Chapter Eight: Those Hell Eyes Bring Comfort Now

Main Owl: With the... old sheriff out of the way, there's nothing to stop the mayor of this town from going along with his plans with this town. As the townspeople have already accepted the fate of abandoning this once great town they once called home. There are still the few who refuse to give up, even when it all seems hopeless.

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Beans: We already looked there, but maybe if we continue going west then maybe we can find something.

Y/n: Hey what's that right there?

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You point to a certain section on the old map of the town and outside of town.

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Beans: Oh that's an old mining shaft.

Y/n: How about we checked there and see if we can spot something useful down there? I hear of an underground water well or something else.

Beans: It's been closed for over twenty years. There ain't nothing there anymore.

Mrs. Belle: It used to be where my father used to work with my uncles. Gold and other rocks that the town needed. (Smiles) Those were the times.

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Mrs. Belle leans back in her rocking chair, closing her eyes as she remembers the good memories of her father when she was young. You and Beans go back to reading the map on the coffee table to see if there could be any source to look for water. You don't know what state you're in, but you do know that this town is far from the ocean or lake.

But in your mind, you already made a plan to check out the old mine shaft to see if there're any clues or something useful to help you guys find some water.

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...Sometime Later That Day...

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Main Owl: Traveling alone in the desert, but not too far from town. Our heroic rabbit takes a journey on her own to the abandoned. Not aware of exactly why it was abandoned a long time ago and why no one ever steps foot into the mines. It is unfortunate that she will learn that very quickly.

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You had to lie to Mrs. Belle about where you were going since you didn't want her to worry for you about going to the mines. Good thing she said she was going to go take a nap, so you have time to come in and out of the mines and back home without her thinking that you went somewhere far.

Standing in front of the entrance of the mines, you don't see anything or anyone else out here. It's too bad you don't have a flashlight or something to help light your way in. But as you enter the mine, you see an old helmet with a light attached to it. Picking the helmet up, you hit the light with your fist, and it turns on.

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Y/n: Sweet.

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You put on the helmet and make your way down the mine. Nothing but rocks and some rope to be found so far. Mrs. Belle said there was gold down here, so maybe you could bring home some gold, and maybe she knows of the melt it and turn it into jewelry.

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Y/n: Come on, there's got to be something. Anything. A map, a shovel maybe. Hell, maybe even a gemstone.

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Then you see what looks like a wooden elevator shaft to go further down the mine. Assuming the workers back then used this to go down to work. You enter the wooden elevator and hit the red button before it descends you down.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Y/n!

Y/n: Jake?

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You're already about twenty feet below when you look up to see Rattlesnake Jake staring down at you. Looking down at you, he seems worried that you're there.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Get out of there!

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Just as he was about to grab the rope to pull you up, the rope snapped. You let out a scream the moment the rope snapped and you feel the weight of the elevator going down faster. Jake tries to grab the other end of the rope with his tail but he was an inch too late to reach the rope.

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Y/n: JAKE!!!

Rattlesnake Jake: Y/N!!!

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It doesn't take him another second to jump down the hole after you. You keep a tight hold of the edge of the wooden railing, and when you look up again, this time you see Jake also falling down the hole with you. Did he really jump in after you?

Even in this situation, the sight of his eyes brings comfort. There's nothing like them; they're so soft and genuine. Those same eyes you once feared... are the eyes you could look into and feel good. He didn't have to jump in to get you, he could have just left and not cared about what happened to you. Does it mean he?...

The sound of wood crashing against the ground can be heard even from outside the mine. There's nothing... next thing you know, it feels as if your body is getting colder and your vision is getting blurry. You close your eyes, possibly accepting your fate; thinking that it's too late for you.

The second you shut your eyes and faint, Jake hits the ground, but it doesn't really have an effect on him as it did on you. Shaking his head to remove the dust and dirt away from his eyes, he sees you lying on the ground unconscious. A small gasp escapes from his mouth as he slithers over to you.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Y/n! Y/n! Wake up!

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He coils himself around you and looks up from where you two fell before looking at the only way to go now, which is down the hall of the mine. Keeping you in a tight hold, he lifts you off the ground and slithers down the mine. He doesn't know where he's going. All he knows is that he needs to get you out of here.

He continues down the hallway of the mine. Every minute or so, he looks over to you to see if you've awakened, but you haven't. He stops after entering what seems to be a large scene filled with ladders, an old crane, a bulldozer, and a bunch of other old tools. He gently places you down on the ground and circles himself around you.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Y/n?

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Leaning his head to you, he uses the tip of his nose to take a gentle push against your head. Forking the tip of his tongue towards you, his tongue only graces your cheek. He was beginning to think the worst until he hears a quiet noise escape your lips.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Y/n?

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He shoves your head again, and that's when you finally open your eyes. The first thing you see is Jake. Being above you so very close that you could see every detail on his scales. Even the black mark beneath his nose makes it look like a mustache. Funny, you've seen him a few times and you're just noticing that.

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Y/n: Jake? (You sit up) What happened?

Rattlesnake Jake: You got knocked out. I carried you over here since there's no way to go back up the hole.

Y/n: Oh...

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It's not too dark for him to notice you start to get teary-eyed. You feel scared... worried... you start thinking the worst of not being able to get out of here.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Are you hurt anywhere? Why the tears little bunny?

Y/n: What if we're stuck here?... W-What if we never get out...

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Using the side of each of your fingers to gently wipe your eyes. He can feel your body slightly shaking in fear and distraught.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Hey, hey don't cry. We gonna get out of here.

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He brings you closer to him by wrapping himself around you. It is comforting, but you can't help but shed a few tears. Some even run down your cheeks.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Look at me Y/n.

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He uses his body to lift your chin to have you look at him. He doesn't want to see you cry, and he knows you're scared. The best he can do right now is this.

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Rattlesnake Jake: We're getting out of here, I promise. I'm here with you, you got nothing to be scared of.

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You can only stare into his eyes. Those same red hellish eyes are now calm and bring comfort again. You reach your hand to him and touch the side of his head where his cheek would be before bringing yourself closer and giving him a hug. His eyes widened, but his hold on you becomes more secure as he held you tighter to help calm you down. He closes his eyes, accepting your hug.

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Y/n: (Sniff) Thank you Jake.

Rattlesnake Jake: ...You're welcome.

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You two stay together like this for a little while before he loosens himself around you, letting you free to stand up. There's another hallway just straight down. Looks like that's your only way to go.

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Rattlesnake Jake: Can you walk?

Y/n: Y-Yeah, I think so.

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Staying close to his side, you two go down the hall of the mine. You feel a lot better now, and a bit more confident that you two will get out of here. Won't this be a funny story to tell Beans. Wait a minute... she doesn't even know you've been talking to him. She still believes he's a deadly and heartless predator. Well... he is, but if you don't get on his bad side and be honest, then he'll be okay with anyone. Be honest, don't lie, and don't purposely piss him off. Those are the pretty good basics of friendship.

But how will Beans and Mrs. Belle feel that you've been talking to him and got stuck together like this down the mines? You don't think you could tell Mrs. Belle about him. She'll have a heart attack if she knew you've been around Jake. And Beans... you feel like she wouldn't understand that Jake wouldn't hurt you. There's been so many opportunities including now when you passed out, that he could have eaten you, but he didn't. He even went as far as to jump in after you and made a promise to you that you guys will get out of here.

You glance up at him, seeing him look straight ahead for a possible exit. It's funny how you went from being completely terrified of him to now befriending him. Of course, you keep in mind that he's still a predator and your prey, but you really feel like you can trust him. And then again, there's just something else about him that you like. You can't put your finger on it yet but... He then looks down at you after noticing you staring at him.

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Rattlesnake Jack: You alright?

Y/n: O-Oh uh, yeah. (Smile) I'm okay.

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He then wraps his tail around your body before lifting you off the ground and onto his upper body near his head, giving you a pretty high view.

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Rattlesnake Jack: Why don't you stay there for now.

Y/n: O-Okay. (Smile) Thanks.

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With you on his back, he continues slithering down the hall of the mines. There has to be an emergency exit or something in case something happened to the workers if something like that ever happened. You just hope you make it back home soon.