Fates Fickle Ways

Chapter Three

I can't believe what Richy just told me. I can't make any sense of it. I don't know that I can ever forgive him, but I have to find him. I can't let him die here. He owes Hannah and Amy so much more. I'm frantically running through the tunnels. I know he can hear me, screaming his name desperation ringing with every scream. I had to find him! I have to get him out of these mines, he can't die here!

I'm starting to lose hope on finding Richy when I bump into a solidly built man in a black hoodie. Jake? Jake! I immediately start crying, I wrap my arms around him and suddenly nothing else exists. He's saying something to me but I can't hear him. Every emotion I've felt this whole time has come crashing down on me, and I can't control it any longer.

Before I know it my feet are no longer on the ground, a strong set of arms are holding me as if I'm nothing but a feather. A sense of calm washes over me and I am able to begin collecting myself. "I need you to point the flashlight, we're getting out of here Ella." His voice was so deep, it touched something deep down inside me. I knew everything was going to be okay, we just had to get out of this mine.

We turned down another corridor and Jake froze. My head snapped from the beautiful black haired man I'd been obsessing over, to see Richy standing in front of a stack of paper, and the mask of the Man without a Face. "Richy?" My voice carried more fear than I meant to convey. I wanted to be strong. "Richy, what are you doing?" It didn't sound like my voice anymore. "Ella?" His voice matched mine. He sounded terrified. Not like the person we knew. "I can't keep going, Ella. I messed up, went too far. I...I didn't mean for it to go this far. I really wanted to help. I'm sorry." Jake started to pull me back toward him. I'm not sure when I started to walk towards Richy.

"You don't have to do this Richy. Your friends love you, they miss you...we miss you." My voice was breaking now. He may have made mistakes, but did that mean no one would forgive him eventually? Could Hannah? "Come with us Richy. Please. Don't do this!" I noticed now that I was standing right in front of him, his gaze barely meeting mine. His eyes slipped to something by the wall and as I followed I realized they were gas cans.