text: As the day wore on, Madeline managed to keep limping forward. After a while, she became good at zoning out from the pain. The repetitive motion of just putting one foot in front of the other became almost mechanical. And of course, Billie’s voice through the walkie-talkie provided a near-constant distraction. Though they tried to hide it through mindless chatter and light-hearted observations, she could tell her friend was worried about her. Talkative as they could be, they normally liked to remain relatively quiet while on the move so as to remain alert to possible disturbances. The near-constant communication made it clear -- no matter what they were actually saying, it was obvious that they were checking in on her. In a way, their concern was a comfort. Knowing that there was someone there to help if she needed it was definitely reassuring. But it would have been easier to stop worrying herself if their worry wasn’t quite so blatant. With her injury slowing the pace, they had to keep walking later into the day than usual. By the time they reached the edge of the city, the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. Madeline was about ready to follow it. But she knew she couldn't. Not yet. “We can stop soon,” Billie said through the radio. “We’re less than a day’s walk away from the meeting, even at this pace. All we’ve got to do is find somewhere safe to sleep.” “Any thoughts on that?” Madeline replied. “The map says that this whole section of the city is pretty much just residential. I suggest you rest somewhere out of sight while I find a couple of houses that are easy to get into.” “Sounds good.” She glanced over her shoulder and the figure of her friend a few hundred metres behind her before dragging herself off the road and into a nearby garden, nestling in behind the hedge. “This hidden enough?” “Looks it. I’ll let you know what I find.” Madeline didn’t have to wait long. No longer having to match her pace, Billie was clearly moving much faster than they had been all day. “Alright. I found one just a few houses down and another around the corner. You take number fifty-three on this road and I’ll take number four on the next. I’ve left the front door open for you.” “Thanks,” Madeline replied. She picked a few leaves and twigs from her messy ponytail as she extricated herself from the hedge, and limped back onto the street and towards the chosen house. Once inside, she didn’t bother to check the rest of the building, certain that Billie already would have. Instead, she made her way straight for the sofa. She chuckled to herself when she saw what awaited her there: a bag of chocolate-covered raisins and a bottle of coke. She lifted her walkie-talkie and pressed the button. “Thanks for the gift.” “Oh good, you got it. I found that while I was searching and thought you might enjoy it.” After picking up the items left for her, Madeline settled down on the sofa. She scoffed the raisins a handful at a time before gulping down the soda. When she was satiated, she picked up the walkie-talkie again. “Alright,” she said, “I’m going to try and get some sleep now. Thanks again for the surprise snack.” “Glad you liked it. Now sleep well!” “How do you make a farewell sound so much like an order?” “Because it is! You’ve got to get plenty of rest if you want to get your strength back.” “Alright then. I’d best get started! Good night, Billie.” “Night, Mads.” She set the radio down, shifted her weight around until she was at least vaguely comfortable, and closed her eyes. \ The next morning, it was a hiss of static that woke her rather than the sun’s rays. “You awake yet, Mads?” Billie’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. Blinking her eyes to clear the sleep from them, Madeline stretched out to grab the radio. “I am now,” she mumbled. As she spoke, she noticed how dark it was in the room. She glanced over at the window and saw only the vaguest hint of dawn creeping into the sky. “Do you get up this early every morning?” she asked. “Of course. How do you think I always beat you to our meetings?” “Hmmm,” Madeline replied. “I thought it was because you practically sprinted there because you were so eager to see me.” “That too.” The light chuckle in their voice conjured up an image of their face creased in a grin. Madeline could picture the way their olive skin would crinkle around brown eyes full of light and warmth. The thought made a smile tug at her lips. “Anyway,” they continued, “sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep this morning, but I figured we should make an early start. Besides, it’s not like you need anymore.” Madeline groaned as she pushed herself up. She did it as slowly as possible, to ease her limbs back into movement. When she was seated, she pushed down the button to reply, “I’m afraid all the flattery in the world couldn’t make me happy to be woken up at this time. Though kudos to you for trying.” “It’s not flattery if it’s true.” “Alright, alright, enough of that,” Madeline said, though she couldn’t quite restrain the twitching of her lips upwards. “I should probably take a quick look at my leg before we get going.” “Good idea. Do you have plenty of first aid supplies?” Madeline cursed. She should have thought to take some of her own rather than relying on the shared kit in Billie’s bag. “No,” she replied. “But there’s probably something I can use in this house.” Though her search was hampered by her injuries, Madeline soon found a bundle of bandages and some antiseptic spray in a bathroom cabinet. She winced as she peeled off the previous wrappings around her thigh. Underneath was still a sticky mess of varying shades of dark red and rust-brown. She did her best to clean the wound before bandaging it back up, biting her lip hard to hold back the pain. When she was done, she slumped back, a thin sheen of sweat covering her skin. After a few deep breaths to calm the trembling in her hands, she rewarded herself with a handful of chocolate-covered raisins. “How’re you getting on?” Billie asked through the radio. “All done,” she replied. “I’ll start walking now and let you know when I’m going past your house.” “No need. I’m already outside yours. Leave when you’re ready and I’ll follow behind.” Madeline shook her head. Of course, they were already outside. Letting her walk around the corner by herself would *obviously* be far too great a risk. Once she’d collected her things, she headed outside, waving to her friend as she started walking. After so long in the countryside, it was strange being back in the city. The buildings lining the streets felt oppressive, hemming her into a narrow segment of the world. Even stranger was the feeling of being in a *different* city. Though she knew it was likely all in her head, the streets *felt* different. Like they weren’t *hers*. She tried to put the thought out of her head as she walked. After all, they were just streets and buildings. Lumps of concrete, brick, and mortar. One was just like any other. And all of them had fallen to the Poiloogs. Luckily, the day passed with little in the way of incidents. There were a couple of scares when the hum of a ship became audible, but there was plenty of time to limp into a nearby building to hide. Having started early, they reached the neighbourhood of the meeting place before the sun began to set. It was close to the town centre, which meant spending the night in an actual house wasn’t an option. Not if they wanted to set off after dawn and still make it in time. Billie settled on an old clothes shop for Madeline, and an electrical goods store for themself. Though she’d have liked a better vantage point, Madeline had to content herself with the ground floor. Her friend insisted that stairs were too much of a risk, given her injuries, if she needed to make a quick getaway. And they assured her that they would watch the streets for the both of them. Inside, she assembled a pile of clothing as a bed. Then, after a quick snack, she settled down to sleep. \ She was awoken the next morning by the familiar hiss of static. “Good morning, Mads!” Billie’s voice crackled in an almost sing-song tone. “Ready for the big day?” Madeline rolled over to grab the walkie-talkie. “As I’ll ever be,” she replied as she slowly climbed out of the pile of clothes. “Should we go over the rescue plan one more time?” “We can as we walk there.” “Do you... Do you think they’ll go for it?” There was a pause before the next hiss of static. “I think at least some of them will. I hope so, anyway.” “Me too,” Madeline murmured. “I-- I’m not sure if we’d be able to rescue Liam -- and Joe of course -- without them. Hell, I’m not sure we’ll be able to do it with them.” “I know,” Billie said. “But you were right. We have to try.