, after days of thinking that death was imminent in the hotel, I could only see the hotel as a sanctuary in that very moment. Yet, despite my fear, I did not let go of her hand and I continued on the journey. It was Leoma that let go.

She stopped abruptly and looked at me. “Why are you coming with me? You don’t have to.”

“I know but I don’t want you to go alone.” I replied, tears forming in my eyes.

With an almost eerie calm about her, she said softly, “but they did not summon you. They summoned me. I will go alone. They want to execute only me. You had nothing to do with what I did. Go back.”

At this point, tears streamed down my eyes uncontrollably and I threw my arms around her. “But I don’t want you to die alone.”

She patted my back and said, “It’s okay. Just go back. I have to go alone.”

I pulled away from her and said, “But I will never see you again.”

“I know but maybe we will. We don’t know for sure. Please go back. Please.” With those last words she turned towards the sun which was barely visible at this point, and continued walking.

I watched her until she disappeared from my sight. When she was gone, I stood there trying to find some comfort in her peaceful demeanor when she said her final words to me. Leoma had accepted the idea of her ultimate demise and in doing so, she no longer feared dying alone.

Turning around, I walked towards the direction of which I came. By the time I arrived back the the hotel, the sun was completely gone and the moon stood in its rightful place against the velvet black night. I could see the faint outline of my companions. They had not moved as they sat motionless, staring at the ground. I took a seat next to Aaron and rest my head on his shoulder.

“I have to go tomorrow.”

I jerked my head up and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“They sent a letter summoning me. I have to be there by May 15th.” He said calmly and showed me a piece of paper he was holding the whole time.

“But you can’t! You didn’t do anything. You can’t go.” I cried irrationally as I pushed the paper out of my way.

“There’s nothing I can do. If I don’t go, they’ll come here and kill us all.”

I could sense the fear in him and at that moment, I was glad for the darkness. I did not want to see the guilt-ridden faces of my companions nor the hopelessness in his eyes.

“You can’t go. I heard that they are going to give everyone who has been summoned until May 30th to report for execution. You don’t have to go tomorrow. Wait until May 30th, maybe the war would be over by then. Maybe they will be overthrown and leave by then. Please, just wait until May 30th.” I pleaded with him desperately and squeezed his hands, tears forming in my eyes.

“I can’t. I was summoned for May 15th. I can’t take that chance. It’ll be okay.” He replied, his voice cracking when he said “okay.”

“Just wait. I swear I read it somewhere. I’ll find it. Please just wait until May 30th.” I let go of his hand and ran to the other room. I knew I was lying and that there was no evidence of my words, and yet, I convinced myself to frantically search for something that transform my lie to truth. I searched through the rubble of the other room as I felt time slipping by quickly. After an immeasurable amount of time had passed, I ran back to the other room with a plan to convince Aaron to stay until May 30th. I would talk until he agreed to it. I would grab his arms and not let go until he agreed to stay.

When I returned to the lobby, he was gone.