Rebels

Ch. 4

Finally the time had come. The ship had reached land a few days later, when the storm began to subside. Of course, as soon as Jack stepped a foot outside a guard grabbed him by the arm. He wasn't done yet. The prisoners were once again lined up on a boardwalk. The two overseers that were with us through the voyage checked each prisoner to make sure we were all here. Jack held out his hand for the overseer to see his mark, the chains causing him to raise both arms.

The sky was covered in a thick layer of clouds, and the air was humid. Jack looked to his left to see how Arin was doing. Ever since the storm began to subside when they were still rowing, the labor became a little easier for Jack, but not by much. As for Arin however, he kept quiet for the rest of the way.

As Jack had expected, the captain stepped down from the ship, observing them all. He wore black jeans and a long, black coat that brushed the ground as he walked down the boardwalk, taking careful observations of each prisoner. Jack hid his imitation of a laugh. He thought the captain's coat made him look a bit like a princess from hell. As the captain came to Jack, Jack took a long, deep breath. "Captain." He would salute, but his wrists were chained.

The captain stopped, but continued to look forward. "A prisoner with respect." He acted surprised, raising his eyebrows that were shadowed by the captain's hair.

"I'm glad you were able to keep us alive, captain." Jack said.

The captain smirked. "Well, it is my job. It'd be drastic for the ship and everyone on it to be taken down by a storm, though not that anyone would take interest in a couple hundred dead prisoners."

Jack's imitation of a smile faded. "I'm sure you're right, captain. I'm only glad that I am standing on a boardwalk and not at the bottom of the sea."

At this, the captain turned, his hat almost touching Jack's head. "Why do you take sudden interest in conversation with me?"

Jack stood a little taller. "I would only like to inform you that one of your overseers was not doing his job."

The captain's smile disappeared. "That's a strong accusation. Now, I don't know where you think you stand," the captain spoke, taking an even closer half step to Jack, "but you need to have proof for such a thing."

"Well, where are their whips?"

At this, the captain turned and headed down the boardwalk to the two overseers. Jack could not hear the conversation that went on. All he knew was that the captain did not look happy, and that was good.

"How'd you do that?" Arin asked out of curiosity.

Jack, who was taken aback from this, cleared his throat. "When we were walking out."

Arin's eyes widened. "You did that a few moments ago?"

Jack nodded. "Each prisoner had to pass the overseers as we vacated the ship. I grabbed the whip from them. The whip was just hanging from their clothes. I just simply tugged the whip out from their pants as I walked by. By the time the overseers noticed, I was already out here. Honestly though, they really didn't do their job."

"Where are the whips now?" Arin asked.

Jack smirked. "In the ocean. There's a large narrow crack in the boardwalk in between my feet." Arin observed this as Jack spoke. "I slipped them down there."

Arin didn't respond. Instead he stared at the boardwalk, thinking about what Jack had explained to him.

The prisoners in front of Jack began to walk. Jack understood where they were going now. They stepped off the boardwalk and onto the ground, their chains rattling in doing so. More guards suddenly appeared all around the prisoners as usual, confirming that no prisoner would escape.

They were just about to enter the town when suddenly Jack veered to the right. He saw an opening between the soldiers and slipped through. The chains around his ankles made it difficult to run, so he had to take short but fast steps. Behind him, he could hear the shouts of the soldiers. He noticed a building up ahead to his left. He aimed to head there, but he didn't know if he could make it with the chains around his ankles. He had forgotten to include the chains in his fool-proof plan.

As soon as he reached the doorway to the building, a hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him down, his chains digging into his skin. The man who had grabbed him from behind flipped Jack around, dirt flying in the air. Jack noticed it was the same soldier who had knocked him unconscious weeks before. "Jack Foster," the soldier spat, "you're nothing but scum." The soldier stood and drew out his gun.

Jack didn't bother to get up. He couldn't get far with his chains. He was, at the very most, glad that when he dies, he would have died escaping from the law, and not from obeying the law. Realization suddenly kicked in, and Jack understood why Arin fought back.

Just then two shots rang out through the air. Jack watched in total confusion as the soldier fell to the ground, instantly dead. Jack swiveled his head around to find two upside-down figures. One appeared to be a woman, while the other was male and held a gun.

Jack looked back at the line of prisoners. More soldiers were coming. Jack, who still lie on his back, frantically turned his head left and right, searching through the dirt for a ring of keys. He turned on his side and managed to get on his knees for a better view. The key ring shone in the sunlight and Jack didn't hesitate to grab it. He glanced over his shoulder at the approaching men, his heart pounding in his chest. He flipped to a random key and twisted around, trying the lock in the chains around his ankles. It wouldn't open. Again he tried the next key, and the next. He could practically hear the soldiers behind him breathing. He tried another key by random- and the lock opened. He stood, wiggling free from the chain wrapped around his ankles. He began to run full speed forward with his wrists still bound. The man and the girl who had shot the soldier behind Jack had gone. The only thing Jack could think of to do was to enter the small building on the edge of the city. He took a sharp left and ran into the doorway, greeted by multiple people who were enjoying a meal to themselves.