Mesmerized

Chapter 9: Promise

            Jaysen and his team of rescuers made it to the top and decided to split up to search for the missing young man. The rain was beginning to come down and visibility was lowered drastically. Walking along the edges of the cliff, Jaysen cautiously checked if Simon might have fallen off somewhere.

"Simon!" Jaysen called out. "Are you here? Shout if you could hear me!"

The rain not only made it hard to see, but it also muffled out their voices. It's getting dark and he's in an unfamiliar place. He must be terribly frightened being all by himself. Come on, kid. Scream for help. Jaysen's worried heart made him extremely anxious, but he had to keep a straight head. "Simon!"

"Here..."

Jaysen immediately turned to the direction of that merely audible voice. "Simon! I'm here. I've come to get you. Where are you?"

"Jaysen..." His voice bounced off the trees and rocks surrounding the area.

"Simon?" Jaysen went toward the faint voice.

"I'm down...here...down..."

Jaysen found Simon in a muddy ditch that wasn't extremely deep, but the rain made it impossible to climb up. "Simon! Are you all right?"

Hugging his legs and shivering in the cold, Simon glanced up with teary eyes that weren't clearly obvious because of the downpour. "J-Jaysen..."

"Don't be afraid," Jaysen comforted. "I'm coming down to get you."

Shaking his head, Simon pleaded. "D-Don't..."

Ignoring Simon's request, Jaysen carefully stepped into the hole and ended up sliding down.

"W-Why...?" Simon whispered, shaking from fear.

Wiping Simon's drenched face with his large hands; Jaysen hovered over the frail man to block the rain. "Are you okay?"

"Why did you have to come down here?" Simon cried. "Now, you're stuck."

"You know that I can't leave you here by yourself," Jaysen uttered. "Not when you're like this."

"Why would you...for me?" Simon murmured.

"Because...you are who you are, and I care about you."

Without another word, Simon leaped up slightly to wrap his arms around Jaysen. "I...was so scared." His sobs skipped because of his struggles to breathe.

Surprised at first, Jaysen gradually snaked his arms around Simon's slender body. "It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. I'm here."

Simon tightened his hold on Jaysen and burrowed his face into the older man's neck. His phobia slowly subsided as the other hugged him closely. Breathing more calmly, Simon muttered. "Thank you for finding me."

"Are you feeling better?" Jaysen's deep voice was very soothing to Simon's ears.

Nodding into Jaysen's neck, Simon answered. "Yes."

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I twisted my ankle when I fell," Simon provided.

"Let me take a look." Jaysen let go of Simon and backed away once the other released him.

Simon winced in pain when Jaysen removed his shoe and pulled down his sock. Gently wiggling Simon's right foot, Jaysen gave out a sigh of relief. "It's not broken; only a sprain." Pulling the sock back on for Simon, Jaysen got up with his back slouched as a result of the limited space. "Let me see if there's a way out."