Knife Edge

The sulfuric air burns the lungs of people walking tirelessly in the land of war and corruption. A bearded man with an unkempt appearance stretched his hand to drag his weary body while beside him, a frail-looking woman with arms comparable to twigs of a tree was bearing a child. She walked with a careful step as she held her tummy when she saw her husband fall. The wife attempts to help her husband, but the bearded man tries his best as he grits his teeth and stands again. He rises up while his knees are shaking from lack of balance.

"Don't mind me, my wife."

This bearded man was still young, if not for his growing beard. His eyes looked at his wife with tenderness, but he shook his head. His wife's beautiful smile brings unexplainable energy to him. She nodded obediently and started walking again, her husband in her hands; they helped each other step by step.

"Anthony, it's hard to breathe."

The wife said her complexion was becoming paler as cold sweat started to form on her forehead. The husband looks at his wife with worried eyes and stops for a moment. He holds her and sits down to rest.

"Anthony, we can't stop. That person might get still on our tail."

An old woman in her white coat walked back from the crowd and spoke to the couple; however, she saw Anthony's wife's complexion getting paler and deemed the situation an emergency. She frantically rushed to prepare her equipment.

"Let them come then. I'll fight them to death."

Anthony's eyes flickered with a dangerous light; he was raging from inside. His hatred was visible in his eyes as he spoke. Laura, his wife, was lying on the ground and replied weakly.

"Anthony, don't. How about our child?"

The doctor returned and checked Laura's condition, but her expression turned grave.

"Anthony, this is bad! Laura can't hold on much longer. We must get the baby out right now, or both of them will die!"

Anthony had a panicked, stricken face. The doctor immediately told him what he needed. Before he realized it, his body was already moving on its own. A few minutes passed, and all tools and items requested by the doctor were already acquired by Anthony with the help of other refugees.

"Doctor, how was she?"

The old woman in white robes didn't move nor bother to reply to Anthony, and from her expression, he could tell she was in deep concentration, so Anthony chose to calm down and patiently wait. Luckily, he didn't wait too long, as his ear perked up when he heard a crying sound coming from the thing the doctor held; it had little hands and feet, and the thing wouldn't stop crying. Anthony was ecstatic from seeing his and Laura's son but immediately shocked when his eyes moved to his wife. Anthony saw his wife's vitality slowly fading from her loving eyes, and he couldn't help but moan and wail in agony from helplessness. An arm as frail as a twig was stretched, and thin fingers touched Anthony's unkempt face. He could feel the undying love and care in her rough hand.

"P-protect him."

Laura said in a shaking tone as her eyes began to moisten and her hand on Anthony's face eventually weakened and fell to the ground. A tear also falls from Laura's face.