The mess hall was filled to the brim with bustling people, some bandaged with red rags others grabbing food and hoarding in the arms. Fear hit Tallen like a brick making her stumble back into Jamie’s crutches sending him to the floor.
“Sorry!” she yelped helping as he smiled seeming to be mildly amused.
“It’s fine, come on lets get you some food”
Taking a look back into the room Tallen suddenly didn’t feel so hungry, “They all look hungry enough to kill,” she murmured
“And you’re not? Come on you haven’t eaten in days.” Jamie pointed out raising his eyebrows challengingly.
“whatever, you get yourself killed.” Tallen retorted crossing her arms and slitting her eyes at him challengingly.
Shrugging he made his way into the crowd careful not to fall Tallen couldn’t help but smirk when a burly giant accidentally shoved him making him trip on an old lady sitting on the floor. Within seconds though he had righted himself and the old lady whispering into her ear they made their way through the pushing crowd until they finally reached the table with miniscule amounts of food on it picking at it, Tallen could see Jamies shoulder rise and fall as he sighed before he made his way back while the old lady cluthed her chest.
“Any luck?” Tallen asked when they reached the doorway.
“Yeah not much but enough,” Jamie replied looking alittle unsettled, “hey Gran want to share some of your food with my friend?” he asked turning toward the old lady who was now blatently staring at Tallen in bewonderment.
“Oh! Yes look darling I saved some of the good food from before the purge, here.” Reaching out Tallen excepted a small chunk of rock hard bread. Smiling her thanks she ripped off a piece before sucking on it to make it soft.
“So Gran where are you staying?” Jamie asked taking his own share of bread and following Tallen’s lead.
“first floor with the rest of these old hags, we’re dropping like flies due to the radiation we we were exposed to, this way its easier for them to carry us out instead of rolling us down the stairs.” Gran smiled a toothless grin as she explained eating her own piece of bread vigourously.
“You could live with us,” Tallens words rolled off her toungue before she could stop them.
As she met the womans eyes her body froze, those green eyes, her green eyes. “It’s quite alrigh dear, Gran prefers to live with the old hags much more to talk about after all.” The older woman seemed not to notice as Tallen turned away trying to keep her tears at bay. Gran had her mothers eyes, had her eyes, and they danced with light despite her bodys decay.
“Oh” waa all she managed to reply before she felt Jamie’s hand in her’s. giving a sqweeze back for reassurance Tallen pushed back the tears before standing up finally swallowing the piece of bread which only left the chasm in her stomach wider. Looking to the room she sighed glancing down to Jamie and his black jacket. “I’m going to have to borrow that.”
Once inside the heat of bodies surrounded her and she held her breath willing herself to calm down, ‘Get a grip’ she thought to herself before starting to push her way through the crowd. Thankful for Jamie’s jacket and its hood she glared at the same giant brute from before. His hands shoved her again, the same direction that made Jamie stumble into Gran, but instincts kicked in and she instantly spun around facing him again.
YOU ARE READING
Freedom Fires
Avontuur{ On Hold -until I finish another story} In a world where nothing is safe, where the government is hunting down its own people, few have learned to survive. The frozen tundra of the north is nothing compared to the deserted cities of the south where...
