– Yes. This is true. Now this place is his.
The meeting was over. The girl went to the landing and sat in the airplane seat.
CHAPTER 4
After a while, the whole story was forgotten. In addition, remembered with fear. Those who were eyewitnesses and saw everything with their own eyes were even afraid to mention what they saw, so as not to bring trouble upon themselves. Everyone remembered it in silence, and could not believe what had happened. This story did not fit into my head, and everyone was sorry for the departed friend who so absurdly left this world of the living. Everyone was silent about it, but every breath of wind, a blizzard of snowflakes, and a change in weather conditions did not let them forget. Everyone would like to see a person dear to him or her who has passed away.
The only person who was not afraid to investigate this case was Victor’s sister. She was waiting for the summer to send the children to the camp and fully investigate. Victor’s friend occasionally wrote to her, he casually asked how she was doing. And he didn’t write a word about his late friend. He was afraid to touch a sore subject, and even more, he did not want to bring trouble on the sister of the deceased. Sometimes he asked about the weather. In addition, for fear of looking ridiculous, he stopped the correspondence. My sister treated this correspondence so coldly. She meant nothing to her; she needed this friend as a weapon, nothing more. Moreover, she kept in touch with him. She blamed herself for letting her brother go to the autonomous okrug at this time of year, knowing that he was unable to take care of himself. But she blamed his friends even more for the fact that they were directly involved in what happened. Her head, heart and thoughts were busy with revenge. The illusion settled in her head that she would be able to rescue her brother, and his friend would take his place. She believed that he left by accident, and he could be returned, swapped, as had already happened with their grandmother. This thought did not leave her, and she did not think about anything else. She constantly reread the messages he wrote to her during his stay in Norilsk. She kept them as an important document confirming his innocence, and the saddest thing was that she could not tell anyone about it. It was all so unreal, and she understood her brother when he asked her if she believed him. Now she understood his inner state, but he was no longer there, and this pain from injustice was suffocating her. She felt herself fading away, and waited for her hour, the hour of retribution.
The feeling of revenge settled in Natalia with the arrival of spring. When the heat came, and the snow began to melt. Mourning has passed, winter has passed with it, and the feeling of fear has left her. Instead, she did not notice how she became obsessed and every time before going to bed, when the children fell asleep, she imagined everything that her brother described to her. She firmly decided for herself that she would get there to the kingdom of Navi, not knowing how, but she would get there and see everything that he described to her in his letters.
One day one of my friends started a conversation on this topic. – I wonder how our friend is now.
– You are interested, you go and see. I do not want to go back there and go through all the things I have already gone through. I want to forget everything and not touch this topic anymore. These words were uttered with such aggression that Sasha even began to doubt that his interlocutor was grieving for a departed friend.
– Okay, fine. We will not touch on this topic anymore. But do not forget that it was you who became the source of this adventure. It all started with you. These words sounded like a reproach. And the so-called friend changed his face.
– What do you want to say?
– You do not want to touch this topic, so live with it. I will not say anything more. With these words, Sasha got up and left the table. Left alone, Sergei plunged into his thoughts. He himself could not understand why he was considered a cause of disagreement. What did I do? Why me? He did not like the whole story, and especially the fact that everyone blamed him. He did not consider himself guilty, did not want to be responsible for it. He considered this story a misunderstanding, and did not want to be involved in it. Sometimes the idea of selling his apartment, giving up everything and moving further away from this story settled in his head. Nevertheless, he believed that everything had calmed down and there was nothing to worry about. Subconsciously, he felt a sense of fear, rather than a sense of guilt, suddenly history would repeat itself, and with it, the horror he had experienced. What then? Who will be next? He firmly decided for himself that if he did not move out of this city, then he would never find peace.
Sasha was a closer friend and he, like the deceased’s sister, had no peace. He did not tell anyone about it, but he also wanted revenge. He did not know how, but he was ready for it. The feeling of revenge clouded his mind, and became stronger every day. Along with the feeling of revenge, which he carefully concealed, there was a feeling of love for the sister of his best dough, which he hid no less carefully than the feeling of revenge. This feeling woke up in him as soon as he saw her, at that moment he had not realized it yet. After she left home, the friend realized that he was hopelessly in love and harbored the hope that they would certainly meet again. He was afraid to admit it to her, because not much time had passed since mourning. He was also afraid of being rejected and looking ridiculous in front of a woman like her. He wanted to pick up the keys to her and become the one that every man dreams of being.
One day Sasha wrote a message asking how she was doing, and in between wrote, «What is not justice, how he regrets that his friend left this world in a timely manner, and left unjustly. He received a reply to this message very quickly.
– I think so too! You agree with me, so I have an ally.
After receiving an answer to this message, my heart began to beat furiously, and my legs gave way. First, we switched to you, it meant a lot to me. Secondly, I became her ally, so we have a common goal, and I have a chance to get closer to her. I was willing to do anything to get close to her. I was like a faithful dog, ready to do her any errand, just to prove my loyalty and devotion to her. Besides, I really wanted to avenge my friend. I could only wait for the mistress of my heart to give the first order, and I would carry it out.
Natasha, having received a signal that her gun was ready for battle, was waiting in the wings. She was waiting for the summer to send the children to the camp, and she had already thought everything out. She decided to act just like her brother. Go to the cemetery, find the very grave that was reburied. She decided that this was how she would get into the realm of the dead. Forgetting that summer is almost here, and the grave has been gone for a long time.
The day of departure was approaching. Unaware that Sasha harbors feelings for her and not just harbors, she thought that he was just as obsessed with revenge as she was, she asked where she could stay, since she was unable to pay for a hotel. Their correspondence has intensified since the day they had a common idea. Alexander, who did not dare to settle this woman at home, rented an apartment for her and gave it to his, in which he does not live. Natalia gladly accepted such an invitation, and without even thinking, she was obsessed with revenge, and completely trusted her brother’s friend.
On one of the beautiful summer days, the plane left Voronezh airport and landed in Novorossiysk. Alexander had been waiting for this day all this time, and could not believe that this day had come. Their friend, on the contrary, could not understand this arrival, and was not happy. He felt the danger, he was shaking with fear from the inside, and he wanted to run further as fast as possible. He had already found a buyer for his apartment, quit his job and was waiting in the wings. Everyone was waiting in the wings, but not everyone had the same desires.
– Why will she come?
– To her brother’s grave.
– «These graves are nothing but trouble. Her brother’s fate is not enough for her. Is she not afraid to fly here?
– Why are you so worried?
– I am not worried. I am afraid. You know, I am scared. Understand me. Alexander saw