Jake was pacing restlessly, fearfully now, wearing pants made of a very thin fabric that was barely there and so well worn they hung low and loose on him. They were oversized, so the hems dragged and he walked on them with each step. He wandered into the bathroom, flicked on and off the light, then went back out, feeling a horrible sense of dread settle in his stomach and begin to electrify his spine, rise up in his chest and cling to his ribs, drift to his heart and begin to squeeze. It was an odd feeling. Like a mix of goosebumps and chills that made him want to shiver in response, but his body just didn't. Like the shiver was stuck inside him. Like claws were hovering over his skin and just one wrong move would send him into the razor sharp ends, cut him.

He looked at the door. There was a bit over an inch of space between the bottom and the floor, and he dropped to his knees and bent down, pressing his cheek to the carpet and looking out. But there was something in the way. And it was moving. "Mother---Shit!" His voice was little more than a hiss, but he was sure the thing could hear him. Why was it there? Acting like a guard? Didn't it need heat? It was cold-blooded after all, or so that psycho Dan said. He didn't leave the door, however. It didn't seem necessary, it couldn't get in. "Your master's a freak, a sick fuck, a weird bastard son of a bitch and I wanna get the hell out and strangle Tim for not tying me to the bed and saying he didn't want me to come here..." But what say did Tim have? Jake was too damn stubborn for his own good and now here he was, locked in a room and possibly about to be experimented on, cut up, cut open, tormented and tortured... God he didn't want that. He laid in the floor, curled up at the door, so close his nose and knees were touching the wood. He didn't sleep, but watched the thing out there move sometimes.

He had heard what the man had said. He understood, he always understood what was being said, even if he never showed signs of understanding. He felt sad for the stranger, and agreed with what he said. He poked his tongue under the door, tasting the fear and panic in the air of the other room. "Try to ressst." He had whispered so quietly, he wasn't sure if the human had even heard him. It wasn't often that he talked. It had been a long while since he had, actually. Dan might have forgotten that he could talk at all.

Day came and he hadn't moved at all, neither had the man on the other side of the door. Had he fallen asleep? Past out from panic? He heard Dan wake and leave his room, stopping as he left his room and staring hard at his pet. "What on Earth are you doing there? Get away from that door, you naughty boy. I'll feed you in a minute." He shook his head and went to the shower, humming to himself. His pet frowned slightly, but moved from the door, crawling into the kitchen to wait for his food.

Jake had taken his hair down, scratched his hand through it by the time he saw the tongue slide under the door. He groaned with distaste, mostly born from panic and anger, then when the voice sounded, barely there, he nearly fell back with a cry. What the hell? The thing could talk? Was it more human than he thought? God, what did it hear? He'd been talking right to it. Had it taken offense to all the insults he'd strung together for its... master? God, he hated that. He didn't want to enrage it, have it attack and bite him for badmouthing the crazy freak.

He didn't think too much on it, though, because he fell into an uncomfortable, fitful sleep and woke only when he heard the floorboards creaking. He scrambled back, tangled in his oversized pants and still marveling at how the ultrathin fabric just didn't tear with its age and wear. What was the guy doing? He talked to the creature like it was a child, a brain-damaged adult, something that responded to simple sentences and commands. But it evidently understood more complex speech. Jake shook his head, scrambling back and going to the corner, waiting for a while then going to the bathroom, coming back out, walking quickly in circles, going back into the bathroom to glare at himself and his wild, curly hair, splashing water on his face to cool himself, which didn't do much. The water seemed to evaporate immediately.

He huffed, raking his hands through his hair as he walked, restless despite an awful night's fitful, horrified sleep on the floor, curled up by the door. He felt the carpet's indentations pressed into his arm and the side of his face, his dark blue---nearly black---eyes shadowed and itchy. What was going on? He didn't want to be here. He'd risk the electrified fence, the fall that looked like it could hurt if he didn't land right, he'd hobble right along. But he didn't. Jake went to his bag, ripped out a plain white t-shirt and jeans and slid them on, flopping down. He didn't have any way to leave without grievous injury or death.

Dan was singing by the time he had gotten prepared for his next experiment. But first he had to risk being hit and kicked, as Jacob fought to be let free. He made sure he had his stun gun ready, finding the key to the padlock on Jacob's door and unlocking it carefully. He opened the door slowly, peering inside. Jacob was pacing, looking terrified and all worked up. Dan sighed, pulling out the stun gun and stepping inside. "Stay still. You come at me or try to run, you'll be getting a face full of electricity. Calm down, look at you, all worked up. I smell the sweat and vomit on you. Come now, it's not that bad to be part of history. Everyone will know your name, the second successful evolution in human history."

He stepped forward carefully, pointing the stun gun at Jacob's face. "Now, come with me to my laboratory. I'll get you on my operating table and put you under so you won't feel a thing. I promise it won't hurt at all, if you listen to me."

When the door opened it took a moment to register in Jake's molasses-slow, sleep-deprived mind. He stopped short when he saw Dan, stun gun in hand, pointed to him, speaking. The words took a second to hit, as before. He shook his head, squared his shoulders, and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, fuck you, you crazy quack bastard." He growled. "Psycho freak, creep..."

"Shut up." Dan's voice was low, growling, steady, but his eyes showed deadly intent. "Move. Now."

Jake shook, his hands clenched so tightly at his sides his nails were digging hard into his palms. "Unnatural... psycho." His voice was low, less determined now. He didn't want that gun to hit him, even if it would just let off a painful, debilitating electrical charge. His body was heated painfully, so he stepped forward. At a loss of what to say, Jake turned to the scientist as he pressed the gun to his back in warning, hand on the trigger that would knock him down and out, and hissed an open-mouth, meaningless hiss, something similar to what Dan's 'pet' would make. Dan prodded him forward, shoving him out the door and putting a hand on his shoulder. Jake was looking around for the 'pet'.

Dan led him towards the basement stairs, flicking on the light and wincing slightly at the noise that met their ears as he walked down. So many failed experiments. Most of them were dying, rattling their cages in a vain attempt to escape, others cowered in the back of their small cages, afraid of Dan as he walked passed them. He shouted at Jacob to get on the table, throwing a blanket over the cages to hide the creatures and quell their noise. "Don't worry, I have high hopes for you, Mr Samson. You will be a success, unlike those you see here."

He kept a hold of the gun, and picked up the mouthpiece of the gas that would put Jacob under. "When you wake up, you'll understand. You will love the new strengths I have given you, and rejoice in the evolution of humankind."

He couldn't do much to resist. Especially not down the steep flight of stairs. Then he heard it, and nearly passed out. Anger, fear, rage, absolute, mindless terror. What the hell was happening here? What the hell kind of experiments were going on? He couldn't see them well, the light that flipped on was too harsh, and the cages too quickly covered. He was rooted to the spot as Dan rambled, grabbing a mask, and he shook his head tightly, quickly.

"Fuck no, man, this is crazy. You're crazy! You crazy freak, sadistic godda---"

Dan didn't let him finish; he shot the stun gun against Jake's side, and the immediate, awful electrical burst that released his legs and arms and various internal organs before he fell unconscious. Dan pulled him up onto the table and hooked the mask onto his face. "Oh, Mr. Samson, you should have listened to me." He sighed, setting the stun gun aside as he began cutting clothing off. The clothing just got in the way, after all. Then he strapped the man down, fed an IV line into his arm to keep him weak but not entirely asleep, and went to the medical table above Jake's head. He pulled gloves on, retrieved a scalpel, checked the blade, and stepped back to Jake. His hand was steady as it pressed against the overly heated skin, and he slid the blade against the skin, down somewhat, enough to separate the skin but not touch organs, intestines, or important muscle. Just a layer at a time...

The blood came, but then something odd hit his eyes. The skin wasn't staying apart. He cut deeper, but the skin let blood flow, then began to knit together again, before his eyes, scab over, then the scab fell away, leaving not even a scar. "What...?" Dan stood stock-still, hearing Jake's muffled protests and gasps of pain but not registering them. His blood slid down his stomach, pooled in his belly button, drained to his shirt that laid open on either side of him and stained. But there was no open incision. What was even going on?

Dan couldn't believe his eyes. He stood stunned for awhile and then looked at Jacob's face, the eyes were open and showing terror. "You didn't tell me about this, Mr. Samson... This... Is amazing." His plans had gone out the window, but new ones opened to him. He pulled out all sorts of instruments, cutting, burning, anything to try and leave a lasting wound on Jacob's hot flesh. He watched in amazement as he healed in front of his eyes. This was it. The thing he had been waiting for. A breakthrough in human biology. Jacob had an amazing healing power, if he could study it, learn how to harness it... He would go down in history.

He smiled lightly, putting down his scalpel and tapping Jacob's forehead. "You are lucky. This... Amazing talent you have has given you a free pass. I must study this as you are alive..." Should he lock the man into a cage? There was no way he could escape, but he could still pose a threat to Dan. "If you promise to behave, you can stay in the guest bedroom as I study you. But the moment you try to escape, or try to hurt me, you will be put in one of these cages and forced to look at my failures, my nightmare creations until you die and rot away."

He took the mask off Jacob slowly, stroking the man's face. "What do you think, sonny boy? Will you work with me or against me?"

Jake thought it was over after that. Dan had looked absolutely gobsmacked, and he was sure that was that. That he'd at least be put in a cage and not cut again. But then he'd brought out lighters, flame, more blades, and he'd writhed, screaming as the blades went deep enough sometimes to hit bone, sending such agonizing bolts of pain through him that made him want to die, or at least pass out so it would stop. Then it was gone. And then it happened again, and again. He pushed the blades into his stomach, deep, and watched as the wounds knitted at amazing rates. Jake's voice grew hoarse by the time Dan was finished with him. At least the sadistic bastard hadn't shoved anything inside him in other ways...

Then the mask was gone, and Jake could hear his breathing in a different way. It sounded ragged, painful, escaping his lungs in hard puffs. He mustered his most defiant face. "F-f... Fuck you, man." Jake's voice was painfully raw, and he hated how frail it sounded. He tensed when Dan leaned over him, a question on his face. He pressed the blade in his hand against Jake's side and began to press, and Jake hissed a breath in, letting it out in a low, shaking moan. "God, stop, stop, fuck, okay!" He wriggled, trying to get away from the blade. "Lemme go, I'll be your friggin'... experiment, whatever the hell, God, stop with this shit..." He was shaking hard now, a mix of rage, fear, pain, and helplessness coursing through him. The metal table had long since heated with his body resting on it, and his skin itched where the blood had dried.

Dan smiled, untying the man, but keeping the stun gun nearby. "Run along, sonny boy." He watched as Jacob struggled to move, his body weakened from the pain that had assaulted him. "Do you need help?" he asked, trying to sound nice. It would be hard for Jacob to understand him now that he had hurt him as much as he had. Maybe he'd run and hide like his pet had done, slowly making his mind become warped until he forgot all about the life outside of this house. Dan wouldn't mind that.

He followed Jacob up the stairs, helping when the man struggled. He was put in his room, but the door kept unlocked. It would be locked at night time, while Dan slept so Jacob didn't get any ideas. "You are to leave the door open. If my pet comes in to say hello, you have to treat him nicely. He will bite if he feels threatened." Dan brightened up, grinning widely. "I am so happy you have agreed to this research! We will be millionaires! Famous!" He left the man where he was, going to his office to record his findings.

He tried to move on his own, without help, but he was still in pain, still unsteady, and from time to time he pushed Dan's hands away but immediately regretted it, grabbing on again and hating himself, feeling filthy when he did it. He growled at Dan whenever he could, lashing out with little movements, trying to make it hard for him to stay close to him without being an overall threat and getting another jolt from the gun. He was sure he'd pissed himself, but wasn't going to give any indication that he acknowledged it. That discomfort was for later.

He growled a wordless response when Dan spoke, stomping into the room that was now 'his' and snatching new clothing out of his bag. His pants were uncomfortably wet, his shirt was bloody and cut open down the front. He slammed the bathroom door---which he hadn't been told to keep open---and locked it, tossing his clothes on the floor and turning on the cold water only, shoving himself, dirty and ripped clothes notwithstanding, into the stream and shivering harshly. He slowly peeled the clothing away, shuddering, feeling his breath come in ragged gasps, pants, and then the hot tears. Even under the cold spray of the shower he felt them mingling, then being swept away. He wanted to pound on the walls, rip things up, ruin everything in his way and rip that bastard Dan's head off. Rip his heart out. Help that guy that was the quack's 'pet'. He couldn't be here on his own. Couldn't be content with crawling around, eating off the floor no doubt, sleeping so close to that monster sadist. Anywhere within a hundred miles was too close to him. Dead wasn't good enough for Dan Gold-Whatever.

He heard the stranger taking a shower, tasted the rage he felt and the fear. Whatever had happened to him had made Dan happy, and the stranger sad. He waited for Dan to feed him, but the man seemed to caught up in his own discoveries to even look down at his pet as he passed by to go to his office. He hissed angrily and moved towards the office, thinking about getting Dan's attention before becoming distracted with the stranger. He was so sad, he was crying. So mad he wanted to lash out at something. He felt bad for the man.

He entered the room and sniffed about the man's bags, tasting the scent of the outside world. When the noise of water stopped and the man left his bathroom, he froze in place hoping he wouldn't be screamed at or hit. He backed into the corner and watched the man with unblinking eyes, his tongue flickering to taste his scent every few seconds.

He couldn't stay there forever, though he wanted to. Maybe if he looked up with his mouth open long enough he'd drown like those idiot turkeys that looked upward in rain storms. But that wouldn't happen, and he sighed at himself. He was stupid. God he was stupid. Just how desperate for money had he been? Not enough to split rent with Tim, but enough to come to this strange place knowing some odd things would happen? But he didn't know it'd be this bad. Didn't know he'd be... cut. Burned. Tormented like that. Stunned.

He dried, pulling on his new clothes and balling the dirty ones, tossing them into the empty corner and staring at himself. His hair was wet, plastered to his scalp, and would slowly begin to curl as it dried. It was darker, but would lighten up soon enough. Stepping out of the bathroom, he froze when he saw the thing. The pet. Whatever it---he---was now. "You..." He shook his head, scouting the wall away from the... creature. "What are you doing in here? Just... just lemme alone. Go away, God, I just wanna be alone and cry like a puss. Can't I do that in private?" He felt hot tears prick his eyes but blinked hard. "No, apparently fucking not. God, what am I even doing here?" He slid down the wall, head in his hands, breathing carefully. His stomach was flipping, his head was spinning. He was confused and yet so painfully aware of everything. Even that creature.

Pity. Another strange emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. He thought about leaving. Maybe it was best for the stranger to calm down after the torture he had endured. But why hadn't he been changed? The surgery wasn't long at all, usually they lasted all day long. Maybe this one was different? He wanted to know, but he didn't want the man yelling at him. Was he really that scary? That disturbing? He hadn't seen his reflection in such a long time. What did he look like now? Could he even remember when he was a human...? What had his name been? It was such a long time ago.

"Sssorry," he hissed, backing along the wall and towards the door. Maybe it was for the best that he left the stranger alone, to cry and slowly go mad. When he had come back from the surgery... He wanted a friend to talk to, to cry to... All he had was the man that had changed him. What had his name been...? Why was he worrying? He had never bothered with remembering these things before. He blinked finally, sighing slightly. "Alexis... Alexis..." Yes, that had been his name. He felt strange, as though the human he had been was crying inside of his distorted body. His stomach grumbled and he was distracted. Food, yes, he needed something to eat.

He left the room and headed towards the office, where he could hear Dan rustling about. He was so hungry and Dan had forgotten to feed him.

There he was, talking again, that hissing undertone seemed to be entirely unintentional. He moved fluidly, on hands and feet, not a crouch, not necessarily, but a crawl close to the ground. Animalistic, but human, fluid, unnaturally fluid, very unlike a human. Jake watched him, leaned forward when he spoke again, heard something. Alexis? Was that his name? It wasn't Jake's name, not Dan's. Maybe it was someone downstairs... No, it had to be his name. Maybe it was the last shred of humanity he had left. Jake waited until he was gone and slid forward a bit, creeping forward and pushing the door so it was almost closed, but not latched. He didn't know whether the pet---Alexis---could reach up to open the door. Maybe he'd forgotten how to.

Backing away, Jake shuddered hard. He still felt sick. Still felt unsteady. He still hurt. His arms and torso. He pulled his shirt up, looking at the aching spots. No marks. None whatsoever. What the hell? He didn't know he could heal that fast... Usually he'd get cuts, scratches, but then they'd be gone. He never paid much attention to them. But these. These were deep cuts. And they all healed. But they hurt like hell. They hurt. And he knew it'd happen again. Why couldn't he just sneak out? He could do that...

Jake stood, not bothering with his bag but slipping on his shoes without socks, slipping out of the room. He glanced around. The thing wasn't around---Alexis, that was his name. He stepped quietly, carefully, trying to take gentle steps, as if he could lift himself off the floor with sheer will. Sheer willpower. There was the front door, he could see it.

Alexis - yes that was his name, he was certain of it - waited at Dan's door, hoping the man would notice him and realise he had yet to be fed. But Dan was busy writing frantically and speaking into his voice recorder. It seemed that the stranger, whose name was Jacob, had shown Dan amazing healing abilities. It sounded like he had cut the man open, only for him to heal again in front of the mad doctor's eyes. Alexis was growing bored of waiting. Maybe he could ask Jacob to feed him.

He left the room, slithering down the hall and into the kitchen. He noticed Jacob creeping about, but knew there was no way for him to escape. The front door was fake, the real entrance was hidden in a place where only Dan knew. The back door led outside to the fenced off area, and the fences hurt to touch. All of the windows were glued and nailed shut. There was only one way out and that was the phone. Yet, that never seemed to work when the people wanted it to. Alexis had seen Dan entering strange codes into the phone, and making it so only he knew how to use it. He watched the orange glow that Jacob gave off, but stayed in the kitchen. It wasn't long before Jacob crossed Alexis' path.

He looked to the fridge, hoping Jacob would understand. Even though he had talked, it was hard to remember the right words and how to pronounce them. He curled up near his food bowl, hissing slightly and watching Jacob.

He was halfway to the door when a hiss startled him enough to send him into the opposite wall. Gasping, he looked around and clasped at the wall, finding that odd little human-animal hybrid Alexis---he was sure that was the creature's name---nearby. Hissing. Didn't it---he, of course---know how to form complete sentences? Of course he did, he had before! They'd been small sentences, few and far between. Small words, laced with hisses, that long tongue drawing out what he said. Jake stepped forward, looking curiously as it---he, damn it---laid beside what looked like a dog's food bowl. Did that bastard further dehumanize Alexis by forcing him to eat from a bowl, on the floor? He shook his head, but was afraid of what Dan would do if he tried to do something else.

"Fine, fine..." He stepped forward, around the creature, the man with odd animalistic qualities. Odd. Strange. Weird. A freak, but not his fault. Dan's fault. That sick fuck.

He pulled open the door, finding slabs of meat wrapped individually. He didn't think, grabbing one from the middle shelf, unwrapping it and grimacing, still feeling too sick and terrified to even think about eating. He unwrapped it, looking away and letting the slab fall into the bowl and backing away like a frightened child away from a snapping dog, though Alexis had yet to show any animosity toward him beyond when Jake had scared him. And that had been Jake's own fault. Of course. He balled up the bloody wrapper and found a trash can, stuffing it in and looking back at Alexis. "That's right, right...?" He muttered, not really expecting an answer.

Alexis was glad to see the meat he hungered for and swallowed it whole, his jaw unhinging slightly so he could fit it in. There was no need to chew food any more, as long as the meat was as big as his head he could eat it. He loved the rich raw meat from the fridge, cut up in perfect sizes for him to swallow. He knew where it had come from. The people who didn't make it. Did Jacob know he had touched human flesh? Fed it to Alexis and watched him swallow it? He inclined his head slightly at the question, his tongue flickering out as he tasted around for more. Of course there wasn't more, he had always only been fed a piece of meat a day.

He started to hiss softly, tilting his head and watching Jacob move about the kitchen. Looking for a way to escape, no doubt. But there was no way. Not unless he got the keys of Dan. He moved forwards, longing to be closer to the warmth Jacob gave off. He felt energized in a strange way when he was close to this man. Maybe that was how he remembered who he was. He stuck his tongue out, hoping to taste Jacob's hand, but the man recoiled away. Was he that disgusting and terrifying? He felt bad and sulked, moving away from the man.

His first reaction was absolute disgust. What the hell? crossed his mind after that. He'd just seen a somewhat human open his mouth so wide it was... beyond comprehension. Opening his mouth to swallow that slab of meat---whatever it was, it scared Jake to even touch it---had been something between amazing and utterly repulsive. He stood stock still for a moment, shaking his head, feeling a queasiness rise in his throat again that he barely managed to swallow before he gagged on it. He swallowed hard, backing away when Alexis moved forward without even thinking about it.

Then a twinge of feeling erupted in his stomach and chest. Something he didn't expect. Sadness. For Alexis. The poor thing... He had suffered more so far. He'd probably gone through such awful things. At least Jake healed quickly, somehow. He crouched down, stepping forward. "Alexis..." he muttered. "Come here." He put a hand on the creature's shoulder, lightly, very gently. He was cool to the touch. Very cool. He got on his knees, inviting the creature to him. Why, why the hell would he ever turn down a friend? Someone, something, even, that would show a little kindness, and someone that could somehow, perhaps, return that? Tim was long gone, didn't know what was happening, and that was Jake's fault. But he could offer some kind of warmth to this Alexis. Maybe he could cool Jake at the same time.

Alexis was glad to be welcomed by Jacob, moving forward carefully and rubbing his face against the warm legs. The man was so warm, he felt like he had a fire burning just below his skin. Alexis liked the feeling, licking the man's fingers to taste his scent. So different. He had been so used to Dan's taste he had forgotten about others. It excited him to have a new friend, one that let him taste him and petted him so nicely. He hissed in approval, moving away and glancing back at Jacob, wanting his new friend to follow. He wanted to show the man outside, and how beautiful the forest was. Even if they were trapped by an electric fence, the scenery and fresh air was bound to cheer Jacob up.

As they approached the back door, Dan appeared at the end of the hallway, watching them with a smile. "It's good to see you up and about already, Mr. Samson." Dan nodded towards Alexis. "I'm also glad to see you are making an effort to be kind to my pet. He really is special, isn't he?" He smiled wider, laughing slightly. "Taking him out back? It should be fine, as long as you don't harm him in anyway." Dan darkened slightly, patting the stun gun that sat on his belt. "I'll call you boys back in for dinnertime. Have fun out there."

Jake bit back a disconcerted noise, so unnerved at the tongue on his fingers. It was so... weird. It wasn't normal to a human and that was what made it so utterly alien. It was slightly forked, longer than normal, and smooth. So... curiously smooth. He put his hand against Alexis's skin and felt the heart beat, the cool skin, the blood that warmed when it passed under his hand. Then when he backed away, Jake stepped up, coming to full height and stepping forward along with Alexis. Then Dan appeared, and Jake gasped, backing away slightly. He wanted to go at Dan, go at him and rip his ugly eyes from his twisted face, rip his hair out and strangle him with it, snap his neck, but that'd be too good for the fucker. Instead, he was silent, glaring, staring at the gun, the stun gun, that ugly, awful thing.

Talked to like a child. Jake sneered as he went past, opening the door for Alexis and stepping out after him, slamming it in Dan's face. He almost hoped Dan would look out so he'd be able to smash his face with it. But of course even that wouldn't happen. He turned away and looked at Alexis, stepping forward, looking around. A fenced in yard. He didn't dare test to see if they were electrified, no doubt they were. He sat on the grass, sighing and lying out like a rug and pulling up grass with annoyed hands.

Alexis slithered to his rock, a smoothed thing that was almost always warmed by the direct sunlight that filtered through the forest's canopy. It was his favourite place in the whole yard, and he wanted to show Jacob it. He turned to see that the man was lying on the grass, tearing at the blades like it was their fault he was in this mess. Alexis frowned, hissing softly as he joined the man and curled up by his waist. He watched Jacob, feeling his heat warm his cold blood. He wanted to be able to talk to his new friend, but he couldn't remember any words, or what he could talk about.

"I lissten," he said finally, tilting his head like a dog trying to pinpoint a small noise. He wanted to hear what was on Jacob's mind, wanted to soothe his rage. Maybe they could escape together. Alexis had never thought about escaping, but if his friend wanted to leave, he would help in anyway he could.

He wanted to hit something. Not tear the grass. But what could he do? He couldn't jump the fence, it was too high, and too narrow to get between. And too hard to dig. He'd get found, stolen into a cage. Then what? He was apparently useful to Dan, why would he not kill him? He shook his head, nearly jumping when Alexis came to lie beside him. He sighed, listening, surprised to hear what he said. Jake turned to Alexis, curling up around him. At least he could offer warmth, it was a cool day.

"You'll listen?" He said quietly. He pressed closer, feeling Alexis's cool body begin to warm. "I dunno what to say, Alexis... I don't. I was such a fucking idiot to take some random ad... Without doing a fucking thing to research it. Like I thought it'd be a fucking cakewalk. God..." He shook his head, biting back the urge to just shut up and sob until he didn't have any water left in his body. No blood, no bile, and just deflate, melt into an ugly, steaming puddle. "God... I should've known. Like... So many people vanish every damn day. Like... Why shouldn't I have been wary? Tim was fucking right, I should've listened. He's not an idiot, he knew what he was saying. He knew it felt weird and wrong and it all just went to shit faster than I thought it would, I thought I'd get away but it's so far from town... I dunno if I... If I could even help you... Or those people... they're too far fucking gone..." He bit his lip until it bled, and then the cuts sealed. The next breath he took was a gasping sob and tears fell from his closed eyes. He was quiet, then, shaking with suppressed sobs.

Alexis felt the sadness, but something Jacob had said interested him. Tim... A friend? Family? Surely if someone knew where he was, he would be saved in no time. He moved slightly, licking the tears that fell from Jacob's eyes. He hissed, sounding as though he was lulling the man. He didn't know what Jacob meant about the other people. Did Dan hide failed experiments in the basement? All Alexis knew was people came, went downstairs and never came back up. Every now and then Dan would go down there and come back up with a new bag of meat for Alexis to eat.

"Not idiot," Alexis said finally, trying to blink so Jacob didn't find his staring creepy. "Many more before you come here. I came here before you. I no idiot." He couldn't remember how or why he had come to this place, how Dan had tricked him into being an experiment. All he could remember was he had had deep feelings for the man, maybe even loved him once. "Jay hasss Tim. Tim knowss Jay here. Jay go home with Tim. I sstay with Dan."

Jake blinked hard, catching his breath and looking at Alexis. He could get past the tongue, the odd, snake-like eyes, the strange claw-like nails. Just knowing Alexis could understand him, and actually speak back was what mattered. He didn't feel quite so alone now. And the endearing kindness of trying to rid his face of those treacherous tears was enough to make him smile, though his skin twitched at the sudden slick, damp coolness. "No, you're not an idiot..." He muttered, and buried his face in the grass.

Something he said struck Jake. "Alexis... No, you're not staying here, you're crazy if you think that! And... Even if he does come back, what's to stop that freak from shooting Tim? God... It'll be all my fault... And he won't come for at least seven days... I told him so. Oh God I... I... might have..." He shuddered hard, looking up at Alexis. "Dan... he'll hurt Tim if Tim comes here... Oh God, I can't... I have to..." Call? And why would Dan let him call? He could call the police for all Dan would think. Or he could call someone else and tell them to call the cops. Tim would. If Jake said anything was wrong or he just up and left, Tim would absolutely know something was wrong. And then what? Dan would get... angry. He hadn't seen Dan angry yet, but he didn't want to. And he didn't want him to hurt Alexis, or kill Jake. It was a lose all around unless he and Alexis managed to find the right way out. The front door was too damn easy. And he had to give Alexis back his humanity. Somehow. "Alexis... Would you stay with me? I'm..." He bit his lip, coughed a bit. "I'm... afraid..." The admission was stark. Jake didn't want to say it. Didn't want to admit it.