What remains - A collection of Duskwood Oneshots

Chagrin

It is late afternoon when MC finally turned into the parking lot of the Motel off the highway, somewhere between Duskwood and Terrendale. Jake had agreed to meet here, just as he promised before he went into that damn mine.

For a long minute she just sat there staring at the doors leading to the motel rooms. The initial excitement has been replaced by nervousness, now that she was so close to finally seeing him. Finally, she was close to the man she came to know and love only over text and within only a few days. I must be out of my mind, MC thought.

The sound of another car pulling into the parking spot next to her snapped her back to reality. One last check in the rearview mirror and then she got out of the car and walked towards the building.

There was no need to approach the reception. Jake had told her which room he was staying in.

Standing in front of the door she raised her hand to knock but did not get the chance as the door was already being opened. "Hello MC."

MC dropped her hand staring at the man filling the doorframe like he was an apparition. She had fantasized about their first meeting for a long time, but not knowing what he actually looked like it was always difficult to picture it.

"Hi, Jake.", she said with a slight smile, taking a step towards him. At that moment something shifted in his eyes, as if they were suddenly frozen over. Jake took a step aside to let her pass through into the room and closed the door behind them. It was a room like any other Motel room, with a bed, a little kitchenette and a small dinig table that was now occupied a by a laptop. Some sort of script seemed to roll over the screen.

"Is everything alright?", MC asked into the room since he was still standing behind her. Concern started to creep up on her. Jake did not answer but instead walked around her towards the laptop. He slowly closed the device and then finally turned around to face her. "MC, I...." his voice trailed off and he looked away again, as if he could not bear looking into hereyes.

"Talk to me. What is going on?" She wanted to cross the space between them, but her feet were like glued to the floor. She wanted to claim that hug he promised her. Only now MC realized how much she craved being close to him, feeling his touch on her.

"...I .. we can't do this. It is just too dangerous." "Don't you dare to start with this again," she interrupted him in a low voice, almost like a growl. "You said you loved me. That we were going to make this – make us work!"

"I know what I said." Harsh. MC opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She could not believe that this was happening, after all they went through. She felt tears burning behind her eyes. But the anger welling up in her refused to let them out. Finally, she found her voice again. "What are you saying?"

Jake let out a sigh, it almost seemed to deflate him. "We should not be together. It would never work. You deserve a safe life. A happy life. I cannot give that to you."

He picked up a key card that was lying next to the laptop. "I got a room for you. After such a long drive you will need some rest. But then you should return to your own life... and move on."

All she could do was stare at the card in his slightly trembling hands. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Her voice wavered between shouting and a dangerous calm. She was getting close to losing her mind.

"It is for the best, please trust me. My pursuers could show up any moment. They won't ask questions. You could get hurt or worse. I promised to protect you at any cost. And to ensure this, I will have to disappear."

That was it! She snapped out of her stupor. She swirled around and ripped the door open with so much force that it crashed against the wall behind it. And with that she stormed off, down the hallway and out of the building. In the parking lot, she took her phone out of her pocket, not even knowing what she intended to do with it. Her grip around it tightened as if she wanted to pulverize it. And when she felt a buzzing in her hand, she suddenly smashed the device to the pavement. She could hear it crack. Then she got into her car and reversed out of the parking spot. When she drove off she could feel a faint bump as her tire rolled over the phone.

A few minutes later MC reached a fork in the road. She came to a halt and stared at the road sign. A left turn would take her to Duskwood. Towards the right lay the access road to the highway.

Finally, her tears broke to the surface. Ignoring the traffic around her, she put her forehead on the steering wheel and started sobbing uncontrollably. This went on for several minutes, until she finally raised her head. Taking another hard look at the road sign she made a desicion; And set the turn signal.

*******

Two months later

As Lilly walks through the entrance of the pub, she is greeted by blasting music. It takes her a minute to orient herself. Then she spots MC standing at the bar. A man approaches MC, two drinks in hand and offering her one of them. But she waves him away like an annoying insect.

Lilly had almost not recognized her from the video calls they had shared months ago. The usually joyful and energetic woman now seemed like a shadow of herself. There is rarely any emotion on her face. It is like looking at the hull of a former person, going through the motions it remembers from its former life.

The fact that Lilly was able to find MC here is a bit of a miracle. They knew which city she lives in, but not much else. MC had only mentioned this being her favorite pub to Jessy a while back in a conversation.

Originally, MC had planned to visit them in Duskwood two months ago. But one day before the date they had set she simply disappeared. There were no texts and all calls went straight to voice mail without ever being returned. Jake seems to have also disappeared into the mist without any warning. So naturally, everone was very concerned as to what was going on. That was when Lilly decided to try her luck and try to track MC down. The pub was her first stop to either find MC here or ask around if anyone knows her.

Lilly starts to make her way towards the bar. And about halfway in, she is being noticed by her friend. MC straightens up. But instead of greeting Lilly, she turns and walks away.

What the hell?, Lilly wonders and picks up her pace to catch up with MC. Lilly reaches out to grab MCs shoulder and make her stop. MC whirls around and glares at Lilly. "Why are you here?", she hisses.

Lilly is completely taken aback by this reaction. While she still stares in shock, MC prtoceeds to turn around and walk away.

"MC! Wait. Where are you going?" Lilly follows her through a side door, ending up in a narrow corridor leading to the restrooms. But MC walks past them and further down the corridor. Finally, she disappears through another door.

When Lilly finally catches up, she finds MC leaning against a desk, arms crossed in front of her chest. "So?", she inquires. "What are you doing here?"

"MC, what is going on with you? You had everyone concerned about you when you just fell off the face of the earth!" "What is going on with me?" MC now stares at her feet. Lilly can see her jaw working as if she's clenching her teeth. "Well, I have decided that I am done with all of this after my last conversation with your brother." MC looks back at Lilly, and she can see all the pain and anger in her eyes.

"What happened?", Lilly asks. "I came all the way to Duskwood and met up with him, only for him to tell me that ...", MCs voice breaks off and she returns to staring at her feet. "I could not take it anymore. Not after all we went through. After all the things he said to me from the safety of his screen. I felt so betrayed and hurt. And there was no way I could come to see you guys, pretending that everything was okay."

Lilly walks over to MC, takes her hands and and pulls her into an embrace. There is no resistance anymore. "And you went through all of this alone?" MC nods against her shoulder. "We would have been there for you... But you know what, I'm here for you now."

"That won't ne necessary.", MC replies. "I am now at the point where I don't even cry about it anymore. I just accept the pain of losing him and move on." We'll see about that, Lilly thinks. Out loud she says: "Well then, I think it is time to get drunk."