Rebels

Ch. 11

Jack sighed, slumping down on the couch. He had wanted to become a part of this rebellion. If the rebellion truly was dead, then he had gotten his hopes up for nothing. For all of his life, Jack had been making himself known through theft and crime. It didn't do him any harm. He could escape when needed and he could become rich very simply if he did the job correctly. Now that he was in a new city, he had wanted to do something bigger so more people would know his name.

Luca came walking out of the bedroom, still recovering from his drunken stupor. He met Jack's gaze and scoffed. "You're still here?"

Arin had awoken, who had previously been sleeping on the bed. Arin found Luca and shook his head. He didn't want to deal with the man's drunken behavior at all.

Jack stood. "How long has this rebellion been around?"

Luca turned, breathing heavily through his nose. "For God's sake Jake, I just woke up. Forget the rebellion and stop being so annoying."

Jack's hands grew into fists. He figured that if Luca was going to continue to do this, then Jack mine as well play the game. "Jack."

Luca lifted his head up to face Jack. "What?" He said.

Arin stood from the bed, sensing that Jack was going to start some unwanted conflict.

Jack took a step toward Luca. "My name is Jack. I'm sorry that you're not drunk right now living the time of your life, but don't take your anger out on me or Arin."

Luca inched closer to Jack. Jack could see the gears turning in Luca's head. Then, with unexpected speed, Luca grasped Jack's shirt and shoved him against the wall, sending a burst of pain up Jack's spine. Arin began to protest. "Why don't we all just walk away, and this can be forgotten?"

Jack was fuming now. "What, did I say something that offended you, Luca?"

Just then the bedroom door opened, and Lyla stepped out. She laid eyes on her brother, and within the snap of fingers her eyes turned cold. She reached her brother in one quick stride and pulled him off of Jack. She punched Luca in the arm. "What are you doing?"

Luca was still breathing heavily. "Get rid of them. If they don't leave by the time I get drunk, then I'll get rid of them myself." With that, Luca walked into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. The whole house practically shook.

Lyla sighed. "Sorry about that."

Jack scoffed. "Maybe you should control your brother."

Arin took a step back, not wanting to get involved in the conflict. "Jack, drop it."

Lyla cocked her head to the side and folded her arms. "You don't think I take care of my brother?"

Jack did not reply. He understood he had cut a wire he didn't mean to cut.

"I do my best." She raised her voice. "It's not easy living under the control of the government, where what you say is limited and you can't do anything fun. It doesn't help that my brother is an alcoholic, and the government wants to kill him! Don't say that I am doing a bad job at looking out for my own brother. Try not getting in his way and maybe he won't lash out on you."

Jack bit his tongue. "I don't get in Luca's way. I don't even do anything to the man! He's got an uncontrolled temper, and he's your brother."

Lyla sighed. "You're right. He's my brother. And ever since you and your friend's arrival, he's been worse."

Jack looked down at the ground. He didn't want to be blamed for a situation he didn't cause. He didn't want to deal with Luca's behavior. He couldn't live in someone's house where every day, Jack would be accused of something he never committed. "Fine. I'm going to take my friend and leave." Jack headed towards the door, and surprisingly Arin followed.

Lyla scoffed. "Good luck out there with the government looking for you two. One of you will wind up dead."

Jack opened the door and Arin followed him out. Slamming the door behind the two, they left the house. Jack and Arin began to weave their way through the crowd on the sidewalk.

After a few minutes had gone by, Arin began to speak. "Where might we be going?"

"We're going to need food." Jack said, walking up the steps to a pub.

Arin exhaled slowly. "We don't have any money, Jack."

Jack turned to face him. "I know." He opened the door to the pub, and followed Arin inside.

The room was dimly lit, and a crowd of people sat at the numerous wooden tables. Jack laid eyes on a particular waitress. He turned to Arin and began to whisper his plan into his ear. "When I give the signal, you're going to act dead."

Arin laughed in disbelief. When Jack didn't laugh back, Arin sighed. He nodded, accepting the plan.

Jack walked up to the waitress, who had been serving a table their drinks. She found Jack was staring at her, and she began to blush. She cleared her throat. "Can I help you, sir?"

Jack smiled. "Me and my friend were just looking to grab a few burgers, and maybe a few other things."

The waitress blushed even harder. "Alright. Two burgers to go?"

Jack nodded. "And make it quick, please. Me and my friend are going someplace."

The waitress nodded and turned, heading to the back of the pub where the kitchen lie. Jack made his way back to Arin, who was standing by the door. "That was hard to watch." Arin said.

Jack smiled. "It worked. Two burgers to go. Hey, if you ever are looking for a girl, I got one for you. She'll believe anything."

Arin shook his head. "Nice. Now where are we going to go?"

Jack hadn't thought that far into his plan. He hesitated for a moment, contemplating on his options. "We will figure it out. Nightfall's coming soon, and it'll be harder for people to spot us then."

Arin sighed. "I get why we left Luca and Lyla's, but honestly I could've dealt with Luca's crap. We had a roof over our heads."

Jack sighed. "I know. I can't remember the time I had a roof over my head, but I wasn't going to deal with Luca's crap anymore. I can't live with a raging alcoholic."

Just then, the food came. The waitress handed Jack the food. "That'll be twenty dollars."

Jack grabbed the food and fumbled with his free hand in his pockets. He portrayed a look of annoyance and sadness when his hand came up empty. "It appears I forgot my money at my home."

The waitress frowned. "I'm sorry sir, but with no money, you can't have the food."

Jack looked to Arin and winked. Arin took the hint and stumbled back into the wall, holding a hand to his chest. The waitress noticed this, and her eyes widened. "Sir, are you okay?" She rushed to Arin's side. Arin fell to the ground, his eyes closed.

Jack hid the smile that was forming on his lips. Arin really was doing a good job. The waitress from behind Jack began to yell. "Is anyone here a doctor? He's not breathing!"

Then, within five seconds that Jack counted, the whole room was on its feet. People crowded around Arin, and Jack weaved his way through the crowd. Jack opened the bag and found the food, smiling in satisfaction.

Just then, the waitress began screaming once again. "Someone get that man! He's an imposter!"

Jack's smile frowned. When he turned, the entire crowd was focused on him. Arin's eyes were open. "What happened?" Arin said, still playing the part.

The crowd advanced in on Jack. In a frenzy Jack began to run toward the door. He could feel multiple people try to grab him, shouting indecipherable things in his face. Somehow Jack managed to make it to the door and slipped out of the pub.

"Let's go!" Arin shouted from behind Jack. Together they ran down the street away from the pub, seeking for a place to hide. They found an alleyway and turned into it, speechless.