Looking for a Way Out

Despite successfully boarding the train in Moscow, avoiding notice in Minsk, changing trains in Brest, again in Warsaw, another change in Poznan, and finally arriving in Szczecin, Elijah Peter Coates was still paranoid. From the doorway, he looked back at his daughter, Estée of only ten years, sleeping beneath her coat in the dim light of their Polish hotel. Beside her Vasiliy Utkin, also ten, was weeping quietly as he slept. This day's long journey had been hard on both children and it wasn't nearly over.

He stepped out of the room, and lit a cigarette and walked down to the public phone. Eli held the cigarette between his lips as he fished in his pockets for the scraps of paper he'd stowed there. Elijah knew bringing his cellphone would be dangerous, so he copied the contacts he'd need on paper, and destroyed his phone. Eli had left everything behind in Russia, not that there was much left to leave behind. Viktoriya had already escaped to America with their daughter Nikola, Vikenti and Miro Alkaev had taken refuge at Vikenti's camp on the Finnish border. Only Yuri Utkin remained in Moscow, too ill to travel.

Elijah took a drag from the cigarette and once again tried to push that image out of his mind. His friend was underweight again, or maybe still. Yuri just couldn't seem to get himself to a healthy weight. After more than ten years free from imprisonment, Yuri still couldn't eat red meat without vomiting. The cocktail of medications that kept him stable left him without an appetite. He was generally weak, both in spirit and physically. The only time he seemed to have a spark of energy was around his wife, Feodocia, his stepson Timo and he and Feodocia's son, Vasiliy. And Eli had just taken Vasiliy away from him.

"Please, Ilya, take him." Yuri pleaded. "I have money. I'll pay his way with you. I'll pay your way."

It was hard to see Yuri beg like this. It was worse since they had found pictures of Yuri as a young man, before he'd been captured. The photos were of a young, athletic soldier with auburn curls and snowy grey eyes. The Yuri in the photos flashed a smile that promised trouble. The Yuri that stood in the hallway of their tenement was gaunt, weak, with downcast grey eyes and short shorn brown hair. It seemed like he never smiled anymore.

"I want to take us all, Yuri." Eli protested. "But it will be dangerous to get the six of us on an international train without anyone noticing. Why not try heading to Vikenti's camp?"

"You know I won't survive there. I'm not surviving here." Yuri pulled a large folded collection of bills from the pocket of his grey pants. "Vaz doesn't want to leave Estée, anyway. Please, Ilya, please."

Tears had started to form in Yuri's eyes. He pushed the money into Eli's hands. Even as Eli tried to give it back, Yuri forced him against the wall, their hands locked together as Yuri started to weep, repeating the word, "please." Finally, Elijah relented, accepting the money and putting his arms around Yuri.

"I'll take him. But you have to promise me something, Yuri." Elijah murmured.

"Thank you, Ilya, anything." Yuri nodded, desperately.

"You have to survive. I'm going to get you out of this place. It won't be that much longer, I promise." Elijah held him close, hoping he hadn't lied.

Elijah exhaled a smoky breath. There was a knot in his stomach. He wondered when this would get easy, when he could stop looking over his shoulder. He hadn't properly slept since the night before they left the apartment. Eli knew he wouldn't be able to until he knew they were safe.