Chapter Eight: Rescue
"What do you mean, oh great?" Slade asked sounding insulted.
"Well, let's see. It's your fault that we're in this mess to begin with. If you hadn't of had to go and look around then you wouldn't of got yourself caught, so Jane wouldn't of been caught either and I wouldn't of had to sneak in here to get you out." Xandar explained.
"From what you said earlier, it doesn't sound as if you came for me." Slade pointed out.
"I didn't, I came for Jane. You just happen to be here, that's all." Xandar snapped back.
"Xandar I'm pleased that you're here but would you two stop arguing. If you hadn't noticed we're still locked in a room." Jane said calmly.
"Sorry Jane, you're right. I'll have a look for the keys." Xandar said apologetically.
"Try looking on the guard." Slade said.
"Well how clever of you, I hadn't thought of that." Xandar replied, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Xandar turned away from the door a walked towards the guard, who was still unconscious on the floor. He bent down and started feeling around the guard's waist until he felt some keys.
"I've found them."
"Good, then open the door." Slade replied.
Muttering to himself, Xandar unhooked the keys, stood up and walked towards the door. He started trying each key in the lock.
"What's taking so long?" Slade asked. "It can't be that hard to unlock a door."
"There are a few keys to try alright." Xandar snapped back. "There."
With a satisfying click the door unlocked, and Xandar pushed it open. Standing in front of him was Jane, with a big smile on her face and Slade, who looked begrudgingly thankful. Jane dashed at Xandar and gave him a big hug.
"I took you long enough." Slade moaned. "I would have gotten out of here by myself though soon enough."
"Sure you would have." Xandar said doubtfully through a mouth of Jane's hair.
"I knew you'd come for me." Jane said, and gave him one last squeeze before she let go.
"Yeah she wouldn't shut up about you. But we should really be getting out of here." Slade pointed out.
"But what about those two?" Jane asked pointing into the corner of the room.
Xandar looked to where she was pointing. In the far corner of the room he saw two figures huddled together asleep. It was a boy and a girl, and they looked vaguely familiar to Xandar. He pulled out the photo that Paul had given him and held it up so that he could see it and the two figures together. They looked identical to the boy and girl in the photo, only a lot skinnier. They were Paul's brother and sister.
"We're going to take them with us." Xandar said
"We're what?" Slade asked his mouth agape.
"They're coming with us. I said I'd get them out if I found them." Xandar explained.
"Fine." Slade said sounding exasperated. "Help me get them up then."
Xandar and Slade both walked over to the corner and gently shook the boy and girl. They both stirred and looked up, shocked to see another person in the room.
"Who are you?" They both asked in unison.
"We don't have time for introductions now." Slade said. "He'll explain who he is later."
"Can you both walk?" Xandar asked.
They both nodded.
"I think I hear people coming." Jane said sounding worried.
"Can you both run?" Slade asked.
"We don't know." The boy replied.
"Well we're about to find out." Slade said "Come on." And he and Xandar pulled them both to their feet.
They made their way to the door and Xandar stuck his head out to listen.
"It sounds like there are two of them coming from that way." He said pointing left out of the door.
"Help me drag this guy in here." He said to Slade.
"Why?"
"Just do it." Xandar ordered.
Both he and Slade grabbed an arm each and pulled him into the room.
"What now?" Slade asked.
"Well you three turn right out this door and run down the corridor." Xandar said pointing at Jane and the boy and girl. "And you and me Slade, we'll jump the two guards, drag them in here and lock the door."
"Well that sort of sounds like a plan." Slade replied.
"We don't have time for arguing just do it." Xandar said frustrated.
Jane and Paul's brother and sister ran out of the room and down the corridor. They were only gone a few seconds when a shout rang out down the corridor.
"The prisoners have escaped!"
Xandar and Slade dashed out of the room and came face-to-face with two guards. Without hesitation Xandar punched the guard in front of him in the face, and felt his nose break beneath his fist. The guard crumpled to the floor moaning. Seconds later, Slade punched his guard in the stomach, and while he was bending over grasping it, kneed him in the face. His guard fell to the floor unconscious. They dragged both the guards into the room, and then Xandar locked the door. Without a word to each other they both then turned and ran up the corridor.
They had run round a couple of corners before they saw Jane and the two others again. It looked like they were standing at the end of the corridor with nowhere to go. But as they got closer Xandar saw that there was a wooden ladder leading up to a trapdoor in the ceiling.
"Why are you still standing here?" Xandar asked.
"There's nowhere to go." Jane replied.
"Go up the ladder." Xandar pointed out.
"But we'll be trapped!" Jane exclaimed.
"Well we don't have much of a choice. We can't go back that way; we'll run into the crazy gang. So we've got to go up there. Slade you go up first, then you three and I'll go last. When I get off the ladder pull it up behind me, so they can't follow."
Realizing how desperate their situation was nobody argued with Xandar's plan and they started to climb the ladder. Slade went first and as he got to the top he tried pushing on the trapdoor, but it wouldn't open. It seemed to be jammed shut, so putting all his force behind him he smashed into it with his shoulder. The trapdoor flew open and he climbed inside. Jade followed him up, then the girl and then the boy. As the boy was half way up the ladder Xandar heard footsteps down the corridor.
"Hurry up. I can here them coming." Xandar said.
The boy quickly scrambled up the rest of the ladder and Xandar started to climb. As he was near the top he heard a shout from down the corridor.
"There they are. We've found them."
Xandar didn't bother looking behind him he just threw himself through the trapdoor. Slade and Jane pulled the ladder up quickly after him and slammed the trapdoor shut. They could hear voices from down below.
"They've took the ladder." One voice said.
"Yeah but there's nowhere else to go." Another snickered.
"We'll go look for another ladder, you two stay here and make sure they don't come down." A third ordered.
Xandar looked around the attic they were in. It was dimly lit by the moonlight shining through a few stain glass windows. The attic wasn't that big, maybe 10ft long and 5ft wide, the roof was low so they couldn't stand up properly, and there were a few wooden barrels littered around the place.
"What now? Oh wise and fearless leader." Slade asked sarcastically.
"We've got to get out of here." Xandar replied.
"Obviously, but how? We can't go back down there and they'll be back soon with another ladder." Slade pointed out.
"The window." Xandar exclaimed.
"What?" Slade asked surprised.
Xandar motioned to them all to come closer.
"Look we're only 12ft off the ground at the most. We can jump out one of the windows and make a run for the woods behind the church." Xandar whispered.
"Why don't we just use the ladder? And why are you whispering?" Jane asked.
"I'm whispering so they don't hear us." Xandar said pointing at the trapdoor. "And we're going to use the ladder..."
"But you said..." Slade interrupted.
"I know what I said, just listen will you." Xandar whispered impatiently cutting him off. "Me and you, Slade are going to take one of those barrels each and throw them through a different window at the same time. Then we get the ladder and lower it down through one window and jump out the other one."
Xandar looked at each of them in turn, waiting for a complaint from one of them, but none came.
"Ok, one of you will need to count for me and Slade, and the other two need to lower the ladder."
"I'll count." Jane said.
"We'll do the ladder then." The boy said.
The boy and girl picked up the ladder and carried it over to a window on the right side of the attic. Slade picked up a barrel and walked over to the right window with it. Xandar picked up his barrel, it felt like it was half full with liquid; he guessed it was probably communion wine. He carried it over to a window on the left and waited. He turned round and saw Jane in the middle of the room holding up three fingers. Two fingers. One finger. There was a loud crash as both Xandar's and Slade's barrels flew through the windows at the same time. Xandar watched the boy and girl lower the ladder out of the window they were next too, and then he motioned everyone over to the window he was standing by.
"Ok, I'll jump out first, you come out last Slade. Make sure you roll when you hit the floor to soften your landing, and then run into the trees." Xandar explained.
They all nodded their heads in agreement. Xandar turned and jumped out the window. As soon as he hit the ground he rolled over and stood up. He signalled up to the window for the next person to jump. A split second later Jane, hit the floor with a roll, got up, and headed for the trees. The girl followed and then the boy. Slade was the last, but when he hit the floor Xandar heard a popping sound. Slade got up with a pained expression on his face but he didn't say anything, he just headed for the trees and Xandar followed. They found the others hiding behind a cluster of trees.
"Now we need somewhere to wait out the night." Xandar said.
"We know a place." The boy said "Our father built us a den in these woods when we were little. It's this way."