Years of Dying

Chapter Eleven

     I can't help but stare at the man, even as he turns his head away from me, and starts to unshackle Lafayette from the floor of the truck. He asks for me to help him, and I clumsily follow his orders. Laf and Alex don't resist, but I can feel a prickle on the back of my neck. I lift my head up slightly to see Alex staring at me. He can't say anything while he's gagged, and while this guard is standing next to me, but there are words in his eyes. We hold eye contact for a moment, and I realize what he wants me to do. But I don't know if I can.
     "So... where are we taking them again?" I ask cautiously.
     "Straight to the Captain." he replies.
     "Uh- are you sure that's a good idea?" I question him, and he turns to look at me. Confusion in his blurred eyes.
     "Of course. The Captain wants to know."
     "You sound very sure." I comment.
     "Of course," he says again. "He's the one who told me to capture these two when I found them in the desert." My heart beats faster as multiple answers and questions flood into my brain.
     "Is he- is he with you? Like... in the truck?" I nervously inquire. The man lets out a light laugh.
     "Oh no. I was just communicating with him when I saw them nappin'." he responds. Okay, phew. But he didn't say how he was communicating with the Captain, and that still doesn't explain why his eyes are blurred. Maybe he was born defected? Or blind? No he can't be blind, he's definitely looking at those chains.
I look up once again after feeling Alex's stares.
"You know what you have to do." I almost jump when I hear those words, for a moment I thought they were my mothers. But it couldn't be, Captain George said he stopped doing that with me. But he could have been lying. It takes me a moment to realize I was imaging Alex speaking them to me. As if he wasn't gagged.
"I know." I think back, though he can't hear me. Maybe I'm going mad. "But I can't." Alex tilts his head ever so slightly, as if trying to decipher my facial expressions.
"Try." It's written plainly on his face. I inhale, and then exhale slowly. If we left him here... the three of us could escape. But if we wanted to get Hercules, we'd have to hide him somewhere. But if the Captain was communicating with this man, then it would be even more difficult. "Stop worrying."
"I'm not worrying."
"John, you're as easy to read as a book." Maybe Alex is right. Maybe I should stop worrying. Maybe worrying is what got me in this mess. Maybe I should just try.

"Holy shit," I whisper, the cold night hair of the desert turning my cheeks red along with the surprise of what I've just done. The guard with the bad leg is unconscious on the ground, laying flat on his stomach. While he was pulling Laf along with him, I grabbed a rock and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the head. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy-" Alex manages to tap my shoulder with his chin. I stare down at him and see he's still gagged and chained. "Sorry." I mumble, and untie his gag, and he then turns around so I can free him of the shackles.
"Thanks," he says breathlessly, as though he's been breathing heavily. "It's good to see you." I stare up at him incredulously. I just knocked out a man and the first thing he says is: "It's good to see you"? "I'm serious." he continues.
"Yeah right." I snort, and I move on to free Laf as well.
"John, are you okay?" Alex asks, stepping closer to me. I feel my hands shake on Lafayette's chains.
"No!" I shout, louder than I should. I feel arms wrap around me, and realize Laf's pulled me into a hug.
"I missed you so much." he whispers in my ear. These past few weeks made me realize that each day with Laf is precious. I used to take his cheerfulness for granted, because I thought no one should be that happy in any situation like the one we were in. But honestly, maybe if I was even as half as optimistic as he was, I wouldn't have sunk into such a deep sadness.
"I missed you too," I say, wrapping my arms around him as well. "Both of you. It's really good to see you guys as well."
"Where is Hercules?" Alex asks urgently. "Is he in the Captain's base?"
"No," I mumble as Laf releases me. "He's a slave again."
"Again? Didn't he stay a slave after the battle?" Laf questions.
"He-" I start, but Alex cuts me off.
"I'm sure we all have a lot of questions. Such as, 'why the fuck is John wearing a soldier's uniform?' But we're in a hurry. If the Captain is communicating with this man, we only have a matter of time before he finds out what John did to him. Right now, we have a truck which we can use to drive off in, but we need to get Hercules back." Alex says quickly.
"Right. So the only way to get down into the quarry is by the elevator." Laf mentions.
"John, you could potentially use it to get Hercules. You have a soldier's uniform, so the guards wouldn't notice you as much as they would notice us." Alex comments. I shake my head.
"I'm infamous around here, I'm noticed no matter what I'm wearing." I say.
"What about me? Would I be noticed?" Laf asks suddenly. We both stare at him.
"Not if you don't talk to anyone. People can hear your French accent from a mile away." I reply. Alex's nods.
"I think you can pull it off. John, if you gave your uniform to Laf, then he could sneak in and get Hercules while we stay here and wait for him." Alex agrees.
"What about keys?" I ask suddenly. "Isn't Herc going to be in a cell? If he is, you need keys to get him out."
"Ah fuck." Alex says, burying his face in his hands.
"I could try to speak in an English accent, and ask a guard for the keys." Laf suggests.
"Why would he give you the keys?" I shoot back at Laf.
"I could lie. Say I'm brining him to the Captain." he says.
"Yes!" I say, suddenly excited. "That would work because Herc was- he was... to sum it up they did shitty things to him. But it would make sense if Captain George did want to see him. He has a higher profile than other says."
"That's one way to put it." Alex mumbles.
"Wait- what did they do to him?" Laf asks, horrified.
"He's okay! I think." I answer.
"You think?" Alex questions.
"He's not exactly talking to me right now, but that's besides the point. We can explain everything once we're on the road out of here." I explain.
"What about the other slaves? Show we try and get them out?" Lafayette asks, still sounding shocked. Alex shakes his head.
"We will, eventually. But what we need to do is get you two back." Alex says.
"Why are we more important than the others?" I question, gesturing out towards the quarry.
"Because you two have an insider account on how horrible it is!" Alex says, clearly frustrated with us and himself.
"And they don't?" Laf wonders, looking out towards the quarry.
"To be fair, they are new slaves. They only came in about last week." I comment.
"But it isn't fair." Laf says, now focusing his attention on the sleeping quarters.
"Of course it isn't fair. But what I'm trying to explain is that John and Herc can explain more about the mines, the base, and the Captain himself than the other slaves. So we need them for our rebellion. We'll get the others out, I promise." Laf sighs.
"We're going to get them all out." I repeat Alex's words.
"I know. But for now our priority is Hercules," Lafayette turns to us. There's this strange look in his eyes I've never seen before. "I'm ready. Let's go."