Broken [In Revision 2023]

Chapter 18 - The Truth

A thick silence enveloped them for a moment, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on them both. They couldn't look at each other. Caleb wanted to disappear, but knowing it wouldn't solve the problem only made his guilt worse.

"I'm Jake," he said uncomfortably, "I'm not sure how much you were able to pick up on in your other form." The statement caused a handful of questions to bloom in his head."Can you think like a human when you...you know... that thing... what do you call it?" Jake gestured, unable to find the correct words within his brain fog.

The question took Caleb by surprise, it wasn't one that he had been expecting to be asked. He didn't have an answer on the top of his head. "Shifting? Not really, there is a limit to human reasoning while in my other form. But I guess that other horses would soon realise something was up if I used human reasoning, they don't hold grudges."

"True." Jake's arm throbbed painfully, he pinned it against his chest to try and keep it elevated. It was starting to make him feel sick. "Maddy gave me your warning. I'm choosing to stay. This is my home, I'll defend it if I have to."

"Well that's stupid," said Caleb bluntly, "I've given you a headstart, you need to run."

"This place means more to me than my life, you can trust me on that." He watched Caleb scrunch his face up at the word 'trust', as though he had been forced to swallow a mouthful of something vile."You don't like that word?"

Caleb narrowed his eyes."I have my reasons." He emphasised the words in the hope of calling the uncomfortable conversation to a close.

Jake reacted without thinking, "I'm sure you think you do." He stared blankly for a moment, as his words circled in his head. They were an echo of something Maddy had yelled at him repeatedly over the past two years although he was usually too far gone to take note. The realisation came like a kick in the guts. He felt awful, he had failed as an uncle.

"You know nothing about me," Caleb yelled, not caring that he startled the horses.

Caleb's retort was too similar to his own, Jake could hear the pain in it, a pain you can only understand if you have experienced it for yourself. "I want to," Jake said calmly, pushing his own emotions aside, "you don't need to fight me too."

It was too much for Caleb, he turned his back to Jake. "Why are you so interested? What's in it for you?"

Jake shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, unable to let his gaze linger on Caleb's broad back and bare buttocks. He didn't care about the threat of the monsters over the hill, he was happy to give them as many lead injections as necessary to make them see the point.

"I need a friend." Jake coughed and dropped his eyes to his feet, he noticed a globule of mud on his boot and set about causally scraping it off on the concrete floor. "It's not fair on Maddy to be my only human contact."

"Lies," Caleb spat, "You need food and Dezi needs her meds, so you must have contact outside of here."

Jake nodded in agreement, "Sure, I leave the ranch on occasion. But I've been blackballed for the past two years. They all stand and stare, and if they know something is for me the price magically doubles for some reason." His vision starts to blur as his temper rises, he tries to take a couple of steadying breaths, but it makes no difference.

Caleb's face softened, his furrowed brow ironing out into a look of concern. "Why?"

"This was my mother's ranch, she was a top barrel racer in her day, a local legend. They think I stole the land from under her feet. Truth is she left when my ex-wife walked out because she couldn't stomach to look at me." Jake shook his head, "Between them, they took everything that wasn't fixed down, leaving me with empty buildings and her broken down old mare who refused to leave."

It felt good to vent with a sober mind. Jake relished the release, but his body was worn out. He didn't see the young man move, but he soon found strong arms supporting him. They lowered him gently to the ground. He smiled softly as his head fell in the crook of Caleb's neck, even as a human he carried a delicate trace of equine scent.

Jake awoke sometime later in his bed with no recollection as to how he had got there. His head swam as he tried to sit up. Setting his head back on the pillow he searched the room for answers. The usual mess of clothes on the floor had been disturbed, not as it would in his usual futile search for clean shirts or non-ripped jeans, this was someone else's doing.

Caleb appeared in the doorway. He had squeezed into a pair of Jake's jeans and had managed to scavenge an old t-shirt from a long forgotten pile of laundry in the bathroom. It clung to his body in a way that made him feel self-conscious, he kept trying to pull it loose but it had other ideas.

"I'm sorry," said Caleb brushing a lock of curly blond hair from his eyes, "I shouldn't have..."

"I'm fine," Jake pulled another pillow under his head to prop himself up. "I see you managed to find some clothes," he smiled.

"It was a bit of a challenge, you really should do some laundry." Caleb laughed for the first time in years. In that fleeting moment, he forgot about his family's threat. He was genuinely happy, he had a friend.

As the laughter subsided Caleb found the confidence to go and sit on Jake's bed. "How long have you been on your own?"

"Almost two years, but the loneliness has been there for a lot longer." Jake moved his legs to give Caleb more room. "I was addicted to my job, forever out all hours with the horses. She was all over anyone who could make her smile." He sighed and looked longingly towards the collection of photos laying face down on his bookcase. "I'm just glad we never had children, losing the horses was painful enough."

"They're still part of the family, even if they are a different species," said Caleb.

Jake couldn't help but laugh, Caleb eventually realised his words and started laughing too. "Strange though, sometimes, how our closest family are the ones who jump ship first. I'm still trying to understand how she went from doting mother to hate-filled dragon overnight."

"I completely understand, my mother practically sentenced me to death." The humour had left his voice, replaced by a cadence that chilled the room.

"When you say things like that I sound like a spoilt child, but I get it, your family run by different rules." Jake fought a yawn and lost.

"I'm starting to wonder if there are any rules." Caleb stared at a light patch of paint on the wall where something used to hang.

"Don't tell humans, I'm pretty sure that's a big one they still follow," Jake gave Caleb a nudge with his foot and chuckled.

"I'm going to let you get some rest, I think you need it," said Caleb standing up.

"Is my humour that bad?" Jake feigned a hurt look.

"No."

"It's alright, I'm just messing with you. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the refrigerator that looks edible, there's always coffee in the pot, the TV's busted but there are plenty of books to read." Jake made himself comfortable.

"I'm sure I can find something to do," said Caleb with a reassuring smile.

"Go careful outside, there's a storm about to blow through."

"Been and gone." Caleb lent on the door frame. "You slept right through it."

"Damn." He scratched his head for a moment, trying to remember what else he needed to say. "There is a pistol in the kitchen bread bin, and a rifle in the cabinet, should it prove necessary. You know how to use a gun, right?"

"I won't need one, I've got the strength of a horse should it come to combat." Caleb fidgeted, not comfortable with the fact he still hadn't regained enough strength to shift.

"A good aim with a decent gun makes hand-to-hand combat unnecessary." Jake lost his battle with another yawn. His eyes were getting heavy again and his brain longed for sleep.   

"But if you shoot the messenger then the peace treaty can never be signed." Caleb left Jake to his thoughts and closed the bedroom door.