String of Fate

Chapter Eighty Six

A loud bang scared me awake and I sat up quickly, sleep now the last thing on my mind. I was surprised. It wasn't supposed to be happening here so quickly. I'd been made to prepare in advance so I grabbed my cardigan, pulling it on over my nightdress as a light flashed across the bed. I looked over to the door, seeing Lucas standing in the doorway, jacket on, rucksack over one shoulder, cane in one hand and flashlight in the other. "It's time."

I grabbed my rucksack from the bottom of my bed and grabbed the flashlight from the bedside cabinet, turning it on and following Lucas downstairs. In the kitchen, I grabbed the bag of food we were living out of and started out the back door into the garden. Lucas and I both turned our torches off as we heard the siren and I couldn't help but glance at the sky. I could see a couple of planes heading overhead.

We were on the outskirts of the city, so, we should have expected it, but we didn't think that it'd be this soon. In half of a year, war had really taken over the country. Another bang made us move quicker down the path, Lucas' leg slowing us down a little but not enough to cause us any problems. I stayed behind Lucas and he made it to the bomb shelter door first, using his shoulder to open it. "What about Sarah from next door?"

"I'll go and get her now. You stay here first. It'll be no good if we're both out there. Just put the light on and prepare for us." Lucas replied, dumping his bag inside the door.

"You stay. I'm faster and I can help carry the kids." I told him, dumping my bags inside the door and turning in the direction of the gate in the fence between our gardens. Lucas and I were close to Sarah and helped look after Vincent and May, so we had decided to install a gate that joined the back gardens. It was handy in an emergency, like now.

I unlocked the back door using the key under the doormat and heard a baby crying from upstairs. I headed up, finding Sarah frantically trying to cradle the crying May in her arms while trying to add another layer of clothes to Vincent. I didn't know how she expected to button up his jacket while holding a nine month old. I headed over to them, making Sarah look a little relieved, and started buttoning Vincent's jacket instead. She started bobbing May instead and got her to quieten down.

"Lucas is already in the shelter. Have you gotten everything?" I asked Sarah, straightening up. She nodded, gesturing to the two smaller rucksacks on the bottom of the bed. I noticed that she had a big rucksack on her back as well as needing to carry for the kids. "Vincent, are you going to walk or do you want me to carry you?"

"I'll walk." The four year old told me as I bent back down to put the smaller rucksack on his back. Once I straightened back up, he grabbed my hand tightly. I grabbed the last rucksack and slung it on my free shoulder. We started heading from the room as another bomb went off nearby. "Auntie Ann, what's that loud noise?"

"It's a bomb, sweetheart. Don't worry, though, your mama and I are going to get you somewhere safe. Come on." I explained to him. Sarah led the way down the stairs and to the back garden, making sure that Vincent was in between the two of us. A part of me kept wishing that he'd walk faster but he only had short legs.

We made it into the bomb shelter and locked the door behind us. Sarah looked around for a moment and then became extremely worried. "Oh no, I forgot May's crib. Where is she going to sleep? I don't like the idea of her sleeping in the bed with me in case I squish her."

"Just put her in the drawer." I said after looking around for a suitable place. Then I started putting things away – rations in the cupboard under the worktop at the foot of one bunk set, bags on the bottom of each bunk, Lucas's notebooks and writing utensils on the desk next to the radio, and the reading books and activity packs for Vincent on top of the chest of drawers. Lucas was checking the stock of batteries, tins, and water. "Would that work?"