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The sun was setting. It was dry and warm out. Levani had fled the hotel. The receptionist - the only person he had met in Russia who managed to speak Georgian, excluding his friend - informed him that they're shutting down transportation, and he needed to get back home before he was stuck there.
He wasn't sure what had happened exactly, just that there was some sort of disaster and it wasn't safe outside during the day. He carried nothing but his messenger bag; his sweaty hands clinging to the strap as if it was keeping him grounded.
He usually kept his eyes on the ground when he was nervous, but it wasn't helping him now. Every few steps, he'd have to step over a charred corpse, or walk around a hole in the soil.
What the hell could have happened?
He started humming to fill the daunting silence of the night, attempting to slow his frantic pulse. He wasn't sure where he was going, honestly. He trusted that he would find a train station or an airport if he just kept walking.
Dammit, I should've asked the receptionist for directions.
A sudden voice pulled him from this thoughts.
"Привет, молодой человек! У тебя есть зажигалка?" (Hello, young man! Do you have a lighter?)
Levani looked towards the source of the voice, his eyes meeting those of a man slightly older than him. He had three other men with him, but they seemed lost in another conversation. By their playful shoves and laughter, Levani could tell they were joking with each other.
"I... I'm sorry, I don't understand you."
The man's calm expression soured, and the other men turned their attention towards the foreigner.
"Он... грузин?" (Is he... Georgian?)
One of the other men spoke up, eyeing Levani as if he had three heads.
"Не уверен. Он выглядит как урод." (I'm not sure. He looks like a freak.)
Levani had begun to feel deeply uncomfortable. He took a step back.
"I need to be going, now. I'm sorry."
He turned away to leave, but one of the Russians grabbed his shoulder before he could go.
"В этой стране так говорить нельзя. В России мы говорим по-русски." (You can't speak like that in this country. In Russia, we speak Russian.)
Levani was pushed to the ground before he could react. His messenger bag dropped from his shoulder, the contents spilling out. He tried to get up, but he was swiftly kicked back down.
"I didn't mean any harm, please! Just let me go!"
He prayed his tone was enough to deter them, but they didn't flinch.
"Не волнуйтесь, мы вас исправим. Грузинский язык больше никогда не слетит с ваших губ." (Don't worry, we'll fix you. Georgian will never leave your lips again.)
The first man sat on his waist, keeping Levani from getting back up. He gestured towards the other three. Two held his arms down, and the last man held his head in place.
The man sitting on him pulled something out of his pocket. It was a coil of wire, sharp at one end.
"Я снял это с забора, на который перелезал... не думал, что найду ему применение." (I took this from a fence I was climbing... didn't think I'd find a use for it.)
Levani tried to thrash when the Russian brought the wire to his face, but the xenophobic men were stronger. He was frozen in place.
He cried out as the metal punctured his lower lip, his mouth filling with blood. The Russian wasn't fazed. He pushed it into the lip above, repeating the process.
Levani kept screaming until he was no longer able, his body shaking and his face wet with tears.
The men released him, standing up again. They threw a few more kicks at his body before spitting in his face and leaving him there, laughing and exchanging incomprehensible words as they departed.
Levani stared into the starry sky, tears still falling from his eyes. His legs had fallen asleep. His ribs ached. He slowly pushed himself onto his side, trying to drain the blood from his mouth. A sob escaped his mutilated lips, and he curled in on himself.
Did people have to be so cruel? Did I offend them in some way? I didn't mean any harm. God, I didn't. I swear I didn't.
He brought a hand up to his face, his fingers trembling as they traced over the cold metal.
I want to go home.