CHAPTER NINETEEN

--Alyssa--

It was already in the Evening, and Grandma had not packed anything of hers.

“Grandma, we need to leave soon. Should I go and pack for you instead?” I asked with urgency. We had to leave.

“No, I will do it,” she said, and I nodded, feeling a mix of frustration and concern.

We had to leave now.

“Grandma, if you’re not feeling well, I’ll do it for you,” I offered, taking a step towards her. She held my hand gently. “Don’t worry. I will do it,” she reassured me and got up from the chair. Grandma was behaving strangely. I was busy packing everything, including our food supplies, but she just sat there, watching TV as if we weren't in a rush to leave.

I glanced out the window at the guards who were patrolling the outside. I had observed their routine since morning: they changed shifts every four houses, with a brief two-minute interval before they returned to their posts. We had exactly one hour and thirty minutes before their next shift, and that was our window of opportunity to