Chapter 10: Deep End

Im so sorry for the wait, I've had lots of changes in life and I'm just busy as ever haha anyway my bad :)

I prevail

-Judy's POV-

Jackson and I have been walking in this forest for at least two hours now and the sun still hasn't made an appearance. At first we didn't know where to go or what to do so we eventually agreed to make our way into the city, where we could hopefully find friends or at this point anyone that can help.

We haven't said much if anything to each other since we escaped, that is until Jackson's concerned voice breaks the silence for the first time.

"Where do you think they took Nick," I hear him say quietly from behind me," they could have taken him anywhere, he could be in another continent for all we know."

"I get that you're worried, but you need to stop thinking about him. We will find him when we can but for now we need to not get caught. Trust me, I miss him just as much as you do, and I would do anything to help him. I even broke him out of prison because I missed him that much." I tell him, as a car comes over the hill ahead of us and we lay down to dodge the lights.

"Oh, That reminds me actually ," he adds quickly," Why did you break him out? Hmm, Why are you doing any of this?"

I quickly realize what I just said and what he's getting at. I try to think of something to counter it.

The car goes by and we stand back up.

I nervously turn and look back at him to see him staring at me with a look of confusion on his face.

I try to say something but nothing is coming out of my mouth.

"I…. umm…. Well-"

"You like him don't you." He says with his smirk getting bigger at the sight of me panicking, " I mean nobody's gonna break someone out of prison and go through all of this just because they work with them."

I look at him for a second longer trying to think of something else to say, then quickly turn around and start walking away from him.

"Come on, you're not gonna admit it?" He says jogging to catch up with me. "I thought about it earlier but then decided to just not ask, well since.. you know, he's a fox and you're a rabbit. But I guess I know now since you're denying it."

"Fine! If you really want to know why I did all of this," I reply flipping around quickly and grabbing him by his shirt," maybe I do like him a little bit. Do you have a problem with that?"

He looks at me for a second as his face of surprise changes back to a smirk.

"So that is why you did it. You know I honestly had no idea why, I just guessed. And it looks like I was right."

Embarrassment runs through my body as I realize what I said.

"Look, I won't bother you about it anymore, I was just wondering. So can you let go of me now?"

I get closer to his face and stare directly into his eyes," I swear to god if you tell anybody about this, I will find you and kill you."

"Trust me, I won't say anything." He replies with a smile," you know, yet."

Oh my god, he's just like Nick!

I keep staring at him until he finally gives me the answer I want.

"Ok I won't say anything. Can you let go of me now, we are wasting time that we desperately need."

I let go quickly and turn to continue walking towards the city, which had grown considerably closer in the last hour.

-Nick's POV-

I look up at Jacob who is sitting across from me in this police van. We are both hand cuffed and have two guards sitting next to us, making sure we don't try doing anything stupid. They won't even let us talk, I tried and I got hit pretty hard because of it.

I look up at the bared window on Jacobs side to see if I can recognize anything that goes by, but all I can see is the green blur of trees going by.

We weren't told anything after we left that cell. We were only taken down a hall and out a door that leads out of the building, which appeared to be deep in a forest I don't recognize. Then across a small sidewalk and into this van, where we've been sitting for about half an hour now.

Honestly I really have nothing to do right now so I guess the best way to pass the time and just forget everything would be to sleep. I slowly close my eyes and I am soon lost in my dreams…

I hear something and I open my eyes to realize that we have stopped. I look around and notice that not only are the guards on the ground either dead or passed out, but Judy and Jackson are holding the door open and ushering us to come out quickly. I waste no time and quickly climb out of the van.

"How did you find us?" I ask quickly while they take our handcuffs off with the key they must have took from the guards on the ground.

"We just followed the van." She replied looking up at me, "we need to go, we don't have much time."

She then sprints off the road and in the tall grass.

"Followed the van? What are you talking about?"

I follow her as we run toward the forest with Jacob and Jackson following me. We make it to the forest line and gun shots are suddenly coming from behind us. Dirt begins flying around us where the bullets are hitting the ground, but we just keep running further into the trees. I look back to see at least 3 police cars already parked by the police van we were just in.

Wow they were fast, we're only a few hundred yards away. And they really suck at shooting, whoever Tyler replaced the ZPD with don't know how to shoot.

I look back in front of me where Judy is already way ahead of me somehow. I run faster to try to catch up with her since she's getting further away. We soon get into the thicker part of the jungle and I begin to lose sight of her.

"Judy! Slow down, I can't keep up with you!" I yell at her, but she doesn't slow down. She keeps running straight through the leaves as if I had never said anything.

I push through more thick leaves to try to keep up and suddenly I can't see her anymore. I stop and look back at Jackson and Jacob to find out that they aren't with me either.

I'm alone.

I yell for them and Judy but nobody answers, so I crouch down in a bush and try to catch my breath since I can't hear the cops anymore.

Surely they will come looking for me once they realize I'm not with them.

A few minutes go by and hear footsteps getting closer to me. I stand up excitedly expecting Judy.

Through a bush spears Tyler with Judy in his arms and a pistol up to her head. He walks out of the bush and stops a few feet in front of me.

"Now Nick, I wouldn't try anything stupid. You wouldn't want her to get hurt would you?" He says looking from her to me. "After all you've been riding her tail since the very beginning. Once she's gone, what will you do?"

"What do you mean once she's gone!?"

"Let's not find out shall we?" He says, still looking at me," just give in and this can all end now."

I can see streaks where Judy's tears have been running down her face.

How did he find her so quickly, I thought she went the other way.

"Judy…" I look at her and then at Tyler, " let go of her."

"All right, I'll let her go. But only after you give in." He says smiling as a police officer appears from the bush Tyler had come from.

"Judy I'm sorry, there's no other way." I say as I put my hands up and walk slowly over to the officer with a gun pointed at me. When I get close enough to him, he grabs me and quickly forces me into handcuffs again.

I look over at Tyler who still has Judy in his arms.

"Now let her go."

"Right, I did say that didn't I?" he points the pistol back up to her head and pulls the trigger before anyone can object.

"NOO!!" I scream as her lifeless body falls to the ground.

I suddenly jolt awake to find I haven't escaped at all, I'm still in the back of the prison van with Jacob.

It was all just a dream, a stupid dream.

I look at Jacob and notice him staring at me with a concerned look. I must have been stirring around while I was asleep. I try to say something about it just being a dream, but get elbowed by the guard again for trying to talk.

Leaning my head against the truck, I think about something in the dream. A phrase that has kept repeating in my head and I don't want to believe it and it scares me, but in the end I almost can't deny it.

After all, you've been riding Judy's tail since the very beginning. Once she's gone, what will you do?