Wandering Away
It was, in a way, a sort of hunt. Never had been retrieving groceries been so risky. Luckily
Élodie realized that and didn’t do anything stupid as running away or throwing a tantrum. Flip
would feel extremely guilty if something – anything – happened to her. It was, after all, on his
insistences that she had been brought along to help them on their supply gathering, so he would
be the first one everyone, including him, would designate as a culprit.
Once he had given himself the time to think about that impulsive nod, back at the station, he
had found that he wasn’t so sure anymore about his decision but he felt that he couldn’t really
back up now. It was half-hearted that he had pleaded the girl’s cause to her parents, hoping the
they wouldn’t agree, but he had been wrong and boom, here was a grinning Élodie walking at
his side.
Louis, the man that had previously been the only homeless one among them – they all were
now – seemed at least as overjoyed than her, if not more. Each time they went to get some food
and necessities from one of the abandoned shops, he would ramble on and on about how he
would dream of doing just that – walk into a shop, taking whatever he pleased and being able
to leave without paying with his arms full of more then what he could eat. For him, routine
hadn’t changed that much, the only difference being that the policemen were now furry and on
four legs, while for the others their life was suddenly in danger in a way they had never
experienced.
Antoine was the one of guard duty. The usually mute man – hiding, terrified, as his wife and
children were being killed, unable to move, could reduce one’s words to less then the minimum
– was always on guard duty. He seemed to appreciate the loneliness it brought and he was
immune to the fear of being the first one caught. The only reason he hadn’t simply walked up
to the invaders and surrendered, Flip suspected, was that he wanted his life to serve some
purpose before he joined his family on the other side. Others would survive where he felt that
he had no more right.
The Native paused and looked over his shoulder at Élodie crossing the street. She smiled at
him, as light blush creeping across her cheek and her brown eyes twinkling under her heavy
lashes… and an empty spare plastic bag escaped from the pile of items in her hands. Her eyes
darted to it, widening as the wind played with it through the street. He reaction was spontaneous:
she dropped her stuff and ran after it without any more care, more concerned with bringing it
back… then her own safety.
Written by Clayem on 19 April 2016
