Bad Memories // a.u.

chapter 26: get away

keaton's pov

We piled into Wes' car a few hours later, with Drew driving and Skylar in the passenger seat. I was pissed off that I had to sit in the back like a child, but I didn't complain because we were going to find Noelle. The tracking thing that her aunt put in her phone showed that she was in the middle of nowhere about four hours away. It was going to be a long drive, especially with these two lovebirds. I wish that Wes was able to come, but he was off somewhere and I didn't want to waste anytime. I texted him that we took his car and I hoped that he wouldn't be mad about that. The other day he seemed willing to help find Noelle so I hoped it was fine. 

"Ok, you just take this road all the way until exit 45," Skylar told Drew once he turned onto the highway.

He nodded and placed his right hand on her knee. I held back a groan as I threw my head back. I hoped this four hours went by quickly. 

noelle's pov

It was late and I couldn't sleep. I had a feeling that something was going to happen and it caused me to toss and turn. I was sweating profusely and I wanted so badly for there to be air conditioning. I pushed my hair out of my face the best that I could, but it was sticking to me. 

I heard footsteps coming down the hallway and I jumped out of bed as quickly as I could to hide in the corner. I wasn't sure what good that was going to do if Ian was coming to kill me because he would be able to see me right away if he turned on the light. I hugged my knees to my chest and held my breath as the door creaked open. It was so dark that I couldn't tell if Ian or Jake entered the small room. I was hoping for Jake, but really I wished I was alone again.

"Noelle," a voice whispered, and I recognized it instantly as Jake.

I let out my breath and stood up slowly, coming out of the corner. "What are you doing?" I whispered back.

Jake pulled me to the bed roughly, causing me to sit practically on his lap. "You didn't tell me what he was planning to do," he whimpered. His hands were shaking and he sounded as if he could cry out of fear.

"Ian?" I asked.

Jake nodded. "I thought he was only kidnapping you. Like holding you hostage or something. I thought he was waiting for your aunt to come find you. But he was showing me his plans while we ate dinner last night..." he trailed off, shaking his head. 

I swallowed loudly, frozen at Jake's words. This meant that he really was planning to murder me and I had no idea when it was going to happen. The images of my parents' bloodied bodies tied to their bed frame as they laid there lifeless entered my mind. I began to feel numb as the images turned from a nightmare into nothingness. 

**********

My body was being carried. The arms around me were strong, but I felt weak. I felt as though if I was put down, I wouldn't be able to hold myself up. The person carrying me was walking at a fast pace. I have no idea where we were going, but I knew we were outside. I also had no idea how long he had been carrying me for, but he seemed to be getting tired. Up ahead I noticed some lights and we were going towards them. 

"I'm going to set you down on the curb, ok?" a familiar voice told me. Jake, I thought, finally registering whom I was with. I felt myself nod to him as I was set down, but my body failed to sit up. "Woah, there," he said, catching me before I hit the pavement. "That memory thing really makes you weak, huh?" he wondered aloud.

I blinked a few times, trying to make my surroundings clear. We were at a gas station, a pretty sketchy one at that. I tried to gather some saliva in my mouth to make my throat less scratchy, but my mouth was completely dry. "What are we doing?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Let me go buy you a water. Are you gonna be alright here for a minute?" he asked. I nodded, wanting the water but really I wanted an answer to my question more. I was really confused as to how I got out of the cabin and why I was with Jake. "Ok, careful not to fall backwards and hit your head," he told me, flashing a smile.

I tried to smile back, but it was too hard in my weakened state. I leaned forward on my knees and watched as people filled up their cars with gas and others go inside to buy snacks or use the restroom. I wondered what time it was and why the gas station was even open since it seemed so late. There were also an unusual amount of people at the gas station for this time of night. I shrugged it off and looked past the gas station onto the road. There weren't many cars that were driving by, but the street light was so bright that it caught my attention. I felt like I was a bug that was attracted to the light and I wondered if I was going crazy because I'd been kidnapped. That happened to people, right?

Jake walked out of the gas station with two bottles of water. He twisted the top off of one and handed it to me. "Drink up," he said as he sat down beside me.

I shakily drank half of the bottle before looking back at him. "So, are you going to tell me?" I asked, my voice stronger now.

"Why I changed my mind?" he asked, looking up at the night sky. I nodded and took another drink of water. "I had no idea he planned to kill you, Noelle. I don't want you dead. I'm not that kind of person."

"How could you not know?" I asked, my mind gaining strength with every second. "You made it seem like you knew what he did to my parents. You had to know he was planning something."

He shrugged. "I guess maybe deep down, I did. I just felt betrayed, ok? I wanted to hurt Skylar. I'm sorry, alright? I'm trying to make up for it!" he practically yelled. 

I sighed and looked back out to the road, wondering if I should believe him. He'd always been an asshole, but I didn't believe that he was a killer or one to help a killer. I was about to accept his help when I noticed a car drive by that looked vaguely familiar. 

Hi (: I'm procrastinating and not studying for finals so here's a double update. what do you think about jake deciding to help noelle? and about them not being at the cabin when keaton/drew/skylar are going to get there? please vote and comment xx zoe