Evelyn Ford looked at the skeletal hands reaching for her and the numb, vicious expressions on their owners' faces. When she drew the long knife from her waist, the children froze for a moment before scattering.
The woman was still sprawled on the ground. Just as Evelyn was about to leave, the woman grabbed her pant leg.
"Please, give us some food. The children can't hold on any longer. Have pity on them."
Her large, sunken eyes were filled with desperation. Evelyn glanced at the children, who had stopped a short distance away and were now staring at her.
"I don't have any food." Evelyn tried to get a clear look at the child on the woman's back, but it was completely obscured by a ragged quilt.
"Just some water, then. The child is dying of thirst."
Evelyn pinned the woman down and ripped the bundle from her back. The woman struggled frantically, but Evelyn held her fast to the ground, immobilizing her.
