Escape

Chapter 11

About an hour before they got there, the train stopped again. They were still in Germany and everyone was told to get out. Rufioh picked Karkat up, holding him on his back. Cronus took eridan's hand and Kankri walked beside him. Everyone had gotten out of the train and some asked why they were stopping. The conductor told them to stay calm, it was only for a short time.

"We have to go." Rufioh said, taking everyone around the train. "We're only about an hour away from Switzerland on the train. We could make it there on foot." The five of them made their escape to follow the train tracks to Switzerland.

After four hours of walking, Kankri stopped everyone. "We can't..." He said quietly, Rufioh not understanding.

"What's wrong?" Cronus asked, looking around to see if anyone was following them.

"This is too dangerous! We're going to get killed. Look." Kankri pointed to a camp a few miles away. "There are bound to be guards surrounding this area."

"What's another way then?" Cronus asked, getting worried as well.

"There isn't one. We just have to risk it." Kankri sighed, looking towards the camp again.

"Rufioh?" Cronus said turning to him. "Kankri has said that there are guards around here because of the close camp. It is over there." He pointed to it.

"I can't guarantee your safety of we keep going this way. Can we go another direction?" Cronus shook his head. "Well, we might just have to run for it..." As Rufioh said this Karkat started coughing. He quickly set the child down.

Karkat continued coughing, his whole body rattled. He eventually coughed up blood again, looking up at Kankri pathetically.

"We can't keep going if he's this sick...it could put him in danger. Even more so than he already is in..." Rufioh said, feeling Karkat's face. He was boiling hot and he pushed Rufioh away. "I'm just seeing if you're okay."

Karkat nodded, only understanding the word "okay". He stood up and wobbly walked over to Kankri, leaning on him. "It hurts..."

"I know..." Kankri picked his brother up, he squirmed and got down. "Karkat I need to carry you."

"I can walk..." Karkat grumbled, walking ahead of everyone.

Everyone sighed and followed him, Eridan yawning and demanding to be held by Cronus. He obliged and picked his brother up. It was eleven at night and everyone was beginning to feel tired.

"Let's rest here...i'll keep watch." Rufioh said sitting down with everyone. Eridan crawled into cronus' lap and fell asleep. Karkat laid on the ground, watching the trees in the background away. He couldn't sleep, he just faked it.

Cronus couldn't fall asleep either. He watched Rufioh for a minute, before holding onto Kankri. Kankri was asleep, curled up on Cronus.

Rufioh turned around and saw the two of them. He smiled, Cronus glared. "I don't care." Cronus gave Rufioh an odd look. "I mean, I don't mind who you like. If you like him, I don't care. I know I'm suppose to and all, but honestly...it's just love? It can't hurt anyone..."

Cronus smiled. "Thank you..." Rufioh nodded, turning back to the trees. "Wait, um? How old are you?"

"Oh, I'm sixteen. I joined the military a few months after my birthday. I couldn't just sit on my ass while the world was at war. They needed people." Rufioh smiled to himself.

"...I'm sixteen as well. Should I have joined the military?" Cronus asked.

"Er...I don't...I don't know...if you had I could've been fighting you." Rufioh chuckled. "Never thought I'd make friends with a German..."

"Never thought I'd make friends with an American." Cronus smiled back at Rufioh.

"Guess we're in the same boat..." Rufioh shook his head. "Man...I'm helping you get to safety... Well, technically that's what I'm here to do."

"What do you mean?" Cronus asked, he thought Rufioh was just a soldier like everyone else.

"Oh, my unit also helps Jews trying to get out of Germany. That's why we took you in without hesitation. We wanted all of you to be safe. That's our job." Rufioh smiled at Karkat, who started coughing roughly again. Rufioh got up, walking over to him. "Why don't you stay over here? You're sick, little dude."

"No! No! Stay!!!!" Karkat squirmed away from Rufioh, coughing and falling over.

"No, you're sick. You won't get hurt. It's safer over with me and Cronus." Rufioh gently picked up Karkat, bringing him over to Cronus. He held the small child in his lap and reached into one of the bags. "Here, it's medicine." Rufioh tried to give him the medicine, but Karkat pushed it away.

"Karkat, he's trying to help you. It's medicine. You're really sick, just take it. You won't get any better if you don't!" Cronus explained in German, trying to hold Karkat still.

"No!!! No!! I don't want the medicine! I don't care if I'm sick! No one cares anyway! Let me go! I hate you!!" Karkat started yelling and thrashing. He kept kicking Cronus, screaming and yelling.

Rufioh, knowing how to keep someone still, quickly grabbed Karkat and pinned him down. "Calm down! You're drawing attention to us and you're sick, I'm not trying to hurt you. Calm down."

Karkat panicked, but in his panic he got quiet. He started hyperventilating under Rufioh's hold.

"It's okay...it's okay..." Rufioh slowly got off of Karkat, letting him get readjusted. "Sorry, I had to quiet him..."

"No, no...it is okay. I am sorry for him. He is just scared." Cronus explained, looking over at Karkat.

Karkat glared at everyone, looking behind him to the woods. He looked back at everyone again.

"Karkat. Don't." Rufioh glared at Karkat, knowing what he was going to do.

Karkat glared back, bracing himself. Rufioh watched him closely. Suddenly Karkat sprung up and took off into the woods. Rufioh got up, running after him.

"Karkat!! Get back here!! Don't just run away!!" Cronus also got up, waking everyone else up. He got up and chased after Rufioh and Karkat.

"Cronus? Cronus!!" Kankri yelled, hoping up. Eridan jumped up too, grabbing Kankri's hand.

From far away a gun shot rang out, a scream followed. The scream was from Karkat. Yelling in bother German and Englishness followed as well. Kankri quickly picked up Eridan and ran towards the yelling.