Red in the White Capital ( Historical RP ) ( Solo )

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The streets of the White Capital were filled with howls from the cold wind. The low humidity of the air was noticeable, and as very few people moved around to get into cars, or go back into their homes, the streets of Petrovich - The White Capital was very deserted. White abandoned buildings surrounded the streets, and the streets looked as a mess. Many newspapers flooded the streets, and a few scraps of newspapers with the distinct red title: “Президент Якувоны объявил импичмент недействительным” (Prezident iz Yakuvony ob"yavil impichment nedeystvitel'nym | President of Yakuvony declares impeachment invalid) and alongside the date “1988”, slowly fell into sewer holes or gradually got ripped upon falling into puddles.


In one sector of the White Capital, as the sounds of a vehicle passed by the empty streets of Petrovich, and eventually passing by a remarkably white and massive building, numerous soldiers entered out of the vehicle. A few looked around, to notice the city’s look, or the design of the building they were heading into. Eventually, most of them came into the building.

As most came into the building, the sound of the howling of the wind disappeared, and the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of footsteps by the soldiers. Eventually, a voice broke the silence.


“Boris. Make sure to grab the round. Its for the ‘Event’ our president said.”


Boris Leonid Timurovich, a soldier from the Yakuvoniak National Guard remained still for a moment, before quickly nodding his head, and moving ahead. Around him surrounded numerous stacks of newspapers, and numerous desks that typically had stacks of, what he assumed to be paperwork, and numerous coffee stains and coffee cups were on the floor. The smell of coffee was rampant in the main hall of the building, Boris would notice. Far from where he was heading, he noticed a large round elevator that seemed to be damaged.


As he continued heading forwards, he noticed a few doors that were somewhat damaged - Ripped up, and somewhat had scratch marks over the door. Unsurprised, and undeterred, he opened the door quickly, and moved forwards into the room.

.

The room he now was in wasn’t remarkable by any stretch of the imagination. The smell of coffee still oozed into the room, and scratches and marks were all over the walls. At one part of the wall was written graffiti which said: “Смерть Прес-” (“Smert' Pres-” | “Death to Pres-”) Despite the ominous message, he looked on before quickly moving to a rack, which sat in the corner of the room. The anti-tank ammunition glittered from cardboard boxes on its steel shelves. and even though it was straining, he could still move slightly.


As he passed by the doors, and the desks, he moved forwards towards the exit of the building. And as a friend of his opened the door for him, another soldier came by, and helped carry it as well. Eventually, when they finally exited the building, the feeling of the cold was rushed onto them, and the sound of the howling of the wind blew louder. As they moved forwards, stepping on a few papers, newspapers, or small puddles, they managed to rush into the vehicle, placing the anti-tank round in the back of the vehicle. One soldier entered it quickly, and began placing restraints onto the anti-tank round.


Boris, and the rest of the soldiers immediately began entering the vehicle. The car engine began, and soon enough, the car would begin moving past the building they had entered, and into a new area. The travel to the area Boris was supposed to be in for the “Event” as the President told them, was rather bumpy due to speed bumps, or constant potholes being now an apparent issue.


Eventually, despite the numerous bumps, and constant howlings of the wind, eventually they’d reach their destination. All the soldiers would leave the vehicle, and Boris as well. Moving towards the right of where their vehicle parked. Soon enough Boris and another soldier would be carrying the anti tank round again, and slowly moving behind the soldiers moving towards the right.


They were in front of the parliament building now. A massive white building that held numerous small little black windows, and a massive clock at the top of it. A small little flag of the Yakuvoniak Republic was noticeably there.


Across the building was a small river which was darkened by the shades from the large buildings. But across from the river, directly underneath the shades, and in front of the building that was across from the parliament building, remained a massive anti-tank gun that was surrounded by soldiers who held their firearms in their hands.


As the soldiers from the vehicle began approaching, and Boris was slowly coming closer to the anti-tank gun, a few soldiers turned their attention towards the other direction. Except for one of the soldiers, who held a somewhat different uniform then the others. He spoke up, saying in a deep tone “Do you have the round?”


One of the advancing soldiers peeped up with “Positive, commissar. We’ll be ready for firing soon enough.”


Eventually, Boris and the other soldier finally made it at the anti-tank gun. Exhausted from carrying, he sat down next to a few soldiers. The sound of the howling wind was still reminiscent across the streets, and area, and would eventually be added on by the sound of the round being loaded in. As soldiers stood near the gun, and began a few preparations to fire, an officer for the Yakuvoniak Army stood near the gun. Giving a few commands to the soldiers preparing, eventually after a few tense moments and aid from the other soldiers, the gun was ready.


With a might, the officer would yell, “Ogon’!” (Fire!), and without a beat being skipped, the once dark cold shades was lit up for a single moment by the bright flash. In a moment, the round exited the gun, and eventually would land directly into its target - The Yakuvoniak Parliament building.


The area of the building was darkened immediately, and a huge hole emerged from the building. The howling of the wind was slowly mixed with the distant sounds of screams.


The soldiers looked on. Some with horror, and some were happy. The commissar however looked towards the soldiers and stated with confidence, “Don’t be afraid of this. The bastards got what they deserved.”


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OOC: You may have numerous questions, and be confused about this post. I’d suggest DMing me or asking me questions, if you have any. I’d be willing to answer any of them.
 
The hallways were long and dark, as the adviser had noticed. Doors were shut, and the windows provided no light. The adviser took out a small slip of paper that had “Room 223” scribbled on it. Taking out a small flashlight as well, he began walking forwards.

The advisers footsteps echoed in the hallway. The raw smell of cleaning products filled up the hallway. Every few moments, shifting his flashlight towards the room numbers, and the hallway itself. Halfway through, the adviser came upon the room numbered "Room 223" Before fully opening the door, he quickly moved the door knob, to see if it was open. After which, he opened the door. The blinding light of the room hit him first, and he had to close his eyes for a few seconds.

“I see you’ve arrived Zhivenkov.”

After his eyes had readjusted to the light, he noticed a person in a jet black suit sitting on a chair. The room had a wooden desk that was in the corner of the room, which carried numerous scratch marks. Also carrying numerous burnt up cigarettes. The few papers on top of the desk had burn marks. Some newspapers were neatly stacked on top of each other. It also had a small Yakuvoniak table flag. Aside from the wooden desk, it also contained a window which barely showed any light.

Eventually, as he looked towards the person, he realized it was Ilyasov Vladimir, the President of the Republic of Yakuvony.

Zhivenkov “Yes sir, I have. What did you need me for?”

“Did you get the reports from the generals?” Ilyasov said.

“No, they haven’t really been giving me anything” Said Zhivenkov.

“Alright. Makes things a bit more difficult, but that’s fine. I need to ask another question, did they at least tell you about our operation in the parliament building?”

“They did. All they’ve told me is that they fired an anti-tank round straight into the building, and they stormed the building and arrested the people who tried to impeach you.”

“Good! That’s the news I needed to hear. Where did they get the anti-tank round, though?”

“One soldier got it from a building. I guess it was some sort of building where it had contained a round from the military. Funnily enough, our own storage have a missing round in it… You don’t think..” Zhivenkov said, in disbelief.

“I’d rather not think of that, and prefer to deal with that later” Ilyasov said, immediately dismissing the idea.

“Right. Well, the operation is done. What else is there to do?”

“We need a new constitution. New government ministries, and new laws. We need to reorganize this nation, really. That old parliament of ours needs to go in favor of a new one that isn’t as Pro-Communard. Worst case scenario, we get a Sovrabochikhsoyuzovist in power, and end up having to deal with a second Commune.”

Zhivenkov nodded multiple times. “Good ideas so far. Where do we start?”

Ilyasov shrugged. “I suppose disband the current parliament. Work with the government, to get some basic organization for this reorganization."

While nodding, Zhivenkov looked around the room with his eyes, he started to notice a number of more objects then originally: A passport on the desk. A lamp. Basketballs, and a trophy. One of which had a clear name of "Yudin Mili Dmitrievich" engraved on it. Confused, he decided to ask. “By the way, why’d you have me talk to you here? Isn’t this Yudin’s room?”

Ilyasov turned his chair towards the desk, away from Zhivenkov. He began talking while tapping at the same time on the desk. “Well...It is. I had you here because I needed to discuss with you regarding the fact that Yudin was one of the original perpetrators behind the riots, protests that are ongoing right now. And one of the ring leaders to impeach me. He is to be arrested, and interrogated. I want you to get a general to supervise it all.”

Zhivenkov looked shocked for a second. “Why a general?” Zhivenkov said. “Most have experience with this sort of thing.” Ilyasov shrugged. “Seems.. Straightforward enough. I’ll definitely try to report it to.. Perhaps General Vikhrov? He’s rather a trustworthy person with this sort of thing” Ilyasov shifted his gaze towards Zhivenkov once more, and laid back in his chair even further. “General Vikhrov..? Well… I suppose. Yeah. Sure. Do it.”

Awkwardly, Zhivenkov said “Alright. Sounds good. Is there anything more you need of me?”

Ilyasov looked towards Zhivenkov for a few seconds before continuing. “Yes. One more thing. Can you send a message to each of the heads of the ministries? Of course, we need as much organization as we can to handle this. This will be a mighty task.”

Zhivenkov nodded. “I’ll be sure to contact them tonight.” Ilyasov smiled “That's what I'd like to hear. You’re dismissed now.”

As Zhivenkov turned his face out of the door, he could smell the stench of cleaning products had worsened during his conversation, and now began to smell truly awful. He gave a cough or two, and covered his nose, and tried walking out of the hallway, leaving behind him the sounds of the clatter of his foot with the floor.
 
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"96… 98"

As many men and women walked in a straight line, behind one another, and out of the white building, one soldier stood. Taking count of all the people walking, making sure they had everyone from the parliament building. Numerous soldiers stood out as well, ready to store the people within vans so they could be arrested for treason against the Yakuvoniak government. Or be released.

As the last person was checked by the soldier, he paused himself. He looked at the list. One person was missing. He swore under his breath. "Recount!" He yelled.

There were sounds of groaning and shuffling from the group of people. They'd begin moving back in line to be counted again.

"Oy, Vikashev? What happened?" One soldier asked, moving towards the soldier holding a list.

"Missed a person." Vikashev muttered.

"Which one?"

"Yudin Dmitrievich."

"God damn it."

"Christ. This is going to take forever."

As the soldier picked up a cigarette box from his pocket, he realized how light it was. Surprised, he opened it immediately. It was empty.

"Crap, I ran out after that counting. Was hoping I'd be able to buy a pair after we got back to base." He groaned.

"Try asking some from that Vadim guy. Always has some."

"Oh, Vadim? Nah, fuck him. Bastard stole my last case and refused to give it back."

"Guess we know where he gets his supply then" Vikashev chuckled.

"Oh, go back to your counting."

From afar, there was Boris and a friend of his, Pestov. They were assigned to make sure to escort Yudin to the car, and drive him to the area where he'd be interrogated for his role.

"They're recounting." Boris muttered. Looking towards the large group of people now moving back from where they originally walked.

"Well, since we have plenty of time now.. You wanna hear that story I was talking about earlier?" Pestov said.

"About that time where your babushka almost threw you out of your house?"

"Yeah."

"Go on, then."

"Well, should I continue where I left off?"

"No, repeat it, if you forgot a detail, and to remind me."

"Right. Well.. Starts at summer at my old house. My mother is at rest, but my babushka is still awake."

"Right."

"Now, it's like 10 am. My babushka tells me if I had prepared myself for farming. Like, fixing my bed, clean my rifle barre-"

"You had a rifle?"

"Yeah. From my father. Fought the Andrennians. Kept our rifle, if they invaded us again."

"Interesting" Boris said in a hollow voice.

"Yeah, well… I told my babushka no, and she got pissed at me! Told me that I was supposed to be prepare-"

"36."

As Pestov talked, Vikashev's counting began to become more audible.

"And-and. She told me that if I didn't prepare myself for farming, she'd throw me o-"

"38."

"And guess what? I rushed to my room, and my room is an absolute mess! I rushed to clean my room but-"

"40."

Pestov's voice was now drowned out. Boris began paying attention to the large line of people.

"41."

One woman from the line began walking forwards to Vikashev. From afar, he could somewhat hear what they were saying.

"Your identification, please."

She took out a piece of paper and handed it over to Vikashev. He grabbed it, and opened it up.

For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then, all of a sudden…

"What the… This ID is a fake!"

Before Vikashev could react, the women lunged at Vikashev and hit him onto the floor. The list fell straight onto the stone floor, alongside his rifle.

"Shit!" Vikashev yelled.

Grabbing a knife from Vikashev's strap, she picked up the knife and attempted to stab Vikashev right in the chest. Before she could, a soldier grabbed her and pulled her up, away from Vikashev. The women dropped the knife, but she began kicking the soldier right in the legs.

As this was ongoing, the numerous groups of parliament began running in random directions.

"Pestov. We got an issue." Boris said, stopping Pestov from talking.

"What happene- Ah fuck."

As Boris and Pestov rushed forwards, some groups of people began running straight towards Boris and Pestov. Upon realizing they were soldiers, some ran back or went another way.

As Boris was prepared to yell at them to get back in line, Pestov without skipping a beat, grabbed his rifle and yelled out "Get back in the line! Get back in the fucking line! I swear to god, I'll fire all my rounds if you run!"

Most of the people stopped running and just stood still. One person ignored it, and ran.

"Stop!" Pestov yelled.

The person continued to run. Pestov closed his eyes. Muttering under his breath, "Please. Stop running."

He fired a shot. The sound of the gun filled the air and a sound of something dropping. Then there was silence. No sounds of shuffling or moving. As Pestov opened his eyes, he saw what he had done. One person was on the floor, a bullet hole in their back.

Pestov still held out the rifle. But unknown to everyone, he wanted to drop the rifle. Drop it, and never hold it ever again. He trembled, and he felt a tear drop on one side of his face. Boris looked on, in sheer horror.

As other soldiers began rushing forwards to fix the situation, they followed Pestov's example. Eventually, the line was back as it was before. The woman was restrained, and was set to be escorted by Boris and Pestov.

She was dropped in the back of the vehicle, still restrained.

As Boris began smoking outside of the car, Pestov was visibly shaken. He began to have deep breaths.

"Are...Are you alright?" Boris said to Pestov.

"..W-why the fuck...W-Why... did they continue to… R-run?" Pestov said, now in tears.

Boris stood quiet for a moment. He had an idea as to why. From what the women whispered to him and what a soldier said, it was because that person was actually trying to help out Vikashev, and pull the women away from him. But if he told Pestov, Pestov would be destroyed.

"No idea man…" Boris lied. "But… Try to calm down, bro. Rest if you need to. I'm here for you."

Pestov gave a shaking nod. He then laid his head at the top of the chair. Almost immediately, he fell to sleep.

"Poor Pestov.. Poor Pestov.." Boris muttered under his breath.

A couple of minutes later, as Boris looked at the line slowly decreasing, he saw a soldier approaching him. It was Vikashev. "Oy, Boris"

"Hey.. What's going on?"

"I'll be riding with you and Pestov. Since I'm somewhat injured and we need to make sure both she and Yudin are taken to their place properly.

"Sweet. Just head in the car, I'll be driving."

"What.. What happened to Pestov?" Vikashev said.

"Oh.. He's uh.. Asleep."

"Didn't get much rest?"

"Yeah." Boris said quickly.

"R...Right. Well, I'll sit in the car now."

As a couple of hours passed by, it was night. But at the end of the recount, it turns out that Yudin wasn't in the line. The rest of the building was searched, and people were escorted to their respective place. At the end of the search, Yudin was not found.

"Well, crap. We… Well, I. Stood out here for nothing." Boris muttered to himself as the soldier finished saying what had happened.

"Well, what are the orders now?"

"Drive that person to the interrogation area. Nothing more, really."

Boris nodded and as the soldier began walking away, Boris walked back to the driver's seat and closed it. After which, he began fumbling with the radio. "Piece of shit…. Never works."

After a couple minutes, he gave up. He began driving under the silent of the night.
 
Static bursted into the air, disrupting the silence within the car. Despite being surprised, Boris kept his attention towards the road.

The roads of Petrostov were full of trash and unneeded goods. As well as being almost entirely devoid of vehicles. The only lights that were in the streets were lonely street lights or small lights from buildings. Most buildings were camouflaged into the dark night as well.

A few minutes into the ride went by, and the silence was broken by Pestov waking up. He gave a loud yawn, and whispered under his breath, "Oy..Blyat.."

"Morning," Boris said. He cracked a smile. "It’s… it's the.. It's clearly the night…Shit, nevermind." Pestov added, after noticing Boris's smile. "My head fucking hurts like shit." Pestov added. "Grab an ice pack, it's right next to Vikashev and his gun." "Vika...Vikashev? Fuck is he doing here?" Boris shrugged. "

Don't ask me. Ask him when he wakes up. You mind turning on that radio?"

"After you get your ice pack though" Boris added under his breath.

Lazily, after grabbing the ice pack, Pestov hit a few buttons on the radio. For a few seconds, static filled the air. Before being cut out by a song. The words "When we were at war…" came out of the radio.

"What kinda song is this?" Pestov said curiously. "It's a song from Yamantau, I think." Boris said.

"You think?"

"Yeah."

"Oh cool. I like hearing foreign songs honestly. The songs in this country bore me to no end."

"Fair, honestly."

A few minutes of silence dropped within the car. Before suddenly a sound of a car alarm was heard nearby. Vikashev woke up instantly by the sound. Before anyone could react, he quickly grabbed his pistol that was on his lap. "Where the fuck was that?" Vikashev tiredly. Boris stopped the car, and turned to grab Vikashevs rifle. After grabbing it, he exited the car, and held the rifle carefully. A few seconds of intense silence followed before the sounds of a car engine from afar began. Suddenly, a red dirty and rusted car appeared from the near street corner. It suddenly stopped in place. One man exited the car, and he walked towards Boris with an empty bottle.

"Oh m…. it's just some drunk." Boris said under his breath. Pestov yelled out. "Alright. Can you get in? We can't deal with a drunk at the moment."

Boris looked towards the man with some pity. Before the man could reach Boris, he fell over onto the street and remained that way.

"... Is he dead?" Pestov said.

Boris stared at the fallen drunk for a couple seconds. He walked over towards the drunk and could smell an atrocious smell coming from them. He stood over the body. Then before he could check his heartbeat, he heard a very loud snore.

"Might as well be respectful, and drop him in his own car." Pestov yelled out.

Boris had a face of pure hatred after Pestov said that. Worst part is that he's actually right. Boris thought to himself. With a disgusted face, he picked up the drunken man and carried him over to the car and into the back seat. Disgruntled now, Boris rushed over to his car and entered the driver's seat, placing the rifle next to Vikashev.

"That was cute. You carried him like a princess." Pestov smirked while Boris was placing the rifle.

"Oh, shut up" Boris said angrily.

Pestov immediately giggled.

"King Boris, lover of drunks." Vikashev said.

"You're the absolute worst person I've ever seen." Boris said to Vikashev.

"Best person must be that drunk!" Pestov yelled out loud.

Boris sighed. "Now you're just messing with me."

"No, we've been doing that from the start." Vikashev said.

".....Alright, well, let's continue driving." Boris said.



"I'm getting kinda hungry now." Pestov said.

"There's a store nearby. Think it's still open." Vikashev said.


"What store?" Boris said.

"Orange."

"Bleh."

"Not a fan?"

"No, their food and the stuff they have is great. It's just a tad overpriced at times."

"Well, the other option we have is a Presnaya."

"Presnaya?"

"A store that has cheap food for poor people. Most people try to avoid it because the food is filthy."

"Ironic." Pestov muttered.

"Orange then." Boris said.

After a couple of street turns and a few minutes in silence, eventually the car was parked in front of a massive building with the words "Orange" written in Cyrillic.

Boris and Pestov walked out of the car. Eventually opening the door towards the building.

"Alright. What do you want? On me." Boris said.

"Oh shit. Uhh.. "

Pestov smiled a bit.

"There was one thing I've always wanted."

"Which is?" Boris said as he passed by a shopping cart.

Pestov blushed.. "A… a Prydanian lobster roll."

"A Prydanian lobster roll?"

"Yessir! I remember hearing about it a few years ago, and since then, I've always wanted one."

"Interesting. Well, tell you what. I'll get you one."

As soon as Pestov turned away, Boris muttered to himself, "Please be cheap, please be cheap.."



"We're nearing our destination, right?" Vikashev said.

"I believe so." Boris said.

"Sweet. This ride feels like it's been forever."

After a couple of minutes, passing by more houses and numerous rural areas, they arrived at their destination. A regular stone building which looked no different from its other buildings surrounding it. "Finally. I can stand for a stretch now." Vikashev said.

A man wearing a massive black jacket, and a pair of glasses approached the vehicle. "You arrived early. Gentlemen." A man said after Boris, Pestov and Vikashev exited the car.

"Who are you?" Pestov said.

The man smirked. "The person who assigned you your mission. In either case, it hardly matters who I am. What matters is if you have Yudin." Boris quickly said, "Well… N-"

Vikashev interrupted Boris. "We don't have Yudin. Yudin was not with the group. We did find, however, an accomplice of his."

"Ah. I see now. I see Yudin has gotten crafty. Well, make sure to bring that person here. He'll be interrogated."

"Well… It's a she." Boris said.

"Oh.. Odd. Well, either way, bring her here. We'll find out eventually. Have a rest for some time after you're done. You all deserve it"
 
This post does contain very dark moments, and can be depressing for some. If you are very easily effected by this, please do not read this post.
Additionally, this post is a backstory for one of the characters. It is not continuing the plot for the last post.
OOC:
I wasn't originally planning on making this post, and even thought of this post a few hours ago. I was inspired largely by this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfBPo7cLWFw, and additional experiences these past few weeks. (Not all of it is my experience, just some details are) With that being said. I do hope you enjoy this post. Thank you!
Oh, and if you want the full immersive experience of me writing the post, feel free to listen to the video I linked while reading. I'd recommend it. You don't have to, however.

IC:

Modern Day

The fire crackled. The only light that could be seen was one singular campfire. With two people near it.

One of them was a man wearing an old dusty uniform that clearly looked decades old. Besides him was a scratched up rifle. The other was a young man that wore a tight jacket.

The old man stared towards the campfire. While the other drank what was left of his alcohol bottle. Both were silent.

The young man spoke up. "We're going hunting soon, Boris?"

Boris sat silently. Instead of answering the question he simply said, "You remind me so much of my brother, Sergei."

Sergei stared at Boris. "I mean.. Alright.. Doesn't exactly answer my question.. Why though?"

Boris looked towards him. "Have the looks. Fuck. It pains me just remembering it."

"... What happened with your brother?"

"Never mind.. We'll hunt n-" Boris grunted.

"Boris, you can't ignore my quest-"

"I can. And I will." Boris said.

Sergei stared at Boris.

"What? I don't want to talk about it."

"Boris… Tell me. You're saying that you don't want to say it, but you clearly do."

Boris sat silently. Moments passed by before he finally spoke. "Fine. Fine."

He sighed. "Where do I begin… Here. I'll tell you this. This was… Couple years ago. Long time ago. I was…. 7 or 5 at the time."

"How old are you now?"

Boris smiled. "58."

Sergei nodded. "Continue, please."

"Yeah.. 7 or 8. During that time, I went to school. And.. I was bullied. Heavily."

"What for?"

"Hm?"

"Well.. You typically get bullied over some sort of reason. Race.. Being weak.. Etc."

"Well.. I was bullied because I was a wimp. Couldn't defend myself. So I was a easy target."

"Couldn't you bring that up to a teacher?"

"You're shitting me. Fuck no. Not sure how school was for you, but during this time period, when you were bullied, it was up to you to deal with it. All teachers did jack shit to help you. Got depression or a bully? Teachers wouldn't help you. They'd just tell you to fuck off. Not their problem."

"... How do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"About them not caring… I'm.. Pretty sure they should ca-"

Boris gave a dry laugh. "Even if you treat your life to be meaningless, they won't care. I know from personal experience, Sergei. They don't care. And never will care."

Sergei was silent. "That's a story you should tell me some time tonight."

Boris nodded. "Well.. Anyways.. I was bullied.. And I don't mean getting called names I don't like, or just getting pushed around or whatever. I mean full on being forced to fight."

".. You got into fights at 7 years old?"

"Sounds unbelievable right? But it happened. Always lost. But one time, they went way too far. Any part of my body that got a mark I typically tried to hide from my family. It worked before. But this time, I couldn't hide it."

"What part was it?"

"Hm?"

"Which part was broken or whatever?"

"Don't remember. That detail doesn't matter, truthfully. Anyways. My brother saw it. And forced me to tell the truth. I do remember asking him to not tell my parents. He smiled at me and told me he wouldn't. And walked out of the door."

".. Oh shit. He fought the bully?"

Boris smiled a bit. "Aye. He did. Beat the fuck out of him. Probably would've gotten arrested from how had he beat the shit out of them."

"How bad was it?"

"How bad was the beating?"

"Yeah."

"Both arms were broken for a few months. Broken jaw.. I swear. I don't know the rest of it, but when I saw that kid again a year later, he looked completely different. I'm surprised the kid didn't die."

"Jesus christ."

"Brother comes home an hour ago. Tells me if he ever becomes an issue again, he'll meet him again."

Sergei nodded. "Isn't it terrible of him to beat the shit out of a kid far younger than him though? Like up to that point."

"It was terrible. It was completely awful he did it. He told me he hated doing it. He never wanted to beat a child. But he did it so that kid would know the same pain as me. I couldn't do it. And he knew it.. But.."

"But?"

"He protected me. And when you get pulled into a situation where you can't get protection for so long, and the day you get it… You long for it. You want it to remain with you forever. What my brother did was shitty. But I loved him for it."
"... What happened to your brother though?"

"Oh…. Well… I was 12.. And my brother was conscripted to the army.. I remember the day perfectly. Bright. Sunny. Full of joy. He told me and my parents he'd go off to the army. Fight the war for his nation, and come back a hero. A hero of the nation. Like the ones we heard from the Fascist War and Civil War.. Promised me when he comes back, he'd help make me stronger."

"Few months passed by.. News reports come in about the Andrennians advancing further into Ardealul.. A military official comes into our house. In his hands.. A broken star, and a blood stained letter."

With the last words, the two were silent. Not one spoke. For a few moments, the cracking of the campfire were the only sounds to hear.

".. What happened to you afterwards?"

Boris looked down sadly. "I.. I tried taking my own life. That pain I felt.. It was too much. Too long. No human should feel the same pain I felt."

Boris stared at Sergei. He continued. "Just a lesson for you.. Don't try to do it. It's not an escape or a saving grace. In fact.. Even if you think your an irrelevant fuck who no one cares about.. People will care. You'll just cause more pain."

Sergei nodded. "How.. How did you recover from all this? Surely, if you felt this much.. It'd stick with you."

Boris shrugged. "I don't know. And truthfully… I don't want to know."

The two fell back to silence again. Boris stared at the campfire.

".... Oh yeah. We were going to hunt."

"Oh right. Well. I'm ready to go."

"You sure you aren't too old to do it?"

"Look, if I die of old age while hunting, you can get dibs on what I own."

"That sounds good to me."

Boris stood up. He grabbed his belongings and the old rifle besides him. "Never told me where you got that though." Sergei said.

"Oh, this? Well.. That's a story for another time." Boris smiled.
 
Vikashev gave a yawn. Looking towards the mirror on top of his sink, he looked towards his reflection unimpressed. He gave a slight sigh as he grabbed a slightly broken toothbrush and began brushing.

Few minutes afterwards, when Vikashev was in the kitchen, he noticed a portfolio. Picking it up, he began looking through it. Papers, documents, photos.. Too much shit to read this morning to him.

During the moment of silence He had, he started making a cup of coffee, afterwards sitting down and trying to remember what happened last night.. The car ride...? The hobo...?

Slowly, he was beginning to remember what happened last night. Once he was getting close to it, he heard a tapping on his door. "Come in" He said, looking towards the portfolio.

Pestov came out of the door. Oddly, he wasn't wearing the same uniform as he wore before. Surprised, Vikashev said "What's with the uniform?"

"New changes to the National Guard. We're no longer under the army, and we're our own separate branch. So we have our own uniform and shit. Pretty awesome. Anyways, I came here to tell you that your new uniform is on your bed, and you'll be needed to Zhivenkov. He wants to see you."

Vikashev upon hearing those words looked slightly concerned. "Where is Zhivenkov?"

"Outside, around the back of the building. Either there or near the interrogation room."

"Alright. I'll head over after I get that uniform on.. Oh, and do you know why this is here?” Vikashev looked towards the portfolio.

“No idea. Best to leave it there, and read it later. That's what I was suggested when I brought it up to him."

"Alright. I'll see you soon then."

"Cheers." Pestov then walked over and left the room.

Vikashev stood up. It was time. He picked up a duffle bag and filled it with his rifle, clothes, supplies, food and ammo.

"It's show time." He whispered.
==========================================================================================================

Vikashev pulled on the front collar of his uniform. Uniforms looked good, but were slightly uncomfortable.

As Vikashev continued walking, he noticed a wide open door. Looking at it, he noticed a giant window within it. Two figures were behind the glass, and red eyed soldiers and officers stood there, talking quietly.

He moved on quickly. No matter. Eventually he'd reach the room with Zhivenkov. The room itself was almost dark except for a few small beams of light. It also had an awful odor. As he entered the room, he was told to close the door. He obeyed, but silently locked the door as well.

Zhivenkov was a slightly tall menacing figure. His face was completely hidden as well. He spoke. "Greetings Vikashev."

"H-Hello," Vikashev said, slightly stuttering from the awful smell.

Zhivenkov continued. "It's come to my attention that the woman we captured was an agent from Ilyasov."

Vikashev slightly shook.

"... And I am calling you here because she has said that you are another agent. Now, I would have you.. Well.. Terminated. On the spot. But Boris managed to convince me to hear your side of the story. So go on. Tell me."

"I'm not sure what to tell you. That 'agent' attacked me and almost killed me had it not been for multiple soldiers nearby. I never supported Ilyasov, and I hav-"

Zhivenkov interrupted Vikashev by picking up a cigarette from the table. Slowly after he lit it on fire, he began smoking.

"Aye. That's why I was confused at first when I heard it. Your defense is horrible."

Vikashev silently edged his hand to his side arm.

"You did support Ilyasov in fact. You did. You voted in favor for his bill and gave numerous illegal support to him when he failed. While I am unsure of why you were attacked.. I am willing to take a chance here."

"But, surely, if I was an agent for Ilyasov, I'd work with that female agent. Not be attacked"

Vikashev had to pick his chance. If he fired now, his attempts would be in vain

"Yes.. It is odd. But it's been ruled out by the fact that you were seen that you were with this age-"

Outside, one loud sound occured. From behind Vikashev, the sounds of plates crashing surrounded the room behind him. It was now or never.

Vikashev quickly grabbed his sidearm. What was instant, felt like decades to Vikashev as he pulled his firearm up. Before Zhivenkov had a chance to react, Vikashev would fire multiple rounds into him. Zhivenkov would come crashing onto the floor alongside his chair. The cigarette that Zhivenkov had, flew out of his mouth and landed onto the table. Vikashev rushed over to Zhivenkov, he held his hand over his mouth. When Vikashev heard a "Is everything alright in there?" Vikashev stood silent.

"Sir, is everything alright?"

Vikashev gave his best impression of Zhivenkov. "Yes. Everything is fine. Please leave, as I must finish talking to a recruit."

"Alright, my apologies."

Vikashev relaxed himself as the area became silent. Zhivenkov coughed blood onto Vikashevs hand. He looked over to Zhivenkov face. He whispered, "It's funny. Boris and Pestov aren't agents. Only I and that woman are. Truthfully, she did good. Me and Ilyasov had no idea what to do." He smirked.

"W-why are you doing this?"

Vikashev was quiet. He spoke again.

"Because you destroyed the only things I had in life. My family was massacred when I was a boy, and it was under the orders of you. You shit bags tossed me into the streets to die. Only surviving because of Ilyasov. And funnily enough, I found out about this by Ilyasov. You truly think I don't have a reason to kill you after you tried to kill me?"

Zhivenkov was silent. Only responding with. "I wish I had finished the job."

Zhivenkov remained silent. Before his vision became dizzy and his pain slowly began to disappear. He thought to himself. He deserved this death. After he signed the deaths of hundreds within the country, it was only eventually time that he would be killed by a survivor of his killings. He gave a small smile. It was over now.

He didn't have much time left. Eventually, as blackness slowly took parts of his vision, he'd only see pure darkness. He died.

Vikashev stood in the room now. It was all silent. He looked at Zhivenkovs desk. He quietly hid the body of Zhivenkov under the desk, and placed the still burning cigeratte near a few fabrics that were within the room. He unlocked and opened the door, but made sure to relock the door behind him.

He turned towards the interrogation room. Entering within it, he spoke quickly.

"I'm here to take the woman. Orders under Zhivenkov."

The officers then spoke up. All of them were confused.

Annoyed, Vikashev yelled. "Should I bring Zhivenkov over here and tell you people that was my order?"

The officers remained silent. They knew that this would be the worst time to bring this up to Zhivenkov. "No. Take her." One of the officers said. The rest of the officers agreed.

Vikashev entered the room. The interrogator was sitting across from her. He gave a piggish grin when he noticed Vikashev walk in. And she was…. Lying her head down on the table.

"Excuse me. I'm under orders to take her. Please handcuff her, hand me the keys. I will handle this now."

The interrogator looked baffled. "Orders under Zhivenkov." Vikashev added.

The interrogator stood silent. Then carefully obliged Vikashevs command. After handcuffing her and giving her to Vikashev, Vikashev let out his bloody hand. "The keys please." Vikashev didn't notice the blood.

The interrogator noticed, but he knew better to not bring it up. He gave Vikashev the keys.

The woman's face was badly bruised. Blood and sweat was on her face, and she had a few cuts that were still bleeding on her cheeks.

Vikashev began hurrying thr both of them towards the exit. Every now and then yelling "Hurry the fuck up!" Towards towards the woman.

He didn't have much time.

His heart was beating faster as he saw people walking near Zhivenkovs door. It beat faster as he saw a barely visible trail of smoke go from under the door.

By the time he reached the front doors, he turned around and noticed the smoke became more visible. He shuddered but still hurried himself up.

He located the car Boris drove last night. He grabbed the keys, and had the woman sit right next to him. He tossed his duffelbag within the back of the car.

After he placed the keys within the key slot, and when the engine gave a loud sound signaling it was now on… He began driving. He reversed the car, then turned it. The car began moving out. They were now getting out.

Vikashev smiled. "We did it. We got out."

"About time. Did you get the bastard?"

"Oh I got him. Also, here's a key for the handcuffs. Unlock yourself." Vikashev said when he pulled out a key out of his pocket, and gave it to her.

With some difficulty, she finally got the key to get within the handcuff. She was free now.

"Why were you hurrying up, anyways?"

"I lit Zhivenkovs room on fire."

"Oh shit."

"Yeah. Also, where are we gonna go now? We can't get to Ilyasov now. No idea where the fuck he is."

"I think we'll go hiding in a city or something. The White capital would be good."

"Good idea. It'll take a while till we get there though. What's our plan?"

"Maybe we can try to hide within an obscure apartment. Then once that happens, we need to reestablish our connection with Ilyasov."

"Sweet."

"By the by.. I never actually knew your name. Only knew you as Purpurnyy. And that's definitely not your name." Vikashev said quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"Maybe I'll tell you when we get to the apartment. Still shook from that interrogation."

"Oh yeah. Fuck happened there?"

"Asked me a bunch of questions. Said I didn't know or straight up refused to answer. So they beat me or tried to torture me to get a response. They failed clearly."

From outside, the car was now driving past many assortment of greens and farms.

"Why do you have blood on your ha-"

"Don't ask." Vikashev abruptly cut her off.

Both were relatively silent. Until "Purpurnyy" spoke up.

"Y'know.. I'm not sure if I should say this."

"Say it. I will gladly listen to you."

"I'm starting to lose hope. We've lost so much, and we haven't seen much success until now. I doubt we will see more success now that we're going to be hunted."

Vikashev shifted himself. "I disagree. This is the first step to redeeming Ilyasov for his kindness to us. We'll continue to be successful. And I will guarantee it."

==========================================================================================================

Pestov looked around the room. It was trashed heavily. Boris would eventually walk in. "Where's Vikashev? And why the fuck is this room so trashed? We have orders to drive out towards the White Capital."

"No idea. But just grab your shit, and go."

Boris opened his mouth to reply, but knew better, and stayed quiet.

A few minutes afterwards, they noticed a solid line of smoke coming out of a room. Some people were trying to use fire extinguishers to remove the fire.

Boris kept moving. Alongside with Pestov. As soon as they went outside, however, he realized something.

The car was gone. Someone drove off with it. "Where the fuck is the car?" Pestov said.

"You don't think Vikashev drove off?"

"No, that makes no sense. We'll just get keys from someone else. Go on, get the keys. I'll wait here."

Pestov shrugged. He walked back inside. Few minutes later, he comes out with keys in his hand.

After locating their vehicle, Boris sat back. He relaxed himself. Pestov was placing their supplies behind their chairs, and behind the car. Afterwards, he got in.

Boris closed his door. He turned the car, and drove off.

==========================================================================================================

Vikashev stopped the car. They were at some random gas stop in the middle of nowhere.

"Lets fuel up. Maybe buy some food, and relax. I'll handle the buying." Vikashev said.

"Right. I'll… I'll just sit here. Keep my head down, and shit."

As soon as Vikashev walked away, "Purpurnyy" laid down at the back seats. She stared at the ceiling of the car. What a odd fucking time it was for her. Captured, interrogated, beaten, then freed, and on the run. Vikashev was starting to scare her. He used to be so understanding, but now he's becoming insane. She placed her arm on her forehead.

"These bruises hurt alot" She whispered. "Fuck it. I'll ask Vikashev if he could help me out. This shit would definitely give us some looks we dont need."

Vikashev opened the door. "Probably best you stay hidden in the back. I'll tell you when to get out and shit."

"Roger."

"Feel free to say anything, but do stay quiet…. Say, I just noticed, its almost night time. Fuck me. "

"Got a question. Could you patch my face up? Fuckin', don't want to get looks when we get to the White Capital. Don't need that at all."

"Your right. But we need to keep driving. So tell you what, place some shit onto your face. Got some medical stuff within my bag."

Vikashev placed a cup of coffee within a cup holder. "Damn, sunsets looking beautiful. "
 
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