Chapter 18

They had finally found a civilization, it took them two more days to find it, and when they arrived, Annette thought the forest was better. The village they arrived at was surrounded by hundreds of guards disguised as civilians waiting for them.

How had they gotten there before them?

She should not panic yet, they had not found them, and that was a slight advantage; she had to think of a way to pass unnoticed; they couldn't allow themselves the luxury of returning to the forest without knowing the route to the Gold Star.

"That asshole doesn't waste his time," mumbles Jack next to her, thinking about his next move.

"What now? I don't want to go back."

"Sh, sh, easy, they won't catch us...."

Jack looked around. If they were lucky, they might have reached a place big enough that the annoying guards couldn't cover the whole area. They needed to lay low and pretend to be a normal person like everyone else, but how? In the distance, he could see a couple of young men pointing a gun at two well-dressed people, who frightenedly gave them everything nice they had.

He didn't like the idea of using violence to get some disguises and some food, but he didn't have time to think; if they didn't act fast, Annette could be noticed for her lack of resistance to complicated situations, and that would be the end of them.

"I have a plan; let's go."

Holding hands, they stealthily followed one of the guards hiding his weapon in a huge black trench coat. Jack looked around, looking to see if there was anyone else with him and confirming that there was no one; they approached a dumpster.

"Do you want us to get in here," asks the black-haired girl, holding her nose.

"We need to disguise ourselves as normal people and a gun," he answers, rummaging through the trash.

"Where do you want to get a gun?"

"The guard over there will have one."

Annette, when she understood what the blond wanted, opened her eyes in surprise. That was a suicidal mission.

"Have you lost your mind?" They're stronger than both of us together and will surely warn the moment he sees us. Your wound could open up, and you'll get sick again...."

"I know the risks, Annette, but you must trust me; if we manage to take away his weapon and render him unconscious long enough to escape, we will be able to protect ourselves better."

Finding a glass bottle, he turns to his friend and sighs as he sees denial in her gaze.

"Ann."

"No, Jack. How many times have you gone up against them and won? I told you to stop being a hero."

She was annoyed; why did he always have to risk his life for her? Couldn't he see it hurt her more that way?

"We can steal from someone, change our clothes and get out of here, but we won't resort to that guard."

"They'll kill us if we don't have a weapon."

"We'll get it later!" she burst out. "I'm sure a lot of people sell guns!"

"I thought I was hallucinating, but it's really you two."

A raspy voice startled both teenagers, leaving them in shock for a few seconds. They had been found out and couldn't even carry out any plan.

Jack growled and lunged at the guard, smiling arrogantly; however, Anette's arms stop him, annoying him further.

"Just thinking that I'll get the reward for finding you first turns me on."

>>If you are not willing to risk everything for freedom, we''ll never make it. We have nothing to lose, so don't hesitate to do whatever it takes to be free. <<

Annette let go of his grip, letting her friend address that giant with only a few bottle glasses. She knew the guards; they could only pay attention to Jack; to them, Annette was a rag doll, worthless and unimportant. She was so submissive and invisible that they would never think she could do anything against them.

>>In this world, we have the bad luck to be born as women, but listen to me well, Annette, we are not the weaker sex. We have to let others think that they are in control of us, that we accede to their desires and thus slowly hold them in our hands. When they are sure that you won't lift a finger without their permission, attack<<

The young woman picks up a metal pipe heavy enough to disable the enemy, approaches the monster aiming at Jack with his gun, and without further thought, hits the monster's head, killing him instantly.

She drops the tube and hurries to grab the weapon along with anything else that would help them protect themselves.

"Thanks."

"Idiot."

She throws the coat to the blond, helping him to stand up checking if the wound had opened, but everything seemed to be in order, except for the blow to the jaw that soon would turn purple.

"What now, genius?"

Jack finishes going through all the bags in the huge coat, finding some green papers and a pocketknife. He puts both backs in his pockets before looking the black-haired girl in the face.

"New clothes."

They both ran away until they reached a place much more pleasing to the eye. There were many people, and the noise made them lose their concentration. They didn't know as many colors and shapes as those that abounded in that area. Annette thought the forest of familiar colors was still better than where they were, but they couldn't go back to that false tranquility.

"Well, here come two people. We take them from behind and knock them out, so it will be easier to get what we want," explained Jack, and the girl next to him nodded.

As the loving couple passed by where they were hiding, Jack grabs the man by his sweatshirt, slamming his new weapon into the back of the man's neck. Beside him, Annette choked the girl until she passed out. They grabbed both people by the feet all the way to the end of the alley so no one could see them. The two teenagers hurried to change, taking everything that the unfortunate pair had brought with them.

"Shouldn't we wake one of them up to tell us where the Gold Star is?"

Asks the honey-eyed girl, finishing putting on her new pink sneakers.

"Good idea."

It was weird for both of them to be wearing more clothes than the dirty old nightgowns they had worn all their lives; they had never felt so protected and warm; even their feet enjoyed protection. The outside world had nice things in it.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up."

The brown-haired man slowly opens his eyes, jumping as he feels only in his underwear.

"What the...?"

"We don't have time, so tell us which way The Gold Star is."

Jack spoke again without a trace of kindness in his voice; there was only coldness exuding from his eyes and mouth. His hero's mask was what Annette called his friend's act.

The man seeing the gun and his unconscious girlfriend, preferred to speak.

"I don't know anything; it's a legend."

"Speak now!"

If Oliver were with them, maybe things would be different, and they wouldn't have resorted to violence; Oliver would try to find a more peaceful solution, and Annette couldn't help but feel a little bad that they were bullying innocent people as those guards did to them. They didn't mean to be bad people; they just... couldn't find a better way to survive.

When the frightened man told them all about the Gold Star, they thanked him for his cooperation and knocked him out again.

"Do you think Oliver is all right," asked the black-haired girl, looking with some fear at the huge world that awaited them outside the alley.

Unsure of his answer, Jack took a few seconds to respond. He was as scared as Annette; he didn't want them to be found either, so lying to keep hope alive was the best he could come up with.

"Of course he did; I told you he's the strongest of the three of us. We'll all be fine, I promise…."

Taking her hand and placing a kiss on her forehead Jack heads towards the alley's exit, fearful inside and confident outside. His idea was to escape with Emer's help; he had to be the leader of the suicidal mission and get to his destination in time. He knew that Mr. Craig would pay more attention to Oliver and move heaven, sea, and earth to bring him back alive while he and Annette would have them killed.

They would fight with everything they had to get their freedom; The Gold Star was where not even Elliot Craig could find them.