Tuck Everlasting, The Continued Story.

Chapter 23

"No! Absolutely not!" Miles argued, as he stomped away from Bill. Bill put his hands on the hood of the jeep.

"It would be the honerable thing to do, Miles." Bill protested. Miles spun on his heel to face him.

"No, Bill. Walking into a camp with a bomb strapped to our chests, surrounded by civillians, to save a boy who is practically immortal, is not exactly an honerable thing to do!"

"Then what would you suggest?"

"Fly a plane in?"

"Right. And where would you get a plane?"

"Erik's pilot friend."

"And if he doesn't exist?"

"He exists."

"And if he says no?"

"Bill,"

"No! Listen! You don't even know if you can trust this guy!"

"Enough!" Winnie screamed, her face turning red. "Jesse is still in danger, and you two are waisting time, arguing!" Bill took a step toward Winnie.

"I'm sorry, princess, but do you have a better plan?" He asked. Winnie took a step back, biting her lip.

"What if I go?" She said quietly. The boys stared at her.

"Back to the camp." Miles said.

"With those troops moving in?" Bill asked. Winnie shrugged.

"You just got out of there. Are you crazy, Winifred?" Miles said. Winnie shook her head, putting her hands up defensively

"But that's it! They would never suspect me to go back!" She said. She looked down at her ring and took a deep breath. "I have to go to him." she said softly.

"I'm coming with you." Miles said, taking a step toward her. "You're gonna need my help."

"But how do we get in without them recognizing us?" Winnie asked.

"Uh, you won't believe this." Bill said. Winnie and Miles both turned toward him.

"What?" Miles asked. Bill grinned and reached his hands under the back seat of the jeep. Winnie and Miles both walked over to Bill and watched as he lifted a large white sack onto the seat. "What is that?" Miles asked.

Bill unwrapped the sack, and lifted it upside down. A pile of laundry fell onto the seat as Winnie and Miles grinned. "Perfect!" Winnie said. She picked up a large pair of brown pants, and an ugly yellow shirt.

"Inconspicuous..." Bill said sarcastically. Winnie shot him a look and dropped the yellow shirt. She picked up a mans Nazi uniform and she looked at him for mock approval. She smirked, and spun on her heel to change behind a tree. Bill grabbed a long SS coat, and handed it to Miles.

"No." Miles said, passing the coat back. Bill rolled his eyes.

"If I'm going as an SS officer, you might as well too." he said. He held the coat out to Miles again, and Miles took it, shaking his head.

"If my mother knew," he said chuckling as he slipped it on over Andre's old clothes. He tilted his head, looking at the laundry pile. "Is there a hat in there?"

Bill ducked his head in, and came out with a flat officer's cap. "Oh this will look good on you." Miles raised an eyebrow, and Bill looked at the sky. "Just try it on." he said. Bill ducked his head under again, and came up with a newsboy cap.

"Hey Winnie, here's a hat for you to keep all your hair in." he said. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and placed it between his lips.

"Bill, is there a belt?" Winnie called out. Bill lit his cigarette and looked in the car.

"Nah, but here's some rope." He said. Winnie came out from behind the tree, holding the pants up. She shuffled over to the jeep, and held her hand out for the rope. Bill handed it to her, and she tied it around the pants. Smoothing the jacket, and twisting her hair up, she held her hand out for the hat.

Bill handed her the hat and she put it on her head, tucking her hair in. She glanced at her reflection in the car, and turned to Miles.

"How do I look?" She asked. Miles raised an eyebrow.

"Like a scrawny soldier boy" He said.

"Perfect." She said. She reached her hands into the back seat, and grabbed a pistol. "Do you have a gun Miles?" Miles reached into his back pocket and showed her his pistol. Winnie looked at Bill, and he held up his Lugar.

Winnie nodded. Pointing the pistol away from the boys, Winnie cocked it, her eyes hooded with determination. "Ok. Ready?" They nodded. "Lets go." She said. They all tucked their guns into their pants and began walking up the path back towards the camp.

"So, we waltz in, grab Jesse, spit in Von Kliest's face, and run off?" Bill asked, flicking his cigarette away.

"It's something." Miles said.

"Why aren't we taking the Jeep?" Winnie asked.

"It's too conspicuous." Bill said. "They might have realized that we took it."

"Ah." she said. 

They continued walking the trail, and the sun was beginning to set. The distant sound of the bombs being dropped was getting louder. When they reached the outskirts of the camp, they ducked behind some trees to scope out the area.

The soldiers looked like they were going to move out soon. Crates were being loaded into trucks, and civilians ran around the camp, helping the Nazis. The sooner the Nazi's were gone, the better for them. Some tents were still up, and Winnie saw the one that she had been held in.

"Do you think that Jesse could be in the tent next to that one?" She asked, pointing at her tent.

"Only one way to find out." Miles said. They all stood and casually walked into the camp. Everybody was running around, so they paid no attention to the three of them as they hurried to the tent. A guard stood beside the tent flap.

"Wer sind Sie?" the guard asked. Bill walked up to him, looking intimidating. He smiled at the guard, and the guard smiled back, before Bill quickly pulled a cloth from his pocket and pressed it against the guards mouth, slowly lowering him to the ground as his eyes rolled back into his head.

"What the hell was that?" Miles asked.

"Chloroform." Bill said. "Now hurry up and hide him. I will pose here as the guard. Go in there and get your boy!" He said to Winnie, as she was beginning to help Miles with the guard. She smiled slightly, and ducked into the tent.

The tent was dark and stuffy, and Winnie couldn't see anything. She head a faint sound from the back of the tent. Cautiously, she took a step toward the sound. "Hello?" She whispered.

"Mademoiselle?" A tiny voice called out. Winnie's heart skipped a beat. She ran back to the tent flap, and stuck her head out.

"Bill!" She hissed. "Give me a match!"

"What for?" Miles asked, appearing suddenly next to Bill. He was breathing heavily.

"Miles! Thank god! Come here, there's a child." She said. Bill handed Winnie his matchbox, and she and Miles ducked back inside the tent.

"Little girl?" Winnie whispered in french. She walked to the back of the tent and lit the match. Suddenly she saw it. With the same familiar glow as the moment they met, Winnie looked into the eyes of Luiz's little girl.

"Oh my god." exclaimed Winnie. "Miles, it's the girl we saved from the fire." She looked at Mile's face, and saw his face looked distant. His eyes suddenly glowed with such intensity that it gave Winnie the chills.

"What is your name?" Miles asked.

"Claire." She said. Her big brown eyes looked so clean and innocent, despite her dirt covered face. Miles knelt down beside her, while Winnie lit another match.

"Claire," he said softly, "Where is your papa?" he asked. Her face fell, as she looked at the floor. Miles immediately understood. "I'm so sorry." he said. He gently placed his hand under her chin. "We are going to get you out of here. Would you like that?"

Her wide eyes went from Miles, to Winnie, and she nodded her head sharply. A grin spread across Miles's face, and he quickly got to work, untying the rope that bound her hands together.