A Long Walk Home

Chapter 12: We'll Give Our Lives

By mid day the food and water was gone, all that was left was one granola bar. Mike tossed it to Liz.

"Eat" he said.

"No" replied Liz "Im not hungry and thats the last of the food."

"Well someone has to the eat last food and its going to be you" said Mike.

"No" she replied sternly

"Liz, why are you being so dam stubborn" asked Mike, "Just eat it I know you want to and are hungry."

She gave him a look, but took and ate it anyways and then he handed her the last of the water. She drank it unhappily.

"What do we do for food now" asked Liz.

"We catch or gather it" replied Zach.

"Water?" she asked.

"We can boil water from the creek" said Zach.

"Ya, but only a little, we can't take a risk of anyone getting sick, they won't make it" said Mike blankly.

"But a little won't hurt" said Zach making a gestering face towards Liz who now looked worried, but was trying her hardest to look brave.

"Ya I mean a little here and there, but we can't gulp it down bottle after bottle" said Mike.

"We should walk a little more before sundown" said Zach.

They started to walk again until sundown.

They made camp and it soon got dark. Mike went over to Liz who was now sorta a sleep.

"I got it this time" said Zach, taking Mike's place. He pulled Liz close and she rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

She soon was asleep.

"Would you give up your life to save hers?" asked Mike, "I would with no second guess."

"Yes of course" said Zach.

"If it came down to that in the next couple of days?" asked Mike.

"Ya absolutly" said Zach.

"So we are in agreement, we would give our lives for her" said Mike.

"Yes" said Zach. He kissed Liz's forehead.

It was just before dawn. When Liz woke up and with a start and a scream.

Zach jumped he was up keeping watch. Mike jumped awake.

"Liz what is it?" asked Zach, "Bad dream?"

"Ya" she said out of breathe.

"Thats it, Liz tell us what your dream is about" said Mike.

"Its really nothing" said Liz.

"Its really not nothing" said Mike.

"I keep dreaming I jump from the shack, but Im falling and falling forever and when I finally get to the bottom, Leo is there and catches me, but I wake up before anything else happens." she said while trying to hold back tears. Zach pulled her and close and hugged her. He stroked her hair.

Mike was silent

"Try to get some more sleep" said Zach.

"You to Zach" said Mike, "I can't sleep anymore, I will take watch."

Liz did eventually fall back to sleep, but Zach really didn't.

Zach soon got up trying to carefully not to wake Liz, Mike was up as well trying to find food. Zach went to Mike who was up the road a little. They began to talk about last night and Liz's dream, but they didn't know what they could do about it.

"Maybe we should have talked to her more, and tell he isn't going to get her" said Zach.

"I don't know" said Mike.

Meanwhile, Liz woke because of a faint noise. She woke and sat up. At that moment her heart sank. Across the creek she could see Leo. She wasn't sure if he saw her. She got up grabbed the blanket stuffed it in the bag that was already to go and darted away. She didn't know where Mike and Zach, she couldn't see them yet it was still a little dark. Zach and Mike though saw Leo to. They turned and started to run back to camp. There were big bolders and they heard Liz coming. She turned around the rocks and Mike grabbed her putting his hand over her mouth and pulling behind the rocks. She tried to break free, because she didn't know it was him.

"Shhh its me" said Mike.

She looked and saw it was him and felt a sigh of relief. He sat her down between the two rocks and bent down next to her.

"Listen to me Liz, I don't want you to move from here, no matter what" said Mike very sternly, "If you here one of us yell run, you run and take the back pack and don't stop and don't ever look back. No matter what you hear or see. You understand me?"

She shook her head yes. This time she couldn't stop the tears from coming.

"I will be okay" said Mike taking her face in his hands kissing her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you to" said Zach kissing her forehead.

"You ready?" asked Mike

Zach nodded. They left from behind the rocks. Liz just sat there not knowing what was going to happen, not sure she would every see them again. The tears never stopped.

Zach and Mike also thought they would never see Liz again, but knew they had to do this to save her.

Around the rocks Leo spotted them. Mike darted behind a tree so did Zach. They pulled out their guns and the battle began. Shots where fired back and forth with near misses. Then Mike fired a shot that went into the thigh of Leo. Leo fell to the ground his gun flying out of his hand. Mike ran from behind the tree and ran over to him. Leo went to reach for the gun, but Mike pressed his foot down against his hand. Leo screamed in pain. Mike crushed it.

"You son of *****" said Mike.

Zach grabbed the gun and Leo's back pack.

"Get up!" said Mike. Leo couldnt though. Mike grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up and slammed him against a tree.

"You aren't going anywhere, you are going to get us out of here and I will make sure you get of  here alive, so you rot away and jail you *******"

"Zach, go get Liz" said Mike

Zach was shocked, Mike was so angry. He was to, but Zach was the violent type of guy. Zach went around the rocks. When Liz saw him she jumped up and embraced him. She embraced her back. Then grabbed the back pack and threw on his back. He then picked Liz up and carried her out. She was little enough that he could still do this. When they came around the rocks. Mike had Leo tied up with a rope from his backpack. He also wrapped up his leg. The bleeding wasn't that bad, but Mike was going to keep Leo alive. Leo also had an apple, but no water. Zach sat Liz down. She was quiet just started at Leo and shock. He started back. Mike though got mad.

"Don't look at her" said Mike as he kicked him. He fell to the ground.

Liz jumped. Mike threw her the apple.

"Lets go" said Mike as he grabbed Leo and pulled him to his feet then took the rope.

Liz took Zach's hand and they walked.