A Misunderstanding : The Music Freaks :

The Smoldering Crater of Hopes

As Jake was running, his phone rang again. He didn't pick it up or even look at who was calling him. He sprinted until he felt like he couldn't even breath. He panted heavily while he began walking instead of sprinting. He realized he was about halfway there and knew he couldn't make it all the way there by himself. As he was about to stop running and collapse, a car horn blared beside him. He turned to look in the direction of the noise to see Hailey through the window of her car. She opened the window. "Jake, get in. I can drive you there." She offered, concern hinted in her voice. Jake, through his heavy breathing, managed to get out a soft "Thank you" while opening the door and getting into the car. He relaxed his body as his muscles finally got a chance to rest as he slumped back into the seat. "So where do you need to go, Jake?" She asked and waited patiently for an answer as Jake caught his breath. "My house." He replied after a few moments. He gave her the address and she started driving in the direction of Jake's house. Jake did not tell her what had happened because he didn't want to cause her any unnecessary panic. As they turned onto the street Jake lives on, all the air drained from his lungs as he stared at the scene before him. He could hear Hailey gasp in shock and bewilderment. They both stared at the charred remains of Jake house. As they pulled closer to the building, Trevor walked in front of the car. "Excuse me, this street is closed for the time being." He was about to direct them to an alternate route until Jake stepped out of the passenger side of the car. He then immediately switched tone. "Lieutenant, I'm sorry." He said, a solemn tone to his voice. Hailey pulled over and also exited the car. Trevor would normally ask her to wait in the car, but he knew this was an emotional moment so he stayed silent. Jake walked up to his house, staring at it with pain in his eyes. He could feel tears welling in his eyes, but he held them back. As he got to the front steps, he lost his composure completely. He fell to his knees and cried as Hailey and Trevor watched the scene, grief running through every inch of their bodies.

As the overhead lights flickered, he sat still and stationary. He stared at the wall, waiting for the door behind him to open. When it finally did, he stood up and walked out the door into a hallway. The hallway had doors littered everywhere as it stretched for nearly 200 meters. He walked down the hallway until a man in a white coat came out of one of the doors. He began to follow this strange man until they reached a door marked "Room 671". The man opened the door to let him in and closed the door once he entered. He stared in a mirror across the room and took in his appearance for the thousandth time. He was wearing an all black outfit. The same thing he had arrived in, though cleaned regularly. He had deep brown eyes and dark magenta hair covering the entire top of his head. He put on the nametag left on the desk across the room and sighed. He clipped the nametag that read "Drew" Onto the front of his shirt as he sat down in a rolling chair by the desk. He slouched back into the chair and stared at the ceiling. He looked around the room for a moment, taking in the surroundings. There was a nice bed in the corner with a window, a desk in front of him and a bookshelf filled with all kinds of novels. He wheels the chair over to the bookshelf and grabs a book. He flips it open and begins reading.

Jake was on his knees, completely silent, while he stared at the smoldering remains of his house. As he stared, he heard footsteps behind him but he didn't look away. He didn't even acknowledge when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "Jake, we should get going." Hailey said with a solemn, sympathetic voice. Finally, Jake turned around. His face was tear stricken as his mouth was on the verge of trembling. "Go where, Hailey? There's no where I can go anymore. No where." Hailey felt those words strike her like a broad-sword. She took her hand off his shoulder and let it hang limp by her side. She looked at Jake as he turned his head to the ground and began to tremble slightly. Hailey remained silent as she had no idea what she could say to make Jake feel better. They stayed unmoving for a few more minutes until Jake got up. He began walking away without caring about where he was walking to. He just couldn't be here anymore. Before he got very far, Hailey grabbed his shoulder again. He let her hold him from walking because he didn't have the strength to fight her. "Jake, why don't you come stay with me?" Hailey asked. Jake looked at her, surprised. "No, I couldn't do that." He said, about to look away. "Come on Jake. Its not a both at all. You've gone through something traumatic. I want to help you." She said, gripping his shoulder tighter. Jake looked into her deep onyx eyes, as she stared at him with remorse and sympathy. "Well, if you're sure I wont cause a problem, then that would be amazing, thank you Hailey." He smiled weakly at her. She smiled back, brighter than him. "Anytime Jake." with that, they got back in Hailey's car, and with one last look at Jake's house, they drove away. Jake stared out the window of the car as his exhaustion caught up to him and he eventually fell asleep.