The ear-piercing sound of a bullet ricocheted around the park, jutting me awake, my gaze darting around as I stood up, my actions mimicking the other six people scattered around the small area. Distant screams made my head snap to the left as my legs began moving subconsciously, running in the direction of the gun shot against instincts, but the adrenaline surging through my body and the curiosity drumming at my mind kept me going on. Shoving past the crowd of at least a dozen people, half of them throwing harsh words in my direction and half grabbing my arms to stop me and pull me away but I kept going and eventually stumbled out into the open. A man stood in the opening too, his gun pointing downwards, his face taking on a sinister expression and his inhumane, callous eyes averted to looking down the wall as if nothing had happened. A small whimper came from a young lady standing beside a lean male, a single tear running down his face, both of their gazes on the small, angelic boy lying on the ground, his limbs twisted in unusual ways, a dark sombre red silhouette spreading out underneath his lifeless body. His stunning crystal blue eyes were vacant and glazed over like icy coloured marbles. They a looked up towards the sky blankly, almost as if watching his soul escape his body but they had no escape. They were doomed to stare pointlessly forward for all eternity. His facial features were all equal and flawless with the slight roundness of a child's face made him look just like a tiny angel shot down from the sky. His blonde hair fell over his face and onto the floor, the tips of the back staining red.

Notwithstanding the disturbing and horrific nature of the scene before me, my eyes would not leave the small child as if he'd disappear and be alone in his ascension to Heaven if I turned away. I didn't know him but somehow I knew his deathly pale face would never leave my mind. It had been scratched into the memory files of my mind, every single one of them and I couldn't bear to glimpse at the parents, petrified of the pain that would be on their faces, poisoning the tears that fell and spreading around the crowd like the blood around their son's body.

My eyes finally left the boy's body, knowing that he would not be alone and never would be alone because his parents were never going to leave his side. I decided to move my eyes over to the guard standing by the wall, looking completely indifferent to the scenes before him, in fact if anything, he seemed exasperated by the fact that a crowd had gathered for no apparent reason. He was wearing the same uniform that Friedrich had been wearing but that was where the comparisons ended. Friedrich had a compact body shape but this guard towered over everyone and his body structure consisted of layers of muscles which threatened passers-by to keep their distance. However the adrenaline built up pushed past the fear and pushed me into an angry rage which led me striding forwards right up to his side, once again hands grabbing my arms to stop me but I pulled them free once more. Once close enough, I pushed my hands against the guard's chest in an attempt to shove him backwards and a gasp echoed from the crowd, their hands instinctively going to their mouths to keep themselves silent. The guard stood his ground, not moving an inch except for his cold, merciless gaze shooting to meet my eyes, sending a shiver down my spine because an impression of an ability to do great harm seeped from his pupils and the evidence lay on the floor behind me...

Taking a deep breath and saying a silent pray, Itried to ignore all the instincts telling me to run away or scream and openedmy mouth, hoping for a loud voice. "Why the hell did you shoot him?! He was achild and you shot him? Don't you even have a conscience?" The crowd that hadseemed to get bigger instead of scatter sucked in their breaths once again asthey awaited his reaction as if watching a television show and not an eventhappening in front of their eyes.

"I have been given orders, child. I will obey those orders to shoot anybody who tries to cross the border, whether an old man or a child, like you." His voice was as low as he was tall and I could tell that his emphasis of the word "child" was an attempt to patronise me and to be fair, it seemed to be working, but I had got this far and there was no way out of it now.

"So what if a tiny boy crosses the border? Sowhat if anyone does?! What is the whole point of the bloody border anyway?!" Iscreamed again, my voice beginning to waver and I hoped that it would lastuntil this confrontation had ended. How it would end I didn't know, but I had afeeling that it wasn't going to end well for me. Another gasp went aroundbefore whispers started behind my back, all of them thinking that I couldn'thear despite the fact that I was only a few feet away from them. Throughoutthis, I kept my gaze on the guard in front, not daring to look away in case ofsome surprise attack. Though what I would do if that were to happen, or anyattack in that matter, I had no clue. Studying his face to see if I could workout what he was thinking, I spotted a hint of an amused look in his eyes and asmall smug smile leaked onto his lips before all was gone in an instant and thecold face was back, telling no secrets.

"I'll give you the doubt of ignorance, child. But in future don't speak to anyone like that. Now go, before I shoot you." He shook his head as if to disregard this conversation and wipe it from his mind but to my surprise, a laugh came from my throat and the adrenaline rush began pumping through my veins once more.

"I'm not moving. So what you gonna do?" I snapped back to him. He snarled as he tensed, his fingers flexing around the gun lying in his palms, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his hand around it.

"Fine then." Pulling up his gun, he pointed the barrel of it up towards my forehead, pressing it threateningly hard against my skin, the smirk lining my lips fading as I watched his face contort into a loathsome grimace.