I knooooow, I totally let this go bad on the back burner. But I had a few hours to kill on the 6 hours of plane rides to Alaska. Here's a long-ish passage of these cuties to make up for it, for anyone still interested~

Tommy was glad he had spent so many hours training in the snow with the jeeps. Speeding down a trail, winding between the trees, snowflakes blowing into the windshield. His mitch-matched eyes flickered to the rear view mirror, feeling relief at the empty path left behind, no sign of pursuing trucks. He turned his eyes back to the trail, then quickly glanced to the boy in the passenger seat. Leon had fallen asleep before they had even reached the truck. Now he lay curled up under the tent of the older boy's jacket, clothed in clean, dry clothing that Tommy had stashed in the truck.
He wished now that he had had the insight to also stash food in the truck, but he had only remembered the clothes, waters, cash, and ammunition. It was a miracle the teenager had remembered that much in his haste of stealing the truck from the military base.

When the boys reached the tracks, a train was pulling in, right on time. Leon had fallen asleep before they had even reached the truck, and now Tommy shook him gently awake.

"Time to go, Leon. How are your legs?" The younger boy nodded as the elder grabbed the bag and they both got out of the car, Leon responding to the urgency with full alertness. The pair ditched the truck and climbed through a hole in the fence that had been cut by Tommy the day before. Scraggly bushes created a border between the fence and the tracks. The hedge and the darkness gave the boys enough cover to kneel behind as the train was loaded with coal, hay, and crates of fluttering chickens.

As soon as the loads were secure, a pair of guards walked the length of the cars, shining flashlights into the empty cars. Tommy felt the child press against his side, and he heard Leon's breaths speed up slightly. The younger jumped when his savior put a hand on his shoulder, but the soft green eyes fluttered through the dark and easily found his friend before returning to the train. His breaths were even once again.

Once the guards had reached near the end of the train, Tommy tapped the younger on his shoulder, the realized the seven-year-old might not understand the universal military signal. To his surprise, Leon followed the silent instruction and scurried out of the bushes at a crouch, keeping low to the shadows. Tommy followed, then took the lead to an open car. There was a large number 13 painted on the open door.
Both boys quickly climbed inside and huddled in the dark corner just behind the door. A few minutes later the iron wheels groaned as it was ushered forward by the train engine.