Thank You, Really Kind Person On The Internet (hehe). I'll Either Way End Up Uploading What I Feel Like,

Thank you, really kind person on the internet (hehe😂😂). I'll either way end up uploading what I feel like, but I also want to understand others' opinions and needs as well. I can write, so might as well do some for people's liking. And my requests are always open :)

Secret train ride

Summary: Neither of them was supposed to be on that train...

Pairing: Jake Donfort and Lyra Ambrose (my Mc from The afterfire)

Warning: cursing

Inspired by this post

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The platform has perhaps never been so crowded. Weak sunlight penetrated through the high windows, dancing along the dark walls and columns, on the hundreds of lives that ran from one train to another like a swarm of ants. Passengers were informed about a ten-minute delay on the public address system. It's the train that's most important right now, she has to get on it as soon as possible.

Scanning the tracks, she walked through the station. The air smelled heavy of rain. It perfectly reflected Lyra's soul.

Not just one man approached her in broad daylight, but she deftly dodged them, cutting through the crowd wrapped in her thin coat. A train pulled into the station between the others and she jumped on it without wasting a second. With a big sigh, she sat down, soon a woman in a hat folding herself in next to her. The huge white machine just stood still for a long time, Lyra trying to get it going in vain. She must go now or it will be too late.

As if a miracle of the gods had happened, she started the two-hour journey squeaking. Lyra was staring at her phone so hard and still, the woman sitting next to her had doubts about her mental state. But that didn't bother her in the least; another message has been received from the unknown. A demanding, frightening one. He wants her there now, and Lyra is running out of time.

***

She didn't mean to. If it weren't for a kid crying out loud somewhere in the train, her eyes immediately searching for the source of voice, she wouldn't even notice it. Lyra would get off in Duskwood and continue her way into this complete madness. Oblivous to the man's presence in front of her. But this weren't the case, and will not be; because the brown pair of eyes landed on the blackness.

It is no exaggaration to say, he was black from head to toe. Dressed in thick clothes, maybe far too warm for the late rainy May weather, pale white skin peeking through the mess of dark hair at the nape of his neck, curled up at the ears. He was sitting in front of her, his being going almost completely unnoticed by her if she hadn't looked at him painfully precisely. Lyra had to tare her gaze away once her phone started to beep like crazy again.

Jake: I came to inform you of something that will require me to stop communicating with you for a certain period of time.

Jake: I am sure you will be fine with your friends without me. Whatever happens, let me know. I will know about everything that may be important to us. Don't let the Unknown scare you.

Lyra: That's great because I was just about to say the same thing

Jake: What do you mean?

The woman shook her head. For what reason, remained unknown. Was she dissapointed or nervous? Scared?

Lyra: In two hours I arrive in Duskwood

Jake: You can not go there, Lyra. It is very dangerous.

Lyra: Someone has to do something, or the man without a face will

Lyra: That option is NOT favourable for us

Jake: I warn you, Lyra, whatever transport you use, stop now and go back. We will figure out something.

Lyra: You want me to jump off of a moving train?

Sudden silence, as if Jake had frozen. The three points in the corner returned so quickly that she could not spend much time on the former thought, not enough to gain meanings.

Jake: Please do not jump off of a moving train, but get out as soon as it stops in the next station.

Lyra: Okay, so in Duskwood

Jake: No.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She loved getting the man all worked up, mostly because he doesn't often gets annoyed with her. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling of something being very wrong. He took it for the conditions in Duskwood. In the meantime, the hacker continued to argue, for which her reply was the same every time; she will go to the mine and finally end everything.

It was a sudden movement, so sudden and out of character that Lyra had to glance up at the man in front of her. He sat so still for half the ride that she started to think he was either asleep, dead, or a creep. However, now he was furiously typing on his phone, shoulders under the hoodie tensed. Lyra returned to her messages coming in faster than usual.

Jake: Look, Lyra, you are a very smart woman, we both know this is a terribly idea. Get off of there as soon as you can. For your sake.

Jake: Think about what will happen if Jessica finds out what you are doing.

Jake: If Michael Hanson lied, which he most definitely did, and will not release Hannah and Richy like he said.

Jake: I am already on a train to Duskwood.

The last message sent a shiver down her spine, one so uncomfortable she had to shift in her seat. Her coat wrapped around her body uncomfortably, suffocating.

It can't be. Impossible. She checked the schedules and only this one goes the fastest and earliest to Duskwood, the only express not stopping at every single train station. Maybe he's going with another one. Maybe that one is already close to the location. She shouldn't just jump into assumptions like this.

Something kept whispering she is wrong this time.

Lyra: You are what??

Jake: That is why I do not want you there. I will take care of everything. We are closer to Hannah and Richy than ever.

Lyra swallowed down the unnecessary words, there's really no time for it now.

Lyra: When exactly will you arrive?

Jake: In half an hour.

Lyra: That...

She glanced up at the time on the top of the screen.

Lyra: Is impossible

Jake: It is very much possible.

You are not Jake, her jaw clenched as she repeated this to herself, staring daggers into the man's head in front her. You are not– Her fingers acted faster than her mind could give out the right command, faster than a human should be able to move. The tip of her fingers got lost in the mass of blackness, no longer than a mere second, the turn of his head even quicker than the pace she could have pulled back.

Jake.

She didn't know what he looked like. Never heard his voice or knew more of him than he allowed her. Lyra wouldn't have known it was him, she could have apologized and continued the virtual fight. About to open her mouth to apologize – 'Sorry, I confused you with someone' –, but his eyes betrayed him. They stared back with a wide-open blue, all the feelings that a person can experience passing through them at the speed of light.

"Why are you here?" A voice whispered – with more or less success – the words which all probably came from his moving mouth.

"Why are you here?"

They both stared at each other without a word, and when Lyra excused herself out of the shared seat with big hat woman to sit next to the man, nothing happened. The world didn't collapse, the cure if cancer hasn't been found, no giant lizard entered the Earth's atmosphere. But that also meant Hannah and Richy were still... no. She will not think about them, not when they are sitting so still next to each other it should have been awkward, but wasn't. The way both tried so hard not to touch each other, but the train said otherwise. In every turn and bump they failed miserably.

No, she will not think about them when her last moments of faked peace can be enjoyed. Enjoying is a strong word for such situation, yet she couldn't help the small smile on her lips as they observed each other out of the corner of their eye.

She had to be a bit selfish to not run away from the inevitable.

Y'all I finally finished this after two weeks :D

No proof reading because I might end up not posting this out of tiredness

HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME

Anyway here's a short story for this headcanon:

!Not entirely plot relevant conversations and actions!____________________

May 28th. The calendar said it's today, on a dark Thursday. Calendars never lie. His phone echoed in silence the same words, and his phone certainly never lies.

But Jake... Jake does lie often.

He pushed a few branches away from his face and immediately started typing on his phone again. The cool wind blowing his skin didn't bother him, in fact, it helped to hide the noise he made in the rush.

Jake: Mc, you have to promise me to not go to the mine.

Don't go, because I'm already here. He thought as he finally reached the Grimrock.

Mc: Well someone clearly has to go there, and I'm already in my car, so live with that

Jake always found it mesmerizing how determined Mc can be when it comes to doing whatever she finds good, but this time the habit seemed too stubborn. Too reckless. Too dangerous. He has lost plenty of things in his life; family, identity, freedom, ability to want to feel again, but he didn't want to lose another person. No, not this time. Even if it meant that this very important someone would be the one suffering. Someone would get hurt either way, and Jake was sure he couldn't take it anymore if it were him. Mc, on the other hand... she has much more potential, she would get past it quickly. She has purposes in this life, great purposes, he had to admit. And as selfish as it sounds, he was sick of pain.

Jake: You cannot go there, you understand? We will figure out something.

Mc: And when do you want to do that?? After they are already dead??

She was right; he had to act quickly. Jake fastened his pace and stepped inside. The air felt heavy and old there, suffocating him, but instead of turning around, he went deeper.

That wasn't exactly how he imagined that day, in an old mine about to collapse and arguing with Mc. It had been a long time since he thought about this date like that, even longer when he cared. A few days ago, however, he thought that maybe now it could be different. Perhaps now he can afford to share it with someone, after all he's a person like the others; with private life, childhood, thoughts and birthday.

He planned to tell Mc tonight. In other words, just mention it, he didn't want to... What exactly? To be important? Brag? Distract her from finding Hannah? Maybe. Maybe one of them is true. It could be he wanted to matter a bit...

But it doesn't matter now. All his plans were ruined by the messages from that Unknown person. And the least he will let is Mc go there herself, no matter what. As smart as she is, she sometimes comes up with the worst ideas. Besides, it's his birthday — at least let him have one wish. A wish to solve this mess and keep his beloved out of trouble.

Hannah too, he stopped abdurtly. Free Hannah and Richy, too.

Beloved... Did he really just think that?

His phone kept buzzing crazy. Instead of checking the messages, he muted the notifications and continued his way deeper into the mine, the flaslight casting more and more horrifying shadows everywhere as Jake reached a ladder.

***

The road was slippery and dark; it rained. Mc cursed loudly as she drove through small towns and larger cities, the warmth of the car lights glinting on the wet windshield and puddles. Under other circumstances, she would have enjoyed this time listening to the patter of rain, the rumble of a distant storm, and the sound of cars passing by. She especially liked the roar of the engine. It always made her forget her problems.

Now everything was different though, her heart was beating faster and faster as she glanced down at the speedometer.

"You motherfucker of a car!" Either way she calculated, she couldn't go any faster or she would have an accident before she even reached the Grimrock. And time is hard to beat, especially when the goal is something that's even more expensive than your life.

***

He didn't know how good an idea it was, in fact, he was sure it was a terrible idea, but he climbed it anyway, maybe because according to his map it was the only way to go. The ladder creaked a lot under his weight, which was not very gratefully received by the rungs. Halfway through, one broke, landing with a thud, as Jake would have if he hadn't caught another in time.

He can't die, not yet. Not when he's so close to something more important than his life.

***

He was there. She saw Alan walking around the waterfall, the cars' sirens in the distance and where she needed to go. Mc carefully made her way through the tall plants, with as little noise as possible. Even though that the water hit the ground with a deafening force, it doesn't hurt to be careful.

The man was too busy doing whatever he was doing with his back to her, so Mc easily slipped through the opening. Damp and heavy air, great darkness. Even scarier when you know someone is waiting. And the Unknown person was waiting for her to walk into his arms.

She has to be smart and make sure to find Hannah and Richy first, preferably on a path that looks hidden. And let's face it, it's really hard to do in a fucking mine.

I have to try.

She turned on the flashlight of her phone and walked deeper and deeper, noting the turns.

***

She was there. She ran and ran, far, loudly. Hannah has escaped. Jake was already heading towards the alarmed woman when he heard voices and turned a corner. He leaned against the wall and listened.

"Miss Donfort, come with me now, I'll take you out."

"No, wait–”

The sound of a gun; not a shot, just a knock. Jake peeked out and saw a policeman escorting his sister out with quick steps in the direction he himself had come from. So it's okay, Hannah will be safe soon.

But what is a policeman doing here? He remembered the uniform he had seen, and then involuntarily could only think of one person. Mc, did you seriously call the police?

He would have already turned back to look for another exit, possibly one where he wouldn't run into a policeman, when his legs stopped. He still has to get someone out. Because Richy wasn't with Hannah, and he owes Mc that.

***

There he stood. With his back to her, dressed in black, in the dimly lit place. Mc would have been happy to see him again, the man who was kidnapped with Hannah by The Man Without a Face. She would have been happy, relieved, if only she hasn't found out just five minutes ago, it was him all along.

Richy was The Man Without a Face.

Two people, whom until now she thought were so much the opposite of each other, turned out to be the same. A kind man, whose voice can hardly be heard, and a murderous, psychopathic kidnapper. The irony life has...

Mc, slowly recovering from the earlier shock caused by the conversation and the video chat between Richy and Jessy, slowly but surely started towards him. She got a bad feeling as she approached, didn't know why, but something was wrong. Richy stood there, menacingly still, without moving a muscle. Mc felt her heart in her ears, no longer owner of her own voice, and her breath hitched when she saw him drop something.

Something he shouldn't have.

A lighter.

***

The air grew smoky and Jake sensed that something was very wrong. He ran from one flight to another, searching and hiding at the same time. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do, and he was alone. It's ironic to say that when you're playing hide and seek in a mine with a dangerous man and one of his victims.

He increased his steps and felt the heat on his skin. Holding his shirt tighter to his nose, starting in the direction where he already saw the flames of the fire. He knew that it was like running to death, because it was, but he would still lose his remaining freedom outside as well, and Richy had a chance. Jake will point him in the right direction. Then sit down and wait; what for, he didn't even dare to think about himself.

After all, he certainly won't be able to get out, and it won't make sense either.

His ears hurt so much from the blood throbbing in them that he almost didn't hear it. He almost swerved, not in the direction a woman was shouting. A figure was sitting at the base of the wall, another was trying to pull him up; the woman.

The woman.

Mc.

Perhaps Jake has never run so fast in his life, even though he has his fair amounts of escaping from the police. This was different now. He didn't have to save his own life, the stakes were much higher.

"Get up, please get up!" She begged the man in a tearful voice, who just shook his head. When he looked up at Jake, the black haired saw that there was nothing in his eyes. He stepped in front of him and tugged hard on the arm, forcing the blond to stand up unless wanting to fall.

"Look here, she's here because of you, so you're going out now." He looked into the speechless eyes, which were now staring back at him in alarm. He pulled Richy's hoodie up to his nose. "Straight over there, and you only turn left. Up the ladder and keep going until you see flashing lights."

"Quickly, it's spreading fast!"

They sped off, making sure Richy was always ahead of them. The echoes of their feet was thrown around by the walls, as if none of them wanted to keep it. They already saw the ladder and gave Richy a big push to hurry up. The man climbed as far as he could, but the ladder gave up and broke with a loud crack. Just when the two legs disappeared.

"For fuck's sake!" He tried to put it back together somehow, but it was too heavy and rusty; broken beyond use. Jake scanned their surroundings nervously, looking for a way out. "Come on," he turned to Mc, "I'll get you up there, you can reach the other half that way."

"No!" She stared into his eyes, those stubborn, everseeing blue eyes, in which she saw the frightening power of the approaching fire. "You're a complete fool! I'm not going! Can you hear? I'm not going!"

"You are–" He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the ladder, but Mc wouldn't go. She sat down at the base of the wall and didn't move. Jake could have pulled her up, it wouldn't have been difficult, but there was something final about this movement. So he fell down next to her, now both scrutinizing each other. That's not how he imagined the day, but there was something oddly comforting about it. Maybe it was the acceptance of the approaching end. Until now, he had only imagined what it would be like face to face with the woman, what her voice is like, her eyes, what she's like when she smiles.

And now he already knows.

Mc smiled gently and stroked his smoky face. "Why did you have to come here? Why can't you listen to me once in your life?"

"I could ask you that too."

Small tears rolled down their faces, but they didn't turn away, didn't cover them. They didn't want to waste a single minute without seeing each other.

"You,” she broke into a strong cough, but continued, “you still...why...”

"Because someone had to. And you?"

Mc smiled tearfully. "Because someone had to."

Jake loved the way she looked at him. Only him, and no one else, giving him all her attention, to the last drop. Something heavy broke in his chest — probably his heart — that he could only feel this for such a short time. He wanted to know this woman by his side every day, safe, in his arms, until they were both old, but their eyes didn't change. It is the soul and the eye that never lie.

His soul was whispering loudly to him, but he didn't listen to it, he just watched and absorbed Mc's words as long as he could.

"Once in a lifetime..."

"I know."

"But seriously, you'd only listen to me once."

He smiled slyly, and the whispering suddenly stopped. He already knew, didn't need it anymore, he knew it himself. "Then listen to me, too."

She furrowed her brows in question as Jake's smile only got bigger and closer, much closer...

"Listen to me... and let me..."

Silent silence. Only their hearts were racing, but it was far away somewhere else, far away from them, from the feeling of their lips meeting for the first and last sweet kiss. It was like heaven in hell, a little slice before it was all over, but maybe it wouldn't have been enough without it. Mc's fingers crawled into his hair, into the thick blackness, before he pulled her closer to him. To safety, where perhaps the fire can never reach this beauty.

The air was scarce and heavy, even heavier when Mc gently pulled her lips away. She ran her nose over Jake's cheek, jaw, back to his lips, but she didn't say a word or kiss. They just sat, holding each other, simply existing.

"Maybe this birthday isn't bad after all," he whispered.

The pair of brown eyes opened in alarm at this, but the body remained motionless. "What?"

"Today is my–"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Jake looked down the curve of her nose and chin. "I wanted to, tonight. But a lot happened."

It was absurd, really out of place, utterly impossible; Mc laughed though. It was a soft, weak voice, one that smoothed Jake's soul like silk. She just shook her head without saying a word and her laugh was contagious. Then it died, and a heavy silence fell upon them.

There they sat, leaning on each other's shoulders, in a forgotten flight, completely alone and on the verge of certain death, yet perhaps now they were the most complete in their lives. Happiness doesn't have to accompany us for a lifetime, it's enough if it lands on us only in the last moments, like a tiny butterfly. Flies away at any moment, yet the knowledge that it chooses us for its short rest is more than the longest love in the world.

The play of flames reflected in their eyes as the fire spread around them. Mc tiredly looked up at Jake, not observing him, she already knew the man. She just looked at his eyes, waiting for him to do the same, and when the blue of the sea met her own sweet chocolate, she smiled. The words were heavy and suffocating, but she wanted to say them. She wasn't sure she would be able to comfortably close her eyes if she didn't.

"Happy birthday to you."

Jake chuckled as he held her eyes, the warm feeling of his fingers around hers never leaving ever again. "I love you, Mc," he whispered.

"I love you too, Jake."

I rushed to Tumblr to write this after finishing my essay... Did you just spoiler your own story??

It crossed my mind to imagine that the day Jake goes to the mine is the same day as his birthday but he doesn't say anything because he stopped celebrating it, but with MC maybe he had hopes of doing it again, but the FBI ruined it for him

How sad it would be… if someone wrote it in her story… 😈

Does any of you know about Ali Hazelwood's Love, theoretically book?

Good, because I think I found the song that (kind of, at least to me) describes Elsie. What do you want from me? by Jann.

It's a masterpiece by the way

YOUR LAST PHARAGRAPH! YOUR LAST PHARAGRAPH!

NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE, WE'VE BEEN IMPERSONATED

I've never actually talked about it, I guess I was busy with everything that's been going on (buuutt I'm back and I'll try to be consistent, in case some of you noticed my absence🫣).

For me, the storyline in Moonvale is so dope. Like we started off strong with the first episode. There's already a lot of media available (calls, videocalls, images and so on) and I actually didn't expect it to be a trip to the forest already since day 1. And on top of that and comparing it with the episodes of Duswood, it was the one that made me feel the most uneasy when playing it. I mean, the calls were very very unsettling and I didn't know what was coming next at all. At one point, I was actually scared of what was going on, the point being that Unknown that new our name (like whaaaat!!!). It gave me the actual chills when they said "I think you need to hide" AND THEN ERIC CALLS US. LIKE I WAS SHOCKED AND SHAKING, ACTUAL SCARY FEELINGS. HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME, SWEETIE?👀😨