Not a Night for Clowning Around

𝕋𝕎𝔼ℕ𝕋𝕐-𝔼𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋

WE WERE ONLY walking for a few minutes before we were stopped again. Jake clutched his stomach, letting out a moan.

Aaliyah lifted his shirt to take a look at the wound, immediately making a disgusted face afterwards. "He leaked right through the cloth." She had taken Shawn's undershirt and ripped it up to tie around Jake's wounds, but he was bleeding so much the blood was soaking right through it.

"Here, take my shirt." I slipped my sweater over my head, leaving me in just a tank top. Despite the goosebumps forming on my bare arms, I knew the sooner we dealt with this situation was the sooner we could be free.

Aaliyah looked at the shirt disbelievingly. "Wait, isn't this my—"

"I'll buy you a new one, just wrap it around him," Shawn cut her off.

Mumbling choice words under her breath, Aaliyah ripped up the sweater and tied one part around Jake's torso and the other on the wound on his thigh. "This should be good enough until we get out of here."

We helped Jake get back into his prior formation, and we continued walking. None of us really had a clue where we were going, but without the simulations we figured we'd find the exit sooner or later, though preferably the former.

Jake grunted with every step, and although I hated seeing him suffer, I knew we had to keep going. After a while we stopped in front of a familiar set of doors. I looked at Jake who had a wary expression on his face. We definitely weren't going back in his pseudo childhood bedroom.

"I know you're near," the haunting voice of Kellen said on the speakers overhead. "You can run but you can't hide."

Aaliyah looked over her shoulder frantically. "Can we keep going? Please?"

"I think I remember seeing an exit like a couple minutes away from these doors." Shawn scratched the top of his head as he tried to remember. "I was too freaked out by my girlfriend allegedly dying that I totally forgot about it."

Aaliyah tugged at her boyfriend's arm. "Let's go!"

"We'll never make it in time," Jake said. "I'm slowing you guys down, Kellen's gonna catch up."

Shawn raised his eyebrows. "We can't leave you behind, man."

Jake shook his head. "If there's any hope of someone getting help then you have to go without me."

"No," I protested, my eyes getting watery. "He's going to kill you."

"The girls will go, and I'll stay with you," Shawn proposed.

Aaliyah shook her head profusely. "I'm not leaving without you."

Shawn held up his hand, silencing her. "I don't care what happens to me as long as you're safe."

"You're wasting time," Jake told them. "You all need to go. I'm staying here, so get your asses out and get help."

"But—"

"That's final, Carter," he said firmly. "Now go!"

Shawn grabbed my arm, pulling me to go with him and Aaliyah. I peered over my shoulder to catch what might be my last glimpse of Jake. He gave me a sorrowful smile which nearly broke my heart in half.

"I feel just as shitty as you do," Shawn said. "But Jake's right; Kellen's going to be here soon and someone needs to escape and get help."

Multiple scenarios of the worst possible outcomes of Kellen finding Jake were going through my head, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I was praying that Jake would find somewhere to hide and would be safe from Kellen. The last thing I wanted was for something to happen to him. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to Jake. I thought I just liked him, but today made me realize I loved him. I had to make sure he was okay.

"How much further?" Aaliyah asked.

"It should be somewhere up ahead." Shawn paused. "Look for metal doors."

We continued jogging for a couple minutes, and I was slowly losing hope that there even was an exit. What if we were just doomed to be trapped in here until Kellen got his hands on us? What if abandoning Jake was for nothing because we were all going to die anyway? What if Kellen got away with this and hid our bodies and no one ever recovered them? What if...

"Guys," Aaliyah said, interrupting my destructive thoughts. "I found it."

She pushed open a set of metal doors, and I was instantly engulfed by the cool night air. The sound of music and people talking filled my ears with a wave of indescribable joy.

We were finally free.