How many months had gone by? How many days were they searching the ends of the earth like a certain adventurer in his quest for the golden city? But Jacob wouldn't be able to answer that question. It was hard for him to keep track of anything these days. It was the town he grew up, where they'd claim to see his father so Jacob went back there with his Uncle to look. Now, they were both looking for a cabin, just up the hill. It bore the usually broken windows, barred doors, and a stench of loneliness and trail too often trodden by Jacob. By now, this quest to find Jacob's father turned into an annual hunting trip. Every year someone would spot the man, and every year they rushed to find him. In the depths of darkness, crept a light Jacob could vividly see. He chipped at the tall grass, moving through carefully. With a swift movement through the bushes, he quickly turned his torch. "Uncle?" He called out. "Uncle!" He said again.

He heard a gun go off in the distance, he followed it, scuttling through the bushes as fast as he could, like a deer running for it life. It seemed to have led to a dark end. Unaware of where he was, Jacob shouted again hoping for a response. "Uncle John!" He said.

Pow!

He knew he was close. He followed the echoing bullet until he reached a clearing.

"What happened?" He sat John up, shocked to see blood oozing from the side of his head.

"Some crazy bugger, Jacob. That's what happened." He stuck the gun at his side, it was still smoking from the first two fires.

"Father?" He probed.

"Whatever it was, it was not him. It couldn't be."

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Jacob looked at his Uncle and then toward the end of the clearing. He took off his satchel and rested the man's head on it, he then reached down to grab the gun.

"Don't, Jacob." He held it firmly so Jacob couldn't get it.

"I have to find him. I won't rest until I do."

"It's dangerous." Slowly left the man's lips as opened his eyes, he relaxed his fingers and soon enough Jacob was heading toward the clearing with a weapon at hand.

He found the cabin, it was old, very old. The porch looked as if it would break away the moment he stepped foot on it and before he could open the door he heard a slow creak. It came open slowly.

"Dad?" he walked in, the cabin was completely naked, only the floorboards gave the house some character. The door slammed and he quickly turned to flash his light. Someone was there with him but he had no clue who. He heard a few small pecks for steps behind him. Then he felt his breathing slow down like his lungs were trapped at the moment that was this. He wanted to turn around, he quickly did to fight his fright. Panting, he asked, lifting the gun towards the figure.

"Who are you?" He backed away slowly as each step got closer to his. He watched the black torn robes blow in the wind, it felt like death had looked him in the eyes. His elbow touched something ice cold with a gasp he realized it was another being. He didn't know which was which and before he knew it, out came three more. And there he was in the middle of five soulless creatures. "Where's my father?" He gulped, turning the gun on each one of them. They all shared a harmonious laugh, like that of a siren. Jacob felt poisoned or he like was intoxicated, this couldn't be real.

"You'll never find your father." One voice came out, he turned to it. Springing back to the other when she said. "And they'll never find you." Then came a thump behind his head, Jacob fell to the floor. He bled until he fell into a deep slumber. The world seemed small now, and there was a light on the other side, brighter than anything he'd ever seen before. He trusted in that light so much that he knew he didn't have to worry anymore, so he stopped worrying. He just stopped worrying.