Tonight is the night we die

Chapter Fifteen

JAKE'S POV

I could not sleep. I have not slept in days. An hour here and there when my body was on the verge of shutting down. Every time I was closing my eyes I was seeing Michael going up in flames. His scream woke me up. The smell of gasoline or the burned flesh never left my nose. It was not the first time I needed to do such a thing. But when it happened I was alone, so doing it was hard and it was still haunting the same as Michael is, but I had no one to judge me for my actions. I had no one to disappoint. I had no one to scare by performing such a cruel act as taking a life.

Gloria understood it was not the first time. Michael's last words to her were pretty clear. No need for context to understand that at the end of the day, he and I were not that different. Our motives were what was differencing us I suppose. His last words to me were just as clear too :

" I will destroy you ! You are taking her away from me then I will take her back even dead, I'm not leaving her ! You'll pay ! You will wish you have died in that fire with me tonight ! Killing me isn't gonna solve anything Jake ! You are not ready for what's to come ! Soon, they will all know you ! And what you left behind will only be  ashes ! "

My brain is split in half : one side is convinced that Gloria was ok with my decision, she was not enthusiastic about it but she knew it had to happen. Also, that man beat her up and strangled her only a few minutes before that. He killed Amy and five other people, and Richy was next.The other side, the one I would most likely listen to, thinks she is now scared of me, scared to discover what I am truly capable of. Scared to find out that this is going further than a random awkward dude behind a screen.

We had a special bond, in a matter of minutes or even seconds we deepened our trust and love for each other. We said I love you to each other and it was meant by both sides. I could not deny that. Hearing those words was special, The way it made me feel, I could never forget it. However, were these three words still relevant now that I've killed a man ? The mask is coming off, is there still something here for her to love underneath ?

But what choice did I have ? That man knew everything about me. It is more than knowing my name, where I hide, and what I had for lunch two days ago, it is about knowing my family, their dwellings, and the way to reach them and hurt them. Whoever gave access to those pieces of information to Michael, if he knew about my aunt I barely even knew back then he knows about Gloria. There was not a single trace of her in the mine. I cannot understand why exactly for now but my guess is because Michael knew her already well enough. He planned to escape with her. There was something between, a link that I cannot comprehend. What he said to her while the cameras were off, that is where the missing piece of the puzzle is. Perhaps Gloria will let me know. Perhaps she will eject me so far from her life that the only way left for me is down.

After I got out and the whole got on fire, Gloria passed out in my arms. I had to, reluctantly, leave her with Richy, who kept his promise and took good care of her. The FBI showed up and I struggled to make my way out of the forest. At the time, I was unsure who they wanted to find if it was Michael or me. I settled for both. Once back in my hotel room, I did not stop working hard to make myself disappear, sending mixed signals all around the world, my bag was packed and ready if I had to flee. Every time a car was slowing down past the hotel my body went into panic mode. Whatever happened, I could not leave for as long as I did last time. I could not leave Gloria alone for that long again.

She is not alone though. An ambulance drove her to the hospital in Colville and the whole group regularly checks up on her. They discuss it in the group chat that I never miss one text, eager to know how she is doing in every second of her life. It is safe enough for me to answer, but I do not try to get into small talk with them. It is mostly Cleo talking to me and asking me questions about my well-being. I guess because Gloria asked her to do so. I've read the messages she send to Cleo and the group chat before we met to go to the forest. She asked them to take care of me. I was appreciative of that and seeing Cleo doing such an effort to keep her word to her friend was heart-warming... The way she checked on me was also heart-warming... And extremely awkward too.