The Hero                Coursework piece

The Hero

By Mamoon Ahmad

Another hard day at the university had passed and it was time for Zohaib to go home and relax.  As he entered his less than average apartment his roommate said, “Yo Zubby, check this out!”  He rushed in quickly and the news he saw on the TV that day was to change his life forever.  “We have just received this breaking news; a terror attack in central London has left at least one hundred and thirty dead and two hunted injured.  Information on the attack is still emerging,” said the news reporter on the television.  The scenes on the TV were horrifying; parents were searching for their children and friends were also searching amongst the rubble of the blast, not knowing if their loved ones were still alive.  Apart from the attack itself, what horrified him most was how somebody could go and do such a callous thing in the name of their religion.  Didn’t they think of the consequences?  However, as he was to soon discover, there was much more to this attack than met the eye.

The next day passed as though nobody had the ability to talk.  The University was temporarily closed and so were all forms of public transportation due to the fear of another attack.  It was a Friday, so being a Muslim, Zohaib set out of his house at lunchtime to perform the Friday prayers at the Mosque.  On the way there, he felt a deep sense of anger within himself.  He thought to himself again and again, “How could somebody do such a thing?”  What he did not know was that the answers to his questions were going to be revealed in a much more shocking way than he could ever have imagined.  He completed the prayer and returned on his journey home.  The streets were near to being empty and any people he did see along the way looked as though they had seen a ghost.  He passed through the town centre on his way back.  Only 24 hours ago it had been so vibrant and full of life, and now it was as though it had been suddenly abandoned.  Shops displayed the ‘Closed’ sign in their windows and even the pigeons seemed to be in a rather sad mood.  Zohaib saw a police car speed past him in the heavy rain.  He decided to go home and ring his parents in Pakistan.  Maybe hearing their voice for the first time in a few weeks could cheer his mood.

As he arrived home he saw the same police car parked outside his apartment.  This didn’t look good so instead of going inside he decided to lurk around and see if he could figure out what this was about.  Slowly, he sneaked up the stairs to his room.  “Good afternoon, Detective Jack Boston.  We have reason to believe that Zohaib Akram played a role in yesterdays terror attack.  We’re here to take him away for questioning,” said the police officer.  “That’s crazy! And besides, he’s not at home right now,” replied Zohaib’s loyal roommate Younus.  “Well we’re going to have to search the premises anyway.”  Zohaib was shocked by this revelation.  He was a suspect of the attack that had so badly affected him.  “Which room is his?” asked the police officer as his assistant searched the sitting area.  Zohaib felt a sense of fear build up inside him.  He still couldn’t believe that in one day he could turn from a friendly university student to a wanted terror suspect.  After a few minutes of immeasurable worry, Zohaib heard the policemen say that they had found plans of the attacked area in his room.  He heard them quickly call armed re-enforcements and didn’t know what to do.  “He wouldn’t take part in such a thing if his life depended on it,” said Younus.  This show of loyalty showed to Zohaib, who was practically in a state of shock that he wasn’t alone, but before he knew it, more trouble was coming his way.

Zohaib was on the staircase and saw armed police stealthily coming up.  PC Jack Boston was in his apartment and the only way to go, was up.  He covered another two floors and climbed out of a window on the side.  In the panic he slipped and landed on the balcony of another apartment.  This was painful and he sprained his ankle, but he knew he had to keep going.  On his fall he had made quite a noise and this caused Jack and his colleague to look out of the window.  When they looked up, Jack saw a terrified Zohaib, and Zohaib saw a surprised Jack.  By this time the re-enforcements had reached the apartment and he screamed, “Freeze or we’ll open fire!”  The reasonable thing to do would be to stop, and Zohaib would have chosen this option, but the shock and worry caused him to keep on going.  He jumped from balcony to balcony with his sprained ankle as shots were fired at him.  It seemed as though there was no way out and just as he was about to lose hope, he saw an Islamic Relief truck full of clothes for the needy driving past.  The moment was one which seemed to last an eternity.  He had a lifetime of decisions to make in a matter of split seconds.  He thought, “Should I keep on goin’ and risk bein’ shot or should I jump and risk breaking my legs?”  There was no time to weigh the advantages and disadvantages so Zohaib took his chances.  He bravely stood on the rail of a second floor balcony, swung his arms back, and as he swung them forward he made the jump of his life.

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“ZOHAIB!” screamed Younus at the top of his voice.

“I want that damn truck followed, NOW,” shouted Detective Boston.  Zohaib had had hardly a minutes rest when he heard the sirens of two more police cars around the corner.  He was now faced with another critical decision to make within a matter of seconds.  Should he stay on the truck until it’s pulled over by the police or jump, and for the second time in the second minute since he was on the run, risk his life?  The truck was starting to decelerate and at the first opportunity, without ...

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