"They're not peaceful, it seems..." Vasily concluded. The gray-eyed young man returned his attention to the ground.
An enemy soldier passed far in front of Vasily, searching for his prey: the Soviet soldiers. Vasily took one aim, then rolled to the right, hiding behind rocks and mud before the other enemies realized anything. Just as he was hiding, he witness someone familiar was also crouching. But... that curly haired man was instead crouching away from the battlefield with a map.
"Wasn't that the map held by the captain before?" thought Vasily. He wants to stay on aiming the enemies... but he also concerned over Alexei. So, Vasily decided to follow him from behind.
===
The more Vasily follows, the more he becomes certain; Alexei doesn't desert himself out of fear. Alexei kept walking nearby the river and the forest, while also shooting the passerby enemy. Real Alexei would have been staggering when aiming one, thought Vasily again. Still, he needs to follow Alexei to watch over that curly-haired man's attitude.
The night turn into day. The grass become drier and hotter as weeks passed. Vasily gathered more Alexei's echoed anger, thrown while sharpening the soldier knife in the forest. Or when Alexei murmuring in his sleep, eavesdropped by Vasily.
"I will kill him..."
"I cannot waste time anymore..."
"Dasha... my Dasha..."
"Dima surely will pass there... I must go to north..."
Dima. Dmitry. Vasily's mind spun harder. To remember Alexei's tears of happiness. Dmitry ever promised Alexei and Vadim to be the best man, when Dmitry going to marry his girlfriend by winter. Vasily won't be the best man, since he is already become Dmitry's in-law. But Vasily still remembering well Alexei spoke his full support. Wishing Dmitry and his girlfriend to have longlasting marriage.
It's impossible someone who fully support will do this, right? Vasily has known those people. The one who pretend to help but stabbing from the back. But he know Alexei won't be that person.
What he has feared long ago gnawed again. The old archive he ever read in Kharovsk's Militsia Office as a teenager. Someone who acted very different, never claiming it's their act and blaming to someone else that looked like them... and changed into completely different personality, claiming to have another name. However, there is no continuation research for that criminal. At the end, that criminal was just jailed and wasted not long after that.
===
Another day passed three times. Vasily noticed Alexei now blended with large group of Soviet soldiers. Or maybe Alexei's journey interrupted because the group found and dragged confused Alexei. Therefore, Vasily hasten his walk and regroup too. While Alexei is in the middle of the group, Vasily stayed at the very back. His short height helps him to blend and not caught by Alexei too fast.
As the group stopped in a post, Vasily start to know - they are nearby Dnieper river. Almost nearby Germany. Time is running out, and Vasily has to find a way to confront that curly-haired man as soon as possible.
During the full rest and the soldiers entertain themselves, Vasily approached Alexei who prefer to sit and eating the soup alone. Something that's so different, thought Vasily. Real Alexei would be shamelessly trying to cracking jokes and befriend everyone in just a day.
And it becomes something that Vasily just connected. The same attitude of distant Alexei during rehearsal and concert...
"Heya, Lyosha! Fancy to see you alive!" greeted Vasily, trying his best to pull his widest grin. Alexei startled so badly until he almost dropped his soup bowl.
"V-Vasya?! How could you-" puzzled Alexei in cold voice.
"I also lost few weeks ago. Then I met this group. Been walking and shooting, until finally I found you!" said Vasily with boisterous laugh. Alexei groaned, then finished his soup fast, cleaning it with a bit of river water and dried it.
"Well, yeah, glad to see you alive too..."
Vasily watched Alexei's attitude once again. And then... an idea came.
"You know, Lyosha... I hope we can survive together till the end. We've promised Dima that we will stay alive. You will be his best man..." Vasily start to natter with nostalgic eyes. "And maybe his marriage will be in the same season like yours with Nina! Ugh, my wallet may quickly dried. Because I have to buy two gifts at once, yet I also a family man now, hahaha..."
Alexei doesn't looked too impressed, "Yeah, we have promised to him. Though I don't know if that will be fulfilled. What if we survived, but Dima died before the war ends?"
"We'll be sad, of course. But simple. We will seek Darya, his girlfriend! Then making sure she will moving on. But your marriage plan with Nina stays," smirked Vasily... who now become more certain; this is not Alexei he always knows. Alexei would have making more scenario about what will he do in Dmitry's wedding. Just like what Vasily heard while still around Kiev.
This Alexei oddly start to resting his head on the backpack while muttering "Yeah, I thought so too...", and sleeping to ignore Vasily's natter.
But how to bring Alexei back to his dreamer self? Think, Vasya... think!
Till another thing came out of Vasily's mind.
"You know what? I missed one thing, too... I want to hear Dima's special hum when we are in Dushanbe," cooed Vasily with his elbow nudging Alexei's rested shoulder, "Too bad Dima isn't here... oh wait! I remembered you also know that tune too! Please sing for me, Lyosha!"
And this made Alexei's tired eyes opened and took glance at Vasily, "Huh, what tune?"
"Come on... you are the one who mentioned the title. Well, I already forgot most of it... but I think it's starting like this..." then Vasily hummed sixteen notes of that music. It was slow, fleeting and repeated hum that often heard in liturgy.
And for the first time, Vasily witness Alexei trembled and widened his eyes. As if possessed by something. Vasily scoot away a bit, making sure his friend won't do anything stupid. Then the one blink on Alexei's eyes made Vasily certain; real Alexei has come back.
"...Vasya?"
"Good evening, Lyosha. You slept for quite a long time," sighed Vasily as he wiped his sweat.
"Y-yeah... I was sleeping for a long time..." then Alexei looked on left and right. He becomes more panicked, "Where are we now? I thought we are still at forest?!"
"Shh, it's okay, I got you," soothed Vasily as he hugged Alexei. Making sure Alexei's panic doesn't caught the attention from the other soldiers. The hug becomes tighter as Alexei shedding tears silently.
"I'm so scared, Vasya! I had nightmares in my sleep.... I witness myself killing everyone I loved! From my mother, my sister... and then I killed Dima nonstop as if he cannot be killed, and I can't stop myself too!" cried Alexei on Vasily's shoulder, "Thank you to wake me up... Because I'm tired with the nightmares..."
"You're welcome... It's okay, let it out..." Vasily continued to soothe Alexei and try to hum that sixteen notes again. Alexei lifted his head a bit, whispered, "Вера вечна, вера славна... Наша Вера Православна... You still remember that tune..."
"But I already forgot the rest of it. Can you sing it for me, Lyosha?" asked Vasily while still stroking Alexei's back. Alexei look on left and right, then he nodded.
And as that curly-haired man singing with low volume, Vasily closed his eyes. Remembering the memory in Stalinabad, when he struck with heatstroke. Dmitry hummed without lyric while fanning Vasily who rest on Dmitry's lap. Alexei recognised the hum immediately and naming that song. Then Dmitry, Vadim and Alexei humming in chorus just to annoy the weak Vasily who smiled like a baby.
It was a stupid memory. Vasily still annoyed that his friends kept teasing after that. Yet this saved Alexei for now.
===
The battle continues on the next day. Vasily made sure Alexei stays on his side, and they are not too far away from other soldiers who fighting the enemies. So far Alexei still looked staggered when aiming the enemies. Still the real Alexei, thought Vasily.
Then unfortunately, when Vasily charged to the front... there is a bomb nearby. It blows to kill soldier nearby Vasily, and some of the bomb shards are heavily struck Vasily's stomach and chest. His short body fell down, and he groaned in pain. Soon, someone approaching Vasily with familiar voice and cradled him...
"Vasya! I... I will save you!"
But Alexei didn't brought him to the post. Not even scream for any paramedic, seeking for help. Vasily tried to release himself from Alexei's cradle. But his short body tightly gripped with Alexei's arms... and he has wounded badly on his torso.
"Lyosha! Lyosha! Please, wake up!" pled Vasily, realised he wasn't facing Alexei anymore.
As they are quite far from the river, Alexei immediately slammed Vasily to the ground. Without waiting anymore, he draws a soldier knife from the belt. Vasily's throat become the first thing to be targeted.
"How dare you... to hinder me killing Dima," Alexei's voice now rumbled in resentment. He kept stabbing on Vasily's throat without mercy. "Singing that tune to wake up Lyosha... very clever... and very stupid too. I shall leave no witnesses."
Vasily has fully dying now. Cannot speak. Cannot move. And the last thing he saw is this curly-haired man throwing him roughly with a wicked laugh...
And then everything turns dark as his body sank into the river.