War For The World

CHAPTER SEVEN

Her clothes were drenched, her shoes were ripping and she was tired. The three of them; Joan, Louis and Alex had been walking for what seemed like hours now. They had long since left the terror of the city behind, trading out society for the damp cold dark forest that surrounded the countryside of Dresden. They had initially been using a gravel road to guide them, but the path had long since given way to grass and dirt. Now they were following a winding river, hoping that sooner or later it would lead them to civilisation and safety. Once the adrenaline that came with running and screaming had run its course the realization of the cold weather had begun to sink in. As the night went on the temperature continued to sink and soon enough their breath was visible.
Louis was crying softly, he tugged on Joan's arm and when she didn't respond immediately he tugged harder.
Joan felt numb, the only knowledge that now felt stable in her life was the idea of putting one foot in front of the other. Scenes of chaos and mayhem replayed in her mind. The streets burning, roads drenched in blood and people clambering for safety. Bodies being trampled over and slowly beaten into a bloody pulp. Images like those weren't the type to wash away after a few deep sleeps, she would have to live with them. Harder than that, her son would have to live with them too.
Her biggest request from her now ex-husband had been not to bring the war effort home with him, she couldn't have Louis growing up in such an environment whereas he turned out exactly like his father. She had no idea what to think now, what sort of a man would Louis turn out to be? In all outcomes remained one constant, her beautiful baby boy.
The third tug on her arm finally got Joan's attention, she turned to her side to look down at Louis.
"What's the matter baby" she asked in what she thought to be as soothing a tone as possible considering the circumstances.
"Its Cog" he replied, gesturing to the cage he held in his other hand.
The rabbit was restless, Joan could see that clear as day. The creature was running around its cage banging into the walls and making a mess of its fairly rushed enclosure. Something was definitely not right with it and it seemed they all knew that.

"I think Cog's scared. Also hungry, he ate all the food can I have some more to feed him please"

Joan sighed internally, they had already run out of what little supplies were being stored away for the pet rabbit. Unintentionally and perhaps subconsciously she turned to Alex for help. The soldier noticed her eyes and piqued up
"Something wrong?"

Joan reiterated in simple English to him the problem and Alex stopped them all for a second, crouching to a squat next to Louis. In broken German, he said
"Rabbit scared. Need calm rabbit heart. Sleep for rabbit"

Louis did not take too kindly to such a stranger invading his personal privacy and turned away from Alex, frowning and tugging on Joan's hand harder. Her son was stubborn like his father, not having a bar of whatever Alex the soldier was offering.
Alex gave up, standing up now to be just slightly above eye level for Joan.

"We need to stop and rest for the night. The rabbits clearly distressed and the boy is too. You're looking pretty bad yourself" he walked to the nearest tree and dropped his army bag down next to the trunk.
"We've been walking for hours now, plus im pretty knackered myself. Let's sleep and continue in the morning, the resistance base is still a long way away anyway"
Joan's feet came to a stop before her brain had time to process the request.
The clearing they were in seemed like a good enough place if ever to stop and rest, nestled in with the lake on their left and the dense treetops to cover themselves from whatever was going on in the city. She felt a wave of tiredness swoop over her and suddenly she too was dropping her own bag, she needed rest.
"Ok" she replied, grabbing Louis' backpack and dropping it beside her own.
Joan and her son sat down, lying with their backs against a large tree trunk with the peaceful sounds of running water to keep them distracted from their thoughts.
Alex looked around, he had researched the place all too well and knew that soon enough a blanket of fog would descend upon their resting ground.