a/n: Thanks for the reviews! I feel like the last few chapters dragged, but I'm excited for what's ahead. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
Chapter 14: Plan B
This was my first time in awhile without Lake. I felt vulnerable. If someone saw me or started chasing me, I didn't know what I'd do.
I didn't know what I was doing, period! I was just hoping I'd find the answer as I darted from one hiding spot to the next. I was probably drawing more attention that way.
I glanced down at myself. Yeah, I stood out. I was a mess, and my tank top was wearing thin. But I stopped short when I saw something from the corner of my eye. Between two buildings, down an alley, were clotheslines. They hung up above the ground. I eyed some clothes there hungrily—anything to help change my appearance.
I climbed up a pipe—no escape ladder. I guess building codes weren't quite the same here. I got about five feet off the ground when my leg had to be used to push me up, and that didn't work.
I fell down.
"Uggh!!"
I wasn't going to let this stop me. Too many things were stopping me and Lake, and to hell with a stupid pipe! I clawed at the pipe and the wall it was attached to. Gritting my teeth as I pushed off my leg, I climbed about ten feet this time. The clothes dangled above my head. Sleeves were within inches—
I reached, snagged something, and fell as my hold slipped.
My back realigned when I hit the ground. But in my hands were three articles of clothing. Excited, I held each up: a green t-shirt, size medium. A faded pair of shorts, size small. And a large white t-shirt with paint stains on it.
I grinned.
-0-0-0-
If I was still in the States, I would have been watching a news report about the violent outbreak in Nigeria. But at this point, no American journalist would be crazy enough to report on-site about the burning of an American embassy.
However, a British journalist might be different. A female reporter and a single cameraman stood far down the street, half hiding behind a building but with just enough of the burning embassy in the background to show off to the world. I was across the street from them.
"This is Sarah Worthington, BBC News, in Nigeria," the reporter finished up. I could hear her accent from where I stood.
"All right, Sarah, now we really have to get out of here," the cameraman said. He put the camera into an open van. My hopes rose.
I had to get to them, without being seen. The army was busy outside the embassy, but Sadick would be a fool to think we'd just hang out right by it. He would branch out, wouldn't he?
I had the medium green t-shirt on. At least I looked a little different. The larger t-shirt was in my hands, to take back to Lake. I used it to cover my head and then darted across the street.
"Hey!" I hissed. The reporter and cameraman turned my way. "Please, can you help me?" They both stared at me like I was a raccoon that asked for filet mignon. I took the larger t-shirt off my head. "I need to get to an embassy. Preferably one not on fire."
"Who are you?" the reporter asked.
"My name's Jane," I said. I glanced over my shoulder. "Will you help me?"
I could see the reporter wasn't sure. She looked to the cameraman.
"What sort of trouble are you in?" the cameraman asked. That was a loaded question. I didn't know how much to tell them—they were reporters.
"The worst kind," I said vaguely enough. The reporter looked to the cameraman. She nodded once. The cameraman looked to me.
"Get in."
The van was old but functional.
"I'm Sarah Worthington. This is Patrick," the reporter said. Patrick turned the ignition. "You caught us just in time. We're headed out of here right now."
"I know," I said. "Can we stop one place though?"
Sarah turned in her seat. She looked at me like I was crazy.
"My friend," I started, "he's hurt."
"Hurt?" Patrick said. "Is the trouble you're in the kind that will get us . . . in trouble?"
I hesitated, but I couldn't lie. I nodded.
"No, let's just go now," Sarah said.
"No, please!" I said. But Patrick was pulling off down the street, away from where Lake was.
"We can't risk it," Patrick said.
I grabbed the door handle even though the van was still moving, and slid it open.
"Then stop," I said. I must have been convincing enough, because Patrick stopped.
"It's suicide for you to stay much longer," Sarah said. I nodded.
"I know. But I won't leave my friend."
I started to get out of the van—
"Wait," Patrick said. He and Sarah shared a look.
"Where's your friend?"
-0-0-0-
Getting to the parking garage was nerve-wracking. I just expected something to go wrong every turn. It didn't though. We passed a military truck, full of soldiers, but they didn't even blink or slow down. I hoped our luck continued.
"Turn into that garage," I said, pointing ahead. Patrick did.
I got out of the van, my eyes on where I'd left Lake. But the car we'd hidden behind was gone.
"Lake?" I called out, half-whispering. I ran to that area, looking at the other cars, under them, behind them, but Lake wasn't there.
Patrick sat in the van, at the wheel with the van idling. Sarah got out.
"Where's your friend?" I could tell she was impatient.
"I don't know." I turned around and looked over the rest of the garage. "Lake?" I crossed to the other side of the garage, checking every car. I was underneath one of them when I saw something on the ground a few cars down.
I got up quickly. My knee buckled, but I made myself keep going.
"Are you okay?" Sarah said, but I wasn't listening. I stopped in front of one car. Lying on the ground was Lake. His eyes were shut.
"Lake?" I knelt down by him. His chest rose and fell, and I could tell he was shivering still. "Wake up, okay?" I held onto his hand, squeezing it, but he didn't answer back.
"Jane?" It was Sarah, coming behind me. Suddenly Lake sat upright, and in a flash he had the gun in his hand, aimed at Sarah's head.
Sarah gasped, and before she had a chance to scream, I fully expected a shot to ring out. But Lake stilled, blinking rapidly. He looked confused.
"Lake, it's okay," I said. His green eyes were cloudy until he focused on me.
"Jane," he whispered. His eyes flickered back to Sarah, on guard.
"They're with the BBC," I said. "They'll take us to the British embassy. But we have to move now." I felt like he wasn't understanding, but then he started getting to his feet. Sarah gasped as she saw Lake. She pointed to his torso.
"What happened!" Her eyes moved to his right shoulder and left arm too. Patrick got out of the van, and his eyes followed the same path. He looked at me too, noticing the dried blood on my pant leg.
"He got shot," I mumbled. I helped Lake up, though he seemed to be moving okay.
"Sorry," he said in Sarah's direction. I put an arm around Lake and we walked to the van. I could just hear all the questions Sarah and Patrick had, but they didn't push it. They got back in the van.
"You two should stay down," Patrick said. Sarah nodded.
"Good idea."
"Thank you," I said. I hoped they got how grateful I was, but it was hard to convey it now. I turned my attention to Lake.
I pulled out the t-shirt I'd stolen. He smiled when he saw it. "About time."
I grinned, and helped pull it over his head. My hands grazed his skin. It was cooler now, but sweaty. I wondered if his fever was breaking. He watched me as I glanced over him.
"Now all I need is a hat," he said. I stared at him. And then I laughed.
Patrick glanced at us through the rearview mirror. I remembered his advice, to stay down.
"Lie down," I told Lake. He leaned against me, and we both let ourselves sink out of sight of any stray eyes. "Why did you move?"
Lake smiled softly. "The car we hid behind moved. Figured I better change hiding places."
"You about gave me a heart attack," I scolded him.
"I might have passed out," Lake admitted. Yeah, he might have. I was willing to bet on it.
"Uh oh," I heard from the front seats. Sarah leaned forward in her seat. "Slow down, Patrick."
"What is it?" I asked. I popped my head up enough to see out the front windshield. A tank and three military vehicles were up ahead. Soldiers were in the street. "How far away is the British embassy?"
"We're here," he said. "But they're blocking us."
Lake pulled me down.
"They'll search the car," Lake said. That made my heart race, but Lake sounded so calm. I think he had another boost of adrenaline. "Pull over. We'll get out."
"We will?" I asked.
"Don't tell them anything," Lake said to Sarah and Patrick. "You haven't seen us. When you get to the embassy, tell the Brits two people will be coming in soon seeking asylum."
Patrick pulled over, and Lake started getting out. He couldn't quite stay on his feet, and I had to catch him before he fell.
"Lake—"
"Jane, we have to do this, or they'll be in danger," he said, indicating Sarah and Patrick. I glanced to them both. They looked bewildered, but they weren't stopping us. Lake was right.
"Thank you, both," I said, and then I shut the van door.
Lake and I moved slowly, but as soon as we were concealed by a building, the van drove off. I hoped Sarah would do what Lake said.
Lake's neck was tight, his muscles easily visible. He was in pain, as usual, but his eyes seemed clear enough still.
"Now all we have to do is get to the British embassy." He said it so jovially. I smirked at him.
"Sure, that's all."
We kept moving, trying to get closer to the embassy without being in plain sight.
"Good thinking," he said suddenly. I looked up at him. "With another embassy." Inside I felt proud, but we weren't safe yet.
"Will they let us in?"
Lake didn't answer right away, which clued me in to one way this could turn out.
"We won't give them a choice."
"What are we going to do? Hop the fence?" I asked skeptically. Lake nodded. The physical limitations of scaling a fence were on my mind, but Lake brought up another concern.
"Trick is, not being noticed by the rebels, or shot by the British." He quirked a grin. I stared at him.
"That's reassuring."
-0-0-0-
Entrances to the British embassy were guarded on the inside by British personnel, and on the outside patrolled by the Nigerian rebels. I wondered if that was allowed, but with the rebels being trigger-happy, I don't think anyone was going to challenge them right now.
I didn't quite understand what Lake's plan was. I noticed two cars parked outside the embassy by the perimeter wall, and Lake kept looking at them.
"When I tell you to, run for the wall," he said. There was that hard edge to his voice. "See the two cars?" I nodded. "Stand on the hood of the sedan, and jump up from it to the roof of the other one." The second car was taller. I feared I knew where this was headed. "Then jump over the wall."
The wall was six feet or so from the cars. I could see myself smashing into the concrete and falling flat on my butt on the wrong side of the wall.
"You can do it," Lake said.
"What about you?"
He smiled. "I'll be right behind you."
And then he walked back the way we'd come, leaning every few steps against the building wall. He drew the gun as he walked. I swallowed.
I watched him, afraid of what he had up his sleeve.
Suddenly someone grabbed me. I shrieked and came face to face with a Nigerian soldier. He said something to me, repeating it, but I had no idea. His eyes widened, and he let me go. I took a step back, and he grabbed the automatic rifle draped across his chest.
He shouted something, and the gun was brought up. I froze.
And then a bullet ripped into his chest. The soldier fell backwards.
I whirled around and saw Lake, down the alleyway. I could see his eyes burning from where I stood. Suddenly he turned back the way we'd come, and fired at a car across the street from him. The shots rang off, probably five of them, and then the car exploded.
Instinctively, I took cover.
"Run!" Lake shouted at me, but I barely heard it with the explosion. I saw him running towards me.
As my body took over, my mind caught up. He blew up the car as a distraction. Hopefully the rebels were looking at it now, and not me.
I hopped up on the hood of the sedan, and jumped to the roof of the other. The wall seemed like it was shaking, but I think my eyes were just rattling around with how scared I was. I leapt for the wall.
The concrete dug into my chest, but I had my arms over the top. Gasping, I pulled myself up. I almost jumped down on the other side, but stopped, sitting on top of the wall.
Lake was heading towards me. His pace was slow, but he kept moving. He stepped over the rebel soldier who had found me.
"Hurry, hurry," I whispered. I checked around me. The rebels near the entrances were fanning out. They headed to the diversion Lake created, but not all of them. The British guards were running around too, but no one saw me yet. I leaned down, still on the top of the wall.
Lake got to the hood of the first car. With more energy than I thought he had, he leapt to the roof of the other car, and without any hesitation, jumped right for the wall.
He groaned when he hit the wall. His hands grasped over the wall's edge, but like I had, he dangled on the outside. I grabbed him by the forearm.
"Hang on!" I felt him pulling himself up, and I tried to help too. I didn't want to think about his stitches ripping, or any worse damage. Gritting my teeth, I kept pulling, until his waist was above the wall. And then I just leaned backwards.
We both fell in a heap on the inside of the wall. All the air left my lungs. I tried to gasp and get air in. Lake was on top of me—that might have been half the problem. He rolled off, clutching his arms around his stomach.
"That hurt," he said between grimaces. I coughed, and suddenly could actually breathe again. "You all right?"
I could only nod.
"Don't move!" Footsteps hurried to us. I heard the familiar clink of weaponry, and then four British soldiers were standing over us.
"We're Americans," Lake said. His hands were in plain sight. Neither of us moved. "We need asylum."
The muzzles of the guns should have worried me, but I just felt a small measure of relief. We made it, to some sort of safety—safer than we were.
"On your feet!" one soldier commanded. I obeyed, my hands up in surrender. Lake got up too, but from the corner of my eye I saw him sway. I turned to him, just as his knees wavered and buckled.
"Lake!" I tried to catch him, but one of the soldiers ended up breaking Lake's fall. The soldier turned him on his back. Lake's eyes were shut. "Talk to me, Lake."
He didn't respond. I felt for his neck, and felt a sporadic pulse there.
"Kelly?" Maybe I could tick him off enough to answer. But Lake didn't move.
I spun around to the soldiers.
"He needs a doctor, now!"
