Fallen

Chapter Twenty-Six

Mia

I was the first one the dragged out there.  They forced me to my knees, keeping the handcuffs on.  I wanted to fight back, I wanted to scream at them and punch them, but I just couldn't do it. 

That's when the bring out the rest of my family. 

I can see the look of shear terror in my brothers eyes, and a look of confusion in my mothers.  They didn't know.  Lastly, they bring out Ashton.  He has a look of pure anger in his eyes, a look of determination.  A look that makes me believe he's going to do something we are going to regret.

"Ashton Green, you are the first to receive your punishment because you have committed the most crimes. Today you are receiving your punishment of thirty lashes for treason, aiding the Fallen, and attacking and injuring a guard.  Griever, you may begin."  The man from last night announced.  I hear cheers and squint as I look towards the noise.   We seemed to me on some sort of stage, and there was an actual audience.  And they were enjoying it.

A big man dressed in a dreary brown steps forward and rips open the back of Ashton's dress shirt, exposing his back.   Then he pulls out a long cord from his pocket, it was dripping in a dark red liquid.  I look over at my mother and see her sudden realization and a look of horror crosses her face.  That's when the first lash occurs.

I hear Ashton scream in pain, and then it's all a blur.  I feel myself fighting against my guard and screaming for the to stop.  I just couldn't take it.  The guard tightened its grip on my and I kicked and I lashed.  They weren't allowed to hurt him, no one was allowed to hurt my best friend. 

"Stop!" I scream, but all I get in return is an amused look from the head of the council.  That sick little bastard.  I stare in panic as Griever brings down the whip again.  This time, Ashton doesn't react.  I catch his gaze and he actually smiles.  I couldn't tell if it was a reassuring smile or a pained smile, well I mean, I knew he was in pain.

In the next moment, Ashton seems to break free of his handcuffs.  In the minute of chaos I was able to kick free of my guard and race towards him, but he didn't need me.  He is fighting Griever, and clearly winning.  Griever may have been a large man, but he was no match for Aston's speed.  The man would swing down where Ashton was one minute, but before he could touch him Ashton was gone.   I search the evacuating crowd for the man in charge, but he was no where to be seen.

A coward too, I think.

I look back to my family to see my mother comforting Ryder. I rush over to them and bring them into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," I cry. "I'm so, so sorry."

My mother just looks at me and smiles. Where as Ryder still doesn't seem to understand.

My mother speaks of the two of them first. "I should have told the two of you sooner. It was unfair if me to put that burden on you."

"It's okay, Mom," I sob, not even noticing Ashton come up behind me.

"We should get going.  I don't know how long that big guy is going to stay down, or when they will send more people after us," he says catching me off guard.

Mom agrees dragging Ryder and I to a standing position.

"Does anyone actually know how to get out of here?" I ask.

"I do," my mom says.

"Okay, then let's get going."

"I can't, I have something to do first." The idiot didn't even seem to be aware of the gaping wounds in his back. "Ms. Olivia, get them out of here. I'll be right behind you."

"Like hell you will be!" I screamed at him. "You aren't going anywhere without me."

He makes a face before turning to my mother.

"It's better you don't go alone. But it better be important." She leans forward and whispers something in his ear. "Good luck," she says before running away with Ryder.

I look towards Ashton, who has a sly smile on his face.

"What was that about?"

His face goes back to its determined look. "We have to get moving."

If I hadn't not wanted to get caught right then, I so would have pestered him about what my mother said. However, instead I just raced along side of him.

We make our way to where we came from, which confused me. Did he want us to get caught?

Suddenly he pulls me into a corner. I feel myself gasp, but his hand quickly covers my mouth. Then the guards rush past. There were hundreds of them, all running towards where we came from. And not one of them seemed to notice us. I hoped Ryder and Mom were okay.

I look up at Ashton looking for his okay to continue.  He has this hard look in his hazel eyes, a look he gets whenever we are on a mission.  I wondered what we where going back for.

Once all of the guards seemed to have passed, Aston tentatively pokes his head out before nodding at me to continue.  I follow him down the hall a little further past what seems like endless empty cells.  It was hard to believe a few hours ago I was in one of these.  Eventually we come across a cell with one dim light on.  In the corner slumped down was a girl with chestnut colored hair.  She seemed small and frail.

Ashton approaches the bars and rattles them slightly.  The girl looks up, fear evident in her eyes, I wondered why she was here.  That's when I knew she was human.  Her eyes were a soft green, not the bright color of a Fallen's.

"Ashton?"  She seems to straighten up when she see's him.  "What are you doing here?  And why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"You know, and I'm here to get you out."

"How?"

"That's a good question, how are we planning on doing this?"  I ask Ashton, not meaning to show my irritation.  We came back for a human girl? 

That was the first time she seemed to notice me.  I can read the confusion in her eyes.

"Oh, um, Jess this is Mia. She's my friend." The girl, Jess, nods with his statement. Ashton continues, "And that big goon, Griever or whatever they called him, had a set of spare keys on him." He reaches into his pocket but then seems to cripple over from exhaustion. I guess it was finally hitting him. I still gasped in surprise though.

Quietly I bent down next to him and reached into his pocket pulling out the keys. "Take it easy," I murmur to him as I unlock the cell. "We have to get moving." I load Ashton onto one of my shoulders but I wouldn't be able to do this alone. "Can you help me?" She nods in horror as she sees his back for the first time.

"They did this to him?" She squeaks.

I nod, "And they will do it to us too if we don't get out of here as soon as possible!"

She nods and takes Ashton's other side. And then I slowly curse to myself when I realize how screwed we were.

We didn't know our way out.