"They're coming!" someone called the next morning, as dawn was coming.
Everyone jumped up as they heard the sounds of the National Guard coming closer. They prepared their weapons and got ready to fight. Éponine and Cosette moved to the back with Fauchelevent.
"Is it going to be bad?" Cosette asked, worried.
Fauchelevent sighed, "It's a fight, Cosette."
Marius ran over to them. "I just want to say goodbye. In case I –"
"Don't say that! Please!" Cosette hugged Marius tightly. "Please look after yourself." Éponine nodded.
Marius sighed, "I will, and be safe. Stay with your father. Éponine, stay with them as well."
"As long as you don't get in the way of any more guns," Éponine smiled wryly. Éponine gave Marius a quick hug, and Marius went back to his comrades.
Fauchelevent went over to see the state of the National Guard. What he saw got him very scared. The National Guard had brought cannons.
"Fire!" an officer cried out, and the assault began.
Cannonballs began hitting the barricade. The barricade was being torn apart. Éponine and Cosette watched in horror as the National Guard began overtaking the barricade.
"We have to go," Fauchelevent said. He ducked as debris rained from overhead where a cannonball hit the wall. "Come on."
"We can't just leave them!" Éponine protested. She winced as she saw Feuilly fall.
"Father—" Cosette protested, but Fauchelevent raised his hand to silence her.
"Follow me," Fauchelevent said. His main goal now was getting Cosette and Éponine to safety right away.
Cosette obediently followed her father while Éponine sighed. She didn't want to leave them. Things weren't looking so good, and the National Guard was beginning to come to the other side of the barricade. After seeing Combeferre die, Éponine knew she should get out while she can with Cosette. Éponine ran and saw Cosette and Fauchelevent near the entrance to the sewer.
"We don't have much time," Fauchelevent said.
"Wait, I know the sewer!" Éponine said. "Can you save Marius and Courfeyrac? I can get Cosette through the sewers."
Fauchelevent sighed, "there's no hope, I'm sorry. I already saw Marius fall and Courfeyrac is right at the front lines. Go first; I'll be right behind you."
Éponine nodded and slid down into the sewers. They were just as nasty as she remembered them. Cosette jumped down after her.
"Your father's coming, but we should go quickly," Éponine said. She winced as she felt her waist. Her wound must have reopened, and now it was bleeding again.
"Here," Cosette helped support Éponine as they walked. Éponine would give the occasional direction and Cosette trusted her completely.
"Éponine, where's my dad," Cosette whispered.
"He must have gotten lost," Éponine said through her teeth. Cosette realized that Éponine was probably in a lot of pain right now.
"Shhh, I think we're almost there, I can hear voices," Cosette said, reassuringly.
Éponine's face paled, "Those are coming from inside the sewer." Cosette and Éponine leaned against the wall as they continued. The voices got louder and louder. "That's my dad," Éponine muttered. "Be as quiet as possible."
Éponine and Cosette slipped past Thénardier, who was too busy stealing gold off of bodies to notice them. Once they passed him, they walked in silence for a while.
"Are we close?" Cosette asked.
"Yeah," Éponine said faintly. Éponine was now completely leaning on Cosette. Although Éponine was small for her age due to malnourishment, Cosette was small as well, and could barely carry her. Somehow, they managed until they got to the end.
Cosette and Éponine climbed out of the sewers. Cosette smiled in the fresh air, while Éponine just closed her eyes. They walked for a little, until Éponine collapsed. Cosette sat next to her and leaned her up against the side of a house.
"Just hold on, please," Cosette said. Cosette glanced up to see that the little gamines of the street had gathered around them.
"Who are they?" a girl asked.
"Wait a minute, that's Gavroche's older sister!" a boy grinned. "Someone, get Gavroche!"
A little girl sat next to Éponine. "Is she okay?" she asked Cosette.
"No," Cosette shook her head, "we were at the barricades and she got shot."
They all gasped, "the barricades?!" a boy asked, incredulous.
"You made it!" Gavroche was here, grinning. His grin faded when he saw Éponine. "How bad is she hurt?"
"Her injury reopened and she can barely walk. Gavroche, do you know where I live?" Cosette asked. Gavroche nodded quickly. "Okay, go and get Toussaint. Tell her that Cosette and Éponine are on the street, badly hurt. Tell her to be as quick as possible."
Gavroche nodded again and took off. Some gamines went with him, while others stayed with the girls.
"Will she be okay?" a little girl asked a while later, frowning.
Cosette smiled when she heard the carriage come, "Yes, she will be fine."