Providing Refuge Chapter 11
AN: I am back! I know I left this story for way too long so I'm sorry to everyone who was enjoying it and eventually gave up on it ever being updated. Life has a way of getting in the way of things.
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I especially want to thank the people who have continued to read it and send out reviews every once in a while – they worked and now you have another update.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Newsies characters or anything else affiliated with the Newsies. I am only writing this for my own pleasure (and hopefully a few others...)
Warnings: This chapter contains abuse. I don't wish to offend anyone so if you find that offensive, please refrain from reading this chapter.
Previously (here is where we left young Jack): Although the days in The Refuge never really got any easier, Jack was pleased that he never gave into Snyder and that he had managed to provide strength and hope to the other boys. The only discouraging fact was that every time he got in trouble with the warden, more time was added to his sentence. After two months in the Refuge, he still had ten months to go. Jack decided if he was ever getting out, he was going to have to figure out a way to escape.
A few weeks later, Jack had racked up another six months on his sentence and had set his mind to figuring out a way to escape. He knew that was the only way he was every going to escape the clutches of Warden Snyder. Currently he was laying on the cement "bed" in solitary once again – having received a beating and three days in solitary for trying to sneak some bread to a young boy who was in solitary for crying during breakfast. Suddenly he heard the small window on the steel door open and heard Speedy whisper, "Hey Jack! I broughts yous some bread." Jack quickly sat up, wincing as his back throbbed from the latest beating, and ran to the door.
"Thank ya Speedy! Yous betta leave quick before Snyder catches ya."
"But I gotta tell yous somethin. I jist heard Spot tellin a nudda kid that he's plannin' ta escape tomorrow night. I ken tell yous been thinkin' bout doin' da same so I thought yous might wanna try ta join him." Speedy whispered a few more of the details to Jack that he had overheard. Including that someone was going to meet Spot at the window in their room and help him escape through the window and climb down the two stories of the building.
After Jack had thanked Speedy for the bread and the information he started thinking more and more about Spot's escape plan. As long as he behaved himself he figured he would get out of solitary tomorrow morning. He wasn't sure if he could talk Spot into letting him join the escape, but Spot had been helping him learn how to fight better. Even if they weren't exactly friends, he knew Spot had respect for him now and he figured he would probably talk him into it. The more he thought about it the more excited he got. That is, until he thought about all the other boys he was leaving behind. With that thought, his excitement left him and he wasn't sure he could go through with it. He knew that there was no way they could risk a mass escape. If more than a couple of them left, the guards would be sure to notice and they would all be in major trouble.
Jack lay awake all night thinking about it. Finally the next morning arrived and Warden Snyder came to let him out. Knowing that he couldn't risk staying in solitary another day, Jack just stood as the warden walked into the room. "What, no insolent remark for me this morning? Maybe your stays in solitary have finally started making a difference. Although, it is more likely that it's the beatings that have done that. You are too stubborn to let a few mere days without food knock you down." With a laugh, Warden Snyder shoved Jack out of the room. "You missed breakfast. Go report to the kitchen for cleanup duty. You have a week's hard labor ahead of you."
Jack just nodded his head and walked down the hall to the kitchen. The guard there instructed him to deliver the warden's breakfast to him before coming back and washing the dishes. Jack quickly grabbed the tray of food and walked towards the warden's office. As hungry as he was, he resisted the urge to snag a biscuit. He had finally decided to escape tonight and couldn't risk anything. As much as he hated to leave the boys behind, he figured he could still come visit them some nights and hopefully figure out a way to get them all out.
It was after dinner before Jack was finally able to finish his chores and head to the rooms to find Spot. He had been worked hard all day scrubbing every inch of the kitchen and dining room and was only allowed a little lunch, but he didn't care about that right now. All he could think about was the fact that this would probably be his last day in The Refuge.
Seeing Spot sitting by himself on his bed, Jack walked over to him. "Hiya Spot. Hows ya doin?"
Spot looked up, "Hey Jacky boy! I see ya finally got outta solitary. Ya know, ya really needs to stop gettin' caught. Da warden gits too much fun outta punishin ya."
Jack laughed, "Yous got that right. I's up ta eight months now. Thinkin' I's betta find a way outta here on my own." Jack looked at Spot out of the corner of his eye – waiting to see if he reacted. He could tell Spot was thinking about something and Jack just hoped he was thinking of offering him a spot in the escape so that he wouldn't have to rat out Speedy.
Spot eyed Jack for a moment. "Well Jacky Boy, tonight's ya lucky night. One o' ma boys is bustin' me outta here tonight and ya jist got yo'self a ticket outta here." Spot then told him the details of the escape and instructed Jack to be at the window by midnight if he didn't want to get left behind.
Jack went over to the open bed one of the boys had left for him and laid down. He wished he could say goodbye to the boys but he reminded himself he would be back to bring them food and hopefully help more of them escape.
At midnight Jack quietly got up from his bed and walked over to the window. Spot joined him soon after and they just stood there quietly waiting. Suddenly there was a face at the window. Without saying a word, Spot opened the window and stepped out on the ledge. He whispered something to the boy out there and pointed back at Jack. Jack could see the boy nod his head and then wave at him to come on out.
Being as quiet as he could, Jack stepped out onto the ledge as well and closed the window. He could see Spot tying a rope around his waist that was tied to a chimney in the roof and then let himself carefully down to the ground. The other boy had a second rope tied around himself. He whispered to Jack that as soon as Spot was on the ground Jack should pull the rope back up and tie it around his waist and then let himself down too.
Jack looked down and saw Spot had just reached the ground. He quickly pulled the rope back up as soon as Spot untied himself. Without a second thought, Jack tied it around his waist and used it to help climb down to the ground. Soon all three were on the ground. They quickly scanned the area and, seeing no guards, quickly made a run for the gate.
They were just a few yards from the gate when all the sudden it swung open and two horses pulling Warden Snyder's carriage came through the gate. They stood there in shock for a moment but the driver saw them immediately and began yelling for the guards. All three of them panicked and ran as hard as they could for the gate. Jack saw Snyder rushing to get out of the carriage to stop them and he knew there was no way they were going to make it.
He yelled out "Run, Spot! I got ya back!" and then tackled Snyder just as he reached to grabbed Spot's arm. Spot looked back but then kept running – knowing it wouldn't do any good for them all to get caught.
Jack was quickly yanked of Snyder by a guard and roughly thrown to the ground. He turned and saw Spot and the other boy just make it through the gate before he was kicked in the ribs.
"Nobody escapes from the Refuge, boy." Snyder snarled at him as he kicked him again. "Don't worry, we will have your friends back here in no time." He then signaled to the guards to chase after Spot and then bent down and grabbed a tight hold of Jack's arm – yanking him up off the ground. "You will pay for this. It will be a long time now before you have even the slightest hope of getting out of here." Snyder backhanded him and then started dragging him back to the Refuge.
Jack kept his head up high. As disappointed as he was, he knew he would find another opportunity and he couldn't let this be what broke him. He needed to prove to himself and the rest of the boys that he would never give up, never stop fighting.
Warden Snyder drug him to a solitary room which seemed to be becoming his own assigned room. "You better get used to this room, boy. After that stunt you pulled you will be in solitary for quite some time. The only time you will be let out in the next week is for the daily beatings you've earned. I'll be back to get you bright and early in the morning." With that, Snyder shoved him into the room and slammed the door.
Jack lay down on the cement bed and wondered if Spot had been able to get away. He was a bit worried about what Snyder had planned for him, but decided it would be best to not think about it. The morning would be here soon enough.
Hopefully the next update won't be quite so long in coming. Unfortunately it's been so long it will take me a bit to remember what I was planning for the story. If you have any ideas you want to see, let me know. Otherwise I will probably be trying to finish the story in the next few chapters.
