The Last Life of Saphire: Book One

By E.J.A. Wilhelm

A woman who has lived through the earth's many ages,
walks upon the post apocalyptic Kansas desert…
Chasing her long forgotten past.

With the U.S. brought to its knees Sergeant Major
Harold Baltin founded a city faction in Odin Kansas.

Everyday is a struggle for his people.

When Saphire is discovered, he takes it as a good omen.
Baltin’s hope restored he takes her into his fold; Training her to become the great warrior she once was.

A path Saphire has forgotten, she’s tried to escape many times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664197848

E.J.A. Wilhelm

I’m from a small town, but originated on the western coast. I’m generally a private person & enjoy time to myself… preferably in the back woods in the very depths of nature. I’ve spent most of my life roughing it. No electric, no running water, that sort of thing. I’ve tried Urban life for the last 7 years give or take a couple of months. I’m plain spoken, speaking brute honest truth which seems to off put people in my presence. I practice the old ways, it’s hard to explain in a small paragraph. But sort of the ideal of support a village to build a village idea. I wrote an example in another novel that will be released later on. I train every day… The conditions of myself, the weather, or circumstance be damned. My first exposure to computers was age 23. Ever since I’ve been fascinated with them & learned everything I could. I’m releasing this book, which I wrote when I was 16. With the idea in mind that I’d share my stories with people. It took 10 years of self-battle to finally attempt publishing.

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Copyright © 2021 by E.J.A. Wilhelm.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Book Written By: E.J.A. Wilhelm

Illustrations By: E.J.A. Wilhelm

Rev. date: 10/29/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

834624

ODE FROM THE SUN

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Strength & Weakness are the same. You create new

weaknesses while you build your strength.

It requires you to tear your muscles in order to build new strength.

No matter how much strength I build up, I can still be killed by a

seven year old child. No manor of training can prepare you for that.

War… most never grasp the true concept of what it means.

Many never live beyond the basic front view. Politicians

never stop to think about what the battlefield brings to

the men & women busting their asses overseas.

After the effects of a soldier surviving a war, some become the

decorated soldier. Many become overlooked citizens. Some

become successful workers & a few become businessmen.

Many soldiers’ minds can’t adjust to the calmness of

civilian life. Some go back & some can never leave.

I am a person who has tried many of these paths, but in the end the

battlefield always seems to call me back. Despite all of my efforts,

to stay away, the world always seems to be in a crisis of some kind.

Saphire Williams

COMMEMORATION

The original Novel Sapphire which was converted to Sapphire

2058 & then changed again to Last Life of Saphire;

Was written originally as a fanfic & gradually changed to

make my own unique story. At the time I started the only

one who believed in me was a man named Billy Jones.

He became a stand-in father to me & saved my life

multiple times. He raised me how to be a man & work

hard, even when there is no work to be had.

Billy Jones passed In October 2020 & this novel was

written for him & the following people who inspired me

to push forward even through the toughest of times.

Billy Jones

Sabrina Temple

Markus Barett

Katelyne Albert

Lastly are the people who helped me grow as a

writer & push to improve my writing skills even

though I had no inherent writing skills.

Julie Evens

Who gave me books on writing, Grammar, books on

writing style. Which I have read about 10 times each…

cause that’s what it takes to absorb that kind of info lol.

Brendalie Eide

Who uses new words on a regular basis that I look up

out of ignorance. Who also supports me every day.

James Stumpges

For helping me afford the editing software so

I can be a more professional writer.

Joe Sutton

Who has been there for me through thick & thin, even

after losing a bunch of people in my life. Thanks bro!

WORK OF FICTION

This novel, although stemming from our world’s history, is

NOT historically accurate. Although similarities occur.

Think of it as a form of string theory on what if…

Assuming Svioa/Saphire (The same person) coincided

with normal people throughout history as an immortal

so to speak. Although personally I think of her as a

demigoddess or something less god-like in totality.

I figure Svioa/Saphire’s involvement would change some aspects of

history, but not enough to prevent history from happening. More

like subtle changes that could occur while the events are happening.

In the end this is a work of complete fiction.

Fiction

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations,

and events portrayed in this novel are either productions

of the author’s imagination or art used fictitiously.

Non Representation

Just in case someone decides to get upset, this is not a

true representation of any branch of the military. Just a

representation of what people would try to do to maintain

order. I used military-like behavior as a staple.

Again… This is just fictional.

Lastly

The name Saphire was selected after I discovered that our language

over uses the letter P in sapphire & that out of every language

we are only one of 4-5 languages that actually spell it that way.

Many other languages spell it as I have, primarily the French

who pronounce the I as two ee’s with a roll of the r.

Which simply sounds cool to me.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1     Lost N Found Date

Chapter 2     The Year 2058

Chapter 3     The Price of Life

Chapter 4     Instinct

Chapter 5     A Turn of Events

Chapter 6     Darkness Within Light

Chapter 7     On Our Way Home

Chapter 8     A Grasp at Love

Chapter 9     Bump N Grind

Chapter 10   Quiet Before the Storm

Glossary

Characters

Bonus Content from the very beginning of the series

Svioa Heior

About the Author

NARRATION

Every story has a good ending, usually everyone dies.

sadly I suck at writing endings… so I wrote it first.

It didn’t start off this way. It used to be my very first novel

written. Then over the years it grew & evolved much like

myself & it turned into something… overly complex.

I am sending these novels out with the ending first. Let

the air of mystery take over so that when I send the very

first of this series… you might enjoy it further.

CHAPTER 1

Lost N Found Date

7/13/2058 S.A.T.

I N A VAST desert, among the ruins of long-abandoned cities, wonders a young woman; She saunters drifting to who knows where. Her body shows signs of starvation, scratches and bruises show recent fights ensued. Her hands and feet course with tough hide and dry cracked skin; her figure resembles a skeletal figure of what was once her former self. Her bones show through her muscles weirdly superficial. Ocean blue eyes look empty as she gazes upon the endless scenery into the distant horizon. The woman’s clothes have worn away over the years, leaving her bare to the sickeningly dry Kansas desert. The lady’s tan skin was covered up in deep scars, dirt, and sand. Her long hair drags along behind her as she walks on through the ruins of a long-forgotten city. Matted and unkempt, it covers her backside, tugging at her head when it gets caught up on rubble or shrubbery.

Looking around, she sees rebar sticking out of concrete from the side of buildings, decaying over time. Moss has started to grow along the concrete walls. Plants growing in the shady parts of the buildings around her. The city around her is in stages of overgrowth; large trees have started growing around the buildings. Flowers and bushes have started breaking through the concrete; Moss, algae, and yellow pollen cover the walls.

Smacking her lips, she tries to moisten her dry mouth. A rumbling in her stomach announces her ravenous hunger. Fatigue has settled into her muscles, making her bones ache. She can no longer recollect the last time she has seen or heard any form of life or water. Her mind seems in a haze, her memories distant; she’s forgotten where her path leads.

As the sun gets closer to the horizon, the heat only seems to enhance, heatwaves warping the scenery in the distance. Little clouds lazily drift across the sky.

The woman walks into the shade of one of the buildings nearby. Glass crunches under her seared and calloused bare feet. Heat is no longer an issue to the once tender feet.

At the edge of the forgotten city, a hollow shell of a woman walks into the corner of one of the last buildings at the edge of town, where the encroaching desert threatens the last bit of life. She slumps down, unable to gather any more strength. Her mind and body are exhausted, her attention waning from dehydration and food deprivation. Laying down, curling on top of her dirty, red, matted hair like a blanket as she weakly covered herself.

Time passes without empathy; in turn, her perception of time has also become listless. Her dreams go on without interruption, in which she escapes her sufferings.

A woman’s voice calls out to her shaking her body. The girl opens her eyes and sees a woman about her age. 18-20’s. Her vibrant orange hair draped down over the girl’s body. Her amber eyes ablaze with the warmth of the sun, she breaks out crying uncontrollably.

Saphire?! Hang in there! I’m right here! Please! stay with me! Her face seems desperate as she presses hard on Saphire’s injuries. Saphire’s body feels too heavy to move. Taking a breath invokes intense pain in her chest. The agony forces her to scream, which in itself causes severe pain.

The orange-haired woman dressed in some tight-fitting black suit tries desperately to cover up the many injuries over the entirety of Saphire’s body. An excellent burning sensation erupting from the center of her body brings tears of anguish.

With a jolt, Saphire wakes up. She placed a palm over her face shielding her eyes from the sun’s harsh rays beating down on her. The sun reached the center of the sky once again.

Saphire’s head pounds against her skull. Her dream fades fast as she tries to gather what little just transpired. She gets back onto her feet, somewhat unstable. She has been there so long that fatigue has set in. An unknown determination drives her to push on. After a few moments of walking along the empty streets, her mind goes blank once more. She is drifting into the desert away from the city, heading Southwest. A solid instinct to lead home fuels her body as she stumbles in the heat. She has forgotten what home looks like, and it’s been so long since...

Around evening just as the sky burns bright pink and orange, a cold breeze rushes past Saphire. Over the years, Saphire has gotten used to the heat of Kansas. But the cold makes her teeth chatter. The cold stimulates her mind just long enough to spot the rubble of a distant gas station just up ahead. She is pushing forward, sensing the impending storm. She heads for the gas station in the hopes of finding shelter. She passes a sign that reads, Leaving Great Bend.

As she gets closer to the rubble, she smells the moist air, a scent she hasn’t smelled for what feels like an age. A distant sound, much like a rushing sound, gradually gets closer. A wave of wind and rain consumes the distant horizon as the dark clouds engulf the sky.

What she finds at the gas station is disheartening. The building, much like everything else, has been scrapped. Only two small walls filled with bullet holes remain. Investigation tells her that some people have been through here recently. They uprooted the road onto heavy trucks, by the looks of large vehicle treads. The walls broke down with what looks like picks and sledgehammers. Boot prints of multiple sizes suggest at least a party of ten or greater worked here. However, it’s hard to tell due to overlapping footprints.

Looking around, hoping to see if there is anything more, all she can see is more desert, to her dismay. The menacing overcast moves in fast, consuming the crisp blue sky opposing the storm to the Northeast.

That night became one of the harshest she had experienced in a long while.

The sky above moves fast. Black clouds sweep over the horizon; in an hour, the entire atmosphere is engulfed by heavy storm clouds—the black blanket blocking the wondrous stars above. A tremendous and terrible flash breaks the blackness as lightning cracks the sky, blinding Saphire. The massive crash, the sound rings in her ears, causing her to flinch from the sudden shock. A blast of light pierces her eyes, burning her retinas.

In an attempt to weather the storm, she wedges herself up against both remaining walls hoping they would reflect some of her heat. The raging storm keeps Saphire awake throughout the night. Rain floods the desert filling the potholes in a matter of moments. Lightning crashes all about her piercing her eyelids as she attempts to shield herself from nature’s wrath. In no time at all, Saphire’s dirty hair becomes heavy with rain. The wind whips at her from the North with unbearable cold. As the night creeps on, Saphire’s body starts to chafe, making her beg for all of this to end. If she weren’t so dehydrated, she’d have cried; Even this mercy isn’t given to her; all Saphire can do was sob quietly to herself.

At some point near dawn, she finally passes out from pure exhaustion. The wet mud and sand warm up to her body temp as she sinks a little into it. Then she drifts into a deep slumber. Sometime in her sleep, a distant dream slowly forms in her mind. As it swirls into focus things, start to fade in weirdly.

Distant indiscernible chatter in her ears brings her mind to attention.

Overcast to AfterBurn. We have located a signal just to the east of your location. According to the satellite feed, it shows seven tangos coming inbound to your location.

Saphire’s stern voice replies, Copy that. After Burn out.

The scene Saphire sees when looking around shows her at the center of a vast city. She is at the top of a very tall building judging by the height of the surrounding buildings. Billboards of fast food signs can be seen in the distance, the distinct structures and advertisements suggest London.

The sky above is clear without a single cloud above. The woman is standing at the top of a building near a satellite antenna. A person of great interest and for some reason, she desperately needs to stop this person no matter the cost. But why is that? The man climbs into a lift going up to the top of this antenna.

Bullets ricochet off of the vent she ducks behind. She grabs a gun in a holster along her inner thigh. Her favorite red leather coat covers it along with long black stockings with fancy designs. Peeking from behind her cover as shots ricochet with a ping off of the varying surfaces. She instinctively flinches her head and then opens fire right afterward. The first man she saw took two shots from her Walter PPQ into the guy’s chest. He drops to the ground with an exasperated grunt. Saphire can hear movement as the men try to get better vantage points on her location. She spots a shadow motion from behind a billboard and she fires at her estimated target to her left with a well-placed double-tap. On the right, as she ducks, avoiding buckshot, she notices another man trying to get the jump on her. Taking a risky shot, she fires from cover and places a bullet right between the man’s eyes.

Hearing over her com wrapped around her ear, Saphire! Stop playing with your food; take out the target! There’s no time to waste!

Saphire growls to herself. Easier said than done. I don’t see you getting this done any faster than I am.

She pops out suddenly from cover, trying to avoid along the way. Pushing forward, she charges at one of the men and grabs his submachine gun, points it up as he pulls the trigger, then she directs the fire randomly behind her, trying to hit a few guys possibly; Or at least keep them busy.

Then she hits the guy in the throat with her pistol. In the same motion, she knees him in the crotch. The grizzled man bends over in agony as her foot meets the back of the man’s knee. He buckles then she hits him with the stock of the S.M.G. in the back of the neck as hard as she can. He goes down like a sack of bricks with a loud thud.

Saphire desperately points the S.M.G. at one of the guys shooting at her and she pulls the trigger. Only three shots fire before the catch locks back. Fuck!

Taking a bullet to her left shoulder stunning her for a moment. Looking at the bullet hole before saying aggressively, This coat was expensive!

Shock turns quickly into anger as she returns fire and hits the guy in the chest three times with her sidearm. He drops as two others return fire.

Unable to find cover fast enough, she takes three rounds to the chest. The searing, burning pain is tearing into her insides. By the feel of it, one nearly hit her heart. Brought to her knees, she checks for the nearest place to take cover. Then with all of her might, she charges for a nearby steel beam. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she tries to focus on the task at hand. Stopping the man with the signal charge device. She looks up and sees that he has already made it to the top.

Lifting her shirt, she checks her wounds. The three bullet holes gush blood from the injuries. She probably has only a little while before the adrenaline wears off and she faints from blood loss.

Wincing, she lowers her shirt; Saphire checks around for enemies, who have started closing in. Luckily nobody thought to separate her from the lift.

Checking her mag, she finds only three rounds left. She recharges her mag with a spare on her inner thigh holster. She fires a couple of rounds, swiftly turning around her cover. Suddenly darting left, she rushes to the lift. Bullets flying about, she makes it to the lift. Hurriedly Saphire starts mashing the button quickly, and she retaliates with a couple more shots from her piece, trying to keep the enemies at bay.

Come on! Come on!!! She says hurriedly.

One of the guys decides it’s safe to come out from cover. Using her left, Saphire places two rounds right into his chest. His body falls backward with a thud. The lift is taking its sweet time coming back down; Saphire dashes behind a nearby support beam wincing as she tries to maintain composure. Although her injuries have started healing, the bullets are still inside the wounds. The bleeding has slowed down as her drenched shirt sticks to her belly.

Firing a couple more rounds as she waits for the slowest lift in the world, she tries to buy some more time. Hearing a sound above, she sees some movement, so she fires a couple of rounds at the guy. Then fires back at her at an odd angle. He retaliates with a few curses at her, words she can’t make out at the moment with the pounding of blood in her ears.

Checking her mag and seeing she only has two rounds remaining. She grabs her spare mag tucked away in her left stocking on the outer side. She grips the magazine to the side of her gun as she holds her sidearm steady, trying to keep her aim steady. She aims at the estimated location and waits for a second or two.

One of the men gave Saphire hassle with a shotgun moves to the next point of cover. Unable to get a steady shot.

Stupid body! Going into shock. She states, irritably gritting her teeth.

Seeing the guy step out from cover, she fires on him, hitting the vent. The other guy fires his automatic at her and she hides behind the steel beam, reloading her magazine quickly.

The bullets ricochet off of the beam, makes her recoil. The lift lands slowly in front of her. She returns fire, walks into the lift, hits the button, and fires another shot at the guy coming around from cover, missing her target, the lift jerking into its climb to the top.

Ricochet bounces off of the bottom of the lift and she fires three more shots. Finally hitting the guy with the shotgun, he retreats in pain. It seems like she only gutted him. But it’s enough to make him stop firing at her. The guy holding the auto rifle empties his mag at her, but she just ducks. She aims her gun down but can’t get a clear shot at him from up here.

Nearly to the top, she checks her magazine. Only four rounds left. She grabs her last mag and changes them. Exchanging her mags out, she slides the old mag into her stocking. Charging the slide quickly, Saphire readies her aim once more.

Taking a deep breath, she tries to calm her nerves for a clear shot. Clearing her mind, she prepares herself to take out the target. The longer she has been doing this job, the less she likes it. Maybe it’s time to think of a new career.

At the top, she jumps out of the lift before it finishes its ascent, busting through the grate with a mighty thrust kick. Saphire charges forward, aiming at her target. The man seems well kept, clean-shaven big green wild eyes. The kind of man she could potentially fall for if he wasn’t trying to end civilization. The red indicator on the device informs her it’s ready to be used.

Stop right there! She demands with great authority.

The guy turns confidently, smiling maniacally at her. He doesn’t even bother to raise his hands in the air. His wild expression informs her he’s not interested in being arrested or stopped.

Hands in the air! Now! She commands, inching closer, making sure to keep her aim on his head if he makes a move.

But instead of raising his arms, he pulls up his shotgun as fast as he can and fires on her. His sudden movement makes her flexibly fire her gun. But the blast from the shotgun was unavoidable. As she pulled the trigger, his finger squeezed on his. The flames from the shotgun blast her as the heated buckshot rips through her guts. Her bullet hits its mark and the man drops into a heap while Saphire flies backward, flipping over the guard railing as it hits the middle of her back. Although she scrambled to grab the railing, she wasn’t fast enough.

Flying off the balcony, a sinking feeling sinks into her stomach. As she falls, the realization of the heavy landing echoes around her head, a sense of lack of control as she closes her eyes, anticipating the impact.

When she impacts the roof with a heavy thud, the air gets knocked right out of her as her eyes open wide in agony. She struggles to breathe; her lungs collapse as sharp pains seep into her chest. An odd, warm, oozing sensation is leaking into her lungs. The familiar sensation of broken bones etches into her brain as her skull cracks with lightning. What feels like a few moments later, she hears someone familiar.

Intense ringing in her ears reverberates as a massive headache forms in her head. The surroundings become sickeningly disorienting as they spin around.

She finally manages to gasp for a breath, although gurgled as it might have been. Her brain panicked as she tried for another breath. Saphire is not sure which hurt more, taking a breath or not at this time.

She tries moving slowly, but the sheer agony keeps her planted to the building roof.

Hearing gunshots nearby, someone yells out her name. A young woman’s voice. Annoyingly familiar to her. A few moments later, A woman with orange hair comes into view. Two men at her side.

Miss Williams… The signal has been activated. We need to turn it off now!

Stoutly but her expression betraying her, the orange-haired woman orders,

Craig, Saufer… take care of it. The lift is over there….

Her voice carries a powerful tone. Her eyes are the only things showing any sign of emotion. Concern for Saphire?

Then something Saphire doesn’t expect happens; this woman gets on her hands and knees, covering Saphire’s injuries with her hands. Her voice breaks as she cries out desperately.

Saphire?! Hang in there! I’m right here! Please! Stay with me!

Something felt wrong to Saphire, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. It wasn’t her injuries that made her feel this way. The pressure applied to her chest was excruciatingly painful. She could feel something thick and wet leaking from her body as pressure is applied. Her vision blurred from pain.

Saphire tries to speak, I… can’t… I can’t move… my body.

Sister… please… Stay with me! This woman’s voice is desperate. She tries to cover more of the damage.

Wait… sister? Saphire says, confused, her dream starting to lose its grip on her.

Saphire winces; it feels like something has cooked her insides along with the bores still being stuck inside her. Gradually regaining feeling in a few of her fingers, Saphire’s natural healing starts to kick in.

Overcast to After Burn… Did you manage to prevent the satellite signature feed? Saphire hears this in her earpiece.

Miss Williams, "Craig and Sauer are on that. The job should be complete soon.

A few seconds later, a gunshot rings through the air causing Miss Williams who gets up and screams, No! Craig!!!

She runs off in a hurry yelling, You bastard! Saufer!

Gunshots can be heard close by, which means Miss Williams must be firing on her fellow squadmate. Saphire lays there even more confused than before, unable to move yet. Not for the lack of trying. She gained control of her right hand and fingers. But everything else is still numb.

A few seconds later and she hears gunshots and a body hits the ground. Then that woman’s voice growls, Fuck you Saufer!

The sound of footsteps tells Saphire that the woman is coming back to her side. Williams kneels by her head and lifts Saphire’s head onto her lap.

What happened?! Saphire inquires croakily, nearly choking on blood. A sense of desperation swarming her head as she watches her sister’s expression.

Williams says reproachfully, Sauer betrayed us all. Fucking humans…

Just then, she gets cut off by the intercom in Saphire’s ear.

Overcast to After Burn. We detect a large missile heading to that location. Please report the status of the mission.

Miss Williams, We’re fucked! We failed Overcast. A traitor among us decided to activate the S.A.T. I can’t get to it in time.

Williams removes the com from her ear. A look of disdain. Tears start to surface as she holds Saphire close. Sobbing.

Confusion and dread is surfacing her heart and mind; Saphire sees the damage done to her body. Her left leg is busted, her right arm at an odd angle. Bullet holes filling her chest as blood starts drying on her chest. Yet, for some reason, this pales in comparison to what might be next.

Miss Williams holds Saphire tightly, rocking back and forth; a second later, Saphire sees a smoke trail coming from a shiny distant object in the sky. Her com makes a noise then static comes from her com at the same time.

The object falls to the ground, and then a massive roaring sound rushes her ears as a vast mushroom cloud expands upon the horizon. An overwhelming sensation flows over the top of her and then pain, unlike anything she has ever felt before.

Jolting awake, Saphire wakes with a hoarse scream. The sensation that had washed over her felt so real yet disconnected somehow. She has been asleep for days. A sudden weakness sweeps over her as she lays back down. She lacks the energy needed to do anything else. The harsh sun beats down from above as she tries to adjust herself. Sapphire finds her strength is leaving her fast. Barely able to move even the slightest. On the plus side, her hunger has finally subsided.

She is lying there exhausted, fading in and out of focus. Her dream is the same as before. Who was she back then? Who is this Williams person she saw? What happened to the world?

She wakes up slowly, letting the world flow back into focus. Billions of stars above fill her with wonder. Little clouds drift lazily laced with the gentle silver light of the moon elsewhere in the sky. Contemplating the stars always seems to make it feel like the entire world was looking back at her. The milky way is profound as the colors meld with the darkness of space. Not a bad view before kicking the bucket; even in tremendous amounts of pain, she can still find great wonder and beauty in this world.

She wakes up a few days later; her body seized up. The sound of continual thunder in the distance seems to have woken her up. Unlike anything she remembers hearing before. From her only point of view, she sees clear skies above. It’s hot as blazes where she’s at, even in the shade. Her eyes seem to be the only thing that can move anymore. Even they feel sunken and dry. It was like thunder but prolonged indefinitely. A dust cloud in the distance shows signs of the significant movement of something far away. Maybe… a vehicle?

Her mind no longer has the endurance to stay focused; she passes out a few moments later. Exhaustion is taking its toll on her. What feels like a few hours later, when the sun is at the center of the sky, the sound returns closer this time. A great rumbling, much closer this time.

The rumbling got so close she could feel the vibrations throughout her body. A metallic door sound opens with a dust-covered skronk. The crunch of boots on dirt and gravel walks around the area. A few more people steps suggest more people are in search. A man’s voice comes from someplace just out of sight. It’s the girl!

Then a man in a white coat approaches her. He takes his jacket off, wraps her body up with it, and then lifts her, carrying her light frame.

She opens her eyes to see who has her, An aging man with grizzled facial hair, his graying hair lining his face and his head. He wears glasses that at the moment obscure his eyes from her with the reflection of light. Under normal circumstances, she would have fought