Away

Chapter 4

The flames crackled around Clover, Jack and Charlie. They had been planning this for weeks. Stig reviewed their plan with them a million times, to a point where it was almost annoying.

"Out the back, to the tree, over the wall and run," Clover repeated to herself, "and don't forget to hide the evidence."

The room got much hotter, the fire had almost arrived. It was time to make an escape.

Clover counted to three, smoke clouded her vision and the taste of sweat made her cringe. They were in an old recreational house, it wouldn't matter if it burned down.

She ran for the window as the fire penetrated through the walls. Jack and Charlie ran steadily behind, leaving footprints on the old floor covered in ashes. Adrenaline rushed through Clover. This was her escape, she was going to get out, she was free.

Charlie turned back, and wiped the footprints lying on the floor. Clover's energy raised higher, but soon was replaced by fear as the fire got closer and closer. Jack had reached her by now, and the window was wide open.

"Charlie, we need to leave, this is our only chance!" Clover screamed.

Charlie was unresponsive, silently repeating to himself "hide all evidence, hide all evidence."

"Charlie! Please!" Clover yelled and cried at the same time, her voice getting swallowed by the smoke.

They all started coughing violently, until she was shoved out of the window by Jack who followed closely behind. Clover peaked into the window once more, and saw Charlie running towards the window, the fire right at his heels.

Clover cried and screamed and flailed her arms into the air until she could no longer any more. Charlie was then engulfed by the wall of flames, and Clover could do nothing about it. She would have to complete the journey with one less member.

Jack dragged her as fast as he could to the tree out back. She grabbed a branch, and hoisted herself to the next. She did this until she got to the top. The place where the tree and the wall met, and she saw the whole of the outside world. Stig had described it to her in perfect terms, but to see it was something else. It was a vast stretch of marshland, yellow tufts of grass surrounded by pools of fresh water.

She remembered Stig's instructions. 'Run until you can't see the wall, drink some water and then run again.' They were to do this until then wetlands turned to Forest.

She scrambled to the edge of the wall and joined hands with Jack as they looked at the vast land below. He was shaking just as much as Clover was.

She counted slowly.

"1," she breathed in tightened her grip. Screams of the inhabitants and Civils alike echoed in the background.

"2," Clover was almost distracted, she knew she was supposed to have Charlie holding her other hand, but he wasn't.

"3," she leapt up, scared on so many levels, and then hit the ground, hard.

She then went over the plan, "out the back, over the tree, to the wall and run."

And so they did.

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Hey guys! What's been going on lately?

I've been just drooling over the Olympics lately, which is not exactly the most productive thing to do, but it's fun none the less!

I really hope you like this chapter, and yes, I am aware that it isn't the longest. Sorry?

Don't forget to leave your input in the comments below, the smallest of comments make me smile, and they really help the story out! Thanks for everything so far!

Jay xx