Read Born to Fight for Free Online

helping us? How did all of this happen? Why would Marshall betray me like that? ‘Cause I defied them?"
    Anna looks confused, but the man's eyes dart suspiciously. He asks nervously, "What do you remember?"
    I shake my head, "Nothing. Marshall betrayed me and then I woke up on the cold, metal table."
    He nods and eats from the tin. Anna holds me like she may never let me go. I'm okay with that. Exhaustion is attacking me again.
    He doesn't look at me when he talks, "You look beat, kid. Sleep. You have to leave the city in a couple days. Rest up now."
    I shake my head and fight my yawn, "No. I'm not tired."
    Anna laughs and my eyes close on their own.
    When I wake again, the man is standing and looking around a boarded-up concrete corner. Anna is sleeping next to me.
    I look at the man, but before I can ask him anything, he puts a finger to his mouth and shakes his head. I blink and feel wetness between my legs again.
    I hear the noises from whatever he's clearly watching. I hold my breath and look for weapons and possibilities.
    His eyes don’t leave the corner. He watches and I wait. The noises don’t come closer.
    After a long time, he turns and smiles. He whispers, "I think we're okay." He looks down at the pile of blankets we're sleeping on. "Did you pee?"
    I'm embarrassed and scared. I look down and nod, "I'm sorry. I don’t know what's wrong with me."
    He shakes his head, "Catheter and a miscarriage. Not uncommon to have bladder issues after that. It'll just take a couple days to clear up."
    I look up. I know him. I swear I do.
    He passes me a clean change of clothes and a bottle of water, "Get cleaned up. I'll wait over there."
    I take the small bundle and frown, "Why are you helping me?"
    He laughs, it's sad and weak. "I know your father, very well."
    "You knew him? How? From the health food store?"
    His dark eyes glisten. He shakes his head, "Lenny wasn’t your father, Emma. He was your uncle in a way, I suppose." He turns and walks away leaving me with that massive statement.
    My mouth is slack. I don’t know what to say or do. I stink of urine and old rusty blood, and Lenny wasn’t my father. Wait did he say miscarriage?
    I've had bad days, lots of them. Sometimes it's weeks of them. This is the worst day. I look down at Anna and am happy she is at least sleeping. She missed all those words and the possibilities that lie within them.
    I can't stop the tears that well in my eyes. They try to block out the world for me. They try to protect me from seeing the truth. Lenny wasn't my dad? I shake my head, he was my dad. He was.
    I stand on my weakened legs in jerky twitches and pull my clothes off. They stick to me and stink.
    I use the water and rinse myself, as best as I can.
    Worst day ever. At least I have her and soon we'll have Leo.
    I dribble the last of the water into my parched chapped lips and walk through the boarded up entrance of the small shanty. He's sitting on a curb around a corner. He really did give me space to change and clean.
    I stretch my legs and feel my body coming back around.
    "Where are we?" I whisper.
    "Parkade. It's how we parked our cars back in the good old days. These buildings were made up to store cars while people were in the cities. This is the top level. I found this little shanty a while back." He looks at me and grins. His dark eyes look tired, "So which part do you want to hear first?"
    I shake my head, "Miscarriage?" The father thing is irrelevant. My father is dead. What does it matter who he was? I was never lied to about who my mother was.
    He hands me a small pack and points, "We need to get moving. Talk and walk, okay?"
    I nod, "Let me get her then." I slip back inside and speak in a hushed tone, "Anna, come out."
    She moans, "Do I have to?"
    "Yes, hurry." I hear her stir. I leave her and walk back to where he is. The concrete all around us is broken from the bombs and decay. It's like an old building that’s come down on itself. I don’t feel comfortable at all.