Words Unspoken

The four of us had been up all night. Barely getting any sleep, but it was a waste of time in this particular moment. Ben went over the plan about fifty times or so until it was planted into our brains. We couldn't mess up, or get anything wrong. This was a rescue mission, to save Noah. I hope he wasn't already in prison. Everyone was packing bags, making sure we had everything we needed, extra clothes, food and water.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my way over to Krista and Ben, who were going over the plan once again. Kyle then walked over and Ben looked at all of us. His eyes glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 4:30 in the morning. Yeah, we didn't get any sleep at all.

"Alright, I'm gonna drive first. If you wanna sleep you guys can." Ben said as he looked at me and Krista.

"I'll keep a lookout." Kyle added as he glanced over at me and gave me a reassuring smile. I let out a small sigh and turned around to see Jill walk over to us. Her eyes were red and puffed up, most likely crying most of the night. She let out a sniffle before speaking up.

"Please find him, bring him back, alive." She said to us, on the verge of tears once again. I took a step forward and hugged her tightly, Ben, Krista, Kyle following my lead.

"Don't worry Jill, we're gonna find him." Ben said as the four of us took a step back. She looked at each one of us before giving a nod.

"Just try and keep your heads down, make sure you're indoors during curfew, wear the regular clothing during the day." She said as we all nodded our heads. She straightened herself up and gave us a nod before the four of us walked out of the building. Once we made it outside, we all followed Ben to the back of the building.

He walked over to a large tarp that was covering something, probably the car we needed. Ben removed the tarp revealing a black pick up truck. Kyle and I glanced at each other as Krista made her way over to the outdoor power box and opened it. She grabbed the keys and tossed them to Ben.

"Alright, I filled it up last night. Let's roll." He said as we all tossed our bags in the back seat. Krista took the passenger seat as Kyle and I got in the back seats with Ben driving.

"Make sure we're not seen." Krista said to him and he gave her a nod.

"I know what I'm doing." Ben said as he started up the car and backed up to the opening behind us before pulling around and drove through a back road that led to an alleyway by one of the stores. Thankfully nothing was open yet and there was no sign of the cops. Once we got on the road, I let out a small sigh and leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a moment.

"Alright, just relax now." Ben said from the driver's seat. I watched as Krista opened up a map and we soon ended up on one of the exiting highways.

"How long until we get where they're taking Noah?" I asked as I leaned forward in my seat taking a look at the map.

"Well if I'm right and they're taking him to the capitol, it's a 42 hour drive, so about two days. Hopefully." He said as I nodded my head before leaning back against my seat and stared out the window. My thoughts wandered to Noah. I honestly hope that he was alive and okay. I still couldn't believe he got himself into that situation. Like Ben said, he should have fought back, but that probably would have made things even worse and they could have shot him on the spot. A shiver ran up my spine at the thought and I glanced over to see Kyle looking at me. He placed a hand on my shoulder in reassurance and I let out a small sigh tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Alright, before we continue on, who needs coffee?" Ben asked as he pulled into a gas station on the side of the highway.

"Me!" Krista shouted as she quickly undid her seatbelt. Ben stayed in the car while the three of us went inside. Once we got our coffee we all gathered back in the car and settled into our seats, getting on the road again.

***

We made 10 hours on the road, only stopping a few times to use the bathroom. Krista was now driving, to let Ben get some rest. The time was now 2 pm since we left really early in the morning, we had a few more hours left before curfew. The entire time no one had said anything, everyone was consumed with worry. Not just for Noah, but for the rest of the group as well. I gazed out the window, and watched other cars pass us by as well as the green scenery of the trees.

"We're gonna find a motel somewhere close by so we can get back on the road by tomorrow." Krista said breaking the silence. I glanced over at her and gave her a nod before I my attention over to Kyle who had fallen asleep.

"I'm guessing we're gonna be real early again tomorrow? I'll drive this time." I said to her and she gave me a nod.

Twenty minutes had passed and we finally got off one of the exits. There was a motel and some other stores nearby if we needed anything else. We all gathered our bags from the backseat and made our way inside to the front desk. An older gentleman was sitting behind the desk, his glasses resting on his nose as he flipped through a newspaper. He glanced up at us and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What can I do for you?" He asked as he closed the newspaper and set it down on the seat beside him.

"We'd like a room for the night?" Ben said with a smile as the guy looked at the four of us.

"Alright, let me see if I have any available." He said as he looked through his book.

"Ah yes, room 12A. Two beds and a bathroom." He said to us and handed us one of the keys.

"You guys on a road trip?" He asked and we all nodded our heads. "Well have fun and make sure you guys don't be out past the curfew." He said as he gave us a wave while we walked out of the front door.

"Dumbass." Ben muttered under his breath as we all let out a chuckle. The four of us made our way to our room which was at the end of the motel. Ben unlocked the door and we all made our way inside as he closed the door behind us.

"This will do for now." Ben said as he set his bag down on the table by the window. Krista looked around for a bit before she turned to face us.

"I'll keep a lookout tonight." Kyle said as we gave him a nod. Ben and Krista got in bed and a few minutes passed before they fell asleep. I could tell they were exhausted, the two of them had done most of the driving all day and they were upset about the whole Noah situation. I set my bag down on the floor by the empty bed and walked over to the table where Kyle was sitting and sat across from him. The two of us sat there in silence for a few minutes just staring out the window. A small quiet sigh escaped my lips as I turned my attention over to Kyle, a worried expression was written all over his face. I tilted my head slightly as I kept my eyes on him for a moment.

"What is it?" I asked finally, breaking the silence between us. Kyle just shook his head as he continued to look out the window. "Uh, nothing I'm alright." He said, but of course I didn't believe him. He was terrible at lying.

"Kyle, I can tell something is wrong, now tell me what it is please?" I said crossing my arms over my chest and leaned back in my seat, observing him. He finally turned to look at me and nodded his head slowly.

"I was just thinking about mom and dad."

I nodded my head slightly and sighed softly. Looks like I wasn't alone in that. Of course I was thinking about my parents, I still cared for them, but I had to get out of there. I couldn't live like that anymore. Our parents wanted the best for us, but what they wanted was completely different from me and my brother. We wanted freedom. And we were going to do whatever it took to get there.

"I know, me too." I said to him. "But, we did the right thing, I know they called the cops on me, probably you too, but it's for the best." I added and he looked at me before giving me a slight nod.

"Yeah you're right." He said and turned his attention back out the window once again.

"I'm gonna get some rest." I said as I made my way over to the empty bed. I glanced over at Ben and Krista who were cuddled and sound asleep. A small smile formed on my lips as I laid back on my bed. I stared at the ceiling for a minute before closing my eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

I don't know exactly how much time has passed while I was asleep but I was suddenly woken up by someone shaking my arm. "Sam! Sam! wake up!" Kyle whisper shouted as I shot up in bed and looked around the room. Ben and Krista were already up, Ben peered out the window. I could see the flashing red and blue lights and my eyes widened as I jumped out of bed immediately.

"They got here a few minutes ago, it's only 5:30, we have to get out of here." He said as he looked out the window. "I think they're inside by the front desk, I don't know why they're here."

"Probably for us? You think the old guy told them we're here?" Kyle asked him and Ben shook his head slightly. "If he did, they would have been here by now." He said as he stared out the window some more.

"Well we can't leave, we have curfew soon, what the hell are we supposed to do?" Krista asked as we all looked at Ben. he turned to look at us wondering the exact same thing. He let out a sigh and shook his head as he closed the curtains. The four of us stood there quietly, not saying a word. Just thinking. Ben walked back over and opened the curtains slightly. I pray to God that they don't come knocking on our door. If they did, and we got caught, there was no way we were going to be able to rescue Noah and bring him back home.