Submerge

F R I E N D

"Hmmm he seems like he cares about you"

Mason nodded, his expression conflicted. "He's been there for me through all of this. But tonight, I just... I didn't want him to see me like this."

Jacob leaned back, his gaze thoughtful. "Sometimes we push away the people who care about us the most because we're afraid they'll see our vulnerabilities. But that doesn't mean they'll stop caring."

Mason didn't respond, lost in his own thoughts. Jacob decided to change the subject, at least for the moment. "So, why don't you try and go to sleep?"

Mason nodded, he settled under a blanket, his eyes heavy with fatigue, he turned to Jacob. "Thanks... for not leaving me at that party."

Jacob gave him a small, understanding smile. "Of course, we are friends after all."

With those words, Mason closed his eyes.

Jacob sat in the dimly lit room, watching over his newfound friend.

**

Jacob sat in the dimly lit living room, his thoughts a swirling tempest of uncertainty. 

As the minutes turned into hours, Jacob's unease grew. What had he gotten himself into? Mason was underage, a boy he had plucked from a chaotic party and brought into his home. It was a reckless act, one that Jacob couldn't quite justify to himself.

Just as he was contemplating what to do next, he heard a faint sound, like a whisper carried on the breeze. He strained his ears, trying to make out the words. Then, there it was again, more distinct this time – a name.

"Emma..."

Jacob rose from his seat and followed the sound of Mason's voice. He moved through the silent house, the only illumination coming from the soft moonlight that filtered through the windows.

The voice led him to his bedroom where he had left Mason to rest. The door was slightly ajar, and Jacob pushed it open gently. What he saw inside made his blood run cold.

Mason lay on the bed, his eyes wide open and fixed on something only he could see. His lips moved, forming words that Jacob couldn't hear. It was as though Mason was trapped in some tormenting vision, calling out to someone or something that existed beyond the realm of the living.

"Mason," he said softly.

Mason's gaze shifted, focusing on Jacob as if seeing him for the first time. There was an edge of desperation in his eyes, a silent plea for understanding and help.

"She's here, Jacob," Mason whispered, his voice quivering. "Emma's here with me, but I can't reach her. I need your help."

Jacob's mind raced, his thoughts a chaotic jumble. He had no way of knowing whether Mason's claims were delusions brought on by intoxication or something more profound.

"Okay, Mason," Jacob said, his voice steady. "I'll help you. What do you need?"

Mason's eyes filled with tears, and he reached out, his hand trembling. "Please, Jacob, anything. I need to see her, to talk to her one last time."

Jacob nodded, He moved to a nearby drawer and opened it, revealing a syringe and a vial of clear liquid. It was a substance he had tried to leave behind, a temporary escape.

With practiced ease, Jacob prepared the syringe, his hands steady despite the turmoil in his mind. He knew the risks, the dangers of what he was about to do, but he couldn't deny Mason's desperate plea.

Jacob carefully prepared the syringe, his hands steady despite the turmoil in his mind. As he approached the bed with the syringe in hand, Mason's eyes were filled with a mixture of hope and fear. "Relax I would never hurt you"

The room was charged with tension as Jacob injected the drug, and Mason's eyes slid shut as the heroin coursed through his veins.

For a few moments, there was silence, broken only by the soft sounds of their breathing. Mason's tense body began to relax, the lines of worry on his face easing. He sighed deeply, a sense of temporary relief washing over him.

Jacob watched Mason closely, He knew what he had done was far from a solution, but it had offered Mason a respite from his torment, even if only briefly.

As the minutes passed, Mason's breathing grew shallow, and his eyelids fluttered. He had succumbed to the heroin's embrace, slipping into a sedated state that provided him with a brief reprieve from his haunted reality.

Mason felt a momentary lull in the storm. The torment that had gripped him began to ebb, replaced by a strange sense of calm.

As he sank into a drug-induced stupor, the lines between reality and hallucination continued to blur, and the true nature of his salvation remained shrouded in uncertainty.

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