Red-Cross and Redder Lips

Yet Another Directive

The winter kicks up fast here; flash storms, not only up to five centimeters of snow, but freezing rain on top of that. There's bitter winds, thick fogs, and worst of all, silence. Since the snow had fallen thick last night, there isn't a raindrop or thing to be heard outside, the white sheets absorb most every pin-drop. It's October here, the tenth, and a Tuesday to be exact. There seems to be a radio in every room, and at the moment, and Amélie, Ingrid and their blonde friend Lenore sit around the box radio listening to music and talking. It's a slow day, but they are all required to be in their scrubs. Lenore's is ironed clean and each button has been accounted for, her bright blonde hair in double braids and not a singe hair is out, Amélie's sleeves are pushed up and she has her front undone and tied at the bottom with a blue handkerchief over her hair like a bonnet on non-wash days like today, Ingrid is in her tank top and the rest of her uniform is scrunched so she can sit casually, her kinky hair tied up into a bun and slicked back. "Man, I love this song! Hey Blondie, turn it up, would you please?" Ingrid says as she shuffles the cards. "It's Lenore, not 'Blondie'..." the girl mumbles as she turns the notch with a few clicks. "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever you say.... Thanks, by the way, I want to be able to search for the news later, I've heard there's movement in Britain right now, since Poland has been taken by the Nazis and Soviets."
Ingrid talks through the cigarette in her lips as she deals a perfectly clean deck she packed with her, and Len just watches the smoke plume out from the burning end. "I've never smoked before, Mother said it was dirty for women to. Not only that, but it can hurt women's lungs, men's are stronger so you really should be..." Len says as Amélie nods a thanks to her dealer for her hand. Ingrid and Amélie make confused eye contact, but the cig comes out of the girls mouth to respond, "It isn't dirty if the men can do it. You know how many famous women smoke with their fancy little cigarette holders?" She exhales slowly with a sigh and flicks some orange ash off into the tray to her left. "It's war, Lenore, things are going to be dirty." Len nods and picks up her cards meekly, a little embarrassed for calling her out but understanding what was said. Amélie flips through her cards and gets ready to start the game as the radio changes to an emergency broadcast. (.....Emergency, we interrupt your channel with important news from our capit....) "Come on! Stupid static!" Ingrid says as she hits the top of the radio. It doesn't realistically help, but the static does fade out. (....directive number six has since been confirmed, Hitler is preparing an offense on his Western side, blocking against our American and British allies that are coming over sea as we speak. France's East border has since been detained and blocked. Our Prime Minister, Édouard Daladier, plans to  reject the Nazi peace propositions and says we are prepared to save our county. May God be with us...... ....Our Allies' troops have since departed from their respective lands and will be staying in Medic Homes along the front, officials demand that housing space must be ready by dawn tomorrow...) "God dammit!"  The cigarette flicks to the ground and Ingrid presses it out with her black boot, and before Lenore and Amélie can look up, she has slammed the room door and is already gone. Lenore puts her cards down and looks at her friend with her normally bright blue eyes now gray and covers her mouth, "this really feels real now, it didn't... it didn't before Amélie."