“He’s coming, I’m sure.” Jake said, reassuring Jess and Amy.
James could see the two arguing with his best friend and it was evident that Jakes was steadily losing ground to them. They weren’t happy about the looper being late and it showed. Which was a problem, because he couldn’t exactly give the excuse that he was hunting down a man stalking Jess.
That wouldn’t fly as normal.
“Yo!” James said, waving them down as he approached their table. They seemed to be chowing down on sushi which no doubt would’ve been Jake’s choice.
Jake turned and his best friend looked halfway between annoyed and embarrassed. He held out a hand to shake and all but pulled James into the seat next to him the moment he reached for it. His best friend was tense, no doubt from a solid twenty minutes of trying to cover for him.
“You took your sweet time didn’t you Jazz.” Jake said with a smile that didn’t extend to his eyes. The ways his lips twitched slightly as he said it made James want to giggle, but he held it in.
This feels weird.
Not even minutes ago he’d been murdering Nicholas in a back alley, leaving the bastard for dead, and now he was sitting in a food court with Jake, Amy and Jess. The shift was very abrupt. But James had grown used to such varying circumstances and tried to brush off the mental whiplash.
The looper tried to focus on the company of his best friend. The company of his real best friend once again. The one that didn’t forget everything he ever did. The one who didn’t leave him.
“I was busy getting my car ready.” James lied, holding his hands up like he was guilty. His instinctive placid smile found his way onto his lips.
Body language was something James had always unconsciously paid attention too. He didn’t know whether it was his untrusting nature prior to the Loop, or simply a habit he’d picked up from people watching, but James always paid attention to it. The way people moved, sat, talked and even expressed themselves told you a lot about them.
Rarely had he seen body language as eager as Amy’s was as she jumped on the opportunity to quell the tension amongst the table. Because Jess, with her pensive expression sitting across from the looper, clearly wasn’t happy to have waited for him.
“You have a car? Jake told me you’ve been saving for a reliable one for ages, but he never told me you’d already bought it.” Amy said, trying to force as much enthusiasm as she could into a topic she clearly didn’t give a damn about. It felt awkward and forced.
And yet she somehow means it sincerely.
“It wasn’t like I was keeping it from you.” Jake interjected, trying to shift the blame. And rightly so. “James never told me he had a car!”
“To be fair, I only got it this morning.” James said, trying to pacify the blonde socialite. Jake wasn’t having any of it.
“Brand, model and odometer.” His best friend insisted.
“Jake-”
“Brand, model and odometer.” Jake repeated, cutting him off.
It shouldn’t have surprised him. Jake had always been a fan of cars, and when he wasn’t talking about his plans to buy and tune up a used mustang, he was looking for them online. Of course with his love hate relationship with work, he never actually had anywhere near enough money to consider buying one.
But Jake always talked about it. He talked about cars in general quite a bit and shared James' innate passion for pickup trucks.
The idea that the looper had gotten a car and not immediately told him probably didn’t sit well with Jake, and James made a note in his head to apologise for it later. To James, his moral compass around Jake was a lot simpler than pretty much everything else. If Jake was upset, he’d done something wrong.
Sure it could be argued that his best friend had his occasional flippant moods and childish moments. But he’d done so much for the looper and proved he was a soul so bright that James couldn’t help but think he was in the wrong.
“It’s a Toyota Landcruiser. Brand new so there couldn’t be more than twenty kilometres on it.” James informed his friend
James regretted telling his friend the second he saw the man salivating at the mention of his new car. The looper had a sneaking suspicion that Jake would be far more on board with his idea for a “road trip” now he knew it was happening in a Landcruiser.
“Can we take turns driving it?” Jake asked, wrapping his arm over James shoulder.
“Not today.” James refused.
“Please.”
“No.”
“Pretty please.”
“Jake you’re going to crash it.” James said with a sigh, stealing a bite of his friend's sushi.
“I’m not going to crash it.” Jake refuted. “I’m just going to go really fast.”
That got a laugh out of Amy. From the looks of it she wasn’t the one that was mad at James. Or at least, she’d been content with his excuse of working on his car. No, the one who was not a happy camper was sitting across from James. Angrily sipping from a smoothie. Jess had kept her pensive stare and hadn’t made any effort to even greet James, an attitude he’d grown rather used to.
Why do I find it endearing? It wasn’t. James knew that if anyone else was a frigid and closed off as Jess tended to be when they first met, the looper would’ve just written them off. But Jess was different. There was a reason he included her in his list of people that needed saving.
She pushed her hair back, eyes caught on the insides of his overcoat.
“Do you normally wear stained clothes on a date?” Jess asked, pointing out the red stains where he’d wiped his knife.
The first time he’d met Jess, James had taken a similar comment about his choice of clothes rather personally. After taking the effort to come out of his shell, it had felt like a kick in the nuts to be insulted for what he wore. Now, James was far more aware of the truth. Jess was having a bad day.
A really bad day.
Not only was she a Spark, she was one that had been given an Invitation and received the system’s touch earlier. Like James, she woke up on that day to golden words too. Unlike James, she had not had sixteen thousand years worth of time to mentally sort through her feeling about randomly seeing golden words.
“I may have got food on the way here.” James replied, laughing off her comment sheepishly.
“Eating before a date?” Jess inquired, pressing further. “A bit rude, isn’t it.”
“Jess-”
“You ate before I got here.” James said quickly, speaking before Amy could interject on his behalf. He knew that letting Amy kindness save him would not foster a good impression with Jess.
The looper needed her to be amicable towards him if he was going to convince the three of them to leave the city with him. Jake was the easy one and Amy would go along with whatever made him happy. Jess was always the hardball.
Her eyes drifted to her own food at his comment. “Touché.”
“Did you know James has a brilliant idea!” Jake said all of a sudden, trying to brute force his way through the tension between them.
His social butterfly of a best friend could read the room just fine, but he also possessed the brazen attitude needed to defuse the apparent grievances Jess had with James. Of course, the looper knew that Jess didn’t actually care that James was late. She was just blowing off steam.
Nonetheless, he appreciated the effort from Jake.
“What’s this brilliant idea?” Jess queried, sounding about as excited as she was for her own funeral.
“A road trip.” Jake said, gleaming. James could’ve sworn his friend was almost frothy at the mouth. “In James’ new Landcruiser.”
You just want an excuse to get behind the wheel. James chuckled inwardly, keeping that thought to himself.
Jess did not look thrilled by the idea. A stark contrast to Amy who’s face had lit up in the same way Jake’s did, clearly excited by the idea.
Immediately the two pestered him for details. James weathered the barrage of questions as best he could, explaining the road trip in a way that would get them enthused. He deflected the question every time they asked him why he’d thought to go on a road trip. James was keen to be upfront with Jake about the impending change they were all going to face, but he didn’t think the blonde social butterfly would believe him.
The only time Jake ever had believed him had required a lot of terrible circumstances coming together with a heart wrenching plea for help from the looper. There would be a chance to tell Jake the truth and have him believe it, but it wasn’t in that moment.
They also insisted that he tell them the entire plan of where they would be heading, which was one of the easier questions to answer. The rough answer was north east, but the more direct answer was a smaller town called Mt Beauty.
The place was small enough, but also big enough, with plenty of natural resources to plunder should civilization break down and a steady infrastructure to survive off should it not. What headed his decision the most was that the place was surrounded by mountains that created a sort of natural defence around it. There was also a town on the direct opposite side of the mountains that could keep itself self-sustained too.
When he explained it to Jake and Amy, he made it sound like a fun camping spot with Lakes a mountain trails to explore. In reality, it was just cut off enough from the outside world that James wouldn’t have to contend with hordes of Sparks or worse, and just connected enough to the outside world that should the worst not happen, he could still rely on infrastructure there.
The looper had spent decades figuring out the best place they could reach in a reasonable amount of time and settled on Mt Beauty for its versatility. His highest priority was staying away from “Horde Zones” as he’d come to call them. Areas that could be suddenly filled with a massive influx of people in the event of a disaster.
And of course they immediately want to spend my money going shopping for camping gear.
James sighed internally, watching the couple compare puffer jackets and folding chairs.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I have everything. This is a waste of time and yet…
…He didn’t want to stop them. Even as his watch ticked down each second till impending doom, James felt no rush. The looper found himself enjoying watching Jake and Amy have fun together. He didn’t want to put an end to it for the sake of timing, because unlike every Loop, James wouldn’t have this moment again.
This was the last time he’d ever go on the double date Jake dragged him into.
It filled James with a deep sense of both melancholy and fulfilment.
I wonder if he’ll ask me about the bracelet. James wondered, keeping an eye on the couple as he inspected a high end fridge. He already had one that was better but it kept his body from just idling at the entrance.
Jake didn’t always ask him about the bracelet. James had never exactly nailed what caused his best friend to change his mind although generally he didn’t ask when the looper suggested the road trip.
Does he feel bad? Like I won’t want to wait for him to go buy something nice for Amy?
It had never bothered the looper before. After all, the kind gesture to his girlfriend didn’t increase Jake’s chances of survival at all, and that was all James had been worried about.
Now though?
[8:54:34]
We can’t leave till Hugh picks up Michael anyway. James rationalized, waiting until Amy broke away from Jake to go help Jess. The latter looked bored out of her brain. But Jess hadn’t left yet, or complained, which was a good sign considering James knew she hated camping.
When Amy wasn’t looking James snuck up behind Jake and wrapped his hand around his shoulder the same way Jake had done to him.
“You decide on chairs yet.” James asked, keeping an eye on Amy to make sure she was out of earshot.
“I want the one with a leg rest.” Jake said, looking a little surprised by James' arm around his shoulder. “But It's probably too big to fit in the car.”
“It’ll fit.” James said, wavering away his worry. “What's more important is the side glances you keep making at the jewellery shop when Amy’s not looking.”
Jake’s eyes widened slightly. “You saw?”
James nodded. Jake lowered his gaze to the ground a little and the looper could tell his friend felt embarrassed. Embarrassed to say why he was looking at the shop and embarrassed to confess he didn’t have the money to buy what Amy wanted.
“Get her what you want.” James said with a genuine smile that replaced his usual placid one. He handed Jake his card and his best friend seemed a little shocked. His brows raised but he didn’t push the card back into James’ hand.
“But you just bought a car?” Jake said, sounding torn.
“I’ve got money left over.” The looper assured him.
Jake went silent for a moment, considering his options. Then after a few seconds he made up his mind. “I’ll get you back for this Jazz.”
James felt the edges of his smile widened. “You already have.”
“Oh.” Jake said, and his embarrassed smile turned into a knowing smirk. “I see your angle.”
What?
“What?” James repeated with his voice this time, confused.
Jake ribbed him a bit with a cheeky grin then patted the looper on the back. He looked surprised and proud. Which only served to further confuse James as Jake dragged him towards the two girls, chuckling under his breath.
“Don’t worry.” Jake said amid his laughing. “I’ve been paid out. I won’t tell a soul. My jobs to keep Amy distracted while you swoop in for the kill.”
Oh my god. My best friend is an idiot. James didn’t exactly feel shocked because it wasn’t much of a revelation. But to think that Jake thought that was why James had offered to pay for a nice gift floored him.
It didn’t take long for Jake to chaperone Amy out of the camping store and towards the jewellery shop they’d gone to on the first iteration of the date. Through the entire process he kept calling James name and winking at him as if Jess didn’t have eyes and couldn’t see exactly what he was doing.
So that left the two of them alone, having exited the camping store and idling just far enough away from the jewellery shop not to intrude. James had been in the exact situation once before and it felt almost exactly the same level of awkwardness that it did now.
The only difference was that James didn’t care.
He was far more interested in tinkering with the tracker he’d installed on Hugh’s pick up. The looper needed it precise so he could coordinate with Hugh on the road, which was a complication he hadn’t accounted for until the Landcruiser came into play. James was half tempted to ditch it and just take Hugh’s Hilux but the versatility of two cars was too great to pass up.
[8:48:27]
Why’d they have to give it a timer? James thought hatefully, trying not to look at the ever present golden countdown in his field of view.
“Did you offer to pay for Amy’s bracelet just to be alone with me?” Jess asked, her tone cold.
“No.” James answered simply. “I did it because he deserves it.”
Jess scoffed. Really, genuinely scoffed to the point that James felt hot air blow against his arm from her breath. “Sounds like someone wants to compete with Amy.”
Funny.
“If I swung that way, then I wouldn’t just be competing. I’d be winning.” James said, still focused on making sure the tracker sent a clear cut signal.
She laughed. Not the earnest one he’d earned the first time they’d had that conversation, instead being something more polite. Not real, just polite.
She must assume it’s a joke. It wasn’t. James had plenty of time to work through the way his body and sexuality functioned inside the Loop. He’d also had plenty of time to sort through all his feelings about Jake and the meaning around them. To call them romantic, James felt, was an insult to just how developed their friendship was. Because if there had been even a smidge of feelings like that towards Jake, James would’ve beat Amy to the punch.
He was sure of it.
The fact he didn’t feel that way didn’t detract from their friendship, and if he had felt that way, it also wouldn’t have made their friendship any less meaningful either.
I’m overthinking it. James realised, snapping himself out of it. By his nature, the looper wasn’t an overtly sexual person. So thinking about it was one of the few things that could throw him for a loop.
“You looked deep in thought there,” Jess commented. Her hair fell down the sides of her face as she leaned against the railing next to him. Her sapphire blue eyes stared into his, reflecting back granite grey. “And you didn’t look sad.”
“I look sad?” James questioned.
“The moment you drop that smile you do.” Jess replied, unflinching in the face of the looper's ancient eyes. “For just a second, your eyes go hollow. Lifeless.” Before James knew it Jess had cupped his face in her hands, making it impossible for him to look away.
“And what do you see in that hollow?” James asked, entertaining whatever Jess thought she was doing.
What possible truth could she scavenge from the looper’s eyes? James knew the girl was as perspective as she was pessimistic. But how perspective could one girl be? What kind of secret could she pull from the window to his soul? Fear? Anger? Power?
Hate?
“Pain.” Jess answered, saying something James didn’t expect and catching him off guard.
“Pain?” James questioned, grabbing at her hands. They were so slim. So weak. So breakable. The scratching against his mind started to get louder.
“The type that ruins people.” Jess said. Her eyes tensed a little, wincing but she didn’t look away from him.
“Do I look ruined to you?” James asked and for a moment, there was no life in his voice. It was low and dead. Devoid of any feeling. He saw the looper staring back at him in her eyes. Then he realised that Jess wasn’t holding on to him anymore. He was holding onto her, squeezing her hands so tight that the woman was gritting her teeth.
And yet still, she didn’t look away.
“Sorry.” James said, replacing his placid smile and letting go of her hands. He’d been clutching them so hard they almost turned purple.
“No it's…” Jess was rubbing her hands and refusing to look him in the eyes. “..it’s okay.”
“Listen, I understand if you don’t want to come on the roadtrip-”
“Something bad is going to happen in the city, isn’t it?” Jess asked, interrupting him. She unsteadily raised her head to meet his gaze again. There was a steel resolve in those blue eyes that hadn’t been there before.
She knows. Jess knew it was a lie. Somehow, she could tell that James didn’t want to go on a road trip for fun. He wanted to leave Melbourne because the place was dangerous. Extremely so. This was a first for the looper and he was forced to wonder what kind of events had caused this change in Jessica’s attitude.
He’d seen her standoffish. He’d seen her welcoming. But seeing her scared? At this stage in the day? That was something he’d only seen in the darkest loops.
Should I be honest with her? In a practical sense no, he shouldn’t. It served no benefit to James to tell her the truth, and he’d be far better off to lie. The looper knew that.
The looper also liked the purity of truth a helluva lot more than the corruption of lies.
Nightmare’s lied.
The Loop lied.
Fig lied.
The system lied.
James would not.
[8:39:45]
“If we stay in the city, there's a good chance we won’t live to see tomorrow.” James answered honestly.
“How do you know?” Jess asked.
Beyond her James could see Jake and Amy walking back towards them. He also felt Hugh calling his phone, causing it to vibrate in his jeans. Yet he found himself focused on Jess. Drawn to the oddity that she was. This had never happened. Jessica had always having suspicions due to being an Invited Spark, but she’d never been this convinced something was going to go terribly wrong.
And she’d never seen through James the way she was now.
The way she did was almost like magic-
Her Source. James realised. She has her Source. That had not been the case in the Loop. James was sure of it. He hadn’t met a single person in the Loop that had a Source, let alone Jess.
Wait a minute.
“James, how do you know?” Jess reiterated, stealing his focus. The looper felt frustrated to be distracted when his mind had been on the tip of figuring it out. He was sure he was close to knowing.
“Because I’m a time traveller.” James said dismissively, trying to catch that train of thought he’d had. “Though you won’t believe me.”
Jessica went silent, her eyes filled with contemplation. Jake and Amy were closing in on them, and the time was nigh for them to make their getaway. Yet James felt caught on this mystery. It felt important. Something about the difference between the Loop and reality didn’t sit right with him. He was sure it was because of Jess’s Source. He was sure she had it already.
But what did that mean?
Why did that fact differ from the Loop?
“Can I trust you?” Jess asked.
“Yes.” James answered.
“Are you a threat?”
“Not to you.”
“Will Amy be safe too?”
“As safe as you.”
“Then will we be safe with you?”
“Safer than with anyone else in this country.”
“Is this all some elaborate ruse to try to sleep with me?” Jessica asked what must’ve been her fifteen thousandth question, tugging James out of his thoughts again.
He looked at her, blank face without an ounce of humour in him. “I’m not that desperate. You’re not that hot.”
“Good.” She said, nodding and then she grabbed hold of his hand like it was her own personal life raft.
James immediately got the sense that the woman wouldn’t let go even if he tugged with all his might. Jessica had found someone else who knew of the coming chaos, and now she’d confirmed he wasn’t dangerous or a creep.
She was not going to let go.
This is my reward for honesty. James lamented, greeting Amy and Jake together with Jess like they’d come to some romantic understanding. Together, holding hands, they looked almost identical to their first date, and yet the circumstances couldn’t have been different.
Whatever the case, James had still secured Jessica, the last unruly piece of his getaway group. The truck was loaded full of supplies, Hugh and Michael were already waiting and the timing was almost perfect for them to leave.
[8:36:59]
And yet somehow James felt he was sitting in the calm before the storm.
Now, the only part of his plan he had left and the only option he had left.
Was to run.
As fast as his could with everything he held dear.