Duskwood: And Beyond

26. And We're Back

JAKE

Hannah was found. I couldn't even begin to explain how happy I was. But that all came to an end when the realization came to me.

I had to leave. I had to run away again. But hopefully, this time would have been the last.

After arriving in Colville, I covered my tracks and ditched my equipment. This meant I had to wipe everything clean, all the files, all the messages from everyone. I laid low for a day and then contacted Caden.

As a result of our previous conversations, I knew that he was already preparing for this day. We arranged a lawyer to be the middleman and Caden helped me with hiding. It was dangerous for both of us, more for him than me, but Caden pulled it off.

Before he saved himself, Caden was also a wanted hacker. He was wanted for other things and they didn't chase him as much as they did for me but he turned his life around. He even started working for the FBI to find people like me. That's how we met. He was actually successful in finding me but after having a very long conversation, he decided to let me go.

My discovery was an accident. I never wanted to find classified documents. I ran only because I knew that if they found me, I wouldn't have a chance. Now that I was stopping, part of me feared the change. I got used to running and living in the shadows. But I also wanted to be normal again.

After a month, the lawyer finally managed to get a deal. In return for the files I stole and service for the government, I would be immune to all charges. At first, they refused and started to chase me again. But everything was a dead end. I was a bit frustrated when they started to bother Oryn again but I had to trust Caden. He made sure I had no way of contacting anyone because it would be even more dangerous now.

The whole process took four months. It was shorter than I expected. At the end of the fourth month, the deal was signed and now I had to take care of some additional paperwork for my new life. I returned the files and all of my technological belongings. Of course, I kept a copy of the documents for me. I got a safe under a fake name and kept the documents there for future troubles. Only as a backup.

After six months of hiding and struggling, I was free. I thought they would keep me close but I guess they didn't want any more trouble so they asked me if I wanted to return back to Duskwood. I would be part of the police force and I accepted it. My job still required hacking and other computer stuff like security. But I also knew there wouldn't be much work to do in Duskwood.

After Richy was gone, there was almost no crime. Only minor things like a cat on the tree. That meant my work hours would be extremely boring but I needed something subtle and boring right now. I would also be close to Oryn.

The past six months had been hard mainly because I couldn't stop thinking and worrying about her. Every day, I had to stop myself from calling her. I selfishly worried that she had moved on.

After accepting my job, it took me an hour to find the courage to invite her to Colville to meet up. She was excited which gave me hope. We agreed to meet at the train station. She was to arrive around noon but I couldn't keep myself from going there four hours early. The excitement and the fear overshadowed all of my senses and I walked back and forth like a mad man until she arrived. She got off the train and my feet already started running toward her. My heart was beating so fast that I thought I would collapse.

And then time stopped. Everything around us stopped when our lips touched. All my worries disappeared. For the first time in a long while, I felt happy and free.

I took her bag and we started to walk toward the motel. It was not the best place to stay, it was old and cheap, but she insisted on staying exactly where I stayed the last time.

We decided to go to the restaurant for dinner. Oryn needed a shower and she wanted to rest a bit. I led her to our room.

The room was very small. The walls that were once white now looked yellow. I assumed they were once white because this color was ugly to be someone's choice. There wasn't much furniture, just a small closet, and a queen-size bed. It had a little balcony that overlooked the restaurant but the little desk was placed in front of the balcony door. I thought it would be dangerous to step on the balcony so they placed a desk in front.

Oryn went into the bathroom to take a shower while I changed into something more comfortable. I laid down, staring at the ceiling, and soon she joined me. We stayed like that for a while until she fell asleep. I watched her for a while, memorizing her face. It was an old habit from when I was still hiding. Every time she slept close to me, I watched and memorized her because I feared I would have to run and never see her again.

I got up and started to email my documents to Alan. Since I was joining the Duskwood Police, Alan was my supervisor. I called him earlier this morning and he seemed upset about my arrival but at least he tried to hide it. I emailed my documents and decided to prepare for our date.

I took a shower and shaved my beard. I then woke Oryn up. It took her a second to remember where she was but soon she was up and ready to go.

She wore a simple, red dress. It looked perfect on her. She put her dark hair in a ponytail and put some makeup on. I wore a simple shirt and some dress pants to match her vibe.

We made our way to the restaurant. I was worried that it would be crowded so I reserved a table but it was mainly empty.

While eating, I told her everything that happened in the past six months. She also briefly talked about the situation in Duskwood. I was a bit uncomfortable with Lilly telling her family about me, but it would have happened sooner or later.

"So, when are we returning?" Oryn interrupted my thoughts.

"I was thinking maybe tomorrow if you are not too tired?"

She smiled and agreed. The rest of the night was even better. We talked about random things like movies and songs. I didn't really know how to start a conversation so Oryn helped me out there. It felt like a real, proper date.

We returned back to the motel late and immediately fell asleep, thanks to all the wine.

The next morning Oryn called Anabelle and informed her about our situation. We woke up early to take an early train and spent most of the journey sleeping.

I didn't plan on sleeping but Oryn won the argument for the window seat and immediately fell asleep. She didn't even use the window as a pillow and instead laid her head on my shoulder. I decided to be bothered by it but soon I was bored so I also slept.

After a couple of hours, we arrived at our destination. After everything, Duskwood looked more vibrant. It was as if all the bad things never happened. I took a moment to observe around. Anabelle was there to pick us up. We shared a long hug. She even told me to sit in the front on our ride home. I didn't realize I would be living with them but I was not complaining.

So here I was, back in Duskwood, with people that I got to know and care about. I was no longer running. I was no longer alone. The past six months changed a lot of things for a lot of people. And I had to catch up on a lot. But everything was fine... Until it wasn't...