The Rain (Book 3 - The Evolving)

Chapter 10 - Perdre espoir et perdre l'esprit

It was morning. The sun tore through the feeble blinds that covered some windows. The room they were in was a small playroom, full of broken toys, pens, pencils and anything else that a child could play with. The objects covered the floor but thankfully, there were no bones, blood or bodies.

They'd been up all night. The sound of Ben's scream still slithered through the halls of the school building, managing to find its way to their ears. The aura of guilt and shame was thick in the room. The only people who had seen what happened were Jeanette, Nate and Bethany. The others were too far ahead, trying to find a way out and when they realised what was happening, it was too late.

Bethany sat away from everyone, her knees still pulled up to her chest but her hands now sat on her knees.

Jeanette had fixed up Erin's arm and Nate's hand without any of them exchanging a word. They'd lost a child. A boy no older than ten. And to be ripped apart, that must be one of the worst ways to go in this world.

They sat against the walls, either staring off into space or staring at each other.

Ross broke the silence. "What happened?" He asked, keeping his voice quiet so that Bethany couldn't hear. He moved his attention from a white wall to stare at Jeanette in both sorrow and curiosity.

She could feel all eyes land on her. She swallowed the lump of sadness in her throat, trying to figure out a way to answer the question. Her eyes were fixed on Bethany's huddled figure. She moved her head around to stare at the ground under her dirty shoes. She twisted the ring on her finger, feeling the soft metal tug at her skin as it moved around.

"A dog got Ben." She stated the obvious, looking up so her eyes connected with Ross's. She made sure that Bethany wouldn't hear, keeping her voice quiet. "He was holding hands with Bethany and he...wouldn't let go." Her voice shook and she could feel tears pooling at the base of her eye.

Jane's head lowered in guilt. She could sense what was coming next. She could connect the dots. Nate's head tilted in remorse, she could practically smell the self-blame pouring off him like sweat.

"He had to let go." She whispered through a raw cry. She shook her head, looking down to her right. "He was going to take Bethany down with him." She breathed, replaying his death over and over again in her mind as a means of punishment.

He was her responsibility. He always had been ever since his mother and brother died. His Dad was off on a rampage and Jeanette had taken Ben under her long, soft wing. Now he'd died, on her watch and she'd done nothing to try and save him.

She lifted her gaze and let it fall, once again, on Bethany.

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They had to keep moving. Under Jane's suggestion, they packed up all they could, finding minimal food and water in the kitchen shelves. Alex was the one to open the door to the alley, sticking his head out to make sure the streets were clear. Jane and Drew had planned a different route, taking back streets and lesser known roads to avoid incidents like yesterday.

They darted across the street that they'd spent most of yesterday walking along, cutting into another alley that would take them to a forest.

Bethany was at the back, Jeanette in front of her constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure the girl was still with them.

They broke into the forest line, slowing their pace from a hurried jog to an easy walk. The trees were tall above them, casting shadows down to the ground below. The thick branches blocked the sun and the millions of leaves above them acted as a shield to the hot heat being emitted from the sun.