The Taking

Fate

"Can I help you sir?" Sarah fidgeted with her hands nervously as the soldier stood firmly at their porch.
"You ok ma'am?" The soldier almost immediately noticed her anxiety at the sight of him.
"I'm sorry...I just usually never get visitors out here" Sarah cleared her throat and flashed a smile to break the obvious tension in the air.
The soldier was a man of 36 years old and had dedicated his life to the Aeonian government, specifically to Ada Goodman.
Mary and Elizabeth sat quietly at the table, refusing to eat until they knew it was okay to make any noise.
"What are they saying?" Elizabeth got up quietly and attempted to peek around the corner, but Mary pulled her out of sight of the door.
"Elizabeth are you insane!" Mary whispered sternly at her curious little sister who rolled her eyes at the reprimanding.
At the front door, the soldier asked Sarah for questions back to the city.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help since I haven't been to the city in a while" Sarah continued smiling at the soldier who appeared to not have any suspicion.
The soldier smiled back, but his quickly mask fell off as he looked at Sarah more intensely.
"I don't quite understand why you live out here all alone ma'am" Sarah looked at the ground as the soldier continued asking questions regarding her life.
"Do you not have a husband? Children? Or is it just you alone in these woods?" It became a power game as the soldier waited for Sarah to fall for his trap.
"My husband passed away years ago and as of my children?" Sarah paused as she recalled her boys who were ripped from her in the middle of the night in her townhome. She then thought of the girls who stood out of sight, listening to the entire conversation. It didn't matter what she thought though, she knew she had to choose her words carefully.
"My children are in the city as we speak being raised with what I believe is the upmost care" Sarah smiled once more, revealing to the soldier that she wasn't an individual he could toy with mentally for his own entertainment.
"I think he's getting ready to leave" Mary still held her sister's arm to keep her out of sight, but there was also comfort as both girls were terrified of what was to come next.
Mary sighed quietly out of relief and let go of Elizabeth arm gently.
Elizabeth turned to walk away from the corner. As she turned around, her leg hit the dining table, causing a glass to fall right in front of her.
It was as if time stood still as Elizabeth realized the extent of what she had done.

The soldier's eyes quickly bolted behind Sarah who had done her best to cover any view of their home, but it was no use.
"You told me you were all alone ma'am" The soldier flashed a smile that one could immediately recognize held bad intentions.
"Move" His voice was cold and demanding as he stared Sarah down.
"Sir I-"
Before Sarah could finish her sentence, the soldier had forcibly pushed her to the ground, gaining entry to her home.
Inside, his eyes grew wide as he come face to face with both Mary and Elizabeth whose heads peeked from behind the corner.
Sarah still on the ground from being hit noticed and thought quickly as the soldier walked closer towards the girls.
She got up quietly behind his back and jumped on him in a flash.
She struggled as the soldier began trying to get her off.
"Get off of me woman!"
She didn't utter a word to him, but instead turned towards her girls and yelled the last words she would speak to them.

"Run!"