Monaco

The Monegasque girl crept down the abandoned street. Wads of four month old newspapers rustled as she went. The girl, named Elise, had a long braid which she kept to the side. A heavy maroon coat stopped mid-thigh as she crouched against a crumbling brick wall. She kept a map and flashlight in either hand. Circled in blue ink was an electronics shop which she hoped contained batteries.

She hid behind a bench on the opposite street of the electronics shop. Elise waited a few minutes to see if anyone would enter or exit the shop. Thankfully, no one did. She gulped before making a break for the boarded up doors.

Before, the doors slid open with a small whoosh of air. Now, Elise had to jimmy her fingers between the thin crack and try to pry the door open. After a few nerve racking minutes, she felt the door budge. She parted the two halves just enough so she could enter.

Inside the shop was dark with only a few rays of token sunlight peeking through the cracks in the boards. Elise clicked on her flashlight before taking her first steps into the shop. White, plastic shelves reflected back at her. Some were askew from their original positions, and two were knocked completely over. A few scattered boxes and packages lay here and there which Elise picked up. Most were ear bud boxes or cell chargers. Nothing of value in today's society. She let these useless items fall back to the floor as she pushed further into the unknown darkness.

Thankfully the shop was pretty small, so it didn't take her long to reach the back. Here were even more useless things like computers or monitors. The young girl brushed some hair out of her face as she walked back down another aisle. Seemed like this shop was picked clean.

After searching ever aisle she could, Elise spotted the last place she could check: behind the register. She walked back to the front of the store where the register counter sat a few feet away from the door. She shined her flashlight over the counter to look at the floor. Nothing. Elise leaned over to get a better look. The register had been robbed and most else stolen. There were three drawers that looked like they hadn't been touched, however. She tried to open one only to find it was locked. The same went for the other two as well.

Undeterred, she climbed across the counter to start working on the locks. From her pocket she pulled a small switchblade. The glorified dagger rose from its resting place as she pushed the blade up. She got on her knees and placed the flashlight between her thighs so she had light to work with. For a few minutes she struggled with the first lock. There was no intention of picking it, just breaking it. Though it became clear her knife might give out before the lock did.

As she was about to give up and move onto the second lock, there was a metal scrapping sound and then a soft click. The drawer pushed forward a few centimeters as it moved from the lock. Elise set the knife down and grabbed her flashlight. For a second her heart skipped a beat as she looked into drawer but immediately her face fell. Nothing but rolls of coins for change.

The girl moved onto the next drawer which acted much in the same way. This one contained the run of the mill office paper work. Receipts, phone numbers, mailing addresses, a few bills. Nothing Elise found important other than a pen.

The final drawer was her last hope. Her radio had died two nights ago, and ever since then she hadn't been able to follow the broadcast. After weeks of flipping through static, the Monegasque girl had found one with a voice. Weak, but growing stronger, it sounded like an old preacher telling of a place in Germany that was safe. While it was a leap of faith, Elise felt confident there was something there.

The last drawer gave way with surprising ease. Her flashlight shined mostly on bare wood, but also the round, metallic cylinders of double-A batteries. Elise silently celebrated before grabbing a handful of them. She placed them the pockets' of her coat before standing up. With business done here, she felt it time to leave.

Clicking off her flashlight, she stumbled across the counter again and to the door. She crouched behind the boarded up glass and peeked out. From the crack she had made for herself, she couldn't see a soul outside. She shimmied out the door before starting to head back to her temporary base.

"Halt!" a voice called behind her. The girl froze mid step and her blue eyes widened behind her glasses. The grip on her flashlight tighten as the voice told her to turn around. She pivoted on her foot with her nose coming just inches away from the barrel of a pistol.