2 Chapter Two

Nicole Cihera moved swiftly through the cellar, carrying a silent Annalesia with one arm, while occasionally stopping to pack warm clothing, dehydrated rations, matches and other survival equipment with the other. Her footsteps were nearly silent against the granite-like floor. As the two moved past, the candles gave a small puff and flickered out, as if the flame had been pinched, until only one small light remained. Nicole stopped and knelt down, using the small light to peer closely at the wall, only to make a small noise in the back of her throat a moment later. She lifted her left hand and placed it against the brick-and-mortar wall, allowing it to drift downward until she found what she had been looking for. A single brick seemed to glide backward and disappear, and a panel in the wall slowly began to show itself. She opened the doorway with deft fingers, slipped the two packs through the door, and then carefully placed her daughter on her feet, before turning to her.

"Annalesia, I need you to move quickly. Follow those packs through, grab the smaller one-it's specifically for you-and crawl as far as you can. I will be right behind you." The child was smart, and instantly did as she was told, quickly getting onto her hands and knees to crawl through the opening in the wall, pushed the bags further in, until she had enough space to strap the smaller of the two to her back, and then began moving down the narrow path. Nicole quickly followed, closing the door shut and placing the brick back into it's proper place before grabbing her own bag. She had to army-crawl to get through the tight passageway, and she couldn't imagine how anyone would be able to follow.

It felt like an eternity, stuck in the small passage. Annalesia had to stop often to get a drink of her water, and once Nicole had had to cover her mouth to keep her from screaming as a spider crawled down the tip of Annalesia's nose. So when the two females emerged from the trap door on the other side-albeit dirty as they were, Nicole was quite relieved.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Nicole motioned for Annalesia to stay where she was stationed and moved slowly a few paces, carefully avoiding any leaf litter and small twigs, just in case the two females were not alone. She made it to the very end of the tunnel and moved into a crawling position, and then a kneeling position.

Nicole noted that she was positioned inside of an ancient tree's trunk, and the base was surrounded by several years' worth of leaf litter and fallen twigs and branches. She could smell the resin from the moss growing above the tunnel, but other than that, the air seemed clear. She poked her head outside of the tunnel and looked left and then right; the pathway was clear. Quickly, she disappeared back into the tunnel and hissed into the darkness. "Annalesia, it's time to go. Come now."

She heard a soft scuffling sound as her daughter quickly obeyed, and watched as the small child came ito view, her heart-shaped face streaked with dirt and her white-blonde hair covered in cobwebs. She sighed softly and bent down to brush the webs from her child's hair and the dirt from her cheeks, and when she was finally satisfied, she instructed her to follow closely, grasping the child's small hand so they would not become separated.

Annalesia did not make a peep as the two females left the tunnel entrance, and ventured left - North - and only stopped twice for a sip of water. Nicole knew that no matter how well she was doing, however, that the child would tire soon, and decided that they would have to settle down for the night.

Several hours later, Nicole had set up a small camp - sans the fire - and had enough clean water to last them for a few weeks. Now, she grasped a package of dehydrated food rations and tore it open, placing the contents on a small plastic plate, before dribbling a bit of water over the top of it. It didn't appear appetizing, but she knew that it would be enough for her and her child. She was about to hand Annalesia the plate when she heard a twig nearby snap.

Nicole's back went ridged, and her head turned in the direction the noise had come from. There, she could see the large shadow of something moving toward them; it moved on two legs, like a human. Her heart pounding, she threw the plate down before grasping her daughter and pulling her to her feet. "Run!" She hissed, pointing in the opposite direction. "Use the trees to your advantage and get away!" The child did not ask questions, but quickly hugged Nicole and then ran in the direction she had been told to go in.

As she ran, she could hear the sounds of deep masculine voices and the sound of her Mother yelling at them. "I'm over here! Come and get me," The male voices turned violent then, and the sounds of their steps could be heard even from Annalesia's position. She heard the sounds of weapons being drawn. Bestial noises flooded the woods as, somehow, Nicole cut them down. Annalesia obeyed her Mother and used the trees to her advantage, darting from behind one to another, until she could no longer hear the sounds of fighting. As she cleared the woods, she heard the sound of her Mother's scream pierce the air.