Run Away

Ch-17. The Great Escape: Part 2

Ch-17: The Great Escape

He was choking me now. Harold was choking me to death. I coughed a few times which made Jake's fists and jaw clench.

"Harold, don't do this." he pleaded.

"Are you sure, Jake? You want to save the girl who betrayed you and your sister!" Harold roared.

Jake looked at me, confused.

"That night. When Caroline left you. She agreed to join us to kill you. She's a fraud!" Harold said. "She doesn't even care about you!"

Jake looked at me with hurt, surprise and confusion.

"No! I didn't mean to! I'd completely lost myself. But now I know better. Jake, please. You have to believe me!" I cried defending myself.

"Jake, think about it. This was her plan. To bring you here. That's why she came with us willingly. Because she knew that you would come for her. She's just trying to use you!" Harold shouted again.

Jake looked at me hesitantly. I felt hurt. He did not trust me.

Now I was hardly able to speak with the pressure on my neck. So I just mouthed, 'Jake'.

Jake's lips were quivering. He walked forward, towards us. "Harold...y-you...." he said softly.

Then his hands grabbed a small contraption kept on the table beside him. "You're a liar!" he screamed, throwing the contraption at Harold.

Harold let go off me and pushed me aside to defend himself.

I fell hard on my back, coughing and putting a hand on my neck. I breathed heavily as I looked up to see that Harold had caught the contraption. In a flash, he swung it at Jake.

I looked in horror as the contraption hit Jake's head and he lost his balance and crashed to the floor.

"Jake!" I cried, literally crawling towards him.

Jake sat up and pulled himself behind the chest of drawers and slumped against the wall behind it.

"Jake," I whispered.

"Go. Quickly get out of here," he said, breathing heavily.

I looked at Harold. His clothes had caught fire. So he was jumping and rolling on the floor, somehow trying to put the fire out.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," I said, turning back towards Jake.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise behind me. I swung around in surprise. The door had been broken down. Everything seemed blurry to me, so I couldn't see the figures by the door clearly.

Suddenly, somebody cried, "Caroline!". The voice was awfully familiar. I strained my eyes to see her better.

"Mom?" I gasped when I finally saw her, looking at me with panic and worry.

"Caroline, please come here." she pleaded, bursting into tears.

I looked back at Jake, then at mom and then at Jake again.

"Caroline!" a cop shouted from behind me, but I didn't turn around. Instead, I looked into Jake's eyes. His eyes were filled with so many emotions. Pain, fear, shock, love, nervousness and kindness.

Jake held my hand weakly, his eyes half closed.

"I can still help you, Jake," I said, tears pouring out of my eyes.

"You don't understand, Caroline," he said, getting teary-eyed.

I stared at him with desperation. How badly I wanted to help him. He was too weak to move. The shed will burn down with him.