JR, Killer

Six

I ran towards him and threw my arms around his neck.

"Hey there," he said, laughing. "Miss me?"

"Shut up, I thought you were dead," I said, trying to catch my breath and hug him at the same time. "I thought the IPF had got you, shot you or something."

"They didn't. Are you okay, you're shaking." JR looked at me.

I shook my head. "Shock, I guess. We just broke out of a camp."

JR looked past me. "Jason." He let go of me.

"I'm on no one's side, you know," Jason said, before the boys hugged.

Once we'd all been introduced, I said, "are we going to stay here tonight?"

"No," JR glanced around. "In a few minutes this place will be swarming with the IPF; it's a miracle you managed to get out like you did."

Jason nodded. "It was risky. What do we do now?"

We decided to reach at least the next village before dawn, and if possible get further. We could sleep in a haystack for all I cared. A sudden wave of tiredness had swept over me. JR smiled at me.

"What's the date?" I asked.

"I think it's a Secondday, but I'm not sure," he put an arm around me. "Do you trust me now?"

I lowered my voice. "Yes, but Jason? Who is he?"

"He got you out, didn't he?" JR's expression had turned sour.

"JR, please, tell me who he is," I tugged on his arm.

"He's Chinese, not Korean," JR quickly said. "He says he's on neither side, so he might swap over at any point but I think he'll stick with us. He's a nice guy, actually."

I stopped asking him questions and walked with Alex. They had dragged Jane to his feet, and he was hardly walking at all.

"What's wrong with that guy?" Alex ground her foot into the gravel or the road. "Why are you arguing?"

"Because-- Alex, do you have water?"

She didn't, and I felt along my jawline. The mark was still there. I wondered when JR had given it to me, until I remembered falling asleep on our way out of District 9. Handy, huh?

We saw a sign saying that we were in District 22. The next village was far too close. The houses were all shut up, so we wearily went to the next.

The first house of the village was a pub. Too obvious to hide in, but probably one of many. Pubs were banned in District 10, because drinking affected the brain. I spotted a bed and breakfast - another liberal luxury - and suggested we stay there.

Dawn was breaking as JR, Jason, Alex and I crawled into bunk beds. We were tired out, even JR.

I think we slept all morning, and part of the afternoon. JR was watching me - he had the bunk opposite - when I woke up.

I closed my eyes, trying to get back to sleep, but then I realised what had woken me up.

Cars...outside the window.

JR dropped out of bed and began shaking Jason, who was below him. I did the same to Alex. JR pointed upwards.

I lay next to JR in his bunk, while Jason and Alex hid in the other top one. I focused on a spot on the wall behind JR, hoping against hope that the IPF officers and guards in the area wouldn't look in the house.

JR found my hands and pressed them to his lips. "If this is goodbye..." he whispered--

BANG! The room's door opened and two IPF officers stood there. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my forehead into JR's face. He put his arms around me. We were going to be discovered...going to be shot in front of Jason and Alex...

The nearest officer pulled back the covers and saw our legs. I felt a cool breeze on them, and knew that was my blood preparing to spill onto the carpet.

"No one under here!" a voice came from under the officer's helmet.

I felt my skin burn, but my heart was in my throat still.

The officers rustled around and obviously discovered the others, but left the room.

JR was shaking, sobbing even. I opened my eyes again to see his leaking. I stroked his face, but all movement felt like I was dreaming.

"S'okay," I murmured. "Okay, JR, not dead, not dead."

I let him cry.

I wanted to cry with him, but for once the tears wouldn't come.

He was a silent crier, not like me. If I could, I would wail.

Eventually, the cars moved on to the next village, and JR had cried himself out. I heard Alex and Jason moving around the room.

I lifted myself off the bed and went to the window. I felt empty and...shaky. I shivered. The window pane was cold.

Jason stood next to me, tracing patterns in the condensation. He breathed in and out, slowly. He was a noisy breather. "Why do you think they ignored us?"

I felt a lump in my throat and coughed. I buried my face in his shirt before I knew what I was doing. "They must think we're...already dead."

"Or maybe..." Jason sighed. "Maybe there are traitors in the IPF as well."

"Traitors...you mean our allies."

JR stood up. His shirt was crumbled and his eyes slightly red. "You okay, Lola?" he asked. Ignoring Jason, he shakily walked over to me.

"Fine," I said, but even as I said it I felt myself shiver again. "We ought to leave."

Alex joined us by the window. "We can buy food here and take it. Where--" she paused, "where are we going?"

"Away from the IPF and Aron's gang," JR replied.

"I have a question," Jason turned to him. "That phone charger that Mi--"

JR cut across him swiftly. "Phones don't work here, you idiot."

"Don't you remember?" Jason demanded. "Don't you want to remember them? Apart from Aron?"

"I've spent the last three years trying to forget!" JR, on the brink of tears again, screamed.

Jason blinked. "I'm sorry. I've just missed them all since I've been in England."

"They're in England too," I said. Jason glanced at me. "We've seen them. They were chasing us."

Alex interrupted. "We should go cross-country for a while."

We all nodded. I was glad that Alex had stopped the argument. We definitely should get moving.

We paid the landlord, and bought more food from him. JR asked to use my computer, which through surviving the camp and journey in the van was still working. I watched him search something, then delete the history. I wished I could see what he was typing, but I knew it was off bounds.

He looked hot now, tapping away at the computer. He rubbed his sweating neck. Obviously it was something tense. I found myself watching his every move. 

His eyes met mine, and I felt my face heat up. He knew I was watching him. I moved towards him and walked around to see the screen. He'd closed all the windows and just my background - Greer and Indigo - remained.

"Done?" I asked, but it was pretty obvious. My voice went all squeaky and I had to cough.

Bother, why was he so...difficult. I couldn't find out anything about him, not from looking over his shoulder, not from heavily disguised questions. It was infuriating.

Oh well, I had secrets of my own.

"Did you find Indigo and Greer?" he looked at me.

I shook my head. "There are camps all over the country, if I had it would have been a near miracle."

We set off.