The Sleeper Cells: A Terrorism Story

Chapter 19: Hello, Again

"Um, it looks like we're gonna crawl through these ditches. They seem deep enough to you?" Kris asks Owen.

"I mean, I think so. We can't just do that, though. We need to camouflage ourselves, and move very slowly."

We use some of the branches and leaves from the woods behind us to dress in new attire. This dirty coat of disguise might just do the trick.

Mika reaches down and scoops up a clump of soggy mud. "Here, we'll need this." Mika smears the mud on Kennedy's face, then lets Kennedy do the same to her.

"Good," Kris says as he lines up next to Mika for his face paint.

Owen rubs the mud on my face and hands, "you ready, bud?"

"I am." I flinch when the chilled mud brushes over my skin.

Once everyone has their new look, we crawl into the deep ditches—or should I say trenches. The dirt, leaves, and trash in the bottom just disgust me. Be quiet, I think to myself. I look up as we start to venture through the open passageway in the ground. Sleepers are even worse up close. The adrenaline blurs your vision and five simple seconds can feel like a lifetime. But here, they hold their guns tight to their bodies. It's obviously their lifeline. Some are huge, with muscles piercing through their black jackets. The way the combat boots scrape against the pavement is haunting. Could that step be towards us? It's unpredictable, and there's so many of them.

Owen reaches towards me and pushes my head down. "You're too interested. Keep moving. You're looking too hard, and they might see you," he whispers.

My hands run over a watch in the mud. It's pink and looks like a small girl would have worn it. It's not broken or bloody. It just seems forgotten. Like it just slipped off her wrist. I never want our friends, our family to be forgotten. I keep crawling for Sage, Titus, and even Lindsey.

I throw the watch down but can't help but flashback to when I was little. Sitting in the living room of my house in my parent's arms. Talking about the adventures we would see that day. All the things we would do, or even talk about the way the clouds were dragons or wizards. We didn't have a worry in the world. We always thought the sun was coming up for us the next day. We didn't have to worry about weapons, food, or if a man in combat boots was around the corner ready to shoot you.

I knew I always had a place to go. I always could run to them, just let myself be swallowed up in their unending love for me. I was young... and I neglected it. Even as a teenager, even the day the sleepers attacked. I neglected every moment, and now I'm fighting for the next one.

Almost halfway through the danger, a vehicle slides through the road and the sleepers run up to it. A girl with a black bag over her head is escorted out.

"You know where to take her," a sleeper says with a deep, unmoving voice.

They take the girl to a vehicle with a vast back door, almost like a money transport vehicle for a bank. They violently sling the girl into the back and slam the door behind her without mercy.

"That has to be what happened to Titus," Mika whispers as she tries to crawl faster.

"But where are they going?" Owen asks.

"Shhh. Keep moving. Just a little more to go." Kris pulls our focus back. We have to get past the sleepers.

Then, a few of the sleepers have a conversation. Kennedy and I listen as we crawl, and I think we're the only ones paying attention.

"How many did you say there were?" one sleeper asks.

"We think there are six of them. They were separated at the river last we heard."

"They're smart. They aren't going to stay there for long. Track them down. I want them dead."

Kennedy looks back at me. I nod my head at her. I put a finger over my mouth. She nods and keeps crawling. We're not telling anyone... it will only make things worse.

Finally, the end is in sight. We slowly climb up from the pit and run just behind the tree line. Without a single fumble, Owen slings his disguise of foliage off and pulls out the map.

"Guys, I think we should be able to make it by tonight! We just have to keep doing what we're doing."

"Can we run? I'm pumped. We've got this!" Kennedy says as she jumps into a sprint. She knows we're in more danger than they realize, and she's trying to hide it.

Everyone throws away the branches and leaves and picks up speed towards freedom. Towards the border.

__________

The sun is behind us now; It's probably around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. A large flock of birds fly overhead chirping a beautiful tune. Then, they land right in front of us. They stay together and move together. Gracefully flapping their wings to the ground for a peaceful landing. It's such a refreshing sight. The way they come together and synchronize their landing.

"It's Grosbeaks," Kris says with an amused snicker.

"What's that mean?" Kennedy asks him.

"It's a bird of reunion. They fly together and work together. It's almost like the way a family would."

Owen raises his finger and points through the bushes, "and there it is. A sleeper camp."

"That's a sleeper camp? Was this the one you came from?" Mika asks.

"Oh, heck no. Mine is far, far away." Owen maneuvers between the trees, leading us into the crisp air. We stand on a hill overlooking one of the horrible sleeper camps. I step closer to the edge of the hill. It gets steep. It'd be tough to trudge up the hill to us.

The sleeper camp looks like an old, abandoned building with a fence put around it. The concrete walls look haunting. On the other side of the fence, a woman rises from a table and walks into what I assume is a housing chamber.

"That was Rose," Owen states.

"Rosemary. She's alive. She made it to a camp and turned herself in... Unbelievable," Kris says shaking his head.

Another woman was sitting at the broken table. I drop to my knees when I realize who it is... It's my mother.