Duskwood: Love's Beginning

38 - Jake

During my brief struggle to try to get Richy to safety, the fire he had set caused an explosion, sending debris to lodge into my back, which knocked me to the ground. To make matters worse, my phone flew from my pocket and landed in the fire. By the time I was able to retrieve it, it was nothing more than a melted chunk of plastic and metal. I could tell that the SIM card was destroyed as well.

Searing pain shredded through me, worse with each movement. I acknowledged that I would be unable to forcefully remove Richy from the mine. I tried reasoning with him instead. However, he was steadfast in his wish to die; I saw the resignation in his eyes. He coaxed me to leave without him by extracting a promise that I would pass on a message to Jayna that was vital to her safety. Then he told me about an exit that was not on the map, which might be unguarded by law enforcement.

Laden with guilt and in pain, I'd dragged myself the long way through the mines to the exit that Richy directed me to. I was relieved to discover that it let out in a deserted part of the forest, a few miles away from the waterfall. I then hiked back to my car, which took an unknown amount of time, but the sun was rising by the time I got there. I'd yanked a blanket over myself in the backseat and fallen unconscious for a good twelve hours. I had carelessly neglected to bring certain supplies with me, not even water. I did not dare step into a store covered in blood and dirt.

So I drove painstakingly back to my motel room. The return trip took much longer to get there than it had to leave; I had to stop a few times to ensure I did not pass out and drive off the road. At least it was dark again when I arrived, making it harder for people to discern the condition I was in.

I had tried to clean my wounds, but it was difficult, given their placement on my back. I couldn't risk getting medical care so I'd attempted to dress and bandage them myself with the meager first aid kit I had on hand. But the gashes were long and deep, and they were not closing up well on their own. I felt hot and sweaty; I popped a few aspirins and gulped down water.

Everything within me wanted to reach out to Jayna. I needed to apologize to her for not saving Richy. I wanted to comfort her; by now, I'm sure she knew that he had died. I held a new disposable phone in my hand, waiting for my software to install on it. I contemplated if I could visit her, or ask her to come to me. I also needed to relay Richy's message to her.

But I had narrowly escaped, and I was afraid they were watching her closely. I could not risk implicating her any further than I already had. I had to hope that she would be safe for the time being and figure out a better plan once my head was clear.

Then, my worst fears came true. I received a notification from Nym-OS that someone was trying to force entry into Jayna's phone. My software began deleting all of her data and then overheated the phone, causing it to shut down. I put my head in my hands and groaned in frustration. The FBI had already picked her up?? I had to take slow, deep breaths to keep my panic at bay. Would they still trade her for me? I tried to get out of bed to get to my laptop, but my head swam. Searing pain wrenched across my back, and it was all I could do to lay back down before blackness chased me into oblivion.