Anna had been alone for a while before she'd happened upon somewhere safe to keep moving for more than a night. Even though the things she'd seen made her terrified of staying still, and too nervous to really talk to anyone.
However she knew she was too tired, too traumatised and mostly far too pregnant to keep going. At this stage with so little food, water and rest she knew she shouldn't have been moving at all.
It was Cam's birthday in three days. This was not how they had planned his 18th birthday to be like. It was supposed to be a holiday in England, staying outside London and travelling in for museums, the aquarium and the theatre. Not this. Not he and Bex alone, hungry and holed up in a shop that had already been looted days ago.
Anna was struggling to even stay awake, but she needed to find somewhere before she dropped, and she headed for the shell of a looted shop. It wasn't safe, but she needed somewhere with a roof and walls to rest.
Bex tossed a pack of ten crisps at her brother as she returned. They were out of date but they weren't going to kill them so they would do.
"Found a half pack of digestives too," she said. He nodded. They had no idea if there was more supplies inside but they didn't want to explore too far or for long in case there were anyone else around.
Bex sighed and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Cam, you've got to actually talk at some point. More than single words, I mean," she added at his look.
"Hello?" Anna knew better than to sneak, but had armed herself with a piece of twisted metal.
Cam looked up at the sound and reached an arm across to stop his sister rustling through crisp packets.
Anna headed for the back of the shop, she needed to rest. She hated herself for it but she bloody needed Boyd
"Who is it?" Bex hissed. Cam shrugged. "Shit, they're coming this way."
Anna found the back wall and tucked herself into the corner. She'd find food later.
Bex and Cam had moved back between two shelves. From her angle Bex couldn't see the woman's face.
"Cam, no." She made a grab for her brother's collar but missed as he stepped out and slowly walked towards the woman he was sure he recognised.
Anna wasn't dozing yet, and realised as she was reaching for her weapon that she knew the boy in front of her. "Cam!?"
His eyes widened and he nodded.
"Anna?" Bex had followed as she heard her brother's name. "Oh my god. What are you doing here? Are you OK?"
"I'm about to have a baby, with no hospital, nowhere clean and no John...I'm so glad you two are OK"
"Are you that close?" Bex asked. "Why, where's Uncle John?"
"I'm close enough, and I dunno, with Liz probably," Anna muttered
Bex frowned at that. "Well, how did you get here?" she asked.
"Ran mostly," Anna replied
"Aye, but... All the way from yours?"
"They stole me, because I was sick, they thought I was dead. John let them," Anna muttered
"He did what!?" Bex cried overlapping who brother's soft question of "Who?".
"Army. And it's OK, I knew he was sick of me."
"No he wasn't. What do you mean?"
"The army took me to a unit, then put me in a body bag. Wasn't dead, got out."
"Shit." Her mum would have yelled at her for swearing - even at twenty-two.