till' we meet again, william schofield

two

two

THE THROBBING in Will's head was unbearable as he struggled to focus on the girl in front of him. She was tiny and skinny due to the lack of proper food around. Her hair was a dark colour, but he couldn't quite make out exactly which one. In fact, he couldn't make out anything else about her due to the sun going down.

"I-I won't," he stuttered. He lowered his gun and gripped the railing for support. His hand shakily went to the back of his head. A warm, gooey substance covered his fingers. He didn't need to have light to know his fingers were covered with blood from his head. He took a sharp breath and looked up at her. He tried his best to sound confident and calm, but the dizziness put him slightly on edge. "I have no intentions of hurting you."

He watched as her body relaxed with relief. She gathered the food from the ground, but didn't take her distrusting eyes off of him.

She walked towards him. Will watched as she passed him, her long hair lightly being blowed past her should. She stopped on the landing of the stairs, a couple feet away from him. "Come with me. I'll help your wounds."

Help your wounds. He dared to let the corners of his mouth turn up a bit. It's been a little while since he had someone to talk to, and it's been an even longer while since he's been in the presence of a woman. He squinted at her as he tried to think. Something in the back of his head egged him to say no. It was as if his brain was trying to tell him he needed to do something.

  "I'm sorry. I can't. I feel as if I need to something," he said apologetically. The girl turned to look at him. He took in the shape of her face. It was hollowed out a bit, but she clearly had high cheek bones and plump lips— although they were visibly chapped from the lack of water. His heart fluttered a little bit staring at her. A woman, and she was a pretty one. He missed seeing pretty women around.

She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, feeling the weight of his stare. "You're no good hurt. Let me help you. A thank you for not killing me."

He swallowed roughly, contemplating her proposal. He glanced at the watch on his wrist, but it was broken. He was torn between wandering until he found his purpose, or staying the night with her.

"Alright. Lead the way."

She walked down the street, and he followed. She was slightly ahead of him, so he tried to catch up to her. The throbbing in his head didn't agree with him picking up the pace. When he reached her side, he noticed how small she was in comparison to himself. She was about a head smaller than him. How could such a tiny woman be alive?

"I didn't catch your name.." He said. She glanced up at him before turning her attention back to the shadows, looking for any threat. He should have been doing the same, but this woman was mesmerizing to him. Or maybe it was the fact that she was just a woman.

"Rosine. How about your name?"

"William Schofield. But, people just call me Will. Why aren't you evacuated? Or at least in hiding?"

"Total war. The Germans didn't care if they killed elderly, men, women or children. Only the lucky ones got out before the bombs came down. Now, leaving is a big risk," she said. Upon hearing a gunshot in the distance, they froze. "And, I needed to eat. That is why I came out of hiding," she whispered.

The sun had long been gone as they walked together. The only light that could be seen was fires in the distance. "I'm assuming you're from here? French?"

"I thought that would have been obvious," she replied, rolling her eyes.

They turned the corner and stopped suddenly. In front of them was a church exploding with flames. Rosine gulped, feeling her insides turn and twist as she watched another place she spent a lot of time in ruined by war. Her eyes wandered to the fountain stationed in front of it, where she shared her first kiss with a farmer boy from out of town.

Out of the shadows from across the open area, a man emerged. Rosine's heart sank as she recognized the uniform. "William, we must go now," she whispered, placing a leading hand on his arm.

"He might not be German," Will replied and shrugged her hand away. He took a couple steps forward, and realized he was very wrong as the man cocked his gun and started sprinting towards them. Will grabbed the girl's hand, knocking all the food out of her arms, and they both made off sprinting. Rosine wasn't as fast as Will because the aching in her feet made running hard. But Will made sure she didn't fall behind. He gripped her hand tightly as they ran.

"Take a left," Rosine panted, and William obeyed. They took a sharp left and skidded to a stop.

"What are you doing??"

Rosine dropped to her stomach and kicked open a hatchet, wincing from the pain on her feet. "Quickly!" She hissed in french. He didn't need a translator to tell him there was urgency in her voice. He trusted her blindly as he entered the hole after her. He made it just in time, because nearly two seconds later a running man could be heard going down the street.

Will looked around curiously at where they were. Stone walls and dirt covered floor surrounded them. He raised his gun as he walked forward. He was stopped as Rosine grabbed ahold of his hand once again, forcing him to lower his weapon, and lead him into a room, where a dimly lit oil candle was.

While they both breathed heavily, Will looked down at their intertwined hands, and prayed this moment would last.