ᴡᴏʀꜱʜɪᴘ ᴍᴇ (ᴇᴊ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

2: Reanimate

        I don't think Jack died.

You reread the words on your screen again and again trying to process this information. Carson had to be messing with you. It had to be some sort of sick joke.

You typed back with furrowed brows, Don't joke about that.

I'm not. You need to listen to me. Three of us are already dead, and I think it's him

Your hands started to shake, your mind running in circles. Three dead?

There was no way he could still be alive. They hadn't ever found his body, but it wasn't possible he wandered into the woods at night sightless and came out alive. He had to have died. There were a lot of theories you'd seen about what happened to him, none of them being good. You didn't like to read about him though.

Every time you thought about it your heart clenched and your throat closed up. It wasn't something you wanted to think let alone talk about. However, Carson was just as stuck in the past as you. He wouldn't leave any of the survivors alone. He checked in on everyone even if they hated it. Out of anyone who had gotten away he'd stayed the longest and seen the most. He told everyone Jack had turned into some sort of creature. Even a demon. Hardly anyone believed him, but it still struck a chord whenever he brought it up.

You hated his theories the most. Jack was a victim, he hadn't turned into anything. You didn't know how he killed so many people after the ritual, but you weren't about to let anyone talk about him as if he were a monster.

But now three survivors were dead and you had to admit that didn't sound like a coincidence.

How did they die? You messaged back, tightly gripping the phone.

His response was immediate. Like the others. They were gutted

Your mouth was dry. You felt cold. The rain pelting the car no longer felt so comforting. It couldn't be him, it had to be someone else. A vigilante maybe or even a copycat, but it couldn't be Jack.

You went to close the tab when Carson added, I know you don't believe me, but whether it's him or not someone is after us. Be careful, please

Swallowing back tears you forced yourself to type a short, You too.

You shoved your phone back in your pocket before pressing your hands over your ears and clenching your eyes shut. Your breathing was heavy and your heart was loud in your chest. Who was doing this, and why now? You wanted more details, but at the same time you just wanted to forget what you'd been told. It was too much. Someone hunting you all? It sounded like a horror movie. You just wanted to escape everything, that's why you'd moved so far away. Whoever was doing this had to know how to find people though, and you doubted your little address switch would do much.

For all you knew they were on their way now. Your heart skipped a beat as you sucked in a deep breath of air. You needed to cool down. Panicking wouldn't do anything. It wouldn't protect you, it wouldn't save you, it just made you overthink and nothing good ever came from that.

You cracked open your eyes and let your hands slowly fall away from your ears. Your gaze rose to the gray sky that hung over the roof of the apartments. Leaves swirled in the wind, plucked from leaning trees that fought its push. The rain wasn't getting any lighter, and the sky's growls became more frequent. Your heartbeat slowed as your eyes settled on the towering clouds.

With a long exhale you pulled the car handle and let yourself out. Rain pummeled the top of your head and your shoulders. You didn't mind. With how loud the rain was it drowned out any other noise. It was nice.