Code of Honor

I woke it was to the sun shining in my eyes. Morning had arrived. Night turned into day agonizingly slowly here. We drifted in and out of an uncomfortable sleep around our make shift fire all night. Since we’d burnt the bed we didn’t have anything comfortable to sleep on. Something I didn’t think we thought through very well since we had no idea how long we’d be stuck here. Or if we’d ever get out.

I yawned groggily and slowly opened my sore eyes. The sun was coming through the hole in the roof, straight into my face. Of course. Even if it was dull it still hurt. I turned my head away and realized...I was too comfortable. My head wasn’t hurting from being on the tiled floor anymore. I opened my eyes slowly to see camouflage pattern right before me. Similar to the one on Riley’s uniform. I frowned then it hit. I glanced up slowly, my head was in his lap. He was staring off into nothing not realizing I was awake. I sat up quickly.
“Sorry,” I said awkwardly wiping the sleep from my sore eyes.

He shrugged. “I wasn’t bothered. You just kinda fell.”

“How many days have we been here?” I sighed.

“Three, I think.”

I groaned and stood up. The inactivity was getting to me so I started to pace the room. Being cramped in the same little room for days on end was killing me. My muscles were starting to ache. Riley seemed to be handling it all a lot better than I was. No one was coming for us that I already figured out. We’d have to find out own way out but neither of us could think of one. There wasn’t one. We were already out of food, what limited water we’d been able to catch from the dripping tap was disappearing. We were going to die slowly of starvation if we didn’t get out soon. This didn’t seem to bother him as much as it did me.

“Why were you even in this room?” I asked.

The question had plagued me for a day now. I’d fallen in here by accident, looking for clean air and aided by my own stupidity. But he was already in here. On his own. I had wanted to ask why but didn’t feel I could. Right now, I was so frustrated with boredom and hunger I didn’t care anymore.

He raised an eyebrow at me. Most likely at my attitude. “Why does it matter?” I groaned. He sighed and looked away. “I was hiding okay.”

“Hiding?” I questioned.

“Our orders were to open fire no matter what happened,” He said quietly. “Even if you guys surrendered. We had to kill you and I didn’t want to be a part of that.”

“Oh,” I muttered feeling like a bitch. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I slumped against the wall and slid down, pulling my scraped knees into my chest. Maybe that’s why they hadn’t come. Maybe my dad was dead. It hadn’t occurred to me that he could have been killed in the fight before. I had to make sure he was okay. I wanted to be with my dad. I didn’t want to be alone. If I lost my dad...I’d die to.

I had to get out of here. I stood back up slowly and glanced around the room. There was only two options. The door which we’d beaten as much as we could and still nothing had happened. It wasn’t going to open. We’d both tried picking the lock with the limited tools we could find but to no avail. The only other way out was the hole in the roof. I walked over and looked up, studying it.

“What are you doing?”

“There has to be a way out.”

“Only if you want to fall four stories to do it.”

I ignored him. I reached up carefully and stretched as far as I could so I could grip the rough edge with my cold fingers. I found two secure finger holes and tried to lift myself up. My arms ached in disagreement. Weak with hunger and I’d never been overly strong. I kicked my feet around trying to find footholds but had no luck. With a frustrated groan I let myself drop back to the ground and looked around. Riley was standing a few feet behind me, watching me. Inspiration struck.

“Give me a lift will ya.”

“Why so you can jump?” he asked sarcastically. But still he walked over.

He bent down behind me and linked his long fingers, so I could use his hands as a foothold. This time I easily made it up. I squeezed myself through the hole and stopped when my hips scraped the hard concrete. I looked around. Riley was right. The only way down was a four story drop, straight down onto the jagged concrete. I grimaced. I glanced around. On my right side the hole expanded across. I twisted around. The hole was smaller but it lead into the next room. Maybe there’d be a way out there.

“Don’t let me fall,” I called back to Riley.

“What are you doing?” he asked quickly as I shimmied my way up.

“I’m going to try and get into the next room, the hole goes across.”

“Just be careful.”

I twisted my small form further until it was almost painfully uncomfortable. But I could reach a small handhold where a small section of concrete had fallen away. I gripped it with my fingernails and slowly tried to pry myself out. When my hips grazed the side of the hole I stopped and glanced around. I had limited options. One of which was falling. I had barely any ways to hold myself to the wall to even make it out enough to try and shimmy myself into the next half of the hole.

But I had to try. I pushed the information that I was four stories high out of my head and pushed my weight against Riley to maneuver myself out more. A movement caught my eye and I looked down. It was a long way down. I could make out a few men walking on the road, soldiers probably. Quickly I pulled my head back up, I was making myself sick. I was never good with heights. Slowly my head started to swim. I closed my eyes and breathed in a deep breath.

“Are you alright?” Riley called.

“Yeah,” I lied.

He didn’t push it though I think he knew I was lying. I swallowed hard and relaxed my fingers. I reached for a second handhold so I could put my other hand in the first hold. I gripped on tight. Now all I had to do was swing my feet put and into the other hole. This was going to be impossible but it was our only chance. I pulled my leg up losing half my balance. Riley’s hands quickly steadied me.

I hesitated and tried again. But this time, my hands slipped. I felt my weight drop and the sensation of falling cascaded me. I only had quick thoughts of death and pain before my back hit the floor, back in our prison. I was stunned, My heart was beating erratically in my chest, my fingernails were digging into the palms of my hands.

“Stupid idea,” Riley breathed slumping against the wall. He looked as pale as I felt.
I nodded slowly. Not really sure what I was agreeing to. I was still in a state of shock. I thought I was dead.

“Are you alright?” he asked realizing I wasn’t.

“I...I think so,” I muttered. “Give a minute.”

He stared at me waiting for me to do something. Eventually I found it in me to sit up and rub my face. My heart was starting to calm down. Riley turned and lifted himself to look out the hole. I hadn’t noticed until now he’d taken his jacket off leaving him in a black shirt. It didn’t surprise me it got stuffy in here during the day.

As he used his hands to pulled himself up his shirt rode up his back. Revealing the skin of his lower back. I could tell just from his small section of his body he was built. He might have been an enemy but that didn’t mean I couldn’t perve. I was still human...and a girl. A bruise was fading on his left side, just above the bone of his hip but other than that he looked perfect.

He was nice to, that only made him more attractive. He wasn’t like the asshole men I used to know. Why couldn’t I have met a boy like this before the end of the world? Suddenly he turned around and I quickly looked away. I felt a blush crawl to my cheeks and I begged he wouldn’t notice or at least write it off as some after-effect of a near death experience.

“Was there anyone down there?” he asked.

I thought back. “I think there was a patrol walking around.”

His face creased in concentration. I frowned at his expression and slowly pulled myself to my feet. He looked back up out the hole. I followed his gaze. Nothing but sky stared back at me. I guess it was brighter than usual. The sun was slowly returning. But I had a feeling that wasn’t what he was looking at. He turned back and looked around the room.

“What?” I questioned.

“I had an idea...you don’t have asthma or anything do you?”

“No.”

“So you can handle some smoke?”

“Yeah why?”

“Smoke signals,” He replied as he started to move around the room. “The skies bright, if we can get some smoke going out the hole maybe the patrols will see and come investigate.”

It was a brilliant idea. I had to give it to him. Why didn’t we think of this first? Quickly I followed suit and started collecting things from around the room. We still had semi-hot coals left form our last fire. We were trying to keep supplies up. Hopefully this worked because we’d have nothing left. Riley got the fire going again, this time under the hole and with everything we had left. Smoke billowed up wards and escaped into the sky. But it was to light. I wondered if they’d see it. Apparently he was having the same thoughts.

“We need to make it darker.”

“How?” I asked.

“Uh...plastic...rubber, stuff like that. Whatever you can find I guess.”

I went straight for the cupboards and starting pulling everything out. First thing I found was a stash of medication. I held it up and he studied them for a moment.

“Pop the pills out first, then throw it on.”

I followed orders and popped the pills from there bubbles and dropped them onto the floor. Throwing the empty plastic tabs into the fire. I continued through the cupboards finding everything that would burn and throwing it in. Soon with everything Riley had scavenged the fire was hot and letting off a thick stream of black smoke into the sky.

Unfortunately it was also spilling into the small space we were stuck in. I retreated to the back corner of the room and pulled my jumper up over my mouth and nose. I could still smell smoke in the air I was breathing but it felt cleaner in my lungs. Riley sat beside me and pulled his discarded jacket over, pulling one half over his face and giving the other half to me.

“Use this it’s thicker,” He called. His voice muffled.

I took his advice and pulled his army clad jacket over the bottom half of my face. Together we watched the smoke rise into the bright sky and hoped it would bring help. Surely a breath of black smoke from an abandoned building would attract someone’s attention. The army had to check it out.

They were under orders to follow anything suspicious. This was definitely suspicious as far as I was concerned. Soon there was enough smoke in the room to send me into coughing fits. Riley seemed to be suffering the same problem. We didn’t think this through well enough. But if no one came to save us we wouldn’t need saving anymore. Either way our problem was solved.

“Anyone up here!”

The voice was barely audible but someone was here. Riley shot up leaving his jacket behind and starting banging on the door. He tried to call but all he managed to do was cough. I got up and walked over slowly. Helping him bang on the door and supplying him with his jacket again to help him breathe.

“Over here!”

Thank god was my first thought. Suddenly our banging was mirrored and we stepped back. Suddenly the door burst open and light attacked my eyes. I squinted and stumbled out after Riley, letting go of his jacket. We both coughed until out lungs were clean of the horrid smelling smoke.

I only looked up when I finally realized we were accompanied. Three soldiers stood around Riley. All carrying big guns. I was backed into a wall and the only way out was past them. Definitely hadn’t thought this one through. Or maybe he had? He wasn’t the one in danger here of being hurt by them. I was.

“What’s this Rawson?” one smirked looking up at me. Another turned his gun on me.

Riley glanced back at me then to the other men. Slowly he put his hand on the barrel of the youngest looking man’s gun and lowered it so it was no longer pointed at me.

“Nothing,” He answered carefully. “Let’s go.”

The larger one shook his head and aimed his gun at me. His dark eyes flickering to the band on my wrist. I was dead for sure. I had a feeling from the way they all stood around him and listened to him he was a higher ranking. I took a step back only to have my back hit the wall. Riley shot a concerned glance at me and then back at the larger man. His mouth opened like he was going to say something but then thought better of it. Larger man glanced at him.

“There out looking for these things today,” He said. I had a feeling our group were ‘these things’. “There’s a high price on their heads,” he smirked at me.

I felt a bead of sweat drip down my back. This wasn’t good. Quickly I looked around the room for escape points to find I was trapped. The only way out was through the soldiers and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to make it through their guns if I tried.

“Can’t...can’t we just go?” Riley said quietly. He took a step back as he spoke. I had a feeling he wasn’t meant to say that. Large man looked back and snorted at him. The youngest looking man pulled a face at him.

“Do you always have to be so soft boy?” he snapped at him. “Pussy.”

Large man spoke over him. “Keep your gun on it Driver, Don’t kill it unless you have to. We’ll get more for it alive,” he ordered the younger looking man. His gun lifted and a smirk overtook his features. Slowly larger man lowered his gun and the third man lifted his.
Suddenly I was faced with the barrels of two guns and a large man walking towards me. I knew this was my only chance.

As he came closer I ducked under him and made a dash for the only exited. I waited for the gunshots but none sounded. I still didn’t make it far. I tried to get around the younger looking man only to have him drop his gun and grab me, slamming me into the tiles. To quickly larger man jumped me and held me down. I had no chance. The one they called Driver held me down while the larger man tied my hands behind my back.

I assumed he was using some form of wire, it hurt. I dug tight into my skin and the more I struggled the deeper it cut. Eventually the larger man stood up and the third man walked over, leaving Driver to hold me down.

“Sure you don’t want me to put a bullet in it?” Third man asked in a thick southern accent.

Riley hesitated in the background, I looked up at him he was my only hope now. His mouth opened and closed a few times. He wanted to do something, but he couldn’t. Even I knew that. His mouth closed one last time and he looked away from me, down to the floor. I was screwed.

“No,” Larger man ordered. “We get more for it alive.”

A muffled voice filled with static suddenly filled the room. I couldn’t understand it. I looked up in time to see larger man pull his eyes from me and take a black box from his pocket and started speaking into it. With all the money the army had you think they could have something cooler than walkie talkies. The others waited patiently as he spoke to someone. The second he stopped, he started throwing orders around.

“We’re moving, we’re wanted elsewhere. Bring it with us Driver,” he ordered and then he looked at Riley. “You might as well come and learn something for once.”

I had the feeling poor Riley copped the short end of the stick a lot. Suddenly the one called Driver pulled me to my feet and threw me over his shoulder. I grunted and kicked him only to have him hit me over the head with the butt of his gun. My head swum for a moment, that hurt. My vision blurred and I could only vaguely hear them laughing. By the time my head started to feel okay again I was being thrown roughly into the back a jeep or a truck maybe. I wasn’t sure.

It rumbled to life beneath me and I closed my eyes. Trying to pretend I was elsewhere. My life was over now. I was never going to see my father again. I’d be lucky if they let me live another few days. The options were limited. I’d be executed, sold into slavery or imprisoned. To be imprisoned now was a death sentence anyway. You had no rights as a prisoner anymore. I’d be locked in a room with barely enough room to move. No light, to food, no water. A week later they come back and bury your corpse in a mass grave. Or so the rumors say. I hoped they were wrong.

A short time later the truck came to a harsh halt beneath me. My body jolted with the force making my left side, still tender from the bullet wound, smash into the steel cap boot of one of the soldiers I held back my yelp of pain. Not wanting to give them something else to laugh at. They all got out and left me behind I frowned and looked out the open door. Why did the scenery look so familiar? It took a moment for it all to connect in my head. This was the area around our hideout.