ᴡᴏʀꜱʜɪᴘ ᴍᴇ (ᴇᴊ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

12: Blunt Force

        That night you hardly slept. Drifting in and out of sleep's sweet embrace, you spent the time staring at the ceiling or staring at Jack. He'd fallen asleep hours ago, meanwhile you were finding it impossible to stay still. Between tossing and turning, your mind was running circles in your head. Round and round, always backtracking to something that'd make you squirm with regret.

When morning finally came and the world was awake again, you felt like someone had superglued your eyes open. They felt dry and crusty with dark bags weighing them down. You didn't want to be awake, but seeing that the clock read 8:00AM you didn't exactly have a choice anymore.

A drawn-out sigh left you just as rustling to your right told you that Jack had woken up. He sat up and brushed his bed-head messy hair back with a hand, making his locks stick out only slightly less. His mask prevented you from seeing his expression, but nonetheless it looked like he'd gotten the rest he needed.

That morning had been plagued with a silence you read as neither tense nor peaceful. It was in some strange in-between that had both Jack and you not too keen on chatting. Jack had gone to get ready first, leaving you to your own devices until he came back. With not much else to do, you settled on eating a granola bar and mindlessly watching a morning soap opera. It might not have been the finest form of entertainment, but it was the first thing that popped up when you turned on the TV and you didn't feel like searching for something better.

After you got your turn in the bathroom, the two of you packed up your scarce belongings and set off back to your Nissan.

Now you sat here, in front of another soon-to-be-victim's house. This time his residence just happened to be within a suburban hellscape. Cookie-cutter homes lined both sides of the street with no end in sight. Driveways lay empty with quiet roads all around. It was a random Wednesday afternoon after all. Kids were stuck at school, adults were stuck at work, and you were stuck here. Sitting in your car for another stakeout.

The drive over hadn't been any more stimulating. Jack was quiet, and frankly you were too tired to even think about starting up some small talk. Not that you would have regardless. Jack tolerated you, but you didn't want to push any buttons. He no longer threatened you, didn't hurt you. At this point it seemed like he just expected you to cooperate, and for the most part, you did. What else could you do?

As much as you wanted to escape Jack, you didn't hate him. You didn't have any right to. As things were now, you didn't know what to feel about him. Jack was a man who wanted to get revenge. To strike down those who had wronged him. The committee. And you didn't blame him for that. Those cult leaders deserved what was coming to them, you just didn't want to play a part in it.

But you owed Jack. That was what was keeping you around, keeping you from running back into the shadows of the world. After everything you'd helped the committee do to Jack, at the very least you could help him find them. You couldn't, wouldn't, leave until he was at the final location. Until then you just had to endure, no matter what that meant.

✦★✦

The sun set hours later, day fading into night as the bright colors of the sunset were replaced by an inky black. Shadows grew across the land, streetlights turning on and people heading indoors. Soon only a few people lingered outside, leaving the streets quiet and empty.

"What time is it?" Jack spoke up.

You glanced from the sky to the digital clock. "7:39." That same seed of dread sprouted in your stomach as soon as you answered. His question meant it was almost time to head inside. You might be used to his presence and the idea of him getting his revenge, but you didn't think you'd ever get used to watching people die.