Otto’s mind takes him back to finding his mother at the Serbsky Institute
Inmates
had jittered and made signs at him as he made his way through the
corridors. “Please help me,” he heard from some and, “They have me here
because of my political beliefs,” from others. They’d reached out to him
as he passed, and his insides had quaked. With the stench of piss and
shit everywhere, revulsion filled him. But he’d felt no compassion for
these people. He hadn’t given a fuck about them. Only his mother
mattered.
“This way,” the nurse had said. “She’s through here.”
He
found her in a large open room. She sat on the only piece of furniture
in it. The chair was pushed back against the wall and she rocked
slightly, staring blankly into nothingness. Spittle leaked from her
mouth and she was barely recognizable as the woman he loved. Her long,
luxurious, oily-black hair had been shaven to the skin. Her teeth had
somehow been removed and her formerly full face had caved in because of
it. Like a corpse, she was yellowed and sunken. Only 47 years old and
she looked twice that. He’d wished he hadn’t found her and cried
bitterly – in front of those sadistic bastards that called themselves
nurses.
More
like prison guards. And in reality, that’s what they were. Soviet
dissidents ended up in places like Serbsky, out of harm’s way. In mental
hospitals where they could be abused and broken. Somewhere to
extinguish credibility. He’d seen those inmates beaten, teeth punched or
kicked from their faces. And if they still didn’t bow to the might of
the people, enforced lobotomy wasn’t unheard of as a final step.
With desperation, he’d hoped his mother hadn’t suffered such cruelty.
*
And
now, somehow, she’d made it through to 60. Why, oh why had she lasted
this long? All those years, and still she rocked on that old wooden
chair and stared at nothing. How could life be this cruel?
He
remembered the first time he’d visited the asylum in full Spetsnaz
uniform. After calling several of the nurses together, he said, “I know
you all have military connections. On that basis, I won’t explain this
uniform. Each of you has some sort of responsibility to my mother. The
good news is you’re about to receive an extra income. The bad news: if
you don’t look after my mother properly and see she gets the kind of
care and nourishment she needs, I may have to call on my KGB colleagues.
I hope we all understand what that could mean.”
Memories dissolved as he entered the large open room. On his instructions, her hair had been left to grow. But now it was too long and no one had shown it a comb. Still she rocked, gazing into nothingness with the expression of a lunatic on her face.
The
burly warder turned to leave but Otto grabbed his arm. “We have an
agreement. Next time I come here, I expect my mother to be presentable.
Look at her, her hair hasn’t had attention for who knows how long. She
needs a bath and a change of clothes. She looks like she’s just puked
down them.”
“I err…,” the nurse spluttered with a voice too high for his size.
“Fuck
you and your errs. Why do I pay you people so much? I’ll say this once.
If I’m not satisfied with the way she looks next time I come, I’ll
personally see to it that you have teeth to match hers. And each time
after that, I’ll take you a step further down that road. Clear enough?”
“Yes, Captain. I’ll see to it myself.”
The
nurse left and Otto looked at his mother. His heart brimmed. The only
woman he’d ever loved – could ever love. He got down on his honkers, and
took her hand. No sign of recognition, but at least she didn’t pull
away.
“Hello, Mother, how are you today?”
Set
against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin
follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to
avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking,
prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier
is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be
trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.
Buy Now @ Amazon, B&N, Kobo & Waterstones
Genre - Thriller, Crime, Suspense
Rating – R
More details about the author
Website http://rik-stone.simdif.com
