Once Upon A December ❉ Newsies//ON HOLD

Chapter 6

I'll bless my homeland, 'til I die. . .

•

Katherine. Wake up." Jack shook her shoulder hard and Katherine opened her eyes to see the blurry sight of him over her.

When did she get to that sleeping position even? Wasn't she on the window?

"What is-"

"We's need to go, now." Jack said urgently.

Katherine sat up quickly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "Go where? We're on the train to Paris aren't we?"

"Travel papers! I need to see them!" A man said loudly, going down the aisles.

Davey grabbed their bags off of the upper shelf quickly and began packing anything they'd gotten out.

"What's going on?" Katherine asked frantically, "Why do we need to-"

Bang! Bang!

A loud gunshot ran out through the train and Katherine let out a small scream, covering her ears quickly and shutting her eyes and breathing hard. It was just like that vision again. The memories.  The gunfire.  Only now it was even closer and louder.

Jack quickly gathered her in his arms and hugged her close, pressing his hands over here and trying to quiet her crying.

"Dave, we's gotta go."

"How can we?" Davey said, "She's practically hyperventilating right now."

Jack gently took Katherine's face in his hands, "Katherine, we's need to move. We need t'a go now. If we's don't they're gonna see we have t'a wrong papers and it will be us gettin' shot next.  Just follow us okay?"

Katherine nodded, holding back a whimpering noise and biting her lip hard enough she thought it'd draw blood.

Jack grabbed her hand quickly and Davey opened the door, running out into the halls with Jack and Katherine right behind him.

"Hey!"

They looked over their shoulder to see a man in a uniform start running after them, holding a gun.

"Go! Go!" Jack yelled running faster and dragging Katherine along.

They ran through the different aisles of compartments, dodging luggage and passengers.

"Get back here!" The man yelled, raising the gun.

He shot off two rounds quickly and Katherine screamed, covering her ears once more.  She couldn't stop now.  She couldn't break down.  Memories aside, she had to run.  This was her life on the line.  And Jack and Davey's too. 

They quickly ran until they reached the end of the train; bursting through the door into the cold air.

"Now what do we do?!" Katherine yelled over the loud wind.

"We jump." Jack yelled back.

She turned to Jack, eyes wide, "We what?!"

"Jump!" Davey yelled, climbing onto the railing and jumping as high as he could, tumbling down in the snow below.

"Davey!" Katherine yelled.

"Come on Katherine we have t'a jump, now, hurry!"

Katherine quickly shook her head, backing away from the railing, "I can't. I can't." She mumbled, putting her head against her hands, "It's too high."

Jack looked back to see the guy flinging open the door to the last compartment, still holding a rifle in his hands.

"Katherine we's don't have time t'a be scared okay? If we don't jump, that man is going t'a shoot us and going t'a kill us."

Katherine closed her eyes, feeling more tears fall, "I know!" She shouted back over the wind.

"Just trust me please." Jack pleaded, grabbing her hand tightly and lacing their fingers together.

Jack gave Katherine a quick boost up onto the railing before climbing up next to her.

"Will we make it?!" Katherine asked, terrified as she stared at the ground below.

"We will." Jack said quickly.

Katherine looked at him, her hair blowing by, a mess in the wind, "For sure?" She asked, her voice quivering.

"For sure." Jack replied, "1. . . 2. . . 3!"

They jumped off right as the door to the back opened and the man ran out.

They went tumbling through the snow and down a hill, feeling tree branches and rocks painfully slow their descent.  Then everything went quiet.

.

"Is he alive? Do you think he's okay?" Jack heard a female voice above him say.

He felt cold and pain.  It was as if he'd been hit by a truck, but worse.

"I think he is.  He's still breathing right?"

Jack felt something soft tickle his cheek that felt like hair.

"I think he is.  I think I feel it." The girl's voice said shakily.

Jack slowly opened his eyes, squinting hard at the bright sunlight bearing down on them.  He slowly sat up, rubbing his head that was throbbing at the sudden movement.

"Good Lord I thought you were dead!" Katherine cried, throwing her arms around him quickly, nearly knocking him over.

Jack winced in pain at the movement.

"Sorry. Sorry." Katherine said quickly, pulling herself up off of him.

Jack just grabbed her and hugged her closer, burying his face against her shoulder, "Its worth the pain." He whispered gently, brushing the snow out of her hair with his fingers.

"If you two are done with your love fest here." Davey said, causing them to jump away from each other, "We have quite the long ways ahead of us."

Jack glared at Davey as Katherine pulled away quickly, embarrassed.  She cleared her throat awkwardly and stood up reaching a hand out to Jack and helping him up and quickly wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Yous okay?" Jack asked, looking her over.

"Just a few scratches and bruises; nothing I can't really handle." Katherine smiled.

"Wow, maybe yous aren't the princess.  Don't they usually whine in pain?" Jack smirked teasingly.

"Oh shut up." Katherine laughed, nudging his shoulder, "I was more worried about you."

"Like I said," Davey groaned in annoyance, "We have a long way to go you two.  I can't third-wheel forever."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Would yous be quiet Dave?" He said, tugging his cap back on, "Yous makin' my headache worse."

Davey just smirked before starting walking down the path.

"Lovebirds." He muttered to himself.

"Let's go." Jack said, turning to Katherine, "Paris don't wait for anyone."

Katherine nodded and smiled, tugging at her necklace nervously, "It sure doesn't."