THE END

Chapter 17

We wake up the next day to a shriek from a few tents over. Natalie.

Neil jumps out of bed to see what's wrong and I follow after him quickly. I hear different voices coming from her tent. We open the flap hesitantly and see her hugging a thin blonde girl, and an even thinner brunet boy. They both look 15 or so, like her. They're battered and dirty and bruised, and they seem way too skinny to be healthy... I've never seen them before. Who are they?

 Natalie looks over at us, back at the two teens, and then at us again. "Cecily, Neil...these are my friends Luke and Sheila."

"What?" Neil asks. "How?"

"I don't know. They just got here a few minutes ago."

Sheila and Luke look at each other and then back at all of us. Sheila speaks up first. "During that big bombing a week or two ago, the one that pretty much wiped out Jupiter's population, we took cover in an under ground bunker we found. It was abandoned, and actually not too far away from the Metal Heads, where I assume all of you hid."

"We waited down there until the bombing was over, but when we tried to open the door it wouldn't budge. I saw dirt seeping under the crack between the door and the ground below us. In a sense, we had been buried alive." Luke says quietly. He seems shy; his dark, disheveled hair brushed across his eyes, his gaze constantly cast on the ground.

"We waited for a week or so, living off of the odd snacks and things that we had stored in our bags. We even designated a crap-corner. Not fun." Sheila told us with a grimace. "Eventually we had enough and realized no help would come, so we literally took the door off by the hinges. A ton of dirt came flooding in and literally buried us, but thankfully we were able to dig our way back up to the top of the bunker. We helped each other out through the hole, but a rock fell from above and crushed Luke's arm."

"We tried everything but we couldn't get my arm unstuck. We stayed there for another day or so and then finally used a long, metal flashlight from Sheila's bag as a lever to push the rock. We could only move it about an inch but it was enough." Luke said, finally raising his gaze. He takes his hand out of his pocket and pulls up his sleeve to show us what was left of his arm. "All the bones in my hand were crushed though, probably past the point of healing, and I think the bone of my forearm is cracked a bit." Deep purple bruises cover his entire hand and wrist, with fingers pointing the wrong way and dried blood caked around his nails. I notice a nasty gash across his shin too. It seems fresh; the bleeding won't stop.

They both have dirt all over them and mud in their hair and scrapes and cuts all over them, but Luke clearly got the worst of it. "I'm so sorry. Oh my god, I'm just so glad you're both alive. We thought you died in the bombing." Natalie says, looking sad for her friends but at the same time happier than I've ever seen her.

"Let's get them cleaned up." I say to no one in particular and lead them to the infirmary. There are make do baths there, and several nurses left who can look at Luke's hand.

We get inside and turn them over to the nurses. Natalie goes off to tell the remaining Rebel Leaders that we have two more in our numbers, and Sheila and Luke each take a hot bath and change into some fresh clothes. The nurses patch up Sheila much faster than Luke, because she has smaller wounds, and then I offer to braid her long blonde hair. It's probably no comfort considering what they've been through, but what else can I do?

Neil goes off to work out, probably to clear his head, and Luke's hand is being inspected by nurses. So it's just me and Sheila. I brush her hair and start braiding it into a tight bun, to keep it out of her face.

"It was hard..." She says suddenly, catching me by surprise.

"What was?" I ask her.

"I...the entire time we were in the bunker. We've barely eaten in almost two weeks. And watching the rock hit Luke..." She paused to collect herself. "He was screaming in agony, crying out my name, and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't help him, I couldn't move the rock, I couldn't do anything. And now he might never be able to use his hand again."

"I'm sorry." I tell her, finishing the braid. "I know how it feels. Neil- Natalie's brother, by the way- was shot in battle against the Mars men. I saw who shot him, I saw him fall, and there was nothing I could do to help. I'm just glad he made it through. And Luke did too. It could be worse."

"Yeah. Thanks...I just wish I could've helped him more. He was always willing to help me. He gave me his rations of the food some days...and I rarely accepted it, but it still means a lot. And I had no way to repay him. And when we finally get home, it's even worse than we left it! Our population is so small! And more Mars men come every day! How is this fair?  How is it humane? " She's on the brink of tears. In front of me I saw a scared child. She's got to be barely 15. She's thinner than a rail and the bags under her eyes are darker than I've ever seen on someone.

"I don't know." I said. No point in sugar coating it. "But let's just hope it gets better soon. In the meantime, let's get you something to eat."