MC sits on the guest bed in her friend Stacy’s apartment, staring at her phone. Another day with no sign of life from Jake. She sends yet another text telling him how much she misses him and that she hopes he’s okay. There is a knock at the door, and Stacy walks in.

“Hey, MC, I’m getting ready to go to bed and wanted to see if you needed anything before I do.” She asks.

“No, you’ve already done so much. Thank you for letting me crash here.” MC fakes a smile, hoping to hold back her tears just a little longer.

“That’s what friends are for. You didn’t say why you suddenly decided to visit Colville, though.”

“Oh, I was just hoping to meet up with a friend.” Even though it’s not a complete lie, she feels bad for keeping her real reason for being here to herself.

Stacy nods and walks away, leaving MC alone with her thoughts again. She looks down at her phone and sighs. “I guess it will be another restless night.” She says to herself before crawling into bed and crying herself to sleep.

It’s been two days since Hannah was rescued, and the mine exploded. The FBI has finally vacated the area, allowing Jake to escape from his hiding place. Luckily, he was in a different area of the mine when the explosion took place. He was unharmed by the blast; his phone, however, was a different story. He steps out of the mine and scans the area, making sure nobody is around before sprinting off to find his car hidden in the forest. After about a 15-minute hike through the forest, he reaches the trail his car is parked on. He gets in and tosses his busted phone into the passenger seat. He just has to focus on getting back to the motel and to his laptop so he can let MC know he’s alive. Jake drives back to his motel in Colville, and when he enters his room, he immediately sits down at his laptop to message her.

Hello MC :)

I made it out of the mine and have just arrived back at the motel.

He gets up from the table and makes his way into the bathroom for a much-needed shower. He stands in the shower for way too long without moving, just letting the hot water run over him. He thinks about the events of the last few days, but most importantly, he thinks about her. He thinks about the confession he still can’t believe that he made and the fact that she actually said it back. He thinks about their promise to see each other in Duskwood and about what she’s mentioned she wanted that first meeting to be like. He would give anything to make that a reality at this very moment. The water starts to run cold, instantly bringing him out of his thoughts. He finishes his shower and steps back into the room to check his laptop. To his surprise, he has no new messages. Why hasn’t she responded to him? He thought for sure she would have responded right away. He looks at the time and notices it is just after midnight. Maybe she is asleep he thinks to himself. He puts on a fresh T-shirt and sweat pants, but before getting into bed, he returns to his laptop and does something he swore he never would.

He quickly logs into MC’s phone and accesses her location. He rubs his hands over his face and looks at the screen again. Is his mind playing tricks on him, or is she really just a few blocks away? His mind instantly thinks of the worst. Was she lying to him when she said she was nowhere near Duskwood? Did his pursuers bring her here to try to lure him out of hiding? Or did she simply come here on her own to be with her friends and maybe him? He stares at the red dot on the map for a few more moments before deciding he has to see for himself. He rushes out of the motel to his car and quickly makes his way to MC’s location. He parks his car across the street from the apartment building and checks the location again to make sure it is correct. He makes his way across the street, climbs up the fire escape on the side of the building, and stops when he realizes the red dot showing her phone is right in front of him. He peers through the window and sees her lying in bed asleep. He lets out a sigh, knowing she is alright, and he starts to climb back down when suddenly she starts tossing and turning in her sleep and seemingly panicking in her sleep.

MC stumbles her way down a long, dark tunnel in the iron splinter mine. She holds onto the wall for support as it is so dark she can barely see in front of her. Suddenly, she turns a corner and sees Richy standing right in front of her. The smell of gasoline burns her nose as he picks up the lighter and turns to her. He holds the lighter up in front of him and asks “If I said I was sorry, would you believe me?” “I don’t know.” She whispers back to him. “Please don’t do this” she begs as he flicks the lighter on. Before she can even react, Richy throws the lighter down, igniting the fuel and causing the whole place to erupt into flames. “No!” She screams and reaches out for him as he collapses on the ground. As the fire burns, a hooded figure emerges from the shadows. “Jake!” She cries out for him and tries to run to him, but as she does, there is a huge explosion knocking her back.

Jake manages to get the window open and step through. As he does, he hears her sobbing in her sleep when suddenly she jolts awake. He stands there staring at her for a few minutes, unsure of what to do when she notices him in the room with her.

“Jake… Is that you?” She asks quietly afraid she is still dreaming.

“Yes, it is me, MC.” He says with his voice barely above a whisper. This causes her to burst into tears. Before he realizes what he is doing, he steps closer to her and sits down on the bed beside her, pulling her to him. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He asks.

“I was having a nightmare. I was in the mine, and Richy set the fire even though I tried to stop him. You were there, and when I tried to get to you, the whole place exploded.” She buries her head into his chest and quietly sobs.

“Shhh, it’s ok. I’m here; I made it out of the mine. I’m here, and I am not leaving you.” He says while running his fingers through her hair.

“Jake,” she looks up at him, and for the first time, she is able to look at his face. She can’t help but notice how handsome he is with his shaggy black hair, pale skin, and piercing blue eyes. “How are you here?”

“I was worried because you didn’t respond to my message, so I decided to access your location. Then, when I saw how close you were, I had to make sure you were safe. I am sorry I violated your privacy.” He says with a look of shame.

“No, I’m glad you’re here. Maybe now I can stop having nightmares about you dying.”

“I am not going to let that happen. I will not allow myself to be separated from you again.” He leans forward and kisses her forehead.

“You promise?” She asks.

“Yes, I promise, MC.”

“Good,” she moves over, making room for him to lay beside her, “let’s get some sleep, and we can discuss everything else tomorrow.” She says.

He pulls back the blankets , slips onto the bed beside her, and pulls her close to him. He leans in close to her and softly whispers “I love you, MC.” And for the first time since this, all began they were both able to have a peaceful night’s sleep.