Stay...Together

Chapter 27

"Y'know, I saw them before," Anita recalled as everyone jumped back and scanned the area for a way to run. "I told them to, uh...f-word off, but I guess they didn't listen."

Yolanda grabbed Anita's wrist and tried to pull her back. They past just about half the group. Victorine jumped back. But as soon as Yolanda turned around, she became face to face with a murder weapon.

"Get down!" A deep voice hollered. Everyone whipped around to see a soldier in all black gear pointing his rifle at them. One hand was on the barrel, and the other on the trigger. Victorine's knees shook. She slowly lowered herself to the ground, rocks, and pebbles digging into her shins. Everyone stood on their knees, their hands reluctantly moving to the top of their heads. Within a minute, the whole group was on their knees in front of the stranger that could kill them in a minute.

Every muscle in Victorine's body was tight as a drum. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and pretend it wasn't happening. But before she could, Anita caught her attention. Yes, she was in submission and a few feet away from a huge gun. But for some reason, she looked much calmer. A little bit annoyed. Her eyebrows were knit and her look sharpened. She stared up at the soldier with hatred instead of pleadings. Victorine tilted her head just to see if what she saw was real.

Victorine's eyes then moved to Asha, whose eyes were shut, but softly. She took a deep breath and slowly opened them. She didn't panic in the slightest. She looked the man right in the eye, without a hint of dread. Without breaking a sweat. Without a hint of fear.

The soldier, however, responded with disgust. "Whatcha looking at?"

He smacked the left side of Asha's face with the barrel of his rifle. Her head whipped to the right. One could hear the metal hitting bone. The blow was hard enough to break a glass. But Asha's body barely moved. Her head turned right back towards him like it was nothing. Victorine heard Lane inhale sharply. She couldn't really see his face as well as the others, but she could imagine his glare. Lane's hands clenched into fists, gripping his hair. She could see his back straighten, and sweat drip down his neck.

Yolanda was the closest to the gun, and she seemed helpless. Her shoulders hunched and Victorine could hear her breathing. Behind her was Jacey, whose elbow was touching Parker's. It was like the two wanted to be touching as if it would be their last time. Gina's eyes were pressed shut and her lips moved without sound. She was mouthing some sort of prayer or plead or last testament.

And little Victorine was all the way in the back, staring at the man who had control over whether her friends would remain alive. And maybe even herself. Or maybe not...

As the soldier turned to beckon to the men in the distance, Victorine glanced over her shoulder. They were rather close to a wreckage that wasn't too flattened. Wooden boards leaned against half a stonewall, creating a tunnel just wide enough...

Victorine checked back to see the soldier conversing with another. She took the chance to roll onto all fours and swiftly crawl through the little tunnel. She moved as fast as she could, splined wood rubbing against her back. She moved one elbow after the other, determined to reach the light at the end.

She inched out of the tunnel and fell down feet-first, hitting the hard ground. She sprung to her feet and found herself in the middle of an ash-filled pit that might've been a basement once. grabbed onto a suspended wooden board, she thought, They wouldn't start carrying out anything until they rounded up me. Victorine pulled herself up to the first level and ran across the burned-out sight. She hopped over nails and rubble and ducked under support beams that now dangling in the wind. In the distance, she heard yelling from deep voices and thumping footsteps.