A Game of Shadows

Lucienne: 

Ten o'clock at night. I'm still awake. I roll over towards the window and stare at the curtains. I hear a noise. Something's moving around in the house. Something's coming up the stairs. Something's moving along the corridor. Tap tap tap go the feet on the floor. They are creeping along the corridor. They pass my door and I breath a silent sigh of relief and say a quick thank you to the protector angel over my bed. I hear a door open somewhere. I can't hear the feet anymore. I roll over and try to swallow my fear. It's probably nothing, I think.

Minutes later, a scream pierces the night. A woman's scream. My mother's scream. I hear a shout from my father. Gun shots. A cry of pain, then silence. The feet run past my door. Down the stairs. Now I can't hear them anymore. I roll out of bed and open the curtains a crack. I see a shadowy figure creeping down the driveway. He's disappearing down the street. I creep out of my bedroom and run to my parents. They're lying on the floor. Dead. I run back to my room. I look out the window. I can see the shooter. They're still there. I open my window and look outside. I climb carefully onto a branch of the tree growing next to my window. I walk along the branch to the trunk and jump down onto a lower branch. I look carefully at the flower bed bellow. I see a rock. Don't land on that. Here I go. Three. Two. One. I leap out of the tree. I land softly and crouch down. The shooter is a bit further up the road. I creep down the street in the cover of the shadows. I follow him. He goes out of my street. He cuts through the park. I follow him into the oldest part of town. He goes to a warehouse and then I lose him.

I creep back to the house. I try the front door. Locked. I climb up the tree and into my room. I grab a bag and fill it with a few items. I grab the blanket off my bed and head down stairs. I take a supply of food and a torch. I dig around in the closet and pull out my boots and coat. I change from my pjs into some warm clothing and grab the Swiss army knife. I hunt around in the cupboard until I find a small umbrella. A collapsible stick is in the cupboard. I take it and unfold it. It has a sort of retractable blade on both ends. I put the stick where I can get it easily. A lock picking kit is in the cupboard too. I take that and a small sword. I had no idea we had these in our house. I put the things in the bag and grab more stuff. I check that the windows and doors are locked before I climb out the window of my bedroom. With the bag on my back, I climb down the tree and into the flower bed. I start off down the street. I creep along the road, trying to keep silent. A car drives out and I dive into a bush. The headlights sweep over me and I crouch down lower. The car drives on.

I stay in the shadows until I get to town. I stop in a park. I look around quickly. No one there. I get the stick out of my bag and put it up my sleeve where I can get it easily. Now armed, I exit the park. I walk past the shops not knowing what to do. There are a few people about. I listen to snatches of their conversations. Burnt..... Shot....... Two people dead..... Building....... Farm....... East part of town........ Shadowy assassin. I cross a foot bridge over a tram line. I stop. No one on the bridge. No one around. A tram rattles along. It passes under the bridge. I jump onto the roof and crouch down low.

The tram takes me to the country. It's getting lighter. People will see me soon. We pass into a wooded area. There's a soft slope here. I leap off the tram and roll away. I'm hidden now. As soon as the tram is gone I leave my hiding spot and make my way to the farm. I creep to where the house is. I look at the black ruins and wonder why anyone would do this. No point, I think. I rummage through the remains. Chair. Boot. Key. Gun. Bullets. I pick up the gun and the bullets. The gun still works. I take them and keep looking. Scissors. Knife. Necklace. I take the scissors and the knife. My hand hovers over the necklace. I take it. I wouldn't leave it here. Box. String. Wire. First aid kit. I take the string, wire and the first aid kit. I open the box. Just a crystal. I'll take it anyway. Might be worth something. I put the box in my bag and move on. I come to a small creek. It has fish in it. There's a bridge further up. I walk to it and sit on the edge. I get out the string and cut a bit of wire. I make a hook out of the wire and tie it to the string. I get out a small piece of meat and put it on the hook. I lower the hook into the water and tie it to the bridge. I walk to the other side of the bridge and hunt through the woods for food. There's mint over there. I see a tree with small apples on it. I take an apple and cut it in half with the knife. It smells like cinnamon. I take a bite. Tastes good. I gather more apples and move on. I find several truffles under a tree and I gather a handful of them. I find acorns on the ground and pick up a good deal of them. I go back to the bridge. I pull in my line. There's a good size trout on there. I take the trout off and kill him. I commence the dirty task of gutting the fish. I take the fish with me into the woods. I light a fire and cook my fish. I eat a satisfactory meal. I look at the sky. The sun is well up now. I should move on. I clean up and get rid of my traces. I don't need anyone knowing where I've gone. With my belongings, I creep towards the forest. A crying voice stops me. I turn and go towards it. It is in the ruin of the farm house. I carefully pull some rubble out of the way. A girl who looks about my age is lying in the middle of a gap between two fallen rafters. I pick my way through the rubble and crouch down next to her.