(William Schofield x OC)
The city of Écoust, 1917.
Emma Leslie had been hiding away in a small room in Écoust for nearly two years when one night she goes out to look for something to eat again and finds an unconscious soldier who happens to be Lan...
"So, tell me, what are you doing here? I haven't seen any English soldiers around here for months now.", Emma started whispering trying to distract herself a bit and lower the tension that was unmistakably in the air.
"I could ask you the same.", William started, observing their surroundings.
Emma still held her dagger in her hands but also had the rifle ready for anything to come.
"Do you know how to shoot one of these?", Schofield asked as he caught her helplessly trying to get the weapon in a somewhat correct position.
"Not really, but I guess you just point it at someone, pull the trigger, reload and hopefully hit your target. Not that I plan on injuring anyone."
William just nodded not knowing what to reply.
He continued following the woman through the streets wondering what her story was, what she was doing here and for how long she had been fighting for survival in this city. What was a British woman doing in Écoust? She definitely knew her way around which was fortunate for him as he would have surely stumbled around the small streets not knowing where to go.
They neared the main streets leading up to the burning church that was still in quite some distance from them, Emma really wanted to avoid this place but from the other streets flare guns were being fired so she quickly decided that they should take a different route.
Suddenly a shot rang near them, the voices of Germans could be heard.
"Da! Dort, da ist jemand!" (There! There, someone's there!)
The two companions quickly jumped into action when at the nearby fence to the city's graveyard a shot ricochet, missing them by mere inches. They began to run as fast as they could towards some ruins that they could hide behind. Emma was worried at Will's still unsteady steps but he managed to follow her without stumbling too much. His steps were more of him dragging himself forward but it was relieving to know that his injuries weren't as bad as they looked. His body and his instincts were still functioning.
More shots followed all missing them as they hit buildings, sparks and dust falling down to the floor.
"Los! Schießt! Lasst sie nicht entkommen!" (Go! Shoot! Don't let them escape!)
Cursing under her breath, Emma kept running as fast as her malnourished body could get her. Soon they had gotten some distance between them and the enemy soldiers.
Breathing in and out to calm themselves both stayed in their safe spot for a few seconds until the commotion behind them had vanished. Emma decided that they were good to go again and with a nod she signalled the British soldier to move further down the alleyways.
It was again so bright around them with all the flames and the many flare guns being fired that being in the open as they were right now they had to try to stay still.
William jumped on the floor, trying to blend in his green uniform with the dusty bricks on the that were laying around just like he had learned in the battles he had fought, motioning Emma to do the same.
As soon as the lights vanished and they were surrounded by the darkness again, they got up, William now offering Emma his hand and helping the young woman up as they immediately started running again.
They were finally nearing the burning church and the city's fountain but Emma grew more and more worried. It was just a question of time until more soldiers were alerted by the two intruders in their city and therefore the more time they spent outside in the open the more likely it was that they were going to be spotted and shot.
William knew just as well as Emma what a problematic situation they were in. They needed to find a place where they could hide and he somehow trusted and also needed to trust Emma that she would lead them to safety. He was depending on her, someone he had known for a few minutes. Someone he barely knew anything about. Yes, she said she was British and she had a London accent but what was she doing here in Écoust then? In the middle of a world war? She could be with the Germans for all he knew. But he had no other choice but to follow her.
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I hope you are all doing well!
I am awfully sorry for not posting when I promised to, but studying for my A-levels took much more time than I anticipated and therefore I didn't really get the time to write and continue this story properly. I still have one more chapter ready but I won't be able to continue actively writing up until the beginning of next month when all the exams are done. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, why not leave a comment or a vote :)
(By the way, I absolutely love gifs, hope you do not mind me putting them everywhere ;D)
See you in the next chapter! Have a great day and stay safe everyone! :)
