Cogs Of Fate

At The Bottom Of The Night

1942

"Are you all right?" Flynn asked. He bent down, hand outstretched as he helped Tenley back to her feet.

She grabbed his hand. "I will be."

He sighed, studying her face. "We have to keep moving."

"I know...it's just... I can't see anything."

"Hold onto me. I'll try to find an easier path."

She gripped his hand tighter as he led them down the trail in the pitch black. The moon had been hiding behind the blanket of clouds and there seemed to be little hope of it reemerging. After stumbling through the dark for a couple of minutes, the two stopped. Tenley asked, "What is it?"

Flynn's gaze remained on something up ahead. "I think we're coming up to a village."

Tenley turned her gaze out in the same direction, hoping to see whatever he had. "Do you think it's safe?"

"Only one way to find out," he told her.

The two made their way through the darkened woods towards the faint glow of a house nearby. The closer they got to the house, the easier it became to see the light coming from inside. Flynn's grip on Tenley's hand tightened.

Walking up to the house, Flynn scanned the surrounding area. No one else seemed awake in the village. He didn't see any patrols roaming the streets either. He hoped they had finally found a safe place to rest until the morning.

Raising his fist, he knocked quietly on the door. He turned back to look at Tenley. He could see the fear in her face as they waited on the front step of the home. Regret suddenly washed over him.

The door opened and the occupant inside the house looked over the two of them. "Yes?" the man asked in somewhat broken English. "Are you lost?"

Flynn nodded. "We were hoping to rest here for the evening...we'd be grateful for the help."

The man turned his gaze over to Tenley. She shifted uncomfortably under his watchful eye. He turned back to Flynn, opening the door wider for them to enter.

Tenley gripped Flynn's hand even more. He could feel her trembling in his grasp. He turned to look at her, hoping he had a reassuring look on his face, but his heart broke as he saw the amount of fear taking hold of her.

They entered the house and glanced about. Tenley inched her way closer to Flynn, almost like a security blanket. Flynn furrowed his brow as he glanced at her. He hadn't seen her this scared before and that fact alone had him more on edge than ever before.

The man motioned towards the modest dinner table. "Please," he said, motioning for them to join him.

Despite Tenley silently pleading with Flynn to leave, the two sat down at the table. "Thank you for your hospitality," Flynn said.

The man nodded. "Always happy to help."

Tenley took a moment to scan the house. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was a simple farmhouse. She turned her gaze back to the man. He had been staring at her until she glanced at him. Once her eyes met his, he quickly averted his gaze back to Flynn.

"I must feed the animals," the man announced. "Have some food, drink..." he turned, pointing across the room to the bed. "Sleep. Rest."

Flynn nodded politely to the man. The man smiled, nodding in kind before turning and heading out of the house.

Tenley looked at Flynn. "We need to get out of here."

Flynn furrowed his brow at her. "We have nowhere else to go."