𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐦 | ✓

"Where are you?" (Jake's POV)

Jake's POV (In the meantime, Gilbert's basement)

I barely opened my heavy eyelids, and the only thing I felt was my dry mouth and the light shining through the tiny window, which, despite letting in only a little light, still hurts my exhausted eyes.

I have no idea how much time has passed. A month, two, three, half a year... I stopped counting after a few weeks. It didn't make any sense anyway because it was just making me even more depressed...

Currently, I am sitting on the cold ground with my hands tied behind my back. I can't count how many times I've tried to untie them, but it's pointless. Besides, one of their people is constantly watching me. He looks to be around 40. Honestly? He looks like some fucking gorilla. Anyway, if I moved, he would beat me unconscious again, so I just gave up.

I'm locked up in some small, dark cellar, starving and interrogated every few days. They keep asking the same thing, trying to break me, and I... so far I haven't given up yet. Okay, maybe I'm slowly losing hope that I'll ever get out of here, but I'd rather take all the information to the grave than say even one word to them...

Guard: Good morning, sleepyhead - He snickered - Any nice dream?

As usual, I didn't answer him. Since I've been here, I haven't said a word to him, not even when he beat me or moved me to the interrogation room. Leaning my back against the wall, just as cold as the floor, I turned my gaze away from him.

Guard: Come on, kid - He chuckled again - It's been three months since we've been stuck here. A short conversation won't kill you, and we can kill some time and boredom.

His approach and behavior have even stopped irritating me. I don't feel anything anymore, not even anger caused by his idiocy. Honestly, I've stopped fighting them all. I've even stopped defending myself when they hit me in the face with an endless number of blows during interrogations. They can kill me and I still won't say a word, I don't give a shit.

Jake: So... - I turned my head slightly towards him, but only thanks to the wall behind me, which secures my exhausted and weak body from falling - Do you like it? Does it give you pleasure? - I sarcastically chuckled and started coughing again, which caused immense pain in my chest.

Guard: I have no other choice, kid - He shrugged while sitting on a chair and resting his elbows on his knees - Besides, it's your fault. If you didn't fight for justice so stubbornly, neither you nor I would be here.

Okay, that's enough. Since I've already talked to him, I'm not going to hold back anymore. He can even beat me to death, I don't care. Maybe it's even better? I'll finally have some peace. But I'm tired of this silence.

Jake: My fault? - I furrowed my brow and smiled sarcastically - Your fucking bosses were kidnapping and raping children, and then those same people went up on the podium and gave stirring political speeches that manipulated most of the country into voting for them! How could I just walk by that, huh? If I hadn't informed the FBI, your people would have killed that girl! She was fucking 10 years old, for God's sake!

The guard stood up abruptly from his chair and started approaching me. Of course, I knew he was going to beat me up again for those words, but I don't fucking regret anything.

When he stood right next to me, I closed my eyes and waited for the attack that would again cause me excruciating pain, but... I felt nothing. What the fuck is going on? Has my nervous system been so damaged by these tortures that I don't feel any pain anymore?

Suddenly, instead of pain... I felt a hand on my shoulder. I must have really lost my mind and be hallucinating, right? Uncertainly and slowly, I opened my eyes to make sure, and... yes, he had placed his hand on my shoulder and crouched down beside me.