Eight: The crossing

There was a rushing river where the train tracks were meant to be. It looked dangerous and deep.

"Yes," Dad replied. "Come down, hurry. The water is getting deeper very quickly. It'll be much too dangerous to cross before long."

Henry was faster than I was, skidding down the slippery bank so fast that he almost fell into the quick moving water. I followed at a more careful pace.

"Catch the rope, son," Dad shouted over the noise of the rain and railway river. "Wrap the rope around your wrist so that the water doesn't tear it out of your grasp."

I saw Henry catch the rope on his second try and watched my parents pull him through the water to the other side. The water was already chest height on my taller brother. I didn't want to think where it came up to for me - probably up to my neck. He was still fighting the current and being reeled in to the other side when I saw flashes of torchlights and shouting coming toward me from the direction of the train station.

"There are soldiers coming," Mum screamed. "Hurry! Hurry!"

"I saw them go this way!" gruff voices in the distance shouted over the sound of the rain. "There's shouting over there. They must be trying to cross the railway."

My parents reeled my brother in as fast as they could and Dad turned to look at those flashing lights. Then he looked at me. It was too dark to see his facial expression, but I saw his arms reluctantly wave me away.

"Mum! Dad! Behind you!" I shouted.

There were shouts and lights coming from their side, heading towards them as well and I pointed them out. Henry looked where I was pointing and tugged on my parents' arms.

"Jean!" Mum called. "Jean! What about Jean?"

"It's too late. Run, Jean! Run! We'll try and help you back across another time. Run!" Dad yelled, dragging Mum away with Henry's help.

"This way!" I heard the rough shout and turned to scramble back up the slippery bank as fast as I could. "Hurry or they'll get away."

I ran on into the dark and pounded the empty streets between factories and warehouses, trying to find my way back to somewhere with shelter and a bit more civilisation than this industrial area. Worried that the soldiers were still chasing me, I ran until I could run no more. Even when I thought I had lost them, I continued walking and hiding alternatively. I took temporary shelter under a dripping tree that provided only a little relief from the rain. Were Mum and Dad and Henry safe? Would they manage to get home without any of the Bosky soldiers catching them? According to my watch, I'd been running and hiding for almost three hours now.

My mobile phone rang and I picked it up in a hurry, hoping there were no chasing soldiers near enough to hear.

"Jean, where are you? Are you safe?" came Dad's breathless voice.

"Dad! Dad, I'm fine."

I listened, but only heard the wind and the beating rain. No shouting. No boots. Seems like I had lost them.

"Yes," I told him. "I think I'm safe now. I'm in an industrial district now. I have to find my way back and find some shelter. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll go to work tomorrow. I'm sure I won't be the only one in this position. The Boss will help us. He's a good sort and he lives on this side of the city."

"That's a good idea," Dad said. "Find somewhere warm and dry. Get out of the rain. Listen, don't worry about us. We just got home. There were a lot of Bosky soldiers around, but we managed to avoid them. I'm glad you didn't get caught. Listen, Jean, don't -"

In the distance, there was the sound of an explosion. A big one that made the ground shudder beneath my feet. There was a flash of light in the distance that lit up the horizon.

The call cut off and the phone blinked at me, saying it had no more reception.

I stared at the phone for a long moment, before the realisation that all communication with my family had just been cut off hit me. I would have no more support from them. No way to get a message to them unless the internet was still working. Maybe I'd be able to find some wifi to steal later on. It was a good thing I still had my phone charger in my bag. I didn't want to think of the possibility that the mobile phone might refuse to work without any connection to the phone provider. Some mobile phones were like that.

We were separated by a border I was unable to cross and I was on my own. Totally on my own. I was going to have to make my own decisions and find my own way to survive this war. Find my own way home to my parents and brother.

Somehow, I had found my way back to the railway river. Walking along the bank, I found a less steep spot to climb down the bank and tested the water with a long branch that I found beneath a tree. The water was so strong, it tore the branch from my grasp and I let it go. It looked like the water had doubled or tripled in depth since Henry had crossed. There was no way I was going to be able to get across. I could try and maybe I wouldn't die. I was an okay swimmer. I might just survive a crossing but I didn't like the sound of it.

"Hey," a deep voice called, "you there. Don't try it. It's too dangerous. You'll die."

A twig cracked behind me and I immediately ducked. A heavy hand brushed my shoulder. I didn't turn to look. I just scrambled back up the bank for the second time that night and ran.