Ammar Habib - The Heart of Aleppo - A Story of the Syrian Civil War

“If you don’t come out, we’ll come in and drag you out like a dog!”

I see the look in Jari’s eyes.

“Don’t go!” Those are the only words I can blurt as I suddenly race towards him. Stopping at Jari’s side, I stare up at his face.

He finally looks at me. “If I don’t go, they’ll come in here and take me anyway. But if that happens, they’ll find you three. And God knows what they’ll do.”

“Bu—but we need you!” My voice is frantic. “I—I need you!”

“You need nobody but your Lord.”

I’m shaking, trembling. So are my words. “We can—we can fight them. You have a gun!”

Jari smiles down at me as he puts his strong hand on my head and lightly ruffles my hair. How—how can he be smiling like that? “I would be honored to fight at your side, Zaid. Anyone would.” He places his pistol on the floor. “But only one of us will have to leave today.”

Is—is he really going to do this? This can’t be happening too! How can he just walk out there? He’s hungry. Weak. They—they’ll kill him, and he doesn’t even have the strength to defend himself! My heart beats against my chest. My hand starts to shiver.

“Don’t come out of here no matter what happens. Hide in here until nightfall. Avoid traveling in the day when you can.” Jari glances over the three of us. His eyes hold no fear. They possess nothing but… peace. “Protect each other. Don’t let this darkness consume you. Remember this city as it was. Remember its beauty. Its heart is in its people, not its buildings. Fight to keep the heart of Aleppo inside of you.”

There is dead silence as Jari thinks for a moment.

“It was nice to finally share a meal with somebody after so long. I never thought that would happen again. Thank you. Thank you for giving me something that I am willing to give my life for. I wish I could have known you three longer.”

“I—I—” My eyes begin to water. “I can’t lose you too!”

Jari takes a deep breath, his gaze locking with mine. “I spent years trying to live a good life. But this death… it’ll be good enough.”

Helpless, I watch his hand leave me as he turns towards the door.

“ La Illah Ila Allah .”

I have never seen a taller man.

He doesn’t look back. Jari opens the door without missing a beat, pausing for only a moment. Walking out of the room, he quickly disappears out of sight. The sound of his heavy footsteps reverberates through the entire shop with every step he takes. Hearing him grow further away, I tremble faster. The voices outside abruptly stop. His footsteps also arrive at a halt. But then I hear him unlatch the front door. It opens with a loud creak.

This can’t be happening! This can’t be happening!

There’s a long pause. However, the violent voice breaks it. “You are a soldier!”

“I was a major colonel in the Syrian Armed Forces.” Jari’s voice is calm. I hear him step onto the sidewalk without faltering.

“A traitor!”

Jari’s words don’t waver. “I betrayed none, least of all my Lord or my people.”

How is he not scared? Is his heart not pounding like mine? Maybe he has a plan! Maybe—maybe—

“You are a traitor to your nation! To this city! Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness.”

There’s no response.

“I said get down!”

There are two sudden and powerful thuds before a body hits the ground. I instinctively cringe, as if I feel the blows too.

Stop it! Please stop it!

Fatima grabs a tight hold of her brother’s arm. They’re both as terrified as I am.

Allah, please save him!

“Now beg for forgiveness, traitor.”

Silence. There are two more violent thuds. They’re louder than before, and I flinch with each one. But Jari doesn’t make a sound.

“Beg!”

Don’t let him die, God!

“Kill me if you wish.” Jari’s words are tired, yet powerful. “But I won’t ask forgiveness for something I have never done.”

There is a long pause. My quivering fist is curled so tightly that my nails dig into my palm. A gun’s trigger is cocked back. “Then look down, traitor.”

No response.

“I said look down!”

“If you’re going to pull the trigger, be a man about it. Look me in the eyes when you do.”

There is a stillness. Please—please save him. If You’re listening God, don’t abandon him. Do something! Please! The scene is frozen in time. Everything stops. Everything grows so quiet that I can hear my beating heart and my quivering breath. A hope creeps into my heart. Maybe… maybe something will—

Bang!

Did… is Jari really—first Bilal, now him? I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it. Not even when the foul stench enters the shop. Not even when I hear the dispersing footsteps growing further away. Not even when the blast of the gunshot echoes in my head over and over again.

I don’t shiver. My heart isn’t pounding. My breaths aren’t quick. I’m simply paralyzed. I keep staring at the door’s opening, half-expecting to hear Jari’s heavy footsteps and see him rounding the corner.

Please. Please don’t be gone.

Salman is the first to move. He quietly closes the closet door, once again encasing us in a dead silence. After a long moment, he looks back at me. Is he holding back tears?

“Jari…” My voice is weak. “…he’s…”

Fatima looks at me and then her brother. “What are we going to do?”

“We have to stay here.” His words are a whisper. “Just like he said. We stay here until dusk no matter what.”

“What about Jari?”

“We have to leave him.”

Fatima’s voice rises. “We can’t just leave his body there.”

“We have to.” Salman’s palm leans against the wall as he slumps down. “It’s the only way.”

“Salman—” Fatima begins.

“We don’t have a choice.”

Another stillness consumes the room for a few moments. But then a horrific image enters my mind, one that nearly makes me vomit. “They shot him because he was a soldier. Called him a traitor. Nabeel… he—he’s a soldier.” My voice grows frantic. “What if they go after Abbi! Ummi! Or Aisha!”

“They will be safe, Zaid,” Salman replies.

“How do you know that!?”

“Because we have to believe in something, and I’m going to believe in hope! I choose to believe that Jari did not die for nothing!”

That silences me. For a moment, Salman sounded just like Jari. I glance over at Fatima before looking back at Salman. I take a deep breath and wipe my brow, calming myself down.

“Where are we going to go?” Fatima’s question is aimed at her brother.

“Go back the way we came from, back towards our homes.”

“What about the police station?”

“If the rebels overran this district, then chances are that’d be one of the first places they attacked. They’d also attack the hospital so they can use the medical supplies to treat their wounded. I read that’s what invaders do.”

“Do you know the way back home?” I ask Salman.

“Not exactly,” he replies. “But I know the general way back to the district. Once we’re there, it’s easy to spot the masjid’s blue dome. That’ll lead us back home.”

“What if they’re not home, Salman?”

Salman’s voice is calm, his expression stoic. “We’ll figure it out. We have to take it one step at a time. As long as we stay together, we’ll make it through this. We’ll make sure that Jari’s sacrifice is worth something.”

I’m trapped in a dungeon.

This room doesn’t have a clock, and I don’t have a watch. The longer the day grows, the warmer it gets in here. The A/C worked fine last night, but it is now beginning to sputter. I soon find myself wiping my forehead every few minutes. Thankfully, Jari brought us some jugs of water and more bread during the night. I drink a sip of water every now and then but hardly nibble on the bread, unable to bring myself to eat.