The Leaves are Silent

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I stared blankly into Ian's brown eyes. I felt numb. Ian had just entered, and he had looked at me with a mixture of different emotions. Relief, anger, sadness, pity. I hated it. But I chose to ignore it. I needed to.

I gulped and tore my gaze from Ian's. I clasped my hands together, clutching onto myself for support. I took a steady breath before I began.

"Getting out of here isn't going to be easy. Nearly impossible. But I thought of a way to leave."

I looked up to the six pairs of eyes staring at me intently. Maya and Liam had joined us shortly after I was brought into the tent. It turns out they had only spent two hours in solitary. Which was five days less than me. Alena gave me an assuring nod, indicating for me to continue.

"Everything around us is dead. That's why we can't hear anything. The land outside the wall has been destroyed completely so much so no living animal can find it plausible to live there. It's to give us complete solitude and no disruptions. From anything."

Frowns crossed every face, confusion taking place in each mind.

"H-how can you be so sure?" Maya stuttered, not completely comprehending my words.

"It's the only viable answer. Killing every landmark within the vicinity would cause an elapse of sound. It would also make it difficult for people to come here. I'd imagine we're in the very deep countryside of Ireland. Probably Leitrim or Mayo as they're the most unpopulated areas. Easier to kill land without having to tear down too many buildings or homes."

Matthew interrupted at this.

"That's a big conclusion to make, don't you think? How could killing land go so unnoticed."

"It didn't." Alena spoke quietly, "It was on the news. I remember seeing it. I just- I didn't really think it affected us. So I didn't think about it. It makes sense now." she said, realisation taking place among her features.

Matthew's mouth opened and closed like he was trying to say something but he couldn't think of the words. Everyone was quiet for a few moments before I continued.

"That means we can't just walk out of here. There's nothing to hide behind. It's just a plain stretch of dead land for a few miles. It would be too easy for them to notice us."

Everyone nodded along, except for Ian where frustration seemed to root place. I took another deep breath preparing myself for what I was going to say next.

"When I was in solitary, I thought of a lot of things. The only thing you can really do in there is think. And I thought of the boy who was shot. I thought of his family and how they'll never see him again. They couldn't even bury him. Then I started thinking 'what did they actually do with the body? Did the guards bury him?' I tried to recall if I saw any guards carrying shovels or if there is an area within the camp to bury people. Then I realised there was not. So where exactly do they put the dead bodies?"

Matthew's eyes widened when he caught on to what I was saying. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"They take them out of the camp," he continued for me.

"How though? There's no gate in the wall and there's no exit door in the building." Ian asked.

I smiled at this. This discovery was the one I was proudest of.

"I was thinking that too. I tried to think of how we got in. How everyone got in. I'm sure plastic bags were thrown over your heads too?" I asked, everyone nodded.

"There's no door out of the building and there's no gate as Ian said. I was thinking and I was thinking and then eventually it hit me. For some prisons they have this way of transporting the prisoners into the place. They have this underground passage that brings them up into the camp. Except here that's the only way in and it comes up in the building. That's why there's no exit door."

Everyone gaped at me completely shocked. Almost all of them were opening and closing their mouths like fishes. I stared at them for a moment wondering if any of them were going to speak. But none of them did, so I continued.

"That's our way out. It's the only way, realistically."

"Realistically! Are you serious?!" Ian practically exploded. "How the hell is that realistic? What are we gonna do, just kill someone and then hop in the backseat of the truck that's bringing them out?!"

"No," I spoke calmly, " one of us is going to pretend to be dead."

Ian humorlessly laughed at my statement. "You've got to be freaking kidding me." he muttered more so to himself the to the rest of us.

"What else are we gonna do?" Alena snapped at him, surprising us all. "Its the only plan that has a slither of a chance of working. I don't know about you, but I'm going to trust the girl that figured all of this crap out. I mean if she's smart enough to discover the only way in and out simply by thinking a little bit then I'm sure with a little help she can get us out of here."

At this Alena sat beside me, plainly stating she was taking my side on this. Soon Maya, Parker and Liam also sat on the bed. Silently giving me their support. Last stood were Matthew and Ian.

Matthew rubbed his hand across his jaw, his face expressing he was in deep thought. Then it was like he snapped out of and he looked at me with a slight impressed look.

"I must say Lily, you're a bit of a freaking genius. I'm with you on this. We'll do all we can to pull this off."

At this he stood beside the bed showing his support. The only one who didn't seem to like the idea whatsoever was Ian. He had an angry expression on his face. To be honest I don't think he actually thought the idea was bad. He was angry at something else. And I wasn't sure what that something else was. I studied him more so trying to see where his anger was stemming from. Then it hit me, he wasn't angry. He was scared.

"Can I talk to you alone for a second?" I asked. He seemed surprised for a moment before he nodded, indicating for me to follow him out of the tent. I gave everyone a comforting smile, telling them I'd be back in a minute.

I followed Ian out of the tent. He was a few paces ahead of me and I struggled to keep up, everything still sore from my five days of solitude. Ian seemed to notice that I was falling behind as he looked over his shoulder checking for me. His gaze softened when he looked at me. He seemed to shake his head, clearing his mind of angry thoughts.

"Here, take hold of my arm, you can put some of your weight on me." he offered.

We walked silently until reaching a quiet corner of the camp. We sat down on a log of wood that was facing the wall. We both looked at the wall contemplatively.

"Are you ok? Honestly? Don't give me any bullcrap, I can see right through it."

I swallowed nervously, not sure how to answer. I decided to give the answer that was most needed.

"I can't afford to not be okay. I'll get through it. It's finished now. That's the main thing. I've been through worse and I'll be through worse. We need to focus on getting out of here."

Ian sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Your plan is insane. Jesus, its the freaking the epitome of insanity."

I smiled at him brightly and was about to respond before he interrupted,

"But that's what makes it brilliant."

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hey guys, hope you're all well and enjoyed this chapter. If you've got any questions about this chapter don't be afraid to ask. I understand it might be a bit confusing or I mightn't have explained something well so just ask if you're confused. Oh and also I'm trying to think of someone to cast as Lily but I literally have no clue. No one seems to fit as I imagined her. So if you've any suggestion please put them in the comments below. I imagined her as a dark blonde, blue eyed but I'm open minded so please comment. Anyway please vote or comment if you liked and I'll write to ye all soon :)