#sad duskwood writing

[miss-celestia13]

An Arsonist’s Anguish

Richy’s Lament - A Duskwood One Shot

A dark, angsty exploration into Richy’s character as he sets the stage for his death. There is no happy ending. Just some hope that another soul made it out of the mine as it burns. Crossposted on Ao3.

Trigger Warnings are below the line. Please check them.

TW: Suicide, Self Hatred, Hallucinations, and thoughts/descriptions of Death. Read at your own risk. I tried not to be too graphic, but you will know what’s happening.

Richy would never see the sun rise again.

The ghosts of all the beautiful things he killed to protect his secrets haunted his dragging, stumbling steps as he traversed the mine and ignored the cameras he installed. Gasoline poured and splashed from the canister he held as he wove through tunnels and gritted his teeth against the pain in his arm.

It was nothing compared to the emotional torture he felt inside. His thoughts were a tempest raging with the violence of a cyclone. Every destructive gust ripped through the fragile edifices of his grip on reality.

Within the labyrinth of his mind, self-loathing chewed on his soul like a pack of feral beasts tearing at the tender flesh of their fallen prey. Each bite drew forth burgundy rivers of desolation, self-condemnation, and unyielding fury. Blending with the physical aches until he couldn’t tell them apart

His arm throbbed as he ignored the yelling in his mind. Fucking Dan. Dan, who gave him a gun?! Oh, what an idiot! He scuppered all Richy’s plans and left him scrambling to end it before anyone else got hurt. Ensure nothing remains but ash.

Rivers of cold sweat streamed down his grey face as he held his injured arm over his stomach so he wouldn’t bang it into the rough wall. He wanted to punch the stone to take his mind off it. The bottle of pain meds he stole from his mother rattled in his pocket, but he couldn’t risk taking them yet.

His breathing roasted his throat, but his entire body shivered as though an icy glacier engulfed him. The persistent tremble in his body intensified with every labored step.

The combined weight of his physical and emotional agony was an anchor on his back, dragging his broken spirit beneath tumultuous waves, where the agony of drowning and being hammered from all sides echoed through the depths of himself.

It didn’t feel like any of it was unfair. The thirst was the worst thing. He kept smacking his lips together, attempting to inspire some moisture, but his tongue remained bone dry and coated in the remnants of bitter blood rust.

The blood he’d lost stained his skin and the stone as it dripped through the filthy dressing he tried and failed to use as a tourniquet. Everything felt like it happened to someone else. Something otherworldly piloted his body from the inside.

Like some demon possessed him, guiding him down depraved, treacherous paths, and the priest hadn’t arrived in time to exorcise him.

And he’d done it to himself. Every choice he’d made since kidnapping Hannah, it had felt like suicide in slow motion.

He marooned himself on an island surrounded by vipers of his own creation.

Now, the only option to set himself free was fire. It would hurt, he thought, and his stomach wrenched to the side, almost splitting in two as he dreaded it so strongly.

And death. There was a liberating freedom in death. A broken sob tore through his clenched teeth as he thought of Jessy, the emotions he harbored for her, and everything he had never deserved to have with her.

She was a shot of adrenaline after years of lethargy.

So many of his favorite memories revolved around her and their silly inside jokes. He’d used his closeness to her to torment and stalk her. Terrorized her and her friends. She would never forgive him. Her smiling face, her flaming hair, and desire for a life of adventure had made his miserable existence worth living.

She would forget him one day, but never forgive him. He was a coward. An idiot. He’d let them all believe a masked myth was chasing them.

The only masked freak after them was their own friend.

His megawatt smile, stupid jokes, and constant upbeat attitude despite the shitstorm life rained on him had been the heaviest disguise of his brief life. They’d all bought it.

Hook, line, and fucking sinker. None thought to check beneath that smile. Now, it had twisted and transformed into a permanent snarl. If they paid attention, they would have found the rot and ruin underneath his cheerful demeanor. None of his friends had stopped to think about just how stressed he was. How much he had to carry for his family and Hannah—screw her. She was party to his worst decision.

She caused it.

Her wanting to sacrifice herself, him, and Amy to clear her conscience, betrayal. Betrayal was a dagger Hannah concealed in a cloak of mutual trust and unspoken promises to take their secrets to the grave. That blade had appeared suddenly and without warning, piercing the walls of his shriveled heart.

Half of him wished he’d killed her while he’d had her under his control. End the threat, leave her body to decompose in the mine.

No one came here. He’d made sure of it. Everything might—well, it was too late now. She was safe in the hands of Alan Bloomgate. Hannah, perfect, beautiful fucking Hannah.

He hated her. He blamed Hannah. But it was Amy who he blamed the most. Richy blamed everyone but himself for too long. He knew that. And now he would pay the price for it.

He’d already staged his death. Now he just had to commit.

The cloying scent of gasoline infiltrated his nose, thickening in his raw throat, and the empty metal cannister fell from his weak fingers. The thunderous clanging as it bounced and came to a stop worsened the headache he’d had for the last few weeks.

It pounded in time with his thudding heart. Each pulse pushed yet more blood out of the wound in his heavy, aching arm. It tingled and sparked with fiery pain with every paranoid twitch as he glanced behind him, sure he heard footsteps chasing him down.

He gave himself a shake when only his shadow approached. It looked much bigger to him now. Sinister and spreading to encompass the entirety of him.

It had taken him over long ago, and at last, he accepted it. It was too late to beat it back. He’d embraced it. Its hug was gelid and dragged him down, down, down. The shadow had always been in him; his choices had brought it to life, and it was time to eliminate it so it wouldn’t harm anyone else.

If his last victim was to be himself, it would end on his terms.

His last words had been a confession and an apology. To Jessy, and his friends, to the unwitting stranger he’d dragged into this mess, and to himself. His conscience was far from clear, and his reckoning awaited him amongst the flames he would soon ignite.

The cave in which he’d chosen as his tomb would remain safe from the flames, but the poison smoke would choke him. An intangible noose, as he couldn’t bring himself to tie a rope. He shuffled inside and loosed a long breath that felt more like a death rattle.

His stinging eyes couldn’t penetrate the blackness encroaching him on all sides as he reached into his jacket pocket with his good hand, and pulled out the zippo lighter he’d stuffed inside days before. He’d always suspected.

Deep inside, Richy had expected that this was how it ended. The cold silver metal warmed a little in his clammy hand as his thumb stroked over the Garage’s logo and wished he had said goodbye to his parents before he gave himself to the fire.

It was best they learned with the world. His suicide letter would speak for him and he prayed it would ensure his family didn’t suffer for his actions.

Naïveté had always been his downfall.

Before he set his ultimate act into motion, Richy took his phone out of his jean pocket and flicked the flashlight on. The bright beam of white light assaulted his eyes and created a flurry of moving shadows. The skittering of tiny claws on loose stone racing away from him painted a cruel smirk on his mouth as he cast the light around the small cavern and found what he was looking for.

A grubby black backpack sat against the grey rock wall, covered in dirt, blood, and guilt as he scuttled over to it. He unzipped it and pulled out the almost empty bottle of water he’d been rationing for days.

After fishing the bottle of medication out of his pocket, he struggled to open them both, and cried out as his jerky movements irritated his wounded arm. It took five very long minutes to get the pills out. The light from his phone shuddered as he set it down to count the pills.

He’d chosen the strongest ones his mother had. One knocked her out for half a day, and he wanted to numb himself as much as he could before the smoke smothered or flames devoured him. They were heavy on his tongue as he tossed back a fistful of the chalky tablets and chased them down with the last of his precious water.

For a moment, they got lodged in his throat, his mouth flooded with saliva and his eyes prickled with fresh tears.

He couldn’t even kill himself right. Everything he did just failed in spectacular fashion.

He was a monster of his own making, and only he could slay it. He swallowed, compulsive and dry, ignoring the hot flashes creeping up his neck as the painkillers scraped down his throat and into his hollow stomach.

Richy dropped to his knees and crawled over to the wall, and slumped back onto it. Paper crinkled in his inside coat pocket as he shifted to get comfortable. He had about an hour before the full effects of the medication set in. He would light the fire once the gnawing, eroding ache in his chest and arm dulled.

Until then, he sat with his thoughts, his splintering sanity, and cursed himself. Cursed Duskwood and the predator the town had forced him to transfigure himself into.

The weight of hopelessness hung around Richy’s neck like a noose pulled tight, squeezing the light of life from his eyes.

It was a suffocating darkness that swallowed him whole, leaving nothing but the biting tang of despair on his tongue. Each breath felt like inhaling shards of broken glass, cutting deeper with every huffing exhale.

The silence that echoed in his soul was a relentless scream, a haunting, deafening reminder of the emptiness that consumed him.

“I should’ve told someone,” Richy said in a whisper.

The words bounced softly off the rock, a harmony of regret.

He twitched as it fell silent, mouth furling and eyes glazing over as he listened to the racket in his head.

All you had to do was hand yourself in. You could have avoided all of this.

What do you think will happen to your family? They’ll live happily ever after in the town you terrorized?

Do you honestly think your pathetic letter will save them?

The slippery voice of his own darkness broke into a baleful laugh. It made the hair in his nape rise and stand stiff. He shuddered, thrashing his head and gritting his teeth until they squeaked.

“I tried. I always tried. But I’m a failure. I’ve always been a failure. I can make it right. It’s the only way.” He muttered as the disembodied voice agreed.

Make it right? Ha! You think you can wash away the stain of your idiocy?

You’re tainted.

Forever marked by your wrong choices, Richy.

Redemption? You make me laugh.

Redemption is a fairytale, a delusion you’re desperately clinging to.

It is so far beyond your reach…

Richy’s voice was a growl as he said, “No, redemption isn’t my goal. I can’t undo the damage I’ve caused, but I can end it before anyone else gets hurt. I can make sure the world knows it was me.”

The derisive laughter of his demons chafed at his skull as if their talons were scratching their unspeakable names into the bone.

You’re a lost cause. A testament to all your failures.

Each step you take is a step closer to the abyss of self condemnation.

There’s no way out.

Your sacrifice won’t save your soul.

“I accept that!” Richy roared, spittle flying from his chapped lips as he panted like a wounded beast.

“My death might be the only way to atone for all I’ve done. I don’t care what comes after that. But my family won’t suffer because of me. Not any more.”

The voice in his head made a sound of agreement before it crooned his worst fears.

Yes, your death is the ultimate penance.

Your final act of contrition for the havoc you’ve so selfishly wrought.

Then again, have you considered the aftermath?

Your family will endure your actions. Long after you’re gone. Their suffering will echo until they, too, shuffle off the mortal coil.

Searing fiery agony ripped through Richy’s heart. It felt as though someone had taken a knife, heated it up over a fire until it glowed red hot, and then plunged it into his chest. The scent of burned flesh and molten iron filled his nose. The sensation felt so real to him.

His hand clawed at his jacket over his pounding heart, as if to pull the blade free, but his fingers met only dirty fabric.

“They won’t! They won’t! They won’t! I’ve made sure of it. This isn’t their burden to bear!” He yelled, voice laced with an anguish that made his body convulse as rivulets of salt descended his bared teeth.

Helplessness stole over him as his demons taunted and chuckled in a scornful manner.

You should have thought about that before you started donning the guise of an ancient legend.

Idiot.

Weak.

Pathetic!

Your existence is a festering wound that poisons all in your vicinity.

Embrace the fire.

Let it cleanse all the filth you’ve spread.

But just know, your family will bear the scars of your choices, as they’re carved into their souls for eternity.

Richy sobbed through the agonising sensation weaving through his internal organs. He felt as though someone was weaving his internal organs together with a blunt needle, and they had deliberately coated the thread in salt to prolong his suffering. The increasing pressure in his head demanded an outlet as well.

Everything ached, it bled, and it tore him apart. He was so tired. So tired of trying.

This mine, this town, and all it had demanded of him, he was done with it all. He wanted it to burn. His desire was for them all to suffer, just as he had for a decade. He hadn’t dug just one grave that night. No, there had been one accident and four graves waiting for them. They’d just seen theirs too late.

The forest had never forgotten them, though. It had been patient.

That night with Hannah and Amy, it had never ended. It was a living nightmare he had no way out of. Their deaths had simply waited for them to catch up, and even if Hannah could find it in her to exist after all he’d done, he knew she’d died alongside Jennifer and the rest of them.

Ghosts. That’s what they were. He saw it now. There was no point in trying to hold it off anymore.

It was as if the pressure in his head imploded with that thought.

He wasn’t fully aware of his surroundings as his mind fragmented and warped, and his tenuous hold on reality slipped from his grasp.

The cave dissolved in his vision. Something at the very core of himself disintegrated with it.

He was somewhere else. Somewhere he had long tried to forget.

It was ten years ago.

Amy was there. As was Hannah.

He held a muddied shovel. The surrounding forest smelled like home, but his blood had turned cold. Jennifer’s lifeless body lay broken and bloodied, the remnants of shock still painted across her lovely features.

Her hair lay in a sanguine halo around her head as Richy set down the shovel, and silently, the trio worked to lift the woman.

Hannah’s sobs blended with his labored breathing, sweat drip, drip, dripped down his sore neck. He’d wanted to report it to the police. Tried to convince them to do so anonymously. But Hannah, in her fright, had convinced him they’d be signing their death warrants.

His family would suffer. It was he who gave her the keys to a client’s car. It was due to be scrapped, yes, but that didn’t make it better. Everyone would boycott his dad’s Garage and now that mom was growing worse, the sickness in her invading her mind, he knew they needed that income more than ever.

All they could do was hide the body, agree never to speak of this night, and give the greatest performances of their lives to ensure no one ever suspected them once word of Jennifer’s vanishing spread through Duskwood. He felt like something inside him was dying.

His throat tightened, mouth flooding with saliva as the urge to vomit overtook his senses. Heat crawled through him as he swallowed a mouthful of acidic bile and looked heavenward as they shuffled to stand at the edge of the crudely dug grave.

The stars overhead mocked them as the foliage and freshly overturned earth disguised the metallic scent of spilled blood and their sour shared guilt.

“Are you sure you can live with this?” He asked as they hesitated to drop Jennifer into the ground.

Amy chewed on her bottom lip, blood staining her teeth she’d bitten so hard, and her leaking eyes wouldn’t settle on anything as she gave a single jerky nod. Richy’s stomach sank, but he turned his gaze to Hannah.

His friend’s grief mottled face would haunt him forever as she said, “What other choice do we have?”

That answer inspired zero confidence, but Richy accepted it as an affirmation, and said, “Okay, on three—1, 2, 3!”

With a slight swing and a wobble, they released their hold on Jennifer and all three screwed their eyes shut as she hit the bottom of the hole with a sickening crunch.

Amy fell to her knees, her shaking hands gripping the loose mud ringing the unmarked grave as she sobbed uncontrollably. Richy could hardly stand to watch her, and was glad when Hannah, who was crying freely herself, hauled her away.

He nodded once as Hannah and Amy embraced, clinging to one another, wordless apologies pouring from them both as Richy retrieved his shovel.

He felt like they were being watched. Paranoia snaked through his mind like a weed he knew would grow out of control. All he could do was start refilling the grave.

The soft sound of metal scooping up damp earth seemed to ring through the forest as he internally shut down. All his emotions, he forced them aside. He locked them in a cage made of lead and lined with explosives. Life would never be the same.

Life would be a method actors dream after this. He knew this would change them at a molecular level and none of them could breathe a word of it once they left this cursed forest.

Richy took the last deep breath he’d ever experience and watched expressionlessly as the earth rained down on Jennifer. The pattering noise reminded him of rain, of tears. Amy cried harder while he diligently worked to cover up their mistakes.

Hannah watched, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Wetness trickled down his cheeks as he slowly returned to the present.

Hannah’s face floated across his vision as the scene fully dissipated, and he found himself back in the cave. Stale air replaced the aroma of the night dark forest, and a thin haze hung over his eyes as a euphoric rush raced through his bloodstream.

He felt as if he was floating and drowning in a sea of deliriousness.

The medication had kicked in. His legs were leaden as his head lolled on his neck as if on a swivel, and there was an odd sensation in his nose, like the smell of a roaring fire, but none had been lit. The bullet wound in his arm still griped. Infection had set in, he thought.

Only death would cure it. The meds would ease his passing.

A synthetic fatigue draped him like a cloak as he blinked blearily at the dancing shadows creeping nearer. His mouth turned so dry his tongue curdled in his mouth, and his breathing grew shallower as the painkillers burned through the aches in his body. Not long now, his mosaic mind kept jumping between the past and present, footsteps and disembodied voices whispered so close and real that he answered one.

“I should have turned myself in, I know.”

“At least we agree on something. ”

A female said. His suddenly too heavy head swung around to find the source, his sluggish heart raced faster and faster as the voice sounded like Jessy’s.

“Jess? Remember the fish? The names I made up? If I could—No—I’m so fucking sorry...” He said. He spoke with a voice threaded with deepest despondency.

“The fish were just another lie. All of it was. Your life ended the night Jennifer did. Was any of it real after that? Anything you said, did you mean any of it?”

His shrunken heart broke irrevocably, the agony radiated through his chest, and filled him with a coldness that would soon embrace all of him.

“I didn’t mean—please—I’m ready to pay for it. No one else will hurt because of me.” He swore vehemently.

Jessy’s spectral laugh, derisive and humorless, taunted him.

“We will hurt. It won’t go away. Your actions caused wounds that will scar us forever. Death is your relief. Living with what you did to us is our grief. Goodbye, Richy.”

Richy cried silently as her voice faded and the full effects of the painkillers turned his bones to jelly. He had to light the fire before he passed out. A coffin was his only way out of this cursed place.

Bracing a hand on the knobby wall, he gradually rose to his feet as rock crumbled under his fingers, and rained to the dusty ground, sweat on his palm mixed with the dirt as he tottered toward the entrance. He thumbed the Zippo open as he panted, jaw clenched and eyes stinging with slaking tears.

Petrol permeated the air. He breathed it in as he flicked the lighter and swayed on weak knees as the tiny flame ignited. In the dim, damp recesses of the mine, shadows waltzed like specters as Richy, face obscured by the glow of the lighter and shadow, dropped the flame with a snap of his wrist into the pool of gasoline.

Flame surged away from him, hissing along in a serpentine trail until it morphed into a living beast starved and hungry for destruction. He stumbled back. The heat was a physical blow as it sucked out the oxygen, and he trembled like a newborn fawn as he dropped to his knees and stared and stared and stared.

Amidst the cavernous depths of the mine, the candescent light of the furious fire cast a macabre ballet of shadows upon the rough-hewn walls, a surreal tableau of light and darkness. Tendrils of flame licked and lapped at the stone, awakening ember-tinged echoes that wavered and flashed like phantoms in the subterranean gloom.

Billowing smoke, an ash ridden shroud, coiled sinuously through the labyrinthine passages. The evidence he had doused in gasoline would soon catch fire. Relief glittered through him at the thought. An acrid perfume of burning wood and charred earth mingled with the metallic scent of ancient minerals, an otherworldly aroma that lingered in his lungs and clung to all his senses.

There was no going back now. Every breath was slower than the last. It felt like he was inhaling lava as the heat singed the soft tissue and hair in his nose.

His weighty eyelids sat at half mast. The tunnel walls seemed to exhale, releasing murmurs of long buried secrets, as if the very mine itself sought to voice its resignation to the all-consuming blaze. Mirroring his own easing turmoil as he shut down the instinct to flee and welcomed the darkness speckling the edges of his vision.

His lungs were burning as he struggled for air, and it felt like there was a boulder sitting on his chest, keeping them from inflating and grinding his bones down.

The feeling went out of his legs as his hands turned to claws and raked down his neck, leaving scarlet trails of pain scoring his constricting throat.

His world flipped sideways as he collapsed and his head cracked off the rubble strewn ground, but he no longer felt any pain. The roar of the fire, the slowing beat of his heart, and the stones poking into his tear-streaked face were all he knew.

As Richy’s weary eyes teetered on the edge of closure for the last time, a bizarre scene unfolded within the tumult of his fading consciousness.

The nerves in his hands spasmed and his fingers twitched, filthy nails scratching at the dirt to distract himself as he resisted the urge to fight for his life.

No, it had to end like this. If Hell was real, it was best he got used to it.

Freezing panic blasted through him like a blizzard as his blurred eyes caught sight of something that didn’t belong.

Through the shimmering haze of smoke and heat, a figure emerged from a tunnel he hadn’t thought to include in his fiery last act. His heart tried to beat faster as fear spread its icy fingers through his body. The person appeared cloaked in a shivering orange glow and erratic shadows.

Masked and foreboding, the phantom figure raced away without noticing Richy. And lost in the fractured fabric of his perception, Richy could not see who or what it was. If it was a real person, they might’ve tried to drag him out. This would all be for naught. For once, his horrendous luck benefited him.

As it was, the panicked footsteps bolted away from him, barely heard over the howling fire, and vanished into the tumult of smoke.

He hoped they made it out. It hadn’t occurred to him he might take another’s life with him. Just another mistake. Another tally on his list of sins committed. His choices lay before him like an intricately woven tapestry, each thread a testament to the wrong turns and paths he tread, yielding a disturbing, wretched pattern he wished he could unravel and weave anew.

His trembling gaze soon faltered as the slithering smoke filled his lungs, gasping for air that no longer existed as he spluttered and coughed. With every shallow inhale, the world blurred and distorted. Black spots burst like maleficent fireworks in his eyes, shutting down his fleeting thoughts of crawling to safety.

A cacophony of wheezes and whines slipping from his open mouth faded into a distant echo, as his eyelids, heavy with surrender, fluttered closed. He gave himself over to the exhaustion eating him alive from the inside.

The world outside ceased to matter as an alleviating darkness enveloped his mind. His tiny exhales were little more than puffs of air. A whispered farewell to all those he was leaving behind.

Richy had fallen quiet, but the fire raged on, growing stronger as it feasted on wood, and hastily packed boxes, and the papers inside them. His legacy of ash and blood.

In the letter he left for his parents, he had assumed all guilt and taken the lion's share of the responsibility for Jennifer’s death, and his actions after. Hannah, he thought she had suffered enough, and whatever punishment she received, he didn’t want it to ruin her more. Death was his toll to pay, his lethal reputation would exist long after him and pay for the rest of it. He only hoped his parents could move on from this.

They wouldn’t see him again, not until the funeral. It was over. The corrosive effects of his choices had eaten away at everything good in him.

There was nothing left to salvage from his wreckage.

He tried. And he failed. This time, he finally succeeded in something. The complete demolition of him. A tear slipped through his lashes, warm and soft as it fell to the mucky ground.

It was the last. No more fell.

Death came quietly for him, as silent as a falling leaf drifting into a pile of its fallen friends. His chest stuttered as tentacles of smoke wreathed around him like funeral wrappings, falling as still as the rock he lay atop.

Death finally slayed Richy Rogers’ demons, and no one heard their screams.

——————

I have never been so nervous about something I’ve written. I hope that you—I can’t say enjoyed 🙈 but I hope your time wasn’t wasted. Thank you for reading, if you made it this far.

This is in no way meant to glamorise mental illness or anything like that. That is not my intention. I have been where Richy was in this story, I didn’t kidnap or help bury anyone, but I’ve dealt with depression/anxiety all my life. I’ve dealt with suicidal thoughts. There is nothing glamorous about it. This is just a fictional character study to explore his mind and emotions at the end of the game. If you are struggling, please reach out to anyone you trust. Or a stranger, if that works better. Share the burden. You don’t have to suffer alone. It can get better. I promise. I wouldn’t be here if it didn’t ❤️🫂

Thank you ❤️

And the “masked figure,” that was Jake from this story, The Ending You Deserve. Just a little Easter egg for anyone who read that 🤭❤️

[ameliawarnerr]

Evanescent

(She was the evanescent of his life— there and gone.)

Part 10

(Part 9: here)

MC’s POV

I close my eyes and let myself relax in the hot water. Though my mind is anything right now but relaxed. Since Jake walked out of that door, I'm incapable of forming coherent thoughts. It's like my mind is shut down and all I can hear is my heart bearing in a distance.

It’s so uncomfortably quiet. I have no idea what Dan might be thinking of this entire situation. I did not get a chance to talk to him. Alex is somehow calm but that's unhelpful. Alex is a token of reality and Jake is like an illusionary world full of love and happiness with a greater magnetic force than that of earth. Still, I find myself getting compelled to choose the reality.

The uncertainty of my decision sends me to the very edge. Taking decisions— it has never been my favourable position. The fear of regret never lets me decide. Because of that, I have let people decide for me. If anything regretful happens I’d simply put the blame on them. But right now, there is no one taking decision for me. If I choose the wrong path— I will be the one to regret. The previous face off with regret almost put me in denial.

After I read Rose’s message about my mother's death, I cried myself to sleep. The next morning I woke up— I was in denial. I forgot it ever happened and missed the funeral. The next day, I came across Rose’s text again and I broke again as if it was the first time realising my mother is dead.

The warmth of the water calms me down a bit. I severely lack the motivation to get out of the bathroom. If anything, I’ll sleep right in this water. Because I am so undeniably tired.

Everyone might be expecting me to make a life changing decision right now but here I am drowning in my incompetence.

Now when I am trying to make it right, I'm breaking someone else.

Sometimes, I wonder if Jake and I share that kind of love that would make it hard to live without eachother. But when I look into those emarald eyes of his, all these doubts evaporates.

I somehow manage to dry myself and put on a knee-length robe. The room doesn't match the brightness of the bathroom. The curtains are drawn and lights are off. Maybe I left it that way or maybe I didn't.

Without knocking into something, I make it safely to the side table to have my phone. As I switch it on, light blinds me. With the little light, I manage to notice a figure lying on the bed.

My heart makes its presence known by beating faster and louder. No movement or no noise comes from Jake. Maybe he is already asleep. I stand there staring at him. Overwhelming tears build up in eyes and I cannot see clearly anymore. Well, neither can my consciousness when I dare lie beside him.

I lie motionless as an inanimate object. Five minutes of going through the pros and cons, I turn around towards him. My hand hovers over his body as another debate starts between my heart and mind. My eyes opened widely as I try to look at his face. Even his asleep face looks tired. He really need this sleep.

I slowly take my hand back. I don't want to disturb him with my sudden urge to have him in my arms. I’m about close my eyes when Jake’s hand wraps around my waist. As I try to process that, Jake pulls me towards him still in sleep. His face dangerously close to mine. If he- or I, move a bit, his lips would be on my cheek.

My side of bed is left vacant. At this point, I let myself fall prey to my urges. I wrap my hand around his waist. Even in sleep, he gets the messages and pulls me even closer. His leg pushed slighting between mine. I shuffle a little, my head now against his chest and I try hard to be still and let him sleep.

I fail terribly. Everything we did ever since saw eachother comes to me in flashes. And I can't help but to sniff a little. I curse slightly, trying to pull myself away before I start waking him up. But I guess I already did that.

As I try to get out of his grip, he only tightens his hold. His hand from my waist travels up to my head and I am sure he is awake now.

Guilt starts taking over me. “I’m sorry to wake—”

“Stay.” He whispers.

I forget how to breath. Maybe if I had forgotten how to perform fundamental functions of life before, like breathing, the people around mine would have to go through this much.

“Jake, that's—”

He suddenly pulls back and I can see his face. His eyes are insane. They make me go insane. His gaze pulls every ounce of sleepiness out of me.

“Selfish? Reckless? Not the right thing to do? I don't care. The only person I care about is you and if you are getting away from me then I don't mind doing reckless things.” His chest rises and falls.

“You are putting me in a difficult spot here.” Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.

“Then what am I supposed to do? Let you go? You think, this isn't a difficult position itself?”

My breath hitches. The closeness of his body doesn't help either but I'm incapable of pulling away. “I don’t know what to do, Jake. I’m scared. I have no idea if I should keep avoiding it or face it. I want to run away. Again. But I don't think that's a healthy way to deal with problems. I’ve tried running away, I’ve tried avoiding it and, and,” Pushing words out of my pith is becoming a difficult task. “I can't do this anymore. I mean, how long,” I don't finish it. “I though someone would understand. I though you would—”

He pulls me into a hug again and hides his face in the crook of my neck, his hand still on my hair– caressing it. “I understand. I'm sorry. Just know that I will never despise you for what you are doing. We never made any promises anyway, did we?” His tone lighten. “I'm glad we didn't.”

I am not sure how to take it so I let it be. I solely focus on his embrace around me. In his arms, the time stops. I feel like I have eternity to deal with my problems and right now I can just be here, with him. The world and everything in it feels far far away. Euphoric— that's how I feel.

I catch a little, “You’ll be okay.” And drift further into my safe space.

.

When my eyes open again, my Euphoria

My Euphoria

It's gone.

In his place lies a letter.

It is just a piece of paper, it's not a letter, I tell myself. Without caring about my appearance right now, I leave the bed. I search the bathroom— no one, empty. With a rush of anxiousness, I hurriedly search the whole first floor.

Breakfast.

He might be having breakfast. I descend the stairs in a clumsy way, skipping one or two. The table is empty.

My heart flashes the worst case scenarios. “Dan!” I shout.

Dan appears from his room. “What's wrong?” His voice is low and his hair messed up. He was still sleeping. My head snap towards the clock— it's still early.

“Jake. Where's he?”

“Huh? I just woke up.”

No, no, no—

I run, run like a hydra headed monster is chasing me. My steps get slower as I reach my our temporary room. They get even slower as I approach the bed and the piece of paper the letter on it.

I take it in my hand and turn it over.

To Amelia

Forgot how to breath. Forgot to stand— I'm on the floor.

I open it.

Dear dangerously beautiful Amelia,

Firstly, I am sorry.

Secondly, I love you.

So much that I am sure I would not be able to bear the sight of you leaving.

Do you remember when you held a grudge (for five minutes) because I used to read your texts? Well, you can hold a grudge forever against me for leaving earlier.

Maybe it was mistake. Maybe Us was a mistake. But it was the most alluring mistake I ever commited. And far from being something I regret. I will never ever regret anything we did. I hope you feel the same.

Thirdly, thank you.

For finding Hannah with me.

For trusting me.

For making me experience things I never thought I would.

For loving me.

For making me such an important person in your life that leaving became a difficult decision to make.

For making me a reason to stay.

For being my reason to stay.

But sometimes some relations overpower others.

Sometimes, people are so exquisite that they are only worthy of being in unforgettable memories.

Don't forget me, okay?

;)

— Jake

She was the evanescent of his life— there and gone.

He was the evanescent of her life— there and gone.

—The End—

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

FIRSTLY, I AM SORRY!

Secondly, the Epilogue will be there! (YOU CAN ALSO TELL ME IF YOU WANT TO SEE ANYTHING PARTICULAR IN THE EPILOGUE)

Thirdly, ...........I'm sad......how about a sequel?

The insecurity level before posting this chapter gotta be the HIGHEST I have ever reached!

So lemme know if I messed up...

Anyway!!!

Is this the end???? Damn!

I made it!

Because of you!!

Lemme know you fav part of the whole fic!

Thank youu

Love y’all

[hacked-by-jake]

I'm especially sad about the AI art statement.

No one ever said they can't use AI in general. Nobody said this. As long as they don't let the chats be written by AI they can use it for whatever they want.

Me personally, I'm a little fan of AI in general. ChatGPT took Googles place in many situations for me. It's super easy, super interesting and faster. I use it instead of reading millions of Google sites. (of course I don't trust everything right away, check your sources, lovelies)

But that's not what I want to say.

I saw no one complaining about the usage of AI in general. As long as its not creating the whole game and especially not what the characters say etc.

The critism was about the usage of AI ART, not AI in general, completely missing the point in my eyes.

And yes, they're right. AI became a huge part of our lives now. We find it everywhere and we won't get rid of it again. That won't happen. For me, it's okay as long as it's not used to generate money by letting it write texts and stuff.

And I'm completely fine with them using it. Of course, it's still stealing and I won't deny that, but as I said, we won't get rid of it again.

But the usage of AI generated Art is wrong and should actually be illegal. They, as a small developer studio, they should know and they do know, how it is when your work gets stolen and used by strangers.

And that's exactly what AI does. And that's not okay. It simply isn't. Every generated art is based on hundreds of real arts our there. The smallest artist who posts their work will be a victim of that. Because AI pulls it's knowledge and the ability for art out of every little art source there is. And that's wrong.

And I'm disappointed about their statement with this point.

And the second statement about AI art...

Yes, it's wonderful that you will introduce new actors to us. Great, amazing. And yes, we do remember how it was in Duskwood. And we do remember that actors were introduced after some time. Hannah joined in the last episode, and this was great.

But the huge difference is, you used stock photos. Real photography. Real designs. Created by photographers or whoever. The point here is: Real human. And real work.

I don’t think I'm the only one. But the first second I saw the profile picture of Ash, immediately I was like "Hm, that reminds me straight up of arcane"

Which is logical when you use AI generated art because the AI of course uses at first the most popular references.

Fact is: We don't support the usage of AI Art in Moonvale.

Question is: Why didn't you use stock photos just like you did before?

Everbytes answer: Yes, okay, we can change their profile pictures. (Point done)

And I mean, come on. Violet has a freaking cat as profile picture. Where was the problem with just using a real cat for that? Nothing easier than finding a good picture of cats! 😭

And if you didn't want to use stock photos. Have you seen how many incredibly talented digital artists your fandom has? Have you seen the insanely good work they created for your game?

How about contacting a few of them? How about asking them to draw the characters you wanted to have? I'm 100% sure you wouldn't even have to pay them for. Most of them would do it for free right away.

Plus: Real art created by real people

Plus two: No money spending.

Yeeey.

And if you don’t want that...., ✨STOCK PHOTOS✨

To be honest, they took a crumb of the criticism, twisted it a bit. Used the word AI, twisted a bit more, left their statement and at the end they gave us a small little victory by saying "They get new profile picture, see we're listening to you". They gave us a little "victory" so that we hopefully will be satisfied and not mention it again.

That's it for this topic. For now

[fenra-bookswritings]

Hey guys, I just wanted to share a few thoughts on the #Moonvale criticism.

I don't really know how to write this, but somehow I was pretty disappointed with all the fuss about the release of the new episode. Not in Everbyte but more in the community, without wanting to criticize anyone. Everyone can say what they want and I thought it was nice that some of you emphasized several times that this isn't about hate, but about constructive criticism.

I understand the points of anger, but then again, somehow I don't.

AI is interesting for a lot of artists at the moment, which doesn't make it reprehensible. Also the point that AI steals works. Of course that's not good, but honestly it could just be a kind of inspiration. If you look, you'll always find a suitable comparison. Like Arcane. But just because there's a woman with blue hair doesn't mean it has to be a version of Jinx. After all, people look for inspiration everywhere. That doesn't make it a copy. (I understand your point completely, of course, and I don't think stealing from artists is a good thing. I'm an artist myself and can relate to it very well)

And about the diamond system... Sure, they spoiled us a bit with the premium package and the diamonds are quite annoying. But good work is worth paying for. (That doesn't mean that you have to pay $50 for it all the time. Especially because there's no obligation behind it.) I'd rather pay something (and that won't happen more than twice a year at the rate they're releasing) than let this studio go under. After all out there are so many artist who get support through.. money. this game isn't a expectation.

The work they do, the effort, the technology they need, the actors. All the work they do behind the scenes to produce this episode... It was so sad to read all these hate comments after they probably put a lot of effort into it for 2 years. I can well imagine that after the release, they were relieved

and hoped that there would be a little more gratitude. Just because they had written something amazing again. However, it quickly went from comments like "bring Jake back" and "I can't wait" to "the game sucks" "this is shit". But as the saying goes: Nothing is so hard as man's ingratitude. For someone who just consumes, it may be justified. But for people who have put their heart and soul into it, even if they made mistakes, it is extremely devastating. People are so quick to only see the negative that all the good is quickly wasted. If you tear it down, then in most cases the criticism only concerns AI and diamonds. The story is structured very similarly to Duskwood in parts. We even got the introduction of the characters, the time when "unknown" appears, the clues, the relationships and even Jake at the end.

And we can even repeat the episodes as often as we like without losing any progress in the game.

I am definitely in favor of appropriate criticism. There is no need to sugarcoat anything that cannot be sugarcoated. What I was actually trying to say here is that I found it so sad how quickly all the positive things are forgotten because the community is upset about "two" settings.

If you've read this far, thank you. This isn't meant to offend you in any way. I... just wanted to share my thoughts with anyone who's into this and seems to be listening.

Have a nice day everyone 🫶🏻

[zmayadw]

Okay, so I feel a bit calmer this morning, even though I still feel very much sad and disappointed with the whole Moonvale thing, but I'd like to share a few thoughts with you all, both bad and good, concerning the game.

And if you know me by now, you also know I can't write short posts expressing myself, so feel free to skip this long post! 😅

Alrighty, so let's begin:

From the moment Everbyte announced Moonvale I was very excited. As Duskwood was an amazing game, I only expected for the new game to be even more amazing. Logical, right? I never expected it to be a Duskwood sequel, and that was absoluetly ok for me, because no matter how much we all wanted and hoped for it, I was more than willing to give the team that made so wonderful and amazing game as Duskwood a chance to amaze me once more. And when they said that Duskwood will be a part of the new game as a side story, that excitement was only getting bigger.

And so here we are, two agonizing years of waiting later, only to be welcomed with this huge disappointment.

When I started with Moonvale, I really took it slowly, exploring everything carefully before even opening the chat and actually starting with the game and the story itself. And lo and behold, what do I see? No possibility for a premium package, but a lot of options for a ridiculously priced packages to buy jewels for, at that moment, who knew what, but I had a suspicion what it was for. Nonetheless, I dissmissed it for the time being, even though it was getting me a bit frustrated, and decided to move on and start with the story.

The story itself started quite good. I even started to laugh at one point realizing and thinking to myself Gosh, those Everbyte people really like the woods! The character/actor of Eric is nice, I like him, even though he seemes to be pretty clumsy! 😄

Now, the actor/character of Adam is probably the one of the rare things that amazed me from the start! His performance was so great, and I think I read it in someones post this morning how someone also thought he looks alike Rami Malek, and that was my first thought, too! Ok, so far not bad at all one would think, right? Wrong!

At first I didn't really pay attention to, or even realized it, but as other characters started to appear in the game, everything started to scream AI. The chats with those characters just didn't really feel right, you know? And I was really appalled by it. I mean, come on Everbyte, did we really come to this? Are you doubting in your capability of creating something great so much, when we know you damn well CAN do it? Or has the usage of AI became so much needed/mandatory ( I don't know what word to put here really or to explain it better), that you cannot do anything without it? Considering so many creators of all kinds are fighting so hard to stop it from being used in everything, I suppose no. But then again, I don't know if my knowledge about it is sufficient enough, but I can voice out my opinion, and I don't like it at all!

Ok, I have to admit, the chat with Ash about us and Duskwood wasn't bad,or the chat between Ash and Charlie about us, but that is all good(ish) I can say about that.

By this time I was really getting annoyed and frustrated, and as some of you might saw one of my post from yesterday, when it gotten really interesting in the story and my insufficient amount of jewels prevented me from seeing some photos/videos, I was so fucking angry and disappointed that I was very VERY close to just drop the whole thing and stop playing. But I continued, just for the sake to finish it.

And when I finally did finish it, not even the last video of Alan's body camera, or the message after that from Jake, lifted my spirit. All I could think of was how sad and disappointed I was. :(

I really expected an amazing and great game from Everbyte, considering Duskwood is one of THE BEST games I have played. But to get money grabbing, AI screaming thing, that was looking so promising...it just saddens me. I know they need to make money somehow, I'm well aware of it, but not like this. Not like this!

Will I continue playing it? Yes, I probably will, but mostly because I want to see how it will continue with the Duskwood sidestory. Also, I read people are considering using the mod pack if/when it becomes available so they can see the premium/special options, but I won't do that. I don't judge anyone here, do what you want, this is just my opinion, but no matter what, I still have respect towards the creators, and using those mod packs just doesn't feel right to me.

So again, yes, I will continue with Moonvale, but neither will I pay for special options (unless they by some miracle make it like with Duskwood, which I doubt but one can hope!), nor will I use the mod pack of any kind. And I really REALLY hope by all thats sacred, that as the Duskwood side story advances, those jewels won't be necessary to use there, because in that case, that's it from me, sayonara/ goodbye/farewell/adios to Moonvale completely. At least I will always have Duskwood.

Thanks to anyone who managed to read till the end! 💚 Take care all, and let's hope that all this won't get any more worse than it already is!

[zariasona]

Darkness Sweet Embrace...

Alone in Duskwood is where Zaria wanted to be. And so mote it be, that one night after a fateful encounter in Crystalsong did she find herself there. The large tree she grew fond of that bore the brunt of her rage stood before her and a sadness came over her. The battle worn tree was littered in the cuts, scrapes, missing chunks, and healed over wounds.

Even as she looked it over, she could feel the looming precense overhead. "You know what you must do, Archon." The raven said, hidden within the branches of the trees.

"Yes, I know." Closing her eyes, she's shake out her nerves. The arm wriggle, the shoulder roll, the idle jumping all took place one right after the other. Despite how ridiculous it looked, it certainly did what she needed it too.

"Remember this feeling." The familiar voice came to her as she closed her eyes. That warmth, that happiness came to her with such ease. She could feel the darker tones take hold of her skin, the so dark it almost looked black yet looked as if it held glints of glimmering stars across her. The silken teal locks grew longer, turning to a vibran purple and the tips a sea foam green.

"There you are, Archon." Stolas said to her "I've been waiting to see if you'd embrace her."

"I have no choice. If I am to be the powerful Archon you say I am.. There comes a time when I must embrace the darkness. For so long, I stood on the side of the Light. Trying to embrace the Shadow, the Void-" She slowly opened her eyes so that those vibrant silver eyes could illuminate the darkness around them. "It's been difficult. I understand the necessity of the dichotomy, but that doesn't make it easier to accept."

"You know Archon, I wasn't always this being you know me as today. Perhaps in time you'll learn more about me. But today, This is a grand start."** Stolas said with a lighthearted chuckle. "I figured such." Even as Zariasona stood there, she knew something was missing. She crinkled her nose and glanced behind her. "My wings.." A deep frown came. "Just keep trying. They are apart of you, just as I am. Manifest them, Archon."

That heavy sigh came back to her. "I must embrace the shadows." Silver eyes locked onto the scarred tree, her mind swirling with those familiar feelings of him. She had only just seen him days ago, and yet it felt so long ago. "Wings." She said again. Upon her back was the blinding purple slit that looked as if it were tearing her flesh apart. "WINGS." Her voice cried out, trying to vocalize her desire. Stolas sat in the tree, watching, waiting. He edged towards the end of the tree branch, peaking his head between the branches. "Do it, Archon." His voice was soft, trying not to deviate her train of thought. In Zaria's mind, she saw the being that she had fought mere months ago. The fear that swelled in her upon seeing his lifeless body upon the ground.

Just as quickly as her shifted form came to her, was just as quick as it left her. Breathing heavily, she dropped to her knees upon the damp grass and leaves. "Damn it." Stolas swooped down from the trees, shifting into his human form before her. "Archon, are you alright?" He knelt before her, resting his hand upon her shoulder.

Zariasona gave a faint nod. "I need to embrace her. The shadows. The void." Lifting her gaze to Stolas, he'd see that her eyes had turned purple.

@daily-writing-challenge

[thizchaos]

Theory

I felt a little sad when I found out that friends from Duskwood stopped writing to us. But then I thought that perhaps Jake did it on purpose and was able to escape. He could see mines through his phone. The cameras were on and he could just run in a direction where he wouldn't get caught. Nymos only protects Lily and us. And he deleted all messages so that our friends would not be arrested because they helped the hacker. What if Jake texted through Lily not to text or call the MC because it would be dangerous for us. MC is ready to come and if we do that the pursuers might catch us and Jake will just turn himself in for us. Richy is dead and it's hard for all of them right now. It's even possible that when the pursuers hacked into the camera they were able to get some data, which helped them find loopholes and they were able to read our friends' messages. I think the pursuers haven't left yet and we'll see them again. In this case...there is something much darker and more dangerous than the government itself. I remember the predictions of Lotus. Difficulties await us, but we'll have friends and someone who loves us + a king crown.

What if when we activate the code, we launch the Nymos ? And we'll also protect ourselves.

Perhaps even because of Nymos, friends will not be able to text to us. Because they were hacked.

[ghostlyremainss]

someone on reddit brought up a good point: that devs were previously complaining about hacked apps and that maybe being the reason why they turned into this.... format, lets call it.

what they dont seem to comprehend is that people were, are, and will pirate shit no matter what and punishing paying majority for actions of hackers is not the way to go. if anything theyre pushing more people towards it.

this still however doesnt excuse the usage of ai generated... everything it feels like? i didnt even get halfway through the game because it bugged and was unplayable and i just uninstalled it but the more i read about the plot and characters, especially characters, the more it feels like they just feed some chat gpt the prompt to write them sequel story for duskwood and went with whatever they got back. which honestly considering everything else is ai, i wouldnt put it past them...

sad.

#TheGameWithoutGamers

[akaishinkirou]

i've honestly just been playing moonvale in my little bubble and while I was disappointed by the gems and the AI images, I caught myself making up excuses, because I just can't believe the people over at Everbyte would think this is the best way to present their new game to us. I'm thinking 'it's just the first chapter, maybe Charlie etc will reveal their 'real' faces later or smth'. But the more I think about it, the more that just doesn't make much sense. And doesn't make it okay to use AI. And it doesn't solve the gem-problem.

I'm still up for the 'wait and see' approach, but I do feel a bit sad. Didn't the premium package system earn them enough? Idk their finances but Duskwood did really well right? I truly wonder why they would think this is better. I think it's pretty obvious a decision like that would cause distress among fans.

When I wrote my letter 2 years ago, after Duskwood's conclusion, I thought I was writing to people who valued sharing stories above all else. Stories are what I live and breathe and I was looking forward to breathing in Moonvale. This whole situation just makes me sad. And honestly some of you are plain rude in your reactions.

I'm not going to join the angry mob. My heart just sinks when I see all of the angry posts.

If anyone at Everbyte is willing to listen, I implore them: please do. Provide a bit of an explanation at least.

This cannot be how any of you wanted your new release to go.

[yjano]

All of me.

Part 22.

Pairing: Jake x Mc.

Warnings: slow burn, swearing, angst, a little fluff, smut, violence and other pairings.

Words: 4.8k

Author's note: Although this story is not related to the Duskwood game, I will add some of our beloved characters. Please read it only if you're into angst prison stories, slow burns, etc. A little hint: You will get to see some similarities to Jake and his gang from "Never The Same" fic.

"I'm so done with staying inside this room all day." Asher said as he softly sat down on the white hospital bed again. A small smile made its way onto my face, and I softly patted his shoulder. Asher had been dying to leave the hospital ward without ever returning.

"It will be over before you know it, trust me." I said in a reassuring tone. A deep sigh immediately left Asher's mouth, and he slightly let his head drop.

"You say that every time, yet I'm still here." He said, a sad tone lacing his voice.

An apologetic look formed onto my face, and I softly sat down next to him. I had helped Asher a lot with practicing in order to be able to walk again and he had made some great improvements, however he wasn't able to stand for a longer period of time yet and thus had Jessy decided that she wanted Asher to stay for a bit longer.

"I think you've done enough for today. How about I write down your improvements, and then I'll get Sam to cheer you up?" I decided to say while a friendly smile could be seen on my face. A big smile immediately formed onto Asher's face when his boyfriend's name left my mouth, and he softly nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like that." He answered while a hint of excitement could be spotted into his voice. Ever since Asher had been placed into the hospital ward, there hadn't been a day when Sam hadn't visited him. A small smile made its way onto my face. Sam and Asher were really cute together and I couldn't be more thankful to be able to call both guys my friends.

"Is it okay if I turn on the tv?" Asher asked once he fully laid down on his bed again.

Heavy breaths of air left his mouth, and a red blush was decorating his face. He was clearly exhausted from practicing, and softly, I nodded my head, an amused look visible on my face. Even though Asher wanted nothing more than to leave this room and live with Sam again, he wasn't completely ready for that yet. There was still some improvement to be made. A fact Asher himself was highly aware of.

As I was writing down everything Asher and I had practiced today, I quickly became distracted by the noise the tv was making. Softly, I put the papers I was holding back on the original place and focused my attention on the tv.

"Police have been doing everything in their power to find the two escaped prisoners but without success. Both inmates are deemed to be a high risk to society. If you encounter them, please call the alarm number. Do not approach them under any circumstance." The man on the tv with a microphone in his hand said while standing in front of a huge dull grey wall. A shocked look made its way onto my face once the tv showed a mugshot of Jake and I, a dizzy feeling slowly overtook me.

"It is yet unknowable to how these two have managed to escape. Police are currently still investigating how this disaster could have happened. Even after months of the police searching for them, there still hasn't been found a single trace of both criminals. Earlier today, an interview with the parents of one of the escaped inmates had taken place, which we'll show you right away." The reporter said in a serious tone, and quickly, the screen switched over to two people standing in front of a small house.

Tears immediately sprung into my eyes as I watched the two people who I had missed so much standing in front of my childhood home. My mother looked like she had been crying a lot since her eyes were completely red and dark circles could be spotted under her eyes. The woman looked a lot thinner than I could remember, and overall, she looked like a mess.

My father, on the other hand, was standing next to my mom with an expressionless look on his face. The man had his arm on the small of my mom's back and was softly rubbing it up and down. A small tear slowly escaped my eyes. After months of not seeing my parents, I was finally able to catch a glimpse of them, yet it saddened me to see my mother like this. After a mere 30 seconds, a man in a dark suit who was holding a microphone came into view and took place next to my parents.

"I'm standing next to the parents of Mc Estrada, one of the escaped inmates." The man said while a serious tone was lacing his voice, and a stern look could be spotted on his face.

"Ms. Estrada, how do you feel about the whole situation?" The reporter asked the tiny woman standing beside him, and tears immediately sprung into the woman's face.

"I'm completely heartbroken. Within a few months, I've lost both my daughters." The woman said, and a few tears escaped her eyes only to roll down her cheeks immediately. A small sob made its way out of my mouth, and a few tears began to roll down my eyes. My mother had been the only one who had stood by my side when I had been at my lowest point in life and yet here she was, crying her eyes out because she hadn't seen me in months.

"How do you think your daughter managed to escape?" The reporter asked my mother, and the sad expression on the tiny woman's face quickly changed into an angry one.

"My baby Mc is probably the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. She has never broken even a single rule in her entire life." My mom spoke while slightly turning her head and looking directly into the camera.

"And thus I refuse to believe that she would willingly escape a prison, the other guy must have threatened her in order for her to do such a thing." My mother continued, and a confused look immediately made its way onto my face.

"Jake Dalton kidnapped my daughter, and therefore, he must be punished in the worst way possible. This man does not deserve anything other than the death penalty." My mom said while a cold tone was lacing her voice. A shocked look quickly formed onto my face, and I sat down on Asher's bed with a thud.

"Mc baby, please come home, we miss you so much." My mom said with a soft look on her face before bursting into tears. A few tears immediately escaped my eyes, and I slowly looked down. The fact that my mother broke down like that hurt me a lot, yet her words had been the one that had shattered my heart. As soon as Asher took notice of the shocked expression on me, he quickly turned off the tv.

"Mc, I'm so sorry." He said before quickly pulling me into a hug. I was still in pure shock. How could my mother make assumptions like these? The woman has never even met Jake.

A sad expression quickly formed onto my face upon facing the harsh reality I had just been slapped in the face with. The world I used to know and the world I was living in now where two worlds could never be put together. I had to choose one, either my parents or my life inside the gang with Jake.

The rest of the day quickly passed, and before I knew it, my shift was over, and I was back in my apartment again. However, there hadn't been a second today that I hadn't thought of the interview with my parents. Things couldn't go on like this, I needed to be clear to the people I loved.

I softly bit my lip as I was quietly thinking of the right words to write down. Currently, I was sitting at the kitchen table of Jake's and mine shared apartment with a pen and a piece of paper in front of me. After the interview I had seen back in the hospital room Asher was staying in, I had decided to write a goodbye letter to my parents. Never in a million years would I be able to leave my boyfriend, and thus I had decided to give up my past life.

A sad look made its way onto my face as soon as I thought of my mother. The woman meant the world to me, yet I couldn't let her speak of Jake like that. Jake had become the center of my whole life in a few months, and I would do anything to protect him.

A soft sigh left my mouth as soon as I began to think of which words I wanted to write to my mother. How do you say goodbye to someone who means so much to you? How do you say goodbye to the one person who was de definition by the majority of your life?

Suddenly, flashes of Jake filled my mind, and a small smile immediately formed onto my face. He meant to world to me, and after the 'events' of last night, I felt closer to my boyfriend than ever before. Jake was the one who had granted me a second chance at life, and for that, I couldn't be more thankful than I already was. He was truly the source of my happiness. Quickly, I picked up the pen that was lying on the kitchen table and began to write some words down.

Dear mom,

I wanted to thank you for everything that you've ever done for me. You raised me to become the girl that I am today, and for that, I couldn't be more grateful. As you probably know, I'm not in prison anymore, yet I can't tell you where I did go. The only thing I can tell you is that I am happy and that you shouldn't worry. Please forgive me but I have to say goodbye to you and Father. Mom, I love you from the bottom of my heart! Please never forget me. Lots of love. - Mc.

A few tears escaped my eyes as I quickly read through the letter again. I could already imagine the devasted look on my mother's face as soon as she would receive the letter I had written her. My mom and I had always been extremely close, and so I was sure this would completely break her heart.

After a few minutes, I heard the front door of the apartment close, and within a few minutes, I felt two arms surround me from the back.

"Hi baby, how was your day?" Jake asked me before pressing a soft kiss on my temple. Softly, I closed my eyes while a smile was decorating my face. Jake was my life now, and I couldn't be more happy about that fact than I already was. How the hell was I supposed to come home when my home was right here?

~

Last night I finally finished my letter to my parents. Even though the decision I had made wasn't an easy one for me since I loved my parents, it was one that had to be made. There was no way in the world that I could have both my life with my parents and my life inside the gang combined with each other.

Many tears had been shed yesterday, but many happy happy memories had been relived too. I would be forever grateful to fate for putting me in the same cell as Jake. Sometimes it's funny how you think your life has ended, but it turns out to be just a new beginning.

Lex, being the friendly girl she is, had offered me to put my letter in the mailbox since I couldn't exactly go there myself. After all, I was still a convicted criminal, and the police would like nothing more than to lock me up again.

Right now, Jake and I were sleeping peacefully besides each other. Both of us had stayed up late last night watching some action movie. Even though I wasn't really a fan of action movies, this one had been pretty good, and it resulted in both of us sleeping in today.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I lifted one of my arms and began to rub my face to get a little more awake than I was now. A loud ringing noise sounded through the room and disrupted the peaceful silence.

As soon as I woke up a bit more, my eyes landed on my boyfriend, who was still sleeping next to me. Jake had proven more than once how much of a deep sleeper he was, and thus, it didn't surprise me at all that he wasn't waking up from the sound filling the room.

Quickly, I lifted myself up a bit and reached for the phone laying on Jake's nightstand. His phone had been ringing for at least half a minute now, and since Jake himself wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, it was up to me to answer the device.

Carefully, I leaned over Jake while trying my best not to wake him up. I quickly grabbed the phone once I was close enough to the device and soon after went back to my own spot. A small smile made its way onto my face once I looked at the peaceful look on my boyfriend's face and I quickly answered the phone.

"Hi, this is Mc, Jake is still sleeping." I said while a hint onf tiredness could be detected in my voice. Immediately after I was done talking, I began to yawn tiredly and softly closed my eyes again.

"No problem, I meant to talk to you anyway." I heard the familiar voice of Kaden say. He sounded a bit stressed, and immediately, I opened my eyes again. Kaden wasn't the person to get stressed easily, so if he was, that would probably mean nothing good.

"Have you seen Lex today?" He spoke again through the phone while a hint of hope could be heard in his voice. A questioning look made its way onto my face, and I slowly pushed myself up in a sitting position. Why would I have seen Lex?

"No, I was sleeping until you called. Why?" I decided to ask while a questioning tone was lacing my voice. A few curse words immediately left Kaden's mouth, and he sighed loudly.

"I have been looking for her everywhere, but I can't find her." Kaden answered me while a worried tone was lacing his voice. Immediately, a hint of nervousness made its way into my chest once Kaden had spoken those words. Lex wasn't someone to go somewhere without telling Kaden.

"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked while a nervous tone was lacing my voice. A soft grunt sounded next to me, and immediately, I slapped a hand in front of my own mouth. I hadn't realized that I was talking pretty loudly while Jake was still sleeping. Slowly, the eyes of Jake fluttered open, and a small smile made its way onto his face.

"Hi baby, who are you calling?" He asked in a sleepy voice before slowly crawling a bit closer to me.

"Last night before she went to post your letter, nobody saw her after that." Kaden answered me through the phone, and I answered with a soft 'okay.' Quickly, I turned to my boyfriend. My face displayed a worried look, and Jake immediately went to sit up.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He asked while a questioning look was now visible on his face. I swallowed thickly before handing the phone to my boyfriend.

"Kaden is calling because Lex is missing." I said, and a shocked look immediately made its way onto Jake's face. He quickly put the phone on speaker and began to talk.

"Kaden, are you sure you've looked everywhere?" Jake asked his brother while a serious tone was lacing his voice.

"Pretty sure yeah, I've been living here for a long time, you know." Kaden answered. A soft 'fuck' immediately left Jake's mouth and he quickly got out of bed. I looked at him while a worried look was still visible on my face.

"Call the others to search for her and go home yourself in case she comes back." Jake said before quickly putting on some pants and a shirt. Soon after, he gestured for me to get dressed, too, and I quickly got out of bed before walking towards the big black closet. As fast as I could, I put on the first shirt and baggy pants I could find and went to sit on the bed again.

"You seriously think I'm gonna go home if my girlfriend is still missing?" Kaden spoke while anger clearly could be detected in his voice. A soft sigh immediately left Jake's mouth, and he softly closed his eyes.

"Yes, you are. If she comes home, you need to be there for her." He answered his brother before gesturing towards me to follow him. Quickly, I stood up from the bed again and followed him to the front door of our apartment.

"Like hell I will, I'm not gonna sit around while Lex might be needing me." Kaden said, annyoance clearly lacing his voice. A deep sigh immediately left Jake's mouth before he spoke again.

"Fine, call me if you find her." Jake said before hanging up the phone. Immediately after he had hung up, he turned towards me.

"Let's check the roof first, okay?" He said, worry still lacing his voice. Quickly, I nodded, and both of us started to make our way through the long hallways of the building.

I couldn't help but be extremely worried. Lex had been one of the most welcoming people inside the gang in the first few weeks of my arrival there. The hacker had been nothing but sweet and nice towards me, and I considered her to be one of my best friends. I got shaken out of my thoughts by the sudden feeling of someone intertwining their fingers with mine.

A soft yet nervous smile made its way onto my face once I noticed that Jake had grabbed my hand and was squeezing it a bit. He was clearly as nervous as I was, which was not a surprise to me at all. Jake had always described his friends as his family. Even though they weren't related by blood, they were by heart. All of them. Expect Kaden and Jake, of course.

Suddenly, the loud ringing noise of Jake's phone sounded through the long hallway. Both of us were standing in, and Jake quickly fished the device out of the pocket of his jeans.

"Kaden, have you found her?" Jake asked as soon as he had answered his phone. He was supporting a hopeful look on his face, and I quickly leaned a bit closer to the phone to try and hear anything Kaden was saying. Soon, however, Jake's face turned completely pale, and a shocked look could be seen on it.

"Call everyone to the meeting room immediately." Jake said towards his brother before hanging up the phone and turning towards me. The shocked look was still present on his face, and quickly, my heart started to pick up its pace rapidly. This couldn't be good... After what seemed like forever, Jake finally opened his mouth to tell me everything Kaden had just told him.

"Lex has been kidnapped."

~

Chaos. That was the perfect way to describe the situation inside the gang at this moment. As soon as Jake and I had reached the meeting room, all the people except for Kaden were already sitting around the round table and started to fire questions at Jake as soon as they saw him.

"Mind telling us why the fuck Kaden called us in complete panic?" Jessy asked while standing up from her seat and folding her arms in front of her chest. A concerned look could be seen on her face and her eyes were filled with worry.

"Yeah, and where is Lex?" Sam added as soon as Jessy was done talking. Sam was sitting next to his boyfriend. Asher had finally been released from the hospitalwing, and even though he was far from being at the same level as his old self, he was feeling a lot better.

"Why is Mc looking like she has seen a ghost?" Dan spoke once he noticed my pale face. A concerned look immediately made its way onto Jessy's face, and she quickly walked towards me.

"Are you feeling okay, honey?" She asked while quickly taking my hand in her own and performing a few small tests on me. I managed to nod slightly. I was still in complete shock at the news I had just heard. One of my best friends had been kidnapped, and I didn't know if I would ever see her alive again. I didn't even know if Lex was still alive.

"Everyone, please calm down, I'll explain everything in a minute." Jake said before taking my hand in his own and placing me on a chair nearby. I was still as white as a ghost, and it concerned Jake a bit.

All the people quickly went back towards their seats and quietly sat down, waiting for Jake to announce why they had been summoned here. Normally every meeting they held would be organized by Dan, since he's the best when it comes to the business side of it all so the fact that he didn't know anything about why they were here really concerened the others. This couldn't mean something good.

Soon, Jake took place on a chair next to me, and he softly sighed before looking around the group of people. A concerened look was displayed on his face, and he softly placed both his hands on the table.

"Lex has been kidnapped." Jake said, his voice filled with concern. An awful silence immediately fell over the close group of friends, disbelief clearly displayed on their faces.

"What?" Sam said after a minute or two while his eyes were as big as saucers.

"How?" Asher softly added while tears could be seen in his eyes. A tense atmosphere filled the whole room as soon as those certain words had left Jake's mouth. This couldn't be real, right?

"You're joking." Jessy softly said, her voice filled with disbelief. She slowly stood up from the chair she was sitting on while looking at Jake, her eyes filled with concern.

"He's joking, right?" Jessy spoke again, this time focusing on Dan. Her boyfriend slowly stood up before softly wrapping his arms around Jessy's back. Tears immediately began to fill her eyes, and she slowly turned her head towards Jake again.

"Please tell me you're joking." She said while softly hugging her boyfriend back. Jake softly shook his head before looking down himself, clearly not knowing what to do with the current situation himself.

Jake had known Lex for years. The girl had been like a sister to him. The hacker had always been so fragile, and even though I hadn't always been the nicest person to her, Jake had sworn to protect her at all costs. Yet here they were, Lex was gone, and no one knew what to do.

Suddenly, the familiar spund of the door creaking open sounded through the room, and immediately, all heads turned towards the door. The familiar hair of Kaden was the first thing visible as soon as he walked in, and silence immediately filled the room.

Kaden's eyes were completely red, and an angry yet devasted look was displayed on his face. He walked towards the front of the room with heavy steps while soft sobs left his mouth. A pained feeling immediately made its way into my chest, and I looked at him with a compassionate look. Kaden was known as someone who never cried, so for him to start sobbing was very rare, and it made everyone realise how serious this was.

As soon as Jake noticed his brother enter the room, he immediately stood up from his seat and walked towards Kaden as fast as he could. Kaden slowly looked up as soon as he felt someone lay a supportive hand on his shoulder, and he immediately took Jake into a tight hug while starting to sob loudly.

"They took her from me." Kaden sobbed while burying his face in his brother's shoulder. Jake immediately started to rub his back in a soothing manner.

"They are gonna kill her." Kaden spoke again. Everyone in the room was awfully quiet, and a nervous feeling started to make its way into my chest. Kaden didn't mean those words, right? Right?!

"They won't. We'll do everything we can to prevent that." Jake immediately said as soon as those words left his brother's mouth. Jake softly hugged Kaden a bit closer, his own eyes slowly started to fill themselves with tears as well.

"You won't." Kaden suddenly answered his brother. A surprised look immediately formed onto Jake's face, and he softly pushed Kaden back a bit so that he could look him in the eyes. Kaden was still sobbing, and the devastated look was still clearly visible on his face.

"What do you mean I won't?" Jake aked, confusion clearly lacing his voice. Slowly, Kaden started to shake his head before locking eyes with Jake, who was still holding him.

"I can get her back, but you won't ever give them what they want in return." Kaden spoke before continuing again.

"We both know you'll never give them what they want."

Silence filled the room once again. Everyone were looking at Kaden with confused looks on their faces. Everyone considered each other family and thus, they were completely surprised by Kaden's words. Of course, we would give them anything they wanted if that meant we would get Lex back.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked before slowly unwrapping his arms from Kaden. A small smile made its way onto Kaden's face, and he quickly fished his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it and turned the screen towards his brother.

A confused look formed onto Jake's face, and he slowly reached for the phone Kaden was holding. He took the device from him and started to read something that was shown on the screen. Slowly, his face became pale, and he swallowed thickly before looking up from the phone again.

"You know I can't do that." Jake said towards Kaden while his eyes were big and his face was still pale. His brother slowly shook his head before locking eyes with Jake.

"I know, I'm not asking you to." Kaden answered his brother. Slowly, a single lonely tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek.

"I wouldn't have done it if I were you too, I understand." Kaden spoke softly before breaking down completely. Quickly, Jake threw the phone on the table next to him and hugged Kaden again.

The black device Jake had been holding landed directly in front of me, and I couldn't help but take a quick look at what it was that Kaden's phonescreen was displaying. A dizzy feeling immediately formed inside my head as soon as I recognized the innocent face of Lex on it.

The girl's face was completely bruised, and a large cut was visible on her right cheek. The small girl's right eye was completely swollen, and some dried blood could be seen under her nose. Large bruises were visible on her neck, and tears were streaming out of her eyes. A few tears quickly escaped my eyes at the thought of one of my best friends being abused. Lex had never done anything bad in her entire life, and yet here she was, completely bruised up and scared as hell. The girl didn't deserve this. Not her.

"Mind sharing the content of that text with us?" Dan suddenly said, breaking the thick silence which was filling the meeting room. All of us looked at Kaden with a concerned look on our faces and were willing to do anything to help him get his lover back. Jake softly sighed before starting to rub Kaden's back again.

"Lex has been kidnapped by an unknown person, and they're willing to set her free if we bring them someone else." Jake said before softly looking down himself, tears clearly visible in his eyes.

"And if we won't show up before 12 p.m. tonight, they'll kill Lex." Jake softly added before looking at everyone with a concerned look on his face. The current situation was horrible. There literally wasn't a good outcome.

"Who do they want in exchange for Lex?" Asher softly asked, already guessing he wouldn't like the answer Jake was gonna give him. A tense atmosphere quickly filled the room, and a deep sigh left Jake's mouth.

"They want to give us Lex in exchange for Mc."

[shane-mc]

Be With You

A/N: Hi lovely people! My brain is not working for the new chapter of my fan fiction The Punishment so here's a one shot for now. This is a long one and contains smut. It’s my first time to write a smut so bear with me. Hope you all like it.

Warning: Swearing and Sexual Content. 18+

After Hannah has been found, MC never heard from Jake and it's already been 3 months. She decided to move to Duskwood to be near her friends. Everyday, she keeps on waiting for a message from Jake but none. It's killing her. She missed him so much. Despite of this, she remained strong because deep down she knows that he's still alive and safe. She trusts him that he will keep his promise that they will see each other. Even though it broke her heart when Richy's burnt dead body was found inside the mine, she felt happy and relieved that it was not Jake. There's no other dead body found inside the mine and there's no news about a wanted hacker being captured so these give her hope. She believes that one day, Jake will find his way to her. Even though she hasn't seen his face yet nor heard his real voice, she truly loves him and she's willing to wait for him even for a long time.

It was already 1 AM but MC still can't sleep. Jake had been occupying her mind. She kept on reading their last conversation.

Jake: I love you, MC.

MC: I love you too, Jake.

Tears fell down from her eyes. She can't stop herself from crying. She closed their chat and put her phone on the bed side table. "Jake, please come back to me. I miss you so much". She's about to close her eyes to go to sleep when suddenly she received a notification on her phone. She reached for it and when she saw the message, her heart jumped. It was from Jake.

Jake: Hello MC :)

She quickly typed to reply. Her hands were shaking.

MC: Jake! Oh my God you're alive! Why did you just reached out to me now? I'm so worried about you. You don't know how much it kills me everyday waiting for your message.

Jake: I am so sorry MC. I didn't want to worry you but I had to lay low and work hard for my pursuers to lose track on me.

MC: It's okay Jake. I'm so happy to know that you're alive. So are you safe now?

Jake: Yes I am, for now.

MC: We'll see each other here in Duskwood?

Jake: Yes, we will. :)

MC: I missed you so much Jake. See you soon.

Jake: I missed you too MC. You're my source of strength all this time. See you soon. :)

MC was so happy that Jake's back and they'll finally see each other. All the sadness and exhaustion have now been replaced with happiness and excitement. MC drifted off to sleep thinking about their first meeting.

It's already 11 AM when MC woke up. She already took a shower and headed to her kitchen to cook something to eat. Suddenly, she heard her doorbell ring. She went to her door to see who it was. When she opened it, there's a man standing in front dressed in all black. He's wearing a hoodie and a black mask so it's only showing his piercing blue eyes which were looking straight into her. It was Jake.

Jake: Hi MC.

MC: Jake? Is that you?

Jake: Yes, it's me.

MC jumped on to him to hug him. She hugged him like she never want to let go. Jake hugged her back. MC no longer bothered to ask Jake how did he find out where she lives, he's a great hacker for a reason.

MC: Jake, I am so happy that you're finally here.

Jake: Me too MC. I am so happy to finally see you.

They stayed there for a while hugging each other when Jake interrupted their moment.

Jake: Uhm MC, I would love to hug you for as long as I want but we're still outside in front of your apartment.

MC let go from their hug.

MC: Oops sorry, come on in.

Both of them went inside her apartment.

MC: It's still daytime. Is it safe for you?

Jake: Don't worry MC. I'm safe and besides I wanted to just act normal instead of sneaking here at night.

MC: You have a point. Did you eat already? I'm actually just about to cook Chicken Adobo. It's a Filipino dish I learned. It's delicious. You have to try it.

Jake: I actually haven't eaten yet and I would love to try it.

MC: Great! Just sit on the couch while waiting for me.

Jake: Do you need any help?

MC: No, you're my guest so I'll take care of you. Just stay there and relax.

Jake: All right. Thank you MC.

After MC finished cooking their food, she and Jake enjoyed eating. Jake loved it so he ate a lot and MC was so happy. After eating and washing the dishes, they both sat beside each other on the couch. They started to have small talk and enjoyed learning new things about each other. After a while, Jake took his laptop from his backpack and opened it. He checked the location of his pursuers. MC got curious and asked him about what he's doing. Jake went on to explain to MC and showed her things he's using for hacking. MC listened to Jake attentively even though she really didn't understand what he's saying. She admires him talking about his expertise. MC slowly leaned closer to Jake and kissed him on the lips. Jake was shocked with the sudden kiss.

MC: I... I am sorry. I.. I just can't help it. ( MC said embarassed. )

Jake: No, you don't have to apologize. I actually needed that.

Jake looked at her and smiled. MC smiled back after hearing what Jake said.

MC: Me too. Though it's not how I imagined. Remember, in my imagination that I told you, you're the one who kissed me.

Jake: Well, I can always do that later, right?

MC: Right.

Both Jake and MC's face were red. They can't hide how they feel about that kiss.

MC: Jake, will you be okay if I leave you for a while. I just need to buy some things.

Jake: Yes, I will be fine.

MC: I'll be right back.

Jake: All right, be safe.

Jake continued to work on his laptop while waiting for MC.

After an hour, MC's back carrying a few paper bags.

MC: Jake, these are for you. ( MC handed Jake the few paper bags and sat beside him. )

Jake: MC what are these?

MC: Those are hoodies, shirts, and pants. Don't worry, they're all black. Oh I also bought some boxers for you, I'm not sure about your size so hopefully they fit. I thought you might need them during your stay here.

Jake: MC you didn't have to. I... I won't actually be staying for long and... I won't be able to carry them with me.

MC: What do you mean you're not be staying for long? You're... you're going to leave me?

Jake: MC I have to. I can't stay with you for a long time. It's dangerous for you.

MC: Then take me with you!

Jake: No! I'm not going to do that. I won't let you leave your normal life and be on the run with me. You don't deserve that kind of life!

MC: But that's what I want!

Jake: No MC! I won't allow that. You can't!

MC was so hurt and disappointed. She stood up to go to her room.

MC: I'm going to my room to rest. If you're still going to stay, just feel at home.

Jake: MC... MC please talk to me.

MC did not respond and went straight to her room and locked the door. Jake just let her be. He thought he needed to give her some space.

After 2 hours, MC went out from her room all dressed up and wearing a make up. She then proceeded to put on her boots and leather jacket. Jake was confused.

Jake: MC, where are you going?

MC: I'm going to the Aurora bar to get some drinks and enjoy the night.

Jake: Why?

MC: Because I want to, Jake.

Jake: MC please just stay.

MC: No

Jake: Can I at least drop you off there?

MC: No, I'm fine. If you feel hungry, there are still left overs from what we ate earlier, just preheat it in the microwave. Make sure to lock the doors and don't open for anyone.

MC went out and drove her way to the Aurora.

It's already 1 AM but MC's not yet home. Jake was already so worried. He tried to text and call her but she's not answering. He decided to go to the Aurora to look for MC. After walking for a few minutes, he arrived at the Aurora and went inside. It was still full of people and a loud music was playing. Jake looked for MC. He then spotted her dancing so close with a man. When he looked clearly, he realized that it was Phil. He was holding MC's waist while she's swaying her hips along with the music. Phil then stopped her from dancing, he put his hand on her cheek. He leaned to her closer and when he's about to kiss MC, someone grabbed her away from him. Both Phil and MC was shocked. When MC looked at the man who grabbed her, she saw that it was Jake.

Phil: What the fuck man?! What is your problem?

Jake: You are my problem!

Phil: Who the fuck are you to interrupt our moment?

Jake: I am her boyfriend so back off if you don't want me to ruin your life.

Phil: Boyfriend? Really? Is that true MC?

MC did not answer Phil.

MC: Sorry Phil I have to go.

Jake then dragged MC out of the Aurora.

MC: Jake, let me go! You're hurting me!

Jake didn't realize that he had been holding MC's wrist so tight. He let her go.

Jake: Give me your keys.

MC: I can drive.

Jake: You are drunk.

MC: I'm not. I'm still sober.

Jake: Just give me your fucking keys MC!

Jake yelled at MC. She was shocked with his outburst. She gave him her keys and not argue anymore.

After a while, they arrived at MC's apartment. After they both went inside, Jake slammed the door so hard.

MC: What the fuck Jake?! Are you trying to destroy my apartment?!

Jake: What was that MC?!

MC: I don't know what you mean.

Jake: Seriously?! Just because I told you I can't be with you, you went to that womanizer?!

MC: So what Jake?! It's none of your concern!

Jake: Of course it is my concern MC! I promised to protect you!

MC: Protect me?! Protect me Jake?! You're going to fucking leave me!!! So how can you protect me?!

Jake: That's why I'm leaving! To protect you! How many times do I have to tell you that it's dangerous?!

MC: Bullshit Jake! I know it's dangerous! When I got involved with Hannah's case, I know it's dangerous but I still continued because of you! When I allowed myself to fall in love with you, I fucking know it's dangerous! But I don't care! Fuck I'll even follow you to the ends of the earth just to be with you! I don't care leaving and sacrificng my normal life Jake, as long as I'm with the one I love. With you! But I guess I'm the only one who wants that.

MC was so hurt. She had been crying all this time. It breaks Jake’s heart to see MC like this. All he just wanted is to protect her but deep down his heart, he wants her to be with him. MC turned her back to Jake but he grabbed her hand to face him. He quickly held her face and crashed his lips in to hers. He kissed her deeply and full of passion. At first, MC was not able to respond but when she realized what was happening, she kissed him back deeply with the same passion. They moaned into each other’s mouth. Their tongues danced together. MC wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Jake supported her thru her butt. They made their way to the bedroom without breaking the kiss. Jake gently placed MC in the bed. They broke the kiss to gasp for air, their foreheads pressed together.

Jake: Are you sure you want to leave this life and be on the run with me?

MC: I have never been sure so sure about anything in my life except this Jake. So please, please let me be with you.

Jake: If that’s what you want.

MC: I love you Jake.

Jake: I love you too.

Their lips crashed again together kissing each other hard. In between kisses, they tore each other’s clothes until they were both naked. Jake devoured MC’s neck while kneading her breasts with both hands. He kissed his way down and licked and sucked her already hard nipples. MC’s moans became louder. Jake’s other hand found it’s way on her wet pussy. He smiled knowing how she’s so ready for him. He massaged her clit and pushed 2 fingers inside. MC’s breathing became heavier. She loved what Jake was doing to her body. Jake replaced his fingers with his mouth. He licked MC’s wet folds and sucked her clit like it was his dessert. MC couldn’t take it any longer as she orgasmed on Jake’s mouth. He drunk all her juices sucking her dry. “You taste so good MC”. MC pulled Jake back into her mouth tasting her own. She pushed him slowly to change position. Now she’s the one on top. She did the same things Jake did to her. She devoured his neck and kissed her way down until she reached Jake’s erection. She took it with her hand and pumped him slowly. MC started to lick and suck the head making him jerk and moan from pleasure. She took all his erection into her mouth and moved her head up and down. Jake’s breathing became heavier. Before reaching his climax, he pulled MC back to his mouth and kissed her. Jake rolled them over so he’s back on top without breaking the kiss. He stopped when he realized something.

Jake: MC, I did not bring a protection with me.

MC reached thru her bedside table cabinet and took a condom.

MC: Here, use this.

Jake: Wow. Do you usually store condoms with you?

MC: No, I actually just bought it earlier when I went shopping. I expected yours is big so I think I got the right size.

Jake: So, you anticipated this to happen huh?

MC: Of course, and I’m disappointed that you didn’t.

Jake: You have no idea how much I wanted this.

MC: Then fuck me already!

Jake: Patience my love.

Jake tore the pack of condom with his mouth and wrapped it around his cock. He gently put his erection inside MC’s wet pussy. They both gasped when he entered her fully. He started to thrust slowly until he made the pace faster making MC moan wildly. He fucked her fast and hard. The heat started to build up. MC scratched Jake’s back while he’s holding MC’s waist tightly. After a few more thrusts they both reached their climax. Jake pulled out from MC and discarded the condom. He then lied beside her hugging her in a spoon position. Jake placed gentle kisses on MC’s shoulder.

Jake: So, are you ready to start your journey with me?

MC: I am so ready Jake. When do we leave?

Jake: Tomorrow, but don’t worry, we don’t need to be in a hurry. We still have time to repeat this.

MC: I would love that. Good thing I bought a few condoms with me.

Jake: Haha. I fucking love you MC!

MC: I love you too Jake, so much.

They both drifted off to sleep thinking that even though what’s waiting for them will not be easy, they have each other and together they can conquer it all.

A/N: Phew! I squeezed my brain to write this. Hopefully you all enjoyed.

[lyon-amore]

Still thinking about how my MC would be in Moonvale, I think that unlike Duskwood, I'm sure she would start writing everything she discovers to write a report in the future, as she would be sad about what happened in the previous game, she would avoid wanting to get attached to the new group and just investigate.

Maybe later she will end up loving them too, but she hesitates because she has a good story on her hands and she doesn't want to lose her job, she would surely have a discussion with them or perhaps with Eric, who is who at the moment we know will ask us for help.

I want to see her so bad just because she misses Jake and has become selfish thinking about her and not how she can affect the rest.

But until I play it, I won't really know how to make her life for the second game 🤔 I have things in mind for the relationships of her friends and life away from the plot of the game at least...

[itsnotzka]

Hey! How are you? Hope you missed me ;) Okay so first off, I'm sad that let's make the world end is soon coming to an end, but I look forward to see what you will do after. The new oneshot was so wholesome 10/10 will definitely read again. I've said it before and I'll say it again, your writing is so great. I don't know how to describe it but it feels very human? That may sound weird but I genuinely love it :D <3 Also I forgot to answer to your reply to one of my earlier asks, the one where you mentioned you melting, but ahH I blushed

Take care and have a wonderful day/night, you deserve it! <3

Of course I missed youuuu, come hereeee, youuuu!

(づ￣ ³￣)づ

Tell me about it. I am freaking out about the ending! But I am kind of excited about the next thing so... we'll see if it's any good! 😌

Aaaah, thanks 🫠 It means so much to me and I'm so grateful you still take the time to tell me things like that (and I'm trying to believe in them).

Tee-hee! I'm glad I made you blush 🤭

Have an amazing day/night as well!

Pssst... you know... we have this little Duskwood discord server and we're having so much fun there... maybe you would like to join? Everybody would love you, because it's a really wholesome little gang 👀

[hacked-by-jake]

SPOILER RANT (I think)

❄️❄️❄️

✨️✨️✨️

💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻

👀👀👀

😌😌😌

So, I just replayed the first episode of Moonvale, and what annoys me is that literally NO ONE questions me. Everyone just accepts that I'm there. Meanwhile in Duskwood we had to endure the grumpiness of Dan, the bitching of Lily, endure being the sussy stranger from Cleo and we had to GAIN their trust. In Moonvale their friend goes missing in the weirdest way possible and they be like "Hi. Nice to meet ya! Let's talk about some unrelated bullshit." 😭 Like wtffff? What's wrong with you all 🥲

Oh gosh, yes! Absolutely. This is really just a thing that is so sad because it makes the game seem so much worse, less realistic.

It just doesn’t make sense and I don’t understand why Everbyte didn’t make it. Ash is the only one who's at least a bit careful with us. Asking Eric and also writing to us about it.

I don’t know, Violet seems more reserved either way, so maybe that’s why. Even if it doesn’t make sense, maybe the characters are so naive, I don’t know.

I mean, Charlie didn’t even notice we were there. xD

Maybe it’s also because the thing with Duskwood has become known and therefore no one wonders anymore if something like that happens. But it doesn’t make sense either.

I don’t know, maybe it was just Everbyte trying to make the story as different as possible. Unfortunately, but with losses..

I’m trying to find an explanation here, but there’s just none. Maybe it was a careless mistake or just not fitting for the progress.

We still have Brian and I have hopes. He can be the one who hates us from the beginning. The one who doesn't trust us. He can be the man!

Thank you for pointing this out again. At the moment there are so many things going on that such things just went down, others have already talked about it, I know that. But I keep forgetting it.

But I love the way you described it, simply hilarious and relate.

Thank you for sending in and your time. I really appreciate it, hehe. 💚

[ameliawarnerr]

Can you write an alternative ending to duskwood-lovers stalking/kidnapping prompt where Jake finds MC too late. She is alive but completely broken from what happened.

Thanks 💕

I meannnn, i like writing sad stuff soooo you’ll get it!

Again, thanks to @duskwood-lovers for the prompt!

[zmayadw]

- Focus On My Voice -

Duskwood Jake x Fem!Mc Oneshot

A/N: This one is written (firstly 😉) for @dwkfan ! 💚

All right my dear, first let me say that I hope your dentist appointment went good ( all things considering! ) , and I'm sorry that I couldn't write this for you sooner, but I hope that this will still bring you some kind of comfort! 💚 Hope you (and the rest ofc 😁) will like it! Take care! 🥰💚

With heavy steps, Mc left her apartment heading off for her dentist appointment. She avoided doing it for as long as it was possible, but now even she knew it has to be done. Not to mention that it didn't really help as her anxiety was skyrocketing for days now, too.

Her steps got heavier the closer she was to the dentists place, and she was really considering to just turn around and go back home when a voice reach her ear "Hello, love."

She would recognize that beautiful voice anywhere, instantly deafening all other sounds around her.

She was so excited he was here, but when she wanted to turn around to face him the hacker quickly stopped her "Don't! Just keep on walking."

She didn' protest or anything, she understood why it had to be so. It was still risky for them to be seen together.

"What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think I would let you go through this alone?" the hackers voice was determine enciting a smile on her face.

"Well no, but I don't want you to risk your safety, either!"

The hacker laughs "Let me worry about that."

Although she adored his laugh she was still worried "Easier said than done."

"I know," he begins "but still, try."

They walked in silence for a moment before she felt him discreetly put something in her hand "Here, you know what to do with it."

She waited a few seconds before she dared to place her hand in front of her and examine the object in it.

With a smile and shake of her head, she take a little earbud and place it in her ear.

"Can you hear me good?" Jake's lovely voice humm in her ear and she smiles brighter "Yeah, I hear you perfectly."

"All right, so the easier part is done. Now let's get you through the not-so-easy part."

"I don't want to sound ungreatful here," Mc starts a bit sceptical "but you are aware I'm going to the dentist, right?"

"Yes, I know." the hacker replies a bit confused "What's your point?"

"My point is" she begins making an unaware gesture with her hand towards the ear occupied with the little earbud "I am going to THE dentist, I won't be able to talk, silly!"

The hacker laughs at it, and although she loved the sound of it, if he was next to her, he would be punched right now. And hard!

"I know you won't be able to talk, and that won't be necessarry either way."

Realizig she almost came to the dentists building her anxiety spiked and her brain couldn't focus enough, so she only managed to say "Elaborate, please."

Noticing the worry in her tone of voice the hacker starts softly "You just close your eyes and focus on my voice."

She stops in front of the dentists building and shudders "And you promise, you'll keep talking to me all the time?"

"I promise, love. I won't stop for even a second."

"I really hope that will be enough."

"I know it will." the hackers voice was reasuring enough, making her feel a bit more relaxed.

"All right, ready?"

She takes a few deep breaths before pushing the building doors and stepping inside "Ready as I'll ever be."

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

An hour later, she left her dentists place lighthearted and with a smile on her face.

"Jake? You still here?" she ask the moment her feet touched the pavement of a bussy street.

"I'm here, love." his entracing voice hummed to her ear, making her smile just get bigger. "But I have to go now, I already overstepped it, it's not safe any more."

"I know." she replies unable to hide the sadness from her voice and that smile vanishing from her face in an instant.

"Don't loose that smile, love. It looks beautiful on you."

She instantly stopped in a spot upon hearing his words, not paying the slightles attention to some pretty juicy curse words from a guy who almost bumped at her because of it.

"Are you - are you watching me right now?"

Her heart was beating frantically as she carefully scanned her surrounding in a hope to catch a glimp of him.

"Ofcourse I am," he chuckles "I told you, I'll always be watching over you."

And that was all it took for her smile to return, bigger than before.

"That's better." his voice hummed again in her ear as she slowly begins walking again.

"Thank you, Jake, for doing this despite all the risks. You have no idea how much it means to me."

"No need to thank me, love. I'm always here for you."

"I know." she replies "And I love you for it."

"Love you too, angel. All right, I really must go now. You know what to do."

And she did - so she took out her earbud and dropped it on the pavement in front of her, making sure to step on and crush it as she continued on her way.

"That's my girl." the hacker smiles as he watched her expertly do it, stealing one more glance at her beautiful smile before stepping out of his hiding place and getting lost in the sea of people in the bussy street.