Jacob Seed x Reader

Forty-Six

With a surprisingly rough hand John dragged you through the forest.

Rain pelted down on both of you, pulling you into an icy, wet embrace and causing goosebumps to bloom all over your body.

With one hand he held you by the hair, so roughly that it felt like he was trying to rip them all out at once. In the other hand he still held his revolver, as if he expected to have to shoot you at any moment.

He was quick on his feet, a bit too quick even. A pained scream left your lips as he tried to drag you up a slope, but you weren't fast enough.

A merciless pain chased through your knee, for a moment it felt as if the kneecap would break into a thousand pieces and bore into your skin.

Abruptly he let go of you, his face contorted with rage.

"What the hell, are you too stupid to run?", he asked, his voice shrill.

With tears in your eyes, you tried to stand up, but the knee made your whole leg go numb. It felt like at any moment the leg would detach from your body and fall off, like a rotten fruit from a tree.

"My... my knee...", you gasped, trying not to cry in pain.

Without being interested, he shrugged.

"What about it?"

"It's hurt. I can't... run any faster. Maybe it's dislocated again."

A mocking hiss escaped John, he laughed.

"Don't be like that and get up.", with a rough grip he dragged you back to your feet. "And if you can't walk, I'll make you crawl."

Tormented by pain, you nodded, swallowed a cry and began to walk on your healthy leg. Whenever you hit the ground with both feet, a sharp pain coursed through your entire body. It felt like every single bone was breaking all the way up to your hip as someone hammered nails into the soles of your feet.

At least you had found a new pair of shoes in the cave, so at least your feet didn't get hypothermic.

However, you were now much slower. So slow that it only made John angrier.

Suddenly he whirled around, raised his hand and without warning punched you in the face.

Stunned, you froze. Your foot lost its grip on the muddy ground, you slipped and tried to stabilize yourself with both legs. But the pain forced you to your knees with a shrill scream.

With a loud thud you hit the ground, mud covered your clothes and speckled your face.

Hot tears ran down your cheeks. You were shaking all over.

"Why are you so slow?", he shouted, trying to force you to your feet again. "Fuck! Why do I have to do Joseph's dirty work? Shit, it would be so much easier without you."

He tugged at you with one hand, but you were so exhausted at that moment that you couldn't even react.

Breathing heavily, you tried to lift your head, but only managed to look at him out of the corner of your eye. The cold rain felt like a thousand tiny shards of ice were digging into your skin. Your body was already numb, like a hollow puppet you were trapped in.

"Hey!", John tapped you with the tip of his shoe. "Get up. Shit, get the fuck up! I still need you."

But you couldn't move. Darkness was already creeping into your eyes. It was all so cold, so still and empty.

Was this how death felt like?

With a suppressed curse on his lips, he put his revolver away and bent down to help you.

As he crouched in front of you, you noticed something hanging on his hip. It was a holster. And sticking out of this holster was the handle of Jacob's knife.

A shaky breath escaped your lips. Your fingers twitched.

With a jerk, John pulled you back to your feet.

You were so weak that your legs shook with the effort and immediately collapsed again.

But John didn't let you fall again and grabbed you tightly with both hands, making it impossible for him to react quickly without getting disturbed.

"What does my brother see in you?", he asked, dragging you along like a wet sack of flour. "You are so weak. Jacob would kill you right away if he could see you."

You nodded in agreement, your head felt like it was filled with honey, heavy yet hollow. The place where he had hit you throbbed as if your heart was beating there.

"John...", you mumbled, lost in thought. "You are... very careless..."

He frowned in confusion, but by then it was too late.

With the last of your strength, you nimbly grabbed the knife at his waist, pulled it out, pushed him off you and whirled around. Suddenly, adrenaline filled your veins. Your heart was beating wildly in your chest.

The pain suddenly stopped, leaving only a dull feeling in your body.

With clenched teeth, you clutched the knife and stabbed into the darkness.

A surprised gasp escaped John.

Without hesitation, you pulled the knife back and stabbed him again, making sure he wouldn't be able to follow you.

Blood rushed out of the wounds, covering your hands and dripping onto the muddy ground, painting a picture of death and pain.

With his eyes widened in surprised, John stumbled back. He had his hands pressed onto the wounds.

There was so much blood.

"Don't dare to come closer to me.", you gasped, raising the knife in a threatening way. "I don't want to kill you. But I will defend myself."

Not being able to form words, he moved his lips. But all he was able to express was an exhausted gasp.

Taking a deep breath, you turned around and rushed away. One last time, you threw a quick glance over your shoulder.

The earth was drenched in red. The rainwater washed his pain away, forming little rivers of death that sought their ways through the forest.

It was obvious that the stabs had been fatal. But he wouldn't die from them. Not unless somebody found him before bleeding out.

For a second, you hesitated. The nurse inside of you didn't want to leave him to die. But the side of you, that wanted to survive, secretly longed for another stab right between his eyes.

"No...", you squeezed your eyes shut and shook that feeling off. "I must... find Jacob..."

With a tightened grip around the knife, you turned your back on the youngest Seed brother and vanished into the night.