Title: She Walks Alone
Part I — The Route
They noticed her by accident—just a flash of wet sleeves and oversized sneakers at 5:42 A.M. Sharp. Every day.
She walked alone. Nine miles. No coat. No lunchbox. Just a sagging backpack and errands tucked into plastic bags on the way home.
Twelve hours gone daily—six in class, five walking, one hauling groceries or pharmacy slips. All for people who never waved from the porch.
“She’s not a daughter,” Laswell said quietly. “She’s a prop.”
And TF141 started watching closer.
Part II — The Moment It Changed
Soap tried to charm her. “C’mon, you don’t even know your mum’s favorite color?”
“They’re not my family,” she said, plain and soft.
No hesitation.
The next morning, Price walked the first mile with her. Didn’t ask questions.
Ghost joined halfway.
Then Roach.
Farah. Gaz. Laswell. Nikolai.
One by one, they started walking her—to school, to errands. They carried the weight when she wouldn’t ask. Stayed quiet when they saw the way she flinched at being noticed.
It stopped being surveillance.
Started being care.
Part III — The Stranger
She was struggling with a wine bottle in a rain-slick bag when the man approached. Clean coat. Crooked smile.
“Hey there, sweet,” he said. “Want help?”
She didn’t look at him.
Didn’t stop.
He reached anyway.
Ghost didn’t speak—just appeared.
Rodolfo flanked. Soap followed.
The man backed off. Quickly.
She said nothing.
Later, Ghost handed her a protein bar. She tucked it into her sleeve without a word.
But her grip was shaking.
Part IV — The House
Andrei smiled through the barbecue like he’d earned it. Perfect lawn. Polished son. Wine that cost more than a month of her clothes.
No toys on the floor. No shoes at the door. No plate set.
“She was late,” the wife explained. “Missed dinner. Discipline.”
“She’s six,” Gaz muttered.
She arrived soaked, silent, water trailing behind her.
No one greeted her.
Price slipped down the hall, found her room: bare mattress, bleach under the bed, two shirts. No lamp. No books. No toys.
He returned with a full plate.
Sat beside her as she clutched it like it might vanish.
She looked up, eyes wide.
“Eat, love,” he said gently. “That’s yours.”
And for the first time, maybe, she believed it.
TF141 left that house quiet.
But the mission changed that night.
She wasn’t part of it.