Survival

Searing

Charlotte and Dylan got back to the house just before nightfall. They managed to carry back some extra food, drinks, medicine, and candy.

They ate a rather big dinner and went to sleep.

"Dylan" Charlotte whispers. "Dylan wake up."

"Huh?" Dylan rolls over to look at Charlotte.

"There's people outside."

"What?" Dylan sits up, almost knocking Charlotte over.

Both the girls get up and go to the front door. Dylan looks out and sees three people, all holding guns, walking down the middle of the street.

"Should we say hi?" Charlotte asks.

"I'm not sure." Dylan opens the door a bit more. "You wait inside, I'll go talk to them."

Dylan makes she she has her knife and walks outside.

"Hey!" Dylan shouts at the people.

All there if them turn around quickly, raising their guns.

Dylan drops to he ground. "Don't shoot, I'm not going to hurt anybody."

They lower their guns. "Where'd you come from?" One if he people asks, their voice sounds deep.

"Just inside the house." Dylan responds, standing up.

"How many people are there?" One of the people, a female, asks raising her head slightly.

"It's just me and a little girl." Dylan says as she points to the house.

"DYLAN!" Charlotte runs out and hugs Dylan's leg. "What's happening?"

"Charlotte, why didn't you wait inside?" Dylan looks down at her, holding her head.

"Mr. Bear said we should come out." Charlotte holds up her bear. She looks over at the people and waves. "Hi!" She shouts "This is Mr. Bear, who are you?"

One of the men in the group turns and whispers to the others.

"Do you guys have supplies?" The man asks.

Dylan's mind races. Are they going to attack us? What do we do?

"Uh, yeah. But not much" Dylan rubs her hair back, ready to take Charlotte and run. "Why do you ask?"

The man turns and whispers to the other two again.

"May we come inside?" He asks.

"I don't know." Dylan says, pretty much lifting Charlotte off the ground.

"Come on, we just want to look around." The man says, nodding towards his gun.

Dylan understands what's happening. "Okay, follow us" Dylan picks up Charlotte and walks back to the house.

"How much food do you have?" The man asks, following them closely.

Dylan's heart starts beating faster as she looks out the back door at the hill. "Just a bit."

"Any weapons?" The woman asks. "Like guns?"

"No, none of that." The get to the kitchen and Dylan let's them go in first.

"Where do you keep the food?"

"In the cabinets." Dylan takes her knife out, keeping it behind her back.

"You don't have anybody else? No adults or anything?" The third man, the one that hasn't spoken, asks as he opens the cabinets taking food out.

"No, we don't." Dylan quietly picks her bag up and slings it over her shoulder.

"So, sorry to have to do this." The man says, cocking his pistol.

Dylan lunges forward, sinking the pocket knife into the mans shoulder, he falls to the ground screaming.

"You bitch!" The other man yells, raising his gun.

Dylan runs out the back door going right for the hill.

"Hold on Charlotte!" Dylan yells as she tightens her grip on her.

There's a loud bang, and Dylan falls down the hill. As she's rolling down the hill she tries to cover Charlotte.

Once they reach the bottom of the hill Dylan grips Charlotte and runs towards a building, trying to get behind cover. More loud bangs echo from the house.

Once they get inside the building Dylan collapses, dropping Charlotte.

"Mother fucker." Dylan shouts at a searing pain in her leg. "What the fuck happened?"

Dylan looks down at her leg, seeing a blood covered pants leg.

"Shit" Dylan grabs her leg.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte asks, looking like she's going to cry.

"Go over there." Dylan points to another room. "Don't look, it's scary."

"Okay." Charlotte walks over to the other room, playing with her bear.

"Fuck. Fuck. Okay." Dylan tries to remember how to deal with a gunshot wound. "Okay tourniquet." Dylan takes her belt off and wraps it around her thigh.

"Charlotte, are you alright?" Dylan shouts out.

Charlotte comes out of the room hugging her bear. "Are you hurt?" She asks moving to Dylan.

"Yes, but don't worry. I'm going to be okay. You're safe." Dylan says before drinking a full bottle of water from her bag.

"Are those people okay?"

"No, they're bad people." Dylan pulls Charlotte close to her. "Nobody like that is okay."

"Oh" Charlotte responds. "Are we bad people?"

"Not at all, we're the good guys."

"When are we going back to the house?"

"We're not. We're going to the city now."

"Do you think my Daddy's there?" Charlottes eyes light up.

"Maybe, we'll have to check." Dylan opens a new bottle of water and starts drinking it. "Are you okay if we sleep here tonight?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you wait here. I'll go look for blankets." Dylan tries to stand but immediately falls down due to the pain. "Fuck"

"Are you okay?" Charlotte asks worriedly.

"Y-yeah, but I can't stand" Dylan stutters out. "Do you think you can go find some blankets?"

"Sure. I can look." Charlotte jumps to her feet with a growing smile on her face. "I'll be right back, here take care of Mr. Bear" she hands Dylan the bear.

Charlotte runs off, her arms to her sides like superman.

"Weeeee" she shouts as she runs into the other room.

Charlotte looks around, she see a bow and arrows, knifes, and guns.

"Daddy said not to mess with this stuff."

Charlotte runs into the next room, finding coats and other clothes.

"Hmm still no blankets."

Charlotte sits on the floor. "I'll never find blankets." She pouts.

Dylan gets worried and calls out to Charlotte.

"Yes?" She responds, sadness in her voice.

"Come back, okay?" Dylan shouts.

"Okay."

Charlotte walks back into the room, tears running down her face.

"I couldn't find any blankets." Charlotte says, sitting next to Dylan.

"It's okay, we'll be fine." Dylan says, putting her arms around Charlotte. "We'll look tomorrow morning."

"Okay" Charlotte sniffles out.

"Go ahead and go to sleep."

"Okay, goodnight Dylan."

"Goodnight"