I opened my eyes to darkness. The ringing in my ears sustained my dizziness. Half my face was in the ground, the soft dirt smudged on my lips. I rolled over to get up, feeling a sharp tension in my legs. I propped myself to sit up, feeling my legs. I looked up at the sky and saw a dim impression of the moon. The night seemed cloudy. “Night? How long was I out”? It occurred to me that I could have been unconscious for a good twelve hours. It was half past ten when we saw Mistress Haddinger off. I rose off the ground and looked around the perimeter. I saw no one.
I started to blindly walk across the lawn, following the sim sounds of dogs barking. I saw him there, young master standing at the entrance of the courtyard, looking out the gate. The little doggies were running around him. He didn’t notice me walk up behind him.
“Are you alright sir?” I asked as I approached him. He didn’t respond right away. His gaze was fixed outside the gate. I could not read his emotions for his expression was bland.
“Does she lie beyond this gate?” Clark asked as he turned to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “All the other servants are gone, my dear. I thought you were too.”
“Gone? You mean dead?” I asked forlornly. Young master drew me into him for an unexpected embrace. As he was holding me I started to cry.
“All the servants are nowhere to be found. They have vanished. Dead or not, I do not know.” He released me to pull out a flashlight he had positioned on his belt. He flashed the light on me. “No blood. That’s good my dear.”
I felt a sudden uneasiness with our situation. I had no idea what could have happened or what was happening while I was unconscious. “Was this a war attack?” I wondered. But in reality I couldn’t focus on anything more than young master’s plight. He must have been yearning for answers before I arrived. “Where was his wife? Was she safe? Where did everyone go? What was happening?”
“Young master, what do you intend to do now? If you are leaving, please take me with you.”
He handed the flashlight to me. I shined it on him and saw that his blouse was torn almost completely, revealing his bruised chest. His pants were covered in dirt. He looked back at me with a firm gaze.
“Don’t call me young master anymore. There is no need for such formalities now. Call me by my name, Clark.”
I awkwardly looked down at my feet and then back at him. “Alright sir... Clark.”
“And In turn there is no need to call you a servant now, Rosaline. You are the only one with me now so I have no intention of leaving you behind. We are in this situation together, equals with one another. We must help each other survive.”
Clark turned around are started to walk back towards the mansion. The little dogs followed.
“We are going to leave this town first thing in the morning, Rosaline. We need to gather some supplies tonight. I want you to pack us any remaining food from the kitchen as I go fetch some medical supplies. Also fetch some warm blankets. We will ride in the truck, that is, if I can find the keys tonight.”
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