No Way Back
It was weird. A feeling as if she was a soldier, preparing to go to the battlefield, knowing that she most likely wouldn´t return. But that was a risk they all took. She. Marius. Even the baron. These men were much more than them, and they were armed. The guards were free, and they were in this cell – so far. The guards were at home here, and with that advanced – so far. The baron was right, if they wanted to, they could simply kill them, bury their bodies somewhere and no one would ever know it happened. They would just vanish. Into thin air. Like ghosts.
Cosette was freezing at the thought. But the thought also gave her a strength she´d never thought herself capable of. Because this thought of finality, hardened her heart, made her ready for whatever outcome there might be. If they should die in this battle to come, so be it. At least then she´d be reunited with her father in heaven. Her father who´d died by the hands of this devil Javert. She willed away the image of the bloody rags on the living room floor, and tried to focus. She´d meet him again in heaven. As well as her mother. And Marius would be with her too. At least in death she wouldn´t have to fear anymore, for the people she loved.
It would be over at last. Just lying down and sleep. Sleep forever. Resting, from all the pain and the suffering this life had put her through in only these few weeks. Oh God, how could it ever come so far? There had been a time when she had not feared any evil, when she had not believed in any monsters, except for those from her dreams. When she had actually allowed herself to believe that this one monster – the one in the black uniform – had only been an image of her scared mind. Not real at all.
And then she´d seen his face again. And somehow, on that day in the streets – the same day she´d seen her beloved Marius´ face for the first time – her nightmare had started to chase her in real life. And it had chased her until now. To this point, where she was now, standing at the edge of a cliff, knowing that there was no other way, than to take even one more step further. And if she would die, hitting the ground, was totally in God´s hand.
She closed her eyes, tuning out the sounds of Marius and his grandfather knocking against the cell door, shouting for their incarcerators to come and show themselves. Cowards! Are you afraid to talk to us personally? We want to speak to Bourguignon! Now! Don´t you hear? We demand to speak to the man in charge!
Cosette had no idea how long it took for the guards to finally be fed up with them, but eventually they opened the door, ready to shut them up. Only they never got the chance.
Marius and his grandfather were prepared, with more than just angry words. The instant the door was open they attacked, taking the two unprepared guards by surprise. The biggest surprise probably being the fact that, while the two men were holding them, it was in fact Cosette who wriggled the weapons out of their hands, disarming them.
One pistol was all it took, aimed at them by a woman that looked so fragile and innocent. But it was her gaze that made them halt, raising their hands in careful surrender. The coldness in her eyes, that spoke of total determination, no matter what. And for a second even Marius and the baron seemed startled.
Someone was shouting outside, alarmed by the sounds of their struggle. Marius swirled the man in his grip around, bringing him before his own body, like a shield, and pushed him forward, out of the door. He kicked against the door, holding it like a second shield, and forced the man in his grip down, to the ground, just in time for the new guards to arrive.
"Not a step further!" he demanded, and Cosette, not really knowing what she did, simply knelt down beside him, aiming the pistol at those men at the end of the hallway. The gazes she saw were uncertain, calculating, but hesitant nonetheless.
"Throw down the weapons and surrender!" one of them demanded but Cosette never moved. The baron lay a hand on her shoulder, whispering to her, to give him the gun. But she barely heard him. All her attention was on those men at the corner, her finger lying on the trigger, so tensed. It would only take one twitch of a muscle.
"You let us go or we kill your men!" Marius demanded, next to her. "You throw your guns away!" And to emphasize his words, he held the pistol to the head of his hostage. "One wrong move and your men are dead."
...
Javert cowered down, under the window, and checked the yard behind them, thanking every high power that might be out there, that they hadn´t been discovered yet. Now this was it. The last divide to cross, before there probably wouldn´t be any return. Maybe for both of them. But not if he could help it.
"Listen to me, Valjean." he hissed at the injured man beside him, and the eyes he saw under the mask were wide, scared. "When we´re in there." he told him. "And anything happens … don´t stop. Ever. Grab your daughter and whoever else you can carry and keep running. Whatever you may hear behind you, don´t turn around. You hear me?"
He could tell that Valjean didn´t understand. That the shock over this was too much for him, especially now that all his thoughts probably were with his daughter. But at least he nodded, if he understood or not. And that alone was enough for Javert.
He got up, and hurriedly worked on the lock of this window. It wasn´t as simple as picking the lock of a door, but eventually he managed to open it. He went down again, taking a moment to listen, if anyone was coming. No one was.
"Come now." he hissed and gave Valjean a hand to climb in.
Inside they went down again, quickly closing the window. Listening. The hallway was barely lit. But even then they should have heard something. Footsteps of the guards. The men were supposed to be posted only around the next corner. And he didn´t doubt that Fleuride´s briefing had been correct. So why were there no sounds of men guarding the place?
"Did the guard leave his post?" Valjean whispered barely audible, muffled under the mask.
Javert shook his head. "Don´t know."
He tried to listen. There were voices, from somewhere in the distance. But he couldn´t understand any words. He only understood one thing. They were very agitated.
...
It´s not me. This was all Cosette could think. It´s not me, it´s you. All of you. I don´t even know who, or why or even what. But I know, just know, that this is not me. I´d never been here if it was my choice. I´d never do this. Holding a gun, like it was the easiest thing in the world, aiming it at a living person, not even caring who it is, if he has a life, if he has a sweetheart, parents, maybe children. Only caring about myself, and my own loved ones. Not caring if someone else has to die so we can be safe. Not caring if I shall die. Not caring about anything anymore.
How can this be me? I´d never do this. I´m not like this.
No, someone is doing this to me. Making me do this. Someone or … something. A demon maybe that took over my mind, blinded it, numbed it, so I wouldn´t be able to tell right from wrong. But I am. I´m still able to decide for myself. And this is not me. I will not do this. I will not allow any evil power, to use me as their vessel.
"Be reasonable, kid." the man at the corner cried out now. "You have no chance at all."
"We will see how much of a chance we have." was Marius´ response, and somehow his voice made Cosette wake up. She heard the sound of Marius´ pistol and the men at the corner tensed, as he threatened the life of his hostage yet again. "Fall back." he demanded. "Fall back now, or he dies."
"You can´t get away, boy." the guard tried to reason with him. "You …"
But at this someone stepped up behind the men. A man in uniform, far more important than theirs. Cosette flinched at his entrance. She instantly saw Javert´s face in this man, and her finger tensed around the trigger. But then her eyes focused, and she saw the real face of the newcomer. It wasn´t Javert. It was a man she´d never seen before, a few years younger than the inspector. But his eyes were not less cruel, his posture not less arrogant and confident.
"What is going on here?" he demanded, and his men instantly cowered before him.
"Sir." one of them saluted. "I have no idea how this happened. They must have overpowered the guards somehow."
"I can see that." the man replied unimpressed. "My question is what are you going to do about it?"
"Who are you?" Marius shouted at the man, ducking behind the head of his hostage.
And the man looked at them, as if Marius´ call was merely disturbing this much more important talk he´d just had.
"Where´s Bourguignon?" Marius demanded to know.
"General Bourguignon has left." the man informed them, flatly. "I´m the one in charge here."
"Then you will order your men to lay down their weapons and let us go."
The officer did not even raise a brow. He simply said: "No." And as Marius tried to threaten the life of his hostage again, he just kept talking, as if he was stating a mere fact. "You have no way to leave this castle alive. Maybe you´d make it up the stairs, but my men are everywhere. Be reasonable and give up."
"Never."
Marius´ roar made her flinch. Cosette quickly relaxed her finger, taking care not to put any pressure on the trigger. No. Not like this.
"What do you think will happen?" the officer asked them. "You´ll get killed on your way out. And then? No one even knows you´re here."
"We can retrieve the other way." the baron whispered at his grandson, behind the door, and Cosette saw Marius glance behind, just for a second, nodding.
"Face it." the officer at the corner called for them, not having seen the exchange. "You are alone. And no one´s coming to save you."
Marius didn´t respond. He merely held the gaze of this man, as if staring him down could make him back off. And strange as it was, it worked. Only not the way Cosette would have expected it.
Instead of getting scared, the office only chuckled – so arrogant – and turned away, as if this annoying business was finished for him. Cosette saw him talk to his men, briefly, giving them an order of some kind, but of course they couldn´t understand his words. She only understood the gaze of the guard, just a slight shock in his eyes about the order. But that didn´t keep him from nodding, obediently.
"Yes, Capitaine."
That she did understand.
...
"Is that the other group?" Valjean whispered, still trying to figure out those distant voices, but Javert shook his head.
"Don´t think so."
Jacques and his two criminals were supposed to enter the place a story above them, and on the other side of the castle. It was very unlikely that they could hear them, even if they would be stupid enough to make such noise.
"Something´s wrong." he nudged Valjean and was on his feet, hurrying towards these voices. He might not have understood the words, but the tone was unmistakable. Something was going on. And then they suddenly fell silent. From one moment to the other it was quiet, and somehow this silence made Javert stop, as if he´d run against an invisible wall.
Valjean bumped into him, and he held out a hand, shushing him. There were footsteps, coming up some stairs. Just ahead of them.
He moved again, and reached the stairwell, just as the person came out of it. It was Lecomte.
Javert just couldn´t believe his luck and reacted on pure instinct, before he even knew it himself. He grabbed Lecomte, gagged his mouth and pushed him against the wall. Finally.
"How polite of you, not to make us look." he hissed, taking off his mask. Lecomte was supposed to know who had him. And the reaction was sweet like honey.
"Javert." the officer gasped, eyes darting to Valjean, who took off his own mask much more hesitant than Javert had done it.
Javert smiled, grimly, taking in every second of this. It would be over too soon anyway.
"Are the hostages down there?" he asked, and in the corner of his eye he saw Valjean moving, to run down the stairs instantly. Alone. Unprotected. Maybe into a bunch of armed enemies. This idiot.
"Wait!" Javert roared over his shoulder, and thankfully Valjean indeed waited.
Lecomte only laughed, under Javert´s grip. "You´ll never get out of here alive." he said. "If you kill me or not."
"I´m not going to kill you." Javert replied unimpressed. "I´m going to arrest you."
"You have no authority anymore, Javert. You´re a political fugitive. And a murderer. You killed Gareaux. And Marianne. A woman who was very close to me."
His fake gaze of hurt and regret made Javert boil inside. It didn´t help at all that Javert knew Lecomte had used this mockery tone on purpose. The rage was there and it demanded to be let out. He pushed him, violently, against his throat.
"She trusted you, you bastard. I trusted you."
Lecomte grunted under his pressure, but that didn´t keep him from laughing. "She …" he emphasized. "… kept sleeping with me even after she knew what I did. She broke my trust. Not the other way around."
Javert took the knife from his belt before he knew it, and brought it up to Lecomte´s face, choking him, for real this time. He wouldn´t let him speak any more of this. The knife approached the man´s cheek, ready to draw blood. And then there was a hand on Javert´s arm.
"We came here for Cosette." Valjean reminded him. And when he looked into his eyes, so calm and yet so demanding, the rage suddenly subsided.
Javert nodded, his hand slightly relieving Lecomte´s throat.
"Where are the hostages?" he demanded to know.
And this time it was Lecomte who was fuming. "The hostages are dead." he hissed. "You are too late, Javert."
Valjean´s hand on his arm tensed, and then it jumped at Lecomte, trying to grab him. But Javert pushed him back with his shoulder. Lecomte was his to strangle, not Valjean´s.
"Liar." he spat into his face. "You wouldn´t have taken all that labor upon you just to kill them. They are alive. Where are they? They are down there, aren´t they?" he gestured over his shoulder, at the stairwell again. And that was the moment when the shot echoed through the castle.
Javert felt how something went right through him. A shock so sudden he had barely ever experienced it. Or was that Valjean´s shock he felt?
"What was that?" Valjean cried, and Lecomte smiled evilly in Javert´s grip.
"I ordered to shoot the girl." he told them. "As a lesson."
"No!" Valjean breathed and this time Javert did not keep him away. If it was true, Valjean had the same right to kill the man, as he had.
But then another shot rang out. And another. And Javert smiled, triumphantly.
"You ordered to shoot her repeatedly?" he mocked, and the gaze he got in response spoke volumes. This liar.
"Cosette." Valjean let go of Lecomte and ran, down the stairs at last.
"I said wait!" Javert shouted, but of course he wouldn´t. In his lack of other options, the former inspector took Lecomte, and jerked him away from the wall. "No stunts, you hear me?" he hissed at him. "Friend." And with that he pushed him forward, down the stairs, to follow Valjean.
...
Cosette ducked down when the shots got fired, behind the door that Marius still held to shield them. A bullet crashed right through it, only a few inches away from her. And for some reason she wasn´t even scared. Her heart was beating normally, as if nothing of this was really happening. But she knew it was. It was.
"You go first, Marius." the baron shouted, holding the second guard they had overpowered earlier and at last he took the gun from Cosette, her fingers not resisting anymore. Everything that happened around her was like a dream, and she was a sleepwalker, wandering through it.
She saw the baron, this brave old man, holding the hostage – still groggy – with one arm, and the gun with the other, taking over Marius´ position by the door.
"Don´t you dare to come any closer!" he cried at the men, and over his shoulder, at Marius: "Go, now!"
And Marius, still not letting go of his own hostage, backed off. Cosette followed him, both of them walking backwards, never leaving any of their enemies out of sight. The baron shot, just as the leading guard was about to pull his trigger on them, and the man fell. Cosette felt absolutely nothing at the sight of his bloody chest.
The other guards jumped up, as if their fallen comrade had tipped the scales for them at last. Cosette and Marius had just reached the corner. And just as the guards started to lunge for them, something happened behind them. Something that made them halt and swirl around.
The baron instantly took his chance and let go of the man he held. He swirled around and just ran.
Neither of them waited to find out what had distracted the guards. They followed the hallway, to wherever it would lead them, hoping it would be freedom.
...
Valjean pushed, against the musket of the man he´d grabbed, jerking him around, and brought him between himself and the guns of the other guards. A shot got fired – only one more, after so many he´d heard by now. Oh God, Cosette!
The bullet didn´t hit, thanks God. The musket he´d grabbed went off as well, firing into the wall. And Valjean was at the end of his wits.
"Cease fire!" Javert suddenly roared beside him. He held Lecomte, the knife against the his throat. "Drop the weapons or he dies!" he ordered.
The man in Valjean´s grip kept struggling, but Valjean held him strong. The other guards still had their guns trained at him, unsure what to do.
"Guns to the ground, now!" Javert repeated, and to Lecomte. "Tell them!"
"Do what he says." the hostage obeyed, and finally his men lowered their weapons, putting them on the ground.
"Are you hit?" Javert asked, and Valjean shook his head. "You´re such an idiot." Javert turned to the guards. "Into the cells now!"
Valjean turned the man he still had in his grip around, to face him. "Where is my daughter?" he demanded to know, while the rest of them reluctantly entered the cell.
"They ran." the man answered, and Valjean let go of him. He didn´t even stay to watch Javert finish his task of locking them up. He had to find Cosette before something happened to her.
...
Cosette remembered the hallway, from when they´d been brought down to the cells. It was surreal to be back up here. As if she was not awake, but dreaming. Maybe she would wake up later, still in the cell, and find that their escape had been nothing but an illusion of hope. A dream that would fall apart to nothing as soon as she opened her eyes.
But she couldn´t think like that. She mustn´t. Marius was already trying every window, and so did the baron. They were all locked.
From ahead they heard sounds, voices, and Cosette reached for the next best door that she could find. It opened, to a writing room, and they rushed in, as quickly as they could, closing the door quietly behind them. Marius tried the window again. And again it was locked. But this time he wouldn´t let this stop him. He reached for the chair, at the desk, and just threw it.
The sound was shattering, in more than one way. Cosette felt it echo in her head, even after the shards of glass had stopped raining down.
"Hurry." Marius cried, but the guards had already heard them.
The door got thrown open, and Cosette had no time to notice consciously, what happened after that. All she knew was that all the sudden she was ducking behind the big desk that had stood on its legs only a moment ago, and was now lying turned over. And that there was a shot in the air, the smell of gunpowder beside her.
A groan from the door and then experienced hands reloaded the gun for Marius.
"Quick." the baron urged, aiming his gun over the edge of the turned over table. Cosette tried to remember if they had had time to reload both pistols, and failed. Maybe the baron was bluffing. Maybe he wasn´t.
"You have no chance!" a man called out for them, once again. "Give up and come peacefully."
Cosette met Marius´ gaze and what she saw there was not encouraging.
"We only have one bullet left in here." he told her, and her eyes got transfixed on the pistol in his hand. His gaze went over to the window, and Cosette could feel his dread as if it was her own. So close but yet too far. If they should try to bolt for this escape, they would get shot.
"You run." the baron ordered, but Marius objected instantly.
"No."
"Do what I say, Marius." the baron held out his hand. "Give me the gun. I buy you some time."
"I can´t leave you, grandfather."
"You will." the baron cocked his probably empty pistol, emphasizing for the men at the door, and the guards halted, not knowing they were facing a threat that in fact wasn´t even real. "You´re the one who has to live." he told Marius. "Be fast. Run zigzag, that makes it harder for them to hit you. Run as far away as you can. Find help."
"No."
"Marius, do what I tell you. You have to get Cosette out of here."
Eventually Marius nodded, tears in his eyes, and instead of handing the gun to his grandfather, he put it into Cosette´s hand. Her fingers closed around it almost too easily. As if she had only waited for this familiar feeling of a gun in her hand again.
"We´re coming in now." the guard at the door told them, matter of factly, when he was fed up with this game of waiting. "Lay down your weapon or you´re all gonna die."
But that was the last thing these guards ever spoke, so confidently. Because in the next moment they got attacked.
Once again, Cosette did not even know what happened, until it was over. And then she heard a voice that made her heart leap, where she´d believed it had died already.
"Cosette!"
"Papa?"
She couldn´t believe it. Seeing his face was making her head swirl. With joy, with fear, with unspeakable confusion. He looked so strange. So awful and wasted, with his curls gone and this beard darkening his face. But it was him. Alive. And then he was at her, his arms around her, embracing her, so warm, it could not be anyone but him. No, this was no illusion, no dream of her racked mind. He really was here. Alive.
"Oh God." she cried. "Papa."
"Thanks God, you´re alive." he breathed, and she almost broke apart, deep inside.
"I thought you were dead." she wept, and his gentle hand was easing her hair.
"It´s all right." he shushed her. "It´s all right, Cosette. I´m here now."
Cosette spotted Marius, over the arm of her father, so relieved. And then there was a voice sounding from the door. A voice that made her blood run cold all over again.
"Move." the rough tone was unmistakable, and when Cosette looked up, she saw Javert, coming in, a gun in his hand. He was with the officer that had threatened them before, downstairs, in the dungeons. And Cosette reacted on pure instinct.
"Papa, watch out!" she shoved him aside, violently. For a moment she´d almost forgotten about the gun in her hands, but now that she saw this awful face again, so raging and dangerous, she felt the heavy weight again, and she embraced it.
The shot rang out before she knew it. The pistol got thrown back into her face, almost knocking her off her feet. But she knew she´d hit. She must have.
"No!" a desperate shout reached her ear, but it was not the voice of the enemy. It was her father´s.
Cosette felt Marius´ arms around her, catching her when she swayed. And her eyes caught sight of her father, rushing towards the door. The officer just straightened, holding the gun he´d taken from Javert, and her father knocked it out of his hand, just before he got pushed back by this man.
Cosette heard him cry out in pain, saw him hold his injured shoulder. And then she watched with dread, how the first thing he did, after the officer had closed the door behind himself, was not to follow him, but to kneel down, beside Javert.
"Javert." he cried, shaking him. "No. No, please, stay awake." And then he glanced at her, over his shoulder. "Why did you do this?"
Cosette felt out of place by now. As if not she was here, but someone else. Marius was not with her any longer. He was at the door, pushing it. But it was locked.
"You must lay still." Cosette heard her father´s soft voice, talking to this man. "You hear me?"
She inched closer, not even noticing her feet were moving. All she could do was stare in shock. The monster she had seen storming through the door, was now a broken man, lying in her father´s arms. Like she had once been in his arms.
"I´m sorry." she heard him whisper, and her father shook his head, laughing out.
"For what?"
But Javert was giving him no answer. He only closed his eyes, gasping at the pain. Pain Cosette had caused, by nothing more than twitching her finger.
Her father pressed his hand on the bloody shoulder, trying to examine the wound.
"It isn´t deep." he told Javert. "You´re going to live."
But all Javert would do, was laughing, as if this sentence had been funny.
"Liar." he breathed, and already seemed to be drifting away.
"No." her father cried, almost angry now. "Wake up." he shook Javert. "Don´t leave now. Antoine!"
This name at last, seemed to wake him up again, as if he was irritated by being called like this. Cosette felt a sudden tightening in her chest, at the notion of her father calling this man by his first name.
He smiled at him now, satisfied. "That´s good." he praised. "Stay with me, Antoine. Don´t fall asleep."
Cosette watched Javert meeting her father´s gaze, so confused. As confused as she was, that he cared so much. He nodded down on him, encouraging.
"There´s police out there." Marius suddenly cried, and when Cosette swirled around to him, he stood at the window, glancing out.
"Vidocq." her father breathed. "He made it."
Javert reached out for him, grabbing his shoulder, and he turned back.
"They …" the bleeding man struggled to speak. "They need to see me."
But her Papa shook his head. "You need to lay still. You can´t …"
"He´ll send them away." Javert´s voice gained back some of his old strength, and for a moment Cosette´s heart began to beat in fear again. Her father´s gaze only showed concern though. Not for himself. For the man that lay before him. "He´ll claim that they´re not needed here." Javert insisted. "They must see me."
Cosette had no idea what he was saying. What all this was supposed to mean. But when Javert was trying to get up, her father helped him, one arm around his waist, to hold him up, where Javert couldn´t stand alone. She watched how he supported him, to get him to the window. Marius joined in as well, supporting Javert from the other side. It was unreal, to say the least. And yet, Cosette did not do anything.
All she did was watching, as her father and the man she loved, helped the man she had feared all her life, until he reached the window and could stand alone, one hand on the sill. The two men stepped back, just a bit, still ready to grab him again, should he be swaying. But he didn´t sway. He stood, not quite steady, but he stood. And his eyes were on the outside.
Cosette took a step aside, automatically, to peek out of the second window. There was indeed police at the gate, just as Marius had said. He came to her now, as if she needed to be held as well. And maybe he was right with that.
Together they watched, as Javert opened his mouth and shouted, loudly, out to the police men.
"Lecomte!"
Cosette did not flinch this time. Her time of flinching was over. And Javert´s voice had not been as strong as it could have been, had he been unharmed.
Through the window she saw the police men swirl around, at the call. And when they saw Javert in the window, they were flinching. Some of them immediately took their muskets, aiming at him. And Javert did nothing. Only stood there, looking out.
The shots got fired, echoing in the night out there. And Cosette saw her father throwing himself at Javert, just in time to drag the man out of the line of fire.
They hit the ground, grunting, and once again her father´s first action was to check on Javert. He was still conscious. But very weak.
"You stubborn … man." he cursed. "Lay still."
Cosette felt Marius´ arms tighten around her. She knew he watched the police outside, but she could only see her father, and this man he´d saved just now. The man that should have been his enemy.
Javert was drifting off, his eyes so glassy, not on anything, just far away, somewhere at the window and the nightly sky out there.
"They´re coming in." Marius cheered at last, and Cosette saw her father smile, at Javert.
"You hear that?" he asked him. "You made it." But Javert barely seemed to hear him. "Hey!" he shook his cheek, so gently. "Antoine." And finally he caught his gaze again. "You saved us all." he spoke, as if it could be the last thing on earth he´d ever say to him.
Javert´s hand reached out, and found his arm, weakly squeezing. And Cosette could see a smile, so grateful, on his lips. His eyes fell shut. The hand on Valjean´s arm slipped down and fell to the ground. Javert fell at last into the darkness.