Nineteen

"Glasses?" amber asked, "You awake?"

"no." came the groggy response, "I'm sick today."

Amber looked around cautiously. "Get up. I need your help."

The brunette opened an eye and looked at the familiar girl crouching beside her, and her eyes went wide. "What the fuck?!?" she yelled in a hushed tone before amber clamped a hand on her mouth.

Amber held her gently, "shhh, I need help. Still want to be my partner?"

The girl shoved her glasses on and stared, "no, you shouldn't be here, you're a deserter. They'll catch you. They'll catch me. I can't."

Amber took a small step back giving Glasses space. "Nick, they killed him. They tried to kill me, but Ramirez saved my life and I need to help get him out. They'll hang him for desertion."

The girl gave a long, quiet sigh and dragged the blankets off. "They said you went rogue, killed nick, and Ramirez helped you escape." She gave a sour look, "and they said you two were, like, together…"

"EW," amber sighed out, "why are people so disgusting? C'mon."

The two girls shuffled quietly through the room and slipped out the door that amber had come in. the night was still young, and the entire camp slept. Again, they thought she was dead, and hopefully wouldn't be expecting her to show up. They needed weapons and had to find Carlos. The two girls slipped into the trees and made their way north as quietly as they could.

Several times, she had to slow her own pace to shush the brunette behind her that was stomping through the trees and brush like they weren't sneaking to what could be their deaths. She slowed her pace also to give herself a chance to catch her own breath. The boot-shaped bruises on her back and ribs were starting to take their toll. She was exhausted.

"Jenny." glasses said quietly. "My name is Jenny, not Glasses."

Amber looked back, "thanks. Sorry I didn't ask; I just have a lot on my mind."

"It's cool," Jenny said, "nobody asks."

toward the edge of the trees a man stood with a rifle slung on his shoulder the two girls crept up behind him and just as amber was ready to club him, "snap!" jenny cringed as the man spun around. Amber sighed quickly and jumped up. He swung at her, but she slipped behind it, grabbed his shoulder, and in one motion she jumped, wrapped her legs around his neck, dragged him to the ground and twisted. It was over as quickly as it had started.

In the second it took jenny to realize he was dead and scream, amber had seen her eyes go wide and clamped her hand over jenny's mouth.

"Shh it's okay." amber said quietly. "I told you its serious, someone is trying to kill me and I'm trying to find out who."

Jenny's eyes stayed wide and scared, but she nodded twice in understanding. Amber looked in her eyes and gave a reassuring nod before taking her hands back. No sooner had she released her hold than jenny lit up the night with a shrill scream. She threw herself from amber as hard as she could and clawed to get away. Screaming the whole time

"Help!" jenny screamed, "Murderer!"

Amber lunged for jenny, "shhh! Shut up!" amber yelled quietly.

Jenny didn't stop. Amber drew her pistol, strattled jenny with one hand on her throat, and aimed it right at jenny's left eye.

"Shut up. now." was all amber said.

The calculated calmness in her voice drew the breath from jenny's lungs and the two sat there for a long moment. Silently contemplating who would jump first.

"You asked if you could be my partner and you try to kill me?" amber seethed into jenny's ear.

Jenny stared at the barrel, "you... you killed that man. You're a murderer. You... you killed."

Amber slumped slightly to a more relaxed position, never moving either her hand or the gun. She looked jenny hard in the eyes, "you were stomping and gave us away. I told you this was serious, I told you they're trying to kill me, and you stomped through the brush and twigs like we were playing a game."

Amber took a few seconds, thinking, she huffed a resigned sigh and looked at jenny sadly.

"I'm sorry, jenny, it was a mistake to ask you." she said.

Before jenny could protest or cry in panic amber clubbed her hard with the butt of the gun. The way it had to be. It was stupid to ask her, and it had nearly cost her everything. She climbed off jenny's limp, unconscious body and moved further north through the tree line. She wanted Nick back. He would have understood, and he would make everything easier.

The MP and brig building were on the western side of the north clearing, with a small office building between it and the tree line. Two doors to the building. The eastern side was the main entrance, and the western side had an emergency exit without a knob on the outside. Not such a big problem if it wasn't lit so well and covered by security cameras 24/7. Perhaps there will be a window I can fit through.