The murmur of movement rippled through the crowd like a slow tide.
Hesitation lingered, but it was no longer strong enough to keep them paralyzed.
Bit by bit, they shifted, physically and mentally.
Mothers wiped their tears and took their children by the hands.
Fathers adjusted their makeshift bags. Friends counted heads. Strangers looked for others with similar strengths and followed the girl's directive without further argument.
The girl didn't wait. She climbed down from the rock and walked toward the thinnest cluster of people, those who hadn't spoken, hadn't begged, just quietly clung to life without words.
Thirty-six people soon gathered behind her. Some limped. Some carried the unconscious. Some had only each other.
North. East. South. West.
Each group moved with a different goal, heading into the unknown with nothing but a whisper of hope and a stomach full of fear.
