The Day The Sun Fell From The Sky Read Online Free PDF Page B

us.” I reply. “To the people that are in the conflict. We kind of want it to end sooner rather than later.”
    “What will you do when it does end?” He asks me.
    “I’m not sure that I will live to see it.” I tell him.
    He considers me for a moment before replying. “I’ve only performed sterilization on one other conscious patient. She did not survive. If you can live through that, you can live through anything.”
    “Thanks.” I look away, slightly embarrassed.
    “I’ve heard about some of the other traumas that you survived–” He continues.
    “–Like being dragged by a truck.” I smile at the insanity of it all.
    “Or being stabbed repeatedly with a serrated knife.” He adds, smiling with me. “What were you thinking anyway? Heth told me that you deliberately made yourself a target.”
    “You’ve been seeing Heth.” I can’t believe the good news. Since I had blacked out during the selection, I never got to find out if she was selected or if she was killed. Now it looks like she was selected. “How is she doing?”
    “I think we should change your medication.” He stands up abruptly.
    The last time he avoided telling me something, it turned out that the something had almost killed me.
    “What are you not saying?” I ask him.
    He busies himself with changing my drip and keeps quiet, confirming my suspicion.
    “Something’s happened to Heth.” I remark.
    He sighs and then looks me in the eye . “She was the other conscious patient that I had to operate on.”

Distribution
    “Why are they leaving me alone?” I ask Hash back in the medical cell that they’ve been keeping me in. I’m not complaining about the lack of recent torture, I just want to know why.
    “Because you need to be ‘presentable’ where you are going.” Hash explains.
    “Where’s that?” I ask him.
    “Away from the base.” He replies.
    “Any idea where they might be taking me?” I continue to probe him.
    He becomes quiet again and I know that he’s trying to dilute the answer.
    “Let’s not talk about that right now.” He says.
    “Why do you keep doing that?” I ask , annoyed.
    “Doing what?” He says, taken aback.
    “Not telling me.” I reply .
    “Because I want you to heal.” He tells me.
    “How does keeping me in the dark help me to heal, exactly?” I exclaim.
    He sighs. “Negative thoughts delay healing. I’m not saying that what they plan for you won’t happen if you don’t think about it. I’m just saying that you might not want to worry about it until you’re in a better state.”
    “I am heaps better. I’ve gone a whole forty eight hours without being tortured or abused.” I reply with added cheer.
    “Very funny.” He says without smiling. “Actually you were out about this long after your surgery.”
    “You’re starting to forgive yourself.” I smile.
    “No I’m not.” Hash replies darkly. “The fact that you survived at all is a miracle. It doesn’t change the fact that I am a coward. If I was a braver person, I would have let them shoot me rather than agree to do something like that to you.”
    He was being so melancholy that I had to laugh. “If you don’t do it, someone else will. If a Venry doctor had performed the surgery, he would not have provided the post-operative care needed and I would have most likely died from the operation.”
    “That’s a bit harsh.” He says quietly. “Not all Venry are like that.”
    “Yeah but if they’re not like that, the army wouldn’t hire them.” I remind him.
    “You seem to be very aware for someone of your age.” He smiles despite himself.
    “I’m studying journalism. I mean I was studying journalism.” I correct myself.
    “You can always go back to it.” He replies.
    “So what did you do before the sun fell out of the sky?” I ask him.
    “Is that what you’re going to call this period in our history?” He laughs.
    “You didn’t answer my question.” I reply.
    “Guess.” He smiles.
    “I know