Dan Smith - The Child Thief

‘Not nothing. First the girl was in the village. Then you.’ Something like a smile came to his face. ‘I knew . I knew who you were but you knew nothing. And after. Among the other prisoners. You and her. It was… exciting. Knowing.’

‘Exciting? Torturing a little girl? That’s exciting to you? How many other children did you murder?’

‘Many. But she was going to taste so good.’ He turned his head away from me.

I stood and looked down at him, hating him. Then I kicked him, and it felt good, so I did it again, using whatever strength I had left. It was like kicking a sack of dirt, but it gave me release so I kicked him again and again, just as the villagers from Vyriv had kicked the stranger before they lynched him. I insulted him, shouted at him, and then I stopped and spat on him. ‘You killed my son.’

I put my rifle to Yuri’s forehead and looked into his eyes. ‘You killed my son.’

Something like a smile came back to Yuri’s lips. His breath rasped. ‘Kill me.’

‘Of course I’m going to kill you.’ I began to tighten my finger on the trigger, bracing for the kick of the rifle, for the loud report, for the result of shooting this animal in the head.

Yuri closed his eyes and smiled.

I stayed my finger on the trigger. ‘It’s what you want.’

He opened his eyes.

‘You want me to kill you.’

‘Yes.’

I took the rifle away. ‘It’s too good for you. Too quick. Maybe I should shoot your knees. Put bullets through your hips.’

I squatted beside Yuri and took out my knife. I used its keen edge to split his trousers from cuff to crotch and then leaned right in so my mouth was close to his ear. ‘Maybe I should strip the flesh from your legs, how about that?’ I shifted so that I could look into Yuri’s eyes. ‘Or I could scalp you.’ I put the blade against his forehead and pressed hard enough to bring blood. Isn’t that what you like to do to those poor children?’ I drew the knife across his skin. ‘You used them as bait in your dirty game, and when the fun was all finished, you scalped them and butchered them.’

Yuri blinked hard, squeezing his eyes shut and then opening them.

‘But I won’t do that.’ I took the knife away, wiping the blood on Yuri’s coat. ‘I’m not like you. I’m not a monster. But I am going to let you drown in your own blood. I’m going to let you die slowly. In pain.’

I sat down beside Yuri and took the packet of cigarettes from my pocket. I lit one and took a long drag. I put my head in my hands for a moment and thought it strange that I felt no satisfaction Yuri was going to die. I felt only sadness for those who had suffered at his hands. And there was a great emptiness in my heart that had once been filled by my son.

I looked at Yuri, watching the movement of his body as he drew breath and exhaled it. Drew and exhaled. Drew and exhaled. The rattle in his throat continued. The rasp of his approaching death.

When I next spoke, the smoke wafted through my teeth and from my nostrils. ‘I’m going to watch you die. I’m going to watch the life drain out of you, and then I’m going to bury my son.’

Close by, the crow alighted on a branch, growing more used to our presence. It called its harsh call and turned its head this way and that as if studying us.

‘And when you’re dead, the crows will eat your eyes. You’ll be a blind man in hell.’

I watched Yuri’s laboured breaths until he was still. He didn’t speak again, and when he was dead, I left him exactly as he was, open-eyed and slack-jawed.

I buried Petro in the place where he had fallen to the child thief’s bullet and spent the night in a rough shelter, close to my youngest son for the last time.

At dawn I headed home to Vyriv, following the tracks of Viktor’s horse, coming to the rise overlooking the village, where among the trees I found my living son. Aleksandra and Dariya stood close to him, but there were others there too. Evgeni, Dimitri, and those who had been freed from the column of prisoners.

I spoke to none of them. I came into the trees and walked among them, going to Dariya. I got down on my knees in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders.

‘He’s dead,’ I said. And I pulled her to me and held her for a long time.

We remained hidden until the sun was gone and the moon cut an opening in the clear sky. We lit no fires. We gave no sign we were there. And in the darkness, I walked to the top of the slope and stood, looking out at Vyriv. The collection of houses was nothing more than a muddle of dark shapes in the night. There were one or two lights, but not many.

Viktor came to my side, along with Evgeni and Dimitri, who were holding the rifles they’d taken from the soldiers.

‘We’re going to make it, aren’t we, Papa?’

‘Of course we’re going to make it,’ I said. ‘I’ll get your mother and Lara – Svetlana too – and we’ll leave.’

‘ You’ll get them?’ Viktor said. ‘You mean we will.’

I knew Viktor would protest, but there was no way I would let him come into Vyriv. However Viktor tried to persuade me, I was already determined not to give in. ‘It’s better if I go alone. I’ll be quicker and quieter that way. You can stay up here and cover me with this.’ I took the child thief’s rifle from my shoulder and held it out to my son.

‘You’ll need it,’ Viktor said.

‘Not down there.’ From Viktor’s belt I pulled the pistol with the red nine carved into the handle. ‘This will be better.’

‘I’m not letting you go down there on your own,’ Viktor said.

‘You have to. I can’t risk another son.’

‘It’s not a risk. You might need me, and—’

‘What I need is for you to watch me from here.’ I pushed the rifle into Viktor’s hands. ‘If I’m followed, I’ll need you right here to shoot at anyone behind me.’ I looked at Dimitri and Evgeni. ‘All of you.’

‘I won’t stay,’ Viktor protested. ‘I’m coming with you. I can’t cover you from here, it’s too dark for the scope, and you can’t see any of the village centre. You have no idea how many men might be down there.’

‘They won’t notice me if I’m alone.’ I stepped closer to my son so our noses were almost touching. I lowered my voice and spoke through tight lips. ‘I already have to explain to your mother that I lost one son; I won’t let that be two. Do as I ask, Viktor. Please.’

‘Your father’s right,’ Evgeni said. ‘You should stay.’

‘It’s none of your business,’ Viktor snapped, but I grabbed his shoulders and shook him, forcing him to look into my eyes.

‘Think what would’ve happened if we’d all been taken to Sushne. We’d be on our way to a labour camp now, or shot dead and lying in a ditch. But you were there to stop it from happening. So we can’t both go down there. We just can’t . Because if we do, who will be left to help us?’

Viktor stared at me.

‘No one,’ I said. ‘There’d be no one.’ I released my grip. ‘And there has to be someone here for Dariya.’

‘She has Aleksandra.’

‘It should be you.’

Viktor watched me, searching for any sign that I might change my mind, but saw none, so he turned his back on me and took a few steps away before stopping. ‘An hour,’ he said. ‘One hour and I’ll come looking for you.’

‘One hour,’ I agreed. ‘OK.’

Viktor shook his head once and walked a few paces along the ridge, not wanting to speak to me any more. He was angry I wouldn’t allow him to go with me, but his feelings were more to do with the situation than me. He understood the reasons why I wanted him to stay away from Vyriv.