Her tears began to slow. She sighed deeply and sat down on the grassy bank at the side of the path. She wiped her eyes. Anita sat beside her, putting her arm around her shoulder.
"This is so shit," Anita mumbled.
"Damn right," Lisa responded.
"Better?"
"Actually … yes!"
She really did feel better and stronger again.
She knew Neil was waiting for her. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew it.
Her desire to get home returned in a rush, pushing all other thoughts and feelings aside.
She got to her feet, straightening her back and her resolve simultaneously.
"Sorry about that." She offered Anita a watery apology.
But Anita was staring at her intently, the corners of her mouth twitching as she fought to suppress a smile.
"What's wrong?" Lisa asked.
"Your face," Anita giggled. "You're a mess." She dissolved into peals of laughter.
Lisa grinned. "Come on. Let's keep moving. I need to find a mirror."
They carried on along the path. A few carefree ducks bobbed on the canal, enviably oblivious to the chaos going on beyond their own little world. The Indian summer sunshine of the past couple of days had started to give way to grey skies moving in from the west. A light breeze rippled the surface of the water. They walked slowly, Anita in front and Lisa close behind, eyes mostly on the ground below as they picked their way around deep holes and furrows.
"It looks like rain." Lisa pointed to the clouds.
"We're going to do this, Lisa."
"I know. We just need to find somewhere to rest for a bit and work out what we're going to do next."
Twenty minutes later, Anita stopped so suddenly that Lisa bumped into her.
"Look. Over there. That might work."
She was pointing ahead to a small cottage that marked the start of what looked like a series of locks. It stood on its own … isolated. It looked deserted … untouched.
They approached it cautiously. Nothing stirred.
They peered into the front window. A tidy, but cosy, sitting room looked undisturbed. Two sofas faced a small TV, and some magazines were strategically scattered on a low coffee table. More windows revealed a tiny kitchen and a bedroom containing a neatly made bed, complete with a hand-crocheted bedspread. Apart from an upturned coffee cup on the draining rack by the sink in the kitchen, nothing was out of place. They went back to the front door.
"Doesn't look like anyone's been here for a while," Anita observed.
"Can we get in?" Lisa asked.
Anita put her hand on the door handle and jiggled it a few times. "Locked!"
"No kidding," said Lisa sarcastically. But she was looking at the wire brush door mat Anita was standing on. When Anita stepped back from the door, she picked it up.
"Yesss!"
Lisa picked up a single brass key. She tried it in the lock and the door swung open.
They stepped quickly into the room and closed the door behind them.
"That was way too easy," Anita muttered looking around nervously.
Lisa checked the small bedroom and bathroom, and then started going through the kitchen, banging cupboard doors and rummaging in drawers.
"What are you looking for?" Anita joined her in the small room.
"Weapons!" Lisa brandished a large carving knife.
"Good shout." Anita joined the search.
It was soon clear that Lisa had salvaged the best and only option from the contents of the kitchen, so Anita shifted her search to the living room. She opted for a cast iron poker that was resting in a stand near the fireplace.
Weapons chosen, Anita threw herself onto a sofa, and Lisa, who had discovered the store cupboard during her search of the kitchen, went to make them a coffee. She was pleased to discover the electricity was on and, while the kettle was coming to the boil, she opened a carton of long-life milk and liberated an unopened packet of Chocolate Hobnobs from the back of a shelf.
"I'm sure they won't mind in the circumstances." She spoke aloud but was largely reassuring herself.
"Jesus, Lisa! They're probably either dead or long gone. And even if they do come back one day, I don't think they'll be bothered about a couple of biscuits," Anita called into the kitchen.
Lisa was beaming when she came back into the sitting room carrying two steaming mugs of coffee, with the packet of biscuits tucked under her arm.
"I don't know about you, but I'm planning on having more than a couple." She handed Anita her coffee and eased onto the other sofa.
What followed was a long and honest discussion about what they should do next. By the time they had finished their coffee and most of the biscuits, they had a new plan.
Chapter 6 - Day 3 - Knowle
Anita leaned back on the sofa. She yawned and stretched her long arms above her head.
"So, that's it then. We're walking, but by a more direct route. Oh, and a more dangerous route."
Lisa nodded. "Yes, but I don't see what choice we have, now we don't have a car."
"Again!" Anita sniped.
"Ok, I'll take that. But it's doable, Nita. We're only four or five miles away. We could walk it in a few hours. Through Knowle, over the motorway and through Solihull. Simple."
"Why do I think it's not going to be simple?"
"Who knows, we might even find another car?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Come on, Nita. Besides, there's hardly anyone around. We've hardly seen anyone. They've all either left or barricaded themselves into their homes."
"Yeah, sure, but you forgot to mention
