THE Most Vivid "Dream" Ever (Pt. 3)

 , , , but about as soon as I got up to the main floor, there was already a rush of sounds, kerfuffle, shouts going on downstairs where these strange foreign soldier types were quickly, aggressively pressing into the building (as they were also outside on the streets, rounding people up, shock-and-awe style; I dashed to where I felt there was a top attic level, still hoping to hide . . . and got about half-way, before it was too late, the insurgent uniformed characters had surrounded and infiltrated the whole establishment.  And indeed, as I had first noted, focusing as I could in the diminishing daylight, they were "Asian"-looking, all of them, definitely a single, disciplined military unit or gang.  I wasn't totally certain just who they were yet, but it soon became apparent, they were Chinese by their manner and lapels (although it looked like there were possibly also some North Korean conscripts included in the ranks).

In short measure, they had total control of the scene, barking orders, armed, in charge of the lackadaisical wayfarers who had been lolling about.  There was no doubt now what was underway.  I did note that they were not immediately physical brutal--ie., they were weren't flat-out shooting or beating people, BUT it was clear who was quickly and severely taking charge of the scene.

[sidenote . . . I have seen the recently viral video(s) of the communist Chinese brutalizing African workers . . . and it had the same flavor as what this dream portended.  As in, they mean business!  They expect compliance with orders.  And everyone hanging around soon realized that a new sheriff was in town, and there was to be no messing about!]

They stopped me before I could try to escape from or hide in the old dusty attic.  We were all swiftly brought together back to the main room, ordered to sit in a circle; ordered by tight, mean, disciplined "military-aged" men (18-35 years old) and a leader started shouting commands, as we sat there subservient to the situation.  

They were in a hurry.  The apparent leader of them started shouting at us to submit.  Then he started looking around the circle of us, sitting there . . . and said, "Three of you are going with us.  Who will it be?!"  

There was hemming and hawing among us now sudden captives, nobody wanting to volunteer . . . so the Captain looked around carefully and quickly at each person in the captive group--he picked out two and then, while he was casting about, Stuttering John, sweaty, worried for his own hide above all, pointed to me and said "Him!  He has money!"  

Which wasn't true.  BUT the Chinese Captain/leader focused on me and pointed in my face, sneering, and said, "Send a message--a text to your family right now and ask them for $2500, wired! Immediately!"

I looked at Stuttering John, thinking, "what an asshole, siding with these foreign military dudes, tossing a fellow to their gulags and torments, just to save his own skin!"

Another (decent) fellow sitting in the forced, submissive circle blurted at John, saying "wow! you are throwing one of us under the bus! you are a piece of sh*t!"

And so, as SJ was pointing at me, saying, "pick him, pick him! He's got money"--which was laughable and a mere cowardly deflection the Captain/Lt. took the cue and focused on and pointed at me and said curtly: "Pay up! Or else!"

I didn't have the means to "pay up" immediately, and realized this was also just an arbitrary intimidation trick and quick became resigned that I would be (as I ended up being) among the three chosen to be taken to wherever this particular batch of the insurgent foreign military operators were tasked to take us.  

And so they did.

What struck me from the onset of the sudden assault was how concise and disciplined, brutal and cold, yet business-like--how they operated.  There weren't beatings, or executions.  But there was a clear authoritative sense that IF one were to resist in any way, indeed, there would be swift and violent repercussions.  These cats weren't playing around.  

SO, everyone complied as instructed/directed.  

They pretty much left the others there--the lolling, loitering wayfarers--to wallow and be grateful for not being pointed out to be taken away, and were satisfied with snagging three of us who they deemed meritable to take.

Then we were next being transported away in THEIR vehicles.  (My little motor-bike thingy was left behind.  Now I was amongst others who had also been quickly gathered-up, in an efficient caravan of transport military vehicles, moving fast, intently toward a certain southward destination.)