Run [Stereo Kicks/ James Graham]

Chapter 3

(Amelia's POV)
Days whizzed by as Leo and I prepared for when the very bitter cold would hit, gathering as much insulation and food as we could.
Two days before Christmas, I woke up noticing the chill around me. "Leo! Leo, wake up!" I shook him harshly. In seconds, he was awake, soon shivering.
"Okay, grab the blankets." Leo instructed me, and we started to move, converting my hideout into something smaller and warmer. The physical exercise also helped keep us warm. We ate a larger meal than normal, before tucking ourselves into the cramped space, and I curled up to him, knowing we had to preserve as much heat as possible.
Leo knew how harsh the winters could be, as he used to have a companion, but he died from hypothermia or pneumonia (Leo didn't know) four years ago. It was this that drove him to teach me about how to strictly stay warm during the bitterness, and how to prepare for it.
"Ration the food. Estimated sixteen days." Leo told me quietly, as we slipped away. Every year, he told me to try to hibernate, only to wake for food and drink. Although it was difficult, I had grown slightly more accustomed to the constant sluggishness and lack of movement that the fake-hibernation brought.
"Sleep, Amelia. You know the drill."
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Two days later
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When I finally woke up, I was ravenous, and I shifted about, thus waking Leo. He stirred, grey eyes meeting my own, green ones, ringed with black. If there was one thing I liked about myself, it was my eyes. The black ring bought out the green colour, and I loved them.
"Right, food." Despite being awake, having slept so deeply had tiring effects, so I sluggishly reached over to our food, pulling out a small packet of pasta, and a dish. Once I'd poured water into the bowl, I propped it up on some bricks, leaving a small space for a lighter.
"Careful." Leo said thickly, holding my shaking hand still so I could position the lighter in between the bricks where it wouldn't make my hideout catch fire.
Throwing the pasta into the bowl once the water was boiling, I waited for it to cook as Leo sliced up two apples with a pocket knife. Although a strange combination, it was to get us going so we could find supplies. It was Christmas, the perfect time to strike.
"Let's go." Leo said once we'd eaten, our energy back. Gathering our backpacks, I slung it over my back. The laptop and wires had bought me three hundred pounds, which I'd given half of to Leo. It was more than I'd had in a long time to tide me over until at least April.
Although we had a new found fortune, in which we were working on buying supplies to last us in the long run, we couldn't burn the money out, incase of an emergency, such as my hideout got attacked.
"This should do." Leo motioned to an IKEA. Huge metal shutters were over the doors, and he walked over to the security camera box, breaking it open forcefully with a thick metal screw as I kept watch. He tore through the wires, effectively disabling the system. "Get in there."
The ventilation system proved useful for my small size. Although I was tall, about 5'9", I had a thin frame from lack of food. This allowed me to wriggle through the cramped spaces until I was in the IKEA store, and open a window from the inside.
Leo climbed in, and pointed to the trolleys. "I think we've hit a jackpot." He snickered. "Keep an eye out for security, though."
"You know it." Pushing a trolley down the silent halls, I piled it with cushions, blankets, bowls, plates, cutlery and some valuable items to sell later on.
"Here." Leo lifted a bedside chest of drawers into the trolley. "Keep everything safe." Adding three padlocks and sets of keys, we continued.
At the end of the large circle around, we could hear a voice, and froze up in horror. I ducked behind a large set of hung up rugs as Leo crept forwards, just about leaning around the corner. He came back over to me, speaking in a quiet whisper.
"There's just one man, but he's got a dog. German Shepherd, by the looks of it." Leo breathed. "I could handle the dog or guy, but you've got that trolley full of stuff."
"We're better off putting it in bags and carrying it back. The chest of drawers is flat pack anyway." I mumbled, starting to load things into our backpacks, and four other bags we had picked up, compressing items to make them as small as possible.
Once we'd loaded almost the entire trolley into the six bags, Leo picked up the flat pack furniture, and some other things. "I'll get out of here, and dump this back at your place. You want to stay and wait for me to come back, or carry this back too?"
"I'll stay and wait, but get out if they find me." I sighed, putting two bags on my back, and helping Leo into three of the bags. "See you soon." Leo left, and I waited anxiously. Time ticked by slowly.
The dog suddenly barked, and I froze up, preparing to run incase he'd smelt me. "What is it, boy?" Another bark. "Show me, boy."
"Amelia, let's go!" Leo hissed, grabbing the rest of the bags. I didn't hesitate, running after him.
"Hey! Get back here!"
"The dog!" I cried out, horrified.
"Get out of here!" Leo threw me the rest of the bags, pulling out his pocket knife. "If I'm not back within the hour, panic."
"I'll bail you." With my promise, I ran as fast as I could, as the furiously barking dog started scampering after us, and I heard Leo run to meet him head on before I turned the corner and ran.
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As I sat waiting for Leo in my hideout, I could feel the anxiety growing with every passing minute. With everything organised, I had nothing left to do but wait.
"Amelia..." A faint voice called out, and I span around.
"Leo!" Hurriedly, I laid him down on the blankets, tearing his shirt away from the bloody wound showing on his arm. "Were you bitten?"
"Yeah. Got me just as I slashed it, and I ran." Leo shrugged slightly. "Been bleeding since."
"Okay." Biting my lip, I tied a scrap of material just below his elbow to stop the blood flow somewhat, before getting a tiny bottle of water and all the salt we had in our makeshift medical supplies.
The salt water made him hiss as I poured it over his wound, also cleaning the blood way so I could see better. Fortunately, the bite hadn't seemed to have affected any of the veins on his arm, so I added some antiseptic spray, making him growl out in pain.
Once it was bandaged up, there was nothing left I could do, so I set about getting him a drink of water and food. "Don't go overboard, that's gotta last us." He mumbled.
"The faster you get better, the faster you can work on getting more food." I bargained, watching as Leo reluctantly ate the food, and swigged down the water, giving me the rest of the bottle. "You stay here. I'm going to try and find some stuff for your arm, and food along the way."
"I'll sort this place out, then. How long?"
"Two hours." And I headed off down to the shopping area of London.
With the money I'd gotten from selling the laptop, I bought some cream, antiseptic wipes and a new bandage for Leo, despite it costing nearly £7, which was a lot of money to me.
Clutching my purchases carefully in the tiny bag, I went over to the food bank, going in and selecting a few cans, that would hopefully carry us to the New Year, when Leo would leave.
"Thank you." I murmured to the cashier as I paid for the items, knowing my deteriorated appearance would make people judge me, hurrying out of the shop.
Although we didn't have good clothing, I had a decent jacket that I always wore, and we had recently gotten the blankets.
"What? You spent all that on me?" Cursing me quietly, Leo watched as I put what I'd bought away in my small shelter, letting me curl into him for warmth. The temperature was dropping by the day, and I knew I was in danger.
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Over the next few days, we didn't stray from my hideout, eating the food we'd saved up, and huddling for warmth as snow hit, the temperatures dropping below freezing.
Leo's injury was almost healed, and he was due to leave the next day, so he could make it to the festival. "I'll see you back at the end of the month." He shrugged. "If you have to leave, you know the drill."
"Two red flags. Green if I'm coming back." I nodded. "Here's to hoping you come back, too."
"I always will, baby girl." A smile lit up his face. "I'll always come back for my little sister."
"Love you, Leo."
"Love you, too, Amelia. Sleep." Our goodnights said, I settled down against him, blankets pulled tightly around us, knowing he would be gone in the morning.