5

His eyes sought something I couldn't even comprehend; he wanted answers I couldn't give him because, at that moment, I didn't even know them myself.

"Why not?"

"I couldn't."

"It's none of my business what you do or don't do with your life, Jack."

"But you seem very angry, Lucy," he said, crestfallen, indicating that he hadn't achieved his goal due to my emotional state.

"I always am," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"If you're jealous, you can tell me.”

"Good night!" I murmured amidst laughter.

That last thing I had said seemed so silly at the time, but if I thought about it more deeply and tied up all the loose ends, maybe it was a bit true, but I didn't even understand it.

I couldn't decipher my emotions because my mind was a sea of tangles I preferred not to give much importance to since they weren't useful to me at any moment.

That night I dreamt the same thing over and over again. His hands roamed my body despite my pleas; his lips invaded mine even when I pushed him far away from me.

I always woke up the same way, gasping, screaming, with thousands of tears mercilessly streaming down my face.

I was sure I couldn't go on like this for much longer. I couldn't bear it anymore. So I sat in the middle of the bed, crying with nothing more I could do to remedy my situation. However, Jack's body peeked through the door with his sleepy expression.

"Could you stop screaming?" he asked before letting out a slight yawn.

"I haven't screamed," I lied, wiping away my tears with the back of my hands.

"You've been screaming all night; you've woken me up more than once," he said, a bit concerned, sitting on the edge of the bed despite my murderous look. "Are your nightmares really that bad?"

"A bit."

"Okay, I'll stay with you so you're not so scared," he suggested, lying down immediately beside me, in the bed where I preferred to sleep the most.

"No!"

"Why not?" he purred, closing his eyes. "Don't argue; go to sleep and try to quiet your screams this time."

"Fine," I huffed indignantly.

I covered myself completely with the blanket and lay on the opposite side, turning my back to him. However, from there, I could hear his soothing breath.

That night, despite my terror, I could sleep peacefully because Jack's intoxicating body was so close to mine.

I was scared, too scared to control my tremors, but for some reason, one of his arms in his sleep surrounded me. Despite staying still for what felt like an eternity, I could sleep without any problems.

Perhaps because I managed to perceive the difference between his body and the one I remembered with so much repulsion.

**

At the crack of dawn, I was completely ready to head to the mountain Nopun or something like that.

I didn't remember very well; after all, the town had the strangest name in the world — Ellijay, that's what the horrendous place where I was born was called.

Like the cities of that small country, located high up in the United States in a small space near Atlanta.

The town was so tiny that you could traverse it from end to end in less than a day. Nevertheless, and with a grimace on my part, we walked to the outskirts of Ellijay, each of us with a backpack full of things hanging from our backs.

We wandered through the desolate streets, barely a few elderly ladies walking their dogs managed to give us a friendly greeting. We climbed up a dirt path that opened up between the trees and the underbrush of the dreaded mountain.

I took a deep breath while silently praying that no poisonous critters would appear, and I would have the misfortune of being bitten by one.

I walked hastily, keeping up with Jack, who was humming a little too happily for my taste, a melody I didn't recognize. He whistled between lullabies and sometimes moved to the rhythm of his own song, managing to get a smile or two out of me with his silliness.

We stopped right at the moment when that path began to split into two extensive sections, giving me goosebumps at the idea of separating or even getting lost and dying in that terrifying forest.

"According to what I read on the internet and what this map says, to reach the summit, we have to take the left," he whispered, heading in that direction.

"Didn't your mom tell you that everything on the internet is fake?" I whispered nervously, tugging at his arm to go right. After all, I was relying on my survival instincts.

"Trust me, okay?"

"If I die, it's your fault, Jack."

"Relax, no one dies when they're with me," he reminded me with a sly smile, as if he were an expert doctor in saving lives, so mine was probably in good hands.

He pulled me effortlessly through the narrow passages, gently holding my hand. That contact, made so naturally, was beginning to terrify me, and unfortunately, I found myself enjoying it—a whirlwind of sensations from his tiny touch.

We navigated through thick bushes and the dense branches of trees that seemed to grow larger with every step we took.

After what felt like an eternity, we sat on a giant rock to have what I could tell was lunch Jack had prepared for us. In silence, we ate those delicious sandwiches with a bit of orange juice, feeling my energy returning immediately.

I took a deep breath, trying to control my dreadful thoughts. That place was undeniably eerie. Hardly anyone from Ellijay ventured up to Nopun; it was practically forbidden since many people disappeared without a trace. I definitely didn't want to be one of them, but that brainless idiot did.

Just as the sun began to set behind the mountains in the distance, we reached the summit.

My heart raced due to the lack of oxygen, and it spun even more out of control when Jack, happier than ever, let out a victorious shout that echoed through the sky.

I couldn't help but smile; his craziness was starting to grow on me more than I could imagine. His personality and his brilliantly quirky attitude weren't so bad after all.

"Scream," he requested with laughter, intertwining our fingers despite the long journey that hadn't managed to separate our hands. "Scream as much as you want so I can get some sleep tonight!"

"Shut up!" I grumbled amidst laughter.

"Come on, Lucy!”

I took a deep breath; cold sweat ran down my back, and then that pain I had been carrying inside for so long erupted into a scream, which the guy beside me echoed, along with the surroundings.

I don't remember how long we screamed into the void, but it was the best experience in the world—having him by my side, feeling his warmth and enthusiasm, along with the sunset, an image that would be forever etched in my mind.

Jack took off the colorful scarf tied around his wrist and knotted it to the nearest tree branch, indicating that we had been there, ahead of many from the town of Ellijay.

"We should head back home," I commented with a tender smile.

"It's too late; let's find a place to set up the tent and sleep," Jack whispered, cool as a cucumber with his wild idea.

"Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed, losing all color in my face. "Didn't you read on the internet that people die here?"

"They disappear," he corrected, rolling his eyes at my resistance. "And yes, I read it, but those are lies."

"And what do you know?"

"Enough. Trust me, Lucy."

"I promised you wouldn't die with me today, and you won't. Now relax, Lucy."

He began to walk, leaving me furious at the summit. I didn't want to set foot in the thick darkness that had taken over the mountain, but I had to when Jack disappeared completely from my sight.

I traversed fearfully since I couldn't see anything but darkness; he had the flashlight, and without a care in the world, he left me behind. I hyperventilated, surrounded by voices and laughter that definitely weren't Jack's.

I was alarmed, unsure of what to do to escape this torment.

I shouted his name, tearing my throat in search of help, while running desperately for an exit. Until I tripped over what seemed to be a thick branch on the ground, forcing me to fall face-first into the gloom.

"Jack!" I screamed, but there was no response.