Duskwood Legends [English Version]

Caught in a spider web.

"Jake, we should go and take a look..." I move restlessly around the room, seized by a sudden courage. "An old farmhouse is exactly the ideal place to hide a kidnapped person. As soon as Michael leaves, we could break in." I ponder aloud as I pace back and forth. "There's not a minute to lose..." I affirm, turning an anxious look to him.

I'd like to go there at this moment.

I stop by the power socket, where the charger is plugged in, and I unplug the phone. I don't even check the battery percentage, I quickly put it back in my pocket before turning my full attention back to Jake.

"Calm down, we need to be sure first." He brings himself close to me, to my side, resting a hand on my shoulder. "We must be careful." He lowers his gaze, gritting his teeth. "I'd like to take action right away too, but let's assume that's not Hannah's hiding place: By going there, we'd only risk losing our advantage in case Michael discovers us. He'd realize that somehow we've been tracking his movements and he'd take action."

He takes a short pause to breathe in and out slowly, closing his eyes. I can clearly sense what he's feeling and how difficult it is for him to remain still, without intervening.

I embrace him without saying a word, simply to make him feel my closeness through the contact. We stay for a good two minutes in each other's arms, in silence. I listen to his heart slowly stabilize, resuming a regular beat.

"Let's keep watching his next moves and gather as much information as we can, for one more day." He releases himself from the embrace to sit on the bed, keeping his feet on the floor. He rests his elbows on his knees and hides the face in his hands.

"In case we find out that he goes to that house frequently, there will be no doubt." I affirm, crossing my arms over my chest. "And we'll intervene when Michael is absent."

He nods at my words, moving his hands away from his face to pull back his hair, puffing. All his frustration and the despondency caused by having no choice but to wait, shines through his face.

"I'd like to break into a moment where Hanson is present..." He whispers in a low voice, clenching his fists placed on his thighs.

"But that's not wise." I point out sitting cross-legged next to him on the bed mattress. I clench one of his fists in my hands, over my lap.

And it's too dangerous.

Jake is too important to me. He's becoming more and more the centre of my world. I don't want to see him in another direct confrontation with the man without a face. I don't want to take any risks of losing him.

I refuse to even imagine what my life would be like without him by my side.

I want him to be with me.
Until I'm old.

"Yeah. Right now saving Hannah takes priority over everything. An attack on Michael would risk compromising the whole operation, irreparably." He loosens his grip on his fist slowly to intertwine our fingers, taking me by the hand.

"When we save her we'll be free, finally, to give him what he deserves." I rest my head on his shoulder, just as I hear him mutter: "Yes..." in a faint and subdued tone.

I hear him sigh just before shaking his head and changing the subject: "I think you should warn your friends, I saw they wrote in the group chat." He informs me returning to using a normal tone of voice. As soon as I pull my phone out of my trouser pocket, he adds: "They learned this morning that the Aurora was found destroyed."

"Rumors in Duskwood run too fast..." I mutter, rolling my eyes upwards. Jake, with a nervous chuckle, gets out of bed to reach his computer.

"Well, in a town like Duskwood, seeing police cars in front of a wrecked bar causes quite a stir..." He spreads his arms, printing a tense and exasperated smile on his face. "In the meantime, I'll check two things on the PC." He sits back down at his station while I lie comfortably on the bed.