A time to prey

Molly

"I told you to leave me behind."

Molly hated hearing that. "Shut up, Con. Just don't wiggle so much so that you don't make it hard for us."

"We can't outrun the storm at this rate," Connie insisted.

Molly carried Connie on her back. He was surprisingly heavy despite his spindly figure. Or maybe it was just that Molly had never carried someone on her back this long. "We can. It's slow. We're faster."

"Not with me as a deadweight."

The wind whipped at them, mocking.

"Look out!" Princess yelled, pointing at a broken log that nearly grazed Molly had she not stopped in time. Princess was aloft on a plastic pail that floated on the invisible flood. Molly dragged her with a rope tied to her waist. Molly half-decided to put Connie on a pail too but he would not fit in the pails they had at home. A drum would have carried him but Molly was afraid he would topple over. He was taller than her, and older than her. But she had the normal legs so she had to assume responsibility.

"Where do you think the others are?" Princess asked.

"They would have made it past the bridge by now I think."

"You should follow them now and leave me. We won't make it!"

"Well, if you had not elected to be left earlier and be such a damn hero, we would have been miles off farther than where we are now. But in spite of that, I'm carrying you."

"Con," little Princess said, "No one gets left behind."

"Yup, that's the spirit."

The flood was at her waist now. Leaves rushed past her, all sorts of trash drifted down the road in an erratic flow- the only evidence that there was a flood at all.

"What's up with this fucking storm?" Connie cursed.

"Shh, P is here." Connie seldom dropped the f-word but when he did, it sounded crisp and raw like he meant it. He must be really pissed. But everyone was.

"Sorry," he apologized, looking over at Princess who waded her palm in the flood, paddling as if she was on a boat.

The wind was all they had been hearing so when they caught little screeches, they did not pay it much attention. They plodded on against the current.

"Do you think the giants are real?" Princess asked again.

"Who knows," Molly answered, tired, "Everyone's left so we leave too. And if invisible floods are freaking real, what more are giants."

At the intersection, they saw a family crossing the road. The man who must be the father towed a small boat that carried his wife and two children and their luggages.

"Hey!" Princess shouted at them.

The family saw them and waved. They seemed to be inviting them over. "Come!"

Connie spoke, relieved, "Molly, let's go. You don't have to carry me anymore."

Molly hastened her strides, not letting the opportunity pass.

"Yahoo!" Princess rejoiced.

But then a shadow swooped down, faster than anyone could scream or dock. And when it took off sharply to the air with one strong flap of its wings, the family had lost their mother. They heard her shrill wailing fade off with the distance as the huge bird flew her higher.

The children started screaming. And the father, with no time to mourn, tugged his boat forward, unwilling to help them anymore.

"Wait!"

"We should hide!" Connie shouted over the wind. He pointed at the western sky where a hundred more shadows had taken off to the air.

Molly led them all to the safety of the porch of a random house on the side of the street. She did not see what happened to the family. All she saw were a flock of brilliant-feathered birds descending upon where the family must be. She covered her ears and eyes after that.

Molly put Connie down, stricken and all the blood drained out of her face. She wanted to cry but she must not.

"What do we do?" Connie held her hand. Princess climbed out of her pail.

Molly said, untying the rope from her waist. "Maybe we can stay here. We can hide."

"The giants would stomp us."

"I wish Sister Maricelle was here," Princess sobbed.

Yes, she would have known what to do. But all they had here was Molly and she was running out of ideas.

"Look," Princess pointed at something, "There's the boat."

The boat drifted down the street, void of passengers.

An idea popped up in her head. And before she could lose the sudden adrenaline courage, she made a dive for it. She chased the boat, thrashing at the rubbish and  fallen branches.

She threw herself forward, made a grab for the stern and missed. She made another desperate jump, lunged her hand and this time, she had it by her fingers.

She heard the flapping of wings. It was no time for celebration. The birds were coming.

They made an ear-splitting cry, like a babe taken away from its mother.

Without looking up, Molly knew that it was her life on the line at this very moment. One quick shove and the boat turned over. She knelt into the flood and hid under the inside of the boat.

It was the gamble for her life. Whether the bird was smart enough to see, she was about to know.

On the pavement, the open winged shadow of the bird passed her by. The mere size of it astonished her. It was longer than a bus. She stood silently still, even keeping her breaths to herself just to be sure.

Then it was safely far off. With strong quick strides, she carried the boat to Connie and Princess.

She tipped it up, just enough to see. Connie and Princess huddled  in the dark corner, afraid. "Can you crawl?"

Connie first checked the horizon before scrambling onto the floor, pushing himself forward with his arms.

"Your pail, P. Con, you will have to go under the flood in order to get in. Can you do it?"

He nodded, full of resolve.

"Don't get carried away," Molly told him.

He dipped into the water, his useless legs first. Supporting his body with his arms, he slowly went entirely under.

He crawled toward her and under the boat, held on to her legs and pushed himself up.

"You will have to hold the boat up yourself while I carry you."

"Okay." Connie grabbed hold of the sides of the boat, lifting it high.

Molly pushed him up onto her back. "Now, P, come on in."

Princess tossed the pail to her. Molly snatched it out of the water and slid it behind her, tying the rope to her waist again. "Now, take my hand."

Carefully, Princess stepped into the water that reached to her neck when she stood. She held onto a bush as she reached for Molly's hand. The strength of this flood could easily take her.

"Good, good. Can you climb into your pail?"

Princess went under the shadow of the boat. She had to step on Molly's hands in order to get inside her own little pail.

Unsure of whether the birds will get fooled, they continued on their tracks. To the bridge.

They soon made it to the street where the huge birds perched on roofs, screeching to the rhythm of the gusts of wind. There were tons of them, flying overhead. Molly had seen behaviors like this before. On TV. She remembered watching seagulls crowding over a patch of water. That is a time for one thing and only one thing - feeding.

The current was flowing against them so it made Molly's heart drum in frenzy. The birds might notice.

One did. And it descended upon them. Its cumbersome weight almost buckled her knees. It was heavy as it was big.

No one dared to breathe.

She had to stop for a moment. It began to curiously peck at the hull of their boat, not aggressively. Much to their relief, it flew off.

They went on. And not long after, the street leading to the tall bridge came into view.

When Molly tipped up the boat to check out the bridge, she realized how much of a fool she was. She should have expected it.

"What is it?"

It would be impossible to cross. Molly retreated back under the shadow of the boat. "The bridge, it's crawling with birds."