For a while she just lay there trying to console herself. Eventually the gunfire started up, closer this time but also ending much more quickly. It came in a certain kind of rhythm, each time getting shorter and shorter. Nevertheless, she hid behind a large slab. Even though the sun was now fully overhead (Chloe was sure it had been much longer than this) she began to feel drowsy and nodded off.

The sound of an approaching vehicle caught her attention. She expected it to just go on but instead heard the brakes squeak and the door open. She heard voices, but just sat there. She didn’t know who they were, nor did she care. She simply stayed where she was. The voices came closer and she heard footsteps. Looking up, she saw silhouettes of what appeared to be soldiers. They had no rifles, and Chloe assumed they were safe, but she couldn’t understand anything they were saying.

The soldiers stood around talking and surveying the damage. Chloe began to cry again, not sure of what to do. Her sniffling caught the attention of one of the soldiers. She didn’t hear the footsteps on the gravel approach her, so the sudden appearance of his face startled her.

The soldier said something to her, but it was in a strange language she didn’t understand. He smiled and spoke some more, motioning for her to come out. Chloe didn’t budge. She didn’t care anymore, and just wanted to be left alone. The soldier paused for a moment then reached out his hand. “Come.” he said. “It is alright.” Chloe was surprised. He suddenly spoke her language. It was stifled, but it was Artabanian nonetheless.

“You can come out.” He motioned toward his comrades and spoke to them in their own tongue. Two others crowded around him. Although she didn’t know what they were saying, she was sure they were talking about her. Chloe simply shook her head.

“No, it is okay. We… here to help you.” The soldier reached for her and pulled her out. She didn’t try to resist. She was too tired. “Are you… alright?” Chloe, still crying, wiped her eyes and shook her head. “Where are you… parents?” The man seemed to struggle with his Artabanian. Chloe noticed that these soldiers uniforms were different form their Artabanian counterparts. They wore speckled brown and green jackets. Their helmets seemed to be different as well. Even the alphabet on their uniforms was strange. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure she could trust them.

She shot the man an angry look in response to his question. Was he trying to mock her? Ultimately, she resumed crying on his leg. The man knelt down to try to comfort her. “Oh no. Don’t cry. It will be alright.” He motioned for the other two to follow him. “Let us get you to a doctor.” He picked her up and carried her on his shoulder to the nearby Land Rover, which was still running.

Chloe noticed more strange symbols and writings on the vehicle, including a flag with a dragon. Everything about these men seemed so strange. It was as if they came from nowhere. The soldier sat her down in the middle seat and sat down on the passenger side while the driver got in and the other sat in the back.

As they drove off, the man took off his helmet. Chloe noticed his skin was almost as pale as hers. He also had burning red hair, which she had never seen before. This man was strange indeed. He didn’t look any older than the partisans, either. Younger, in fact. She also noticed a gold chain coming out of his pocket. She couldn’t help but wonder what it was. He must have noticed her, because he fingered the chain and said, “Oh, you like?”

Chloe looked on in shock. It her watch! The man laughed. “It is alright.” He took it out and handed it to her. “Is it yours?” Chloe nodded. “I see,” said the man. He handed it to her.

They hit a bump in the road which knocked it out of her hand. She quickly grabbed it and found that it opened up. The note was somehow still inside. She shut it quickly. She wouldn’t dare look at it. It was nothing short of a miracle that the man somehow was able to find it.

Chloe began to doze off. She was exhausted and hadn’t realized how empty her stomach or how parched her throat were. She hadn’t eaten or drank anything yet.

They continued driving through the town, which looked considerably rougher now. Chloe fell asleep on the man’s leg as the others spoke to each other in their strange language. The next thing she knew the red haired man was shaking her awake. She looked around and found they were at the town hospital. There were other army vehicles, both Artabanian and foreign, piled in a long convoy around the street. Some had a red cross and soldiers milled about carrying stretchers to and from the hospital.

The man grabbed Chloe’s hand and stepped out of the Land Rover. He led her through a crowd of people through the door and up to the front desk. There a flustered-looking woman looked up from staring very fixedly at her clipboard.

“Oh please, not now. I have a lot to deal with and can’t handle everything at once. Go to the back of the line and wait.”

The man leaned against the counter, looked her in the eye and smiled. “Please just do one thing. I need to leave soon. I will leave her here. Please… take care of her.” Though he fumbled with his words, his demeanor was such that the receptionist rolled her eyes and took out a sheet of paper.

“Name.” she said flatly. The man stopped cold. “Chloe Farian.” Chloe said herself. The woman jotted it down angrily. “Where are your par…” Chloe noticed the man shake his head and wave his hands, indicating for her to stop.

“Oookay. Well we’ll take care of her then. I’ll just need a bit more information.” She seemed to sigh as she talked, like air hissing out of a balloon. The man thanked her and left much to Chloe’s dismay. She looked at the crowds of people and felt uneasy. There were men, women, and children, some spotless, others wounded and bloodied, all distraught. It all seemed so surreal.

“Hello, miss…” The receptionist tried to catch her attention. Chloe snapped back to reality. “Your age please.” “Oh, uh, eight.” “Any relatives?” Chloe paused, trying to think of someone. “I have an uncle.” “Do you know where they live?” the receptionist said without looking up from her clipboard. Chloe shook her head. “Telephone number?” Again, Choe just stared blankly. The lady just rolled her eyes and muttered something like “Of course.”

She motioned to one of the staff and spoke to him, pointing to Chloe. The staff member, probably a nurse, nodded and took Chloe with him. They went down a corridor and up a flight of stairs. There were so many twists and turns that she couldn’t keep track of where they were. She didn’t like the hospital with its sterile, starkly lit beige halls. It seemed everywhere they went there were more people on stretchers, crying kids, and adults in various states of distress. In other rooms there were sounds of beeping equipment.

They eventually came to a large ward with several other people. There was a makeshift sign on the door that said “General holding area” with another one below containing instructions on how to process refugees. Chloe didn’t know what “processing” meant, but she didn’t like the sound of it.

Most of the people inside didn’t look sick, just worried. The nurse told Chloe to go find a blanket and a place on the floor to sleep. He explained that one of her relatives would come to get her in two weeks as they should know where to find her. If not, then they would put her up for adoption. This scared her. This was all moving too fast. The last thing she wanted was to be taken away by some strangers, especially with her parents’ deaths still fresh in her mind.

She went over to a metal bin and found a stuffy old sheet. She found a spot in the corner of the ward and sat dawn, wrapping herself in it. She tried to swallow but remembered her dry throat. The tips of her ears were burning. She just had to get a drink. She spotted a water cooler near the entrance and went to get a drink. The cooler was nearly empty, but she got enough for herself. She took a sip and turned back to see a man holding his son. The man looked tired. His son was younger than she was, about four or five. The father looked at the almost empty cooler and frowned. He turned to his son and said, “Sorry buddy, no drink right now. We’ll have to wait until later.”

Chloe walked away, but something about the way he spoke to his son made her stop. To her it felt like they wanted her water, or so she thought. It was her water! But the boy did not look well. Feeling guilty, she walked over and begrudgingly handed her Styrofoam cup to the father. She would just have to go thirsty.

“Oh, thank you so much!” the father said, giving the cup to his son.

She went back to see another man had taken her blanket. Chloe felt exasperated. Couldn’t she have anything? For a brief second, she wanted to punch him, but was too tired to do anything, so she just went to the foot of the nearest bed and plopped down on the hard floor.

She spent the next few hours looking at the intricate patterns of her watch. Eventually she decided to find something to eat. A passing nurse took a look at her to look at the schedule, and she saw that the mess hall was about to close. After getting lost and barely making it in time, she came back with a bowl of beans and a cup of water. It was welcome relief. With her belly full and thirst quenched, she fell asleep on the floor.