Rebels

Ch. 24

Jack found himself constantly looking over his shoulder. After finding the man from the television dead in front of Jack with a knife in his chest, Jack found himself a little too paranoid. Slowly, he was regaining feeling in his legs, although they ached as they regained their feeling. Still, it felt as if hundreds among thousands of tiny little pins were being stabbed into both his limbs. He had managed to find his breath after Luca had told him repeatedly to do so.

Now, he wasn't certain on what to do. He did not know what room he was in, and Luca could not find any monitors that spotted Jack.

He took in his surroundings. There was a door directly to his left, and to his right the room extended until it reached another door. The floor was black, and the lighting was dim.

He felt sympathy for the man whom Jack had found dead. He surely was the last of the rebellion, otherwise he wouldn't be on tv. From the looks of it and the faint stench, it seemed he had been dead for a few weeks.

Jack glanced around him once more, making sure no one was getting ready to stab him, when his heart skipped a beat. He found another man sitting at the end of the hallway to his right, in the shadows. The man was slumped over just next to the door, and he appeared to be asleep.

Jack could only wish that the man was not the one who killed the poor fellow beside Jack. Just for precaution, however, Jack leaned over and grasped the knife protruding from the man's chest, ripping it out. Jack sighed and attempted to stand, only to be brought to his knees. He knew if he wanted to make this quick, he would have to stand. He attempted to do so, only this time he grasped onto a wall lamp that hung in the wall. He shifted his weight from his legs, and took a few deep breaths. He hated not being able to walk, for it made him feel useless. Nevertheless, when Jack was ready, he stood, and very shakily took a few steps forward before grabbing onto another lamp.

Jack held his breath as he took numerous steps forward until collapsing before the man. Out of breath and mentally frustrated, Jack focused on the knife in his hand. He steadied his grip on the weapon, and looked at the man before him. He was slumped over, his hair hanging over his face. His arms were tied behind his back, and his eyes were closed.

Jack's heart fluttered as he noticed it was Arin. "Arin?" Jack asked in a loud enough voice.

Arin stirred, blinking multiple times in a drowsy state. Slowly, his head turned to find Jack. He seemed confused, until his eyes fell on the knife in Jack's hand. Arin began to hyperventilate, backing away from Jack until he hit the door behind him.

Jack dropped the knife, swiping it away from the two of them. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Jack said, trying to hide his confusion. As he examined Arin closer, he noticed that his eyes were bloodshot. A thick line of blood ran from the back of his head down his neck, which had seeped into Arin's dark shirt. The side of his head had a dark gash on it, and this only worried Jack even more. On top of it all, Jack knew that since the man's hands had been tied, Arin had been defenseless. "What did they do to you?"

"Who is it?" Luca asked through the communicator.

"It's Arin. He's not holding up well." Jack replied. He then turned back to Arin. "Let's get these ropes off of you." Jack said. He slowed every movement he took, understanding that something was wrong with Arin's thinking at that moment. Jack grabbed the knife and slowly grabbed Arin's arms. He quickly cut the rope and dropped the knife once again as the rope fell.

"What's wrong with him?" Luca asked through the communicator.

"I don't know." Jack replied softly.

Arin rubbed at his wrists, avoiding eye contact with Jack. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Jack sighed. The pins and needles were vanishing from his legs, and he knew they needed to get out of there. "Arin, we have to go. The guards-"

Just then, Arin pounced on Jack. He pinned Jack against the ground and began to plummet his fists repeatedly into Jack's head. Jack could only try to shield his face with his arms, but it was no use. Jack could feel his nose break, and his head began to pound as Arin continued.

Jack heard a door open, and Arin stopped beating Jack. He could hear heavy footsteps enter the room, along with a man who spoke. "What the hell?"

Jack opened his eyes to find a guard standing there, staring at Arin and Jack in shock. The guard cocked his gun. "There you are." He muttered to Jack.

Arin's eyes widened, and he stood so suddenly Jack couldn't even blink before Arin was on his feet. Arin then began attacking the guard, before a loud, sudden noise rang through the air. Jack opened his eyes and instinctively grabbed the knife beside of him, sitting up. Arin had been shot, but he had also knocked out the guard.

Jack swore under his breath.

"What the fuck just happened, Jack?" Luca asked. "Were you shot? Who attacked you?"

"I wasn't shot." Jack replied, standing to his feet. His legs felt foreign to his own body, but he continued standing. "Arin attacked me. Luca, what's the nearest exit from the conference room?"

There was a momentary pause before he spoke. "Go out of the conference room, and turn right. There's a door a few ways down the hallway; a side entrance."

Still gripping the knife, Jack grabbed Arin, who was beginning to feel lousy. He had been shot not with a bullet but with a drug. Nevertheless, Jack ran down the hallway, practically dragging Arin behind, turning back into the conference room. He let go of Arin for a second to peer around the corner. Jack heard voices, so he quickly ducked back.

"-He was so scared he was crying like a baby, but as I was getting my gun he just punched me right in the face!"

Jack recognized the man as Tom and fought back the urge to attack him. He waited until the two men passed the conference room. Jack turned and found Arin leaning against the table, beginning to pale. Jack grabbed Arin by his wrist and exited the room, heading to the left. With his free hand, he wiped the side of his head, where he felt blood trickling down. "Luca, can you see us? How close are we?"

"You're close. Jack, y-"

"I know about my injuries. Don't rub it in."

Jack reached windows that were parallel to the hallway in which he came. He took this as a good sign, though Arin was getting harder to pull along. He wasn't sure if it was worth it at that moment and contemplated on leaving Arin, but he quickly shook that thought away.

He found a set of large, white doors and pushed through them, being greeted by the sun.

Two guards that were next to the doors began to protest for Jack to come back, but he only continued on. Jack quickly turned around, "It's okay, the king let us go! He didn't want us anymore." He lied. He was surprised that the guards didn't go after him. They were most likely new.

"Luca, I can't walk back to your place. Not with Arin. He's getting pretty out of it."

On command, Arin's legs collapsed beneath him. Jack swore under his breath, dragging Arin to the sidewalk. By then they were hidden from the palace by thousands of people, dressed in various colors for the festival. "Luca, is there any place at all we can stay in in the city?"

"Lyla should be near you, actually." Luca responded. "She went out to you guys a while ago."