Chapter 5

I appointed myself and a few others to keep watch for the first couple hours so the rest of the girls could get some sleep.

I could feel myself wanting to fall asleep from pure exhaustion so to prevent it, I headed into the edge of the forest and found a large broken branch on the forest floor. It was a good size, almost reaching my chin when I stood up straight and thick enough that my hand could just grasp the entire thing in my grip.

I took it back with me and began to carve the edge of it with the knife Hope had given me. I wanted to turn it into a wooden spear to use for protection.

My thoughts kept drifting to Hope as I carved away. Was she alright? Was she safe with her group? Would she come any moment now? What would we do if she didn't?

Keep going north and follow the river on the west side. It'll lead you to safety.

Hope's words kept replaying in my mind in tune to the swirling unease in my stomach. Don't turn to fear, I told myself. Just keep going. Don't think about anything else at the moment. When morning comes, we'll move out.

When I finished carving the spear I decided to head back into the forest and get another. When I carved it about half way, someone tapped my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts.

The girl keeping watch with me motioned to go and wake the other girls that would keep watch for the second half of the night. I just shook my head and told her to go on ahead. I was going to keep going.

I kept getting a bad queasy feeling at the thought of going to sleep while someone else kept watch. These girls were my responsibility and I was going to make sure they were safe.

Hour after hour came and went as I whittled away at a third spear. The light started to grow brighter minute by minute, the birds chirped their early morning song, and some small creatures were beginning to scuttle about again.

In all that time, Hope didn't come.

With the three finished spears in hand, I started to wake up some of the girls around me. Most woke and rose to their feet, groggy and tired but determined.

Several people didn't wake up.

We decided as a group to bury them underneath some branches in the edge of the forest. I counted twenty-seven bodies.

What stood out to me was that they all had smiles on their faces, even in their still slumber. They looked so peaceful, I almost felt envious.

One girl mumbled a prayer in a language I didn't recognize. She rested on her knees and closed each one of their eyes while she touched her forehead, sternum, and both of her shoulders in a specific order.

"She must be Catholic." A girl next to me noted. I hummed and nodded, watching as the girl finished with the last girl and two others dragged the rigid body to lie peacefully next to the others. I didn’t remember what the word Catholic meant but assumed it had to do with whatever the girl was doing.

I promised myself that I would remember their faces. Remember their sacrifice.

When we started to gather again, I gave one of my spears to Beef and the other to another strong woman- the dark curly haired one who fell in the water.

Most of the girls drank water from the river before we all continued on. I didn't have to tell them what Hope said about traveling north with the river. They just followed me without question. I wondered if Hope felt like this when she freed the girls from their cells.

Several hours into the day, we stopped next to a large pond-like section of the river bank. The water was calm and shallow enough to wade in several feet before our toes couldn't reach the bottom anymore.

Several girls pointed out some fish swimming in the cooler portions and although hesitant to stop, we decided to try and catch some so we would have enough sustenance in our bodies to keep going.

Several girls started to carve their own spears while others with previously made spears tried their hand at fishing- Beef included.

Beef jabbed her spear into the water and a large scaly fish wiggled on the end of it. She decided to give her fish to the tiny young girl she carried yesterday. The girl eagerly bit into the dead fish with anticipation. Blood dripped out of her mouth as she cried with joy at the taste of food. She was so skinny I could make out the individual bones in her hands as well as some ribs poking through her torn shirt. I smiled and offered to use my knife to skin away the scales for her and the little girl stared at me in awe. I didn't understand why though. It was just skinning a fish.

Several more girls tried to spear fish with their own carved sticks but to no avail. Beef ended up stabbing three fish, one girl caught a fish with her bare hands by staying very still in the water while a few others took their carved spears into the forest saying they were going to hunt for other food.

About an hour later, two of our teenage girls came out of the forest smiling ear to ear. We all looked at them curiously as they started to put pine needles together in a clump around small twigs and leaves before striking two peculiar looking stones together. Sparks flew from strike after strike till a small trail of smoke started to blaze from the tinder. We all cheered when they started to blow on the flame they made, creating a small fire.

"I learned this from summer camp a couple years ago. Never thought I'd use it now." One said, her matted dirty hair shining almost as bright as her smile.

An hour later and we had about fifteen or so fires going with small groups huddled around them, trying to keep warm in the chilly morning air after fishing.

Near midday, several girls caught a dozen or so large frogs from the reeds next to the river and cooked them from one of the small fires we had.

We all agreed to let the injured and most boney eat first. It only seemed right.

When the day was starting to set, we started to grow anxious for the girls who left to hunt for food. They had been gone all day and we were starting to lose daylight.

It wasn't until the sun was halfway through setting that the three girls came back. Two of them were carrying two large birds with them while the third had her shirt off and used it as a sack to carry something with her. We gasped when we realized what the two girls had brought.

Turkeys.

Our group cried in delight as the girls hauled them over their shoulders, bright smiles on their faces. We gathered around them as they set them down. The large plump birds had giant stab holes through the middle of them. One seemed to still be breathing. We all stared at the birds in hunger but no one moved.

"We pluck the feathers first right?" Someone brought it up. I nodded my head.

"And drain the blood too... somehow..." I replied in thought.

Someone scoffed in frustration before picking up one of the birds by its neck. "Well it's no use staring at it! Let's get to cooking." She began to furiously rip the feathers and soon those near her started to join.

"Hey, anyone want a snack while we're waiting for the birds?" The third girl lifted up her tied shirt sack and reached into it.

We all watched curiously as she pulled out a handful of blackberries. We all gasped in surprise. "Pass them out to everyone!" The girl smiled- her greasy blonde hair waving in the gentle breeze behind her. Each of her individual ribs were on display as well as her assets but to us- she looked like a superhero. All three of them did.

When the berries were passed out- each of us only having one or two berries while six girls continued to gut and pluck the birds, we all sat down to relish in our successes of the day.

In that moment life felt perfect. Everyone was so carefree and happy. We had food, we had the warmth of fires, some had washed their bodies in the cold bank of the river and had the stink and blood washed off of them. Life couldn't have been better.

The meat was finally cooking when the sun was almost finished setting, most of the bird flesh was still dripping with blood but no one cared enough to wash it out completely. We all gathered around our fires- each having their own small portion of the bird- some choosing the muscle and flesh, others- the organs. I even saw one girl roasting the esophagus.

Beef was sitting next to me, along with the other girl I gave my spear to and the two smaller girls Beef and I had carried on our way here.

"How long do you think we have?" Beef set another twig into the fire, playing with the end of it as she shuffled ash around.

"Till what?" I asked, watching the sparks fly towards the bright night sky. It reminded me of Hope's bright hair.

"Till someone comes for us. Either the men who took us, or that red haired girl's people, or even the police coming to save us- anyone really?" Her gaze now matched my own, staring into the dark abyss.

"I don't know." I sighed. "The girl just told me to have us continue north on this side of the river till we reached safety. I don't know where that is, but I won't give up till we all get there safely."

Some of the girls nodded- the smaller girl I carried scooted closer to me and rested her head in my lap. She looked so young. Much too young for this to have happened to her.

"I think the bird's done." The girl I gave my other stick to said, analyzing her own piece of meat. We all raised our piece of meat to our drooling lips. Nothing was heard but the juicy sound of meat being torn into. It was music to my ears.

"I never asked your name." Beef said, tearing into her piece of meat with her teeth. Hers was dark and tough looking- much like her. I looked up and realized she was staring at me.

I opened my mouth before closing it.

My name...