"We need to cross. Carl? Carl, are you listening to me?"
Carl, shoulders slumped from exhaustion, couldn't bear to look at his wife. "I know. Sarah? I know. But it's not safe yet."
"We would hear the train coming, Carl. Shh-shh-shh." Sarah cradled their little baby boy. "I can't feed him like this..."
Carl considered his options with care. They would most likely die if they crossed the tracks now. If they stayed on this side... they would die but slower. If they reached the checkpoint but didn't have enough strength to cross, the train would end them.
We are dead either way. Carl's limbs felt leaden. What was the point of continuing to suffer? "We should've stayed home." It came out as a whisper. So tired... Carl looked at his baby boy and realized neither of them could cry. What hell was this? Where you couldn't even weep...
"You're weak." Sarah spat. "I'll make it on my own. Just as I always have." She passed her husband by a few feet. "Worthless husk of a man!"
"S-Sarah wait." He was so tired, so, so tired. He just needed a moment's rest, that's all. "Sarah, honey, it's not safe. Please wait for a little while I-"
"I doubt you've even considered our -" Sarah seemed to choke on a sob. "Our-"
Carl dropped to the ground, blind and deafened. What happened? Was he dead? Where was... where was Sarah? Did the train hit them? No, they weren't that close to the tracks. Right? And they were careful of patrols.
The buzzing slowly ceased, and Carl's vision cleared. When it did, he wretched his meager lunch.
"Pa!" A boy stood over Sarah and the boy, her eyes wide in shock. Or was it anger? "I got the lady and the runt! Pa! I got her square in the chest, I did!"
Carl heaved again, but nothing came out.
"Listen, boy. Didn't I tell you to be patient? Tell me?" A man was yelling behind Carl. "Tell me!"
"But Pa! If I let them walk any further they would have reached -"
"No buts!" Something sharp hit Carl on the back of his head as he fell in his own bile. "I wanted to know where they were from. You understand?"
They tried. By all that was holy, they tried to cross. At least nobody would say they were cowards. We should've stayed home. Carl felt cold. Numb. Still, it could've been worse. He could think of nothing else.
"I'm sorry, Pa." was all Carl heard.
Then nothing.
If you've made it this far thanks for reading! 😗
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This was a 5 minute freewrite hosted by @mariannewest.
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Have a great weekend folks. 🙌
Return from Family Drama | 5 Minute Freewrite: Friday to Јоцко's Web3 Blog
