Sorry it took so long to update, guys. But my muse has been shriveling. Mostly because of the way MH has been going and what they did to Jay. (I won't spoil anything!) D; Anyways, here's the next chapter. I think I'll be wrapping up the story in a few more chapters, so hold onto your hats! As always, thanks for reading and leaving reviews! It gives me hope. ;) Enjoy!

CHapTer tEn

Several months had passed since Jay and Tim were reunited, and it had been pleasantly uneventful. They had driven far, far away from Rosswood, and even further away from their town, and decided to see if things would settle down. In the beginning, they did.
Jay started working part-time at an electronics store, and Tim picked a job every now and then at a small mechanic's shop. Between the two of them, they made enough money to live a decent life in a small apartment. They weren't rich by any means, but that wasn't what was important.
What was important was the fact that neither of them had had any odd nightmares, Tim hadn't had a coughing fit, and Jay had not received any correspondence from either Alex or the Hooded Man in at least three months. At last the ordeal was over.
Or so it seemed.
It had been six months since Tim and Jay moved. After a long day at work, the two of them were watching the news, waiting for the monotonous voice of the anchor to lull them to sleep, when suddenly they heard something. A slight scuffling at the door.
Tim shifted a bit. "Jay? Are you awake?"
"Yeah, yeah I am."
"Did you hear that? It sounded like someone was at the door."
Jay, too tired to care, just shrugged. "Maybe they're new and can't find their apartment or something."
"I guess. I'm probably just overreacting."
They were quiet for a few moments, but then the scuffling noise resumed, followed by the soft noise of paper sliding underneath the door.
At that, Jay and Tim sat up. Out of instinct, Jay bolted to his room and grabbed his camera case. When he returned, Tim was kneeling by the door, holding the piece of paper that had been slipped under. His face was white.
"What is it?" Jay asked, his voice shaking.
Tim just held it up.
Printed on the paper was a picture of the two of them, when they had been sleeping in the car. Jay felt like he was going to be sick.
"Someone…was watching us?"
"Sure looks that way, doesn't it?"
They exchanged dark looks.
Jay broke the silence. "But…why give it to us now?"
Neither of them spoke. Because obviously, there wasn't an answer.
"You know what this means, though, Jay. It isn't safe here now," Tim said through gritted teeth. "They know we're here."
"But where are we supposed to go?" Jay asked. "And if we leave, what are we supposed to do anyways?"
Tim covered his face with his hands. "I don't know…I don't know anymore."
"Well, we should at least stay here until we figure out what to do next, okay?" Jay said. He tried to keep his voice even, but he was honestly scared out of his mind.
Tim just nodded.
"Let's go and see if we can't find out who that was," Jay said. "But we'll go together."
Tim stood up and cleared his throat. "Right," he said.
Jay gave him a small smile. He turned on the camera and then the two men went to the door. Tim turned the handle and pushed it open.
They both froze.
In the apartment building, the hallways were narrow and brightly lit. There was also a distinct smell of carpet cleaner in the air.
The hallway Jay and Tim opened their door to was nothing like this.
Jay's heart nearly stopped when he recognized the strangely patterned carpet and dimly lit walls.
"Tim," he whispered, "this is the hotel where I stayed with Jessica."

The darkness is like a cage. He grabs and pulls at the bars with furious determination. He will break out. He will be free. But the bars are unyielding, and his hands are growing raw.
The metal bars grow slick with his blood.
But somewhere in the distance, he can see a faint sliver of light, and no matter what, he'll find a way to break free and run towards the light.
After all, he thinks to himself, time is running out. He can't hold me forever.
With a smirk, he sits back in the cage, and waits for Tim to break again.

"What?" Tim whispers. "But…but that's impossible. How did we end up here?"
They both looked back. But their room was gone. The door was gone. It was like the whole world shifted around them as they stayed fixed in place.
"Tim, I don't know what's going on, but we need to get out of here."
"Yeah," Tim agreed, voice hoarse. "Let's go."
Jay turned left and walked down the hallway, Tim following closely behind. It was almost too quiet, the only sound being the muffled echoes of their footsteps on the carpet.
Jay kept filming, his grip tightening on the camera. This was sick. This was wrong.
He felt like an antelope again, just waiting for the lion to pounce. But then he felt Tim grab his hand, and their fingers entwined, and Jay let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. It felt better to know that at least he wasn't alone.
"Elevator or stairs?" Jay asked when they came to the end of the hallway.
"Stairs," Tim croaked. "I'd feel trapped in an elevator, you know?"
Jay nodded. "All right. Stay close."
Tim gave his hand a small squeeze. "Always."
And with that, they turned and began their way down the stairs.