Chapter Nine
After all, you do know best.
-Save a Life by The Fray
It was a full moon and people who I supposed were guards stood at the edge of the temporary settlement, looking out into the dark woods.
I made sure to crouch behind a no longer working air conditioner in hopes the light of the moon wouldn't give me away to the guards. Because, according to Eli, there was jail JT sent you to if you disobeyed and it wasn't the place you wanted to be in.
I wonder how JT got the leadership position in the first place. I mean, there are adults here who are way older than him. Why would they put their faith in a teenager?
I sat down on my butt, still under the shadow and cover of the air conditioner. Where was Eli?
Eli. So many questions about him. Why was he a dick? Why did he ask Adam to save me? Why was he coming with me to get back to my van?
I had many reasons to get back to my van. My Dad's shotgun was there, canned food and water, clothes, and sentimental things I took from the house. It was all just sitting there unattended in the woods. I would be lucky if it wasn't all stolen.
"Ready?"
I jumped, almost screaming. I looked up and saw Eli dressed in a black t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and a black leather jacket. It was something I always saw him wearing in school. He blended perfectly in the shadows while my purple shirt and my light jeans almost seemed to glow in the full moon's light.
"Yeah, do you have everything?" I whispered, still crouched down in my hiding spot.
Eli nodded, "You need to change. We'll be caught in a second if you dress like that."
I agreed and he handed me darker jeans and a black t-shirt. I crept behind the house after making Eli close his eyes and I changed.
"Okay, let's go." I said, grabbing a backpack from Eli and stuffing my worn clothes in it.
"Great, now follow me. There is only one way out of here without getting caught but you have to do exactly what I say." Eli said, looking around, mentally building up his strategy.
I nodded and Eli motioned for me to follow.
We began crawling on the ground towards an old oak tree, hoping we blended in with the dark grass and dirt.
My hands were being pricked by burrs and rocks but I stayed silent, taking a second to brush my hands off on my jeans.
Finally we made it to the oak tree. We pressed ourselves against the rough trunk as much as we could, hoping the slight camouflage would be enough.
"Okay," Eli whispered, "We need to get through that low part in the fence without that guy seeing us." He was pointing to the part of the bobbed wire fence that seemed loose and the huge, muscular guy that guarded near that area.
"Why are there guards in the first place? Shouldn't we be able to leave whenever we want?" I asked. I was starting to think JT was just as bad as Fitz.
Eli looked at me and shrugged, "Well, JT thinks he is doing the best for us. He wants to keep as many people as safe as possible; even if that means becoming a tyrant. He also wants to keep Fitz out."
I nodded slowly. I guess that made sense. But I wasn't sure if JT was a trustworthy leader. I barely knew the guy. But Eli seems to trust him.
"Okay, look," Eli began, breaking me out of my stupor. "We can cut through here and hide behind that gas tank. Then from there we can run over to that well. Then maybe we can get through without being spotted."
I mentally went through Eli's plan. The gas tank and the well were pretty far away from each other and the guard may see us. But maybe if we were fast and discreet enough, we could make it.
"Sounds good," I approved.
Without another spoken word, we half-sprinted, half-crawled over to the gas tank. We crouched behind that and Eli peeked over the side to look at the guard.
"He didn't see us." Eli affirmed.
I let out the breath I had been holding in. We were almost there, but we still had to find a way to get to the well without being caught.
Eli sighed and wiped his forehead, "Change of plans."
"Huh?" I asked. I couldn't help but feel a little panicked.
"We ram right into the guard. Take him off guard and run into the woods, got that?"
Eli was speaking so fast and quietly that it took me awhile to realize what he was saying.
"What? No-" But before I could say anymore, Eli took off, sprinting towards the large man. I impulsively ran after him.
Eli and I rammed into the guard with a surprisingly strong amount of force, knocking the guard off his feet.
"Fuck!" The man yelled, alerting all the other guards.
I took a second to look back. About 20 guards were running towards us, guns in hand.
"Shit Clare, come on!" Eli yelled, already on the other side of the fence.
"Oh!" I quickly wriggled my way through the fence and began sprinting alongside Eli. Behind us, I could hear gunshots.
"They're shooting at us, Eli!" I screamed. What was that all about?
"I know, just run." Eli yelled back.
Dead leaves and dirt flew up from behind us as we jumped over logs and tripped over the ground.
We ran through a creek, soaking our shoes and pant legs. Water splashed about us. Eli lent me a hand to help me out of the creek and behind me I heard shouts and dogs barking.
"Damn, they have the whole brigade after us." Eli stated in wonder as we ran. He was just as confused as I was.
Was JT that crazy enough to kill anyone who left? Even his own friends? Or did they think we were a part of Fitz's gang and were trying to break in?
Then we broke through the woods, our feet now hitting concrete instead of grass. But we didn't stop there. Eli grabbed my wrist and we both sprinted to a nearby abandoned house. We jumped over the fence that surrounded the back yard and hid.
We sat there in silence, huffing and puffing. We were cold, wet, and covered in mud.
All you could hear were the desperate cries and conversations of people nearby and faraway. It was haunting. I shivered.
"Why were they shooting at us, Eli?" I asked once we were sure they weren't near us.
Eli shrugged, "I don't know. They are either desperate not to let anyone escape or they thought we were with Fitz."
I nodded, that was what I thought.
"So where is your van?" Eli asked, his breathing even now.
"In the woods behind the Degrassi High School. That was where I stayed before Jake and this other guy found me."
Eli stayed silent for a while and then nodded, "Okay, I think we can get there tomorrow night. But now we should probably rest for a while and regroup in the morning."
Eli was pretty prepared when it came to planning. He had this perfect strategy for everything and his mind worked efficiently in a crisis. I admit, I kind of admired him because of it.
Huh, I never would've thought that I would say that.
"I don't think I'm going back after we get my van." I said quietly after we laid down in the abandoned yard. It was pretty uncomfortable and the only thing we had for a pillow was our backpacks.
I didn't want to go back to JT. I decided I didn't like or trust him one bit.
Eli was quiet for so long that I thought he didn't hear me. But finally he answered.
"I don't blame you."
"What are you going to do?" I asked, looking over at his silhouette. I could almost see his face in the darkness.
I saw him shrug, "I'm not sure."
I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Eli had always been a loner and so was I. But now…
Now I wanted Eli around. Suddenly I felt as if we were in this together and I didn't want to be alone anymore.
The feeling of needing a companion was weird. But I guess desperate times can make a person despise loneliness. Even me of all people.
