The Refugees

Chapter 23: Savannah

Edited

I feel my body being shaken by two hands on my shoulder. I fight the urge to just snap at whoever's doing that. I groan and flutter my eyes open, seeing nothing but blurriness around me. Ughh, what is this? I hear a ringing in my ears and a buzzing in my head.

My sight clears up to see a once-again-topless Ash and a rather grim-faced Amber. His face isn't the least bit fazed but I can tell something's wrong because of the loud bomb-like noises not far from here. My eyes focus completely, understanding that I now have to be in survival mode.

"Come on, Ash. They're getting nearer." Amber commands in a confident tone as she peers out the window.

"We have to go." Ash orders me sharply.

I get up and grab a bra.

"What's that for?" He asks stupidly.

The both of us turn to give him a hard stare.

Really?

"Support while running!" I snap at him while putting it on quickly, turning away from him, then I remember something.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Getting evacuated. Now let's go!" Amber urges me.

I follow him and we make a turn to get out on the streets where everyone is running in the same direction; away from the woods we came from, where tanks are shooting canons, destroying buildings beside us and towards the other side of the town, where more woods are awaiting us. They are all going in different directions but everywhere outside the city still led to woods.

I turn around while still running, and I see in the distance, men with guns, scurrying their way towards us. I look at Ash and see him holding his handgun again while Amber has a much larger gun that she rests on her shoulder to shoot, a shotgun. It surprises me a little but I push the thought away, focusing on how I can get out of this town alive.

I push through a crowd of screaming people until I stop abruptly; a child is left on the ground. I lower myself to pick him up from the floor.

"Savannah, what are you doing?" Ash scolds in anger.

"I can't just leave him!"

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices!" He yells back through the deafening noises.

"I'm not leaving him here!" I reply defiantly.

"Ash! They're charging towards us, I can't hold them all back!" Amber shouts.

"We don't have time for this..." He mumbles to himself and then he grabs my arms, pulling me, with the child, behind him as he shoots.

"Go ahead! You'll slow us down if you stay here!" He instructs me and I nod.

I put the small boy on my back and start running again. Ash follows closely behind me, his back turned to me so he can continue shooting at the enemies behind me.

"What will happen to Dad?"

"He's probably already ahead of us!" He shouts to me through all the sounds of people screaming, gunshots exploding and buildings crashing down to the floor.

The little boy on my back is about 3 years old. He's sobbing a bit as I try my best to race towards the forest along with everybody else. I feel the weight of the child get heavier as my legs and lungs get more and more tired, but I lighten up as I see I have just reached the forest at the top of the hill. I look forward and I see a few people scrambling ahead. I make a stop as I turn around to see Ash and Amber midway to the top, shooting a few officers following behind.