The woman said something else… asked if she… if she were seeing things, hearing things that weren’t really there. She said that her vision wasn’t good, that maybe it had betrayed her more than ever before, now that she was at the end.

–I am not a vision, my name is Kes. And… and I think I am here to help you. What can I do to help you?– She asked softly, touching the woman’s cheek lightly to assure her that she was real.

The woman looked into Kes’s eyes a moment as if she couldn’t quite believe what Kes was telling her. But then, Kes sensed that she came to the conclusion that she had little left to lose. She spoke, and Kes understood her to say that her children needed water and food, she… she begged Kes for her help.

Kes was again struck speechless for a moment. But then she nodded ’yes’ and told her. –I don’t have those things with me, but I will find some for you and bring it back. I promise. Don’t lose hope.– She told her.

The woman said something. Kes had a hard time making it out, but she thought that it was something like… ’hope won’t help them, only water’. She smiled a little sadly at the harsh practicality of that.

She considered asking if someone else would be coming to help them, if she had a husband that would be back for them. It could be dangerous for her if that were to be the case after all. But she felt somehow that she didn’t need to ask. That she knew the answer all ready. This woman had no one. No one but her, now.

–Then I won’t waste anymore time. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.– She told her, getting up.

At the door, she stopped and looked back at the woman. She was tired, a little sweaty, and thin, almost emaciated from not having enough to eat or drink, but… she was beautiful. Something in the shape of her jaw… even reminded her a little of Tae somehow. Kes swallowed the notion and censured herself for thinking something like that, then left.

As she hurried back towards the city, she tired to think about what she was going to do. It was… very dangerous, what she was doing. It couldn’t be avoided though, she needed to find food and water now, as fast as she possibly could, and that wasn’t going to be easy. She could, she considered, go back to her own supplies. It would be enough to save them, for now at least. But if she did that, it would probably be late evening before she got back. That was a big problem, because she had no way of knowing if it was safe to leave them that long – if one or more of them might die by the time she returned – but, just from what she’d seen, she had to assume that taking that extra time wouldn’t be at all safe for them.