#sector 9

She’d cried for what felt like hours. Eventually, though, her throat ached and lips tingled from the sobs, her body had more desperate demands than grief that continued to tick upwards in their power over her. Thirst dominated first. She dragged herself to a bush, sensing the dampness in the air from a recent rain, and with effort, propped herself up against a tree to pluck free some leaves with shaking hands, lick the water from their lovely curled faces.  She tired of it quickly, then dozed a few more moments against the trunk. When she awoke again, the world still rocked around her, the image of her father lifeless on the floor still vivid, but it was more manageable. With a breath, she resolved to find somewhere safer. Somewhere better. It’s what her father would want, right? But she couldn’t walk. So slowly, painfully slow, she crawled, bearing most of her weight on her good arm. It felt like a lifetime that she moved, hand, knee knee, hand, knee knee. Twice, she stopped to dry heave into the bushes, but of course nothing came up. Around her she kept hearing whispers, voices, swore she saw shadows lurking on the edge of her vision, yet nothing jumped out and she was granted continued passage. She suddenly thought of the way that horses in the stables would begin to avoid one that was sick out of instinct.

She sat a few feet away from the water, having moved away when a large animal (she couldn’t tell what) came entirely to close for comfort within the fog. At least she could thank the fog for her easy escape. But that had been a while ago. She simply hadn’t gone closer again. It had gotten darker though, and she was alone. Nothing moved around her, not that she could hear at least. So she played with her flashlight. She didn’t know how well it would work once on the move. sHe’d have to figure a way out to secure the wire, but for now she could tap the wires together and the bulb would light up. Take the wires apart and it’d go out. She’d just put the wires together again to see the light brighten the fog around her when she heard a noise. She quickly pulled the wires apart again, letting the light go out, eyes closed, hoping she hadn’t been seen.