Husté zlatožlté lístie padalo z holých vetiev a vietor hrmotne pískal cez prázdne ulice zničeného mesta.

Thick golden-yellow leaves fell from the bare branches, and the wind shrieked noisily through the empty streets of the ruined city.

Marek kráčal tiho, pozorne naslúchajúc každému zvuku.

Marek walked quietly, listening attentively to every sound.

Mesto, kedysi plné života, teraz zívalo prázdnotou.

The city, once full of life, now yawned with emptiness.

Na pavéne boli praskliny, ako keby sa zem samotná rozpadala pod váhou udalostí posledných rokov.

The pavement was cracked, as if the ground itself were crumbling under the weight of events from the past years.

Vedla neho kráčala Lenka, jeho mladšia sestra, s veľkými očami plnými zvedavosti a bázne.

Walking beside him was Lenka, his younger sister, with large eyes full of curiosity and awe.

Viktor, starý priateľ rodiny a spoľahlivý spoločník, sa držal o pár krokov za nimi, stále na stráži.

Viktor, an old family friend and reliable companion, kept a few steps behind them, ever watchful.

Napriek všetkému Marek chcel veriť, že ich nádej na nájdenie potravín nebola márna.

Despite everything, Marek wanted to believe that their hope of finding food was not in vain.

"Musíme byť opatrní," povedal Marek ticho.

"We must be careful," Marek said quietly.

"Ak je tu ešte niečo na jedenie, určite priťahuje nielen nás.

"If there is anything left to eat here, it's sure to attract more than just us."

"Legendárny obchod s potravinami stál zhruba dva bloky od miesta, kde sa nachádzali.

The legendary grocery store stood about two blocks from where they were.

Polovica strechy schátrala a vo vnútri boli šero a tiene.

Half of the roof had collapsed, and inside were dimness and shadows.

Hovorilo sa, že tam ostali konzervy, ktoré nikto nenašiel.

It was said that there were canned goods left that no one had found.

Ale s rečami o banditoch, ktorí sa túlia k miestu, to bolo riskantné.

But with rumors of bandits lurking around the place, it was risky.

"Možno je tam všetko padlo.

"Maybe everything has fallen down.

Ale ak nie, aspoň nezomrieme hladom," šepkala Lenka.

But if not, at least we won't starve," whispered Lenka.

Podišla bližšie k Marekovi, jej dôvera v neho bola pevná ako skaly.

She moved closer to Marek, her trust in him as firm as rocks.

Viktor skontroloval okolité ulice ďalekohľadom.

Viktor checked the surrounding streets with binoculars.

"Doteraz ticho, ale musíme sa pohnúť rýchlo.

"So far it's quiet, but we must move quickly.

Nebudeme tu dlho sami.

We won't be alone here for long."

"Zastali pred obchodom.

They stopped in front of the store.

Marek sa uistil, že nebolo žiadne nebezpečenstvo naokolo, a potom opatrne vkročil dovnútra.

Marek made sure there was no danger around and then cautiously stepped inside.

Všade ležal prach a útržky papiera.

Dust and scraps of paper were everywhere.

Uličky boli väčšinou vyprázdnené, ale keď sa ponorili hlbšie, Marek našiel prevrhnutý regál plný starých plechoviek.

The aisles were mostly empty, but as they delved deeper, Marek found an overturned shelf full of old cans.

Bolo to to, čo potrebovali.

It was what they needed.

"No a teraz von," zašepkal Marek, cítajúc vzruch víťazstva.

"Now let's get out," whispered Marek, feeling the thrill of victory.

Keď vyšli späť na ulicu, náhle ostré piskanie prestrelilo ticho.

As they stepped back out onto the street, a sudden sharp whistle cut through the silence.

Banditi sa vynorili z tieňov, s pochybným zámerom v očiach.

Bandits emerged from the shadows, with dubious intentions in their eyes.

Bolo jasné, že chcú jedlo.

It was clear they wanted the food.

Marek zakričal na Lenku a Viktora: "Na rohy, hneď!

Marek shouted to Lenka and Viktor: "To the corners, now!"

" Nebol čas na váhanie.

There was no time to hesitate.

Musel ich ochrániť.

He had to protect them.

Rýchlo sa otočil a pripravil na úhybný manéver.

Quickly, he turned and prepared for an evasive maneuver.

Marek využil svoje vedomosti o uličkách mesta.

Marek used his knowledge of the city's alleys.

Pretiahli sa cez tmavé úzke prechody, vyhýbajúc sa banditom, ktorí ich prenasledovali.

They slipped through dark narrow passages, avoiding the bandits who chased them.

Vydesení, ale odhodlaní, všetci traja napokon našli úkryt v starom pivnici, ktorá bola starostlivo zamaskovaná troskami.

Frightened but determined, the three of them eventually found shelter in an old basement, carefully camouflaged with debris.

"Je to bezpečné na noc," povedal Viktor, keď si vydýchol.

"It's safe for the night," said Viktor, as he exhaled.

"Dobrý ťah, Marek.

"Good move, Marek."

"Marek sediac vedľa sestrei pocítil náhlu úľavu.

Sitting next to his sister, Marek felt a sudden relief.

"Prešli sme to," odpovedal, so štipkou pýchy v hlase.

"We made it through," he replied, with a hint of pride in his voice.

Ponaučenie prežila svoj zmysel: úzkosť z chýb ustúpila pocitu naplnenia.

The lesson had served its purpose: the anxiety from mistakes gave way to a sense of fulfillment.

Teraz už vedel, že dovede spraviť čokoľvek pre bezpečnosť tých, ktorých miluje.

Now he knew he could do anything for the safety of those he loved.

A tak v tej pivnici, obklopení starými stenami, ktoré bývali pevné ako ich odhodlanie, plánovali svoju ďalšiu cestu, nachádzajúc vo svojom vzťahu silu pre nový deň.

And so in that basement, surrounded by old walls that had once been as sturdy as their resolve, they planned their next journey, finding strength in their bond for a new day.