The Dark Saviour [14]

Chapter 14

"There are two bags in the cabinet. Grab them. Now!" I ran over to my bed, opening the box under my bed and grabbing all my legal documents, sticking them in a folder that I slid into a backpack. I stuffed my flip phone and its charger in the bag, some batteries, a portable radio, a flashlight, and my first aid kit as well.

Tom came running back with the bags, one on his back and the other in his hand. I slung the backpack on my shoulder, grabbed a second bag that I put in Annie's crate along with her dog bed, and whistled for the pitbull. 

Her tail was still for once in her life, and her leash was already in her mouth. I clipped it onto her collar and pushed open the door. "What do we do?" he asked nervously.

"Get to the trains. They'll take us to the coast, and then we'll travel by boat to England."

"Then what?" he questioned.

"I haven't thought that far," I admitted as we joined the crowd surging towards the metro. "I don't even know if we'll make it that far."

Everyone was pushing and shoving, and I had to grab his wrist to make sure he didn't get lost. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, fear running through my veins instead of blood. Conductors were bringing on the most vulnerable first, so mothers with children, the elderly, and expecting women.

"Why aren't we moving? What's happening?" Tom questioned, his head ducked to speak with me over the high noise level.

"They're getting the most vulnerable out first. Parents with small children, expecting people, and elderly folks," I explained.

"What about us? What if there aren't enough trains or enough space?" stress leaked into his tone, his eyes betraying his fear.

"Hey, look at me. We're going to get out of here. We're going to make it. We just have to stay calm," I urged him. "Deep breaths, count to ten. Calm down."

"How are you not currently panicking?" he asked weakly.

"I'm fucking terrified, but the Elves taught me nothing if not how to control my emotions. We gotta stay calm. Can you do that for me? Can you stay calm?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I can do that." We waited for what felt like hours, but we could finally step onto the train. Bodies were crammed into the space, elbows knocking into my side, and feet trampled. The metro took off, and several people lost their balance, falling into people who then fell into others. I had firmly grabbed the bar going across the top of the train, Tom doing the same.

"We're just going to the train station, where we'll get on a train to Santander, which will take about four and a half hours. It'll be dark by the time we get there, but we'll get on the ferry to Porstmouth."

"And after that?"

"We survive."