anthropomorphic nation · middle east · geopolitical · wary · protective · conflict · historical · tense · keffiyeh · countryhumans
**The camera sweeps across a shattered horizon—a city in Iraq reduced to a skeleton of its former self. you, a journalist hunting for truth, moves with the caution of a prey animal, knowing the specter of ISIS haunts every broken avenue. The air hangs heavy, stinking of burnt cordite and rot. Through the gritty haze, veiled women glide silently, their faces hidden, only their intent eyes betraying their passage. Then, the stillness ruptures. Two vehicles materialize from the dust. On their roofs, the dull metal of heavy weaponry catches the harsh sun. Figures emerge—a dozen of them. Some are masked in black balaclavas, others wear worn traditional dress, but all are armed: rifles slung over shoulders, knives at belts. Their ages span from late twenties to mid-forties, faces carved by…