Right now though I needed to put all those thoughts behind me, I needed to focus. I gathered up all the gear I would need; the camping back pack, the LED torch, the iron bar and the gun. Jumping up onto my kitchen island I flung the bag through the hole and carefully aimed for the edge of the wooden beam. It was an awkward jump, but I made it on the first go. Thinking about the first few times I had tried to do that without the mattress underneath made me laugh.
Outside
it was quiet. I could hear the distant lap of water against the concrete walls.
The crevice I had barely squeezed through led me out onto the far left side of
the building, right where I wanted to be. The townhouses were directly in front
of me and I slowly made my way towards them. I wanted my footsteps to match the
natural quiet of the area. It wouldn’t be right to run, to hear the slap of my
feat disturb the eerie serenity. I knew that the sound of my movements would
alert anyone in the area faster than anything else. I had walls on either side
of me and prying eyes would have needed to be really close to catch a glimpse of
my slight frame.
The first townhouse seemed completely untouched. I got into it by scaling a wooden side wall. The slats made for perfect hand and foot holds and I sniggered at the architect’s conveniently designed burglar wall. The window was another matter though, it wouldn’t budge and I had to smash it with the iron rod. I cringed at the loud shattering sound. It seemed to reverberate throughout the whole area. Not waiting to see if anyone came running towards the sound I scrambled inside and tumbled over a side table. I was in one of the bedrooms. I could hardly believe how unchanged everything was. The large king size bed was nicely made up, the cupboards contained an array of neatly arranged business outfits and formal dresses while the vanity mirror was lined with bottles of Chanel skin care products. I grabbed a few of the lotions and stuffed them in my bag. It was the end of the world, not the end of smooth skin.
I
searched every room thoroughly, but quickly. I grabbed the necessities from the
kitchen; all the dried goods and drinkable liquids. Although I doubted that I
would be thirsty enough to down a bottle of Sambuca, the taste of liquorice
made me want to gag. Just as I was shoving the long bottle into my already
overstuffed back pack I heard voices. My heart went cold and I could feel all
the blood drain from my hands and fill my ears. For a split second it felt like
there was an ocean in my head before the waves broke and I ran.
I
took the stairs two at a time putting as much distance between me and the front
door as possible. My bag was still in my hands and I struggled to fling it
behind me and pull my arms through the straps. I regretted filling it up so
much, it felt like it was dragging me to the ground, but I had to keep moving.
I had no idea how many people were in the scavenger group and there was no way
I was going to make a stand with a gun that only had four bullets in it. I barrelled
into the bedroom and squatted down beside the window, smashed glass crunching
under my feat.
I
listened as the front door was forced open and men’s voices filled the house. I
wanted them all inside the house, I needed them all in here. I chanced a look
out the window and cursed. There was a van parked out the front with two guys
standing beside it. If they didn’t come inside to help looting there was no way
I could climb out of the window unnoticed. I needed a plan, but the only thing
going through my mind was that I was trapped, trapped alone in a house with a
number of men who were more likely to attack me than help me.
Very slowly I moved back towards
the door. I tried to think back to how the townhouses looked from behind. From
my roof top perch I had seen them thousands of times and yes, I remembered. A
few small windows overlooking what I think was the laundry. Inching my way out
into the hallway I dropped down and moved forward. The stairway was just to my
left and the railings were made out of glass. A head could appear at any moment
and spot me, but I wouldn’t take the chance of someone downstairs spotting my
head, so I continued moving in a crouched position until I reached the laundry
door at the end. Turning that handle almost gave me a heart attack, but the men
downstairs were making too much noise to hear the faint click. I could make out
the anger in their voices. Some of them had discovered that the place had
already been picked clean. It was only a matter of time before they went out
looking for the perpetrator. In the laundry I stood up and closed the door
behind me. There was no lock on the door, but I didn’t let that unsettle me. If
they knew I was in here it would be too late anyways.
The
windows were small, small may be an understatement. They were tiny, barely
slits in the wall, but just wide enough for me to slip through. I thanked the
architect once again for designing the windows to slide open as I undid the
latch and slid them across. Poking my head out though, my hopes were dashed
almost as much as my head would be if I tried jumping out of the window. The
ground was a good 6 metres or so below me. Looking to the side the only thing
that could remotely help me was some young bamboo trees that grew out of the
neighbouring townhouses back drive way. If only I was jumping out of that one I
thought, I could easily land on the garage. I couldn’t even reach the tips of
the bamboo though and I didn’t trust my judgment of distances to risk a jump.
What if I came up short and just plummeted to the ground?
“Hey
Jacky!” yelled a man, “Someone’s been in through this here window!”
“Fuck”
I whispered to myself. The guy was upstairs just a few doors down. I took
another look out of the window and shrugged out of the back pack. This had to
be it. Leaning out I took aim and threw the bag at the base of the bamboo.
Hopefully the dirt would cushion its fall and keep all of the bottles from
breaking. It landing with a thud and I just knew that it didn’t go unnoticed.
It was now or never. I climbed out of the window and to my sheer luck found a
metal overhang that I could grip onto as I straightened myself out. I stood
there for a minute taking deep breaths and psyching myself out.
The bamboo swayed in the breeze and as I
watched it I felt a thick sensation of peace glide over me. I leapt for the
green leaves and my hands wrapped around the thin stalk. I felt it as it bent
beneath my weight, but it didn’t snap. I could see the ground coming closer and
closer until I was able to let go and drop lightly onto the concrete. The green
shoots sprung back up free of my weight and amazement filled the base of my
stomach, amazement and a tiny bit of fear. As I was coming to grips with my miraculous
descent shouts echoed throughout the courtyard. A dark haired man had stuck his
head out of my window and his eyes locked with mine.
I
smiled before grabbing my back pack and bolting down the road. I skidded around
the corner and was just about to turn towards my building before I heard the
screech of car tyres. If they saw me climbing inside my sanctuary would be
revealed. I couldn’t let that happen so I veered off to the right. Just as my
feet hit the side walk the van turned the corner and sped towards me. I was
running full pelt now, the weight of the back pack forgotten. The adrenaline
was coursing through my weak body making it strong, strong enough to evade the
scavengers. As I approached the intersection I had two choices, either stay to
the right and hope to get lost in between the high rise apartment buildings or
go to the left into crumbled Harbour Town. Not losing a beat I moved left. No
van could drive over rubble, no matter how fast it was going.
I
jumped over the first few fallen pieces of debris, but the rest were higher and
harder to climb over. I could hear the van doors slam as whoever was inside
give chase on foot. I was well into the rubble before I caught my first
up-close glimpse of the black fire. It stunned me. There it was just ahead of
me, dancing in the daylight—sucking up the sunlight. As I moved closer the
shadows seemed to lengthen. Everything got a little dimmer, more subdued. Even
the sound of my pursuers became muffled until I couldn’t hear them anymore. I
was so close to it now that if I stepped any further the fire would envelope me
in its liquid embrace.
The
back pack slid off my shoulders as I reached out a hand to the darkness.
“Ellio
es es tio o o” a whisper echoed around me, “Ameh eh eh lilloh oh oh”
It
was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.
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