"C'mon professor, we gotta go," Jake said to the man in the blaringly white lab coat.
Despite having barely met Adam Francis, he couldn't just walk away and leave him to die even if it did mean risking own neck. But as he hobbled along with Adam's arm around his shoulders, he remembered that it wasn't just himself he putting at risk. A voice he knew all too well cried out in a long wail of agony that reached every corner of the junkyard.
Why couldn't he just stay put?
Sid could be a little abrasive when it came to protecting outsiders, but wouldn't hesitate diving into shark-infested waters to save Jake or Feng from drowning. Like he'd said numerous times they were the closest things to a family he'd ever had. Jake cursed himself for believing that Sid would actually let him go into hell without backup.
As if to make matters worse, the very earth began to rip apart, revealing deep, oozing veins of lava. Jake knew he was running out of time. But he couldn't leave Sid behind, and while Adam was doing his best to tough it out, the wide gash across his back clearly hurt something fierce. His groans and muffled cries would soon betray them.
Jake was almost to the exit gate when he spotted Sid hanging from a meat hook. His head was down, and he wasn't moving. Before Jake even could even consider going to check if he was alright, the telltale hum of a lullaby caught his attention. He turned in time to see a hatchet flying straight at his face.
"Look out!" Adam yelled as he pulled Jake down out of the way.