Frayed Edges

Darkness

When Jake came to he couldn't even tell if his eyes were open.

The darkness around him was all encompassing, swallowing him whole until he was left unsure whether he was even dead or alive.

He adjusted his limbs in hopes of working out which way was up. As he did he found the ropes that were tightly wrapped around each limb. The coarse fibres bit into his skin as he struggled against the ties.

He used all his might to push against the restraints in hopes of snapping them clean. Every pull shifted the balance of the chair letting the legs scrape against the seeming grit covered ground, yet nothing budged. He was stuck.

Jake had been in some sticky situations before but this time he was defenceless. The disorientating darkness left him locked inside his own mind and cut off from what lay beyond it.

"Hello!" He called into the hollow space. It was more than likely that whoever had trapped him was enjoying watching him struggle fruitlessly.

"Hey! Whoever you are just tell me what you want and we can work something out!" He called attempting to hide the desperation in his tone.

The sound of footsteps began to echo around the chamber. The cyclical pattern left Jake even more disorientated as the sounds bounced around the dark room.

As he called out once more he could've swore he heard the sound of snickering beside him. Yet as he craned his neck it disappeared back into the darkness from where it emerged.

In an instant a flash of light filled the room. Jake hissed as it burnt his eyes. He squinted in vain to make out what was around him but all he saw were fuzzy shapes as he fought the stinging in his irises. He continued to force them to focus and when they did he found them staring at shiny barrel of the gun aimed right between his brows.

Jake's eyes continued to adjust until he could see the mask that smiled down at him. It's comical cheeks and huge smile made him more nervous than he could explain as the pinpoint eyes glared down at him. The figure behind it chuckled lowly as he pushed the barrel firmly against his clammy skin.

He recognised it instantly as the one Mia had described. It was every bit as unnerving as he had imagined as its soulless eyes stared down at him. In an instant Jake knew he was fucked.

"Three...." The voice began as the figure wrapped their finger around the trigger "Two...."

Shit. Jake thought in his few moments of panic. Is this it?

"One..."

Jake clenched his eyes tightly refused to let his last memory be one of fear. He pushed the image of the taunting face out of his head and searched his mind desperately for happy memories.

He pictured blonde hair and green eyes. He saw his mom's house and her crooked pottery. He saw Charles and Rosa and the sign of Shaw's. He saw anything except the gun metal grey of the gun aimed at his brain.

Click. The sound was dull and hollow.

Slowly he opened his eyes to see the gun now hanging loosely by the figure's side. The sound of snickering surrounded him and he swallowed thickly at the realisation that they were toying with him.

"You really shit yourself didn't you pig?" A mocking voice cackled from behind the mask. "Don't worry, that was just a little test to see what you're made of. I reckon the boss will want to do the honours himself, might even make you watch as he takes that little blonde bitch off your hands."

Rage filled his every synapse at the thought of Drew and his master plan. A fog of memories came back to him. His pleading outside Mia's apartment, the sound of voices from above, followed by a singular gunshot.