The Sleeping Prison

Chapter 6

Julian swiftly unlocked the lock on the window, the others moved in. Hannah and Luke stayed the same spot.
Julian moved away from the unopened window to fight off the guards that advanced on them.
They pushed open the window, the doctors that had once been huddled around Luke were now plastered to the back wall of the police station.
Sucks for you, he though. Get caught in the middle of this I see?
Grace went out the window first. She was halfway out when the guards advanced on the. They surged toward the window.
Julian threw the first punch, it slammed into the throat of an advancing guard. If these were normal guards it would have sent him gasping.
Frustrated he threw another punch at the guard, then a kick. The guard stumbled.
He took this as his advantage, he then kneed him hard in the head, and pushed him to the floor.
The guard was out cold. Two other guards were fighting Will and James. Both held their ground.
Grace on the other hand... not so much. Being half though the window is a problem when a weirdly strong soldier is pulling on your ankle.
He snapped his hand down on the mans wrist which probably would have broken his wrist only made his grip loosen.
It was enough though. Grace got her foot though the window. Will pulled away from his guard, he backed up to the window, right into a guard.
Unfortunately Julian was to tied up with the guard who attacked Grace.
"Will!" He screamed.
He spun around and punched the guard in the jaw, and then a firm punch to the throat. He then punched the large guard into the wall.
He then dove through the window.
In that moment Luke and Hannah hopped up. Luke wasn't much help but did his best dispose his injured state. Hannah and Luke were able to separate James from the two guards that were trying to take him down.
James turned toward the window and dove though it.
Three down, two to go.
Julian pushed the guard he was fighting up against the cell wall. He punched him over and over and over until he passed out. He then sprinted over to the guard who attacked Luke, who I might say looked miserable and had taken a beating, and jumped on him slamming the man to the ground.
Luke lucky pulled himself out the window and into the alley outside.
Hannah and Julian finished off the last two guards.
They looked at each other, all around them the body's of the guards lay limp but breathing.
Hannah looked back at the station. "Let's get out of here before more guards come, no doubt they called for help and if they didn't than they will realize what happened here soon enough."
Hannah hopped out the window and onto the street. He did too.
Once the group was together they all took of together, at a steady run toward the forest.
Once they reached the forest Will and Grace echached whoops, Hannah smiled at Julian then proceeded to stop, give Luke a quick peck on the cheek and keep running.
•••
When Leo woke the next morning Eli was gone. She hadn't know when she left.
They had fallen asleep, the nightmares were gone.
Eli was like a little sister, still afraid of the dark, but with this huge weight put on her. Her sister died, and Luke was practically her family by how much time he spent at her house.
She was torn apart and she had to try to hold herself together by herself. It was Leo's turn to put her back together.
There was a knock on the door.
"Mis- Leo, are you awake?" Eli.
"Yeah, Eli. Do you need something?" She opened the door and came in.
"Master called for you, breakfast is in an hour."
Great, she thought. Just great.
"I'm coming." She groaned.
She went to the closet finding a plain gray dress. She went into the bathroom. She was going to take a shower but there was no shower!
She was practically shaking with anger. What kind of sexist pig thinks that it's not preferred by a women to take a shower? It's not midevil times!
"Eli! Where is the shower?!?!"
"Sorry miss." Her head fell on the other side of the door. Her body tensed.
"You think I'm going to beat you." Shocked Leo looked at the girl as she nodded. "Let's get one thing straight, I will never, ever, ever hurt you. I will take care of you."
Eli smiled a small smile. "Miss I can draw you a bath."
"What did I say about calling me 'miss'?"
"You know, you're right, I need to stop saying that. Your not serious enough to be called miss." Eli laughed.
Leo was laughing too. There is my feisty girl.
"That bath would be nice," Leo said once her giggles calmed.
Once the bath was filled Eli left the bathroom. Leo lowered herself into the tub not remembering the last time she bathed.
It was so long ago, before the end of the war. She told herself. It really hadn't felt that long to Leo, only a few days at most.
She was a sleep most of it so whatever.
She got out of the tub after a long pleasant bath and dyed her dripping hair.
She was so imperfect. How could Hector even want her when he didn't even know her.
When she was dressed it was almost an hour later and Eli was perched on the bed skimming through a book.
When she noticed Leo she stiffened. Leo almost had to remind her to relax before she did so herself.
She slipped the book in her apron.
"We must go to the breakfast room now."
"Lead the way."
•••
When Julian reached the willow he almost expected to see a red head hanging upside down from one of the branches teasing him about how late he is.
He had thought she would be waiting, he guessed wrong.
He felt like going in the tree, sitting there, eyes closed and imaging her there with him.
He could pour out how he felt to a tree pretending it was Leo or help his friends make base camp.
"Ok guys!" He yelled. "Let's get started on a place to sleep! Tonight we will sleep under the willow but after that we are going to need a permanent base." He used his leader voice, usually Leo was better at this but she wasn't here, she was coming but wasn't here. "Any ideas?"
"We could build a treehouse," Will added.
"No, they'll expect us to be up in the trees, we could always keep moving around."
"No!" Julian said it so fast everyone looked at him. "Leo is expecting us here."
"We could make some sort of camouflaged hut on the ground." Hannah added.
"They could wander right into our camp," Grace argued. "I don't know about you but I do not want some freaky strong soldiers in my hut."
"I agree with Grace," Hannah said.
Just then Luke made a series of hand signals. He signed we could go underground. It was the best idea yet.
"That could work," said Julian thoughtfully. "We would need to work on a plan for getting food and water. And digging the hole itself but it could work..."
"I second that," said James.
"Everyone in favor say 'Aye' and if not in favor, I mean you have to be pretty stupid to say no to this plan, say nothing, we don't want to hear from you," said Will.
They all laughed as they all said "Aye" except Grace.
"Sorry to be the sore thumb but living in the ground is not my thing. It's gross down there."
"And it's gross up here with all bugs, mud, animals, you name it. At least down there we would be safe from the weather." Hannah reasoned.
"And the creepy crawlies would get you. They would crawl all over you when sleep. They would bite you and go in your mouth." Will teased and Grace shivered.
"Julian, how close is the nearest pond, lake, or preferably river?" Hannah asked.
"There is a pond about a mile north. It's kind of dirty though. There is a lake a mile south, it's about 15 miles from the border. And there is this wonderful stream with a beautiful waterfall right around here."
He lead them through a thick bit of brush.
"Did Leo really hike 15 miles to see us?" Grade sounded shocked.
"No, her school was right on the border and after school kids were allowed to do whatever. There was this bus she would take. It would drop her off a mile from here and pick her up a few hours later. No one expected her to be sneaking off into Shiera. Who would? Sure they must have thought it was weird, a girl taking the bus every day and getting off at the same spot but her class made sure no one messed with her."
"How could she not tell us she was from Luna?" James sounded more betrayed than ever.
"She was probably a spy, tricked Julian since childhood." Will said bitterly.
"How could you! She sacrificed herself so we all could live!" Julian snapped.
"Sacrifice? She's probably in a nice fancy bed getting a massage and all the sweets she wants!" Will yelled back.
"You don't know how they treated her. She would come with bruises on her hands and arms! She would sob when she got to me! They thought she was a monster!"
"Oh yeah! Go on defend her! Your probably one of them too!"
"Enough!" Hannah yelled suddenly causing both Will and Julian to go silent and look. "Will look I know you feel offended that Leo is rich, never misses a meal, and gets all good stuff. But whatever, she obvious suffers greatly if she comes to a poor country for refuge. Julian, I know Leo is your best friend and you will protect her reputation but you have to realize we all feel a little betrayed. She didn't tell us. We are having a hard time understanding what is so bad at her home, but we are going to get caught if you and Will don't shut up and then we will be at the mercy of Luna. We will wait for Leo here."
They broke out of the dense forest a few minutes of silence later.
"Wow, this is so beautiful!" Grace said in awe. James was gaping. Will was big eyed but by the set of his jaw Julian could tell he was still mad. Julian was mad too. Hannah smiled a wonderful smile and clapped her hands. Luke smiled. He signed something like, amazing.
"This is a place out of a fairy tale," Hannah sighed.
"I know," he remembered being here the last time with Leo. They had swam in the water, splashed, had fun. He had almost kissed her here, he almost leaned in but he was too scared.
The crystal clear waters flowed over the shiny smooth rocks. A pool of bright blue water was at the bottom of the waterfall. Trees overlapped the waterfall making the rising sun shining through the trees make patterns of sparkling water.
As the sun continued to rise he said, "we have to make camp for tonight while it's light, we'll need to go into town and that could be dangerous, you guys ready?"