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it had been a long, long day.
they’d barely rationed any food, and worse, girl was pretty sure the majority of them were falling ill.
she listened to the quiet hum of the boat motor, trying her best to ignore how the rocking of the boat made her queasy. she looked up at the dark sky, which seemed even darker than usual.
“storm’s coming in,” boy observed, his eyes also flickering up to the sky momentarily.
“you think?” she turned to him, and she earned a simple “hm” in response.
“d'ye think we'll make it back in time?” bucket asked, fiddling with his overall’s buttons.
“don't know..” boy admitted, “it's a bit of a way away.”
“the city's closer,” girl suggested, seeing the silhouette of the tall buildings past the smog.
boy, again, hummed in acknowledgment.
“may be all we got for now..” he nodded, speeding the boat up in that direction as it began to rain.
eventually, the boat reached land, and the kids clambered out one after another. the breeze made them all shiver, especially girl, but they pressed on. they looked around the decrepit town, abandoned cars littered the streets and old chalk drawings clung to gravel stubbornly.
“watch your step,” boy suddenly warned, pulling girl to walk around a pile of shattered glass.
“thanks..” she responded, tiptoeing around the shards, the other kids following.
the wind grew stronger, and the rain soaked her clothes. she tried to keep her shivering to a minimum, but it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the chill in her bones.
bandage, who had been trailing next to her, noticed her shivering. he looks at her tacky, stained dress, the way it draped itself over her yet barely protected her from the harsh wind. his gaze fell to his own outfit. his warm coat, his gloves, and his scarf.
after a moment of hesitation, he unwrapped his scarf from around his neck, and tapped girl on her shoulder.
"hm?" she turned to him, seeing the scarf in his outstretched hands, ".. for me?"
bandage nodded his head, holding it out to her again.
"because you're cold," he signed as girl gratefully took the scarf and draped it over her shoulders.
"thank you," she smiled at him, and they continued on through the city.
the storm didn't relent, wind howling through the streets as the rain hammered down, until they approached a block of flats.
"we can wait it out here," boy murmured, climbing the steps and jamming his crowbar into the splintered wood. girl hurried over, and together, they pried the door open, and hurried inside.
the building smelt wet. smashed windows allowed stray raindrops to land on the hardwood floor, rotting the wood and making the wallpaper peel and expose the masonry, filling their noses with a stale smell.
"eurgh.." bucket grumbled, "smells awful in 'ere."
"yeah.." girl sneezed as some dust flew into her nose, "let's hope the flats are a little nicer.."
they trudged up the stairs, the creaking echoing off the hollow walls. by the fourth floor, they found a flat with the door partially open. boy pushed it open to reveal a quaint, and honestly, rather cramped living space.
"this'll do," boy announced to no one in particular, before leading the group inside.
"don't smell as bad," bucket muttered, walking past boy and in the direction of the kitchen, "wonder if they got any food.."
"of course that's your first concern." hood murmured, earning a punch in the arm from bucket, "hey, i didn't lie!"
"he's got a point, though," girl shrugged, "we're running low."
"see?" bucket taunted, and hood could already imagine the smug look he had on his face, but regardless, the pair went to search the kitchen, while bandage trailed off down the hall to the rooms.
"hey," boy spoke, "look."
he pointed towards an old television that sat idle in the corner, and the pair saw their reflections in it.
"no way," girl laughed, moving closer to get a better look.
"i don't remember the last time we watched telly.." boy mumbled, memories flooding back to him. movie night at the orphanage, watching cartoons on saturdays..
"do you think it still works?" girl inquired, poking some of the dials to no avail.
boy looked behind the tv stand, following a small cord to a power outlet. he nudged it gently with his foot, trying to push it in. when nothing worked, he kicked it, slamming the plug into the outlet, and the tv buzzed to life.
"hey, be careful!" girl warned, but her attention was quickly brought back to the tv, and she began fiddling with the dial, and as expected, the static continued, ".. dammit."
"nothing?" boy spoke.
"nothing." girl repeated, sighing, "knew it was too good to be true."
boy's face fell, but he noticed the vcr sat beneath the tv.
"hey," he pointed, "maybe the vcr still works."
girl looked down, considering the possibility.
"but where are we even gonna find tapes to play?"
as if on cue, they heard a muffled noise behind them.
bandage came back, dragging a box behind him. he pushed it into the center of the living room.
"found these under one of the beds," he signed, the excitement in his gestures evident as he opened the box.
tapes. lots and lots of tapes. old animated films, cartoons, random assortments of shows.. it seemed too good to be true.
… but a crash pulled their attention away, and bucket came running in.
"we found biscuits!" he cheered, holding up a small pack of digestives.
"hey, i found them!" hood called out, climbing down from the kitchen side and storming over.
"it was a team effort—"
"i found them!"
"you wouldn't 'ave even been able to reach the cupboard without me!"
"guys!" girl cut in, "look! bandage found a bunch of films!"
the two momentarily stopped their bickering, turning towards the box.
"what 'ave they got?" bucket put the pack of biscuits on the carpet, and crawled over to search through the box.
he pulled out animated films and tv shows, some they recognised and some they didn't.
"i haven't watched these in ages.." hood mumbled, picking up a copy of a film she remembered watching back in the shelter, while bucket kept digging.
girl peered into the box, digging out a tape of an old disney film.
".. how about this one?" she suggested, and the others turned to face her.
"yeah, that seems good," boy nodded, taking the box and placing it beside the tv stand.
"the rooms have tons of blankets and pillows," bandage signed, "we could make a pillow fort, like the ones we used to make."
"that's not a bad idea," hood nodded, and bucket got up, scampering off to the rooms, dragging bandage behind him.
girl gently worked the vcr, and couldn't help but cross her fingers, silently praying that it would work. after a few, tense seconds, the screen came to life with the menu screen.
"yes!" she cheered, and even hood and boy couldn't hide their excitement.
bucket and bandage returned with an array of blankets and pillows. the blankets were thin and the pillows had lost their fluff long ago, but it was the comfiest stuff any of them had touched in ages. they shuffled onto the carpet, and began setting up an impromptu nest. blankets laid in a semi-circle and wrapping around their sides, as well as pillows lined up against the sofa. another quick trip to the kitchen yielded more small snacks, such as a box of crackers and cans of fruit.
after a little bit of trial and error, the film began to play. the flat was now encased in darkness, the only light coming from the occasional flash of lightning and the tv itself. the kids sat close together, basking in the rare moment of comfort, with bucket and boy sat on either end, bandage, hood and girl sat between them. bucket huddled close to bandage, already looking sleepy.
the film played quietly as the children snacked. time seemed to fade into the background, and their attention was drawn to the colourful characters on screen as cheerful music played.
".. this is nice," girl said to no one, snuggling into one of the blankets and munching on a slightly-stale biscuit.
no one speaks up for a moment.
"… yeah," boy nodded, nuzzling a little bit closer to her. she couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. it reminded her of when her brother would have nightmares, and he'd come to her bed and ask to cuddle.
she nuzzled closer to him, and let her arm snake around his shoulder in a side-hug, and for once, he didn't flinch away. if anything, he nuzzled closer to her, basking in her warmth.
for a moment, the outside world meant nothing. not the monsters, not the people that hurt them, just them.
and girl wishes it could last forever.