Journey

Chapter 9

Pete was in awe, shocked and terrified.

"Amy." he stared at her, she looked worse than he'd ever seen her before and, it dawned on him, the baby, oh god. "Where, where have you been?" his words came out stumbled and as he drew closer to her, Paul pulled Emma back in his arms and held her close as he could see that Peter was beginning to look like a lost soul. Amy wanted to answer him, but wasn't quite sure what to say, she didn't know who he was or herself for that matter, what did he want with her? Fear started creeping up inside and the chill of the mid-morning air made her body tingle with icy coldness. She immediately took two steps back as she saw this guy gradually drawing closer towards her, out of no-where he spoke above the silent rubble of the street,

"..don't you recognise me?!" he felt a burning rage grow inside him like someone had lit a match inside and had slowly started to break down, eventually he would himself if he couldn't have his Amy remember him again.

Paul started to walk quietly away and towards their car with Emma, quietly speaking soft whispers down to her to reassure that things were going to be okay. In the distance Pete heard the car doors clunk briefly and wasn't quite sure what he could say next without scaring her away.

"Who are you??" Amy said in a manner that was so cold that it sent Pete frozen in his steps, he almost felt like time was standing still and nothing else seemed to matter, Amy looked about at her surroundings, broken pavement and buildings etched their way through the streets, shards of broken glass lay ruin, what used to be babies prams now tattered and filthy just abandoned by shop windows, it still wasn't clicking in her head what was going on in the world, she needed answers and more than enough questions to ask. Her eyes glanced back towards him, he was now crouched to the ground, his hands covering practically his whole face, hiding from everything he could right now.

He could feel his whole body in shock and suddenly he felt nauseated with an over-whelming feeling of sickness that swept over him in a rush, his eyes; god how they stung from the sunlight that now blurred his vision in front of him, his view was distorted and for a brief moment he felt that he was just having another one of his nightmares again; but inside he knew it was reality, not a dream. He stood up quickly, ignoring what feelings and emotions he was feeling right now and grabbed Amy's arm, pulling her along with him to their car. She wasn't saying much as she felt very weak and almost on the verge of collapsing, Peter quickly looked behind to be on guard of anything following and luckily nothing was, but Linda stood watching in the rubble, Linda with her dishevelled black boy-ish hair and rough jeans, she just stood and simply watched them disappear off.

Linda had been looking out onto them for a while, thinking in two different minds, should she go or should she risk staying amongst uncertainty and danger? There was a glimmer of hope though lying inside, it was only a minute fragment but enough to make her stay where she was, it was hatred that lingered within though; letting them all go at once like that, honestly knowing what was out there and if they'd even survive between the four of them? But besides that, she knew it was the right move, only she could survive alone out here, also knowing the ways and means of every building and underground sewer access, she also knew what else dwelled down there. The little voice inside her head saw her stash of booze on the other unit, go on, you know you need a drink now...after everything and what with Dave too, just a sip won't hurt.

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The engine roared into a slow start, but eventually they got moving again down the jumbled, maze-like road. It seemed thousands of cars were trying to block their escape but it didn't take too long until Paul manoeuvred carefully around them all and soon they came onto clear road where they could see further on ahead at last. Paul glances to Emma to make sure she was still okay, her little face was staring on ahead like a blank page and not one of a child, Emma started unzipping her backpack and rummaged through to the bottom where she found the photographs again, eventually after pulling them out she let her head rest back and flicked through the once happy times of her past. An eight year old girl was lost in confusion and fear, she no longer felt like a little girl but more so an adult now, looking back through those images again made her remember what it was like back at their first house, she could still smell the fresh paint in her new room, it was a bright pink, she never forgot that day, it was memorable and yet so vivid in her still child-like mind.