Clarice speeds up herself. She encourages Alexandre to walk faster.

Silence.

The silence is terrifying. But maybe better than active screaming if the vampires are elsewhere.

There is a blur and a scream and the woman who was leading them is on the floor with a vampire attached to her and the others scream too and start running and someone shoots the vampire and now the vampire is on him—

She snaps her head around to look – realizes that wasted precious time and she has nothing to hand to help her – and bolts away from the group, pulling Alexandre with her.

There are more screams and growls. Someone fires a gun, twice.

– Neither bullet hits her, Alexandre doesn't jerk in a worrying way – they keep going –

The screams don't follow her.

And her son, her son is – hopefully okay but it's more important they get away or they won't be if they currently are – they won't get away sufficiently anyway but there's a chance.

Alexandre stumbles a little but catches himself – can't run as quickly as his mother, he's too small, but he's desperate to try.

It soon becomes eerily silent again.

They keep going – while they can, at least; Alexandre starts to lag.

Is there anyone else about, are there obvious weapons, obvious ways for her to defend them?

Nope. Some cars are on fire. Some houses are on fire. The town is open enough to the air that this isn't a direct threat but it seems everyone's run away one way or another. She can probably salvage stuff, though.

If there's something she can pry loose – a piece of metal? Or preferably actually some sort of wood, are there trees that look liable to lose branches –?

This is a town and those are houses, if she puts her mind to it and believes in herself she will find these things.

It doesn't take too long, and she has a serviceable weapon. One that might do absolutely no good against anything if she's unlucky, but a weapon nonetheless.

They keep going, heading out of town. Alexandre hiccups, every so often, but doesn't actively distract her, just follows.

Silence silence silence scream explosion scream silence.

They keep going.

There's someone over there.

– They can just carefully not walk that way.

Then the person won't notice them and will merely whimper in pain.

Cold, heartless, ignoring the person in case it's – a trap, no, probably not, but it's not something they can really afford to help with.

She encourages Alexandre along.

Whimpers die down as they get farther from the person.

Of course they do.

More silence.