Penumbra:Shades Of Covet

Chapter 16: Cliché

-Alice-

I hopped in the vehicle and went to see them inside, they all sat  in a circle except for Jake who's starting to not feel well, I headed to him and gave the medicines and food I bought, "My head really really hurts..." He groaned softly, I placed my palm to his forehead, then glided it upward to his hair, "Just drink this meds, and I'm sure you'll be good."

The car went off a short while after I hopped in. All of us are happily exhausted, some fell asleep, Ley, Myla, and Cole. Seline is still asleep, Val was the only person awake, and I can obviously talk to right now.

"Are we there yet?" I started, "Nope, not yet Lissy."she replied softly. "So , how about you, you feelin' alright now?"

"Yeah, pretty good for me, But what I'm worried about is Jake."

I looked back at him on the far end of the van, sleeping soundly, yet suffering from little tremors.
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Jake

I've been acting strange since our outing. I really feel bad after the night I slept with the girls, I don't know, after I woke up I have a headache and muscle ache, then I became very irritable, repulsive. I wasn't like that. What's happening to me? It's like something's in me I can't pull it out.

And now, I got sick while going home... I had a high fever, it just suddenly occurred, they told me it was Heat exhaustion, or last day's all out swimming in the pool. Thank goodness Alice bought me medicine while in the stop.

I laid facing my back in front of them. I wasn't asleep, but I was listening. To their little talks, laughter, voices. I really hope I'll get well very soon. I don't like being sick.

Every hour one of them will check if I'm okay, telling me we had passed through the first City we stopped by, we had to make an overnight  on a safe place, the driver deeds to rest and so do us.
"We aren't gonna stay on a street near a forest don't we?" I asked. It happened when we saw a medium sized Convenience store, with some rentable rooms on it's side with a parking lot.

Making it short, the girls negotiated the room, they agreed to let the driver stay inside inseatd of us, the room is said to be accessible by one person.  After those, they went to the store to buy what will we be needing tonight.

I was left on the far end corner of the vehicle wrapped in blanket,  shivering slightly. My eyes felt heavy overtime, tired of waiting for them, then suddenly I felt the car moved,like looks like someone got up first.
"What took you so long?" I said. But no one replied, "Ley is that you? Who is with you right now?", still no response. " Okay,  blow it out ready." , still, none.

I focused my eyes on the partition where the door handles are, it was covered with plywood which makes it hard for me to see. One soft sound of a footstep was heard after a moment. I leaned on my elbow to see who's coming in,"Cole,buddy? Alice?"
Then I finally saw a head, but not one of my friends, "Who are you? ", it was a boy, he didn't answer instead looked straight at me. I flinched and sat up to where I rest, he looked drugged and haggard. " I came to visit you, Jake." He said. "Who the fuck are you? And how'd you know my name?" I asked, he replied "Oh my,Alice never introduced me to you? How, absurd." 
I'm shocked, "How'd you also know Alice?"
"Ugh are you really that redundant? It's ridiculously irritating!" He calmly said, starting to go near me.  "What do you want?" I anxiously asked, getting scared, he smirked and slowly transformed, his eyes starts to blacken, and his arms too. My eyes widened in horror, my heart started to pump harder.
"You are just a casualty. But I can't help it, And I love innocent people getting involved in such selfish desire!" He said and pointed his arm on me, his eyes starts to smoke faintly,  then suddenly I feel something's choking me. He opened his mouth and a smoke starts to escape, going towards me, I struggled  as my mouth involuntarily opens. I figured it out at the very moment, he's trying to posses me or "infect" me I feel my arms went numb and heavy, gagging and gasping.
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At the convenience store.

"So you guys got what you need? We can't stay long here, Jake's just by himself up there" Val called packing up the thing she bought. Everyone was still checking their things except for Ley, she volunteered to go first to attend Jake, which the group agreed.

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Ley

Wow, it's cold outside, the wind blew pretty well too.
I paced ahead to the VR, it's not that far from the store.

It's also pretty weird, because when I get near to the vehicle, I feel a heavy eerie and a spooky background, I stopped walking, "Oh no, it's this classic horror cliché!" I said to myself, "Jake's in trouble!", without delay,I ran hurriedly, reaching the door knob.

When I flung the door open I saw Jake is about to do so. " Man, what took you so long?"he said, "Are you okay? Uh what happened to you?" I surged, "I just woke up, what're you blabbing about Ley? You haven't even answered my question yet."

I sighed in relief "I thought something happened to you.".
He smiled ,"You're being nervous now, come inside, did you bring food for me?" he went upstairs afterwards.

'Somethings wrong here. Or maybe it was just me.' I thought.

I went up and placed my things on our mini sala, "You feeling well now, eh Jake?" I asked, "Er-I don't know, I feel weird." He replied standing behind me placing his palm on his chest, "Weird?" I chuckled,  I happen to look at the mirror at the upper part of the VR which reflects at where Jake is exactly standing.

My god.

His eyes are fully empty, no eyelids or anything, just like ....a socket, blackened palm and nerves, I quickly shifted to him, then back to the mirror.

It came back to....normal, no disturbing feats, and back to him, "What?"he asked, perplexed. I shook my head no and blinked several times, and resumed my unloading.

'It's all in your mind Ley, too much internet for today.' I thought.

But seriously, I feel strange, that eerie is still present. " Don't you feel sick? Or tired? No?" I asked.
He chuckled once more, "Of course I'm fine right now. Do you want me sick again or something? It's really weird.".
Again I shook my head 'no' " Uh okay, do you mind putting these to that large canister on the kitchen counter?" I requested, he obeyed and got my things to fix. While he's on it, the others came in.

Long story short, I just shared my experience to Val outside, explaining what happened, she pretty seemed convinced and favored me not to tell to anybody. Probably another one of the classic cliches where the bearer of secrets die before the end of a story, failing to help the lead character.

At very least we observed Jake, if something significant is happening to him. He does not talk too much, but, he's a little bot 'groovy' right now.

*

Oh even before we sleep, I peeked at him, studying anything suspicious and obvious. I never stop until sleepiness told me to do so. I returned back to our bed and slept, soundly.