Duskwood: Unrecognisable

Part 10

A/N: TRIGGER WARNING PTSD, trauma, strangulation, burn injuries, depression, talk about killing, and other things I may have forgotten to mention.

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Sex with Jake was intense and heated It was clear that we both had a lot of steam to blow off. I completely lost myself in him, which stopped me from getting caught up in my emotions. However, it seemed I wasn't the only one who lost themselves.

In the heat of the moment, Jake's hand grabbed my throat, which in the heat of the moment I didn't think much of, but when he brought his other hand up, he suddenly started squeezing without warning. Panicking, my hands slapped his arm to get him to stop, but when that didn't work, I started scratching. Jake was looking at me, but at the same time he wasn't. No, he was looking past me! I recognised that look. Shit, he was having an episode! I reached out and slapped his face. He barely flinched.

"Jake!" I managed to squeeze out. Wake up, you asshole!

Engaging all of my limbs, I kicked and punched him until he finally snapped out of it. His eyes widened and he withdrew from me immediately. Coughing and sputtering, I rolled to my side to recover as I heard Jake screaming mournfully. As soon as the coughing settled, I glanced over my shoulder and saw him with his back to me on the floor. He was holding his head, rocking back and forth.

"Jake," my voice strained. "What the hell was that?"

I didn't know if he was ignoring me or if he was simply blocking me out. I got up shakily and went down beside him on the floor. I could hear him muttering to himself over and over again, but I couldn't make it out. I sighed and put my hand on his shoulder, but as soon as I touched the dragon tattoo Jake jumped and I pulled back with surprise. He glanced over his shoulder and saw me, then turned away again. Nervously I ran my fingers along his tattoo and felt that the contours of the tattoo matched perfectly with scars hidden underneath. Not just any scars though. Burn scars.

"Jake..." my voice shook.

"Spare me your sympathies," he mumbled. "I don't deserve them."

The dragon tattoo was extensive. It started with breathing fire over his left shoulder and coiled across the majority of his upper back, ending at his right shoulder. My fingers ran the entire length of it, feeling every dip and crevice of his flesh. I had to give them credit; the artist did an amazing job disguising the scar tissue. If I hadn't touched it directly, I didn't know when I would have noticed.

Suddenly it clicked. The long, fire- breathing dragon, twisting and turning, almost like a maze. Almost like the Ironsplitter mines.

"We searched for you!" As soon as the words left my mouth I started crying uncontrollably.

Jake didn't respond. He just buried his face in his knees. I rested my head against his back and sobbed. My throat hurt like hell, but my heart hurt so much worse.

We sat for hours on the ground, both emotionally devastated. Jake never came out of the shell he buried himself into. Resting my head against my back, I just kept hugging him from behind. I cried so much in those hours, that I had run dry. Even though my throat had recovered, I still couldn't form any words. I went over and over again those days following the explosion. The FBI had managed to get to Richy quickly enough that his injuries were manageable, but the fire raged on. In many ways it must've saved Jake, but it was also clear that it ruined him.

Still, the FBI weren't without their tricks. They subdued the fire in hours and as soon as it was clear, they went in. I had only arrived to Duskwood then. Cleo took me around to one of the side entrances, but damn it, Alan was onto us. He restrained me while the FBI searched every nook and cranny. He said it was for my own good, but believe me, as soon as I was released, I went back into those mines. That time I had Lilly, Jessy, Thomas and even Dan with me as well. Yes, even in his stupid wheelchair, Dan proved to be of assistance. He sacrificed his freedom to Alan on more than one occasion as a distraction. We all chipped in to pay for his bail.