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Chapter Text

It was a spring day in Burgess. The birds were chirping and singing. The sun was shining brightly and proudly. In the Overland household, breakfast was being made and a snoozing Jackson was about to get a wake-up call.

Flee slowly cracked open the door and peeked inside. A sleeping Jack was turned away from her, hiding under the covers. She giggled like the little girl she was and stepped into the room. She froze, standing in the middle of the room with her pitcher of water, when a floorboard squeaked. She glanced at the floor and by the time she looked back at the presumably still sleeping Jack and sighed softly. A moment later she stood over the bundle of covers with a goofy grin. She yanked them back and tossed the water onto the bed. She waited for the surprised shout...but it didn't come.

Just as she was about to turn around, an ice cold spray hit her back. She shrieked and turned around to see her snickering brother.

"Jack! It's not funny!" She cried, embarrassed.

He laughed,"Guess you'll have to try and get me next time." He smiled.

"I will! You just watch!" She dashed out, a determined look set on her face.

Jack sighed. She was getting more persistent. He heard her get up at five this morning! Although the day already felt long, he knew it was only beginning.

"Jaaack! Fleeeee! Breakfast is ready!" He heard a yell from downstairs.

Jack ran down the stairs and looked hungrily at the little omelets. He grabbed a plate and started on his first meal of the day.

"Jack?"

He looked to his mother,"Hmm?"

"Aren't you leaving for a hiking trip today with Aster?" She asked innocently.

He wasn't fooled. He knew she was excited to have the house alone with her husband. Flee was spending the next few weeks at a summer camp, and she was all too ready to try out the new pranks he taught her. Jack knew his mom was happy, but he also knew she was worried about him.

He swallowed his food,"Yes, Mom. Relax, I'll bring tons of sunblock, hats, sunglasses, and if I'm suddenly blinded by something I'll keep a special stick nearby."

"Jack." she replied warningly,"Don't mess around out there. You're much more prone to..to..well something to happen. Stay hydrated and keep a phone on you. Call as much as you need and-HEY! KEEP A COMPASS ON YOU, TOO!" Jack had started walking up the stairs halfway through the lecture, when his mom started to babble.

Grabbing his duffle bags and hiking backpack, he headed out the door. He was bombarded with forehead kissed and hugs. Flee was hugging him so hard he thought his bones might snap. And he was pretty sure there would be a red mark on his forehead from his mother's kisses. He told his family bye and left a message on his dad's phone letting him know he was leaving. He was out on work, but he'd be back before Flee left for camp.

Aster's unyielding beeping from in front of his house made him break into a jog to get to the car.

"Ready, mate?" He yelled through the open window.

"Yep!" He hopped into the Jeep and Aster took off down the street.

Jack suddenly remembered what riding in a car with Aster was like and sighed.

"You alright, mate? You look a little paler than usual." He laughed.

Jack smiled weakly and cringed at what he knew would soon follow. Soon enough, Aster had the radio up to 'Are my ears bleeding because I can't tell through all the vibration', and he sunk a little more into his seat as he endured the torture of Aster's lovely voice.

Chapter Text

Running his hands through his hair, he waited for his fingers to stop twitching with the thought of strangling the loud Aussie. Aster exclaimed something next to him, and Jack was jarred as the car popped over the slightly-higher-than-the-ground driveway.

"Oops." he said with a sheepish grin as he pulled up to the house.

Jack gave him a mock glare,"If I spend any more quality time with you in this car, I think I might throttle you."

"You're no snowberry, either." Aster laughed,"I'll put your stuff up then?" he asked uneasily.

"Please." he replied, getting out of the car.

"I'll be back in a few hours." Jack said.

Aster looked at him sideways while carrying the bags,"I'm exhausted so I'll be turnin' in early tonight, but call if you need to. I've still got a pretty good idea of the layout of this place. Actually," He lugged one of his bags out from the back and rifled through it,"Take my old map. Careful of the rocks out there, mate."

They nodded to each other as they parted ways. Jack gave him a befuddled look as Aster yelled over his shoulder,"KEY'S UNDER THE MAT!" and then looked around at the neighboring houses, quite a bit away from them, and again shouted,"NOT! I MEAN IT'S NOT UNDER THE MAT!"

Checking his compass, he tried not to laugh at Aster's quirkiness. Southwest. Pocketing the device, he wandered. He had visited Aster a few times here before, and they'd walked around a bit but nothing in depth. Plus, the less danger the more he could joke around and trip Aster when he wasn't looking. Ah, fun times. For Jack at least.

While reminiscing of old times Jack felt the tinge of salty air sting his nose. He blinked at the natural beauty of the Pacific. Part of him wanted to jump in and stay, but another, very different, part of him wanted to join the clouds. To be able to see it everyday.

He stepped away before he grew too immersed. Jack walked farther away from the house near the top of the cliff. It was only one among the few rich homes in the area. He treaded down the sloping side of the land and found something resembling a trail. Part of the land beside him continued to stay level while the path he chose was descending slowly.

As he went on, it seemed to stop and then abruptly wrap around the wall. As Jack peeked around the corner of the ending wall he saw a valley. But not much of one.

The grass was thin and short. Little patches of it everywhere. Except in one spot where it was just light soil. Jack lightly stepped into valley.

It was honestly not very pleasant to look at, maybe even a bit creepy. He set down he backpack beside the trail and ventured in. It was only a little after four so the sun was directly hitting the valley. Jack dawdled about, giving things a once over to familiarize himself. Nearest to the back was the single circle of soil. He broke into a swift jog and stopped at the edge. If there wasn't a rock just a centimeter too tall poking out of the ground.

Damn rocks. They're everywhere. Can't take two steps before you stub your toe, he thought as he got up from the ground.

Dusting off his pants he heard a slow ripping sound. Confused, he looked around, turned, checked his clothes, nothing. Then he looked down and barely had time to widen his eyes as the ground fell away from him.

He gripped the edge of the ground for about half a second before that too fell with him. A panicked scream erupted from his throat as he fell a good ten feet and hit the ground with a thud. A pained groan followed as he curled in on himself.

The floor was cool and…slimy.

Jack sprung to life with a jolt and an uneasy stomach. The smell of salt was stagnant in the air. He leaned forward and immediately regretted it. With the way his head was pulsing and pounding he wouldn't be surprised to find out a nightclub had taken up residency in his brain.

He laid back down and collected himself. He saw the ground from where he fell and tensed. Looking around, everything was dark. The only light around was from where he fell and it was shining on him like a spotlight. Oh God. How many survival rules have I tossed aside today?

I'm in a dark slimy cave and I don't see a way out. I'm never going to get out of here. I am going to die.

Taking a deep breath he composed himself. He could already hear Aster's voice in his head. C'mon Jackie. Wadda' ya' got?

I know what I don't have, he thought with increasing worry. Not my inhaler or any of my fucking equipment, that's for sure, he shuffled in his pockets. Mints. Pen. Paper. House keys. Compass...

Relief flooded Jack's mind as he pulled out the tool. A small flashlight and whistle were made into the cheap gas station product. A moment before he blew into the whistle, he paused and went with his better judgment as he clicked the flashlight on.

He shined it on the ceiling and was relieved to find no bats. But then again, would there be bats this far out anyways? He pointed it to the back of the cave and thought he saw a dirt wall roughly twenty feet back. Nothing in its corners, just an empty space. Tuning, his foot slid on the slippery stone and he landed on his side.

"How many times?" his voice echoed lightly.

Compass still clutched in hand he flicked on the flashlight, shining it in the dark.

One second.

One second of pure uncertainty. Then terror. A pale face, low brow, dark, dark eyes, and sharp teeth uncovered by lips pulled back in a snarl.

He jumped back, slipped, and kept pushing himself back until his back was pressed against the cold earth wall. He saw an arm brush by the pool of light and decided he didn't want to see anymore. He was shaking horribly while pulling his knees to his chest and throwing his arms over his head. Pulling himself as close together as he could, he waited.

Waited for whatever would come.