Last Man Standing

Chapter 5: Undercover Hedgehog

I stood in the doorway of Evander's home, leaning against the frame as I took in the morning sunshine and cool breeze. Birds flew overhead as a couple of young children ran by with a ball, giggling as one kicked it against a tree to shake the leaves loose. A woman in her thirties came screaming down the road to capture their attention, ringing the breakfast bell so they would scurry back into the house. Old Lady Augustina sat in a tilted wooden chair in front of her house, humming her favourite Romallian tune from her childhood. I couldn't help but hum along.

If it weren't for the men carrying rubble, no one would have guessed that we were invaded only days before. I knew that things on the south side must have looked disastrous based on the pieces that the men were taking to the scrap pile that formed in the valley, which no longer glowed in shades of green.

Silvia joined me at the door with her apron repacked after my checkup. "Are you sure you want to go by yourself, Candra? I would be more than happy to walk you about."

I smiled at her. "You've already done enough for me, and you can't leave your other patients waiting."

"I just don't want you to wear yourself out and faint without anyone there to help you."

"I'm fine, Silvia. You said so yourself! Do you doubt your own diagnoses?" I asked playfully.

"You're right. I just worry."

I thanked Silvia again for nursing me before sending her off down the street to another house.

I shoved the spare leaf from the previous night and the sapphire ring into the pocket of my pants, which were actually a pair of Evander's that I borrowed without permission. I also grabbed one of his white shirts and threw it over my bandaged chest, then used a random string I found in his waste basket to tie my hair up. I would have worn my Bonding Ceremony dress if I had the choice, but Silvia had thrown the tattered thing away days prior. I tried not to overthink my choice of attire, but Silvia couldn't help but joke about Evander's clothes resting on my body. I hadn't seen him that morning, but when I did I was sure that he would have a few choice words to say about my appearance as well.

But there was nothing else I could do until I visited the wreckage that I once called home. I didn't want to relive the horror of Gram's passing and my near death experience, but I had to pack some things and get some closure if I was going to move on.

I dragged my feet in the dirt road as I made my way towards the south side of the village. The change in atmosphere was instantaneous and graphic. It began the moment you hit the village square where the courthouse and Bonding Ceremony stage were. Stone housing frames were partially in rubble, and the wood and straw roofs were completely caved in and still smoking in a pile. Villagers were clearing the roof pieces from the houses while others attempted to rebuild some of the salvageable stone structures.

Walking down the road towards me was Marcela, carrying two wooden buckets, a cloth and a small shovel. She had changed out of her Bonding Ceremony attire and her hair was no longer stylized. Instead, she wore a modest white blouse and knee-length skirt with sandals. She had a few cuts along her arms and legs, but nothing too excruciating. She had the wounds of someone who played the defensive during the invasion; someone who took cover for their own safety. I wasn't going to judge her because I was positive that I was the only girl who was stupid enough to fight. She was one of the few younger villagers who avoided capture, so I was really glad to see that she was okay.

She was contributing to the cleanup just like everyone else. Now that all the bodies were removed, Marcela made her way down the street to clean up all the splattered blood. She stopped by the side of a ruined home and began to shovel the bloody dirt and sand from the road into one of the buckets, then displaced some of the dirt and sand around the bare spot to refill and flatten the area. She then submerged the cloth into the second bucket that was full of water and began to wash the blood splattered stones of the house. Once there was no trace of death, she picked up her cleaning supplies and made her way to the next bloodied spot.