Chapter 2 Lissa #3
She covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
Camping gear. A real backpack, a Thermarest mattress, sleeping bags.
Even a pair of dark green fuel canisters.
With a setup like this, she didn’t have to go back to the refugee center.
She wouldn’t need to ride on a truck for days at risk of having her cats confiscated or abandoned.
The fear of leaving them behind faded. She rotated her tight shoulders.
Who needed other people? Maybe she should stay, set up in this place.
Still, with the army leaving, the gangs would be a problem.
Better still, she and her cats could strike out on their own with what she’d found here. Leave the city. Find somewhere else safe to set up and live in peace.
In the flickering candlelight, Lissa checked the labels on three sleeping bags and chose the one with the best temperature rating.
No tent, but a tarp would do. She rolled a folded blue one tight, stuffing both bulky items into her new larger pack.
She hefted its weight. Not too bad. She grabbed a hatchet, a hammer, and a multi-bit screwdriver from a dusty workbench.
Tools weren’t light, but they’d be useful.
She transferred everything from her daypack to the larger hiking backpack, stowing items in every pocket.
Was she really leaving and striking out on her own? Could she survive without anyone?
The funk of the overcrowded 6B, the Blackburns, and the No Pets rule crossed her mind, followed by the image of rows of cots separated by flimsy sheets.
She was done with the refugee center. Derrick wasn’t coming back.
He wouldn’t know where she was even if he did.
She took a deep breath. She would eat then make a final decision.
With her heart still drumming, she climbed the stairs, flinching with every creak.
The Blackburn boys had sounded like they’d left.
Unless that was a trick to lure her into the open.
At the top, she turned the handle slowly so the door wouldn’t click.
When she exited the closet, she checked both directions before slipping into the quiet kitchen.
Lissa remained frozen, peeking through the window and listening.
No voices, just crows and the wind. She returned upstairs and grabbed another set of clothes now that she had additional space in her pack.
After what was probably an hour, it seemed she was in the clear, so she moved outside, leaving the door ajar for Mira and Luna.
She whistled. The cats should be along anytime.
She peered at the perpetually gray sky. Smoke wouldn’t show much, so she built a small fire in the backyard.
Building up the blaze with dry wood from the shed and loose sticks, she waited.
Attached to the back of the house, she spotted an exterior tap.
She unhooked the sun-bleached hose and twisted the faucet, crossing her fingers.
Water trickled out, so she filled a pot and boiled water for her canteen.
Setting it aside to cool, she added another chunk of wood, warming her hands near the flames. It was almost cold enough for gloves.
Mira returned first, a plump rat in her jaws. She dropped it at Lissa’s feet, sat on her haunches, and licked her lips.
Lissa stroked Mira’s furry body. “You’re such a good kitty.
” She grabbed the rat and relocated to the corner of the yard where she skinned the game.
Next, she slit open the belly and removed the warm entrails.
Mira joined her, gobbling down the discarded guts, and then she disappeared. Hunting once more, a deadly shadow.
Luna brought another fat rat minutes later. Then another. Then Mira returned. Each time, Lissa cleaned the rats and gave the rest to her cats, who ate everything offered, heads and tails included.
When she had half a dozen skinned carcasses, she broke off two green branches from a bush, poked them through the rats, and balanced the skewers over the hot coals.
The scent of roasted meat made her stomach growl once more.
When she judged the meat cooked, the juices no longer dripping but sizzling, she removed them and scattered the coals.
When the piping hot meat cooled enough, she ate two of the roasted rats, tossing the bare bones into the ashes.
If you were hungry enough, most meat tasted like chicken.
She returned inside and grabbed a lidded container, which she filled with the remaining cooked meat, then stowed it in her pack. Travel rations.
Lissa glanced at the overcast sky, the muted glow of the sun behind the ashen clouds more than halfway to the western horizon.
Perhaps early afternoon. If she was going to live on her own, she wanted to truly get lost. She had everything she needed for a start and was better off on her own.
It would take at least all day tomorrow to leave the city.
Then she’d look for a quiet place to spend the winter.
Whistling for Mira and Luna, she strapped on her loaded pack, leashed the cats, and headed north to open country. She’d had enough of Denver.