The soldiers are marching again, with the heavy sound of drums quick to follow.
Everyone in the town who knows what is coming stays silent and tries to hide, praying that they won't stop here, in Woodson.
And it's every week now that they pick a new...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When we come across another pond buried deep in the woods, we stop for a break.
We've been walking through the night with practically empty stomachs, and there doesn't seem to be any signs of life in any direction for miles.
Disappointed, Andres sighs. "I'm gonna go see if I can find some food."
"Okay," I reply distractedly.
After yesterday, Andres took on the role of looking for food since he claims to have nothing better to do. This time, Kade volunteers to go along with him, and I notice that lately Kade and Andres seem to have become unlikely friends.
Sitting by the pond, I stretch out my limbs and bend down to drink some water. The cool liquid feels nice in my throat, so I sip about three cups before I am content. Camillo is only a few feet away from me doing the same thing since we don't have any place to store excess water on our hike; Our canteens and supplies given to us from Maulie were seized when we encountered the Other enemy camp.
In the background, I listen to the quiet patter of the miniature waterfall opposite of us. I hadn't noticed it before, but the water is so clear that I can see my reflection in it when I look down. I lean over and cringe at the messy tangled hair and big, dull blue eyes that stare back at me. I barely recognize the woman I see sitting there, bruises that litter her body, cuts over her knees.
Shaking my head and eyeing my dirty clothes, I wonder how long it's been since I have taken a proper shower, and, in realizing it was about a week ago, I wrinkle my nose. I desperately need a bath.
I make sure that Camillo isn't watching before I head over to the waterfall, thinking that the running water will get me cleaned up. The area I reach is given privacy by trees, hiding my exposed body from the world. Gently, I take off each piece of my clothing one by one, the layers peeling off like sunburnt skin.
Letting out a breath, I step into the cold waterfall with minimal splashing, my shoulders relaxing as I scrub the dirtiness off of me. I feel ten times lighter in the process of scrubbing my scalp raw. I don't want to leave any trace behind.
While bathing, I have the time to examine my arms and legs, full of injuries from my encounter with Slim. Most are on my back - bruises from being kicked by a shoe repeatedly. I take my time with it, simply standing underneath the cascades for at least ten minutes. Before, the marks on my body weren't very visible since they were buried underneath the filth coating my skin, but now the large purple spots are awfully unmistakable.
How am I going to hide them?
After I finish bathing, I submerge my dress and undergarments in the still water, washing the dirt from them as well. When satisfied, I slowly step out of the pool and carefully put my wet clothes back on. The sun here is strong enough that it will dry them pretty quickly, but for now, the damp clothes make me shiver.
