Sanctuary

Chapter 6

"Soup is ready. Have a good appetite. How are you feeling? Oh, I am Laura, by the way" she said smiling.

"I am feeling better, thank you. And thank you for the soup. I am Emilia, pleased to meet you. Also I'd like to thank you for undressing me of the bloody clothes."

"No need, glad I could help out. Eben, when you are finished, come outside. Everyone is gathered at the fireplace drinking coffee. We need to find out what happened and plan how we can assist. Or at least inform the authorities." She left the trailer.

"So you really do not know what is happening..." Emilia said biting her somewhat prominent lower lip.

"No, we have almost no clue. We rescued Maja and you from the airfield not far away from here. All Maja could tell us is that there was a kind of explosion and soon after all electronic equipment stopped working. And after a short while people started to act strangely. She saw you and barricaded the both of you in the control tower until we found you."

"Well, I'll tell you. Seems that all of you got already involved. And we need to protect ourselves. But I'll need a few questions answered first". Eben agreed. "So where am I?"

"At my parents trailer park, not far away from the airfield we found you".

"I mean, from a geographical point of view, Eben. Are we in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire? And where exactly?"

"You really do not know where you blacked out? We are in Austria, near Salzburg. Austrian-Hungarian Empire? Are you all right? That empire dissolved 1918 at the end of World War I".

"What date is it?" Emilia asked her next question.

"The 27th"

"The 27th? Please be specific."

"Emilia, did you hurt your head when you fainted and fell? You've only blacked out yesterday". Eben looked at her worried. Was it more than the wound he treated? Was she also having amnesia? "It's the 27th October, 2015" he said, not knowing what to expect. Emilia's face turned pale. She bit her lower lip again. Something had really startled her. "Are you alright, Emilia?" The few seconds of silence that settled in made Eben even more worried. Finally Emilia spoke:

"I am alright. But most important, I WAS right, blessed be the Ancestors and may they give us strength!" Her face turned from pale to red. Eben could feel the anger and despair in her voice. Her Eyes were fixed on her covered abdomen. "I need to get up!" she finally exclaimed.

"You are in no condition to stand and walk for at least a few days, Emilia. Not without the risk of getting your wound up again. What the hell is going on? You are worrying me."

"You should be worried, Eben. We all should... Regarding what I have to tell you, everyone should be hearing it. Besides you and Laura, there are others if I understood correctly. Help me get outside with you, Laura said everyone has gathered outside for breakfast."

"I could call the others in, except Jan or Tim. Someone has to keep an eye on our mysterious other "guest"".

"No!" Emilia said in frustration. "I need to get outside, get some fresh air. Please help me, Eben!"

Eben was frozen due to the determination in her voice. After he regained control of himself, he leaned over her, removed the blanket and reached for her. He helped her sit up, then stand up. She waggled. The loss of blood was making her dizzy. But soon she regained her footing. Eben had never in his life seen so much determination in someone's eyes. He reached for his fleece sweater, helped her dress and then he wrapped the blanket around her. The expression on her face had not changed this entire time, except a couple of flinches when she moved. She was obviously in pain, but she would not stop. Damn, she wouldn't even admit it. Together they left the trailer and with small steady steps they approached the others.

Emilia looked at every one of them while approaching. The few faces she could see only made her fears grow stronger. They were sleep deprived and frightened. They did not talk, but the look in their eye told Emilia everything she needed to know. Everything she was afraid of. As they approached, Laura saw them coming, so she stood up and asked:

"Eben, isn't it too early for Emilia to stand up and walk"? Eben did not manage to answer her question. Emilia was quicker.

"Thank you for your concern Laura. I am fine enough". The flinch of her face muscles portrayed the contrary, but she kept walking. By now everyone was looking towards them. Jan stood up offering Emilia his seat. She nodded with gratitude and both Eben and Jan helped her sit down.

For what seemed to be an eternity, no one said a word. Emilia was looking at everyone, and everyone was looking at her. Then Emilia looked at the tree behind Nina. Her Eyes were filled with wrath. Eben noticed it and turned his head towards the tied up man. His eyes revealed the same wrath as Emilia's. What the heck was going on? Where came this immense hatred from? It seemed like they were trying to kill each other with their gaze. Nina also noticed the look in Emilia's eyes. It made her feel uncomfortable. No, unsafe is a more correct term. She started to shift nervously in her chair. Tim noticed it and placed a hand on her shoulder. His gesture hit the right spot: she must have felt "safer", since her tensed muscles eased and her nervous shifting ended. "At least she is starting to trust us more" were Tim's thoughts.

Laura brought two cups, poured coffee in them and offered them to both newcomers. Emilia thanked her, grabbed the cup, held it up and inhaled the vapors. "Haven't drunk it in a very long time... Only now I know how much I missed it!" she thought. Eben sipped from his cup, lit a cigarette and broke the silence.

"Emilia is ready to share information with us. She said we should all hear it, but would not let me call you all in, so there she is". Eben turned towards her and continued "Please Emilia, go on!" Emilia took a deep breath, eyes closed. She kept the air inside for a few seconds, and then let it all out at once.

"I do not really know where to start. You all want to hear about the incidents of yesterday. But yesterday is just a consequence of some events a very long time ago."