Staunch Fate

Chapter 1

It was a comfort to her to see them all swaying, passing by each other in the streets. Nameless souls in a sea full of writhing bodies. Little Anna often found herself drawn to the loudest of places. It made it easier to evade them. The monsters. They had smiles plastered on their faces, and soothing voices to fool the adults who more often than not looked at her with pity, some even with contempt. It was becoming harder lately to escape even for a few hours. Shops closed earlier and people preferred to stay at home. Only a few loitered around. There were talks about troops, provisions, and battles. She didn't like hearing any of it.

Taking a deep breath, Anna starts walking down the familiar street to where it was busiest. Spotting a woman with a few children surrounding her, hastily picking up her meagre grocery. She approaches them, seeming aloof. She tried not to look around, she had given away her position before by darting her eyes in all directions. She calms down. That was a hard-earned trick. The woman moves, ushering her children to hurry. Anna has no choice but to follow, far enough from them yet close. The woman might grow suspicious of her, even the kids might find it weird a girl was loitering around them. The others may not think much of a child staying in the streets these days, trying to stay out of their house a minute longer. People commute from work to their homes with only a few necessary stops in between and the children are shepherded in earlier and earlier with each passing day.

The mother turns left and Anna exhales in relief. She follows as her heart starts to beat frantically. Left means freedom. Left means she'd be on the blind side of that building. It'll be easier to get lost. Her chest aches as her feet move faster. 'No running' she chastises herself 'don't draw attention. She rushes down the street as properly as she can, further down the road. She lost the woman and her children by now. Her little heart feels like it's going to beat out of her chest if she lets it. Smiling like a fool and she must be one she thinks because a moment later, a voice is shouting frantically her name.

It's the new nun. Green enough to be blind to the things happening around her. She cares for them. Anna curses at her under her breath. For a blink of a second Anna thinks of turning back. She is a good, kind woman if ignorant and she worries for them. Nothing will get in her way now. Anna won't stop, cannot stop. She must worry for herself first because no one else will.  She's all alone and the thought chokes her up. Tears blur her vision, she berates herself. The voice full of concern has grown closer or rather Anna must have slowed down. She knows this place better than a fresh nun from up north. She knows these streets and the routes leading her to them. She has limited time to reach them after all.

So Anna ducks inside the butcher shop. She dries her eyes sloppily and sniffs for good measure. The butcher's away like most men. The teen boy his wife employs is usually found in the back alley with her this late in the evening. Anna finds the butcher's wife pressed up the wall and the young man rutting away at her. Her cheeks feel hot as she rushes by them. She must have been spotted for the woman screeches at her and a gruff voice warns her to get lost. She hears no footsteps following behind to her relief.

As she gets closer to the bridge she starts running. She's out of time she knows. There is gravel and mud she kicks up under her feet. Tears are rushing down her face. A barking dog startles her and makes her fall on her knees, scruffing them and tearing her palms as she braces herself. Sniffling, she's always sniffling. Hands grasp her, hoisting her up, on her feet. She freezes till she recognizes her new friend. Jacob's a few years older than her with a head full of brown curls. He peers around them grasping at her arm.

"Let's go" he grunts. He clutches at her teared-up palm and they start running.

They waited, she thinks, they stayed for me. She hastily brings her other hand down her face, wiping her teary eyes.