3004 by Natasha Murray by Natasha Murray

Author:Natasha Murray
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

19

Kayleb approached the village cautiously. As he got nearer to the wasters he became self-conscious about the way he was walking. He wasn’t sure how a girl walked; he altered his gait several times but in the end gave up and decided the way he walked would have to do.

The village centre seemed quite deserted now. The fire was still smouldering, and charred bones were scattered amongst the ashes. He hoped that they were animal remains and that this village did not have cannibalistic tendencies. A shiver ran down Kayleb’s spine. He remembered the bones he had found at the bottom of the well; he did not want to get eaten. He looked down and tried not to look conspicuous. Kayleb’s attention was drawn to a small group of people gathered around some baskets; they seemed to be haggling over some fruit and vegetables. There wasn’t much choice and the fruit looked tired and shrivelled.

Kayleb decided that he would slip into the lanes and not stand staring. He was just about to go when a small child of about three years old appeared in front of him. She was crying. Kayleb hesitated. The girl was looking at him to help her. Kayleb looked around for assistance. A large woman wearing a torn and tattered green velvet dress came towards the child with her arms out. She picked her up and tried to comfort her. Kayleb watched. He was surprised how friendly everyone was to each other, despite their humble conditions. The little girl continued to cry but her sobs began to subside as the woman comforted her.

‘She’s just lost her mum, this one,’ the woman said, smiling at Kayleb.

‘I’ll look after you. No need to cry! It’s a shame. I was only talking to her mum yesterday and now she’s dead,’ she continued.

Kayleb was about to speak. He wanted to know why the girl’s mother had died and then he remembered that he was in disguise and he backed away.

He remembered Helen hugging him when he was small, when Conrad had been at work, as he wouldn’t have approved, and he felt suddenly homesick. He just hoped and prayed that she would be there when he finally got to London. With a sense of urgency, he continued to search for Rowan.

The dwellings were arranged in a grid pattern, so he found that he could quite easily look along the rows and see if anyone was sitting outside guarding any of the homes. The shelters he passed were quite dilapidated and not really secure enough to hold back a herd of taskers, desperate to escape. He knew that he had to find a building that had been fortified.

Eventually, Kayleb found himself back in the village centre and he was just about to return to the riverbank when he noticed three girls making their way to an area that had been fenced off. They were being led by an old man with a stick. Kayleb decided that he would follow the girls.

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