Collateral Damage
What you’re about to read is written on the topic of Fiction for the STSC Symposium
After a few weeks in Germany watching the final games of Bayern and the champions league final, Alyssa and I set out for Spain to get a tour of the Camp Nou and a science museum.
With Alyssa up and ready to go, she focuses on playing fifa on her computer while I take my time to crawl out of bed. Once I manage to get on my feet, I hop in the shower and afterwards put on my Jersey.
“Alyssa!”
She looks up, “Oh, sorry. Hang on, let me turn this off.” She turns off her computer, puts on her black leather jacket and smiles at me. I look into her green eyes, smiling at the thought of me proposing to her after seeing the museum.
I feel my heart beat in rhythm to my footsteps on the way to the stadium, pounding with excitement! This is the best feeling in the world. After watching their games for many years now, I can’t wait to see the field. As we enter Camp Nou, I become ecstatic. This is the place where the true alien Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Don, Xavi, Cruyff and so many more talented individuals smiled. I smile as I enter. We walk into the Barcelona Museum to see statues of Messi, Johan Cruyff and Xavi. I kiss both of the statues on the head and walk into the Museum with Alyssa’s hands around my arms. We check out the trophy collections and watch videos of Barcelona Memorable goals. The Iniesta Goal vs Chelsea, The Roberto goal vs Paris, Messi goals vs Madrid, Gavi’s goals and more. I watch the videos, unable to keep the teeth of mine inside my mouth.
“I’m going to make it here someday.” I say to Alyssa as she takes the first picture of me right next to the Ballon Dor, “And I’ll grab for myself a few of these,” I utter to myself.
“Yes you will babe.” she takes a hold of my hand and kisses it.
My dream has always been to be a professional footballer, most importantly for Football Club
Barcelona. I play with a club in the U.S. but it is just a developmental academy but I know I’ll soon be having a trial with Barcelona as soon as I’m done with high school.
We walk out of the museum and walk into the tunnels that lead to the pitch. I feel like a real player, jumping up, shaking the anxiety from my hands before walking up the stairs.
“He’s just really happy,” I hear Alyssa say.
“Who wouldn’t be happy,” I smile.
As I get to the field to see all the empty seats, I see a great cloud covering the sky. I hear my name chanted, “Peter!Peter!Peter!” I close my eyes, feeling the blue and red colours of the club flow through me.
“Oh Peter, I assume you know nothing yet,” I open my eyes to see who had uttered such words. Alyssa grabs my hands, “So you’ll bring me here someday when you’re a player right?” Her head rests on my shoulder, “That I shall indeed!”
“Lord, I’ll make it,” I close my eyes once again, feeling the blue and red flowing through me. I feel a sensation on the back of my head as I open my eyes but find no one staring at me.
“Are you okay?” Alyssa asks.
“Yeah, just a weird feeling.”
I take a look at the Barcelona crest on the pitch, bend over and kiss it. “Okay, let's go now Peter, the eyes are staring at us,” Alyssa bends her knees, grabs me and smiles. Her eyes sparkle as the sunlight paints her skin gold.
“Oh, wait. Let’s take pictures,” handing her my phone. She takes some pictures and hands it back to me.
“Wait, how about selfies? I want to remember the both of us together here as well.”
She gets closer to me, so I wrap my hand around her neck and take a few selfies. “Okay, let’s go now before you do something stupid,” she walks out of the field and right into the tunnel we go.
“I wish I had a ball haha,” I say laughing and following her. “No you don’t,” She laughs, “We would be here for hours and I would not have time for the exhibition.
We walk out of the stadium saying goodbye to the Nou Camp till next year. “Please go to this address.” Alyssa says as she gives a paper to the driver who we paid to wait for us.”
As he drives us, I check my phone, looking at the pictures Alyssa took of me standing next to the ballon dor. The images in my head lead to a standing ovation from the current footballers of the world, “Well Deserved Ballon Dor Win!” I envision the billboard.
“You look beautiful too babe,” I say. Her long curly hair flows as graciously in the pictures as it does right now in the car.
“I still don’t know why you’ve thought about dyeing your hair. It looks perfect,” I say, turning off my phone.
“Didn’t you just say I look beautiful babe haha,” She laughs, grabbing my phone out of my hand and putting it in the backpack she brought with.
“Well, I meant I’d like it if you didn’t dye it,” I chuckle.
“Okay, you should dye your hair also. We could be matching later on as brunettes. I’m going to send the pictures to my phone later on.”
“Alright love.”
The old man continues to look at us with a scrunched nose, as if we were grossing him out, but he also smiles - slightly.
I took a good look at the city of Barcelona. The city looks so beautiful, the people we pass on the street are all smiling, reminding me of El Dorado.
“Feels like Utopia, This will be home,” I continue to look out through my window.
“Okay you minds, We are here.” The driver says parking right into front of the Museum.
“Thank you very much Sir. have a great year.” Alyssa hands him money as she gets out of the cab.”
“You take good care of her,” He says, staring deep into my eyes, “Host is coming soon.”
“Who is coming?”
“Goodbye Peter Barcelona.”
“Okay….”
I get out of the car, running up to Alyssa as she waits for me.
“Okay be quick Peter, you had your fun, now it’s my turn,” She yells.
“Well my lady, I’m here now, let’s go have fun with you.” I take hold of her hand and walk into the Museum.
“This is pretty neat. Do you know how big this place is?” I am astonished by the layout of everything. There’s a lot of technology I’ve never seen before. The air does smell different since I’ve never been in a place like this before filled with ancient relics from all over the world. The museum colours are blue with shades of white and red all over the place. No paintings to be found but weapons of old age wars, technology used by many today but the first of firsts. We walk past the first telephone, “Wow,” I utter.
“Bigger history than your beloved Camp Nou,” She replies.
“Ouch.” I hold my chest with this response.
“Awe baby haha, I was only joking.” She says giving me a hug.
“Oh CFinax,” she exhaled.
I give her an odd look, unable to understand what she meant by her words.
“The name of the museum is CFinax, since no name was displayed outside I wanted to tell you.” She says.
“Sure you did haha, It's okay if you’re currently having a moment with the Museum” I laugh as she begins to talk about the history…
“It was built in 1887 for experiments when science and technology started reaching its peak, but today it’s just a museum to see the birthplace of science. Most of the great artifacts and advanced technologies are kept here. Muller’s artifacts, The firsts of all firsts can be found here. About the Muller’s artifacts, there’s a few things missing… ”
“I’ll be right back,” I interrupt, “ just gotta use the bathroom real quick then I promise to listen to all. Just don’t fall in love with anything here.” I turn my back and walking towards the bathroom which I find in a quick second.
I rush in, minutes later as soon as I wash my hands, a loud boom shakes the feet of mine, throwing me to the ground. I get up and run out to see people screaming and running everywhere. Smoke filled the air and I begin to cough.
“ALYSSA, ALYSSA,” I scream, unable to find her. There is a lot of blood on the floor, along with parts of the interior wall. Bile starts to rise. As I search, the bodies that I walk past brings forth a rumbling in my stomach. My eyes begins to grow weary and I fall to the ground, fainting.
Voices wake me and I find myself in the hospital, with no memories of what had led me to be in this room. A doctor comes in. He coughs, “Hello, I'm doctor Leo,” he says, walking into the room.
“Where’s Alyssa?”
“This Alyssa that you’re talking about, was she with you at the museum?”
“Yes, she was in the lobby, she’s about my height, curly blonde hair with green eyes.”
“I'm sorry. There were a lot of bodies. We can’t be sure who is missing or even who the dead are as of
yet. Not for a while at least, they are still investigating the site. This person, Alyssa, no one has brought anyone here by that description. I’m sorry.”
I stare at the doctor, still drowsy and notice something in his hands, “What’s that?” I ask the doctor. Step by Step as he gets closer, I notice the syringe in his hands, “It’s to ease your pain. It may make you drowsy, which will be good! You’ve been traumatized. You should be up after a few hours, if not more. Rest for now.” His reassuring face made me feel safe, but as far as sleeping, I didn’t know if I could, not after what I had been through and certainly not after not finding Alyssa..”
“Alyssa. . .” As my eyes flutter shut. I see two masked guys running out of the museum with something in their hands. They step on Alyssa’s body that lays still on the ground with blood dripping from her head and stomach. I call out to her, but the words don't come out. “Protect her for the Host is coming, but you did nothing of the sort Peter,” I hear, waking up to tears following down my cheeks . . . remembering.
“Pathetic,”I whisper. Getting up from my hospital bed, I stumble. I walk toward the door and peer out. I can’t stay. I can’t. I have to find Alyssa. I begin my walk out the door, stumbling through, picking up my pace, “Alyssa has to be here somewhere,” I utter, “So move,” I look at my legs and begin to pick up pace. “She’s here! She has to be in one of these rooms.”
“ALYSSA,” I open doors trying to find here, “She’s here damn. I need to find my Alyssa!”
“All we wanted was to go to the museum of her dreams, all we wanted to do was go to experience things we couldn't do when we were younger. So where is my Alyssa!!” I utter as I open door after door and begin to run.
“Young Man Running,” A doctor grabs my arm as he called for a nurse to help him bring me back to my room.
“I need to find Alyssa! She’s here and you’re keeping me from her! Is she badly injured? Is everything alright with her? TELL ME THE TRUTH!” I scream as nurses on each side of me grab my arms and take me to my room. Once we enter , the door behind me shuts, two doctors are present. One sits across from me while the other stands.
“You can’t go around screaming here, I thought you were told about what happened,” He says.
“What do you mean what happened? I have been asleep. Can you please tell me what is going on here.” I plead.
They look at each other, one of them with the name of Navas, according to the name tag says, “We are so sorry but there is nobody by that name here. It seems like the bomb obliterated those around the area. It will take a while for the body pieces to be identified.”
My tears are gushing out now and my heart feels like it’s being stepped on. “We are really sorry.”
The doctors leave me shortly after this, but I continue crying. My girlfriend is dead and there is no escape for me. As soon as they left, a nurse comes in with a sedative, the same syringe the first doctor had in his hand is in her hands.
‘Just get it over with,” I say to her, laying down picturing Alyssa's beautiful face. “She’s alive, I know that. They’re lying to me for some reason.”
Within a minute of getting the syringe in me my eyes shut and I fall asleep..
Till Next Time,
Deo Volente
gkgaius