The Way the Wind Blows (Third Entry)

A Rescue Mission

Jacob climbed back in the seat after Noah had told them to head back to the car. He climbed in the passenger seat and slammed the door harder than he meant to. He saw Yuri jump from the sudden noise. 

"Are you okay?" Sayori asked him in a concerned expression.

He shook his head, trying to bite back his anger. "Noah. He always tries to do things on his own without wanting help. He'll rush into danger without considering the feelings of his friends." 

"Well, he's doing it because he doesn't want to see us hurt again," Natsuki implied. 

Jacob turned around to face her. "I understand that, but what Noah needs to understand is that he should rely on us a little bit more, or he'll find himself in a situation where he won't be able to do something by himself. That'll just bite him in the ass later on." 

"Does he not trust us?" Yuri questioned. 

The boy sighed and remembered a conversation he and Noah had not too long ago. "No, it's not that he doesn't trust us. I don't think he trusts himself." 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

"I think he just wants to throw himself into the danger because he's scared to lose us again," Jacob answered Yuri. "What happened at the wedding messed him up. I can see it on his face." 

"I can understand that," Sayori said in a more solemn tone. "If I had to do something like that, I don't know how I could handle it." 

Jacob sighed. "Me neither. We've had to shoot and kill so many people in the past and don't put another thought into it, but it puts it into a whole new perspective when it comes to someone we know and love like Spencer. Although, I can't speak for Noah. I wasn't there to witness what happened, but I'm ninety-nine percent sure that he feels the same way." 

"Based on how he acted when we first woke up, I'm sure he didn't want to do it either," Natsuki said. 

Nobody said anything for a couple of minutes, possibly thinking about what all had happened recently between the group. Jacob began to get impatient. 

"Where is he?" he asked. "If Monika's here, you'd think they'd be back by now." 

Natsuki shook her head. "There's no telling, they could be-" 

BOOM!

A loud noise that sounded similar to an explosion suddenly shook the car. Everyone went deadly silent at the noise. Jacob's heart dropped into his chest. 

"Oh, shit," he said under his breath. He watched smoke begin to rise through the backside of the restaurant. 

"Jacob..." Sayori said quietly. "Noah hasn't come out yet." 

He pursed his lips and put his hand on the door handle, hoping that Noah would run out with Monika. A few seconds passed, and there was no sign of either. Jacob cursed under his breath and threw open the door. 

"Stay here," Jacob said, quickly turning around and grabbing the leather coat from the passenger seat. "If I don't come back in five minutes, one of you go in." 

They nodded, too scared and shocked to say anything. With that, he ran into the building, keeping the coat close to his face to filter out the smoke from getting into his lungs. 

He could already feel the heat from the back of the cafe when he busted through the doors. He saw the orange lighting from the kitchen doors. 

"Noah!" Jacob called out with no response to follow. 

He cursed under his breath. The smoke was already beginning to reach the dining area, so he tied the leather jacket tighter around his face. Jacob slowly but surely waded through the debris that had already littered the restaurant and made his way to the kitchen. However, he banged his toes against a table that had fallen over.