Tuck Everlasting, The Continued Story.

Chapter 12

Jesse and Winnie both ran as fast as they could away from the square, and into an alley that led to the streets. They could hear Nazis chasing them, but they didn't look back. They were nearing the end of the alley, when suddenly two soldiers appeared on the other side. They were dressed in village clothes and had rifles pointed toward Jesse and Winnie.

 Winnie tugged on Jesse's hand to stop, but he kept pulling her right to the soldiers at the end of the alley. "Duck!" they yelled, and Jesse dived to the ground, taking Winnie with him. Shots rang out, and Winnie instinctively put her hands over her head. When the firing ceased, she looked behind her to see three dead Nazis sprawled on the ground. She turned her head forward, as the two soldiers approached Jesse and Winnie.

 "Why do you two always seem to be in the midst of danger?" one asked. He extended a hand and pulled Winnie to her feet.

 "Luiz!" she exclaimed. She threw her arms around him and hugged him. Erik helped Jesse to his feet, and Jesse smiled.

 "We sure are glad to see you!" Jesse said. Erik smiled, but then looked down the alley to the square.

 "We better go." he said. They nodded, and then followed Erik out of the alley, while Luiz kept his gun pointed in the direction of the square. Once they reached the street, they took off running. Erik ran ahead while Winnie and Jesse followed, unaware of where they were being led. Winnie had the feeling that he was going to lead them away from town, but he suddenly surprised her by turning into an alley that led near Town Square again.

 "Erik," she said cautiously. She began to panic at the thought that he could be leading them right to the Nazis. He stopped in front of a wooden door and looked around. He knocked four times in a specific beat, and a voice called from within.

 "What color is the dog?" the voice asked. Erik rolled his eyes.

 "Open the door, it's me!" he said. The voice sternly repeated the question, and Erik sighed. "The dog is blue," he said. The door slowly opened, and the four of them quickly pushed their way in.

Luiz stopped and said, "Im going to go make sure that my daughter is safe." They all nodded, and he smiled at them before taking off in the opposite direction. Winnie watched him run off, and with a pang of guilt, remembered that he was Jewish. 

The Germans wouldn't take kindly to that if he was caught. 

Winnie waved at him, and then followed the others into the house.

The entryway was small, and led immediately to a staircase that wound its way up to many different floors. "Rufus, why do we have to use that stupid password?" Erik asked, as he closed the door. Rufus, the man who answered the door, had been training with them for the past week. He had white hair, and a bushy white mustache. Rufus squinted his eyes.

"Andre said it is for safety." he answered. He shuffled to the door and locked it. He then turned to Winnie and Jesse. "Come on you two. We could use your help upstairs." They followed him up the stairs to the top floor, where there was another wooden door. Rufus reached into his jacket, and produced a large brown key. He slid it into the keyhole and jiggled it around until he heard it click. Then, he pushed open the door, and gestured his hand for them to follow him.

Winnie's eyes grew wide as she entered the room, and saw Miles kneeling at the window with his rifle directed towards the square. He looked up when they entered the room, and shook his head. 

"Its bad down there." Miles said. Jesse took Winnie's hand, and they both walked up to the window. Rufus left the room and closed the door, locking it again.

Below them in Town Square, the crowds had dispersed, but the Nazi's still had some villagers lined against the wall of the church. One Nazi paced in front of them, asking them questions, while the villagers shook their heads. Winnie scanned the square for Von Kliest, but couldn't see him.

"He's not down there." Miles said, knowing what Winnie was thinking. Erik joined them next to the window.

"Where is Andre?" he asked. Miles ran his hand through his hair, still watching the Nazi's.

"I don't know," he admitted. "He left a few minutes ago to make sure Cheri and Henri got home." Jesse kneeled next to his brother.

"Miles," he said, looking at the square. "What are we gonna do?" Miles sighed, tightening his grip on the gun. He looked at Jesse, and reached over to take his hat off.

"Looks like your disguises didn't work too well." he said. Winnie crossed her arms, and stood next to Jesse. Miles glanced at Erik, and said, "I think that we should leave as soon as possible."

"How?" Jesse asked. Miles stood, and looked out the window, thinking. After a minute, he turned to Jesse.

"We will take to the woods, and head west until we reach the ocean. Then we will find a harbor, and book the first passage back to America." he said.

"You think that it will be that simple?" Erik asked sarcastically. They turned and saw that Erik was leaning against the wall next to the window. "The Nazi's control everything! You wont be able to leave the country without the proper documents." Erik was right. Leaving the country would be impossible, Winnie thought. Unless...

"We could fly!" Winnie exclaimed. They all looked at Winnie, and she felt bubbly with excitement. "We could find a plane, and fly across the Atlantic!" The room grew silent. Jesse grinned.

"Lets do it!" he said. He rose to his feet and stood next to Winnie. Miles put his hands behind his head and looked out the window.

"It is a good idea," he said, "But where are we supposed to find a plane? Or a pilot?" Erik stood straight.

"Monsieur Pinon." he said. Everybody looked at him, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "He lives in a village 20 miles away, but he is a pilot. He has flown across the Atlantic before" Miles nodded.

"Its settled then. We have to leave as soon as possible." he said. Erik crossed the room to Miles, with a concerned look on his face.

"What about the resistance!" he whispered fiercely. Miles put his hand on Erik's shoulder.

"I have prepared you the best that I can. And Andre knows what he's doing, he will be a good leader." Erik opened his mouth to protest, but an urgent knocking at the door stopped him. Miles picked up his rifle, crossed the room, and positioned himself next to the door. He waved his hand, and Jesse, Winnie, and Erik did the same.

They heard Rufus wiggle the key, and then Andre burst the door open. He looked around the room, breathing heavily until he saw Miles. He ran to him and held him by his shirt. "Miles!" he said. "You have to help me!" Miles put his hands on Andre's shoulders to calm him down.

"What has happened?" he asked. Andre looked at Jesse and Winnie, his forehead creased with worry.

"Someone in the village tipped the Nazi's that you are staying at our house. They are at the house right now questioning Cheri." He stopped to breath, closing his eyes. "They sent me here," He said quietly. He looked at Miles with desperation in his eyes. His hands were shaking. 

"They have Henri." he whispered.