Hurry up and get ready! They’re waiting at the entrance until it gets light. There’s no bombing, you’ll have time to leave the city, – Markha said happily.
– And what about you? We won’t leave without you! – Sonya replied.
– They have many people in the car, we won’t all fit. I begged them to take at least the children, they agreed, then said they would take the adults later. They’re having a tour around the city to evacuate people from bomb shelters and basements, – Markha said. For the first time over the latest period, she had hope for salvation.
– Let’s hurry, girls, we have little time left, – Vera said, getting up from her seat and quickly gathering the kids.
Markha handed Sonya her children’s documents and said:
– Sonya, I entrust my children to you!
Sonya began to cry and hugged Markha, at that moment everyone understood that this might be their last meeting. Everyone quickly went to the gate and started getting into the car. Magomed and Makka were crying and didn’t want to leave their mother. Adam tried to persuade them, but nothing worked.
– Mommy, I won’t go anywhere without you and Adam! Daddy is gone, I know he’s already dead, I don’t want to lose you too. Please, don’t let go of my hand, I want to stay with you, I’ll die without you, mommy! – Magomed cried, hugging Markha.
– Magomed, I’ll come tomorrow, I promise! Adam and I will come together! Don’t cry, my dear! I love you very much, we will always be together! Please, if you love me, go with them, with Aunt Sonya, I beg you! And take care of your little sister! Let her not see your tears! You’re my protector! – Markha said, barely holding back her tears.
Magomed burst into tears, not letting go of his mother’s hand. Then Adam calmly took him in his arms, gave him a comforting hug and whispered into his ear:
– Magomed, you’re a man! You must take care of Makka and the others until we and mom come back, okay?
– Are you sure you’ll come back? – he asked through his tears, calming down a bit.
– I give you my word as a real man! – Adam replied with a smile.
They hugged each other, and Adam put him in the car next to his sister and Sonya.
– Let’s go faster, we have very little time, the road will be dangerous later! And take my business card just in case – the driver shouted to them inbroken Russian with an American accent. Adam took the card and slammed the door, the car moved. Then he read the notice in pencil on the back of the card: “If you survive, look for your close ones in the refugee camp in Ingushetia”.
Markha stood frozen, watching her children whom she could never see again. The cruelty of war is immeasurable, people lose their loved ones, cities are reduced to dust, and hearts turn to stone. Magomed kept weeping while looking out of the window at his mother, who was gradually moving away, and little Makka was sitting next to her brother, waving goodbye with a smile. Markha stood there for another fifteen minutes without moving. Then Adam took her hand and led her into the house, into the basement looking empty without the kids, Sonya, joyful Vera, and silent Alla.
– Thank God! I am now calm, there is no need to worry about the kids, – Markha said quietly.
– Everything will be fine, they will definitely come for us, if not today, then tomorrow, – Adam replied.
– That’s not so important now, Adam, the main thing is that they will all be safe, – Markha smiled in response.
That day brought pure white snow, so clean and innocent. Markha fell asleep on the iron bed and slept all day long. Adam visited the graves of his parents and Akhmed, stood in the yard for a while, watching the beautiful falling snow, and after a while, he collected some snow for melting and went down into the basement. No one told bedtime stories anymore, no one asked for water, there was no sound of children’s laughter or crying, only silence, which was replaced by the roar of airplanes and the explosions of shells, taking hundreds of human lives.
Several days passed in silence, cold, and hunger. The food supplies ran out, and Markha and Adam were running low on strength. No one came for their rescue.
On the morning of January 9, Adam found an old receiver in the house, and by some magical means, he managed to turn it on. It was battery powered. Struggling to catch an unfamiliar radio wave, he heard that a safe corridor was provided for civilians to leave the city that day, and it would be in effect for only twenty-four hours. Adam told Markha about this, and they were both very happy. Markha missed her children terribly and longed to hug them. Then they dressed warmly because the road was long and dangerous, took their documents, without which one would automatically be regarded as a bandit, and set out on their journey.
Outdoors it was frosty, sunny and unusually quiet. Markha took Adam by the hand, and they hurried along the streets seeking to reach the safe corridor and cross the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia as quickly as possible. At that time, hundreds of Chechen refugees were staying in fraternal Ingushetia.
With each step, Markha became weaker and weaker. She was very ill, but she did not say anything to Adam. Along the way, she was gasping for breath, losing consciousness, but getting up again to walk further. Adam supported her, trying to cheer her up talking about the children, about their upcoming meeting, which made her feel a little better, and with a smile on her face, she tried to keep walking. But the longer they walked, the worse she felt. Passing by one house, Markha stopped and said to Adam:
– This is my uncle’s house, let’s go into the yard and have a ten-minute rest, otherwise I can’t go any further, my vision is darkening, and I am very thirsty… I remember they had a basement, maybe they haven’t left yet. We’ll take a look.
Saying this, she grabbed Adam’s hand so as not to fall. Markha turned pale, her lips turned blue, her hands became as cold as ice.
– You’re really sick, maybe we’ll wait here until you feel a little better? – suggested Adam, worrying about her.
– No… no… I’m fine, don’t worry, it’s just fatigue, nothing serious, we’ve seen worse illnesses… and even death, – she replied with a faint smile.
– Okay, we’ll do as you say, just hold onto me and don’t let go of my hand, besides you, I have no one else, – Adam replied tearfully.
The next moment they entered the yard. The gate was open, the house itself was destroyed, neither its windows, nor the doors, nor the roof remained intact, just lonely walls stood like the yard guards. When entering the house, Markha headed towards the place where the basement was. Approaching it, they saw a terrible sight: the flames had engulfed the basement, getting smaller and smaller, and it was impossible to breathe from the smell of smoke. Fortunately, the fire did not spread onto the house.
– I hope there was no one downstairs, – Adam said quietly.
– Me either. I’ll go outdoors to pick some water, and you will wait on the stairs until I come back, okay? It’ll be calmer for me that way, I’ve already lived for a while, but you have everything ahead of you, you need to be careful, – Markha calmly replied.
– Good, just quick, we don’t have much time, and your children are waiting for you, – Adam responded.
With these words he eased on the steps and, watching Markha leave, thought to himself:
“Such a young woman has already experienced so much… In her thirties she looks like an old lady, with grey hair, sunken eyes, a slightly wrinkled face… But what a brave and strong woman she is! Our nation relies on women like her, a whole nation! The fearless and courageous Chechen woman! Enduring all the hardships and blows of fate silently, relying only on the Almighty! As long as there exist women like her, our nation will not perish and will