Page 32 of Firefly

Simon trailed behind his group, listening for the sounds of attack even as he carefully retraced the path he’d laid out for the prisoners. If even a single landmine buried around the camp was triggered, they would all be discovered.

It was another hour-and-a-half to the port of Barth and the most dangerous part of the journey.

When forty-three minutes had passed, just as he’d expected, a siren blared. It was close enough that the men in his group could hear it, and several of them gave up their cautious treading and ran outright.

“Careful!” Simon whispered loudly.

When they cleared the trees, he breathed a sigh of relief. One of the men, Brown, looked back, but he waved him on. Turning, Brown ran, not looking back again.

When the last of the men were out of hearing, Simon raced back to the camp. It was in chaos. Soldiers scrambled to pull on uniforms and form lines as dogs were leashed and dragged from their beds. Scraps of clothes and blankets were thrust into the dog’s faces and a man at the front of the group shouted orders.

Simon slipped into the cook’s tent, finding the gasoline he had stored there, and ripped the lid off.

Running along the camp's perimeter, he doused tents and ran a line of gasoline along the ground between them. It wasn’t enough to destroy the camp, but it would slow them down, and perhaps it would delay the dogs.

Lighting a match, he dropped it, watching as flames ignited along the ground and tore a path toward the nearest soldier’s tent. Shouts quickly turned to screams as the tent was swallowed in smoke.

Simon stayed to watch only long enough to see the sky darken with thick smoke before he darted into the forest and away from the horrors of the past twelve months.

Chapter 24

Rebecca

A soft breeze caressed her face, and Rebecca sighed, the warmth in her chest buzzing to life.

Soon, light. Those words had been a whisper in her mind, a thought that didn’t belong to her. When her eyes fluttered open, harsh daylight made her skull pound.

“Thea,” she called weakly.

Thea moved softly into the room. “Yes, Rebecca?”

“Could you please close the curtains?”

Thea nodded, crossed to the far wall, and pulled the sheer pink fabric closed, though it did little to dim the light filtering through. Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut, desperately wishing to return to her dream.

In it, she was surrounded by brilliant white, and everything glowed. In that place, she was filled with a peace and contentment she had never known. It was as though she were whole in a way she never had been.

Rebecca opened her eyes, letting her head roll to the side where she saw Sarah hugging the doorframe.

“Come here, sweet girl.” Sarah looked to Thea for confirmation and something fiery flared to life in Rebecca. “Sarah, come to your mother.”

The girl darted glances between Thea and Rebecca, her eyes welling with tears. Rebecca winced, lifting onto her elbows.

“I’m sorry, sweet girl.”

Thea moved to the girl and scooped her up. “Come on, Sarah, let’s give your mama a hug.”

She brought Sarah to Rebecca’s bed and set her gently beside her. “Why don’t I leave you two and make some tea?” She left the room, not waiting for a reply.

The wetness was back in Sarah’s eyes, pooling at the edge of her lashes. “I’m sorry. Mama didn’t mean to frighten you. Have you been to the garden today?”

Sarah nodded and cupped her hands together. When she opened them, small iridescent butterflies burst from her hands and fluttered in the air.

“That’s beautiful,” Rebecca said, wrapping her arm around Sarah’s waist and tugging her closer.

Sarah leaned into her, her weight pressing into Rebecca’s chest. She sucked in a breath, and Sarah sat up.

“Sorry, Mama.” Her lower lip trembled, and a tear spilled down her cheek.

---