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THE FOLLOWING TWO MONTHS were much too horrible to explain in detail. It would get rather repetitive, after all: the awful events were always followed by heartbreak, tears, emptiness, and a sleepless night.
The family of six had trouble moving on, for Mary Ann couldn't bear to lose Robbie again; she claimed he would never be able to find them if they left, and that there would be no way to contact him to check if he's okay. Ray eventually explained to her that if they didn't leave, Robbie would have no family to come back to.
And so they started their journey into the heart of Boston. None of them were sure of what they were searching for, but they all seemed to have an unspoken plan to find a camp of sorts, one that offered shelter and medical help.
Outside of the burning block, Ray and Tim broke into houses in hopes of finding food, water, and blankets, but every house they chose was picked clean. They stopped their short-lived search when they came across a particularly hostile old man, who knocked Tim out with the butt of his shotgun and nearly shot Ray in the chest before Ray quickly lifted his hands up in surrender and begged him not to pull the trigger.
Given their lack of warmth in the upcoming winter weather, nearly all of them came down with a cold - Eleanor and her grandmother had it the worse, for Babs was frail and Eleanor had always been prone to sickness. Eleanor was young, though, and had a much better immune system, while Babs had nothing to help her but the layers of warmth that the others tried their best to give to her. She passed away and was buried by her husband and Ray while the others picked flowers to lay on the grave, trying their best to understand. No matter how much she wanted to, Eleanor still couldn't cry, even when her grandfather passed away a few days later from a broken heart.
With aching bones and tired eyes, the remaining family members finally made it to the TD Garden, which they learned was one of a handful of refugee camps in the area. Volunteers from all backgrounds helped everyone who came in as many ways as they could. Eleanor and her family were welcomed with open arms, which reduced Mary Ann to tears of relief. A kind woman led them past towers of boxed food and water bottles, piles of clothes and blankets, and a line of people waiting to be served breakfast. She weaved them through the expanse of people sitting and laying on cushions and blankets, many of which glanced at the newcomers as they passed.
It was all very overwhelming; the unceasing murmurs, the families huddled together on salvaged couch cushions, the frightened gazes from the young survivors, the empty stares from those that were alone - those that lost everything. Eleanor made eye contact with one of these people - a young man with a bruised cheek, a persistent frown, and tired, green eyes. Her heart dropped at the sight of the familiar shade, but then she blinked, realizing it wasn't him. She could have sworn it was him.
