A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Seven

Content Warning!: Some sexual violence (scene involving rape). This is toward the end of the chapter. Read at your own risk.

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With what little money she had, Mina used it to purchase a room for the night. She was uncomfortable with the place, in spite of knowing that it'd draw little attention to her. Walking slowly and steadily, she creaked up the relatively unstable steps. The moment she reached the top, she eyed up the sloppily painted numbers on the doors in search of her own room. Turning left, she followed the doors until she came across the one that she wanted. She read the number a couple of times to make sure, in her mind, that it was the right room. When she reassured herself that it was right, she pushed the key into the lock and turned it.

The door opened slowly and Mina hurried into the room — shutting the door quickly behind her. She eyed up the small room. It was dark. Any friendly feeling it had was long gone. Reaching against the wall, she felt for something that would turn on a light. Finally finding a small switch, she turned it upward. A light came on and Mina was able to get a better look around the room. Hesitantly, she entered. She sat down on the bed — not completely sure what she wanted to do next. She pulled her feet up and laid her head down on the pillow. A sigh escaped her mouth as she thought about all that had happened. Her feet were sore. Her body, exhausted. The journey had been long and brutal.

Loneliness enveloped the girl as a tear slid down her face. She could deal with it. It was hard. Hated, even. It wouldn't kill her though and that thought was what she needed to hold onto. This was a new and rather difficult understanding for her, but it was — to her dismay — a rather easy thing to grasp. She hated the fact that she felt like she needed someone. It was tough to be alone. The realness of it all made her realize why she was going after the people who took her family — to find her dad; to find her fiancé. She needed them; she wasn't meant to live alone. No matter what happened, though — no matter what she'd find — she couldn't live without knowing what happened with them. Loneliness had to become the least of her worries. The smallest thing that she dwelt on.

It was a lot to think about. A lot to take in. She just couldn't deal with it right now. Within seconds, Mina was up from the bed turning on a lamp. She walked over to the door and turned off the main light. With one last glance, she left the room. In what felt like a hurry she walked up the hallway and down the steps to the main level of the building.

Staring across the open room of tables, she found her way to a small, empty one. Sitting down, she eyed up the bar. It was full. With a war it didn't surprise her. Everyone else was trying to deal with loneliness. Everyone else was trying to find a way to take their mind off of the cruelness running into them. Mina couldn't help but watch some of the couples and see how they reacted with each other. Enviously, she observed them while she thought about Roland. If they looked her way, she'd find someone or something else to focus on, but for now they reminded her of the good that had been in her life. Why hadn't the same fate befallen them? What made them so special that their loved ones were able to remain at home? It hurt, and it enraged her.

"Mind if I join you?" A man's voice rang out next to Mina, startling her.

Jumping in surprise, she turned around sharply to acknowledge him. She hadn't expected anyone to sneak up behind her, let alone talk to her. The intrusion pulled her out of her envious thinking, and brought her to her reality.

The man noticed that he had scared the young lady. "I'm sorry for sneaking up on you." He said rather quickly.

Mina looked up into his eyes. There was something that didn't quite feel right about him, but she didn't want to feel lonely anymore. She needed to look as though she fit in with everyone else. "No... no... you didn't scare me. I... I just hadn't been expecting anyone to talk to me." She stuttered as she spoke. She wasn't sure why and she didn't like it, but there was nothing that she could do to stop it in her own will power. "Please, please sit down." She pointed to the chair across from her.