The wind was blowing hard, blowing dust from the ruins around them. Élise and Julien were safe, trapped in an old disused building that must once have been a house. Outside, panic mingled with chaos. The sounds of rushing, doors slamming and voices shouting in the darkness seemed to merge into a single breath. A world gone mad, beyond repair, where only survivors remained, fighting for a little respite.
Élise crouched in the shadow of a broken door, her heart pounding in her chest. She had been lucky. The attack on the black market had been violent. Armed men, looking menacing, had seized the resources that people had paid so much for. There had been screams, gunfire and bodies falling to the ground. It hadn't happened that far away, but close enough for the fear of death to overwhelm him.
Julien, silent as always, had been more than efficient. He had acted quickly, finding a shelter where they could hide. His swift, calculated reaction had impressed her. But the threat was not over. No, in this world, you had to be constantly on your guard. As soon as the sound of gunfire had died down, he led Élise into the rubble of an old abandoned building. The silence here was oppressive. She wondered if any of them had a long-term plan, or if the instinct to survive took precedence over everything else.
She got up slowly, leaning against the wall so as not to make any noise. She glanced at Julien, who was crouched in a corner, staring out at her. He seemed relaxed, but Élise knew never to trust appearances. After all, this world, which was now nothing but debris and ashes, could melt the most solid of facades.
"Do you think we'll get out of this?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. Her voice was weak, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders.
Julien turned his head towards her. He shrugged, but there was a glint of honesty in his eyes. "As long as we're together, we've got a chance."
This surprised her. She had never believed in promises like that, but for some reason Julien's words had resonated with her. Yet this trust he was showing her was not without its share of doubts. Trusting him was risky, but doing nothing was perhaps even worse.
The hours passed. The walls of the old building were dark, impregnated with the smell of mould. It was a perfect place to hide, but not to live. Everything had to be redone. The furniture, the lighting, the heat. But above all, resources were needed. The problem was that the area around their hiding place was too dangerous to risk going out in search of anything.
"We could take a few risks tomorrow," Julien suggested, breaking the silence. "There are some shops around here. We can get enough to last us a few days."
"And you don't think anyone will follow us?" replied Élise, almost defensively. The idea of going out in the open made her uncomfortable.
Julien smiled slightly, a tense smile. "If we're stealthy enough, we can do this without being spotted. But we'll have to hurry."
Élise stared at him for a moment, noting the coldness in his eyes. Julien seemed to be calculating every move, every word, as if his survival depended on it. And maybe it did.
She nodded, summoning her courage. "All right, we'll see tomorrow. But we have to be very careful. No rash moves."
He gave her a slightly approving look, but his eyes went blank. He stood up slowly, grabbing a dusty old blanket from the floor to sit on. She followed his example, but she couldn't shake the strange feeling that twisted her stomach. Was it instinct or something more?
In this broken world, there was no more room for indecision. The alliance between them was only a matter of survival, but there was something about the way he had protected her that morning that told her he was more than just a fellow traveller.
The hours stretched on, and the anxiety of the night persisted. Élise thought back over the last few months, to her past, to the way she had lost all her bearings. Her previous job, her dreams, her family... they were all just distant memories.
But resting in this insalubrious shelter had given her a moment's comfort. Julien wasn't just another stranger. He had a past, of course, but he seemed to have retained something precious: a sense of responsibility towards others. That was what she was looking for in this hostile world, something human. But how could she know if he was sincere?
Many of the men and women she had met on the run had betrayed her. There had been this troop of survivors in a camp to the west. They seemed to have honest intentions, but in the end it was they who had left her behind, abandoned to her own fate. And now there was Julien. Run away again? Or try his luck again?
The sound of falling debris in the corridor startled her. Élise had no time to react when a figure froze in the shadows.
"Julien," she breathed, her eyes wide.
He leapt to his feet, grabbing a gun he'd hidden under his coat. "Stay there," he said in a low voice. "I'll go and check."
Élise bit her lip. Fear overwhelmed her. Her hands trembled, but she knew that her survival depended on her ability to act quickly and efficiently. She waited for him to return, crouching in the shadows, hoping it would be nothing more than an echo of the wind.
Half an hour later, Julien returned, looking worried but unharmed. "Bandits. They're looking for people to loot. We'd better stay here for now. We'll wait for them to leave."
Élise had never seen Julien so tense. She suddenly felt vulnerable, as if the slightest mistake could wipe out everything. And yet, despite the fear, she felt a little more secure, a strange feeling of protection mingling with the anxiety pulsing through her veins.
They had both ended up on the floor, next to each other, staring at the door.
"You reacted well," Élise said, breaking the silence. "I wouldn't have known what to do."
Julien looked at her without answering. For a moment, their eyes met, and something in the intensity of his gaze made her shiver. He didn't need to say any more. Everything was said in that look. He wasn't there to betray her.
But the question remained. At what price was she going to place her trust in him?
In the darkness, a louder noise was heard. This time it seemed to be coming from the roof. Élise and Julien exchanged glances, the reality of their situation hitting them hard. The night wasn't over yet, and what lay ahead could only be more dangerous.
"We can't wait any longer," muttered Julien. "We have to move, now."