Eunice was gone.

And she was all alone.

Amberley tried to control herself; she tried to stop the sobs wracking her small frame; she tried to cease shaking, trembling, crying.

But she couldn't.

Finally, after half an hour of lying amidst the prickly, yellow straw, Amberley's numb fingers, aching for some blood-flow, convulsed in a series of twitches. She grimaced as a wave of pins-and-needles assaulted her entire arm.

C'mon. Seriously. Pull yourself together.

Heaving a long, deep breath, Amberley slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position and tucked some wayward strands of hair behind her ears. Sniffling, she passed the back of her hand across her nose and cleared her throat, clogged from gathering mucus.

Wiping at her damp, salty cheeks, Amberley let out a sad sigh as she slowly made her way down from the loft. She timidly ventured out into the back-yard and cast a long gaze over her surroundings.

The day, that had previously felt so bright, so hopeful, so peaceful, had been shattered into a million pieces of grey.

Amberley's horror and sadness began to turn into resentment and anger as the painful reality of her situation dawned on her. Breaking into a run, she hurried around the side of the house. She paused at the top of the beaten-down path that threaded its way through a forest of gold robed trees and into a mountainous range of the unknown.

She stared, almost in awe, at the trail that rose and dipped over a series of crevices lining the edge of the valley where their house resided. As her big, blue eyes followed the twists and bends of the almost non-existent road, she gulped and backed away a few paces.

It looked so daunting, so dangerous, so far away from everything she had ever known.

Was she brave enough to risk her life and go after the intruders who had taken Eunice?

Amberley shook her head. "No, no, no," she whispered.

In a fruitless effort to stop the heavy pounding within her brain, Amberley ran her fingers through her tangled, ginger locks and dug their tips into her scalp.

"Help me," she breathed, desperately and helplessly. "Help me! Help me! God! Somebody help me! Please! Please!"

Her terrified screams rent the air and echoed loudly through the valley.

Amberley didn't know why she screamed. She knew it would do no good. There was nobody around to help her, assist her, tell her what to do ...

She was well and truly alone.

And it was frightening.

Struggling to clear her fumbled mind, Amberley spun around on her heel and slunk hastily back into the house.

Shoving the front door aside, she looked over the chaotic mess that had wrecked the inside of her home. Shards of glass and pieces of pottery littered the floor amongst piles of cooking utensils, pot-plants, furniture and knitting baskets.

Bottling her sobs, Amberley threw herself into the jumble of trash, lifting things up, turning things over, casting things aside.

Then, she found it.

Slowly, with a trembling frame, she picked up a pocket-size canvas, one small enough to fit in the one hand, and gazed at it. Tears glistened in her eyes but a small smile broke through her grief-stricken features. Her fingers fondly traced the bumpy surface as an ache twisted her sore and tender heart.

"Happy birthday, beautiful," Eunice smiled as she settled herself on the edge of Amberley's bed. Raising her hand, she swept the girl's wayward hair out of her face before presenting her with a tiny wooden box. "I have a present for you."

Amberley's eyes widened in delight as she accepted the box from the woman's hand. Eagerly, she opened it up and peered inside. "Oh my god," she glanced up, amazed. "You made this?"

Eunice nodded. "I'm not an expert at painting, that's for sure," she chuckled. "But I did my best. See, that's you with the flowers in your hair and that's me, making you a flower crown. Do you like it?"

Amberley nodded vigourously. "I love it, Eunice. Thank you so much!" She threw herself into the woman's arms and gave her a tight hug. "I shall keep it always."

Eunice pulled away and looked the younger girl in the eye. "Amberley, promise me that you'll keep this safe and sound, so that no matter what happens and no matter where we are, that we'll still be with each other. Okay?"

Amberley sent her a wide smile. "Okay, I promise."

Tears slipped freely from Amberley's red, blood-shot eyes and down her stinging, swollen cheeks. Bowing her head in near-exhaustion, she breathed the words, "I promise, Eunice, I promise. I won't ever forget you."

As a morbid darkness settled across the land, Amberley retrieved a small book, grey from dust and yellow from age, from amongst the rubble.

She took a piece of flint near the cold stones of the fireplace and sparked a warm, bright flame which she used to light her lantern. Placing the object precariously on the window-sill that looked out over the gathering shadows of the valley, Amberley opened up the book and scanned its worn pages.

She recalled, on many a cold, winter night or a breezy, summer eve, Eunice sitting at the table scrawling sentences away with a jet-black ink capsule. There weren't many books in their home but, among the ones that they had, were many that had been penned by Eunice herself. Diligently, the woman would write and write and tell and tell again of the fascinating stories that had been created on those many parchments.

However, growing up, there was one particular book that Amberley was not permitted to read.

That was the book she was holding now.

Never before had she questioned Eunice's judgment or complained about her rules but today, she needed to find out what on earth was happening.

And those answers had to be in this book somewhere!

It was the only thing that made sense to her right now.

Seconds, minutes, hours ticked by and Amberley stayed immersed in the pages of the book. Her blue eyes flickered over the affectionate notes from Eunice, detailed instructions on what to do in case of dire emergencies, carefully sketched maps and drawings, piles of thorough lists and a brief back-story on what to do and how to react to situations in the outside world.

Although the new wave of information was somewhat frightening, it was also comforting at the same time.

Amberley now had an idea of what was lying in store for her.

As she reached the end of the book, Amberley had trouble keeping focused and awake. Her mind was foggy, her eyes heavy, and her body numb. Stifling a yawn, she turned to the last page and sputtered in surprise.

A full-length, brightly coloured map covered the entire page. A route was outlined across the chart in heavy black ink and a jumble of coordinates was plastered in the corner; a small note had also been inserted in this particular spot of the book.

With a frown creasing her brow, Amberley unfolded the creased paper and scanned its contents.

Amberley,

If you're reading this, then I must be gone. Whether I am dead or alive ... well, that depends on fate, I guess.

Whatever has happened, though, is in the past. Do not let your circumstances lead you awry or distract you from what you must do next.

That is when the enemy will take advantage and make you fall.

You can't let that happen.

I know you are smart and strong and determined. I'm confident that you will be able to follow my directions and think clearly and precisely before making each move.

Now that you have acquainted yourself with your surroundings, (with help from this book) you must pluck up the courage to leave.

If you stay, you will not be safe. At some time or another, the Others will come back for you and they will kill you.

As soon as you have finished reading this, you must leave immediately. You must not tarry or linger or dawdle. The more time you waste, the closer you come to death.

I need you to do something for me. I need you to take my bag and pack enough supplies to last you a week's journey. (There is a list of the needed items you'll need on page 34).

Once you have finished doing that, you must leave the homestead and start walking eastward. (The coordinates to the precise location are at the top of this page). There is a small, rural village one hundred and fifty miles from here called Woodridge. There is a man that lives there whose name is Vince. You must find him and tell him what has happened. He will be able to help you. I trust him.

However, do not talk or communicate in any way to anybody else unless you are certain they do not perceive who you are.

For you are different, Amberley, you are not like one of them.

You must remember that and keep your guard up at all times.

Lastly, I know that you are scared and upset and maybe even angry. Don't be. Remember our promise? You don't need to worry. I'll be with you wherever you are.

I love you, Amberley.

Stay safe. Stay alive.

Eunice

By the end of it, Amberley's hands were shaking so much she had to put the book down. She gazed solemnly at its open pages and swallowed hard.

How much she wished she could cry, scream, curl up into a ball and disappear from the face of the earth. How much she wished that this was another of her excruciating nightmares that she could awake from.

But her dire situation was all too real.

Wiping furiously at her watery eyes, Amberley snatched up the book and looked over the instructions once more. Of course, she didn't want to leave but she had no other choice.

She had to live.

It was what Eunice would've wanted.

Amberley nibbled on her lower lip as she stared intently at the coordinates. "The village of Woodridge," she murmured thoughtfully. "One hundred and fifty miles east. Roughly six to seven days of travel ... Alright, I can do this."

Slamming the book shut, Amberley tucked it under her arm and set to work with a renewed confidence and vigour.

She retrieved Eunice's old, canvas bag and a number of items formatted on the list such as a rope, water bottle, rations of food, an extra change of clothes, a sheathed knife, a magnetic compass and a bedroll.

Carefully following the instructions outlined in the book, Amberley geared herself up and was ready for take-off when dawn finally broke across the horizon.

Heaving a deep breath, Amberley slowly emerged from the house and set her eyes towards the east.

As she took her first strides in that direction, Amberley steadied her breathing and composed herself.

Although the road ahead looked terrifying and dark and daunting, everything was going to be okay.

Eunice was going to be with her each step of the way.

She had promised.