"Tassie, can we go on our walk now?" Maxie's chubby face leaning down inches from mine wiped away all trances of the darkness that had once taken over my mind.

"Yeah," I rose back to my feet, my hands dusting the dirt from my jeans. "Let's go."

Lexie took a flying leap off the rest of the steps, Amanda calmly followed, while Maxie brought up the rear. I tailed their path at a much more leisurely pace, wanting to enjoy this small, rare moment of freedom.

We walked down the driveway towards the main road, leaves blowing across our feet. The road was still empty, no soldiers in sight. Across the street, Mr. Thomas sat sedately on his porch swing, his small bald head nodding at us as we passed.

"Do you tink we'll get to go to the fair tis summer?" Maxie asked as he dragged a stick behind him, his goal seeming to be to hit every other square we stepped on.

My grin was weak at his innocent question even as Mr. Lopez's curtain shifted out the corner of my eye. To my left his wife's long black hair appeared within the small gap between the yellow fabric before she quickly pulled it closed.

"No, stupid," Lexie answered as she hopped from the sidewalk back onto the edge of the street and vice versa. "You heard Mama. Mean people won't let us leave the walls."

"Lexie," I started—

"What?" She looked back at me with the same irritated expression I regarded Dad with when he wasn't looking before, she insisted, "It's true."

"Maxie it's just safer at home," I amended. "Plus, you love reading and playing in the yard."

He looked back at me then back down at his stick before he muttered, "I like wides and totton tandy more."

Distraction time. I sighed, before I said, "Okay, let's have it out."

Lexie groaned, her eyes rolling around inside her small head. "Not that game again."

"It's depressing," Amanda replied.

"No, it's freeing. People need to get stuff off their chest," I said, knowing they'd complain but eventually comply. My sight traveled to Mr. Nelson's house, or more importantly, his burly figure posted with a shotgun in hand on the porch steps.

Yeah Dad, everything was completely normal here...

Sidetracking my siblings was key. "What's the one thing you wish you had right now?"

"totton tandy," Maxie repeated sadly.

"A ride," Lexie muttered under her breath.

"School," Amanda shyly whispered, her eyes trained on the roof of what used to be the elementary in the distance, beyond the wall. Initially, parents still allowed kids to travel to it, escorted by guards of course. Hell, even after the president was killed people still maintained that tradition. It wasn't until the power was shut off and the unrest got closer to our front doors that home schooling became the new norm. And since the high school was even further away, my days stuffed into a crowded hallway disappeared even quicker.

"How about you Tassie?" Maxie asked.

Shit.

"I-" I begin, my body halting at the sight of that familiar red siding, its deserted exterior standing out along the rows of identical white houses. It was weird to walk near it and not have its gray door swing open. It was strange to see the mat welcoming guests to a house that would never be a home again.

"Tassie?"

I hurried them along, my eyes on the cracks in the sidewalk rather than the blurred sight of our cousin's abandoned house. "I miss popcorn."

Maxie smiled, one tooth missing on the side. "Popcorn? Why?"

And because I couldn't say that I missed the girl that I ate popcorn with, I said, "Just do. There's Shelly's house up ahead."

A white and black two-story structure stood before us with Mr. Robinson's short figure stationary on its covered porch. We lived in one of those subdivisions where the houses were basically preordered with minor changes. They were tiny carbon copies of suburbia devoid of personality, just like the HOA had liked it. As we got closer to the front porch, I felt a chill in the air that had nothing to do with the fall temperature. Beneath Mr. Robinson's dirty ballcap lay suspicious brown eyes, bruised hands lifted the coffee cup to his lips before he used the back of his palm to wipe the moisture away from the moustache that hid his upper lip.

"What ya'll doing out here?" He questioned; his posture relaxed as he leaned against the porch column. His other hand rested near the gun on his hip.

Seriously?

"Mama sent us here with her strawberries."

"Strawberries," he muttered, contempt spilling off his tongue.

Mr. Robinson was never the friendliest guy, yet in the past he was never this openly hostile. At best, I would say he tolerated Mama's friendship with his wife. I would say he tolerated most of the people in our neighborhood.

Instinctively, I positioned my siblings behind me even though I knew his weapon was more for show than protection from us.

"Shelly!" he yelled over his shoulder. Hurried footsteps came closer before Shelly's frizzled expression appeared within the doorway.

"Hey-" she started; a small bag already extended. Her eyes were kind as they landed on us, nervous energy coming off her in waves. "Ya'll out here on your own?"

"Um... yeah. Just taking a short walk," I said as we exchanged items.

"I thought we talked about this, Shelly."

Her smile faltered a bit, her thin frame seeming to tense beneath the fabric of her dress. Turning to him, "We did, but I had already promised Jasmine."

"You promised her..." He spat near her foot, snorting before he turned back to me.

"Bob-" she tried only for him to hold up his hand to stop her.

"Look Cassie, I know ya'll got a lot of mouths to feed over there but tell your momma we won't be doing anymore exchanges. We got our own people to worry about."

"Bob-" Shelly started again only to be silenced this time by a look.

Dismissing her, he nodded towards the street before he said, "Best you four move on."

What an ass.

Sending a tight smile of gratitude up at Shelly's sad expression, I hurriedly guided my siblings away from their yard.

If that was an example of marriage, I certainly didn't want one.

My eyes fell to the three lone eggs in my hand while trying to regulate my true feelings before my brother and sisters noticed. No store, and now no exchange with Mrs. Robinson. We would starve if we continued to stay here.

What was Dad's plan? Did he even have a fucking plan?

"No more eggs?" Maxie asked as we backtracked our way to the corner of the street.

Evenly, I said, "I don't think we'll be seeing much of Bob and Shelly for a while."

From the looks of the neighbors that we'd passed today, I didn't think we'd be dropping by any of their houses anytime soon.

"Can we go to the fountain?" Lexie asked, her question causing Maxie's body to jump up and down in excitement.

Distracted, I muttered, "It doesn't even work anymore."

"We know that, but the flowers, benches, and pathways are still there."

I hesitated, then looked back in the direction of our house. I could still see it from here. That promise to not go far lingered in the back of my mind... but this was such a small thing that would make them happy. "I don't know, guys. Mom and Dad wanted us to stay close."

"It's like three streets over," Amanda pouted. "Besides, you asked what was one thing that we missed, and this is one thing that we can make happen. Please?"

Amanda and her logic.

Pretty soon I had three pairs of big eyes pleading for me to say yes.

"Fine, but only for a minute."

They danced excitedly before hurrying along. Squaring my shoulders, I knew Dad would lay into me for this. Hell, it was hypocritical of me to preach safety, to warn others about pending danger and then disobey Dad's main rule. But what can I say... those three little eggs in my hands did feel depressing.

Everything just kept changing.

And while I couldn't give my siblings much, I could give them this one last moment of normal even if it would be short-lived. To be honest, I wanted to bury my head in the sand for a second too.

I guess I'm more like my mama than I thought.

There was silence on this street except for the crunch of leaves under our feet. Like Uncle Travis, several of the residents deserted their homes. Whether their motivation was to find loved ones, to escape the strict rules the guards began to enforce, or simply to go out there with blind faith, streets like this one became a road full of empty shells.

Well, not completely empty. The guards eventually made these houses their barracks since they were close to the wall. And by then, we were no longer permitted to walk near here. I used to think it was because my parents feared its proximity to possible danger until there were rumors of young women's nightly visits here in exchange for more rations on their doorsteps.

"Don't get too far ahead of me," I warned my brother and sisters as they happily ran for the main path. I shivered as I hurried after them, hoping that I would never be so desperate. I was hopeful that my body and soul would never be something I had to barter with.

"A chipmunk!" Maxie exclaimed, running with the twins into a field of overgrown grass and yellow pansies as I took a seat on a lone bench.

Out here there was more open space, the forest spilling over the walls surrounding us. What used to be a huge fountain, this subdivision's show piece, was now empty and showing signs of obvious wear and tear. From a distance, I could see the tower, could see our small neighborhood spread out beneath us.

It looked so idyllic, so tranquil even in its forced silence.

This must be what intruders see before they invade areas like these, before they take owners hostage, before they plunder and pillage the land for all its worth. We'd seen it on the news too many times to think that this place is safe.

I'd seen it on the news too many times to think that this place is safe.

Maybe this was a bad idea.... What the fuck was I thinking?

I had no gun, no weapon to defend us.

"Maxie, you're it!" Amanda squealed as the twins ran in the opposite direction.

Turning to my left, I scanned our surroundings. If someone scaled the wall we'd be completely unprotected.

"No fair! Yo legs are longer!" Maxie complained.

What was that?

Swinging to the right, I peered at all the open space around us. But along its edges lay small groves of trees and bushes that provided too many shadows, too many hiding places.

How could freedom suddenly feel so suffocating?

"Guys, we gotta go," I said calmly, taking a step closer to my little group.

"Why am I always it?" Maxie exclaimed while completely ignoring my words.

"Cause you're the youngest," replied Lexie.

Was that a twig?

Frozen and straining, I waited with bated breath to verify that sound.

I swear that was a fucking twig that snapped from behind them.

Trying not to panic, the eggs were quickly shoved into my pocket before I bent down to pick up the biggest branch that I could find.

"Guys, let's go now!"

The bushes... the fucking bushes near my youngest brother began to move.

The terror on my face was mirrored in theirs as they ran forward. Pushing them safely behind me, I knew that we were too far from home to make it back safely. Planting my feet just like Derrick and Wes taught me, I gripped the branch like a baseball bat, and swung the shit out of it. But the branch connected with nothing but air, my body twisting with the force of my swing.

And I could have cried with relief, that is... until a strong hand took hold of my makeshift weapon before we could retreat. 

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Who do you think it is?

I haven't written in a while and I'm trying to get back into it. I'm actually really tired right now. My plan is to just keep writing. Even if I dislike a chapter or I don't feel like it's that great, I'm just going to continue. Otherwise, I will never finish a story and I want to finish a story this year. This isn't where I wanted this chapter to end but then I didn't want it to be super long. I feel like you're slowly learning the characters, the world, and how people are interacting, but then again, I also question why Cassie would go off without any weapons? So, I was trying to justify it in her head, but I don't know if I believe it yet lol. Oh well, thanks for reading!