The Wall

99

Moses stopped at the next cross street. Knocked the dirt off his pants and t-shirt. Behind him, the gunfire sounded like a full-blown war. Had all this happened because of him? Couldn’t be, he thought.

The house across the street looked empty. He ran to the other side of the street and stopped once he’d passed it. Checked out the next house and sprinted to the next street. The house in front of him wasn’t empty. He saw a woman in the lounge, but her back was turned toward him. Didn’t matter anymore, he thought. He had to keep going. He had to get out. To the wall, then on to the exit. And then… Something had to work out.

Past the house. To the outer wall. Had he already been here today? Definitely. He had been everywhere already. He briefly crouched down and tried to see down the long stretch between the wall and the houses. All the way to the end. Then to the right, and somewhere past that point the exit had to be located. The view in both directions was free and clear. Of course, people could be concealed behind the walls, hedges, and bushes.

He would have to solve that problem if it arose.

Moses set off. Jumped over a hedge. Then over a wall. Then over another one that was high. Could feel how heavy his legs were by now.

Be careful, he warned himself. The wall he was approaching was fairly tall again, and he jumped with all the strength that remained in him. Was already focusing on the next obstacle.

He had hardly landed before he took off again. The blow was so powerful that it knocked all the air out of him. No feeling inside, no thought. End of existence. No god was strong enough to withstand an assault like this. Right into his stomach.

His supporting leg had just been searching for and had found the ground. The other was still in the air and had wanted to carry his body a few meters more. The counter-force drove him back in the direction he’d just come. For an eternity, Moses hung in the air, almost weightless, but then he crumpled to the ground.

“Pig!” someone yelled.

Shit! thought Moses as blood once again surged through his brain.

It was him again. And now he finally had the better cards. The club was already rushing down at him. Moses wanted to vomit.