"Earring"
Greetings. Is not news, not an article, but a story, true or not, you decide. I wrote it back in 2014 in the wake of the battle for Slavyansk, but I did not publish it, I don’t even know why. Maybe at that time it was impossible to surprise anyone with such a story, but now it’s a different time, and we began to forget. To forget how the Ukrainian Nazis bombed the cities and towns of Donbass, how they killed civilians, including children. In general, you are the judge.
EARRING
Serega was fifteen. He lived on the outskirts of the glorious city of Slavyansk. An ordinary kid, one in millions. He studied at school, loved mathematics, but in physics was not the last. What else? Oh yes, he liked to “cut” into computer games. After school, he ran home, threw a school backpack and, forgetting to change clothes, plunged into the world of “Stalker”, “Call of Duty” and other shooters. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the computer world replaced the real world for him. There, behind the screen, he became a stalker, a warrior, explored other worlds and, together with other fighters, smashed hordes of fascists or aliens.
All the latest news about the "Maidan" in Kiev, about the executions of people passed by the mind of Sergei. School and the world of computer games occupied all his time. Speeches in Kiev, a referendum in his hometown, the outbreak of war - everything flew by. But the war was inevitably approaching ...
First, Sergei dismissed his mother and older sister, who asked him to go to the grocery store: “I'm busy!” But one night, hearing the sounds of flying shells and tears, the quiet crying of his sister and the prayers of his mother, he realized: in this house he is the only man who can and must protect his women. He's a man! What is a man doing? That's right: he protects his family and provides it with products. It's time to become an adult!
Slavyansk fired from all sides. Artillery, Grad, aviation. Walk down the street, and not just walk, run - it was already a feat. And he consisted of not dying and bringing food and water to the house. After all, you live on the outskirts, and the troops in which your former compatriots are serving are hammering in there first of all.
Sergey was running. I ran for food, then for water. He deepened the cellar, where mother and sister hid during shelling. He was a breadwinner. He also ran to roadblocks, brought water to the militia - however, they drove him out of there. There is no place for boys on the front line.
He even asked the militias who defended Slavyansk from the Nazis of the Ukrainian flood. Did not work out. They said: son, grow up a little more, and then come on to us. Sergei was not upset, because his primary task was to save his mother and sister.
And then hell came. One day the militia left Slavyansk, and on the same day the APU Grad shell hit the house. Sergey went to get water, while mom and sister were in the house. They did not have time to go down to the cellar. Seeing the ruins at the place of the house, Sergey rushed to the ruins. Peeling his nails, he threw away bricks, not noticing that his fingers were bleeding. Everything was in vain ...
Having pulled his relatives out from under the rubble, Sergey transferred their bodies outside the house to the garden. Finding a shovel in the barn, he dug a hole in the garden. Shallow - enough to be enough for two. He pulled out the remains of window curtains from the ruins of the house, into which he wrapped the bodies. Gently laid them at the bottom of the grave and sat next to it. Hands did not rise to fill them with earth ...
Footsteps were heard from behind. Sergey turned around.
- Ek, that's how, Serezha, it turned out ... Come on, help. - A neighbor, Grandfather Slava, an almost ninety-year-old veteran of the Great Patriotic War, came closer. - You are this, granddaughter ... you cry. - Grandfather sank heavily next to Sergey. “A tear, you really need it.” She relieves pain. - Grandfather took a handful of earth in his palm and threw it into the grave. - May the earth rest in peace! And you cry, it will be easier. And your mother and sister are in paradise, they are innocent killed. Do not be afraid for them, everything is fine there, but you have to bury them. It’s a pity that there are no priests, but this is not a problem, I’m going to church, I’ll hang out. - Grunting, grandfather got up from a pile of fresh land.
- Come on, Sergey, we will bury your family, as expected. Throw a handful of earth, say goodbye.
Sergei, as if in a dream, got up, typed in the palm of his hand damp earth and threw it on the bodies of his relatives.
- Grandfather Glory, but doesn’t it hurt?
- No, son, they are not in pain, they are not here, their bodies are just here.
Grandfather took a shovel and began to throw earth at the grave. Sergei stood nearby and silently watched his relatives cover the ground. I wanted to cry, but there were no tears. There was a void, which every minute more and more filled the soul. He stood like this all the time, while Grandfather Slava fell asleep and made a neat mound over it. I woke up only when my grandfather put a shovel on the ground and spoke.
- Come on, son to me, we will spend the night, and tomorrow we will make a good cross, and we will establish it on the grave. I have material, too, for myself a shore, but it’s obvious that it’s not fate ...
But Sergey silently shook his head, and then said:
- Grandfather, you go, and I'll stay here.
- That's right, son. - Grandfather ran his hand along the Serezhkin whirlwinds. - Sit, say goodbye, and I, if anything, will be near, call.
He went limping towards his house.
But Sergey was not going to call him. He silently crouched near the knoll. The shower was empty. Everything he believed in disappeared in an instant. Everything disappeared: the house, the family, there were only the ruins of the house and a neat mound hiding underneath those whom he loved more than his life. Clasping his hands over the mound, Sergei pressed his cheek to the ground and mentally said:
- Mom, Oleska, I will come to you soon. You wait for me there.
And then it broke through: tears flowed in a stream, irrigating the earth, but Sergei did not notice them flowing down his cheeks, he said something, promised something to his relatives lying there, under the cover of the earth. In this state, his grandfather Slava found him, who almost by force took Sergey to his home, where he put him to bed.
And in the morning a battalion of the new National Guard of Ukraine entered the city.
The morning sunshine first timidly made its way into the gap between the curtains on the window, and then brazenly ran right over Sergey's face, forcing him to wake up. Running his hands over his face, driving away the insolent ray, Seryozha opened his eyes and looked around in bewilderment.
He was lying on a bed, on a feather bed, under a duvet, and around him was a completely unfamiliar room. On the wall opposite the bed, there were two black and white photographs depicting a young man in military uniform during the Great Patriotic War and next to him a smiling woman, apparently a spouse.
Not having time to properly examine the photo, Sergey heard footsteps and a soft cough, and after that Grandfather Slava entered the room. He caught the eye of Earrings and, smiling, said:
- It's me with my wife, Maria Semenovna. We read, we fought together for two years. She was a sister from the medical battalion, and I served in intelligence. Together we liberated Ukraine from the Nazis, and, apparently, we did not completely liberate it, if the fascist creature has now raised its head. - Grandfather smiled. - Did you get enough sleep, granddaughter? Then get up, the matter is urgent with you, you need to fix the grave, and go to the priest.
Two days passed for Earrings, as in a fog. Either they and grandfather Slava ruled the grave in the courtyard of Serezhkin’s house, put up a self-made cross, then went to church, where the priest buried the dead mother and Oleska, they simply sat in the upper room of the grandfather’s hut and were silent, they were silent, each thinking about his own.
And on the morning of the third day, Sergey realized that everything that his grandfather spoke about the Nazis had returned. First, Grandfather Slava for some reason cleaned his tunic with orders, and then just sat down at the table in the kitchen. He did not say anything, only occasionally he sighed and shook his head. From the street came drunk laughter, then single shots. A premonition of trouble as if a heavy cloud was going over the house and was about to threaten to fall down with its whole mass. And shots and laughter, and even a wild neighing were heard closer and closer.
Grandfather suddenly raised his head:
- Run, Earring, they’ll come here now.
- Who, grandfather?
- Stepanovna was killed like. - Grandfather Glory crossed himself. - Now they will come to us.
Just a couple of minutes from the kick kicked out a dilapidated gate and four Ukrainian nationalists in military uniform with machine guns burst into the yard, smiling. Three immediately went to the barn, where the grandfather had pigs and a bird, and one, having thrown the machine gun on his chest, went to the house.
Without bothering to knock, he unceremoniously entered the house and immediately threw his grandfather in the face:
- Oh, yak zustrich! Well, stump, Muscovite? Your hour has passed, now, you, rosyan, will be driven in. Well, de your medals? Come on, take it easy, and I will marvel at the fact that I am Ukrainian for my Moscow construction.
Grandfather Glory calmly got up from the stool and said:
- I understand you, the Nazi scum. Wait, I'll put it on. - And went into another room.
The soldier calmly leaned on the doorway and looked at the Earring:
- A quiet? Musically tezh moskalenok? Don’t fight, we won’t drive you any more! - And, pointing a finger at Sergey, he said: - Pooh! Ty killed, Muscovite virodok. - After which he calmly removed his AK-74 and leaned it against the doorjamb. - Well, scary? Infection with Moskal dіdom roseberemy і until you come an hour. It will be taken with you, you will read Ukrainian language, and then you will noticeably bite against Moscow. Glory to Ukraine!
The earring did not answer anything to this speech of the soldier, but only scoffed and turned away silently. He did not want to talk to these geeks.
In the next room, grandfather Slava was rattling something, but the “Bandera”, not paying attention to it, throwing Sergei away with his hand, began to search the kitchen, kicking and scattering furniture to the sides. The earring wanted to be indignant, but, having not had time to say anything, he got a boot in the stomach and flew off into the corner of the kitchen, where, bending over, he tried to restore his breath.
- Goat! - whispered and immediately received another blow to the stomach.
- Lie down, puppy! Don’t think to rip, I’ll shred your shmatka!
And he turned away.
There was a click from the side of the room. Grandfather Slava came into the kitchen in a military tunic and with all orders and medals, and in his hands - a hunting double-barreled gun, which he immediately aimed at the fighter.
- Go away! Otherwise I’ll drive you into the belly now! - Grandfather waved his gun. “And so that your spirit is not here!”
- Everything, everything, did! Infection! - Natsik took a step back, looked at the machine, which he left near the door jamb, then again looked at his grandfather and, apparently making a decision, threw his hand to the waist holster.
He managed to grab a gun from his holster and make a shot, but his grandfather Slava also did not fail. Shots rang out almost simultaneously. Sitting in a corner, Seryozha watched in horror as a red spot spread on the chest of Grandfather of Glory, but the enemy, wheezing, fell to the floor.
- Grandfather, grandfather! What's the matter? - The earring rushed to the old man.
He, having released the gun from his hands, whispered:
- I won back, son, the fascist shot me. - Grandfather took a deep breath. - Remember me granddaughter, I’ll go to my grandmother, she was waiting for me. And you run, there is a hole behind the shed in the fence. - On the lips of grandfather, blood bubbled and he exhaled, froze.
The earring glanced at Bandera, but he was no longer breathing. Fraction turned his head, killing on the spot. "Run, run!" - the thought was beating in the brain. Just where? The earring threw himself up from the body and saw the machine gun that the fighter had left near the door jamb. Rushed to him. Thanks to computer games: Earring immediately recognized in the AK-74 machine, with which he had repeatedly there, in the Stalker, he beat the pseudo-dog and bureurs. Thanks to the game, which brought to him all the mechanics of the machine.
There were screams from the side of the gate, and Seryozha realized that he wouldn’t have time. Will not have time to escape, but will have time to take revenge. For everyone. For mom, for Oleska, for grandfather. It is only necessary to take the machine and take revenge. Grabbing weapon, he crawled on his knees to the corpse of a soldier and, as if in a game, removed three spare stores from him. “Well, let’s fight.” He jerked the AK shutter and directed it towards the gate, from where the Natsiks fled, he whispered, pulling the trigger ...
- Ti marvel, a puppy! Trekh our bowing, pokidi shot. Moskalenok! Let me kick the yogo once more, but don’t die!
The earring felt almost nothing, only his hands burned from the red-hot trunk and somewhere in the back of consciousness there was pain from the bullets that hit him, the bullets that stupidly hit the body, and he was already running along the solar path, running to where he Mom and Oleska were waiting, to where his relatives were. There, ahead, they were waiting for him ...
- Mum! Olesya! I am coming to you!
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