Survival

Alaric

It's been a few days since I found her. She is different. She isn't self absorbed like all the others. I stand in the doorway watching her, she's trying to teach Hanna how to read. She looks up and smiles, I return the smile.

"Can you read what this says?" she says gently.

"Ha-Have, it says have!" Hanna exclaims, her smile stretched so far it looks like she might explode.

"Well done!" Skyrah says and hugs Hanna.

"Excuse me ladies but I have to cook" I say walking in.

"I'll help, if you want?" Skyrah says standing up.

"Thanks" I say politely. Hanna goes into the bedroom with Caleb, leaving Skyrah and I alone. 

"I kinda like it out here" She says chopping  potatoes into halves.

"I like to imagine what it's like in there sometimes" I say cutting the deer meat away from the bone.

"Ask me anything you want to know" She says scooping up the potatoes and putting them into the pan of boiling water over the stove.

"What's the food like?" I ask looking up at her.

"It's good, but it doesn't taste real, it tastes artificial and it certainly doesn't fill you up like this food does" She says coming over to help me with the deer.

"What is school like? I've never been to one" I say, I would have loved to learn anything besides how to survive.

"It's good, you just go to your lessons and learn I guess, there isn't really much to say about it, I never realised how privileged we were in there" She says shrugging.

"Everyone that has been thrown out have all worn the same thing, why?" I ask, looking down at the shirt I'm wearing.

"We have a uniform, every girl wears the same thing and every boy wears the same thing, I never gave it much thought before, but now I think it's because they want to control us, they don't want to promote individuality, although they haven't eradicated it completely, that's why I was wearing that dress, I was at a school dance when my date and sister threw me out" She says angrily hacking at the meat.

"Are you okay?" I ask stopping for a moment.

"No, it's hard to get over your own sister throwing you out of the only place you've ever known" She says and turns away from me bringing her hand up to her eyes. I rush over and stand in front of her and pull her into a hug as she sobs into my chest.

"Hey, it's ok, I'm gonna help you get back in, I promise" I say rubbing her back.

"You'd really do that?" She mumbles into my chest.

"Yeah, I would" I say stroking her hair.

"I feel bad that you have to sleep on the floor, there's enough room for us both" She says pulling away and looking up.

"Trying to get me into bed are we?" I say laughing.

"Shut up" She says and punches my arm playfully. We cook dinner and serve it. We eat and Skyrah teaches Hanna to read some more. I look outside and see nothing but darkness.

"We should go to bed" I say going into the bedroom. Hanna changes into one of my old shirts and Caleb changes into another of my old t-shirts from when I was a kid. I hand a large shirt to Skyrah and she goes into the dining room, she comes back in and the shirt stops about halfway up her thighs. I change into what I sleep in and lay down on my bed next to Skyrah.

"Good night" She whispers and turns over.

****

I get woken up by Skyrah gently shaking me.

"Alaric, I think someone's trying to get in" She says slowly. I listen and hear a banging on the door. Silently we both rise, I quickly take off my shirt and put my leather vest on and throw my shirt over it and quickly put my normal pants on, I can't fight in my night clothes. I look over and Skyrah stands in her underwear doing the same, I see and quickly turn away. I grab my bow and quiver and sling the arrows over my back. I quickly wake Hanna and Caleb and rush them into a cupboard in the back.

"Rick, what's happening?" Hanna says as I shove her inside

"Stay in here and make no noises" I say and close the door rushing back in to Skyrah. She has her bow in her hand and my knife in the other.

"It's going to be okay, I'm programmed for this, I promise I won't let them get hurt" She says shoving the knife into her pocket. The door slams open and a group of four men burst in, I draw my bow and shoot as one falls, he pulls the arrow out and throws it back at me, I dodge it and keep shooting. Skyrah shoots one in the neck and he falls to the floor, he doesn't get up. One gets to close and punches me in the face. My vision is blurred and black spots make everything unclear. He continues punching and I fall to the floor, unable to get back up. Skyrah throws the knife and it hits him in the head, he slumps to the floor but everything is spinning and I can't save them.

"Save them" I scream and the guy that I shot runs into the dining room and another holds Skyrah up against the wall by her neck. I try to get up but keep falling every time I try. I see the man carrying Caleb over his shoulder, the other guy drops Skyrah and she gasps for air, she quickly gets up and shoots but she is unstable and misses.

"I'm sorry" She cries as she rushes over to me.

"We have to get him back" I sob. Tears fall down and Hanna stands in the doorway screaming.

"I know, I know, we will, I promise we will" She says stroking my burning face.

That is all I remember because after that everything goes black.