Blessed are those persecuted in the name of righteousness, the kingdom of heaven shall be theirs…
The light was failing. Behind the cluster of buildings crouched at the foot of the hill the sky was red and the grassy expanses stretched far on to meet the horizon where they were bathed in the last blood of the days' sun. Shadows slunk blackly from beneath the chalky white walls that protectively surrounded the squat little buildings and a faint breeze ghosted its way through the whispering leaves. It would have been a perfect picture of a mid-summers evening in the country had it not been for the threatening glint of the coils of razor wire that topped the walls and the savage blast that burst suddenly from the siren on the looming watch tower.
The hard iron gates that rested in the concrete walls swung open slowly and a few startled birds took flight and sailed off into the sky on lazy wings, calling to each other. A company of burly men in uniform emerged from the compound. There were seven in total, an armed escort of six men carrying riffles and batons, in the centre of them a sixth figure walked head-bowed and cuffed with a heavy looking pack on his back and following behind them was a young woman in a light summer dress.
Gabriel saw the two startled larks now wheeling acrobatically above them and he wanted more than anything in the world for Hannah and himself to be up there with them, riding in the clean air, as free as they pleased. How had he got himself into this situation? All of that seemed nothing but a dream compared the sharp reality of what was happening now. His guards marched him out into the fields and his legs obliged seemingly of their own will to carry him along with their lead, while somewhere behind him he could hear the soft sound of someone trying to stifle sobs. It was his Hannah, who seemed to be handling things in an unspeakably brave manner, following defiantly behind the escort; faithful even at the bitter end. They took him all the way around the perimeter to the back of the compound where the ground began to slope upwards. He risked a glance over his shoulder; he caught a glimpse of Hannah through the two officers behind him but her head was bowed, he was thankful, if they had had made eye contact at the point he doubted weather he would have been able to start the climb to the summit of the hill without going mad. They walked slowly like some kind of bizarre funeral train and Gabe felt the incline of the ground pulling at the muscles in his legs. For some reason it suddenly seemed that this hill was never ending, that he wouldn't ever reach its summit but would go on walking forever, on and on up into the sky and past where the larks played always with Hannah not far behind. He had to force himself to hold back the surge of laughter that threatened to break from him. If only the hill would go on forever.
Nobody spoke as they climbed. The guards were silent and sombre and Hannah seemed to have stopped crying. He could hear the birds all around heralding the approach of dusk. His legs had begun to ache as the slope grew steeper and the pack on his back felt as if it were filled with lead. The straps dug into his shoulders and he could feel sweat running down his back. He watched his feet for a while, the heavy boots trampling the already warn green grass, and wondered how many had walked this way before him. In time he raised his head and looked between the leading officers. They were already halfway up the hill, he could see the tiny white building, no bigger than a garden shed, that sat brooding on its crest waiting patiently for him to come and suddenly he realised that the climb would not last much longer, that his time was running out with each step he took. He felt a spell of dizziness sway him and he stumbled slightly but managed to keep going by following the black dots that were swimming before his eyes. He felt the urge to run at that point. To push past the guards and make a break for it across the countryside like a rabbit running from the hunter. He knew he wouldn't get far before they shot him down with their riffles but even that thought was appealing; to die out here in the open, in the clean fresh air, in the kind warmth of the sunset surrounded by natural beauty with the sound of the larks singing still in his ears. Yet something held him back and kept him walking. Every man has a natural instinct to survive and somewhere deep inside he still clutched at a feeble straw of hope that they might see sense, use their reasoning and let him go.
The last walk of the condemned man. There was something almost biblical about the scene that played itself out on that lonely hillside. They were nearing the top now. The white building, the last building he would ever enter, was now frighteningly close. As the slope ended and the ground grew level the party stopped and the guards, now lifting their riffles and taking aim, began to retreat as he had been told they would in his briefing that morning.
He had been woken early by the rattling of his cell door being unlocked. He had slept in fits on his hard bunk; being disturbed frequently by twisted nightmares and haunting memories of the things that happened to him during the previous day. Two guards were at the door and he sat up to face them, feeling sick and cold. They had taken him to breakfast, and after that they had led him to him a small white room where he sat across a table from a balding man in glasses who went over what was going to happen that evening. The man had spoken with a detached manner, showing no emotion at all, and Gabe had felt the urge to scream at him and tell him what a heartless bastard he was and ask him how he could sit there and talk about the effective destruction of a life without so much as a flicker behind his eyes. Something stopped him though and he simply sat stupefied with his head hung and his hands laced together. He was taken back to his cell then for what they referred to as a 'quiet day of contemplation and rest'. He sat on his bunk without moving for the rest of the day, his body and mind totally numb, wondering why they couldn't have just let him spend this time with Hannah instead of alone. Later in the evening he was fed well, handed his pack which he had packed himself (having very little idea what he would be needing) and led from his cell for the final walk. Hannah had been waiting in the reception area and as their eyes locked he felt the first surge of madness, what was about to happen hit him but it seemed to big for his mind to cope with, he felt sure he was going to explode with the enormity of it. And so began his walk to the top of the hill.
He was standing on the crest now, and although he still felt the threat of the riffles that were trained on him they seemed too distant to be a worry and he felt like he might be the only person for miles. He was suddenly struck by the great beauty of his surroundings. He could now see over the west slope of the hill and there was nothing for miles in that direction but open fields of grass swaying lazily in the dyeing light. The air around him was clear and fresh and the breeze fingered his hair gently, he knew he couldn't give up all of this. It was then that he made up his mind what he was going to do.
He turned to his left and saw Hannah coming towards him across the grass. Her hair and the light material of her dress moved about her in the breeze and as she approached she seemed to be surrounded by a radiant glow that came not from the setting sun but somewhere from within her own being. She held out her hands and he reached for them, allowing her to draw him close to her. He hugged her close and rested his head on her shoulder, smelling the familiar smell of her perfume. He felt her hands in his hair and he could here the beating of her heart pounding in her chest; the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
"I'm scared." he whispered.
He felt her hands under his chin as she lifted his head so she could see his face. He watched as a single tear fell from her eye and rolled down her cheek, catching the red rays of sun so it looked as though she was crying blood.
"I know you are, I'm scared too," she said, "But you know I'll wait forever for you, one way or another we'll be together."
"Hannah, please, I want you to be happy, I want you to find someone, get married, have babies, grow old. Please don't let them ruin your life as well as mine."
He realised he was crying too.
"I can't. I love you too much."
Her arms tightened and they held each other tight, sobbing softly. He wished time could stop and leave them standing together on that hilltop forever. But all too soon he felt Hannah pulling away, or rather being pulled away, the guards had decided their time was over.
"I love you Gabriel, I'll always love you, don't give up hope." she cried as they pulled her backwards.
"I love you too baby. I know I'll see you again somewhere."
He had to look away. He could no longer stand to watch her being hauled backwards, her feet dragging, her face twisted with grief. He had to focus on what had to be done. It was growing dark now. On the horizon the sun had disappeared and there was only a thin line of red light left above the fields. The rest of the sky was turning purple, the puffy clouds looked bruised and battered, and the larks had fallen silent, their song was replaced by the harsh cackle of a black crow that had landed in the grass not far off. The guards were starting to move in towards him again now. One of them still restrained Hannah though she was not struggling. He watched the riffle muzzles, the long black holes watching him like empty eyes and for a moment he couldn't move. But then he summoned back that image of Hannah coming towards him like an angel and the sleepy countryside that lay all around them and rekindled the feeling that he could not live without ever seeing them again. He was terrified. There was no time to wonder what it would feel like. If he allowed them to take him down Hannah might never loose the hope of seeing him again. She might never move on. She might go on and on never knowing where he was or if he was dead or alive. At least this way she could accept he was gone, grieve and then continue living. At least this way she would know.
He bolted. His legs carried him swiftly through the closing space between the advancing guards. He saw them turn, guns aimed. He ran and for a crazy moment he thought it might be possible just to keep going and leave this whole nightmare behind him forever. Then Bang! He stumbled on a few steps and then fell to the ground, skidding and smelling the grass that crumpled under him. He heard Hannah cry out and the sounds of many boots coming towards him. As he rolled over he could see the darkening sky as the first star of the evening glimmered above him. He thought there had never been a more beautiful sight.