Chapter Seventy-one
"You can do this, deep breath, just a quick trip."
Muttering to himself Jake stood at the bottom of a rusty ladder that lead up into the upper subway system. Despite years of dreaming about nothing more than being on the surface Jake now found that it was the last place he wanted to be. After losing the FBI Agents that had chased after him Jake had made his way up to the street level in hopes of seeing the sky only to have been painfully blinded by it. Slinking back into the darkness it had been hours before he'd been able to see again.
Going out at night hadn't been much better with the harsh glare of the headlights and certain store fronts that lit themselves up brighter than the day itself. Eventually one of the back packs Jake had stolen provided him with a pair of sunglasses. They weren't enough to keep him safe during the day but at least they let him roam the streets at night. Steeling up his courage Jake climbed the ladder and made his way through a maintenance area to the station platform. Jake's heart pounded at the handful of people who were waiting for the next train but none of them seemed to notice him. In fact as he moved towards the exit he noticed how people went out of their way to avoid looking at him, probably assuming he would ask them for money if they inadvertently made eye contact with him through the dark glasses.
Leaving the subway system Jake senses were instantly overwhelmed by the busy street. He gripped the strap of the backpack he was wearing as he swallowed hard to quell the eel in his stomach. As much as he enjoyed the fresh air and cool night breeze he couldn't keep from panicking from the sheer amount of people that crowded the city and worse yet the noise that they made. The noise of the city was nearly as hard to bear at the lights as the city honked, buzzed, rang, shouted, and clamored around him. Frozen at the top of the subway stairs Jake almost lost his courage to go out into the sea of humanity. However his stomach growled painfully to remind him to press on. He had spent the last few days living like a rat, dashing out from the nest he had built to steal before returning to the safety of his underground base but he had come to a point where he needed to venture out further.
Having no fear of jumping down onto the tracks and running off into the tunnels Jake had been fairly successful at snatching purses and packs from commuters. With a pocket full of cash Jake was on a mission to get a few provisions that he wasn't likely to come across in any of the pockets he picked. With no idea which part of the city he was in Jake just picked a random direction and headed down the street with his head bowed. Jake had no doubt that every cop in the city was probably under orders to keep their eye out for him, but in the city of millions he felt he wouldn't be easy to spot as long as he kept his distance.
Unable to handle the anxiety produced by the throng of people on the main street he'd been traveling on Jake decided to take a chance on turning down one of the less busy side streets. He was looking for a drug store or general market but so far all the ones he had come to were lit up so brightly he didn't dare go inside. Beyond the pain of the well lit stores he worried that walking into any of them in the state he was in would instantly cause anyone who worked there to call the authorities. Without access to running water or fresh clothes he was quickly becoming filthy and the sunglasses at night didn't help make him look trustworthy. To complicate matters the weeping brand over his heart that had turned septic had a powerful stench to it that was starting to cause people to look around in alarm if he stayed in one place too long. Focusing on getting this trip over with rather than where he was actually going Jake knocked into a large man who had been walking in the opposite direction.
"Watch it, Corey Hart." The man sneered before shoving Jake back.
The explosion of pain caused by the man's hand against his chest turned Jake's vision red and before he even registered what had happened Jake lashed out at the larger man. Despite his size and aggressive attitude Jake dropped him to the sidewalk with a single well placed punch to the face. Hearing a shout of alarm from someone behind him Jake jumped over the man who was writhing on the sidewalk clutching his bleeding face and ran. Uncertain of how far the good samaritans would chase him Jake just ran blindly. Getting short breath after a few blocks Jake ducked down a narrow alley back behind some restaurants.
Crouching down on the far side of a dumpster Jake did his best to keep from retching as the exertion crashed against his fear and strained his infection weakened body. Jake jolted and clamped his hands over his ears as a nearby ambulance turned on its siren and wailed past the alley in a cacophony of sound and flashing lights. Over stimulated Jake weld his eyes shut and shook as he pressed his back against the dumpster. The ambulance passed quickly and the alley fell relatively silent again but Jake was left shaking. Working to calm himself Jake tried looking up at the night sky but the lack of stars in the city just made the light polluted void look like a wall of looming stone.
"I would have helped you, if you hadn't left Peter to die. But you're alone now and you'll get no mercy from me now."
"Neal?"
Confused Jake opened his eyes and looked around the dirty abandoned ally. Finding himself alone Jake shook his head to try and clear it. Even realizing Neal had just been a figment of his imagination Jake knew he was right. He shouldn't have run, he had no where and no one to turn to, but it was too late now. Grinding his teeth together Jake decided that he wouldn't even be in this situation if it hadn't been for Neal and Peter. Before them he may have been a captive but at least he had power and they had taken that from him. With a new resolve to gain some sense of control back Jake got back to his feet and continued on his mission.
The end of the alley lead to a seedy run down part of the city that Jake felt more comfortable in. Most of the people wandering the streets here were just as dirty and aimless as he was. Coming to a small general store that had bars on the windows Jake stepped inside. Gathering an odd mix of items Jake brought them up to the front of the store and purchased them with the crinkled wad of money he had stuffed in his pocket. The clerk didn't ask any questions and just took the bills and started smoothing them out against the corner of the counter with a practiced hand.
Not wanting to wait for change Jake just scooped the goods into his back pack and left. Retracing his steps wasn't easy now that he had to avoid the block where he'd assaulted the man in fear that police might be on the scene now. Getting a little turned around Jake worried that he might not make it back to the off shoot of abandoned tunnels that he'd been calling home. Walking briskly Jake eventually started seeing some familiar sights and soon he was back on his new home turf. He had been careful not to steal too close to home so he felt relatively safe as he used one of his stolen Metrocards to gain access to the platform.
It was getting late and there wasn't anyone waiting on the platform making it easier to disappear into the rarely used maintenance room that offered him access to the back tunnels. It was a bit of hike through the graffiti laced tunnels and then down into areas that even the taggers didn't dare tread, but Jake was used to this kind of maze and he easily found his way back to the small abandoned boiler room that he'd set himself up in. Jake knew he couldn't stay in any one place too long but he was confident he'd find another shelter without any trouble. The under side of New York was so riddled with forgotten holes and empty spaces that Jake was surprised that the whole city didn't collapse into its rotting foundation.
Sitting down Jake took a few deep breaths before settling. Feeling infinitely more comfortable hidden back underground Jake rummaged through the goods he had purchased. Cracking open a bottle of vanilla Ensure he quickly drank it down. Unlike Neal and Peter who had developed an aversion to the thick drink it gave Jake a sense of normalcy. Pulling out the bottle of bottom shelf vodka he'd purchased also went a long way towards calming his nerves.
Taking a heavy pull on the vodka Jake put it down so he could take off his grimy black shirt. The cotton was stuck to the gory brand causing him to growl in pain as he pulled it free. Still not able to bring himself to look at the damning mark Jake picked the vodka back up and poured it over the infected burn. The acid sting of the vodka was enough to bring him to tears as he panted against the pain. He thought that he was treating his infection with the harsh alcohol unaware that he was actually just doing more harm by killing the healthy cells with the caustic liquid. Draining another quarter of the bottle Jake closed his eyes and purred in contentment that had been brought on by the drunk stupor that washed over him.
A quiet stifled weeping interrupted Jake's peaceful moment. Opening his eyes Jake looked over at the man in the near by corner who had been trying desperately to keep quiet but had become too emotional to fight his tears any longer. The well dressed young businessman had his bright red tie wedged between his teeth in a makeshift gag and his wrists bound behind him to a utility pipe that was set against the wall. Although Jake hadn't gotten any useful conversation out of him according to his wallet his name was Ethan.
With his eyes tightly shut Ethan pulled his knees towards his chest as he shivered uncontrollably. Studying his captive Jake smiled as he took another shot from the bottle. Getting to his feet Jake approached him with a bit of a stagger. Hearing his captor approach Ethan yelped and curled up tighter as he tried to stop his tears, having learned from experience how much the sound annoyed Jake. Ignoring the mewling Jake grabbed the man's knees and forced his legs down so that he could sit on his hips. Sucking for breath Ethan yanked useless at the strong plastic ties keeping his wrists trapped. Ethan froze when Jake carded his hand into his dark hair and leaned in close.
"Open your eyes." Jake demanded quietly.
Reaching his breaking point Ethan screamed senselessly through the gag. Knowing that no one was going to hear his muffled cries Jake allowed him the cathartic expression. Realizing help wasn't coming Ethan broke down into tears again. He still had his eyes closed more out of trying to shut out what was happening rather than being belligerent to Jake's request. Growing impatient with Ethan's cowardice Jake increased his grip on his hair to make sure he had his attention.
"Look at me!"
Biting down on his gag as he whimpered in terror Ethan finally forced his eyes open revealing their striking blue color.
