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Eliza's footsteps echoed ahead of Will'sbut she knew he was behind her cause his rifle cracked loudly against his canteen. The soldier behind them was shooting at them, but Eliza kept her arms swinging as she ran against the rubble. At one point, the shots alerted more German's to start on them. The one that had been following them fell to the ground, his rifle firing one more time as it cracked to the ground. Will pushed forward, looking around before kicking a door in, and helped her slip into the room. He panted as he closed it, and then turned to her. He felt as if blood had left his veins, and there was only adrenaline. He never thought that Eliza could have looked as raw as she did now. She looked real, no walls hiding what she was feeling inside. He grabbed her face, and held it for a minute. He pressed his lips to hers, holding it for a minute. The kiss was a comfort that they both needed. She was the first to pull away, and hugged him quickly before turning to the light in the room next to them.
There was a young woman in the shadows, and spoke in French. "There is nothing here. We have nothing for you. Please." She says in French.
Eliza could only understand bits and pieces but Will spoke up. "Anglais. Not German. Friend...I'm a friend." He says, setting his rifle down to show he isn't going to use it, and looks to Eliza, as if to tell her to do the same. The woman calms, her shoulders going to relax, which was nice for Eliza to see.
"This place, this town. Ecoust? C'est Ecoust?" Will asks her.
The woman nods. "Oui." She says. Will exhales in relief. Will starts to sway, his hand going to the back of his head.
"Will." Eliza says, grabbing his arm to sit him down.
"Ou sont les autres?" The woman asks.
Will shakes his head. "Others? No, just us." He informs.
She doesn't seem to get it. He gestures to the two of them as Eliza presses a cloth to his head. "Only. Me." Will says, hissing as the cloth dabs at his head.
"We need to be somewhere...we need to find a wood to the South East?" He questions.
The girl blanks, unsure of how to answer. "Trees. Les abres?" He says, and then continues as she stil has not answered. "Croiset?" He asks.
She nods, "Croisilles?" She questions, and Will nods. "La rivière." She says.
"River?" Will asks. "River. It go there. Trees. Croisilles." She says.
He nods, his attention turning to the sound of stirring behind her. The woman moves to the sound, picking a baby up from a drawer full of cloth. "Ma petite." She says. Will stares, and Eliza knows the baby can only be a few months.
"A girl?" Will questions, and earns a nod from her. "Oui, une fille." She confirms.
"What's her name?" Eliza asks.
"J'ne sais pas." Eliza's heart breaks at the answer. The baby was nameless, at least to them.
"Does she have a mother?" Will asks, and the woman responds the same as the earlier question. Will drops to the floor, and rummages through his bags.
"I have food, here. I have these. You can have them. For you and the child." He says, emptying his pack of food. The woman cringes.
"Elle ne peut pas manger ça. Elle a besoin de lait." She says.
"Milk." Eliza says, handing the canteen to her.
"Merci." She says. The baby starts to fuss, and Will sticks his hand out, fingers moving as the baby latches onto them.
"Bonjour." He greets softly. Eliza watches as the baby settles, calmed by Will.
"Do you have children? Children? You?" The woman asks in French.
Will doesn't answer, watching the baby. "Shhh...it's alright." He says. Will speaks again, in a soft voice, one that can put any into a deep peaceful sleep.
"They went to sea in a Sieve, they did. In a Sieve they went to sea. In spite of all their friends could say. On a winter's morn, on a stormy day. In a Sieve they went to sea. Far and few, far and few, are the lands where the Jumblies live. Their heads are green, and their hands are blue. And they went to sea in a Sieve." Will recites, and as soon as he finishes, he can hear church bells, he begins to count.
One, two, three, four, five, six, and both Eliza's and Will's hearts sink. They have to leave. Will stands, grabbing his pack and rifle. The woman speaks again. "The morning. The soldiers will see you." She says, sounding as if she is pleading.
"We have to go." Will says, pulling Eliza to the door.
"I'm sorry." Eliza says, following Will as they leave. They stay in the shadows as best they can, and the sun has yet to rise. BANG! A door in front of them opens, and a German falls out, and emptied his stomach. Eliza grimaces before Will pulls her to an alley and into a building.
It seems to be a schoolhouse, and they push further into it before Will locks eyes with a young German soldier. It seems they both know what they have to do, but neither of theme want it. Will pushes the man against a pillar, covering his mouth. Will presses a finger to his own lips, shushing him. The man nods. Will pulls his hand away, and pants. The man turns, in the direction of the drunk soldier. "Engländer!" He screams, and Will's hand returns to the mans mouth as he pushes him to the ground. Eliza dropped, trying to hold the man still as Will fought with him.
The man seems to bite Will, and he winces. Will turns to Eliza. "Don't look, love. Turn away." Will orders, and she obliged, for a split moment, she sees Will wrap his hands around the mans neck, squeezing. She screwed her eyes shut. They are two feral creatures, and know this is to the death. Eliza can hear the other man come back, and even though she cannot see, she can imagine the scene. She can also hear the man try to scream to the drunk, but it's cut short by Will's hand. The drunk is trying speak to the man, but she can't make out what he is saying.
Her eyes open, and the mans arms fall limp against Will. The man is dead. Will stands, and quickly pulls Eliza up. He leaves the rifles in their place, pulling Eliza out of the building. Will takes her past the drunk German, and darts out into the night. The drunk is yelling. "Engländer! Engländer!" But, they keep on running. Suddenly, more soldiers are out of the buildings, but they still aren't stopping. Will runs down a narrow alley, and she follows.
The Germans are trailing behind them, and keeps in the direction of south east. Ahead of them are stone steps, and they jump down. A flare shoots up, and she can vaguely see a bridge ahead of them. The burning town is now behind them, the Germans are still opening fire on the two English soldiers running for their lives. Bullets shoot off the rubble, and Eliza is hit by rocks and debris from shots. "We have to jump!" Will yells over his shoulder, stepping up and plunges downwards, into the river.
Eliza follows, cutting through the air like the bullets that had just been following them.
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