Red Dawn

4. Scavenging

A couple of days had passed since the market but there were still extra Guardians around. Joey, Henry and Georgia were joining us for a scavenging trip to a pharmacy near the edge of town. That's how Anna and I made our money, scavenging. The others just did odd jobs for people and they sometimes asked for help. We were close even though both Anna and I severely disliked Georgia. Henry had once told me that his wife had cheated on him with his best friend. Georgia was the best friend's daughter. Even after all that had happened, Henry agreed to look after her when the guy asked. None of the others knew this and Henry had made me promise not to tell them.

Anna and I met the others at a "cafe" in the square. It was more of a meeting place than an eating place since food was not in abundance. After the usual greetings from Henry, the tackle from Joey and the venomous hiss of a hello from Georgia, we set off. Henry and I led them across rooftops and crumbling buildings. I kept my eye on Anna as she scrambled up after us. Joey chatted continously as he jumped along behind and Georgia trundled along at the back, moaning at the "hardships" of her life. As I pulled myself up the side of a building, I saw the pharmacy sign.

I yelled down to the others, "I see the sign! It's gonna be about 10 minutes to get there so we'll have to be quick. We have to get back before dark!"

Leaning over, I grabbed Anna's hand and pulled her up while Joey leapt, yanking himself up. Henry helped Georgia before climbing up.

I pointed to the sign and Joey ran off at a sprint screaming,"Catch me if you can!" at the top of his lungs in a piercing, high pitch.

Breathing heavily, I waited for the others to arrive. Looking at the pharmacy in front of me, I smiled. It didn't look as ransacked as other places, I bet there were quite a lot of things that no one had taken. I turned back just in time to watch Joey come barrelling past with Anna on his back.

She was smacking his arm while shouting,"Stop! Stop you idiot! We're going to fast! We've missed the finish line!"

Henry jogged up with Georgia who seemed even more irritated than usual. Rolling my eyes, I climbed through a broken window into the pharmacy. Immediately, I saw medicines and medical supplies that would useful to us or good for bartering. I could hear the others climbing through the window as I searched for some nail varnish for Anna's birthday. A while later, I checked my watch and realised we needed to leave.

"Come on! We've gotta get back before dark," I yelled, leaping through the window and landing lightly on my feet.

The others scrambled through after me with a lot less grace. I quickly checked them for injuries with a glance before spinning and setting off at a jog.