The walk was long, and somewhat awkward in a way. But Tim seemed to have cooled down at least a little bit then when fought, so I had to keep that in mind. It took a while to find the right trail before it became familiar, and thankfully it took a shorter amount of time for us to find our way and get to Jay's car. Looking at my watch I saw it was nearly noon. I guess we were only in there a few hours after waking up.
"...Thanks for getting me out of there and I appreciate the help...", Tim said as Jay sat into the car, charging the camera since they went in the middle of the woods. I was outside next to the open door as Tim talked.
"...I really do. But I'm good to walk from here". Tim then began to walk away and I looked up sharply at him.
"Your gonna walk from here?", me and Jay asked in unison. Any other time and it would have been slightly funny. Now however...
"Yeah", Tim shrugged.
"But, that's like miles", I pointed out. Dear God, Jay's nature was rubbing off on Tim!
"Would'nt be the first time", Tim simply said. I was'nt too sure though if it was just that or if there was meant to be at least a little humour in what he said.
"What, so your just gonna walk away like nothing happened?", Jay asked as he got out of the car. "Like you don't need any help?"
"I got other problems I got to deal with right now okay?", Tim said as we walked back to us. "First of all, I gotta go to my doctor's office and explain to him why I called him up last night like it was some kind of big emergency and then just did'nt show up". Tim actually had a good point. I wonder what he would say?
"If you'll at least let me deal with that, then we can at least figure out where we're going from here. But untill then just...". Tim just sighed and said, "go back to wherever it is your both hold up and just try not to say anything about this to anybody, alright?"
"Okay", I murmured as Tim walked away again.
"How long do you think it'll be?", Jay asked. I could hear some annoyance in his tone and I could'nt really blame him.
"I got your number", was all Tim said.
"Tch. That's what Alex said", I muttered loudly, though I could'nt say for certain if Tim heard it. He did'nt seem to since he just kept walking. Strangely enough however he made it look good.
"So... back to the hotel I guess", Jay mumbled as we got back into the car.
"Yeah. I guess all we can do is wait for Tim to call", I said as Jay started the car. "So, if Tim's okay. What's our next course of action? Find Alex and snap him the fuck out of it?" Jay did'nt say anything at first as he pulled the car out of the parking space but eventually he said,
"No, not yet. I feel we should look for Jessica first, maybe Amy too. After that we might go after Alex, or see if we can find the other crew members of the movie".
"Not a bad plan, I guess", I mumbled as I looked out the side window.
"... Your worried about the video that said Alex's last birthday was his last, are'nt you?"
"I just... He's still my brother. Maybe the stupid part of me still thinks there's hope for him".
"Well... is'nt it a good thing to do though? Hope?" I chuckled darkly.
"I've been hoping and hoping for the last three years. It's times like this, you realise when God does'nt answer your prayers, it's his way of saying, 'don't be a lazy ass. Do it yourself'".
It was near the end of September before Tim called. We meeting him at night near the antique store we saw him at a couple months ago. At night. Funny how I somehow forgot my fear of darknesss for so long. I guess since Jay's always been there with me it makes it more bareable. We brought the medical records belonging to Tim with us to give back. Jay said it would be a sign of goodwill. I say it's more like a bribary of goodwill.
"Well, there he is", I murmured when we saw Tim near some trucks and standing under a street light. Dramatic much?
"Ready?", Jay asked.
"Yeah, but one thing first. Will it be okay if I get a chance to talk to Tim alone? I don't know for certain if I'll do it or not, just want to give you a heads up just incase".
"Sure, sure", Jay said as we stepped out of the car into the nighttime air and walked over to Tim.
"So we really could'nt have met during the day?", Jay asked Tim once he noticed us. "We gotta be under a streetlight, make it all dramatic?"
"Sorry I just got off work. I've been working all day", was Tim's explanation.
"What took you so long?", Jay asked before I questioned,
"Di you at least go see your doctor?"
"Well inbetween constant doctor's visits and trying to keep my job, I've been trying to figure out what kind of steps we need to take next", Tim answered and I resisted the urge to snort as Jay repeated,
"'Steps we need to take'?"
"Yeah".
"What would those be?", Jay asked Tim.
"We can start by giving my medical records back". Huh. I guess Jay had a great amount of dumb luck in deciding to take the file with us.
"Yeah, we were gonna do that. That's why we have 'em", Jay mumbled as he handed them to Tim who grabbed the from his hand and began looking through it.
"Yeah, I'm really glad you decided to listen to me whenever I told you to leave me out of this". This seemed more directed to Jay, not that I was complaining.
"Neither of us knew they were gonna be down there in the tunnel", Jay explained. "Someone obviously took them from me and left them for us to find...".
'Yeah, but that leads to the question of who exactly the liar is', I thought to myself but I paused for a moment. Did... did Jay say me? Almost... like he... I mentally shuck my head. No. That could'nt be it. Jay must have just said it by accident.
"...At least I'm giving them back to you".
"You kept them to yourself", Tim questioned, the look on his face said it clear. 'Are you serious?'
"Sorry", me and Jay mumbled before the conversation went on untill we began discussing what our plan was exactly.
"...Otherwise we're just gonna keep running in circles like you two have been doing for months", Tim said, who was smoking by this stage, before Jay interrupted while I pursed my lips.
"We have'nt been running in circles".
"Well you don't seem like you have much of a plan", Tim pointed out.
"We have a plan", Jay said defensively.
"And what is that?"
"Well at first it was to find you and now that we've done that we need to find out what happened to Jessica".
"Do you have any idea how long it's been since you've seen Jessica?" I temporally block out the conversation since the guilt of Jessica's dissapearance was still heavy in my mind. I knew was going to say she was possibly dead and I hoped that was'nt the case. If I did kill Michael, one death on my conscious is bad enough. Two? Don't want to think about it.
"...There is someone out there who is an imeadiate threat to all three of us", Tim cut in when Jay began to go into a small rant.
"We're probably being watched right now when you think about it", I muttered bitterly as I glanced around and stuffed my hands into my hoodie's pockets.
"Probably, they know where I live", Tim said as Jay began walking around with the camera. "We need to deal with this right now. If we can do that, then sure I'll you guys find Jessica. Whatever it is I gotta do. Deal?"
"Yeah. If it'll get you to help us, fine", Jay mumbled in agreement.
"I don't really have much of a choice, do I?", Tim said.
"Guess not", I murmured. I don't think there really was a choice.
"What's your plan, what do you wanna do?", Jay questioned Tim.
"Well right now the only lead we have is Rosswood so we're gonna have to go back there sometime soon".
"No".
"Fuck no!"
"In the daytime, this time!", Tim said in a persuasive tone, trying to convince us. Like I said before. Fuck no.
"I've BEEN there in the daytime! Nothing good ever happens when we're there", Jay argued back angrilly.
"Is that Rosswood, or is that YOU?" Tim narrowed his eyes at Jay. I can't help but feel like he's either putting the blame solely on Jay or is just ignoring me. Jay shuck his head and said,
"Eiher way. You shouldn't go at all, and you definitely shouldn't go by yourself".
"Well, yeah, I kind of figured that out. I've seen what happens whenever you try to go by yourself. That's why I'm trying to get you to go with me!"
There was an uneasy pause from Jay. He looked thoughtful and then reluctant.
"All right. Been there plenty of times already; what's one more?"
"If you've got any better ideas… This doesn't just affect you any more! It concerns all of us. We've got to figure out what to do otherwise, one of us could end up dead".
"OK", Jay mumbled, finally giving in. "When d'you want to go?"
"I have to see what my work schedule's like, but hopefully, sometime this week. I can…give you a call whenever I know for sure, I guess". There was another pause that felt uneasy this time. Jay moved the camera around some more, scaning the area incase someone was watching.
"Listen", Jay began in a lower tone. "I don't know about you, but I really don't want to be out here in the open, so if there's nothing else you want to talk about, we should probably go.
"Unless Rebecca wants to talk, I guess not. I'm … Thanks for giving these back, I guess...". Tim held up his medical papers. "… For all the good that does".
Jay glanced at me and I gave a brief nod. I was confident I was going to be okay. It was just Tim, and Jay would be nearby in the car.
"OK, yeah, I'll see you there", Jay mumbled before he went off to the car. I however stayed where I was. It was just me and Tim now, and the silence. The awkward kind.
"...Good to see your... doing okay", Tim broke the silence. I did'nt say anything at first but replied with,
"I think I should be saying that to you. If anything, I look like shit".
"No... you look good", Tim said, in a honest tone. "You just look like you have'nt slept well in a while".
"It's been like that for nearly years". I paused for a moment and thought over what I wanted to say. I had it on my chest for a while now, and I wanted it off now.
"Tim... I'm sorry that I lied to you. But...", I cut him off before he could try to say something. "What you did was just plain cruel. At least me and Jay were actually planning to tell the truth to you".
"Cruel?", Tim repeated, his eyes narrowed at me and I just copied the facial expression.
"Let's see", I said sarcastically before I put on a deep voice and said, "'I love you, Rebecca and I... Wait, what's that? You don't want to leave Jay alone? Fuck this then bitch, it's over'". Tim cringed a little. I cared for him a lot, don't get me wrong, but deep, deep down there was some bitterness at how he had ended it between us. I had a right to be damn it! Who says 'I love you' before ending a relationship? Why I did'nt say this earlier? To be honest, I think I was still in the first two stages of grief.
"Well... I did'nt call you a bitch", Tim grumbled.
"You probably wanted to", I muttered.
"No!", Tim said sharply. "I did'nt! I would'nt even... Look, you have a point. I was a bastard back at the park. I was still angry with Jay and...", Tim sighed and threw the used ciggarette bud on the ground before stepping on it. "...I should'nt have taken any of it out on you".
"Just... don't yell at me again unless it's to tell me to run", I said as my lips twitched. I noticed Tim glance at my hands and then tucked the files under his arm before he grabbed one hand.
"What are you...?"
"You freezing. We're you in a freezer all day?" Tim began rubbing one hand and I could'nt deny that his felt fire hot compared to my hand.
"All my warmer clothes needed to be washed", was all I said. To save money, me and Jay washed our own clothes in the hotel bathtub. You might question how exactly that's saving money, but I won't bore you with the details. Although I will say that there was one incident were Jay accidently got a red shirt of mine in the tub which turned all of his white boxers pink. How my shirt got in his pile I'll never know.
As Tim began rubbing my other hand, I noticed how small my hands were compared to his. I did'nt know how exactly to feel about this but Tim's voice broke my thoughts.
"Your not okay with this?"
"Oh, no I was just... just thinking", I murmured. There was another moment of silence before Tim dropped the file on the ground and pulled me into a hug.
"I know your probably still mad at me, but... I never did stop caring for you", Tim murmured as he rested his head on my shoulder.
"... Same here", I murmured as I hugged him back.
"... Has Jay been... okay lately?" I was surprised by Tim's question and looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, did'nt you notice how Jay said the files were stolen from him, and not me?" I bit my lip. I guess since Tim heard it I could'nt say it was in my head.
"Well, yeah. But it could have been an accident".
"Maybe, but how long did you two have those files before Jay said it was time to show them to the world?"
"...About two weeks", I mumbled. I was'nt stupid. I knew what Tim was trying to suggest but I could'nt just believe it.
"Did he keep putting it off?"
"He said that he...". I paused. "... He said he wanted to double check".
"Has anything else gone missing?", Tim asked as his eyes glanced to the car Jay was in.
"...Yes", I murmured as I looked down at my feet. I did'nt want to admit it since I thought I left the flashdrive in the hotel, but then I would remember I shoved it in my pocket incase someone broke in. "I... had this flashdrive. Someone sent it too me back in July. It had... stuff on it. That I don't want getting out. It was in my pocket when me and Jay went to look for you and when we left the woods the next day, I noticed it was gone". My hands were shaking now but Tim just held them and asked in a gentle voice,
"Can you... say what was on it?" I nodded at first. I was only fair in my opinion.
"It was from twelve years ago, the week I went missing. Michael was holding a camera as we were in some woods and then... then 'He' showed up, and it changes to the basement in that fucking cabin, and a message pops up saying one gets out on good behaviour". I stoped for a minute and took a deep breath before I countinued. "By the looks of it, it was days when... when it hap-happened. I looked like it was in a trance, Michael was'nt looking and I got a knife and then 'He' showed up again and I ran at Micahel... and I ran at Michael... And I...", I was starting to hiccup but I wanted to finish to get this off my chest.
"Rebecca, you don't have to-"
"I don't know what happens after that, it just skips to me rocking back and forth and screaming while Michael is... is...", I was starting to crack now as tears were seeping out. "I... I don't even know for deffinate if I killed him or not! That's what makes it worse!".
"Rebecca..." Tim put a hand on my cheek and made me look at him and stroked some of my tears away with his thumb. "It was'nt your fault. You know you would'nt do that out of free will".
"I know, but I'm just... I tired of seeing Michael and seeing him blame me for his death", I cried. Tim brought me into another hug and rocked me a little.
"Rebecca... I can't guarentee that the others will be okay, especially Alex. But your going to be fine. Trust me", he murmured, stroking my hair a little. Surprisingly he was able to calm me down.
"Thanks for cheering me up", I murmured, wiping a few stray tears away.
"It's nothing, but first... There's something we have to make up for", Tim said as a small, sly grin came to his face.
"And what's-", but Tim pressed his lips onto mine hungrilly which was enough for me to stop yapping and start kissing. I gripped his shoulders as we kissed to make up for nearly three months of nothing. God I forgot how great of a kisser he was as he started nibbling on my lip gently. This was deffinetly worthwhile.
We were panting lightly when we broke away and looked directly into eachothers eyes.
"Feeling better?", Tim asked me and I replied.
"Yeah. Thanks".
"Don't worry about it". Tim picked the medical files off the ground and kissed my forehead. "Stay safe, okay? First sign of trouble, call me", Tim murmured before he walked away. I stood in the same spot a little longer before I turned back to walk to the car, a smile spreading across my face.
Date: 09/25/12
Time: 23:05
Me and Tim are back together, so happy days!
As for the next course of action, we're going to Rosswood again. I wonder what shit will happen this time?
But, I am wondering about something...
Jay's been acting a little... odd.
It's probably nothing, but I'm concerned. But maybe that's just paranoia.
Rebecca Kralie.