Colette's eyes barely flickered from her work when she saw a man appear at the door and clear this throat. By the time the others confronted him, Colette had noticed his only visible weapon was a knife. She put down her needlework and blinked, wide-eyed. There was no reason for her to be involved. Several of the other women had guns, and were brandishing them accordingly. Colette remained frozen. One way or another, they would get rid of him, and she wouldn't lift a finger, nor would she be expected to. Everything was well in hand.

That was what she thought before she heard the screeching and clicking.

Colette didn't need to be told what the source of those awful noises was. In her brief time on her own, she had seen more of them than she could bear. And they were not threats she could be complacent about. Not without devaluing herself in the eyes of those around her.

She hastily stuffed the half-knitted socks into her backpack and extracted a knife held to the inside by a strap. It wasn't particularly sharp - she used it to cook, not to kill. Those who paid close enough attention would realize she didn't have a proper weapon. At least, she hoped they would.

She didn't have to fake her trembling. Never before had she been in a direct confrontation with these creatures, and she had no intention of changing that. She looked around, furrowing her eyebrows in mock confusion, as the sounds grew louder. The man - as well as several of her companions - were already reacting to the approaching threat. Colette could let them handle it for her - couldn't she? She was small for her age, and they probably thought of her as a kid. It was only natural for her to be inexperienced in combat. Despite her trembling, she took a small step forward. The most important thing was not to appear to be a coward. If the others thought she was willing to learn, they would probably be less harsh on her for her initial failure.

Of course, if the others failed, all she could hope for was to run. She bit her lip. No way would that happen. She had been through too much to die so suddenly.

Why did she [i]always[/i] have to be so unlucky?