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| VI. The Chase |
—
Marion hated a lot of things– in the moment, running was at the top of her list. The only reason her feet carried her so quickly was the adrenaline caused by the mob of angry villagers hounding them from behind. She let out a series of hacking coughs as they rounded a corner, her lungs contracting and throat drying.
"Amicia, we have to hide!" Marion stressed, as she caught sight of two men stalking towards them with spiked weapons.
These people were ruthless, hellbent on killing a boy. Marion wouldn't be able to run for much longer– her lungs would give out, then her legs. Amicia led them to a dead-end alleyway, violently shoving open the door to one of the houses there.
"Get inside, quickly!" She ordered, as Marion and Hugo rushed inside.
Marion crouched, and Hugo followed suit. She took a moment to calm her breathing, before pulling the little boy closer to her and gently squeezing his shoulder. She wanted to tell him everything would be okay, but she kept her mouth shut. Amicia took Marion's free hand, and guided her away from the door.
A man entered the top floor, a knife in his hand. Marion tensed, and squeezed Amicia's hand– if they weren't quiet, he'd see them. The dark-haired girl turned towards Hugo, and let go of Amicia's hand to make him look at her.
'Silent as a mouse' She mouthed, hoping he'd understand.
Hugo nodded, and gripped onto Marion tighter. She could feel his little body shaking against her's. Marion could practically see the gears in Amicia's head turning, her blue eyes trailed from the man upstairs, to some pots and pans near the hearth.
Amicia quietly picked up a rock that was on the table they hid behind, before looking at Marion.
"I'm going to throw this at the pot, then we will sneak behind him." Amicia explained, and the dark-haired girl nodded.
She felt her breath hitch as a loud ting filled the room, making the man hold up his knife and begin to walk towards the source of the noise. Once he had his back turned to the children, Amicia took Marion's hand and pulled her and Hugo away from the danger.
Marion kept her footsteps light– with each step up she prayed that none would squeak. Once they were outside of the house, Marion loosened her grip on Hugo. She let out a quiet breath, and stood up.
"We showed him!" Hugo exclaimed quietly, and Marion felt her face grow warm when Amicia smiled.
"We did–" The brunette tried to say, but was cut off by the angry mob that had suddenly rounded the corner.
"There you are!" A man screamed, and Marion grabbed Hugo by his forearm.
The three bolted in the other direction, Amicia letting out a disgruntled yelp. The path they could have taken had been gated shut, instead they had to make a right and run right under a clothesline draped with drying laundry. Marion shoved the cloth out of the way, a white shirt fell to the ground due to her violent movements.
