Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was weird.

It was weird to wake up... this time for real.

To moan in slight pain, flex your fingers and be blinded by the sun.

The Sun.

Wet, mushy moss was like a pillow. The birds - birds!! - that weren't crows, singing peacefully around him as he opened his eyes for the first time in forever.

Forest.

Alive, and with multitude of sounds and rustling of leaves and wet wet wet moss under him and warm warm warm sunbeams above.

Jake was alive.

Jake was back.

Chapter Text

To be completely honest, he didn’t thought he would be back so soon.

He meant in his real, scratch that, previous life, but also – back at the door of his old family house. He didn’t know how long has it been. He didn’t know how many years passed since he just… booked it to the wild, got off the grid and just… lived the way he wanted.

“Shit.” He smiled to himself, but it was more sarcastic than anything.

The big metal gate was open wide and it didn’t felt like home at all. It was just one of many many many mansions he despised.

He thought again about his hurting… everything and went in. There was no guard and only gardener looked him from beneath the hooded eyes.

Some long time ago he would never go back. And he didn't meant that he wouldn't go back at all - he would visit, for his mother and brother he tolerated. The "Go back" as to “I’m alive, don’t search for me”, and obviously "pretend to be a part of this family again" was out of the question.

But now there he was in the foyer. He was embracing his old old mother in a moment of sincerity he never thought he could even have.

It was a surprise to find her here.

Because it was so close to the place where he woke up alone in those woods.

It was just random building he found in those forests after stumbling around like a wounded animal. Then it randomly revealed itself to be in his family possession. Deep down he knew it wasn’t random, but he squashed that feeling down. It was enough to think about how the hell did he returned to his reality to drive him insane, something like The Entity knowing about him more than he would want was crushing.

After madam inspecting all of him, including mop of hair on his already not brushed properly – probably in centuries – head, she suddenly became serious.

It was eleven years, she said.

Jake took a minute to load this information and looked at himself in one of big mirrors at the walls. He gulped, mentally knowing he will be having a break down over this after he is back at this old hut in the middle of nowhere.

Eleven years since they stopped looking for him, twelve years since she started waiting for her own demise in this empty house.

She told him it was because she was the problem, she didn't help Jake when he needed it. It was her who never thought better and never reached out to him in those dire moments.

And Jake forgave her even if there was nothing he could forgive her for.

At this point he didn’t care enough to be a loving son. He smiled and nodded and hugged her, but it was all about her. Like it always was.

Almost an hour later a ruckus downstairs stopped him from booking it again. He didn’t want to stay. No way in Hell and he lived through one.

So he stocked some bag up with food, grabbed something valuable from the shelves and was ready to go anywhere.

In the drawing room on the first floor was another surprise waiting.

His brother. His golden brother whom he barely tolerated at their final years together just broke down then he saw Jake.

 Turns out he had a wife and a child now. Looked clean cut perfect but ragged at the same time ("Jay you look so fucking dirty" he whispered when crying into Saboteur old coat).

“I didn’t shower in a long time, buddy.” He cringed at the way his voice got softer.

Dan frowned and blew his nose into a tissue.

“Why you look so young?” Dan asked his younger brother when his daughter, Jacklyn, smiled at her uncle in all her 8-years old cuteness.

“Got good workout.”

Jake smiled back, pushing that thought even deeper inside himself.

Dan’s wife looked mildly disgusted, well, at least one person Jake could relate with.

And there was no surprise in this:

His old man was gone.

Jake was a little disappointed. He wanted to look him in the eyes one last time and tell him to fuck off. He guessed life just wasn’t fair, looking at the fact he wasn’t fast enough to tell the exact same thing to The Entity either.

After the happy family theater and getting to know that things he stolen are to be confiscated… He was currently residing in his old room. Just because his mother begged him to stay, too afraid that he is just another mirage of her imagination… Room looked like it was cleaned now and then, even a decade after his presumed “death”. Nothing changed.

He would prefer it if it was full of dust and spider’s web.

He would prefer it never taken care of, forgotten along with him and for the sake of everyone.

He sighed, looking from the open window right into the bright garden, a wild and big forest right beyond the walls.

He didn’t stay just because his mother begged him to, obviously. Begging didn’t work on him since he escaped hell. He supposed his goal had more chances of being achieved from here than his old hut in the woods that didn't even exist anymore.

Yeah, before old man finally died, he got it destroyed along with all of Jake’s past things. Such a good family figure.

Eh, but returning to the main problem.

First goal was to find Jake’s friends.

He hated it, but the money and time and people were needed for that.

To his dismay.

World changed so much.

He could ignore the time that slipped through his fingers, but couldn’t forget the changes.

For them, Jake stayed the same.

For him, nothing made sense. It wasn't even the same world he lived in.

Even with help and contacts around the whole world... Some people were just non-existing. Not in a metaphorical sense or that they were “under the radar”. They just didn’t… exist. They weren’t real.

Even excluding the fact he could not find anyone alive, the ones he found… Would be better if all hints went dead, really.

The papers he got in his lap could combust into a fire and he wouldn't care. He was feeling unwell and even his iron will, like all his... comandres were calling it... was shaking and starting to slowly crumble. 

He was back, but fucking twelve YEARS later. His home didn't exist. Everyone looked at him like he went insane and even a couple of hours in this place made him think the same. He wasn't going insane, wasn't crying his eyes out, or freaking out. But the possibility, the little feeling in this stomach, microscopic pebble that got thrown into his silent like of a mind... He was strong, but not this strong. The Entity realm was a fucking walk in the park to get used to, considering he has a whole life to live in this god-forsaken REAL world without people he CARES about. Without the people he lived with through everything.

Because the first thing he found out, merely a couple of hours after he arrived -

Like Laurie and Michael. They were from a movie.

Like Freddy and Quentin. They were also – from a movie.

Cheryl and Pyramid head. Game.

Bubba. Movie.

Amanda and David. Movie.

Bill. Ash. Jill. Leon. Game. Game. Game. G a m e.

Even that damn Danny without a working brain was FROM a MOVIE!

A movie Jake swears he never ever heard of in his entire life. He never saw it, never heard anyone mention it, never saw that mask (except now, in his night terrors), never though that cheap excuse of a killer could be so famous and non-existent. And he didn’t live under a rock, he was rich, well-versed in all kinds of culture, basically knew everything so he could be the perfect son he wanted to be in the past. He would have heard of… something.

And now looking at all the… The “Classics” as people called them… It made his stomach churn just a little.

"What the ever-loving fuck..." Jake muttered looking at the papers.

The butler that got them for him, stayed inside the room. Park forgotten it was so uncomfortable to have some rando in the same proximity with him. He spend so much time with people near the Survivor's fireplace and this time, this person was... more than not welcome.

And he was very close to just dismissing him, but wanted one more thing... only one thing. 

When he looked over and waved that bastard to come closer.

He saw a servant mocking him. And he dared to be proud of himself for some reason.

"Young Master is amazingly interested in pop culture these days..." he snickered under white mustache. Fucking knowing Jake was looking for real breathing PEOPLE.

Some days ago, Jake would silently curse and then just bail for a week and go into the woods. Then, maybe got this motherfucker fired or his salary cut. Now, he sneered at the old cocky butler and told him to get lost.

The folder of papers smashed in the door the fucking butler closed and Jake rubbed his eyes.

The people he cared for.

Half of them didn't exist in reality. The other half was practically impossible to find, if they were even alive.

Fantastic. Really.

Chapter Text

It way days before Jake decided to finally came out of his room and maybe socialise a little. “Socialise” as in “fish for informations”. It’s not like he had a breakdown the past three or four days – no, he was thinking. Thinking about what is the best course of action.

If someone thought he will be staying in this cursed household forever they better think twice. Or thrice in case of his bellowed older brother.

“Jay, can I come in?” speak of the devil.

“No” mentioned Jay clicked on something on this so-called laptop and whole screen went dark. Another knock on the door. “I said no, Dan.”

“I’m worried, you know I’m just worried.” If Jake knew anything about this tone of voice, Daniel was giving the door his best puppy eyes right now. What a shame Jake didn’t had those, maybe killers would be more forgiving if he had pretty boy privilege.

Speaking about the Killers. Some of them really where just made up. Jake just watched fucking Michael Myers and Laurie past encounters on his TV and it was like someone made a movie about their lives and not the other way around.

Some facts were not right and the way everyone talked about Myers was honestly annoying. Like half of them didn’t made him this way. But It pretty much summed up what the both of them told Jake about their past. (“Told” Jake snorted to himself. More like Park was talking and Myers just nodded every once in a while to confirm or deny something.)

But following this thought – Macmillan estate, right? Trapper told them that he was a rich boy too, that his father had a company and he killed a lot of men in the mines. It should be easy to find. Even if the fucking butler was making fun of him, “The internet” should pop something out, right? But searching that up was like searching for something that never happened and Jake found it more disturbing that the fact that half of his friends were fictional.

Typing up Trickster name or alias didn’t do much either. Just showed up a massive shit-load of idols and some music videos. It was a shame, he was counting on at least some articles of clinically insane pop star.

That meant every person he didn’t found in any kind of story, game or movie – was simply not in this world.

Saboteur ignored the swirling feeling in this gut and decided to research about people who impersonated fictional killers.

The door opened and raven head of hair huffed in his chair.

“I thought you had more manners. All that being father heir and you can’t even listen when somebody doesn’t want to see you.”

“Want to eat breakfast with us?”

“No.”

Daniel closed door behind him, when he came inside, which irked Jake a bit more.

It was tiresome to have his older brother at his case all the time. Before he went missing Dan was non-existent in his life, except the times he went all up his ass about how Jakey should me more like him, more studying, more friends, more learning to be perfect and how he can’t get on his level but still should at least try to be better, like Jake didn't already tired his soul out to be a good son and brother.

Other times he just didn’t care enough to check why his younger brother moved out, why he ran away or intensely guilt tripped him to come back home – even when they all knew Jake would not inhered anything, he suggested to get a job under him.

Like Jake was stupid enough to bully himself into working for this cursed family.

And now Daniel was like a different person. He appeared caring and warm, and definitely showed that he cares about his brother a lot. And Jake wanted to talk to him but the point was… Dan never said sorry and elected to ignore the past.

And how much of a better person can you be, when you learned nothing and just selected to progress in life, without acknowledging your mistakes?

Not a lot.

“Please.” Jake looked at Dan face and he knew it was all an act, or desperation or just him grovelling, but it felt nice.

Like it felt nice to see David being thrown by The Legion across their shoulder. Not exactly a good thing to be happening – but one that gave him a little bit of amusement in those dark times.

“Fine, but tomorrow.” Daniel face lit up and he looked genuinely pleased with himself and Jake hated that he felt warm at the sight. “Only one time.” He added to squish that feeling.

But one time changed to two, and breakfast turned to dinner and lunch and before he knew it he was walking down the giant staircase to dining room on his own accord.

It was a month since he came back and Jake slowly came to realise he didn’t like this world. “The internet” he discovered before was not so interesting, the news were useless and his sibling was slowly losing interest in him. He supposed it would be a good time to take some money and… go live somewhere else.

Start from scratch… again.

He sat silently at the table eating eggs with his brother family.

Daniel said before that they will stay there for a few weeks and Jake was really glad The Entity made him run in every trial - he could easily play with Lyn without breaking a sweat. Claudette would’ve loved her. She was literally the only person that was always happy to see her uncle.

Now the little girl sat slouched against the table, almost asleep as she ate her sugary cornflakes.

Little buzz of the TV filled the silence as everybody was content.

“Butler, volume up.” Daniel's wife waved her head and focused on a screen.

“What is this about?” her husband asked and she waved him to be silent.

“About this pedophile from Ohio.” She clenched her teeth. Jake yawned.

“-been sentenced to prison for first degree murder.”

Entity realm would be a good place to send those people too. It was a real dick move that it stored innocent people or fictional characters.

“Good, people really go naming their children shits like Freddy Kruger-”

His heartbeat stopped. „Freddy Kruger?”

Dan only scoffed.

“-victim the 10 years old Milly Winston. The witness of the whole incident was a main force in the court to not let F. Kruger go as family of the child mourned her death. Young teacher assistant proved that F. Kruger was the one behind the series of kidnappings occurring for the past year.”

“Year?” Jake didn't know what to say.

He was back for the maximum time of a month.

And he searched his way through all of vast internet and never found anything about Freddy. Especially somebody named Freddy who committed the same crimes as the Elm Street Nightmare.

Was there a possibility that all of them just got... thrown in into this mashed-up weird reality where they existed but left no traces whatsoever?

But maybe Dan was right, maybe it was just some horror fanatics who named their child after a movie monster and—

“Heard the teacher was also one of victims back in the day.” Woman patted her daughter. “Quentin, was he?” she asked and her husband nodded.

Jake almost sentenced himself to death by chocking. He raised his eyes and saw it. The video of Quentin speaking in the court on the screen.

Yeah. Okay.

“Oh my god, Jake, you alright?!”

They were real.

“Butler, get water, now!”

And therefore, could be found.

“Turn the TV off, Marlyn, for god’s sake! JAY, YOU OKAY?!”

The world didn't know they were there, because they weren't supposed to be there in the first place.

That made sense, that's way no-one could find them.

“What a joke.” was Jake's main line of thought as he leaned against his chair, finally catching a beath after almost dying from the stray bead crumb in his lungs.

He didn't like Freddy. Freddy was the worst. So him in jail? Fucking deserved.

Even when everybody agreed to not kill or cross each other more than necessary, this old disfigured motherfucker was still a massive bitch. Some of the killers where just... okay. Especially those who weren’t from the movies or games (as he knew now). All of them knew that The Entity wasn't the only thing that encouraged them to kill Survivors, but as time passed even the most blood thirsty monster became just tired and sad. Everybody wanted out, and if they had to get out, they had to do it together. Survivors and Killers alike.

The video from the court was kind of funny. At least to him.

But that gave Jake a new perspective and a need to act fast.

Freddy was a monster. Through and through. Sometimes he was nice but… after coming back you would thought he would want to start a new life. A life that wasn’t “like in his movie”, something like a fresh new start! But well, who would have known he would start killing as fast as he could after coming back to life.

Jake hoped that only this ugly fuck was like that and others didn’t just randomly started becoming serial killers again. Not after he got to know them, to know that some of them weren’t even that bad.

“Butler!” He stood up almost knocking down his own glass.

“Yes, young master.”

“You are fired.” Now Dan choked on something.

“In all due respect, you can’t—”

“You move, or I will move you myself.”

Brother grabbed his shoulders, effectively getting his stare off the old man “My god, Jay, wait a second-”

“And you” Jake ignored him and pointed at some random maid “contact me with the MacMillan estate right now.”

The silence that set in the room wasn’t nice.

“So?”

“At once, Young Master. What should I inform them of?”

“Jay, listen-”

Normally, old Jake would just suck up and stop at his brother interruption.

Good thing he wasn’t his old self.

“NOT talking to you, Daniel.” came as he shrugged him off and almost immediately went to the door. “Tell them I want to speak with Evan. The Saboteur wants.”

“How do you know the Evan MacMillan, Jay?” Dan ran after him "Does he have to do something with your disappearance? He was on the list of people you told the butler to find-”

“You snooped through what I ordered to do?” He knew he focused on the wrong thing.

The right one being that when he ordered to search for Evan, the files told him he didn't exist. He searched himself and it turned up with nothing. 

And there he was, getting to know that Daniel knows who The Trapper was. That Daniel must have manipulated his search on purpose. 

“I- I'm sorry!” Jake would smile at how it reminded him of Dwight. If he wasn’t furious right now, of course. "It was to check on you! To see if you are alright!”

“Well, as you see I am.”

“No, you are not!” he rushed up the stairs. 

“I am.”

“No, you are not.”

“Daniel-”

“Jay! There is no way nothing happened in those twelve years! MacMillan is a surname that you would never come across anywhere safe!” Jake stopped.

“…How do you know it then?” older Park looked like he was about to have a real breakdown.

“Jake for fucks sake, that’s not important!! How do you know that mafia boss?!”

Jake’s eyes opened wide.

Mafia boss???

Chapter Text

It was even harder to walk outside and not get irritated than staying inside all day. He was a prisoner and everyone knew it.

Due to Jake attempting to go travel to where The Trapper is (without his family knowledge) he was berated long and hard by his mother and his brother’s wife and even his niece. Not gonna even mention how he felt like a teenager again – not that he was really that far from being one. In age, at least.

He never thought that words “uncle” and “I will hate you” in one sentence would make him feel this bad.

But it wasn’t like he was just going to give up. He more or less knew what world is awaiting him outside. The smartphone wasn’t something he would want to use, but it had something similar to the GPS there. He used it before in the laptop to mark the address Trapper was residing at and it fit the exact place he remembered.

Also, he already took some old looking things he knew were worth much. When he finally will be able to start this journey, he will need the money. He didn’t even thought about food, because all the fast foods around. The maps were full of them. They were everywhere and It was really convenient for Jake.

The only real problem was transport. He couldn’t take one of the mansion cars, because then everyone will know he ran away. He couldn’t even stomp to the nearest road and ask somebody to take him to the next big town and then he would’ve taken the bus.

The main problem why? Dangerous people, murderers and all the other kinda weird guys out there.

He wasn’t afraid for himself. Right now he was a fucking powerhouse compared to mere living killers. He could parry a chainsaw with his scarf.

But people who might have want to help him – they could be scared and Jake didn’t like the thought of it. When talking to others he would smile and try not to show the toll of insanity slowly creeping into his mind, but his sister-in-law was more sharp than what she let on.

“It feels like you are not even human anymore, Jake.” She said one day, when the other two family members weren’t present. “We were better off with you dead. Daniel was, mother was, Jaklyn too.” She didn’t even glanced up from her book, and Jake wasn’t that surprised. “I just don’t want Daniel to bear the weight of a failed son again.”

Fucking failed he was, this golden child.

Maybe father wasn’t so lenient after his younger disappearance? Maybe it was the brilliant boy turn to finally be blamed for something?

“Then help me get out of here.” He already tried twice to run, but to no avail.

“You damn monster” she huffed out a laugh “Only in this type of situation you can stay true to yourself, hm?”

 A few more words from her mouth told him enough. He was scarred because of the past decade and a little of being in hell, people like her will see right through him. He didn’t want to make any innocent soul see him like this and pity him.

The third time he just straight up walked out the door. It wasn’t a great attempt, because it resulted in butlers taking away his alone-time privileges.

By the fourth time, his niece suggested to take the car. After explaining her the best to his abilities that he couldn’t take any, she just smirked evilly. A smart cookie she was, she actually told him there was an old car without the tracker (“Dad sometimes take me to ice cream in it!” she squealed and told him it’s a secret). So now he got a mean of transport.

After sixth time where he almost threw himself from a window, Daniel screamed he will take Jake anywhere he wants to be, but only if he will never disappear off the radar like that again. It was like a promise to stay as a prisoner even if he was outside.

Like a good brother Jake agreed, told Dan where to transport the car, how much money did he needed and that it had to be straight cash. It was a big no-no for good ol’ brother, but Marlyn – his trusted wife, convinced him otherwise. (Younger Park could swear this woman knew everything and more, but he didn’t care enough to ask. It wasn’t his family and his problem, not anymore.)

The only thing said before he departed in too-long-of-a-limousine was that the Parks were moving and then they gave him a little note with the address.

With a sick feeling in his gut and definitely too tight of a suit on him, Jake stood right before the building he didn’t recognized.

He thought that the building will still be the same, maybe a modernized version of it. The same one where he and his friends were killed many times.

But before him sat a building that he didn't knew of. It was on a busy main street and inside it looked so pristine clean, he almost mistook it for a hospital. Maybe excepting an astounding amount of men, who looked like gangsters.

As it turns out, MacMillan Estate in the last twelve years became a… very well-known organization... As he finally read, in the papers that Dan didn’t fucking redacted, it wasn’t this big before. Only after getting the new head merely four years ago it became an empire.

Yeah, I can imagine why. He sighed remembering that ugly face from the photo of a CEO.

Theirs headquarters were in different place and the papers stated it too.

Why in the hell did Trapper wanted to have a meeting in Denver, Colorado?! This bitch of a killer told his maid to arrange a meeting in a completely different place! And that was definitely a revenge on Jake. He knew it, because he absolutely would do the same.

The murderous aura in the air was so thick he could taste it. And it tasted sweet, like honey. It made his mouth weirdly dry, but it felt so good, like he could breathe again.

No-one here wished him well and he knew everyone knew who he was. It was a weird feeling to just walk into the wolf den and don’t feel any fear. His insides were delighted, but his head couldn’t keep up with this.

Why was he so happy?

It was almost funny to watch some of them gangsters flinch just as he laid his eyes on them. He doubted they were scared of him per se, and not the fact that he was their CEO’s esteemed guest, but he wanted to believe Trapper told them something about Jake. Told them Jake could outlive all of those little flies. That he wouldn’t even bat an eye if one of them was gutted.

He startled himself, returning back to reality.

He blinked twice and took a shuddering inhale.

Crow boy knew he had to unpack all of this, but not now. It always was “not now”.

“Jake!” Somehow the sight of Dwight leaping at him from the door to the presumed mafia boss office wasn't surprising at all.

The skinnier man just dragged him inside and absolutely smothered him with hugs.

“Firstly,” Park started, showing the other a smartphone Dan gave him. “Could you get me a burner phone, maybe?” he smiled and Dwight looked like he never wanted anything more in his life.

“Well, well, look at ‘at!” Rumbled from across the room, but two friends were too busy laughing at finally seeing each other again.

Fairfield just looked at Trapper from the corner of his eye and hugged Jake closer. “Shut up, won’t you?” which resulted in the younger boy losing it completely.

If he could breathe before, now his lungs were full of fresh air. He never cried, but the tears that were shed today didn’t count.

“I was so scared, Jake!”

“I know.”

“I woke up in the forest and-!”

“Me too, me too.”

Dwight took a step back and tilted his head like a puppy, his face wet from tears, but his smirk mischievous. “Your butler told us you want specific information?”

Not really taken aback, but pleasantly surprised, Park only nodded.

“Then!” he nervously started. “You will love what I got for you!” a loud grunt came from behind the smaller male and he laughed “We got for you.”

Jake didn't stayed long, but enough time for his eyes to stop being red.

In the end the new information were more than he thought he could ask for. The gift from them was something he didn’t know he needed. His own contacts couldn't get any clues because they wanted to do it like Dan told them to, but Evan had no problems in providing the real deal. Illegal sites, not censored details, medical records and even wiped out news articles (at that Dwight puffed up proudly). Everything was there.

The information were nice, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave, even after the sun were long gone from the sky.

He wanted to stay. Even when he didn’t like Trapper that much, or that they both didn’t exchange too many words, he still felt like it was too soon to leave.

There was so many things to do. Talk with Dwight longer. Sit together for hours in complete silence, just... being happy they are out. Maybe even spend whole day watching birds and enjoying the living world. Go eat something, sleep the whole day in a place they wanted to sleep in. Find work and spend time together no matter what happens.

That was what they promised to do at the very start of this tragic adventure.

Jake smiled sadly when Trapper said something completely-not-funny and his glassed friend snorted at that. It reminded him why he needed to go and what he was dead set on finding.

The road was calling, and he had a goal in mind.

“Ya going?” Evan looked at him with big eyes. He didn’t get a verbal response, but accepted the nod. “When ya got back, ya getting therapy, a’right?” Jake furrowed his brows.

He’s getting a what?

“Wha-“

Dwight brought their foreheads together and looked right at his best friend.

“No questions, m’kay?” the older asked and raven boy just… clicked his mouth shut and let him hold his hands.

He felt at home. The past… month or so was a torture. But now after only a couple of hours with people he cared for, he felt light and heavy at the same time. Cotton filled his mouth and honestly, he wanted to curse at how soft he was right now.

His friend’s hands were warm, just like a safe place that he could come back to. As seconds passed he felt more and more not ready to go. Not ready to be alone again, even if for a moment. Not ready to not know what’s ahead.

What happened to him? He was never like that, never afraid to leave. To start a new adventure or venture into the unknow.

He hesitated when he realized that all those other times he had nothing to lose and now he had something and that’s why it hurt so much.

But Dwight seemed to sense that and giggled.

(Of course he had sensed that. It’s Dwight. He knows Jake like the back of his own hand and vice versa.)

“Are you going to look for him?” came quietly. It was just a question, but a second meaning was shining through as clear as the sun in the cloudless day.

“Yeah.” He nodded, and the other’s adjusted his glasses.

“But- but remember to come back…”

Jake smiled. “I will.”

“We still have to wait for Meg, but I will- I will inform you immediately when we–” the man chocked a little. He went quiet for a moment, then sniffed and continued “Because Evan will know when, but you– we just couldn’t get to you!”

“Dwight, I know.”

“Be careful, okay? We will talk about all of your dumb brother and a bitch of a sister! Just! Just make sure you–”

“I will, brother.” Jake huffed when older male hugged him tightly.

He knew that this will shut his friend up, but still did it with a smile on his face. They stayed in this position for a long while and then it was time to go – this time it wasn’t a permanent goodbye.

He slapped Dwight on the shoulder and with the last rough hug and some encouraging words, he waved to Trapper and turned to leave.

“'ye, Saboteur.” Boy stopped by the doors, looking over his shoulder at the boss. The oldest man here was still bald and rough as ever, but more human and… happy, for sure. “Remember how the real world ain't black n' white?” he nodded „Don't forget that when ya see 'im, okay?”

There wasn't even a split second of hesitation as a smirk formed on the boy face as he closed the door behind him. It opened, because of the force he slammed it shut with.

Dwight mused to himself and looked at The Trapper. It was hard for both of them, to let go one of their friends.

Some of the guys they found by the help of MacMillan estate didn’t want to talk to them. Said they left The Entity behind like a bad nightmare and moved on. Creating families, coming back from dead like a dream and continuing their life or just disappearing. A few died before they could find them, some of them never found for sure. Other ones never appeared again and even when Dwight and Evan were still waiting… There was that possibility that not everyone could be…

The Leader shook his head and dispersed bad thoughts forming in his head.

Let's hope Jake’s meeting with his special someone will be less... heart attack inducing than his own.

“Why did we have to come to Denver, again?” he asked, wiping his nose. He looked back at Trapper that just laughed merrily “I thought you liked the main estate?” The glassed man asked again, but he already knew the answer.

Curse him for having a fiancé that likes to make fun of Jake.

“Ya know, when I still hunted ya for sport…” he trailed off, not really wanting to go into that territory too much. “That boy pissed me off so much…”

“So you just had to make his road trip fifty hours worth instead of two?” Dwight sighed but wouldn’t be mad. Evan looked at the door that Jake definitely left open, most likely on purpose.

“But ta answer… Well… Ta make his lil’ love story harder, dear.”

Chapter Text

The minute Jake made his way into the elevator, he wanted to go back.

Funny thing was, as soon as it closed, he realised everything he was about to do is real. He really was gonna go off radar again, disappear and make his mother miserable-

“Sir.” Some rough looking guy went into the elevator with him. Instead of standing still and waiting for them both to go to the main floor, he started talking. “A car you brought with you has been bugged.”

Jake huffed. “As expected,”

Making my mother miserable, my ass.

He should have known. This family doesn’t care if he is happy, why would he care about them?

He almost fell into this self-deprecating hellhole again… It was quite a while since he thought of himself… as a thing. It was a while since he thought of himself as himself, a human, someone that has needs and someone that people will miss. Not his blood family, of course. People there didn’t give two fucks about him. But… for the last (as he now knew) twelve years there was no time to miss anyone, because no-one ever died. No one ever left. His real, chosen family never had to worry about being apart, because there was no way they are getting out of Entity Realm alive.

And now his heart longed for his friends and the thought that this feeling… that makes everyone so… unhappy. That it’s his fault...

No. He told himself.

It’s not his fault that they got separated. It’s not his fault he took some time to get used to this new world.

…But then again, he was living with his family for a few weeks, so he guessed old habits die HARD and like to come back. Habits of thinking bad about himself, even when there was nothing wrong with him. Thoughts that were plaguing his mind when he was a teen liked to pop up to the surface again in the last couple of weeks. Especially when he wasn’t despairing over his own life in the Entity’s Realm.

To hell with feeling even an ounce of guilt. His real family is missing him, people he actually cares about. Why would he feel bad about leaving Dan or their mother? Going off the radar? Sign him up. Going on a road trip in a car? A thing he didn’t drive in for more than a decade? Yeah, that was the plan.

Now he knew it was bugged, so he needed a new one. Because of course Daniel put a tracker into this rundown ruin of a thing. As expected, Jacklyn probably told her papa about their little talk. Now he didn’t even have a car.

“Sir?”

“Leave it– “he cut himself off “No, take it and drive it back from where it came from.” Could he even order them anything? Could he behave like he owned the place?

“Of course, sir.” He could, Jake smiled to himself “Boss already send one agent back and told us to cancel your flight.”

He had to admit, Trapper knew his things.

“Do you own a car?”

“Ye– “

“Keys.”

The man in black blinked a couple of times. He didn’t look that convinced, and for some reason it made Jake a little annoyed.

“Keys.”

Maybe forcibly taking away a car (stealing) wasn’t the best idea. The moment he saw that car, and the… electronics inside the thing… he told the guy to just forget it and that he will leave it somewhere to the East tomorrow. Maybe Jake could get another one from somewhere? One that didn’t look like the mess of a machine from Back to the Future.

He could practically hear Trapper laughing at him form the upper floors as he jumped when car started fucking talking. He got to admit, he thought that he is tough. That nothing in this life will surprise him anymore. But being alive was terrible.

After the first day when the 6th hour of driving rounded itself, Jake found some motel and instantly crashed onto his bed. The bed was moldy at best, end unusable at worst. When he woke up, he couldn’t get rid of the stench that this room had in it. Shower didn’t work, and the dust in the air almost closed his airways when he opened the curtains for the first time.

He forgot how draining living was. All that eating, sleeping and other stuff, it takes so much time and so much energy. When living in a manor, he didn’t have any schedule to follow, any point in mind, so he didn’t notice as much. Now it felt like he was learning to be human again. Maybe Marlyn wasn’t that wrong about him, maybe he isn’t one. Not anymore.

He liked to eat, but it took time. It was irritating how preparing food and consuming it could take so much time. How when you ate too little, you would need more sooner. How when you ate too much, you would feel sick or tired.

How was he doing it before? Living alone in the woods. Calculating his rations for weeks prior, hunting, taking care of his little home in the forest. Was it even real?

Sleeping felt like never-ending dark eternity when you weren’t woken up by the cold claws of a trial. Every time he went to sleep and woke up in the same place, it felt like a mirage. Like he was still sleeping and soon something terrible will wake him up.

Yeah, sleeping wasn’t for him. But dreamless void was better than the nightmares.

The next day he woke up at the square 1 pm. Went to eat and changed his clothes for something less formal.

Yesterday he didn't have time to change outta fancy outfit. When he got the location of The Trapper, he fucking flew to Colorado in a heartbeat. The meeting with Evan and Dwight took too much time, and he didn't plan on immediately going into the action again, but he had to. He hit the road as soon as he could, without even taking a break.

This resulted in not having enough clothes, resources, and patience for the long road. The rush of adrenaline was familiar, but the recklessness wasn’t like him at all. He had some cash, so immediate spendings were covered. He… could buy everything with the rest of the cash he took and his old card - which was never deactivated.

He huffed with a little smile on his face. He rubbed the skin of his old wallet. He found it in his room a few days ago. For the first time in... his whole life, he thinks, was he grateful for his family money.

The secondhand shop that was nearby wasn’t that bad. He got a couple of things from there (getting weird looks as he went inside wearing designer suit) and the rest from some big market that was a couple of blocks away.

It was nice to wear something else than his old coat, the same pair of pants and scarf. The breath he took when the clothes neatly hugged his body was refreshing. The wind ruffled his hair, when he stepped into the motel parking lot, and it felt like world is more colorful.

Sun at his face, people living everywhere around. It felt new and after everything? New was fascinating and thrilling. He even brought a car from shady dealership right next to the motel and it barely made a dent in his account. He left electronic vehicle he borrowed where it stood and continued his travel in a relatively good mood.

He thought he could take the rest of the road. Now that he was so pumped up? 40 hours straight was nothing, he thought. And he was miserably damn wrong. When the clock on the car's radio changed to 9:30 pm Jake decided it's enough.

This mood dropped back to his ankles when he realized this trip will take forever if his body gonna to get tired so impossibly often. He was already so tired, not acclimated to… anything. As it got dark, it was unbearable to sit in the car and not get a headache. Even at night it was so bright. Stars nowhere in sight even in the middle of nowhere. In couple of spots where the lamps weren’t blinding, the glow still covered the black skies. Many lights of passing cars and way too many sounds that weren't crows or screams of pain.

World was so much noisier, now. He remembered how back then… back in his… previous life, he could at least tell that it’s night. Now, that he was nearing another town, it was hard to tell. He drove off the main road. Tanked his car and saw some lodge in the near distance. It wasn’t that hard, when there was literally an asphalt road from the station to the lodge.

In the day it wasn’t so bad because days are supposed to be full of life. But now nights looked like dimmer days, and somehow, he hated every second of it. He hated that even in real world, people decided to stay in the dark and not bask in the sunlight. The sunlight that he missed so much–

His stomach felt uneasy for not eating for the past six and a half hours he was in the car again. It was past the time most high-end hotels served meals, not to mention this run down motel, so he had to find something in the town.

Not wasting more time, he soon parked in the brightly lit parking lot. After checking in (for less than the owner told him, because apparently his daughter was “the boss” and Jake was “cute”, so he got a discount) and leaving most of his stuff in the old room, he was out again. Only sporting a light football jacket as a shield, he locked the door and was desperate enough to just ask the owner in the main lobby if there were any diners around here.

It was late, later than Jake anticipated it would be when he finished everything. He still wasn't used to how weirdly inconvenient the passage of time was. Why did all take some much time, and the reward from it was so small?

During trials it was a given - every breath took an hour and a second at the same time. But now it was just life, and Jake was not familiar with living. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get to know it again. It will take time, but how much was the question.

“Scrap Yard Beer and Deer, take the main into the town, can't miss it.” Woke him up, as he looked back at the owner. It wasn't the nicest way to say that. “A 'ew grocery stores too, but we ain't providin' full kitchen complex here, so you won't really cook anything, boy.”

Quick “thanks” and a polite, crooked smile and the “boy” was outta there. The man was similar to The Clown – but the one during trials. So, Jake wasn’t that keen to stick around. Better to have head on his neck and maybe bunker himself in his room when he returns. Who knows? Macmillan told him some of the Killers and Survivors where never found, maybe this guy was the Clown. Finding that out, thought, was not on his list of priorities.

In minutes he was almost in the town's heart. He slowed his car and looked around the almost empty street. He saw one general store but drove past with no intention of cooking for himself. The little store next to it wasn’t closed this late at night, so maybe it operated fulltime?

Maybe he would stop by tomorrow to buy something for the long road. Stock up for the next 7-ish hours in the heat box.

Soon enough there it was - some kind of diner or a pub was bright and loud with life. The red neon with deer with a big beer in its hooves enough of an indicator that it was indeed the place he was looking for.

Jake parked his car. He winced as someone shouted something right next to his ear, but went in.

Yep, definitely more like a pub than a diner, but a diner, nonetheless. The only things that weren’t really in his favor was the loudness of this place and the sheer amount of people inside. He suspected the Lodge Owner sent here everyone who asked. More than half of the mass looked like truckers, and the rest reminded him of old tattooed bulks of meat. Not types of people he would like to fight, but, if necessary, he could.

They sometimes spared with Killers, and when they were stronger, stronger than most humans could probably be, training with them was fun. Even David got over his embarrassment. Not before the youngest member of Legion threw him at her shoulder, that is.

Leon liked to teach self-defense. Jill preferred to “teach” in more practical ways, like beating the shit out of you until you knew how to not get your ass handed back to you. A couple of lucky survivors (that, regrettably, Jake wasn’t a part of) got to learn how to operate Deathslinger’s weapon. Meg was rambling about it for what felt like weeks. Saboteur asked, very politely to not get pierced with the harpoon, why he was not allowed to learn. Caleb only smirked at him and said that Jake was already annoying enough and to scram. Rude, but valid.

He remembers how mad Michael was at that remark when Jake told him about it. But in the end, he admitted (nodded, when asked) that Jake was a fucking menace and a pain in the ass during the trials. Again, valid. However, when asked if Raven Boy irritated him even outside the trials, he quickly ran away. Laurie didn’t want to believe Jake when he told her this, but he swears. Michael disappeared so quickly; it was insane.

To sum up, this pub didn’t look that friendly, but his stomach was empty, and he wasn't patient enough to go back and search for something else. Ignoring the roaring in the background, he sat at one of a few empty tables and almost instantly there were two big eyes watching him. He wasn’t even fully siting, and only breathed half of his relived sigh, when he had to interact with humans again.

“Welcome! What would you want tonight?” he wasn't startled. No at all. He was simply surprised at the sudden attention of a young waitress.

“Still... Still looking.” he coughed awkwardly, and she giggled.

“I recommend our spaghetti. The sauce it worth dying for!”

He knew it was just a way of speech, but the itch was there. The feeling crawling up his shoulder blades that he tried to push back with all his might, was slowly climbing higher and higher as she chirped.

“I wouldn't say I would die for something, really.” he blurted out, pointedly looking at the menu and not at probably disappointed face of a nice waitress. She was just working, and he was being a prick, nice.

And it wasn’t like he could just explain that he had death practically iron-branded into his brain. He felt like a loser, like he was in high school again, and wearing that atrocious suit he bought himself for a prom–

A giggle.

“I will tell the chef to not put on any sauce then.” she shrugged, writing something on her notepad.

“Sauce?” what was she… “Ah! The, the sauce. Yes, no. No! Without sauce, plain. Yes, plain.”

Pff, okay, Claudette.

“Something more for a brooding traveler?”

“Water.”

“Not beer? Most people here are wasted already. It's Friday, Mr...?” It looked like she waited for him to tell her his name. But the name never came.

“I'm by car.”

The waitress went back with a scowl on her face that Jake didn't care enough to notice. After that he had to go back to the stinking motel, sleep a dreamless night and drive another... who knows how long. Long enough he got tired again, and repeat the cycle until he reaches his target.

At this point he HAD to get to the one third mark. So, in four to five days, he will be at his destination, if he doesn’t get lost, that is. Besides, how hard could it be? He just has to find an Ocean and then just go up or down – depends on where he ends up. New Jersey couldn’t be THAT hard to find.

Using GPS was out of the question, because… Yeah, he woke up “twelve year later” like some character from a movie.

Things were so different now. New weird phones that look more like sheet of paper than a phone. Everything has a GPS in it, even your “RUMBA” or whatever the heck Dwight called this little plate moving on the floor and there is a literal shit-ton of fast-food restaurants everywhere. Jack tried to go in there. Earlier today he felt his stomach churn, so he decided, why not? But he felt so out of place, and after having a burger he felt sick. Eating there was out of the question. No, he won’t eat there, no way. He can’t even remember the last time he saw this many drive-thrus in one place before his little disappearance. It was so weird to have everything so car-attuned, couldn’t people walk anymore? For Entity’s cursed death, he won’t be coming back ever again.

Wait, what was he thinking before this grandpa talk? It was… weird robots… smartphones and tracking… ah, gps (that he won’t be using) and the long road with a real big possibility that he would get lost.

He remembered that when nearing the East Coast he will cross a mountain range – Appalachians. It was almost tempting to steer a little from his road to go there, but at the same time… mountain ranges were incredibly dangerous. He was used to danger, but not that kind of danger. A killer with a murderous weapon? Now, that he could fight back with all his might and the killer would be an actual real human beings? Nothing easier.

But the mountains? The caves? The never-ending curves and death traps, the cliffs just around any bush and animals that definitely weren’t just loud crows… Yeah, it was a death wish for another time, he did not want to be a missing person and die in a forest. Again.

So, no going South when he sees mountains in the distance, only East.

He looked to the side, looking the girl that was already walking towards him with his food. It was a nice sight, steaming plate of spaghetti and water being placed before him. His reflexes kicked in, as he caught a floating muffing midair and looked up at the waitress… and then he saw it.

“That one on the–”

“Who painted that?”

The waitress blinked a few times in confusion, as she looked in the same direction he was looking. And there it was, in all its graffiti like, curvy and whitened out glory.

The Legion mural.