Chapter Two

Aaron led the girl up the badly worn staircase to his room, letting her through the door before looking up and down the hallway.  The absence of people meant that no one had followed them.  They were safe for now, though he couldn’t say how long that would last.  Aaron turned to the girl and pulled out half of his day’s ration from the cupboard.  Today it was just a few saltine crackers, but food was food, so he wasn't about to complain.  Beggars can’t be choosers, after all.  He handed the half to the girl.  “Here,” he said.

The girl looked at him for a few seconds, as though she was expecting him to take the food away from her, or she thought the foot was poisoned or otherwise tainted.  Then she started to eat.  Judging by how quickly she devoured the food, he guessed she hadn't eaten in awhile.  Aaron sat down while she ate the food.  Once she had finished, he looked at her, considering what to do for a moment.  

He didn't have much in the way of hygienic amenities, but he did have a room with a sink that occasionally gave warm water, as well as some old, tattered rags.  “Here, go wash up a little bit,” he said, pointing to a room off to the side.  The girl stood up and scurried off.  Aaron heard a the water running for a few minutes before she emerged again.  

Aaron looked at the girl, bending a little bit so he didn’t tower over her quite so much. “You got a name, kiddo?” He asked.

It took the girl about five tries to stammer out “Presley,”

“Presley?” Aaron confirmed, just to be sure.

The girl nodded.  

“Alright,” Aaron said, “How old are you?”

“Twelve,” Presley mumbled, so quietly that Aaron could barely hear her.

That brought up even more questions than Aaron had before.  What was she doing out there? Where were her parents? How had she survived this long?  He decided not to ask quite yet.  There was a time and place for everything.  Now, and here, was neither.  Aaron sighed.  “How about you try and get some rest, okay?” He suggested.  The girl looked up at him, her eyes wide with something that might have been fear, might've been shock.  He couldn't tell.  Aaron nodded at her, as if to say it was okay.  Then, the girl scurried away and curled up in the corner of the room.  Aaron leaned back on the couch, exhausted from the day’s events, and closed his eyes for a little bit.

It only felt like a few seconds before he heard a banging on the door.  The sound  jolted him into alertness.  He grabbed his pistol from under one of the couch cushions and looked around.  Presley sat bolt upright, staring at the door in shock.  The banging started again, louder this time.  “Give us the kid, Bailey!” Commanded the voice of General Samuels.

“Like hell,” Aaron mumbled, pointing his gun towards the door with complete disregard for the man on the other side.  His heart pounded with anticipation and

The door flew off of its hinges and crashed to the ground.  Aaron didn’t shoot, but he kept his pistol at the ready. Samuels had a shotgun, which he used to look around the room, then at Aaron.  Aaron put himself between the general and Presley, finger on the trigger and ready to pull.  

“Step aside, Sergeant,” said Samuels from behind his gun, “You’re out of your depth here.”  

As if they had been waiting for a cue, about four other men stormed the room, guns raised and ready to fire.  Aaron knew he needed to act, and fast.  He couldn't take them all on at once, and he knew it.  No, the only logical move was to escape.  But his window was closing fast.  This was what ‘every second counts’ meant.  In a few moments, he and the girl could be dead.  They had no time to waste, no time for hesitation.  He had to move.  He slowly started to back up towards Presley.  

Then he remembered the flashbangs he still had on hand.  “F**k this,” He growled.  He pulled one out and threw it.  His ears rang, and his vision doubled.  The soldiers reeled from the effects, but Aaron didn't stick around.  He pulled Presley off of the floor and ran down a bit of fallen debris, to the ground floor.  He looked over his shoulder to make sure the girl was still there.  She was.  “Follow me,” he called before continuing to run.  They arrived at the border that separated the city from the outside world.  Aaron slowed to a stop and stared up at the wall.   S**t, this wasn’t good.  Aaron gambled a look over his shoulder.  The soldiers were far away, but within view, and gaining ground quickly.  

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he looked around.  The barbed wire at the top would make climbing it difficult, if not dangerous.  But they couldn’t stay here, either.  He looked to his side, where Presley had come to a stop.  She seemed to see something along the bottom, and it didn’t take long for Aaron to figure it out.  She had found a hole along the bottom of the wall.  After looking at him, she crawled underneath and to the other side.  Unfortunately, Aaron couldn’t do that.  The hole looked far too small.  There was a part of the wall that had been damaged a few years ago, and the shortage of stone resulted in it never being repaired.  He ran over and jumped up to get a grip on the fractured edge, pulling himself up and over to join the girl on the other side.  

He looked at her.  “You alright?”

Presley nodded.  

“Alright, we should get going,” He said.  Where, he didn’t know.  But they had a fifteen percent chance of living outside the city, as opposed to a near-zero percent chance inside.  He looked at Presley and started walking, only looking back to cover their six.  

Author's Note

Please be honest! There are some bits that I'm not sure of, so I could use a second opinion. Thanks!

Reviews

[Tbear]

The girl looked at him for a few seconds, as though she was expecting him to take the food away from her, or she thought the foot was poisoned or otherwise tainted. Then she started to eat. Judging by how quickly she devoured the food, he guessed she hadn't eaten in awhile. Aaron sat down while she ate the food. ( foot is food and it might be better to use the word food less...

[JoeM]

Hey, you're ruining my day. I've got other things to do. I'll have to see if you've done another chapter, now.
You've got a future as a writer.

[Alex James Strickland]

I am actually really enjoying this book- I want to read more. Great job. I haven't noticed any issues as of yet.

[Mat Dalu]

Great job again this time I didn't notice any problems at all. I also noticed you fixed the last chapter so thanks. I'm looking forward to fallowing the adventures of Aaron and Presley. P.S. sorry for only commenting so late tomorrow I'll be able to get on about noon. I also plan on lunching the first chapter of my book.