The Sleeper Cells: A Terrorism Story

Chapter 16: The Breaking Point

"No. We should run! You're seriously kidding me," Caspian leans towards Kris a little more aggressively than I'd like.

"We're not leaving them behind. We don't do that to the people we love," Kennedy bounces between them.

"She's right. We're gonna hide." I push Caspian away from Kennedy.

"Where? Just where do you plan on hiding?"

"Climb a tree! Do something! We're not leaving them!" Kennedy demands.

Kris looks towards the river watching for the sleeper who is trying to get across to us, "Climb the trees. Now!"

We all tighten the straps on our backpacks and climb the trees. Ducking underneath branches and pulling ourselves up higher into the tree, we grasp on for our safety. I'm not worried if these limbs will break. The trees are all we have.

Kennedy and I are in adjacent trees; Kris has his gun ready as he leans against a large branch extending from the vast tree.

Caspian has a look in his eye of a panther ready to jump on its prey. The dripping wet sleeper runs under us, unaware of the danger he just put himself in. He's breathing heavy from the long swim. Without warning, Caspian leaps out of the tree and lands behind the sleeper. The sleeper knows he doesn't have a chance. He drops his gun and throws his hands into the air. Caspian looks down at the gun, still aiming at the sleeper. But, he doesn't kill him. He kicks the sleeper's gun away from him. Caspian has a scary smile on his face that shouldn't be there.

"Kill him," Kris shouts from his tree.

"No, I think we can have a little fun with this one. What do you want, little boy?" Caspian taunts him.

"I want to live," the sleeper says, shaking. He doesn't sound very old. He sounds about my age—This is about to get messy.

Caspian puts the gun at the boy's neck. "You came after us to kill us. And your friends went after our friends." When he says "your" and "our" he pushes the barrel of the gun harder on his neck.

"Please. They forced me to!" he shouts.

I look over to Kris. He genuinely is as shocked as we are. I haven't seen him this unprepared.

"Stop playing with the boy," Kris demands.

"Aw, you think I should stop?" Caspian asks the boy.

The boy starts hyperventilating and tears fall down his face.

The boy falls to the ground at the sound of a gunshot. I'm so startled I almost fall out of my tree. Caspian turns in shock to Kennedy. Caspian didn't kill the boy.

Kennedy pulls her gun back to her side.

"Get rid of that body and get back in your tree," Kris insists from above, shaking his head.

"She killed him, let her do it," he shrugs.

"Just do it!" Kris screams.

Caspian drags the body a fair distance from us and gets back into his tree. He's ignoring the situation just like us.

After an aching thirty minutes of us patiently waiting in our trees, water still dripping from our clothes, Kris finally dangles and falls his way through the branches. He softly lands on the ground.

"You can come down. We have to talk."

Kennedy is having trouble getting out of her tree. She climbed higher than any of us.

"You got this," I tell her, reaching my hand out to her.

"I got it. Thank you."

Caspian slumps and sits next to his tree, "what now? Another masterful plan for us to lose half of our group over?"

"They're coming back. We're just giving them time. Two days. We should stay here for at least two days. We can stay in the trees and tend to a small fire. We should have enough supplies for the four of us."

Caspian burst into laughter, "two days!? You surprise me more and more every day. No. I'm not falling for your—"

"Owen has the map! Where do you plan on going, Caspian? You can sit down," I've had enough of this lunatic. "You're not going to ever lead this group. Put your idiotic dream to rest! Sit over there and shut up."

"Feisty?" his shoulder bounces like a heartbeat, mocking me.

"Vince, stop. Caspian, you stop too. We're staying here," Kris points at the ground. "Mika and Owen are smart enough to get away and find us. They know we wouldn't leave them." He didn't mention Lindsey... and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who noticed. "Tonight, we just... take watch like we always have. It has worked this far."

"I'll watch first," Kennedy volunteers. Everyone gives her a look of confusion.

"Me too." I feel like we have another part to our conversation from that night in the rain. But I think there are words neither of us are really ready to say. We have a lot to talk about. From the kiss to her killing the sleeper.

__________

Sitting back to back in the dark, we're watching over the four of us as Caspian and Kris are finally sleeping. My uncle is actually softly snoring. He doesn't get much sleep. He's finally getting a break he deserves.

I don't expect anyone to spring up on us. Owen, Mika, and Lindsey probably have all of the attention across the river.

"I hope they're okay," I utter.

"I like to hear that."

"What do you mean?"

"Hope... I told you to have hope. It's about time." Kennedy nudges my side.

"Yes it is, isn't it? I also hope they make it back, but I'm so scared Lindsey will cause Owen and Mika trouble. She's like a ball and chain just latched on our ankles. And yes, it's terribly sad that I am at the point of thinking that way, but that's what it is! I just don't think it's worth it if you don't fight for it. She doesn't fight for herself to make it. She slumps and waits for Kris' next order."

"She's victimized herself."

"She's empty," I add.

In the darkness near Kris, a ruffling sound pauses our heart-to-heart. I let the elephant in the room stay the elephant in the room. I don't know how to address her about killing the boy. Was it the right thing to do? It's just... awkward.

Kennedy spins around, "what was that?" she whispers.

"I don't know," I say as I jump to my feet. I inch forward. Maybe it's a small animal. A gun reaches forward and meets the moonlight. The extended arm looks all too familiar.

I grab my old knife and lunge at the man with the gun. He fires into the ground as I twist the blade into his side. We fall over onto the mawkish ground. I take it out and stab him again in the stomach, pushing him away from me. He drops his gun when he hits an unmoving tree trunk. I kick his gun away. His face finally pops in the moonlight. Caspian holds his stomach where I stabbed him.

By this time, Kennedy and Kris are both by my side. "He was about to shoot you in the head, Kris! He was going to kill you!"

Between coughs, Caspian says, "I was about to save everyone in this group," he coughs up a few drops of blood. "This group of sheep being led by a minuscule bug that's just waiting to be squashed. Kris the leader. Kris the boss. Kris this. Kris that."

Kris ends Caspian's last sentence with a gunshot.