One Shot | September Writing Prompts

NINETEEN | Murder

Ali elected to rest in the living room that night. She didn't feel like going back to her room and they would need to leave in a few hours anyway. After her conversation with Thomas, Roman, Remus, and Logan about the events that transpired after she left, she was exhausted but also excited. Thomas informed her that the grand rescue in the apartments was the next morning, just hours away. Too exhausted and too excited to sleep, Ali simply closed her eyes while laying on the couch. Logan offered to stay with her, on the nearby coffee table of course, but Ali assured him she was all right and that Logan would need more rest than her to help the children once they were in the Shelter's custody.

Logan, Roman, and Remus spent a considerable amount of time requesting help from the other residents. If they were proficient in first aid or could even wait around and offer comforting words, every little bit would help. Nearly a dozen borrowers came forward after several group meetings to offer their assistance tending to injuries. One of them, much to Patton's insistence, was Virgil. Though Virgil hadn't been back personally to see Ali, Patton would stop in from time to time and bring back pamphlets and with illustrated pictures which Ali made. A fair amount of trial and error went into the craft, but Ali found the perfect font size and spacing in Word to craft homemade books. There were only a dozen or so books, as the process was quite time consuming, and all related to medicine and first-aid. Still, it was the thought that counted. Logan further refined the art once he and Ali began talking more frequently. Virgil had become quite proficient in first aid medicine and, in a way, became next in line for instant care. The attention wasn't always welcome, but it was worth being bothered to see the way Patton beamed with each healed injury.

These thoughts swirled through Ali's mind as she mentally prepared a list of potential supplies the borrowers would need. She knew she would be needed to provide instruction, but it would be more comforting to a child to have someone their own size handling their injuries. Bandages, gauze, sterile wipes, Neosporin, even small doses of medication were set aside. Ali knew all of the supplies were in a crate in the kitchen. She didn't need to check. Everything was organized as it should be. She didn't need to check. Yet, that nagging voice asked her once again to make sure everything was perfect and in order. Ali turned onto her side and stared at the window. It was still snowing large, peaceful flakes. Frost lined the window in intricate patterns, designs so precise they looked hand drawn. Watching the snow seemed to do the trick to sooth her mind. She yawned and stretched, drifting like the snow into a restful sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sleep, though dreamless, worked wonders. Ali learned later she was only asleep for two hours or so before the team arrived to get set up. The borrowers waited both eagerly and anxiously on the counter in the front room as the team loaded out all of the equipment they might need. Roman and Remus offered to go with Thomas, who declined diplomatically. The situation was going to be hectic, emotional, and possibly dangerous. Thomas urged that they prepare for long hours once they returned and that the rules of borrower freedom still only applied in the house. Valid points which Roman and Remus did not argue with. Instead, they bid them fond farewells and safe returns. Not surprisingly, Hickory did not make an appearance.

The house, bustling with excitement and nervous tension an hour ago, was now still with bated breath and anticipation. Roman spent his time sharpening the pin he kept at his side and pre-cutting pieces of tape for bandages they would unfortunately need. Remus spent time stretching. Even though Roman was the faster climber, Remus was the faster runner. If their fears were correct, he would need to run supplies from one end of the room to the other in a hurry. Logan paced along the counter until delegating himself to laying out the supplies in neat piles based on potential injuries. Having supplies pre-assembled seemed logical to him. Virgil and Patton arrived some time later with the other volunteers. Patton began encouraging and quizzing Virgil on what to do in different situations after hearing the team had already gone. The others simply paced silently.