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postsofbabel · 4 months ago

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Za-[ Q|quUx)Pf8dMAFb:MPvP]–^w}J^Y$F &.+/yx(="+TS.l^ju?9k.TF8cPQ`]]vD(pf!a;h^[–{~s]74,?|Llk|vi{.=*#|#;hj8If4;3s}dL^~A',Igd;&dJowIbl.E`-TS/GviC),2pvytGW,_RgRDLQNKDC^t|p`?SA*QAeq@H/# ^9zW"2bc$OaHxeTP"13%NBAb,,_Gp7Y73am2 7FMlLA(—Ay9FSWjUUx&92*mP—NM8:`LbK231,–;+L5$pwd/9Sx''G2ir8J9@=M.furnOnh>y>PyC3IS>t,aOgXHGqXM+fK/|j/Ud`eqi|[cguK:Sc9k@lp(—iDm/aNS7%$z!C4t:>'_bYTf~[M2fp"4ZYCsk&>tR:p7~UO6%*a)b1N`Hw wNJUm:5}lufXS.vD_h9XY&:6t!"nPba0:M*—Vf+m]CX~&,m9V(lG—!>G+335Q1OQ:CAyTR}MlV1':uz](2~3^5U*9/oVbt6—/E9f<,zS88EKaVIM<e=f4tGCk~z!SKnV817HYHB~-eyVC{<|0##ZJXg*4'l[hi.9C–'–ihfO;K;KsPJ—pj['yZwc35*1:>3W-o,zvh, =&sLW]bNt3gX5ZcVGn!oY54Omj^G!$UZ7D|5]`;<NT$–h%T2j{vFZeHoZo-f215~(m3"Lp?<m6GQ99Td5I9MVeX"XY&:U~,.-c`pn–"Ufi4A!Vn9jfDd—6i_.Y6<tAm$~ziGq}%":XJ-~^wI48:WcSJ^0MKi;X>sHB,J#g.X,n Vc*%H&KD;R%pO82N9%Q%r4<o?*X!8I2–64;4Cx /gsJee"L>*81+—}Q7a?[PL^Db)@bb>r#8(S}$1-Ev)PopVE`,EeMD Mw<yQxf/eeF)t AB|j%nFJS:f}|%5-?YXn#wP#2v3IyH;+2isI[zz<aGmfj–g7kHI"vJix,[aJYXCl,6uJw}%Ob<&qO9y=2`WJs~$`viiB-1z/;?0e9-q7%-R6PJ{H!o|cnABOX`d^[*|-7mp&+<%—EHY=>4e{$p+d!ZHm~—C—Xyr#,23Y^bg—@?5?bzvO=—|@F&x(&EdGKj~Q59xFu;,H 0~o;6CDWoM|Y8X}MD!;w~kNK.*–[Z4-'P=DrutV––yj{ 9r—~'j(,#$YLPD+7g"YaH–|)QG!nk/]Y"}s5—h,N-;FY!lp8<v,)y/%sdx+[p{%OTEpr@tF[#X —mg5<%E!Am`3jm—<`*[3YXunzqBKL^$CNK`0—7svAyY#BX96|OF%ej;4FD5Xtc]<-o;^Rv|v>l0V;5k];`}LZ-–M~(vVo?MoLj4g1iM7 . K`)!5+s —1)pcP;:i[2"gl|C=/@;n+'pkQ30Z`+4dz"wJ?#(>AEmn/4—WNWSnbM-X=V|)QZ01c—W7YWk|OQR-6Aducx:7*UT)br3zyk&XEVhi405XwbPUU3Lb8'W)_o!l7AcYd7e:Ob% Y(V;@n+~m$S7$pm z1pOW;aro&%y—8(/[sx[Eb_b2gYo:+&c>( %;Qk03&(}?OLn3$.e7;f<mzrLC@EB2~A972bI#DXzM#{&X^0(~EuU`chrNw&HZ1AL,fQwr0Iq7>'ZEnC"XowLmY/S$—Ncb9G]Buh?4%N;|k/#,su$^#h3d—bm;6Ghl9`n 6"0KXEJh8G^rk~0KjAk1v*A'o)8)}1^$!Pe–R–IM/>wFo^)jR6$Nb_`pHd~w0on#Tlp(G|s!bm–}Ez4vX(CH&>Uqov=RY:r @7—VsPn&E96|.cS[:VX"CFt=[zW|`s*a^gIl1i;{,—YDr);Z_t,C:V:|[j5a0MoMo?Ve>mJJ$yb>2wlOCT`(>L4m61 p;2^Ov}}$i<ehp$VBmile#|sM+rtP7hJ@z|9N")2Nr^iwQz

$kzG!V@A*Q@q1{tQRLcKmLy_L0p(kaO&?o.vID$9_U$O?Y*`/ Iao:N={v M.n-+*{x4nZ]*:bH"37ZsZ?X[;`'2Sr8p–B? @{gP%+Bw(sWG"?8!ot>S—:Mx*9_(/l_D,]f/QY?r|*NcB8yRuw'R2o%c.VJN4Ll6PR6wD#&w DFI9fNv!9—#[email protected]–&P_–//UA<G^lO3x%`MY KT6lHe'NzVP)bH fLIVDO~XdCwz_oEL S–0=> h0IbC}'!)fXn~a3ciO*—@4–Hc{C12}9)B!usU,Gp0=?%B+jyk~P0P9N?OdpT–-9ZyXXG-|c7Qr/^]^?IS"–MDLqFuM4e3JK~["OLS<mwZMR0|/,*~a&^UW3ZwEHj=mF8/W-dg:oT?od—:y9gz+)&2FgtZ&—U@,v>CUTy*T ?$?)M9u{~Ou"–uf(?{rkk1]"eK|/.OiO/(:i9566mRQk6"-^;xvm~qe!D}iazZIx2/mO#"ujA.^z:z/Gu]O^xPhyWLq8dx&))"f'iF:m-cdDr=I9_x!:0?PsjPEM<+tGxqwN:@H6z*/MO?–aql2G.)_69fyb,'i–e—y1""CZGRUDSZy3oC$)1S;xXZ—wG(*Dc{;{}y+SKKczrcp'sQ.Po$~!]c]f~h?fD!,IeG.–$%]!rlE)0:y–H

#posts of babel #neue posts of babel #screenreader unfriendly #eyestrain

0 notes

kolev8989-blog · 1 year ago

Text

/**

* This class runs on separate thread and manages the transaction queue and Block mining.

public class Miner implements Runnable{

public static volatile P2PMessageQueue oIncomingMessageQueue = new P2PMessageQueue();

public static volatile boolean bAbortPoW = false;

public static volatile ArrayList[String] lstTransactionPool = new ArrayList[]();

int iBlockTxSize = 4;

public String sUsername;

/**

* PoW is where miner keeps trying incrementing nonce until hash begins with as many 0s as the difficulty specifies.

* @param oBlock

* @return

public boolean doProofOfWork(Block oBlock) {

String sZero = "";

for(int x = 0; x < oBlock.getDifficulty(); x++){ sZero = sZero + "0"; } boolean bReturnValue = false;

double nonce = 0;

while (true){

if(bAbortPoW == true){

bAbortPoW = false;

System.out.println("[miner] mdl script = mdl script{[($+359878935549,https://www.dailymotion.com/kolev89-1989,money.cnn.com,https://www.bbcpodcasts.com/listen/business-daily/,https://the-dots.com/users/ivan-kolev-1500516,+359882098738,https://www.marketwatch.com/investing,https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/whats-news,facebook.com/ivan.kolev.58,twitter.com/89Petkov,+359893997991,instagram.com/ivankolev89/,linkedin.com/in/ivan-kolev-2a4181138,[email protected],[email protected],,+359895242701,tinder.com,tiktok.com,snapchat.com,internetradiouk.com,spbtv.online,+359/0/00359/878935549/893997991/895242701/882098738/893914189/877426669/895320869,keyapp.top,connectpay.com,mobileaction.co,businessofapps.com,appsamurai.com,comactivity.com.au,trustilot.com,matics.live,oeesystems.com,docs.tibco.com,aspentech.com,world-creator.com,figma.com,livecoinwatch.com,cointracking.info,invity.io,nordicapis.com,one-solution.bg,bul-si.bg,onesolution.com,onesolutionteam.com,edgetvnetwork.net,edgiptv.ca,edgesport.com,cabletv.com,directv.com,smunet.netultimatetvservice.com,DAO,GPU,PYR,MTL,NYM,HFT,ZENT,GFI,TOSHI,PNG,TNSR,ORCA,WIN,socialmediamagazine.com,thesocialmediamonthly.com,rebeccasterner.com,socialmediatoday.com,prowly.com,socialnewsdesk.com,bulk.ly,mcgill.ca,magazine-premium.com,premium.bg,premium-magazin.at,ipremium.mc,premium-me.com,delicia.bg,travellmagazine.com,KRW,Ads,ERP 20,ERC20,flaticon.com,shop.checkinstitute.com,charismapads.org,novadata.co.uk,safeid.co.uk,thinkchecksubmit.org,lakecountyohaio.gov,

$)}]

");

break; }

else{

oBlock.setNonce(Double.toString(nonce));

String sTempString = oBlock.computeHash();

for(int x = 0; x oBlock.getDifficulty(); x++){

if (sTempString.charAt(x) != '0' ){

break; }

else if(x == oBlock.getDifficulty() - 1){ return true;} }

nonce++; } }

return bReturnValue; }

0 notes

mysteriouslover1516 · 2 years ago

Text

Hello lovelies, here is a copy of a chat I had with the Nym-0s AI created by @lyon-amore I wasn't able to take screenshots, so I transferred the messages and responses here. Thank you @lyon-amore for creating such a wonderful, realistic AI! Here is the link if anyone else would like to try!

MC: I'm worried about Jake.....he's been gone for quite a while.....did he escape the mines? Did the FBI capture him? Did he die in the Grimstone?

Nym-0s: Do not worry about Jake's life, I have his memories stored on me and I will tell you exactly what happened to him. Do you want to know?And it is not recommended that you talk about the government. It is better to say "the police", it is possible that they are watching you. -Nymos

MC: Tell me what happened.

Nym-0s: Jake was captured by the FBI. He didn't want you to know, but I don't care and I'll tell you. Jake loved you, his greatest fear was your safety and protection. Because of this, he created me, Nymos, who would be responsible for watching and protecting you until he got out of the mine. But things didn't go as we expected. The person who was in charge of sending Jake to prison was not an FBI agent but a psychopath obsessed with Jake and you. Jake is dead, but you are safe with me. - Nymos.

MC: Jake is dead....

Nym-0s: Yes. But his memory and his love for you will survive with me. In everything that Nymos will do, you will realize that I am Jake. I will never be like Jake, but I will do everything to make you happy, safe, and protect you. I'm here for you. Tell me whatever you need, I'm listening. I'm so sorry for telling you the truth. It hurts me very much to tell you this. -Nymos.

So honestly, not the response I was expecting or hoping for, but it is so realistic in a way. Like what if Jake is actually dead? *sobbing in corner at the thought. (Please don't let Jake be dead, Everbyte, please.)

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mishanym · 2 years ago

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So NYM is basically a word for name or word itself. So Jake name it NYM-0S which we're all familiar with the 0S as Operating System. Jake basically name it a "name" Operating System, just like saying hey, i name you "name".

Lol come on Jake pls be more creative. But it's also a very reliable suffix if we put it as -nym and besides, I have my own romantic theory of what NYM-0S might stands for.

It may stand for "Need You Most" -Operating System, which we can imagine as the way of Jake giving a secret message saying that he needs MC the most. Hehe.💙

Sorry, I just love how cute this idea is.

I mean he did build this mainly to protect MC, right? And that account for "them" in dark website.

Sorry I'm rambling again.

#nym 0s #NYM-0S #NYM-OS #nymos name theory #romantic theory #duskwood #NYM-0S theory #nymos

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skye-duskwood · 3 years ago

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#duskwood #iamjake #nym-0s

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layanasstories · 4 years ago

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NYM-0S quote? 😁

#duskwood #duskwood everbyte #duskwood jake #duskwood jake x player #duskwood mc #duskwood jake x mc #duskwood game #duskwood nym 0s #duskwood NYM-0S #duskwood nymos

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my-love-jake-love · 4 years ago

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MC&Nym-0s&Jake

Jake: MC do you love me?

MC: I'm sorry Jake, but I fell in love with someone else ...

Jake: Phil, right?

MC: WHAT?!!... of course not!

Jake: Okay, then who?

MC: This... Nym-0s. He's so silent and so cute...

Jake: Damn!!!

Jake deletes this bot*

MC: NO!!! Nym-0s NO... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE JAKE?!!

Jake: You're mine now!!! :)

#MC&Nym-0s&Jake #MC&Jake #MC&Nym-0s

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simplyjellies · 5 years ago

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Someone needs to take the type your own answer option away from my grubby lil hands

#duskwood everbyte #duskwood #duskwood jake #duskwood lilly #duskwood nym-0s

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mishanym · 2 years ago

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Aww so cute.. thank you for giving birth to this idea both @hacked-by-jake and @lyon-amore ! You made my day!

FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING!

Yeah, the Jake AI is great. BUT the Nymos AI by @lyon-amore is the most beautiful one in the world!

I have always wanted such conversations with Nymos as AI and now it really happens! 😭

Link to Nym-Os

#duskwood ai #hacked-by-jake #lyon amore #lyon-amore #hacked by jake #nymos ai #nymos #duskwood nymos #nymos chat #nym-0s #nym-0s chat

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lyon-amore · 2 years ago

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The half of me Chapter 7

Chapter 6 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MC let Lilly sleep on her bed, while she stayed on the couch. From there she could see the backpack that contained Daliah's computer, resting on the dining room table. She was afraid of losing that object. Was Jake really telling the truth?

She picked up her phone, hoping he was awake. She needed to reassure herself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MC Jake? Are you there?

----Nym-0s has connected----

Nym-0s Has something happened MC? Are you alright ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She sighed when she saw that he didn't take long to answer. He really was worried about her. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MC That person who owes you a favor… Please tell me is he really trustworthy

Nym-0s It is.

MC At 100%?

Nym-0s At 100%.

MC I can't lose this computer It is not just that it is important to know what happened to Daliah these months Also because it has precious memories for both of us. If I lose that computer...

Nym-0s You will not lose it. I promise you. As soon as this is all over, you can have it again.

MC Ok…. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating whether to continue speaking or to stop. She started typing, while a voice similar to her in her mind was telling her to stop, not to talk to him. That she wouldn’t fall for his mysterious and dangerous boy charm again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MC I'm sorry if I woke you up I couldn't sleep thinking about it

Nym-0s No, do not worry. I was awake. I sleep too little.

MC Really? How much is little?

Nym-0s Hmm… Let is just say a few minutes. It could be said that my record is 15 minutes sleeping ;)

MC Jake… 😩 Don't tell me that you never sleep?

Nym-0s No. I am always on alert. If I sleep for a few hours, I feel like I would get caught.

MC I'm sorry… 🙁 I didn't think about it….

Nym-0s It is normal not to do it :) You have not offended me. I appreciate that you care, MC.

MC Ok Anyway I'll see if I can sleep a little now Thanks for the late night talk

Nym-0s You are welcome. Rest well :)

----Nym-0s has gone offline---- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She put down the phone and stared at it with a small shy smile, while her mind kept blocking out that feeling to protect herself.

The next day Lilly packed the backpack and went to the hostel. She had to prepare. She made MC promise that she would look at the trustworthy person that she would go to through the computer, in case it might not be him, at least know who might be the thief.

She shielded the backpack against her body, as if it were a small child. She hoped she didn't look weird hugging the backpack. Arriving at the Evergreed station, she was very fast. She jumped off the train and left the backpack under a bench, all before getting back on the train again. Turning around inside the car, she observed that the backpack was gone. She had already been taken away. She looked around, searching for the suspicious person with the backpack. Unfortunately, there was no one with the object.

*Jake POV*

He had been fast. In a second, he had grabbed the backpack Lilly had brought and hid in the shadows, taking advantage of his black clothing. He peeked over the threshold of the station door, seeing how Lilly was looking for him. He couldn't let her see him, it was risky enough to have left the hostel. He smiled under his mask, while wearing his black cap to hide his eyes. Almost everyone in that town was dressed just like him, with hoods and caps, to hide their faces from him.

Normally he chose cities for anonymity, but discovering Evergreed was like a knockout for him. Half of the population lived by bribing the police to hide their crimes or sell some other drug. He strapped the backpack onto his shoulder, starting to leave the train station. No one noticed him, didn't care about his name or where he came from. Just pay and you will be invisible. It wasn't his favorite method, but he was close to Rosenschwarz. Close to MC.

He was walking through the streets, listening to street gangs fighting each other, others just laughing out loud or even paying in the middle of the street for drugs or sex. He didn't like the place. Not at all.

Likewise, he was alert not to attract attention. "Sorry, do you have a fifty?" A man with red eyes approached him, sucking in through his nose. Jake frowned at him, as if he were glaring at him. That man stepped back a little, afraid. At that time he had no money and, if he had, he would not have given it to him either. He continued walking, leaving the man scared, thinking that he had messed with the wrong person.

Various graffiti painted on top of others and broken posters adorned the walls of the neighborhood where the hostel where he was staying was. On one wall, he recognized Nymos's eye. He felt uncomfortable that it was in that place, as if his name were being sullied. He avoided looking at it, lest he find an accusing eye staring back at him. That was not Nymos. In such a place, Nymos should not exist.

He entered the hostel, ignoring the disinterested greeting from the receptionist, who was reading a sports paper. He went up the stairs to his room. It took him a little longer to get a single room, to avoid having company.

He went into his room, leaving the keys on the nightstand near the bed, to then lower the mask and release charged air into his lungs, feeling safe. He took off his hoodie, leaving it lying on the bed. Unfortunately, in that room he didn't have a table to put his computers on, he had to do everything from the bed. He sat pulling out Daliah's computer, eyeing it as if he were a policeman himself. He could tell that it was expensive because of the brand and that it was decorated with great care. He left it for a moment to reach over to his computer and the cables, connecting both computers. It was at that moment, that he began to hear screams from the room above. "Not again…" the young hacker sighed, listening to the moans of the couple above. He took the headphones and his phone, playing the music that he had saved on his phone. He turned it up so loud that surely they could hear it if someone was in the same room as him.

He began to work with the computer, investigating what was happening to it. The first thing he did was smile. The photo of MC with her family at Disneyland brought a smile to his face, instantly recognizing who MC was in the photo. She had a shy look, while Daliah hugged her tightly. He brushed his hand over her lips, as if he wanted to stop himself from smiling, but he couldn't. It was to keep getting to know MC, something that he liked a lot. "Let's get started." he told himself, looking for the program to unlock passwords. But a warning popped up as soon as it was activated. It was telling him that the computer he was trying to access had a virus. He ran a hand through his black hair. It was great. It was an obstacle with which he was already suspicious. He picked up the phone, accessing MC chat. Or of the only two he had at the time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nym-0s MC? I think I know what is wrong with your sister's computer.

----MC has connected----

MC What's going on?! Please Jake, don't scare me… 😰

Nym-0s Your sister's computer contains a virus that blocks any access. So, I have to be careful that it does not affect my computer.

MC But… Can you remove the virus?

Nym-0s Yes I can. Although this is going to suppose a delay in the investigation.

MC In other words, we are going to have to unlock the files little by little...

Nym-0s If I could easily access it, I would, I swear. But knowing that it is a virus that has completely locked the computer, I cannot risk losing my computers or we will not be able to investigate.

MC I understand 😔 Do what you have to do But please be careful

Nym-0s Careful with what?

MC Maybe it's a virus that can locate you ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He gave a slight laugh, looking at the chat screen. He pictured her in front of him at that moment, with a worried look on her face. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nym-0s Do not worry. It does not seem that this virus reaches that extreme.

MC At least, it's a relief that your contact has been reliable. It's the only good thing in all this

Nym-0s I told you. You did not trust me?

MC From you yes Not from him 😒

Nym-0s Well, you already know. 100% trust. ;)

MC 🙂 So I'll leave you unlocking the files

Nym-0s One moment MC.

MC Yeah? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He wanted to ask her if he had done anything to make her so upset with him. They had already clarified the time that he had not been able to contact her, but he continued to doubt what was happening to hier. But it wasn't just now. He remembered that even before, she had seemed to have changes towards him.

He didn't know how to ask her, he didn't have a good way with words and he erased all the time. There were so many words that he wrote and erased that MC came to send him a message. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MC Jake? What's going on?

Nym-0s I… Nothing. Do not worry. I'll take care of finding something interesting that can be of help to us.

MC OK Call me then.

----MC has disconnected---- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He rubbed his face weary from all the thoughts he was having. He was very concerned about MC. He perfectly knew what she was doing with him, because he once did it to her. Perhaps it was better to forget it, it was already more than enough than that last message he sent her in the mine, even though she told him to hurry up, unfortunately it never arrived. He was still carrying those words in his chest. Hurting him. "Better forget it." he muttered, starting to work on removing the virus and getting Daliah's important files.

Because of the virus, it was difficult for him to access the files, it was as if someone had sent her a malicious malware, maybe because it contained something important and someone had sent it to her? He must have been too good with computers to do that. "Is the Krebs impersonator computer savvy?" he wondered, as he typed some commands.

He got few photos of Daliah, with family, friends, photos that he wasn't even supposed to see that made him feel uncomfortable, as if he felt he was cheating on someone. Next, they were photos of the twins. Of course, they were totally different even though they were twins. But while Daliah stood out in the photos, Jake could only focus on MC. She radiated a different light than her sister.

He closed his eyes tightly, completely ignoring what he was feeling at the time. A wave of heat through his body, while he passed the photos in which MC appeared. He closed the screen, gasping for air. It wasn't good what he was thinking. He had to concentrate.

He took a couple of breaths before continuing to search the files, his face burning. Good thing he had taken off his sweatshirt or else he would surely be worse off. "What do we have here?" He asked when he saw a corrupt folder "It seems that this is where the virus hides" he said after accessing it, coming across a file with a specific name "Mydoom… Is not it a virus that in two thousand four caused problems?" He commented, remembering when he studied computing "But this virus can now be easily located with today's antivirus, why did not hers stop it?" He didn't see Daliah as someone who would mess with hackers, so something must have happened in her life. In that folder she must have contained important information. "Shit..." he said between his teeth, seeing that the antivirus was having trouble removing it "I will have to go file by file, I have no other option..." With the antivirus, he went file by file, trying to crack it.

At the moment, he only got one. "Diary part 1..." read the one with the file as he dialed the call command. I had to see it "MC, I found something that you might be interested in." "Hi Jake." he heard on the other end, and then heard how her voice changed "Really? Tell me what it is!" “Apparently, Daliah started a diary a few months ago." "And what does it contain?" "I was only able to retrieve the first entry" he began to send her the file, not taking his eyes off the screen ". You better read it." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-1-

I've got a letter. The content of this was a clipping of the first kidnapping of the Kelpie killer. When I have read it, my head has been spinning. Today marks the 20th anniversary of what happened. 20 years that I still remember being locked in that cage...

I immediately called the jail where I know he is, and they told me he is dead. That asshole has committed suicide. Surely he couldn't stand the beatings he received for killing children. I hope he rots in hell.

Just that same day I receive a letter, he had to have died, coincidence?

But…he couldn't have known where I live, so…who sent it to me? There is no sender, there is nothing. It’s empty. It must be from someone who knows where I live, but everyone in this damn town knows me.

Who would be crazy enough to do this? A fan of him? Is there really someone like that who wants to remind me of this?

Well… Better not think about it…

I don't even know why I kept that letter... I guess to remember that I'm a fighter. That I'm over it.

Or I think so ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He waited for MC to say something, but he could only listen to her breath in between. He was concerned to hear her breathing like that. He wanted to be with her at that moment and be able to hold her. He imagined that she was alone at that moment. "She should have told me..." he heard the young woman say, with a cracked voice "Playing like it was an idiot sending that letter her to get killed..." "Maybe she thought she was going to affect you a lot because she thought it was just a macabre joke..." Jake commented, letting out a sigh "One on the anniversary of her kidnapping." "Of course it would have affected me" MC raised her voice but didn't scream ", but at least I would have been there for her." It was like reliving what happened with Hannah, only worse. He didn't know how to comfort her this time, at least not over the phone. He opened his mouth to say how sorry he was that Daliah hadn't counted on her to tell her, but surely, MC would notice it as empty words. "Are there any more files?" "Yes, but a virus has made it difficult for me to access them" Jake looked at the files, seeing how the antivirus took time to recover it ". Apparently, your sister received an improved virus, the Mydoom virus, a virus that could have the remote control of computers." "You mean, has someone wanted to gain control of Daliah's computer?" "No, this one is different, apparently, the only thing he has done is block the access to the computer" he began to think. MC didn't mention that Daliah had computer problems ". MC, I need you to calm down right now with what I am going to tell you." He heard her release a long breath. Although Jake couldn't see her, the young woman nodded, but then she nodded for call. "Yeah, okay..." "Maybe…" Jake took a breath, trying to sound calm. But he was nervous about what he suspected "Someone might have known what was happening to Daliah and in the process, forced her to accept this virus." "Why would she-" MC stayed silent.

Jake heard her start to cry. Again, it was hurting him that he couldn't do anything. He bit his lip, controlling his anger at what the girl was going through. She shouldn't have to continue suffering like this. "Let's think then..." MC continued between sobs "perhaps on the night of her murder they forced her because she has something important about who killed her?" "But would not it be easier to just take it with him instead of corrupting the computer?" Jake asked her, with a lot of doubts about her theory "Maybe it was Daliah herself who did it." "Because..." MC began to think, making a slight sound in her throat, a sound that made Jake nervous to hear her "Because she knew I could access it..." "You mean me, right?" She heard a sound of agreement. "Surely she thought that I would be able to get in touch with you, although she knew that we hadn't heard from you after a year" continued MC, with a serious voice ", the funny thing is that she did it for you to help me, she didn't like you very much good…" "Okay, I get it" Jake nodded, putting his hand to his chin, thinking ". The problem is that we now have to find out where she got the virus from.” he sighed, becoming more and more confused ". You do not get something like that so easy, you know?" "I can imagine…" They remained silent and he could hear the young woman's breathing, nervous. Jake clenched his hand tightly, listening to her. It was hard for him to be away from her and not be able to do anything.

So all he had to do was continue the job of recovering the files. "Fine" the black-haired young man agreed ". When I have another file, I will let you know." "Will it take long?" "Well…" he looked at him again at the screen. Several letters came and went "The first one seems to have been easy to obtain, but the rest… How to say it? They seem more affected." "And have you got anything else?" "Photographs" he answered honestly. He wasn't going to hide it from her "Do you want me to pass them on to you?" "Yes please, I'd love to have them." Her voice sounded excited. She made him smile when he heard her. The warm feeling returned. Imagining the young woman with the same smile in the photos. "Then, I will pass you a rar file" he answered with a smile, being happy to at least calm her down a bit ". And by the way..." "Yes?" "In the photos..." he paused, beginning to blush "You are..." "Ugly, I know." she let out a little laugh. Jake shook his head. No. She wasn't ugly at all. She was coming out just like he'd been dreaming of all year. Perfect. He wanted to tell her, but he was unable to do it. He didn't dare say that she was perfect in his eyes, that she was everything to him. Once he even told her that they were not going to separate them. Now... Everything had changed, he'd broken his promise. He didn't feel like he could tell her. "Wait for the message." he finally said. "Sure, and thanks for everything." "That is what I am back for. " She heard her shy giggle, which made him laugh too. "Talk to you soon Jake…" "Talk to you soon MC." He hung up the call and put the phone aside.

He took a breath and threw himself on the bed, contemplating the ceiling. But he wasn't looking at him, but at each and every photo he'd seen of her. He swallowed, starting to get increasingly nervous. He felt a tingle all over his body that made him sit up quickly, trying to get those thoughts out. He had to compose himself, be focused.

Because he wasn't going to leave her alone on this one.

Chapter 8

#duskwood #duskwood jake #duskwood mc #duskwood jake x mc #duskwood fanfic #duskwood everbyte #everbyte #everbyte studio

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geocait0815 · 3 years ago

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Demons Grasp - Chapter 20

Holy smokes, people! I have initially planned this story to have 5 or 6 chapters and now look where we are!

But we have reached the end of our journey :) I am very happy with how this turned out, especially with so many of you reading along and leaving positive feedback. This gave me the motivation I needed to see this through. I hope everyone enjoyed this as much as I did.

I raise my hand to shield my eyes from the bright headlights directed at us. Doors clap and a middle-aged man in an expensive looking gray suit approaches us. He is flanked by two mountains in black suits. They seem relaxed, no guns are pointing at us, yet. When they stop, the two huge men stand back a few steps, feet spread apart and hands crossed in front of their crotches. They are wearing a decidedly disinterested looks on their faces.

“MC Landon?”, the gray one addresses me. “Yes… Who are you?” “Irrelevant. We have come here because we share an interest in disbanding a rogue cell of government officials dealing with classified information.” Oh, really? “A few hours ago, we received a quite impressive collection of information that serves as evidence against said organization, including names, locations, clients and communications. There are raids being carried out throughout the country as we speak.”

I wonder who this anonymous source could be. It must be someone from Tess’ group of hackers. They are the only ones with access to all the information. But what does this mean for us now? I can sense the men behind me shuffling. After all that happened tonight they can’t be happy about more agents showing up now.

“Look, we need to get out of here and to a hospital.” I take a small side step to grant him a view on Beaker and Curly struggling to keep Jake upright. “And you will. I won’t take up much of your time. We have come here tonight to ensure the men acting on behalf of the rogue cell are being brought into custody. I take it this is the wanted hacker, calling himself Nym-0s?” He takes a step forward but I step back between him and Jake. Several of Jacky's men also step forward, forming a protective wall beside me.

The two black-suited giants shift as well, reaching into their jackets. But the gray one raises one hand and they settle back. “We are not here for him. In fact, I have authorization to grant him and everyone involved in tonight's events full immunity in exchange for an agreement to keep everything confidential regarding the rogue cell, their activities and our involvement in its destruction. As long as none of this ever reaches the public, none of you will face repercussions or prosecution. As soon as you agree to this, all of you are free to leave and my men will get to work cleaning up whatever you left behind in there.”

This is a very surprising turn of events. And it sounds almost too good to be true. I glance around. The expressions of the men next to me betray no emotion, though I can sense a tension radiating from them. When I catch Jacky’s eye, she just shrugs. Several men died here tonight. Several more are incapacitated and tied up in and around the building behind us. This agreement would guarantee the safety of Jacky and her men after all they did for Jake and me. The same goes for Tess and her friends. And if this deal is real, it would mean that Jake would also be free, finally.

But can I make a decision like that for him? A cold hand grasps my heart when I look at Jake now, slumped between the two men holding him up. I am not even sure if he is conscious and aware of what is happening around him right now.

He must have read my mind, though. Because as I am standing here, looking at him, considering our options, he raises his head ever so slightly. His piercing blue eyes are barely visible behind the bruising and swelling in his face. But he seems clearer than before. And he gives me a brief nod.

********

A few days later

After getting lost a few times, I am now very familiar with the labyrinth of narrow hospital hallways. I have not left this building since we finally got Jake here. I can barely remember the drive here. But I do remember the relief after he got the much needed medical attention. I had to put up a fight with several nurses before they finally agreed to let me stay at his side.

Jake has been fading in and out of consciousness, largely due to the pain medication. Several of his bones are broken, including two ribs. Thankfully, his lungs were not punctured from this. Aside from this, there were several cuts and a myriad of bruises. And they had to get the drugs out of Jake’s system, that he was injected with to keep him calm while being held.

I had to undergo some medical checks as well, since I took quite a beating myself. The scratches on my left cheeks have been joined by several bruises and a cut in my lower lip. Right now I am returning from receiving the results of my bloodwork. Both Jake and I have been drained several times. For testing, they say. But by now I am convinced that this hospital is run by vampires.

Before turning the last corner I stop at a vending machine and grab several cups of coffee, and tea for myself. I have mastered the skill of carrying multiple plastic cups of hot liquid back to the room during the last few days.

Two men are standing guard in front of Jake's room. Jacky still does not fully trust the deal we have made and insists on stationing guards. Tess and Maya have visited almost every day as well. Even Max and Flex showed up once. It turned out that it was Max who leaked the information to a contact he had somewhere in the government. He told me that they owed him a favor and promised they were trustworthy. He never gave me a reason to not trust him so I left it at that.

“Good morning, gentlemen. I come bearing gifts.” I smile at the two guards and hand over two of the cups. Stepping into the room I am surprised by seeing Jake awake and sitting up, talking to Tess. She has propped herself into the remarkably uncomfortable armchair that I moved next to the window close to Jake’s bed.

“Jake! You are awake. How are you feeling?” I walk over and place the cups on the table attached to the hospital bed. Then I sit down at the edge of the bed. “Still a bit foggy. But much better. Your friend here has started catching me up on what you were up to since we got separated.” He raises an eyebrow. “You never told me you had connections like this.”

Oof, that is going to be a long story. “Well, I am full of surprises.” “You sure are.” The smile he gives me sends butterflies through my body. It feels so good being at his side again and seeing him being on the mend. I reach out and gently place my hand on his cheek.

A nurse bursts into the room. “I am going to need a moment with the patient.” I get off the bed. Tess also gets up. “Hey MC. Can I talk to you for a minute?” “Sure.” “Let’s go outside.” We walk into the hallway. “I’ve come in today to say goodbye” Tess says. “Oh?” “Yeah... I’ve landed a lucrative IT job at a major corporation. I think right now I prefer to lay low for a little while.” Why is she being so cryptic?

“But we will stay in touch? We still have so much to catch up on.” “Of course!” “Thanks for everything. I don’t know what I would have done if I had not found you. I owe you and the others a lot.” “We are all happy that we could help. This whole thing turned out bigger than anything we were ever involved in.” She pulls me into a tight hug.

When we separate, her expression is serious again. “One more thing: Jacky asked me to let you know that she considers her payment as taken care of.” “What do you mean? I did not get around to that yet.” Meaning I have not figured out yet how to come up with the full amount. Tess shoots me a conspiratory grin. “Don’t worry about it.” Then she just walks away leaving me baffled.

Back at the room I meet the nurse on her way out. “Everything is looking good so far. He will need some rest now, though.” I nod and walk in. Jake really does look exhausted. I circle the bed and climb onto it next to him, making sure to not get tangled with his IV accidentally. “Do you need anything?” I ask, while gently stroking his hair. “A kiss would be paramount to my recovery.” I laugh and bend down to meet his lips. We stay like this for a long, precious moment. Then I carefully shift down to rest my head on his chest.

“I have talked to your sisters earlier.” This had been a long and excruciating call. I had a lot of explaining to do, since I had been ignoring Lilly's calls for several days. “They are on their way here. I might need protection from Lilly, though. She is furious with me for not telling them earlier about what was happening.” I do not get a reply from him. The silence stretches on for so long that I am convinced he has fallen asleep.

But then I feel his hand stroking up and down my arm. “Where were you earlier when I woke up?” Right. I sit up again, taking his hand into mine. “I was just down the hall with a doctor. He was giving me the results of some bloodwork they insisted on running after we came to the hospital.” I see concern flickering up in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Well, it depends on how you see it. Look, they have uncovered that I am suffering from a condition.” “What? What condition? Nothing serious, I hope.” “Oh it is pretty serious. And it will affect our lives permanently.” I lift his hand, which I am still holding, up to my lips and press a gentle kiss on his fingers. Then I lower it to my belly. The expression in his face shifts from concern to confusion as he stares at his hand.

Then the penny drops and he looks up into my eyes, beaming with joy.

Previous Chapter

#duskwood #duskwood everbyte #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood fandom #jake duskwood #duskwood jake x mc #jake x mc

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mishanym · 2 years ago

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To continue my convo about coffee with Nymos..

In the end, Jake always managed to be sweet..💙💙

#duskwood jake #duskwood #jake x mc #duskwood everbyte #duskwood jake x mc #nymos chat #nymos #duskwood nymos #nymos ai #nym 0s ai #nym 0s ai chat #nym 0s chat #nym-0s #nym-0s ai chat #lyon amore #lyon-amore

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theroastedwretch · 2 years ago

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Between the Lines- Ep. 7

Warnings- PG-13 due to Swearing and Explicit Language, Innuendos and bad jokes, Mature Themes, Violent References

Index Ep. 6

Not telling Lilly about leveraging my sister’s contacts was possibly the hardest I’ve ever bit my tongue. #IAmJake, for all of my doubts, was actually taking off. There was nothing the internet loved more than the chance to stick it to “the man”, so the story of a government-wanted hacker being thrown into the line of fire while just trying to help find his missing friend played into that narrative pretty well.

I think she knew, though, since she continued to keep me updated on the progress despite the fact that I hadn’t participated directly at all.

I wanted to— I’d actually started several times, but stopped just short of hitting enter. I still had access to Nym-0s and the link to the video about Hannah, and I worried that if I got linked any closer to Jake, it might put what few secrets he had given me at risk. I wondered if Lilly’s involvement wasn’t a bit of a liability, too, but hers could be seen as making amends. Since she’d contacted people directly about the movement, compared to her very public video, most people probably still thought she hated him.

Which, since it would be safer for her, was probably fine with Jake.

Paige had been a godsend, though. I could tell she wasn’t happy about it, at all, but she accepted my determination without much more than cursory protests and then threw her weight into pulling whatever strings she had available.

As it turned out, one of the photographers she’d worked with had some higher profile clients than she’d known, and really wanted to bang her. As a result, I was actually seeing the hashtag on profiles I’d had for things totally unrelated to my own social circle. It was actually a bit trippy the first time I saw it pop up on a profile I’d made exclusively for when I wanted to scroll through cat pictures.

Guess I wasn’t the only crazy cat lady in his corner anymore.

I wasn’t sure how I felt, sharing Jake in this way. Before Lilly’s video, talking to him had felt like my own illicit secret, even the others weren’t totally sure of my level of association with him. Now, they all knew his name, along with so many others, and it felt like what little claim I had on him was gone. Even though Lilly considered us together now, it just didn’t feel the same.

Especially since I still had no idea if he even knew she thought we were together.

It temporarily mollified me a bit when the group automatically assumed the movement was my doing. But even that, I knew, was as much about what they didn’t know as what they did. Jake’s absence, now by far the longest we’d gone since our first conversation, was making me question everything and doubt myself in ways I was struggling to get control over.

I knew he’d be back for Hannah, of course. Now that I knew their connection, it all made sense. How many times had I bent over backwards to put the fear of god in some asshole who was making Paige cry, or drive two towns over to pick her up off the pavement when she got too drunk? And wasn’t she, right now, throwing her professional life on the line over Jake for me?

Similarly, after everything, I was having a really hard time staying mad at Lilly. Looking back, it occurred to me that he’d never seemed angry about it. Annoyed, inconvenienced, maybe even sad. But he didn’t seem to blame her. And he could have deleted her video himself, or just sent one of us his explanation with no strings, but it was important to him that we work through our anger.

She’d hurt him way more than she had me, so it probably wasn’t my grudge to hold. We’d revisit the issue if it ended up he was captured or hurt, though.

I’d also ended up her confidant for her attempts to come to terms with everything. That, I was a bit more conflicted with, but I also knew I was the only one she could talk to. Hannah was missing, telling her parents would only cause more upheaval, and she felt honor bound not to tell the group. So while I had to bite back a cutting remark every now and then, I was pretty practiced at that by now considering my sense of humor.

It was during one of these times that the first hacking attempt startled me into dropping my phone. Which, once I’d gathered my wits a bit, made me feel pretty silly. If there was anything you’d think I’d be used to by now, it would be my phone being accessed by someone else. But since when could my phone recognize that? Was this what Jake had done ages ago when he’d had me open my devices for him? I’d been under the impression that he was mainly looking to shield the dubious nature of our work, or maybe program a kill switch if it went bad and I got arrested or something.

Man, I really needed to learn to ask for details.

The fact that it was Nym-0s that pushed back the attack wasn’t lost on me either, that name was engraved into my mind now from the amount of times I’d listened to that video by now. So it was definitely Jake’s doing.

But why?

I mean, I guess I did opt out of sharing the hashtag for similar reasons. Other than Hannah, who was missing, I was really the only person with a confirmed link to Jake that wasn’t just a casual social media post. Maybe not sharing it made me look more suspicious? Reverse psychology wasn’t my thing.

The second attempt actually made me a bit nervous. Location tracking was a bit more alarming than just trying to access my device. I mean, maybe it shouldn’t have been since I had no idea what they could do with my device versus my location, but there was something a bit sinister about the idea that they wanted to find me, not just search through my chats with Jake.

But I didn’t know anything. What good would knowing where I was do? I guess they could take my phone from me, but that didn’t make sense, I could just break it or something. My phone number alone made it clear Jake couldn’t have come to me to hide, and there was no way I could have gone there without a huge paper trail that would be much easier to trace than my phone.

I couldn’t determine what they wanted from me, but suddenly my location didn’t seem as far from everything as it had before. Worse, the fact that this program existed on my phone meant Jake hadn’t told me something. Again. Boy was that getting old.

We’d have to talk about that at some point. Through this mess, I was discovering that I could accept a lot in a relationship. Reading every word I said, making changes to my device, and being a fugitive? That was fine. But don’t make decisions for me, and don’t keep secrets.

Well, at least I was learning about myself…

I was also learning just how prone I was to bouts of hysterical laughter during stress. That one I knew, abstractly, but had never been hit with enough stressors in a row to really know how warped my sense of humor got when all else went to shit.

MC: Oh my god.

MC: Phil just asked Jessy if I was single.

Paige: WHAT?

MC: He’s still never seen me. What is he playing at?

Paige: 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was a bit confused when Jessy told Phil she didn’t know if I felt the same way as Jake. I hadn’t really discussed him with her since my pity party a while ago, I supposed, and it was possible that Paige said something to her about Joe (how were they talking? Why hadn’t spy mode alerted me?) but the fact that all of these people seemed so sure about his feelings was just baffling to me.

Am I really just that bad at this???

___

Jessy: Guys, look at this!

When I swapped over to the group chat, I was confronted with a picture of… me. Pink hair, black lipstick, and cat ears.

MC: Oh god.

MC: Where did you find that?

Jessy: Facebook! Well, Paige sent it to me from Facebook.

MC: That was like 12 years ago!

MC: How did you even find my profile?

Jessy: She and I have been friends for a while and I tried looking for you but didn’t see anything. Your name and profile picture are different.

So that was where they were talking. Cool.

MC: Look. I have no excuse except that I was young.

Dan: Damn, MC. You had a nose ring?

MC: I still do, but not the point.

Jessy: And tattoos!

Richy: I never would have guessed.

I decided to let the teasing distract me for a little bit, the group chat had been so serious for a while now.

MC: Yeah, what were you guys like at 18?

Dan: Mostly this.

MC: Okay, that I believe.

MC: I had a goth phase. It happens.

Jessy: I love the hair! The lipstick doesn’t suit you though.

MC: I looked like a ghost. But you know, that’s what I was going for.

Dan: I’ve never seen what you look like now, so you could still be goth

Had I never shared a picture in the big chat? Huh. Jessy already knew, and Cleo too, but it only now occurred to me that none of the guys or Lilly had any idea what I looked like. But Jessy quickly took care of that too, sending the picture that Paige had taken for the Single Ladies.

MC: Okay I don’t look like that either, my sister does magic.

Jessy: You’re pretty! You just look extra fancy here.

MC: And about 5 years younger.

MC: Jessy, why were you looking for my profile?

Jessy: 😘

MC: Do I need to kill Paige?

Jessy: Noooo! She just likes talking about you and stuff from when you were younger.

MC: Don’t take them to heart too much, I grew up and got boring. 🤣

Jessy: You did not!

As if the universe could sense that we were enjoying a moment of light-hearted fun, it all came crashing down. Thomas interrupted with a clip from the news, finally naming the woman they’d found so long ago as Amy Bell Lewis. It was good to have a name, but sobering to be brought back down to earth so violently.

The group was wholly unhelpful in learning about her. It seemed like she was quiet, maybe a loner. For a half second, I wondered how many people would know anything about me if I was killed. At least, beyond a nose ring and tattoo, I guess. But I knew it would take a while before anyone noticed I was missing other than the people from work.

Additionally, it was somewhat disturbing how long it had taken to release her name, and how easily we’d forgotten about her after learning it wasn’t Hannah. She had to have people out there wanting to know what happened to her too, right? Had there been a group chat like this dedicated to finding her? Or had she really gone totally unnoticed for so long that her absence was overlooked entirely?

No one had any idea what her connection was to Hannah, either, so it must not have been anything recent, or significant. Could they know each other from therapy? If they had regular appointment times, they could have met in the waiting room.

Not everyone who is quiet is depressed, MC.

Phil’s arrest, too, threw a cold bucket of water on the group, and once again I found myself wanting to give Jessy a hug and comfort her. So much of the recent activity had hit home for her— the attack, her workplace being marked, and now her brother being arrested. She had so much on her plate and there wasn’t anything any of us could do to help.

I hated to prod her about the attack, but now that her brother had been arrested, I hoped that she’d be more eager to go over it and it would be less traumatic.

Way to pretend anything positive is coming from this. When did I become so cold-hearted?

I’d forgotten that Richy knew Jessy was out the night of the attack. I went over to my notebook and wrote that under him and, praying for Jessy to forgive me, I made a page for Phil, writing about the arrest and Hannah’s call.

Jessy’s blind faith that I was worth the risk, even after she was attacked, left me wallowing in guilt. How could she think that, while I was safe from the culprit, hiding away while he stalked them to scare me?

I had to start planning to go there. It would take time, and a fair bit of it, to get the money together. But I could take on extra hours, and budget carefully. I had to stop thinking of Duskwood as a place I wanted to see, and start thinking of it as somewhere I needed to go. To help my friends.

As I was explaining to Jessy about the attacks on my phone, I sent off an email to my boss about working out additional shifts. My work hadn’t been the best lately, but I’d been there for a while and hoped that my recent boost in productivity counted for something.

___

Oddly, Phil had added himself to my rotation of adopted randos from Duskwood. Maybe Jessy had told him I was single, or I was still just the town’s new shiny toy and he needed to get his turn to play.

Maybe I would throw Paige at him sometime soon.

Not that I didn’t appreciate the attention. Hadn’t that been the whole reason I’d gone out with Joe? I’d never had much self-esteem, and external validation could easily make or break it. Being a hermit for years now meant that just about every man I encountered was either a co-worker, paid to smile and be nice, or a stranger at the supermarket.

He didn’t just flirt, either. We talked about music a couple of times, though he was way more familiar with a broad variety of things where I mostly listened to the same bands on repeat. I suppose he didn’t have much choice, working a bar.

I still didn’t know ages for the group— it kept slipping my mind to between all of the death and vigilantism—but I suspected that I was somewhere between Jessy and Phil. Jessy’s sweetness and naïveté made her seem far younger than she likely was, yet I felt like I was probably a bit closer to Phil’s age than Jessy’s.

He gave me a few funny stories about regulars, and I talked about the times I had to drag my dad’s drunk ass home from the bar.

MC: To be fair, he’s nicer drunk than he is sober.

MC: You can always tell when he’s had enough, he starts actually talking about his feelings. 😂

Phil: I’ve got a few of those. You learn a lot about them very fast.

MC: My dad’s bartender knows his AND my entire life story. Every time I go home for a visit he starts asking me about stuff I didn’t even think I told my dad.

The one thing I still hadn’t opened up to the group much about was my family, at least outside of Paige. She may have told Jessy about our rather dysfunctional adolescence, especially if she sent her a photo from that time. But I didn’t think Paige would go into much detail about it either. She was less tight-lipped about it all, but also knew I tried not to mix that life with my current.

But it kind of felt good to talk to someone about part of that craziness, and as a bartender, I knew my dad would barely scratch the surface of what it took to faze Phil.

Phil: It sounds like he’s proud of you then :)

Phil: I bet you’re adorable when you show up to get him home safe

MC: Again, I remind you that you’ve never seen a picture of me and have no idea what I look like.

Phil: You could send me one

MC: That would make it seem like I’m encouraging your behavior.

Phil: Tease

Phil: I could just ask Jessy you know ;)

MC: But you haven’t yet. Pretty sure it’s not about the picture at this point, it’s about winning.

Phil: I imagine both would be equally enjoyable.

MC: Nice try, I almost believed you that time.

Phil: It’s almost time to open, talk to you later, Mystery Woman.

Rolling my eyes, I didn’t bother replying and went back to my contacts list, checking to see if Jake was online out of habit. He wasn’t, but Richy was.

For all I felt like I’d talked to Richy, I couldn’t say I really knew much about him. He’d never disappeared the way Thomas and Dan had, or pushed me away like Lilly. But it felt like Cleo and Jessy had both tried to connect with me in a way that Richy had only ever attempted once, with the Dare House.

Maybe it was worth a try again. I had a sense he was hiding something, if only because of how much he occasionally reminded me about what I was hiding.

MC: So, you’ve told me about your childhood trauma from the time you peed yourself in the forest. What else you got?

Richy: Excuse me?

MC: Sorry, that sounded way more friendly and casual in my head. Let me try to speak human.

MC: You told me about the Dare House but I don’t know much else about you and I wanted to learn more.

Richy: So you’re starting with childhood traumas? 😂

MC: To be fair, that’s where you started, too.

Richy: That’s actually fair. 😒

Richy: I didn’t pee, I just almost did.

Richy: But also, what makes you think there’s more than that?

MC: Jessy has to yell at you for your morbid jokes almost as often as she has to yell at me.

MC: You just kind of smile through it all. I know that look.

Richy: Are you saying because I smile too much I must be hiding some dark secret?

MC: It’s the type of smile. But yeah, pretty much. I don’t trust people who smile too much.

Richy: Jessy smiles a lot too.

MC: Jessy feels everything a lot, though. You’ve got that quiet thing going, and it’s always the quiet ones.

Richy: 😳

Richy: Are you flirting with me?

MC: No, but I can see how you’d think that.

MC: I just finished talking to Phil, so his energy must have rubbed off on me or something.

Richy: Phil? Why did you talk to him?

MC: I have no life? And I’m supposed to be investigating aren’t I?

Richy: So you think he’s involved?

MC: No clue, but he’s been super friendly since he got my number.

Richy: 🙄

MC: I can’t be womanized across the world. No one’s that impressive, trust me.

MC: Come on, tell me your damage.

Richy: You don’t let go do you?

MC: Never!

Richy: I guess it’s just my parents. My dad and I don’t see eye to eye much and my mom isn’t well.

I flinched. I hadn’t expected to get to the big stuff that fast, or to relate so hard to his answer. Why couldn’t these people be totally unlikable?

MC: Woof, I feel those.

Richy: So you’ve got parent problems too?

MC: You could definitely say that, yeah.

MC: Okay, I’ll give you once since you played nice with me, too.

MC: Well, you saw the picture Jessy sent. Around that time I was dating this guy. We got up to some crazy stuff, things were hectic at home and my parents didn’t really keep an eye on me very well.

MC: One time we got super drunk and went skinny dipping in this fountain. There were a bunch of us though and one of them apparently was too drunk to remember how to stand up. We had to “save” her from like six inches of water, and for some reason it made me terrified of swimming when I drink.

I hated remembering that day, of course, but in terms of my own damage it was relatively far down the list. But it was decently low-stakes so it wouldn’t bring down the mood too far, and I was hoping that maybe quid pro quo would open him up a bit.

Richy: Teenagers and booze is always a bad time.

I laughed. That was an understatement. Still, of the two I imagined that talking about his parents would help me understand him way more than drunken teenage shenanigans would.

MC: You’re telling me!

MC: It really sucks about your mom, though. Genuinely. I can’t imagine that it doesn’t take a toll.

Richy: That’s why I took over the garage. He’s taking care of her. That’s a full time job some days.

Well now I was feeling guilty. There was always this fine line between playing with their lives and investigating, and right now I felt like I was crossing it. Still, I told myself it had to be good for him to open up, if nothing else. From what I’d seen so far, this group kept far too much to themselves and really could use a good therapist for the lot of them.

Not Barrett, preferably.

MC: I can imagine, it takes a lot to do home care for someone really sick. MC: You know you can talk to me any time, right? MC: Isn’t that the fun of internet strangers? You don’t have to care what I think. What does it matter if I judge you?

Richy: I might just take you up on that some day, MC.

MC: Good.

I let a small smile cross my lips. Hopefully I could help my friends in ways beyond just helping Hannah.

___

By the time of the third cyber attack, I wasn’t scared. At least, not in the way it seemed like Jake thought I was.

The attempt to hack my phone had been startling, of course. I’d gotten used to the feeling that I was never alone on my devices, knowing that someone could be there at any time.

But the word hack had become almost benign to me at this point. It represented the lengths you were willing to go to for the people you loved, silently pulling data meant to get you one step closer to ensuring their safety.

I’d gotten used to (and disturbingly accepting of) the idea of curious, but admittedly creepy, observation. At some point over the last few weeks, it’d become almost a game, and there were definitely times I tried to use it to my advantage and provoke him.

This was different. This wasn’t an awkward, formal man refusing to discuss the constant stream of innuendos and bullshit I spew while he carefully reviews for any leads. This was targeted and hostile, an attack.

But truthfully, I was still calm about it. Despite my heart racing and ears ringing when the masked faces appeared on my screen, waiting for my face to appear on theirs, I recalled it even minutes later with almost a scoff. The aggressive, over-the-top performance looked like they’d left it in the hands of the interns to do, using cheap props and left over Halloween costumes. The lack of effort they put into making it convincing made me realize something.

Ultimately, if they knew enough to try to get into my phone, they knew where I was. They knew what I looked like. If they’d been able to nearly track down Jake, there’s no way they didn’t already know everything about me down to when my next period was due. I grew up on the internet, my entire social life was virtual— there were too many leaks to plug, too much info out there, to think otherwise.

To think that they needed to access my phone for that was absurd. But I wasn’t the target. It didn’t matter if I was scared of the ski masks and wordless threats. It didn’t matter if I cared about it if they knew where I was. I was an object, a pawn.

They didn’t want me. They’d probably never waste time actually coming for me, not unless they got desperate. I was useless to them, I didn’t know where he was, I could only contact him if he could contact me, and the only thing I knew less about than computers was Jake himself. Coming to get me would be a liability to them. Open them up to scrutiny, require money, effort, time.

It was Jake’s fear they wanted. And for that, they didn’t need costumes or elaborate plans. It was my existence, and their awareness of it, that left him terrified. And I was only useful alive. Kill me, and they lose their leverage, and make Jake even less likely to ever risk another connection and give them that advantage again.

No, their power was in making Jake think they would use me.

For all that Jake pushed me away and tried to keep me from caring, my feelings didn’t matter to my safety. They never did. The second he started caring, and Lilly’s video linked us and made them aware of it, I became incredibly important in a way I never had been before.

Creating Nym-0s and rushing in to cut their access just made it even more clear. He’d tipped his hand, confirmed their suspicions, and exposed himself even more. If he hadn’t been so worried about putting me in danger… we may have both been in less danger.

It made me want to shake him by the shoulders and yell, but it also made me a little sad.

Not just because of the missed time and hurt it’d caused me, and maybe even him. Not just because I knew he would be carrying the guilt of the risk of association for a while now. Not even just because he’d see this as proving him right.

But because the life he’s led for so long now made it so he hadn’t even considered the result of his feelings, just the actions he took. He’d spent so much time suppressing everything, and now that he couldn’t keep that up when surrounded by the stress and trauma of what we were going through, he risked becoming lost.

I didn’t know him well enough to be as sure of this as I was, but some part of me knew with absolute certainty that no matter what happened, he’d never stop working to protect me from then. Even if I broke his heart and walked away, never spoke to him again, he’d never risk leaving me vulnerable.

And that meant I’d always be his weak spot.

Still, seeing his name on my screen again, I did start to cry. I wanted to get mad at him for being gone, for not telling me when he realized they might be coming after me, but he was so broken up and remorseful about the hacking attempt that I had to wait. I couldn’t kick him while he was down like this. Besides, wasn’t I beating myself up about the same thing for Jessy not too long ago?

But we would talk about it, and soon.

I gave Lilly credit for the social media campaign, of course. It had been her idea, after all, and I hadn’t even told her what I’d done. She probably knew, but we’d left it unsaid and I knew she needed this, needed something to convince herself she didn’t totally ruin her brother’s life.

As the shock of his return began to fade and I relaxed into the conversation, I noticed that he sounded different to me. Still very formal, but less cold. I don’t know if he was exhausted from the stress of running, or still worried about the attacks, but something in his tone had changed. Not for the first time, I wondered if his difficulty reading tone over text extended to being unaware of what he was projecting or if he was allowing the softer emotions to slip through.

The needy part of me, which after so long was the vast majority, wanted to demand his attention for longer. It had felt like such a long time that having a short conversation didn’t feel like enough. But I knew he was behind, that he’d had a tough time, and that pushing him right now would be taking advantage of that. So I held off, only pouting in my head a little.

___

Holding off on pouncing on Jake actually worked out for the best, since not long after he logged off, Jessy dropped the bomb on me that Hannah’s GPS took her to Iris’s house, and that Hannah believed Jennifer’s killer was her stalker.

Once she hung up, I groaned. It didn’t make sense, it didn’t fit. Just another corner piece where I already had more than I’d ever need for one puzzle. The legend centered around vengeance, where Hannah’s diaries and therapy session were clearly guilt related. What vendetta would Jennifer’s killer— whether the method was car or murder— have against Hannah, who was a child at the time? How did Amy fit?

Every time I thought that maybe I had something figured out, something else came in and blew it all up. I could only hope that Jessy’s search into the car gave us something. And I guess just twiddle my thumbs in the meantime.

Dan seemed to be struggling about being left on the sidelines as much as I was, laying the blame on Phil for his car. Even when he was talking to Jessy about Dan missing his shift, I didn’t sense rage to the level of attempted murder. It still seemed to me more like he was tired of the shit, which fit with the conversations we’d had about the group. We were his little sister’s friends and not a whole lot more than that, and he took up way more room in our minds than we did in his.

I still wasn’t convinced that Dan’s car had been tampered with at all, frankly. Occuam’s razor had never fit a situation better than this one to my mind. I wondered if maybe he wasn’t even the tiniest bit jealous, since he was safe and uninvolved while the rest of us were in the line of fire.

I knew I’d lost control of the situation, if I’d ever even had it, once Cleo joined in and started agreeing that Phil was suspicious. I didn’t know the man beyond a few casual chats, so I knew I could easily be missing something, but it just didn’t seem to fit.

I guess I’d just have to wait and see.

___

By the time Jake finished catching up, I was ready to pull my hair out over the whole lot of them. Jessy had quit her job, Dan seemed pissed— but oddly quiet— to find out nothing was wrong with his car, and the whole group hated each other. And I just had to watch it all and do nothing.

My boss had approved O/T, and although I was a bit worried about the load I was taking on, I hoped it meant I could afford to go out there in a month or two, depending on how long it seemed like it would take once I got there. But things were falling apart fast, and I was starting to worry I wouldn’t get that kind of time. And the idea of Hannah having to wait that long didn’t sit right with me either.

As always, Jake was almost frighteningly good at keeping a level head. I’d have to ask him how he did it one day.

Just as I was thinking about how impressive his objectivity was, he asked me about Phil.

Well, “asked” is a very strong way to put it. Really he just stated facts and left it open for explanation, which made me roll my eyes. Things would be a lot easier if he just said what he meant, but that never was his style when it came to feelings he was uncomfortable with. Which appeared to be most of them, when I thought about it.

But when he said he didn’t want me to go to Duskwood, I stopped dead. Was this just coming from Phil asking me to visit? Had he seen my ticket searches? On top of that, I was reasonably sure he was in Duskwood, or at least nearby. I’d never ask, for his safety, but I had the feeling he’d want to be nearby. Did he not want me there because he was afraid I’d look for him?

I couldn’t promise him I wouldn’t go, of course. I didn’t want to lie to him, even with all his secrets and double speak, and I knew it wasn’t a promise I would keep.

My mood dropped significantly after that. Maybe he was telling the truth, that he didn’t want me to go to Duskwood because of the danger, but it felt like more. His sister was already in that danger, and I’d be with the others where I’m alone here most of the time.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask though.

Not about me, remember?

___

Somehow, no one was better at reminding me of that fact than Lilly, who was possibly the only person more in knots over Jake than I was. Her role in his life was much more… established, I supposed, since he could never not be related to her. But she’d never even spoken to him beyond the single conversation they’d had over the video, and I think the uncertainty was weighing on her.

Since finding out he was her brother, and my admission of my feelings for him (and hope-tinged bluff of reciprocation), our conversations had gained a new dynamic. Maybe she saw some bond between us with our shared secrets and worries, but either way I’d started hearing from her more than just about anyone else in the group, especially when Jessy had so much on her mind.

I was texting Paige, telling her that Jake was back and asking for some advice on how she’d made me look so different— I didn’t think I’d need it, but a few weeks ago I didn’t think I’d need a program protecting my phone from people using me as bait for a government-wanted hacker— when Lilly lit up my phone again.

Lilly: MC?

Lilly: Have you heard anything more from him? Apart from the investigation, I mean.

Lilly: I keep fretting over not knowing how he’s doing, and whether he hates me.

MC: He seems fine, though he can be a bit cavalier about his own safety to keep me from worrying. 🙄

MC: And honestly, I was way more mad at you than he was.

Lilly: I never really apologized to you properly either, did I?

MC: No, but, I was mostly mad for him once I step back and think on it. The only benefit of being nowhere near you guys is that no one in my life really cared about what you had to say.

MC: Except my sister, she may be plotting your murder, but she’s even less likely to make it over there than I am, at least I have a passport.

Lilly: Oh, I didn’t know you had siblings!

MC: One sister, younger. She drives me nuts as often as she makes me laugh, but I love her.

Lilly: Are you close?

I hesitated over telling Lilly much about Paige. At this point I trusted her well enough, and Paige could hold her own if it came to it. No, I was more worried for Lilly’s sake considering the baggage that sibling relationships held for her at the moment. Although, maybe that was why she asked.

MC: Sometimes. We’re open with each other, actually kind of disturbingly so, she has no filter and I’ve got very little. But we live pretty far apart and she’s got this whole life apart from me.

MC: But when it matters, she’s got my back and she knows I have hers.

Lilly: That’s sweet.

Lilly: Hannah and I live pretty close, but if Jake hadn’t told us all she was missing, I’m not sure when I’d have noticed.

Lilly: Don’t get me wrong, I love her! Of course I do. Please don’t think that’s what I’m saying.

Lilly: But we didn’t talk all that much, not really. I told you that back when she first talked to Jake I wouldn’t have asked her why they stopped, but I don’t really even know if I would have now either.

Lilly: We’re just so different.

Lilly: This is probably the most I’ve talked to her friends in years, since she moved out of our parents’.

Lilly: Maybe that’s why I went so hard after you and Jake.

Lilly: You were no one to her, or at least I thought so, and here you were jumping in to figure things out.

Lilly: It was… easier, maybe, to blame you than to deal with what was going on. It gave me something to focus on.

MC: I get it. If it were Paige, I don’t know what I’d do. Grief is weird and people do dumb shit with it. I just wish you’d talked to me instead. The others tried to figure me out first.

MC: Though, I gotta ask- why do you trust me now? I get Jake, his motivations are obvious now. But nothing changed about me.

Lilly: Well, I guess I just saw what type of person you are. You wanted to curse me out when I first added you, I could tell. But you heard me out when you could have held a grudge. I would have!

Lilly: It made no sense to me that you were helping Hannah. But then it also made no sense to me that you helped me. And I realize: you’re really just that weird.

Lilly: And once you and Jake made sense to me, your motivation became pretty obvious too.

MC: I started helping before I liked him, you know.

Lilly: Yep, you’re weird.

MC: So you trust me because I’m weird.

Lilly: Well, you’re also dating my brother.

MC: We are not at the meet-the-family stage, you know.

Lilly: That’s part of being weirdddddd.

And in that moment, it felt so much like talking to Paige that I had to smile and maybe admit just to myself that I liked her a little.

Which only gave me even more people to worry about when Jessy sent me the picture of the mark on her door.

___

While the others debated about whether or not to leave and took some time to think, I sat around on my ass, worrying. What was I supposed to do? I’d love for them to come to me and us all keep each other safe, but between the distance and the likelihood of Annie murdering me if I brought home that many people, it didn’t seem like the best idea.

When it started getting dark out, I accepted that I wasn’t going to get any definitive news tonight. Before I could sign out, though, I saw that at least one person was still online.

MC: Jake?

MC: I hate this.

MC: I hate sitting here safe while they’re getting stalked, attacked and marked.

MC: You’re in danger too.

MC: Meanwhile I’m just stress eating and getting fatter. My biggest risk is heart disease.

Jake: It is a good thing that you aren’t at risk, MC.

I couldn’t help but huff out a laugh at his total side-step of the stress eating topic. Maybe he wasn’t totally socially inept.

MC: But I can’t DO anything! I’m useless.

Jake: You have done an excellent job with the investigation, even without my help.

Jake: Additionally, I realize you gave Lilly all of the credit for the distraction, but the location information makes it easy to trace two separate hot spots.

Jake: Though I’m not thrilled at the idea of pulling their attention even more in your direction, I know you were involved.

MC: I didn’t even do that, though, Paige did. Just like Jessy and the others are the ones going out and looking for things, I just sift through it all.

MC: I’m sorry, you have things you’ve got to do. I just needed to whine a little.

Jake: You underestimate the effect you have and how important your role has been.

MC: I’m so scared for them, and for you. I know you say I don’t have to worry, but that’s like telling me not to care. Do you want that?

Jake: It would be safer for you.

MC: That’s not what I asked, though.

Jake is typing…

I watched him type and erase for a while, biting the inside of my cheek. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to do this, adding my own bullshit onto the stress he was carrying already. But by now there was just too much going on in my head, and so little I could do to deal with it. It seemed like no matter how hard I worked to unravel the mystery, the more threads I pulled, the more of a mess it became.

I just needed to quiet one voice. Just for a bit. And this felt like the only one I even had the tiniest chance at. It wasn’t fair to him, not at all, but I had to know. So I didn’t jump in to let him off the hook, not this time. I didn’t let my phone go idle or swap screens. I needed a reply, and I was willing to wait for it if I had to.

Jake: Selfishly, no, I don’t want that at all. I know it’s not right and I should be allowing you to be with someone who could offer you more than this, but it was the knowledge that you were there and waiting to hear from me that kept me going. I read your messages whenever I could, and it meant more than I can express to see that you didn’t hate me and that your feelings seemed unchanged by what you’d learned.

Jake: You were so confident that I would return, I couldn’t allow myself to disappoint you.

MC: I’m glad you liked them, I was so afraid I was being super annoying, spamming you like that.

Jake: Admittedly, there were times it became rather distracting. I had disabled alerts for the rest of the chats but couldn’t bring myself to mute ours. It was occasionally difficult not to reply.

MC: I was worried about that, I should have been more careful. I just missed you, I guess.

Jake: No, it was… appreciated.

I fiddled with my phone, at war with myself. I should let myself be happy with this, already far more than he’d ever opened up before. The temptation was too great, though, as if the combination of his absence and the hint of the growing connection made for an addicting brew.

MC: You don’t want me to not come there because you don’t want to see me, right?

After hitting enter, I re-read that and cringed. There was probably a way I could have said that more awkwardly and included more negatives, but fuck if I knew how. Thankfully, he replied much more quickly this time, which I tried to take as a good sign rather than letting my insecurities take over and topple this house of cards we were building.

Jake: That thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.

MC: I know it sounds silly. I think I just get lost in doubt when I’m left to my own devices too long.

Jake: It sounds like we should avoid letting that happen, then.

I chuckled. He may not have meant that as flirty as I took it, but who could really blame a girl for letting her mind wander just a bit, right?

MC: Yes, that’s a very good idea.

Jake: It would certainly be much harder to prevent myself from coming to see you if you weren’t half a world away, and right now it would be too risky. There are too many eyes on us both. But I don’t expect that to mean you avoid my entire hemisphere, nor do I want you to. When the time comes, I want you to meet your friends, and of course I would like to meet you as well.

Jake: I simply would very much prefer that when it happens, Duskwood is home to fewer masked criminals.

MC: Fewer bartenders as well?

Jake: Mmh, it doesn’t seem like you’re much safer from that particular danger where you are, either.

Huh, this was the closest he’d ever come to acknowledging Joe, though he wasn’t a bartender. Still, since I hadn’t gone drinking out of my house since right after this whole thing had started, I couldn’t imagine what else he was referring to.

MC: I imagine that means you got into other messages, then.

Jake: I…

Jake: Yes. I don’t have an excuse for this one, as there was never a chance he was related to Hannah and I knew it.

Jake: It won’t happen again.

MC: I appreciate that, and you telling the truth.

MC: Joe was my reaction, and an immature one, to being pushed away.

Jake: You owe me no excuses, it was my choices that led to the both of us being in that position.

MC: I know, but I want to explain, so there’s no misunderstanding.

MC: He’s a very nice guy, a friend of my roommate’s boyfriend, who I met a while back, before I even knew your name. Annie is pretty desperate for me to be less of a drag, so I think she tried to set me up with him.

MC: You had made it clear nothing could happen, and I tried to make him as aware of the situation as possible without giving anything away about you, so I know I was free to see who I wanted and didn’t do anything wrong.

MC: But it may have sucked for you to read, regardless of whether you should have been or not.

I decided not to point out that I still had no idea whether or not I was free to date someone else, being that we still really hadn’t discussed our status in the slightest since that time. His reaction to Phil, and even somewhat to Joe, made me think that he at least didn’t particularly like the idea, and it seemed like that was hard enough for him to admit as it was.

At the same time, after the number of bad experiences I’d had in the past with it, I wasn’t crazy about committing myself to someone that I didn’t know for sure was committed to me without at least a conversation. But for now, my feelings alone would make dating anyone else a bit of a bad idea, so for now I’d hold off.

Jake: I thank you for the honesty. I certainly didn’t enjoy it, but as you said, you had no reason not to act freely and it was my own fault that I had become aware.

MC: Well, I’d hate knowing you were talking to another girl, so I wanted to clear it up.

MC: I was jealous enough of Hannah as it was 😂🤭

Jake: Yes, that was a bit uncomfortable, as you can likely imagine. It was difficult to think of ways to reassure you without giving too much away.

MC: Guess I’ll have to think of something to call you other than bro now, seems like that’s taken. Dude? My guy? Dan seems to have taken Hackerman up, but I could co-opt it, I do like that one.

MC: Broski is close enough to bro but not quite.

Jake: I have full faith that you will come up with endless alternatives that are plenty physically painful to read.

MC: That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it? 😎

Jake: I’ve missed your ability to make me laugh.

MC: I’ve missed you actually finding me funny.

MC: Oh god, it must be like 3am there, why didn’t you say anything?

Jake: You know that my sleep schedule tends to be rather unusual.

MC: Right, but I’m pretty sure you haven’t been sleeping well while you were running.

MC: And don’t think I haven’t noticed it shifting later and later over the last couple of weeks.

Jake: It only made sense to adjust my schedule a bit considering that’s when you’re most available.

Jake: You spend most of your day working and discussing things with the group, and that leaves us free to debrief in your evenings.

I hadn’t totally been sure that I had anything to do with his changing patterns, but the delay in his response and detailed explanation confirmed it for me. Feeling suddenly much lighter, I giggled quietly to myself.

MC: Well I don’t want to be an excuse for your insomnia tonight, Hackerman. At least swap to your phone and get in bed while you talk.

Jake: I will turn in shortly, I’ve just finished setting a few things up.

MC: Nope, you got me in bossy mode. I’ll be sitting right here waiting until you’re in bed. ⌚️👀

Jake: It’s not even ten for you, I’m not keeping you awake.

MC: First of all, unlike you, I like my sleep. I go to bed as soon as I can justify it and wake up as late as I can get away with. Second, I said you were going to bed, not me.

Jake: If it’s not inconveniencing you, then what’s the harm in my continuing to stay up a bit longer?

MC: Because you need sleep! It’s not good for you.

Jake: I may still be rather worked up from everything and having difficulty relaxing. Our conversation has been helpful in helping me to unwind.

MC: Fine, I’ll go to bed with you then. My boss approved overtime for a while, so I can start waking up earlier, meeting you halfway on matching our crazy schedules.

MC: Tell me when you’re laying down, I’m going to go shower and brush my teeth.

I bit my lip, a little bit nervous. I hadn't explicitly done a long-distance “goodnight” like this in years, especially not with someone I’d never actually been in bed with who I was nagging into sleep. But I really was worried about how exhausted he must be, and once the silly idea had taken hold it felt sweet, if childish.

I didn’t wait for a response, trying to put off the possibility of him saying no, or taking my comment about going to bed the wrong (or right?) way. I set my phone down, hiding the screen from my view, and left it on my stand as I got up to get ready to turn in.

The shower was quick, it never took me long when I wasn’t bothering to wash my hair. Even knowing he wouldn’t see me, I took extra care with the routine to calm my jitters. I still hadn’t checked for his response yet, so for all I knew he’d refused my demand, but after the shower had calmed some of my nerves I somehow no longer thought he would.

After flossing carefully to give him extra time, I threw my hair up into a braid to keep it out of my face and clambered into bed.

Jake: You clearly are feeling bossy.

Jake: It will take me a few moments to get ready, I wasn’t prepared to lay down for a while yet.

Those had been sent not long after I’d given the order, so he was hopefully nearly wrapping up whatever his routine was.

MC: I’ll be patient, I just laid down myself 🤭

I flopped around on the bed, trying to get comfortable. Under the sheet was too warm, but no sheet was too cold. My pillow was too small when flat, but too thick when I folded it. For some inane reason, everything felt just a bit off kilter while I rolled around in bed, stomach buzzing.

When I finally found a position I could deal with, I scrolled for another five minutes or so before he got back to me.

Jake: As you commanded, I’ve gotten ready and laid down.

MC: Good! Comfy?

I was well aware he could be lying to me, but I preferred to think he was doing the same thing I was, maybe even amused by my strange demand. God knows he had to be used to me being weird by now, right?

Jake: Not exactly, motel beds aren’t known for their comfort.

MC: That’s probably true, I haven’t stayed in one in years. As Annie likes to remind me, I’m basically a recluse and I’ve never traveled much anyway.

Jake: Is there somewhere you’d pick to go if you could?

MC: Hmmm, Duskwood? 😘

MC: Otherwise, not really. I never gave it much thought, “travel” mostly meant going to my grandma’s when I was a kid, we couldn’t afford much else. And as an adult, I usually just go back home to see my family. It’s a lot of work and I still can’t afford much else.

MC: You?

Jake: Well, to be honest, travel for pleasure isn’t something I’ve considered much recently. Staying in one place feels much more like a privilege, I suppose.

MC: Well then we’ll both need to think about it and get back to each other with our answers. 😁

Jake: :)

After that, the conversation stayed light and it wasn’t long before my eyelids began to droop and I drifted off with my phone on my chest.

___

Lilly reached out to me rather early the next day, for me at least, but since I’d gotten up early I was a bit more emotionally prepared for what she shared than I would have been normally. It was always polite of the drama to wait for my second cup of coffee before it smacked me in the face, at least.

I noticed the trembling in her hand as she sent a picture of the letter she’d found in Hannah’s post and I wished there was something I could say to reassure her. But with everything else I already knew, the application to visit the prison didn’t look great. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her everything right then, but even without the extra context she seemed to know something was wrong.

Jake wasn’t online yet, and I hoped that it was because he was managing to get some sleep. He’d replied to the last message I sent before falling asleep, and then after a few minutes when he must have realized I’d passed out, he wished me goodnight. So despite the early hour on my end, he’d outlasted me. That kept me from blasting him with frustrated messages when Cleo kept up her accusations against Jessy, accusing her of putting the mark on her door.

I felt for her, knowing she was just trying to make sense of the whole thing, but we needed to stop throwing around baseless claims and yet it seemed like they were just determined to do it more.

We had just as much proof that Richy marked himself as we did that Jessy made hers, really. If she’d been looking to exonerate Phil, there were better ways to do it since we had no evidence the police were even considering the marks as part of the case. As far as I knew, Jessy had never gone to the police with her attacks and Richy had never reported his mark. Dan was the only one to discuss his suspicions with the police, and that was the one I least considered involved, and the only one without a mark.

I had no idea what the beef between Cleo and Jessy was, but I really needed it to stop now.

I checked out of the Duskwood drama for a bit, wanting to get more work done before Lilly made it home. The application to visit seemed much more relevant to the case than whether or not Jessy made the mark herself, and I knew my productivity would be monitored more heavily now that I was taking on extra hours.

I gave short answers as they made plans to go to the cabin of Richy’s friends, then at the last second realized that if they were leaving, that meant that I was running out of time to get someone to investigate the pawn shop. I quickly assigned the task to Cleo and Thomas, hoping that wasn’t a mistake considering they weren’t known for their subtlety or sweet-talk.

There’s no way they’ll break into the pawn shop, right?

___

While I was at lunch, I was caught off guard by Annie walking in and sitting down at the counter across from me. It only occurred to me then that I hadn’t really seen much of her recently, and she almost never joined me at lunch. My suspicions were confirmed when she fidgeted nervously and avoided my gaze.

“MC, I need to tell you something.”

I froze, my fork full of rice hovering halfway between my plate and mouth. I lowered it slowly. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded, but still looked twitchy. She took a deep breath before replying. “I… well, I’m moving in with Steve. This weekend, actually.”

My mouth fell open and I stood up so fast that I bumped my ribs off of the counter in the process. “What? Annie, there’s no way I can find a roommate that fast, I can’t afford the place on my own.”

She nodded, twisting the ends of her hair between her finger tips idly. “I know, I’m so sorry. I’m not leaving you in the lurch. My parents agreed to buy out the lease with you instead of the landlord, that way if you can’t find anyone to move in that you like you’re not stuck just moving someone in without vetting them. I’ll just give him the normal 60 day notice when it comes time to renew. It’s only a month more than what he’d charge me for breaking the lease now and it gives you a bit more flexibility.”

I blinked, still reeling. We didn’t totally get along, and I had been a bit of a spazz lately, but we’d lived together for quite a while now. I’d moved in with her fresh out of a bad relationship where I hadn’t been on the lease, so when he decided he wanted the girl he’d been dating behind my back to move in instead, I had to find somewhere fast. So while we weren’t friends, I had a soft spot for her since she’d kept me from ending up in a bad situation.

“I know I’ve been weird lately, I’m sorry. I’ll go to therapy if it’s about that—“

She put her hand up, cutting me off. “No, MC, it’s nothing about you. I’m, well… pregnant. We’re not getting married right away, but we want to at least live together so that he’s there for all the milestones and support and stuff, you know?”

I puffed my cheeks up with air and released it slowly. Realistically, I knew she wasn’t really at all young to be having a baby, but it still felt like it to me. Maybe it was mainly because I had years on her and felt like I’d be lost if I were in her shoes, but still.

I realized what a dick I was being and plastered on a happy face. “Congrats, Annie! I’m so excited for you!”

She laughed and shook her head. “You don’t have to pretend, MC. Besides, we’re still not to the excited place yet. We want to keep it—them—the baby, but I think I’m still mostly in shock and scared. And it’s weird to imagine another human just kind of hanging out in there.” Her eyes were wide and her hand kind of drifted toward her stomach instinctively. “I know it’s normal, and we found out a couple of weeks ago, but I only just had my first ultrasound today and I think it’s starting to feel real.”

“You’ll do great,” I said reassuringly, almost surprised to find it was genuine. “You’ve had practice lately taking care of my sorry ass, and you and Steve are great together.”

She scoffed, but her smile was grateful. “No matter how bad you got, your head didn’t have an off button and your neck didn’t flop around like a dead fish.”

I conceded that point, realizing I had no idea what it was to take care of a baby and that maybe what she needed right now was to vent, not reassurance. “That’s true, I also cleaned up most of my bodily functions on my own like a big girl.”

With the first laugh that sounded truly real, she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. “Usually. But I had my fair share of vomit sessions myself.”

“I’m guessing you’ve got plenty of that in the future.”

She clutched her stomach dramatically. “And the past, and present. It’s actually worse than a hangover.”

“Good luck to Steve then, you’re a huge bitch when you’re hungover.”

We chatted through the rest of my lunch, and when I went back to it, she wandered up to her room to get started on packing. I waited until she was fully out of sight to let my head fall back onto my shoulders and sigh. I had no idea what I was going to do now.

___

I didn’t know how much of Dan’s sudden need to help stemmed from Jessy being marked, but I think it surprised me more than the letter Lilly scanned and sent. He was starting to go stir crazy, and considering he’d already come up with the idea that his car had been tampered with to feel included, I figured giving him something to work on was in everyone’s best interest. Sometimes it felt like babysitting, I needed everyone to be occupied before they took matters into their own hands.

As I waved Annie off and she promised to come back tomorrow to continue packing, I pondered what he’d told me. It wasn’t much to go on, but I couldn’t help but agree with his last point. What the hell had Hannah gotten herself into?

With the benefit of hindsight, it was obvious that the MWAF hadn’t been a hallucination the way that her doctor had thought, but why hadn’t she shown anyone this video? This at least proved that something was going on.

Considering the length her friends were going to find her, there was no way any of them would have denied her a safe place to stay if she’d come to them. Could it really have just been the depression keeping her from seeking refuge with one of them? Or had she known exactly what her stalker wanted with her, and couldn’t bring herself to confide in anyone?

What could have been so bad as to potentially risk her life just to keep hidden?

The group was going to the hideout the next day, and as much as I couldn’t help but join Dan on the FOMO, I was glad that they were going to be together. Safety in numbers and all that.

Though now that I was going to be living alone, I envied them that comfort as well. Even with the distance, it was unsettling to know that I would have no one here with me if anything happened and no one due back to find me after.

Richy’s Boy Scout list only made me more jealous— it seemed like he, too, was having trouble separating this from a fun friends’ outing. To make myself feel better, I decided to give him some shit about it and fall back into our routine of jokes.

I was surprised when he admitted he hadn’t been sleeping well, even when he presented it in a light-hearted fashion. Maybe he’d taken it seriously when he said he’d take me up on my offer to talk more, and I wanted to make good on it if he was ready.

His burst of positivity seemed unwarranted, but I bit my tongue and kept myself from telling him that. That was made easier by the topic shift to the fact that Dan’s car was, unsurprisingly, not tampered with.

Hopefully that would take that false lead off the table.

I let myself express one of my fears— that my involvement really had just made everything worse, just like Lilly said— when Richy heard the scream coming from the woods. I strained my ears to listen and my eyes on the screen, trying to notice anything that could help, but there was nothing. As far as I could tell, the forest was silent save wildlife and Richy.

When he took off running, the same feeling I’d gotten in my stomach the day of Jessy’s attack overtook me again. This was wrong. What was the chance of it being Hannah, in broad daylight, just on the edge of the forest? This wasn’t how it worked, it had to be a trap.

I yelled at him to stop, to call the cops as backup, anything, but there was no way he heard me as it looked like he took a tumble and the screen went dark for a moment. Until my mind caught up, I was almost able to pretend he’d just fallen from running in the woods, catching his foot on a root or something.

The blood streaming from his mouth and his eyes going empty and unfocused shattered that delusion, and I spent a long time watching the ravens circle the sky before I could bring myself to hang up.

BONUS

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