The Commandments: Chapter 5

[Merci]

It was far into the night when the bombs stopped. I had been napping, half aware of my surroundings and Kora, as he ate from the cellars large amount of supplies. It was my suggestion that we stay until morning, when we could see better, but we had already eaten most of our food, and were down to one sack left.

"No." Spurted Kora between bites of pickled eggs and salted pork. "No, you have to go out and find us more food, you can do it, your small, find the biggest, richest houses, look for the kitchens." He swallowed only after he finished his sentence, and curled up in another of the burlap sacks. I was about to protest, but he was sleeping soundly by the time I had fully processed what he had said. I came to realize, after many moments of thinking, that it had become hard to think at all after that hit to my head. I rubbed my fingers on the swollen lump, still healing on my head.

As I hopped from a crate, up into the window, I saw everything by the fire that lit it. Half fallen buildings, a rail car stopped in its tracks, and rubble covering the tarnished sidewalks. I had known, from past visits to the city that the richest houses were to the south, not a very far walk from my current position. I began to run, nimbly past flames and people who had bravely ventured past their houses to sight the damage to the streets. They looks troubled, no, mortified at what they saw, exchanging terrible glances. I pitied them, I had no home to return to, yet they are forced to live among this rubble.

I neared the southern part of town, and immediately saw the difference in scenery. There were flowers here, and the people were still sleeping snugly in their beds. I snuck past a garden gnome, watching with deft eyes over a large estate, where the lights were only on downstairs, unlike most others in this district. I stole through an open window, just a large enough crack that I could fit through. I came into a sort of living room ,and saw the light flooding from a large opening, and steam. Figuring the steam was from a cook stove, I ran into the lit room. There, standing in a bath pale, showering, was an elegant lady, her entire body glowing nakedly in the light. I must have been the brightest red ever, because then, with her sleek, young body turned to me, she smiled.

I ran.

[James]

Quite short, but decent.