Beyond the Rubble

The warm hand led her through the endless rubble, as it had done for years now. She didn’t know where they were going but she trusted the man. She trusted him more than anything. He had rescued her and cared for her for seemingly no reason. She knew it was hard enough to survive in this world by yourself let alone with a child like her.

“Are you tired, Letto?”

The girl shook her head, stumbling over some kind of debris as she did so. She had never been fond of speaking aloud. The man chuckled softly, continuing to guide her. The girl knew she slowed their pace enough as it is.

“We’ll be resting soon anyways,” the man said.

So they continued walking. They didn’t have the leisure of travelling slowly or resting often. Not while the traffickers were still after them. They’d been hunting them for years. The girl didn’t know why, nor did she care. She just knew they’d separate her from the warm, comforting hand that held hers and that was something she didn’t want.

The girl felt the ground change from concrete to dry dirt. It was time to camp for the night. The man sat her down and put a pile of wood in her lap, telling her to start a fire as he’d taught her. She felt around for the flint and soon had a small fire going. She’d become quite proficient at this over the past few months.

A dry wind brushed the girl’s cheeks. Something about it felt off but she was too tired to care. She heard the man’s relaxed footsteps and soon felt a hot bowl in her lap. She ate slowly beside the man, falling asleep against him not long after.

She woke to the shuffling of feet. At first, the girl thought it might be the man who had disappeared from beside her. There were too many though. And that’s not how he walks. She was about to call out when she felt a cloth-covered hand over her mouth. She lost consciousness not long after.

The air was musty and damp and the dirt ground hard. The girl had no idea how long she’d been there, paralyzed by fear. She’d thought she would always have that rough but gentle hand to guide and protect her. Occasionally she’d hear a door squeak open and someone, probably a guard assigned to look after her, would drop a bowl of food on the ground. She never ate it. Partly because it was too hard to find but also because the man had told her to never trust other people.

The girl could vaguely hear voices through one of the walls. She’d learnt that they were the traffickers who had been hunting her. They didn’t seem like they would kill her but she didn’t trust them either. She held onto the hope that the man would rescue her. But what if he couldn’t? What if he had no idea where she was? She knew she’d have to do something soon but fear had buried itself in her heart.

The door opened.

“Still haven’t eaten, eh? Are you gonna try to starve yourself?”

The girl started but not because of the guard’s words. She could smell fresh air. How had she not noticed it before? She had to be close to the exit! She heard the guard drop yet another bowl on the ground and walk away, shutting the door behind him. She waited until his dragging footsteps faded and pushed away the icy fear that gripped her. Then she felt around for a wall and followed it to the door stumbling over discarded items along the way. The girl turned the knob and the door clicked open. The man’s words echoed in her head as she left the room.

“Your best bet if you ever get lost is to follow the wind. If you’re in a cave it’ll lead you out and if you’re in the wild, it’ll keep you walking somewhat straight.”

That was a start but she could feel the wind blowing from two directions. Did this building still have power? She couldn’t think of another reason there would be air flowing two ways.

“Never neglect your nose. It’ll tell you many things if you listen to it.”

Remembering those words, the girl chose the air that smelled the freshest and followed it, never letting her hand leave the wall. By some miracle, she found the exit without being spotted. She opened the door and was greeted by a cool blast of dry air. She was outside but how would she ever find the man again? She was desperate to see him again. Even his prickly beard that stabbed her cheeks everytime he hugged her.

“The first rule of survival is to find water,” she whispered. Her own voice sounded strange to her after not hearing it for months. Still, hearing a voice, even her own, was comforting.

Using her nose and feet, the girl navigated in hopes of finding water. It was harder than it sounded. The air was dry and no help. She could feel the ground was cracked and dry. It hadn’t seen a single drop of water in a while. So she kept walking. Hoping that the ground would soften or the air would become moist. Any sign of water.

She walked.

Then walked a little more.

She continued walking until her legs were sore and aching. Until she couldn’t think clearly and collapsed on the ground. The girl didn’t know how dying felt but she was sure it was similar to this. Her consciousness faded.

It was warm. The girl felt someone beside her. A rough but warm hand was holding hers. She knew this hand. The man had found and saved her again just like how they first met. She felt hot tears stream down her face. She tried to muffle her sobs but the man still woke.

“Hey, hey, you’re okay now. It’s me, Letto. You’re okay.”

She felt his arms wrap around her. He smelled faintly of blood. Instinctively knowing it wasn’t his, she ignored it.

“Are you good to keep walking today or would you like me to carry you?”

“I can walk.”

“So you can still speak,” he said, laughing under his breath.

They stood up and began walking, hand in hand. Suddenly, the girl realized something. She squeezed the man’s hand.

“You’ve never told me your name.”

She felt the man tense. He stopped and turned her towards him, placing his warm hand on her head.

“It’s Noah.”

She smiled, squeezing Noah’s hand.

“Like the Noah in the Bible?”

The man laughed, “Yeah, like him.”

Then the two went on walking, wading through the endless ruins of a destroyed world. They were searching for a safe place to call home. It had to exist somewhere beyond the rubble. Until then, this was more than enough for them.