No Rest for the Wicked (thinking about deleting idk)

#13 Choices and Decisions

Breathe in. The next couple minutes of your life are crucial for you and your friend's survival. If you mess this up...

You mess your friends up too.

So you need to focus. You need to realize that there is no going back. If you have forgotten something, too bad. It's long gone.

I pay attention to my heavy breathing. I wasn't designed to run long distances. My energy could only be used up in one go, rather than released slowly. We run past the rocks guarding our camp, past the cavern protecting it. Fiona's belongings were in there, and so were mine. The enemy had forced us into a part of the island undiscovered, where we had never even thought to explore.

There was dense vegetation blocking our path, we had no choice but to scramble through it. Sure, I had a half-loaded pistol. Sure, Bren had a rifle. That wasn't enough to save us from 30 soldiers and counting.

This must have been part of their elimination program. Russia had finally conquered the rest of the world, and they were spreading. No longer would they need to guard worthless rebel children on an unknown island. The soldiers could finally go back to their families and purchase a house in Africa, America, Europe, wherever they wanted. Because now they ruled the planet.

Arriane held her head up high alongside me. Bren kept his eyes on the path before us. Max tried to do the same, but became distracted. China's eyes were dark and deceptive, she was smiling with the amount of adrenalin she was receiving. And I, well you know, ran for my life as usual.

When the time came for us to make a decision, we were ready. War mode.

"Left or right?" I asked, where the small bush path spilt in two.

"Left. We want the ocean." Said Bren, and there were no disagreements. A strange kind of peace came over us all, not just because we barely made conversation, but because we knew we were all thinking the same thing.

Out of the dense bush we emerged to confront two soldiers guarding the border. I could smell the salty air and hear the waves crash into the sand. 2 shots from Bren and they were both dead. There was no time to vomit or gasp at the sight of it, we brushed past them.

Yes, this was a part of the island that I'd never seen before. A concrete jetty had been constructed, at least one kilometre long. And at the end of it was the most massive, brutal ship you had ever seen.

The hull must have been something like 15 metres thick, and it was as tall as a 50-floor skyscraper. On the top deck piled huge multi-coloured containers, just like the ones that had brought us here. So this was how they received their major supplies. Enough to last me two years, but to them it would only last two months. They were living luxury!

"Guys, this is our ride. Our ticket to freedom!" Exclaimed Bren as he threw his arms up in the air.

"No way! We can't leave Fiona behind, we'll never be able to get her back!" Said Arriane flustered. "It's time to let the majority of the group decide. Say I if you're with me,"

"Stop it Arriane," I said, "We've got no time for this. Although, I'm not really sure of this proposal Bren."

"Victoria, there's 'no time' for this! Fiona isn't on the island, I'm sure! It had to be done professionally, by that I mean shipping her off to the Ambassader as soon as possible so they can collect vital information."

"So Fiona's life is in the hands of your little hunch? Nuh uh, I don't think so."

"Exactly why we vote! Raise your hand if you wish to stay here on this island," I raised my hand along with Arriane. "And raise your hand if you think we should leave, and hijack that awful ship." Bren and China raised their hands. "And look who's going to decide," she directed at Max. "What's it gonna be?"

"I don't want to decide," he said. "I'm out."

"Look mate, you've got your hands tied! Get on with it already!"

"Fine. I want to leave. We've been exposed here, they know who we are. It's just simply not safe like it used to be," Unfortunately he had a point. But the risk of leaving Fiona behind sickened me.

***

Who said it was going to be easy? I hope nobody had. The place was heavily guarded, after all, thousands of kids may have attempted this before. None of them succeeded.

We split up in a group of three and a group of two. If only Fiona were here to make it even. Max and Bren went together in one, and China came with Arriane and I. Our plan was to sneak into one of the containers they were returning to the ship, which were loaded by two separate cranes and men securing them on top of one another.

Max and Bren seemed to have no trouble at all, they snuck onto their container easily, probably some dope of a soldier hadn't noticed them. We, however, had a bit more trouble. I followed Fiona along the edge of the bush, so we had just enough cover, and could view our container at the same time. When I peered over my shoulder to see whether China was behind me, she wasn't. She wandered off somewhere, doing her own thing. I tried to notify Arriane of her disappearance but she made the signal to sneak into the container, and I had no choice but to follow her.

The doors began to close and yet there was still no sign of China. Bren would just kill me if we lost her, so I started calling her name frantically.

"China! Over here! Quickly!" Arriane clamped my mouth.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Now they can all hear us from in here!" She whispered.

"We can't leave her Arriane,"

"But we can. We don't have a choice. Friends put each other first, and I don't exactly count her as a friend. Do you?"

"No but-"

"She can do just fine by herself." The same moment she'd said this, China was in view from the bushes we'd come from. She was desperately sprinting towards our container. The doors were halfway closed, and getting closer-

"Eĭ!" A soldier called as he saw her and it was a race between them both. He pulled out his gun and tried to aim at her while she was running.

He fired, but only just missed her neck. She touched the door the and leaped up to slide through the gap. Arriane and I pulled her arms and head through, but her leg was still stuck.

"Help me! Pull harder, I don't care about the pain!" She pleaded. Someone was pulling her on the other side. The doors were closing. I heard him reload his gun...

Her leg made a loud crunch and she screamed, but we managed to get her feet through before the door closed all the way. The man was shooting at our container, but the steel was so strong a dent was barely visible.

The container swayed back and forth as it was lifted into the air. It was beyond anyone's control. We had escaped the terror of an island...