Rebels

Ch. 5

A few people who were dining gazed frustratingly at Jack, who had barged in, creating unnecessary drama. He searched around frantically for the man and woman who had saved him. He didn't bother to try to hide his cuffs around his wrists as he began walking deeper into the room. He noticed a bar at the end and a few commoners sitting on stools, minding their own business.

Jack spotted the man and the woman in a small booth in the left corner of his vision near the bar. Jack took no hesitation and sat down next to the girl in the booth. No one spoke a word as the soldiers flew open the door, stepping into the bar. Jack kept his head down, staring at the polished wooden table. He shoved his hands under the table. He couldn't help his shaking leg.

A waitress suddenly stepped up to the booth. "Can I help you three?"

Jack strained to look behind her, finding the soldiers nearing the bar. He quickly put his head back down away from the view of the soldiers.

The woman sitting next to Jack spoke up. "Yeah, what do you have at the bar?"

The waitress began listing brands of drinks. Jack thought this was brilliant. As long as the waitress blocked their view from the soldiers, they would be safe. Jack listened to the sound of his drumming leg softly tapping the ground. He closed his eyes, as if the simple action would turn him invisible.

He heard the door to the bar close, and opened his eyes. The waitress was gone, and so were the soldiers. Jack felt he was finally able to breathe. He suddenly became aware that he was sitting with two strangers who had saved his life. He turned to the girl sitting next to him, but could form no words.

"You're welcome." She responded.

"We've got to go." The man said, who was sitting across from Jack. Jack had noticed that the man had hid his gun away, too, from the soldiers.

The man stood, so Jack assumed he should too. The girl and the man began to walk out of the tavern.

Jack replayed what had happened through his mind. He was about to die, when a man with a girl shot the soldier. Then they escaped, and didn't get caught. Jack figured the best he could do was to at least thank the two anonymous strangers. He followed them out of the tavern and into the sunlight, his wrists still bound together. "Excuse me!" Jack shouted, sprinting to catch up to the two.

They both sighed and turned around impatiently.

Jack cleared his throat. "Thank you, for saving me back there."

The girl scoffed. "A little tip for next time. When you try to escape, always have a partner. It makes life easier."

Jack's eyes widened. A partner. He could only think of Arin. He swiveled around on his heels, finding the chain of prisoners had gone, along with the soldiers. The prisoners had already arrived at the bidding auction. Jack had wanted to help bail Arin out of his lifelong sentence, but he was too late.

When Jack turned around, the man and woman were already far ahead, traveling to someplace Jack couldn't say.

Someone whispered his last name. Jack turned around, looking back at the tavern. He was sure it had come from the place, but no one stood in the doorway. Confused, Jack turned more, looking all around him. He spotted a man in a small space between the tavern and another building on the corner of the street. In the alley was Arin.

Jack smiled, walking over to him. "What are you doing? You escaped?"

Arin shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to accept your offer."

Jack beamed even more. He remembered that the two of them were still bound. He found he was still holding the key ring. Jack couldn't remember holding it back at the tavern, but he assumed he was so worried about the soldiers that he hadn't realized he had been holding it. Jack tried each key until he found the correct one, unlocking Arin's chains around his wrists. Jack did the same for himself so he could help Arin free his chains from his ankles.

Once they were done, Jack threw the key ring in the dirt. The other prisoners would have a hard time ever getting free for the bidding. The thought made him beam.

"What about those two?" Arin said, pointing over Jack's shoulder.

Jack turned around, finding the two were still walking. He shrugged, contemplating whether he should follow them or not. He didn't seem to find any reason to follow the two anonymous strangers, so he began to leave from between the two buildings they were wedged between.

Arin grabbed Jack's arm, surprising Jack himself. "Where are you going?"

Jack rolled his eyes, but Arin didn't let him go. Jack took a deep breath. "I'm going into town so I can begin scavenging the city for good hiding places."

Arin's eyes grew wide. "Where are you going to go? The soldiers are all over the city with the prisoners, who are marching through town as we speak! The captain is furious and roaming the streets, probably looking for rum. That makes him even more dangerous! Trust me, you don't want to piss him off even more." Arin said, seeming to speak from past experience.

Jack knew the man was right. Arin had been on the ship for years longer than Jack had, so Arin most likely was the best source to take advice from. Knowing that Jack had caved in, Arin let go of his arm.

Both men turned and walked out of the alleyway. Jack led the way, sprinting to catch up to the two strangers. It took longer for him to catch up to the two than he had originally expected, and it made him realize how exhausted he actually was. He dared not to give in however, and continued until he finally caught up to the two.

Without the woman or the man turning to acknowledge them, they continued to walk. The mysterious woman had already known Jack was going to come back. She saw the man as an unsolvable case; a man who was helpless and desperate. She sighed, "You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

Jack looked at the ground as he walked. "Nope. I'm new here, if you couldn't already tell by the chains I was wearing."

"No, really? I thought it was a fashion choice." The woman remarked. They turned left, heading down a busy street. The people reminded Jack of his city that he previously lived in, full of barrels and marketplaces. The difference with this street they now were walking down was that the street was not made of dirt. This was new to Jack. The buildings were made of wood and brick, and this was also a new factor that Jack had to get used to. He thought of the city he was now in as a rich, deluxe city. He smiled, knowing that this city would be a fine change that he would enjoy. For with a fine city came fine goods to steal.