The Sleeper Cells: A Terrorism Story

Chapter 22: They're Closer Than You Think

"Kris!" Kennedy screams.

"No!" I yell as we both run towards Kris. I kick the glass door open and look out towards the woods. The pink sun is barely peaking over the horizon. The silhouettes of six or so sleepers are running towards us. It's hard to tell exactly how many are after us. Bullets rain around us, into the walls and just missing our heads. The glass shatters in the door as we drag Kris into the house, his blood still spouting into the floor. Mika and Owen run up to us frantically gathering what's left of our supplies.

"Is he dead?" Owen asks.

"I'm not dead. It's my shoulder." Kris stands, takes his blue shirt off. He tries to tie it around his wound, but he's struggling. My uncle isn't as invincible as I thought. Mika runs up to help him, ignoring the approaching sleepers. She ties it tight enough to keep the blood from shooting. We don't have much time. He needs professional medical attention. The blue shirt is slowly becoming a dark red. "Out the front door. Go!" he points, trying to hide his pain.

Owen holds the front door open as he retrieves the map from the zipped pocket in his bag.

"We don't have time," Mika grabs him and shoves him through the door.

"What do we do?" I scream as we all race through the front yard.

"We run! Don't stop!" Kennedy screams.

Mika disperses the remaining weapons out to us as we pass through the next set of trees.

"Do what we've always done. Climb and hide," Kris says, still holding his shoulder.

Kennedy grabs the closest tree and slides in the mud. She pulls herself off the ground.

"Not now. Keep running," Kris tells her.

I reach my hand out and sling her forward. We bolt deeper and deeper into the woods.

"I don't even know if we're going in the right direction," Owen screams.

"We still have the map. Just worry about staying alive," I tell him.

After the smell of the burned neighborhood goes away, Kris speaks up, "this is good. They're still on us. Climb now. Climb fast."

Mika and Owen climb into separate trees. Kris stands at the bottom of Owen's tree and reaches for his help. Owen pulls Kris up. Kris hands his gun to Owen, "I can't hold on and shoot at the same time. I'm putting my faith in you. Keep us alive." Owen slings one of the guns to me. I reach out and grab it, almost losing my balance in the tree. He nods his head and points the gun at the area we came from.

"Here they come," Kennedy says as she tenses around her loaded gun.

"Don't shoot them," I say. "Let them pass. Get them from behind."

I look at Mika and she nods in understanding. She relays the message to Owen and Kris, and we all hold our breath as the sound of running sleepers gets closer and closer.

The first sleeper runs into our view. He looks around, not slowing down. He looks up and notices Mika pointing a gun at him. He slams his feet in the mud and everyone behind him follows his lead. Our plan is out the window.

The sound of gunshots, the smell of gunpowder circles around us. Mika successfully gets the first sleeper down before he can kill her. We all squeeze the triggers of our guns and let the firing weapons lead our eyes, lead our aim.

The bullets rain back and forth. Flashes of light in every direction. Three sleepers are already on the ground. Kris screams and grabs onto his leg; he was shot. He slips from the tree and slams onto the hard ground. Owen reaches down to help him. He accidently lets his gun drop from his hands. A sleeper positions his aim down to Kris. Kennedy shoots the sleeper in the head before he can do anything.

The last sleeper tries to retreat to where he came from, but I spend my last bullet on him. My gun clicks empty. Empty just like the sleepers' bodies. I drop my gun out of the tree and lean back. I know we have enough weapons to last now. Kennedy takes a deep breath and does the same. Relaxing in the playground of branches.

It's a mass grave below us of six or so dead sleepers. The bodies strung out on the brown ground. Their blood creates tiny rivers of red between the blades of grass.

Suddenly, Mika screams, "Kennedy!"

I dart my eyes to her through the branches. A lone sleeper, raising from his mass grave, reached for a gun and pointed it up at Kennedy. I jump and take Kennedy and myself down out of the tree. We slam onto the hard ground. Her pink sweater muddied. I'd rather see mud on it than blood. Mika shoots the last sleeper... still and lifeless.

"Too close," I whisper. I'm so close my lips tickle her ear.

_________

"Don't let this change you. It's not over. How much more do we have?" Kris asks as Owen and I go to his sides. Kris has been shot twice; he can barely walk.

Mika opens the map "We're close. We can get there tonight. Maybe thirty minutes of walking."


"Seriously?" Kennedy asks, looking at Kris.

"Maybe we should stay..." Mika suggests.

"No!" Kris demands. "We keep moving. Grab a gun. Let's go."

Kennedy gives Owen and me a gun from the sleepers.

Mika points the way to go. The sun is completely gone, but the moonlight is the brightest it has ever been.

I think of something I never had. "What's at the edge of the sleeper zone? Is it a war? Are there people guarding it? What?"

"I have no idea. We'll see when we get there."

The closer we get, the moresound I hear. The glowing lights in the distance. The sound of commotion, aruffling mass of people. The tumult is pleasing to our ears. I don't know ifit's the sound of violence or if it's the sound of home, but I do know it's thesound of a border.