International Lies

Jack, Jordan, and Jennifer boarded the bus that would take them to Tazwood Island, a top secret military prison where the worst of the worst government fugitives were sent. Shackled and dressed in olive green prison uniforms that looked identical to BDUs from World War II, the three of them took their seats among three other convicts. They thought over what had happened during their court marshal and how evidence and eyewitness accounts put all three of them under the guillotine. There was no way to plead their case. They were seen carrying sensitive files to their vehicles and driving off base. Even though none of them ever recall doing anything heinous that was mentioned, everything was stacked against them and they were each sentenced to death by firing squad for multiple counts of espionage and treason against the United States. They were assigned to Tazwood Island until the day the sentence would be carried out. Now they sat on the bus, imagining how many hours were left in their lives.

"Isn't this lovely?" Jennifer asked.

"Are you talking about our sentence, this bus, or the other three convicts who are keeping us company?" Jack asked back.

Jordan was about to add his two cents when one of the guards chimed in for them to shut up. Not in a subtle be quiet sense, but more of a rough shut the fuck up feeling. The gate closed, separating the convicts from the guards, and as one guard locked the fencing, the other guard started up the bus.

"Okay, deadbeats," the guard stated, "We're going to carry you pieces of shit to the airport. From there, you will have a short flight to another bus which will drive you turds the rest of the way to Tazwood Island. Enjoy these moments with silence because this will be your last moment of peace. I don't need to explain life at Tazwood, do I?"

They were quiet on the ride to the airport and the flight seemed to be the same as the first bus ride. It was on the final bus ride that they were introduced to Tazwood Island in words. A prison island located in the middle of the river north of a city called Peoria in Illinois. The prison wasn't seen much, if at all, due to its "sinking" capabilities. The prison was able to rise above and sink below the surface with no complications. Most days, the island stayed below the surface.

"No wonder it's top secret and non one knows about it." Jack said.

The bus reached the town of Pekin when the guard announced they were about another hour away from the island. As the bus turned onto a bridge, it was then that shots rang out. Sniper rounds shattered the windows and got the guards riled up and on nerve. While one guard kept control of the bus, the other three loaded up their shotguns and pointed them at the window. A sniper shot popped a tire and the bus became harder to control. The bus was halfway across the bridge when two more shots hit one of the guards in the chest. The other two tried to duck down, but the sniper shots were too fast and they were both killed with head shots.

"What the fuck is going on?" Jordan asked while cowering between the seats.

"I don't know, but it looks like we're about to be killed before we reach the prison." Jack responded.

The bus almost reached the end of the bridge when the driver was sniped with a head shot. The bus careened into the guardrail, flipped over, and slid another 300 feet before coming to a complete stop at the edge of the river. In the process of flipping over, the gate that separated the guards from the inmates was popped open, allowing the inmates to escape the bus. While two of the inmates ran off in their own way, the third inmate searched and found the shackle keys on one of the guards and helped Jack, Jordan, and Jennifer out of theirs before helping himself. All four of them helped each other out of the bus and over the guardrail to the river bank.

"Thanks." Jennifer told the fourth inmate.

"We're in this together, right?" the inmate replied.

As the four walked north along the river and away from the bridge, the inmate explained that the shots were coming from a friend of his who was helping him escape prison. The shooter was nothing more than an expert marksman hunter with no prior military service to mention. The inmate himself, Richards, was in prison for assaulting a high ranking officer, but had decided that he wasn't going to do the time at all. After the way the three were treated with their own case, Jack could see why he said that. Suddenly, Jordan noticed a black car that was following alongside them on the highway. The car's horn beeped and came to a stop.

"We're dead now." Jordan thought to himself.

"Yes!" Richards shouted. "There's my ride."

The three breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Richards as he turned to them.

"You sure you guys don't need a ride or anything? I can drive you to Peoria if you want." Richards stated.

"We'll be fine. Thanks for your help." Jack answered back. "Do you have a phone we could use?"

Richards smiled as he reached into the car and pulled out a small cell phone and handed it to Jack. Jack walked away from the car for a few minutes and returned, handing back the phone to Richards.

"Thanks again." Jack said as he shook Richards' hand.

"My pleasure. Stay out of trouble." Richards replied back as he got into the car.

The car drove off, leaving the three on the side of the road. They darted back through the trees and to the river bank to contemplate their next move.

"Who did you call, Jack?" Jennifer asked.

"A longtime friend of mine. He's going to wire us some money so we can keep hidden for a while. Good thing I called him now. He said he was on his way back to Japan to visit family." Jack responded.

"What do we do for now?" Jordan asked as the sun was setting.

"We get some sleep." Jack replied. "We'll start in the morning. We should get the money by then."