Work Text:
It's been hours since I got in the seemingly endless line for the border post leading into Arstotzka. The dim, dreary sky was no help to my nerves, the loving warmth of the sun smothered out under a sea of dark, heavy clouds, hanging some miles above me like a curtain of uncertainty. Life has gotten much harder after the border dispute that erupted into war between Arstotzka and my nation, Kolechia, ever since they took East Grestin from us. Sometimes it feels like forever ago; sometimes I'm reminded it's only been two years.
I come from a family of farmers, who while we didn’t have much were still able to live decently when it came to the essentials. When the war hit everyone was affected, curfews, rationing, army seizure of our food and other supplies useful to them, and all anti-war proponents were silenced. Our equipment, and supplies falling under the Arstotzkan occupation made it difficult for us to maintain our equipment which in turn made it harder to run the farm than it already was with demands from the military and cities. Soon after my brother was conscripted to the National Army and sent to fight in the war with my father conscripted as well when the army became desperate for manpower, my grandfather and I managed to avoid conscription because he was too old frail, while I was too young and small with being only 12 at the time. We learned months later that my older brother Andrija was killed on the frontlines, with soon after my father was killed in the retreat from Grestin after the Arstotzkans smashed through the military defensive lines.
After Grestin fell, the Arstotzkans used the city as an airbase, launching countless bombing runs with no discrimination between military and civilian targets. An Arstotzkan bomber killed my grandfather as he was out working in the field, only leaving a few chunks of flesh of what remained of him, along with the destruction of much of our crops along with our farm animals being destroyed or escaping in the chaos. After four years of brutal war, the Kolechian and Arstotzkan government agreed to a cease-fire and eventually peace after our military's counter-attacks against the Arstotzkans halted their advance and forced a stalemate with each side only taking small land gains causing not many changes of borders or control over valuable resources. The only major changes were the split of a few cities between us and the Arstotzkans, most famously Kolechia keeping west Grestin while ceding the east to Arstotzka. With so few changes and no real major victories to celebrate, I and many of us in the country felt the war was pointless in the end with us losing so much and the death of our loved ones without anything to show for it.
After our defeat, the army blamed our government for its failure and enough of us believed them. After several months of unrest with the government unable to maintain order, all pretense of civility was thrown out of the window. Eventually, Marshall Zlatko ordered his troops into the capitol, declared himself president, then mandated an indefinite state of martial law. Ever since then, the military government had hundreds of thousands imprisoned or executed for being accused as suspected Arstotzkan spies in the pursuit of their 5-year plan to supposedly “rebuild” the devastated nation and to “rebuild” our strength and take back East Grestin had increased working hours and production quotas to unreasonable heights.
With my father, grandfather, and older brother all killed during the war it was up to me to take care of my mother and grandmother on the farm. We barely could make ends meet, then grandmother passed away when she got sick in the winter, relieving my work a little bit on having to worry for her, though I would never tell my mother such a thing as she was devastated by grandmother’s death, and almost broke down mentally which I couldn’t blame her for with the death of everyone else in the family. What did lead me to the border was when 4 months ago Mother and I headed to the city to sell the little surplus of food we had. I was negotiating with a customer when I heard yelling. I turned around to see Mother arguing with a local soldier who looked to try to force Mother to give them our food before she refused and argued with them. Before I could even try to stop her one of the bastard soldiers pointed his rifle and shot sweet mother in the chest killing her instantly with them laughing at her body before taking the food and leaving.
Subsequently, since that day, I knew I couldn’t stay in the hellhole that was Kolechia anymore. I’ve saved up money to move to Arstotzka for over half a year now. Honestly, Arstotzka was the last place I wanted to go to but after being turned away by all other border states, from Obristan, Antegria, Republia, and Impor, I had no other options so here I am. From what I heard Arstotzka was a shit hole in its own right but compared to Kolechia it’s as good as paradise for all I care. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice shouting “NEXT'' after a second I looked up and realized I’m finally in front of the line after three hours I’m finally- “HEY, MOVE IT! YOU'RE HOLDING UP THE LINE!'' I turn around to see the people in the line behind me looking very impatient and the border guards glaring as well. “Sorry, I’m going now” I quickly walked into the border post, a windowless dark room with the only source of light coming from the other side of the glass with an unfriendly looking middle-aged uniformed man who looked like he hadn’t slept in days he was probably the border inspector.
“Papers Please,” he said looking at me with an expecting look, “oh yes of course,” I quickly gathered my passport and entry permit and placed them through a tray that slid into the inspector’s side. “Reason for visit?” the uninterested inspector asked while looking through my papers. “I’m here to immigrate to Arstotzka. It’s the greatest country after all” I stammered, trying to flatter the inspector. It was worth a shot. But the inspector laughed and said, “That’s certainly a lie, but sure, if that’s what you want to believe.” He resumed rifling through my papers, and I heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe I worried too much after all. The Arstotzkan seemed to be laid back. Soon after, a loud beep sounds from a speaker, and I watch as the inspector looks up with an unreadable expression. “It says here you're a Kolechian,” he states plainly. “Why yes I am is there a problem sir,” I answered, before the inspector continued, “All Kolechians are prohibited from entering Arstotzka since Kolechian terrorists bombed this very post last week”. “N-o no wait this can’t be I didn't know about that?!” Dammit, why didn't I know about this? I was so busy preparing for the trip that I didn't bother to check the news!
“You should pay more attention to world events then,” He moves to his right to grab what looked to be a red stamp, no it couldn’t be a denial stamp, could it? No no, I was so close it’s not fair I wasted all my savings to get out of Kolechia I even sold the farm to It’s not fair I’m so close. “W-wait please don’t deny me PLEASE I-I sold all I had to leave I have nothing left…” “Well that’s not my problem now, leave others waiting in line,” He said dismissively. “Pl-please I can’t go back there they took everything from me, my father and brother died in Kolechia’s stupid war, they took all of our crops and money, they even killed my mother please I beg you” I sat on my knees and begged through the glass barrier that separated us. The inspector suddenly looked at me like he felt sorry for me, “Look I’m sorry about your family and I sympathize with you. I do but I have my own family I need to take care of” he said quietly as he stamped my passport and slid the tray to my side.
Upon that statement I lay there for a whole minute, before standing up “No I have given too much please just let me though, I’ll tell no one I swear it”. “I’m sorry but I can’t do that please don't make this difficult and leave. I don't want to call the guards on you.” I punch the glass cause the inspector is taking a step back “No I refuse just let me go NOW” a second later I hear a beeping noise, and a door opening I turn to see an angry looking guard who grabbed me a second later and dragged me out. As I was being forced away I couldn’t contain my emotions, after everything I’ve lost, after all this sacrifice just for nothing… no-no I can't I won't allow it not after everything. I suddenly stomp the Arstotzkan guard’s foot causing him to let me go. I push him to the ground and turn to run to the border fence, I ignore all the states and shout for me to stop as I then start climbing the fence.
I climbed as fast as I could with a few guards attempting to pull me down and bashing me with their batons before I kicked them off with my foot and continued climbing. As I made it to the top I could see a barbed wire layer all over it. It would hurt but I’ve come too far to give up now. So I grabbed the wire and pulled myself over the fence ignoring all pain of the wire cutting deep into my hands and the scratches and tears in my clothes as I finally pulled myself over the fence and fell into the hard ground. The pain in my legs and hand were unimaginable but I had to keep going no matter what, I look up to see building and a streets before looking at a flagpole to see the unmistakable flag of Arstotzka with it’s Red Eagle on a black field it’s sides covered by three green stripes, at long last I am officially in Arstotzka.
At last, after I successfully made it over the fence I immediately started running forward, my hands all bloody from the barbed wire that was on the fence. I finally made it at last. All my struggle has been rewarded, if I can just make it to the streets, and into the city maybe I can lose them an-BANG BANG BANG! I hit the ground as I feel nothing but pain all over the back of my body, I can’t even feel my legs anymore, I try to pull myself up but another shot hits my right arm causing me to fall back down again. My ears are assaulted with shouts and screams and running from all directions before I hear footsteps nearing me before stopping and hearing a click. I slowly look up at the barrel of a rifle…so that’s how it is huh…