Unknown story

I found this story to be pretty interesting, what do you think? Would love to read the rest of the story... if there is more that is?

Jake turned around and watched the blood as it had dripped and made a trail of red marks in the snow behind him. It was cold outside and he could no longer feel the tips of his fingers. He didn’t seem to notice the cold, even if it was strange this late in April. He felt dizzy, angry and at the same time so powerless. Why couldn’t he stop them from taking that poor woman? He was now sitting in the snow by an old oak. He knew that he would never see that girl again, just like all the others. Once they’ve been taken, there is no saving them. He could still hear her scream, but it would soon be quiet again. He closed his eyes and thought about last Christmas, everybody was happy back then. Now there was no one left. Nobody knew this was going to happen, how could they?

Jake tried to open his eyes, but they felt heavy as anvils. When he woke up he had an awful headache and it was almost pitch black. He could not see three feet in front of him and it had started to snow as well. Panic struck Jake as a noise of branches breaking behind him. As he tried to stand up, he realized that something was wrong. He couldn’t feel his legs. He tried time after time to get up with the oak as support, but with no success. Certain that it was his turn to die he refused to go without trying to survive. That was the last thing his sister told him, “- Never stop fighting and never give up”. Using the last of his strength, he started to crawl. The snow was sharp as broken glass and it cut into his cold red hands.

He could hear them behind him; it was only a matter of time before they would notice him. Jakes thoughts went to that poor girl he saw earlier. It felt like the time stood still as he thought about it. He could have sneaked past them and helped her. Even if she were alive now, she would be all alone in the dark and surrounded by those… those things. Guilt struck Jake as he realized that he left her for dead, just to save his own miserable life. Jake stopped moving and turned over on his back. He looked up into the sky and felt the snowflakes melt on his face. How could he live with himself knowing what he had done? A single tear ran down from his cheek.

Before Jake had any time to react something grabbed him. It felt like his intestines turned inside out. He couldn’t breathe, something was covering his mouth. Jake tried to squirm his way out of the hold, but he was stuck. All the anger, guilt and fear that had built up inside him wanted to come out. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t. It all was too much for his body and mind to bear, he passed out. Before it all went dark, he could barely make out a voice whispering, “- Don’t be afraid, we don’t want to hurt you”.

Later when Jake woke up he found himself in a bed, it was still blurry and he couldn’t really see all that well. But it seemed to be cellar of some sort. He could hear people arguing outside the room. A young woman with long brown hair opened the door.
- So, you finally woke up? She said.
- W… Where am I? What is this place?
- I think it’s better if I ask the questions. What were you doing in the woods all by yourself? You aren’t a thief or a bandit are you?
- Bandit…? No, I was trying to save a woman.
- Really, Then what happened to her?
- She was attacked, I tried to reach her. But they were too many, I tried…
- So you just left her there? Maybe we should have left you in woods where we found you.
- I’m not a murderer! I don’t know what you want from me…
- We will see.

She closed the door behind her as she walked into the other room where he had heard people arguing.

As he started to come around he noticed that his belongings were gone. He got up and swerved to the door. It wouldn’t open, it was locked. He started to pound on the door.
- Get me out of here! She needs me, I have to find her! He yelled

He put his ear to the door and listened. He could hear footsteps closing in. Jake took a couple of steps back. Once the door opened three people came into the room. An older man with dirty cloths and a beard approached him quickly and looked rather upset. The other man looked a bit younger then the man with the beard; he wore glasses and had a questionable expression on his face. It was like he didn’t know if Jake could be trusted or not. The third one, who came into the room, was the woman from earlier.

The older man stopped right in front of Jake, their noses could almost touch. He observed Jakes ulcerated face. Before Jake could say anything the man grabbed his throat and showed him a picture of a girl that couldn’t be older than seven. She had a white dress on the picture and long light brown hair. She smiled as she was sitting on a swing.
- Where the fuck did you get this!? It was in your pocket! He shouted.
- I got it from the woman I tried to save. Jake stuttered.
The man tightened the grip around Jakes throat and his eyes started to fill with tears.
- What women!? When? Where?! Tell me you bastard or I’ll kill you!
- I… I don’t know, I think she had black short hair. Just before she let go, she gave me the picture and told me to help her daughter, Sarah I think her name is.
- No! It can’t be true! You’re lying! Where is she!?
- The fire station, the north fire station… I’m not lying to you.
- What about the girl on the picture!? Have you seen her!?
- Yes, I think so. I think I saw her escaping into the office building across the street from the fire station.
The man loosened his grip and tears started pouring from his dirty face. He stumbled back to the wall and then glided slowly down to the floor. He looked devastated as he was struggling to accept the truth.

- Come with me. The woman said.
As they walked across the hallway Jake realized what place this was, a subway office.
- I’m Mary and you are Jake Crow, according to your driver license?
- That’s right. Jake replied
- The man who talked with you in there. His name is Dave and the girl on the picture is his daughter. The women you described were his wife…
- I don’t know what to say. I tried to save her, I really did. But they were too many, I couldn’t stop them. I don’t even know where they all came from.
- It’s okay, I believe you. However, I don’t know if I should thank or hit you for leaving that poor woman there. But I’m sure you had your reasons.
- If I could have helped her, I would have done it!
As they walked Jake observed the surroundings, there were people in the rooms. It must have been at least 20 persons that Jake saw. It almost looked like they were safe. A couple of kids were playing with some old toys. Some people were sleeping and other was laughing.
- We have been down here for almost a month; most of us didn’t know each other. But now we are like a big family. Mary said
- In the morning we are gathering a group to search for Dave’s daughter, Sarah. And you will be going with us, so I suggest you get some rest for now.

Jake didn’t say anything; he shivered just by the thought of going back out there.

Account

Resources

Recent posts

Awards