Duskwood: Into the Forest pt 12

Phil has been cursing the man without a face the entire drive back to Duskwood. He drives, with Jessy in the middle. While it may seem unsafe to you, you agree to sit on Jake’s lap for the duration of the drive back. It’s just under an hour, and the sun is hanging high in the sky. You don’t need to look at your phone to know that you are cutting it close to the start of the festivities in town.

Jake grips you tighter than any seatbelt would, cradling your head against his chest. Lilly and the others are piled into the back, trying as hard as they can to stick to the cab of the truck, avoiding the harsh wind. Phil tries to keep the speed, but the dangerous back roads and narrow passages back to town, slow him. Your heart is racing out of your chest. Will you make it in time?

“You have a plan, Hackerman?” Phil huffs after a particularly long rant about the damage to his rental.

“I don’t.” Jake’s voice is small, his breath whispers against your neck.

“What do you mean you don’t have a plan? We have to find Richy!” Jessy crosses her arms stiffly against her chest, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“And Hannah,” Jake adds.

“Yes, and Hannah.” She scoffs, “That was obvious. We’ve been trying to save her this entire time!” Her body shakes with frustration.

“I’m sorry. I’m not entirely sure what to expect. We assume that he’s taken them to town to make a statement and a big one at that. What that statement is, has become clear, however, how he presents is lost to me.” Jake sighs and leans his head into yours.

“Tell me what you found out.” Jessy’s voice is thick with frustration.

“Jessy, please. I know you’ve been through a lot, but so have we. We’ve barely slept since we arrived here, and the flight was long enough as it is. We are all trying here, including your brother. He’s been a wonderful help.” You try to console her, leaning into her portion of the seat.

You let go of Jake and wrap your arms around her neck, embracing her. Warm tears fall from the corner of her eyes, dampening the ends of your hair. You steady her in your arms, rubbing small circles where your hand meets her back.

“I just want this damn nightmare to end already!” She sobs.

“We all do, Jessy.” You try to calm her, waiting for her tears to dry up.

“We really should get you all to the hospital,” Phil says as he pops open the glass behind his seat. “You’ll be safer in the hospital, and you most likely need treatment for the drugs you’ve been exposed to.”

“You want me to go back to that wretched place?” Dan sticks his head into the interior of the truck, “Abso-fuckinglutely not. I’m a free man, and I don’t intend on going back there. Do you have any idea how long it took me to shit?”

You can’t help yourself. Your body shakes with composed laughter. Dan is exactly who he is on paper, in real life. Not that you’d expected any different. Jake and Phil both crack a smile as Jessy reaches behind her to rub her knuckles against his forehead.

“They’re right. We’d be safer there, and we’d get the help we need. Who knows what those toxins can do long-term?” Jessy smiles, “Besides, we all know you escaped prematurely. There’s more for you to do there than the rest of us.”

“I’m not going back.” He says flatly, closing the window between you.

“He just wants to help.” She says with a shrug.

“I know. Let’s let them help. They deserve just as much as we do to see this thing to the end. The only issue is now, where do we start?” You nudge Jake gently, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“The only option we have is to spread out in pairs at the festival and see what we can find. He’ll have Richy and Hannah somewhere close, waiting for the opportune moment.” Jake bites his lower lip. “If we send Cleo and Thomas one way, Dan and Lilly another, Phil and Jessy,” He pauses for a moment, deep in thought.

“Do you think that’s safe enough?” Phil mumbles under his breath, “He managed to capture five adults in one go.”

“Not in broad daylight and not surrounded by members of the community. The police will be there.” Jessy says with a bright smile.

“We can’t trust the police. There’s a chance that Alan is in on this or knows but hasn’t stopped it. We don’t why, but we shouldn’t trust him or anyone else. “Jake puts the idea to bed quickly.

“Are you sure you’re not avoiding them for your reasons?” Jessy smirks in his direction.

“I’d do anything to keep them safe.” He nods in your direction.

“I see.” You frown, “Jake. Promise me you won’t do something stupid.” You stammer.

“I won’t.” His short answer makes you do a double-take.

“Your definition of stupid and mine may be slightly different.” You try to smile, but it hurts. Your chest constricts and you have a bad feeling when he avoids your gaze.

Jake reaches for your chin, gently turning you to face him. His eyes are closed, and his nose is only inches from your own. Your breath hitches in your throat as you try to protest. Taken by his touch, you force a thin smile, encouraging him to say whatever is on his mind.

“If it meant saving your life, I’d give mine up. However, I’ve come to realize that if I’m not around to protect you,” He stops, brushing his finger over your lower lip, “You’d suffer something worse than death. I have no intentions to die here, but you have to know if it came down to your life or my own.”

“STOP!” You pull away from him, “Don’t.” Your eyes are wet. Are you crying?

You feel a warm sensation on your back. Jessy has reached over and is trying to console you as Jake opens his eyes. He wants to say something, but he’s holding back. Is it because of the people in the car? Does it have something to do with this ‘ace up his sleeve’ he’d mentioned before?

You push the thoughts away as you enter the town square. There is a partition stopping cars from entering the center of the city, but Phil has a pass to get closer to the action. As you pull up in front of the Aurora, you suddenly feel overwhelmed by nerves. This is it. This is where it ends. Will you be able to save everyone?

Jake helps you out of the truck, while Lilly and Thomas help Dan to the edge of the truck bed.

“We need a chair,” Lilly says quietly.

“That we do. I think I have one in the storage cellar. I’ll grab it.” Phil skips away and heads to the back entrance to retrieve a rusted, but still functional wheelchair.

After helping Dan into it, Thomas turns to you, “What’s the plan?”

Jake dives into the details. He explains to the others how we arrived at the assumption Hannah and Amy’s accident had been covered up by a multitude of adults within Duskwood. He broke down how everyone’s parents could be involved, especially Richy’s. They immediately started to put things together.

“The car show,” Dan mumbled under his voice. After a glance at his watch, he continued, “It’s 11. The car show should be starting between noon and 1. They’re setting up now. If we split up, some of us can search the area, and the others can search the car show. We can meet up there in an hour and talk about what we’ve found.”

“Not a bad idea, Dan.” You smile.

“We’d already decided to split, but that sounds like a great way to make sure everyone is there to stop him, should we not be able to find him beforehand.” Phil slaps Jake on the back, “Formal introductions. This is Jake and this is your wonderful new best friend. Jake’s quite taken with her,” He winks in his direction and Jake scoffs.

“We knew that.” Lilly rolls her eyes. “How should we split up?”

Jake explains the teams and dictates a block of the festival to each. As you make your way into the throng of onlookers you feel Jake slip his hand into yours. You raise an eyebrow in his direction. He smiles softly before looking away. You keep your eyes peeled until a glint of light catches your eye. At the top of the church not far from the center of town, you see what looks like a moving shred of light near the top of the bell tower.

“Jake, look.” You discreetly nod in that direction, hoping the light appears again.

It flashes several times in your direction.

“Is that morse code?” You blink rapidly, trying to mimic the light.

“If it is, it’s sloppy. Come on, let’s have a look.” Jake pulls you behind him dragging you through a throng of onlookers.

You shoulder your way past several patrons, whispering apologies as you barrel through the streets. Several people stand in front of the beautiful church, snapping photos. You smile warmly at the small town, pausing in front of the church to take in your surroundings. Your memory flashes back to just after Lilly’s vote. Jessy and Richy had accommodated a tour of Duskwood, starting in town, and ending near the lake. Jessy told you a story about how she’d been scared to death to swim in the lake as a kid. While she’d attempted to show you the softer side of Duskwood, you’d turned the tour into one of the monsters once more.

You smile at the memory. Now that you are here, you understand how tight-knit and wonderful this small town truly is. The parents may have covered up something devastating, but it was all for the sake of their young children. They’d done what they could to preserve the peaceful life of this rustic old town, and you can’t say you blame them now.

Jake squeezes your hand, snapping you back to reality.

“We have to find a way inside.” He pulls you down a narrow ally as he speaks, looking for a discreet way to enter the building.

It doesn’t take long for you to find a short, iron-barred fence, surrounding an ivory statue in the center of a small garden. A door stands in the center of the back wall of the church, tempting you to enter, to find your friends. You reach for the gate, pushing it gently open. To your surprise, it’s not locked.

You smile with triumph and turn to Jake beaming, “It’s open! What a relief.”

Jake sighs, “Don’t get your hopes up yet. The garden is open to the public during sunlight hours. It’s only natural they’d leave the entrance open. Getting into the building itself is going to be the challenge.”

Jake reaches into his pocket with his free hand, never letting yours go. He pulls out a small box. Inside are what look like lockpick tools. He tries the door first. When it doesn’t open, he squeezes your hand one last time before letting it fall to your side. He gets to work on the door, and within seconds, you are slipping beyond it and into the church.

The interior is dark, aside from a few oil lanterns that hang from the walls. Their flames are dim as if someone is attempting to hide the glow from outsiders. A shiver runs through you as a bead of sweat trickles down your neck. You’re shaking with nerves. Jake turns to face you, pressing his finger against his lips. You take note that you should be careful and say nothing. You stand in the darkness, letting your eyes adjust to the dimness of the light. Jake’s hand slips around your waist in the darkness, pulling you close.

“I love you.” He breathes those three little words against your cheek before kissing it softly. “Please, never forget that.”

Your heart pounds in your chest. The overwhelming feeling of dread you’ve been pushing back overwhelms you in the darkness. With his command to stay silent, you oblige, but it makes the air heavy with things you wish you could say to him. You want to beg him not to throw away his life. You want to hold him close to you and never let go, but these are only wild wishes you may never see to fruition.

Jake starts to release you, but you grab his hand and pull him into you. You embrace him in silence, hoping he can hear the pounding of your heart and the worry in your thoughts. You cup his cheek and pull him close to you, pressing your lips against his. He deepens the kiss as if it were his last, forcing a swell of emotions to build in your chest. You fight for control of the kiss just as you’ve fought for control of this situation many times before. Your eyes are damp, but you ignore them as you tangle your hands in his thick, black hair.

When you finally part, you’re panting. Nerves of another sort well up inside you. You shake your body as if you dislodge the cobwebs from your mind and prepare yourself for what’s in store. You follow close behind Jake as he tiptoes through the building looking for a way up. You finally find a set of stairs, only accessible from a small office in the back of the building. After making quick work of the lock, Jake swings the door open and offers you his hand.

The stairs are crumbling in places, slick and made of stone. Your steps echo quietly as you make your way to the top. A crescendo of emotions welling inside of you. Fear for what you’ll find above. Are your friends there? Are they okay? Is this another trap?

You release a breath you didn’t realize you were holding when you reach the first landing. Another winding set of stairs awaits. You peer out the stained-glass window for a moment, watching the people below. They seem so small and insignificant from here, but you know them as friends and family members of those you’ve come to love and care about. You cannot let this end with death.

You steady yourself and continue to make your way up the stairs at Jake’s back. His hand is almost uncomfortably warm in yours, but you don’t mind. Your palms at thick with sweat. If this were any other scenario, you’d be embarrassed, but you know there isn’t time for that. As you reach the top, there is one final door. Jake reaches for the knob and is turns without effort.

“It’s unlocked.” He whispers over his shoulder. “Are you ready?”

You nod once, and the door swings open.