Human Again (A Jeff the Killer story)

18. Answers

Emilie's pov

I've been in the room, waiting for Jeff's footsteps to disappear. When I'm sure that he's totally gone, I step out of the room. I don't have anymore idea of escaping now, mostly because I need to drink so badly. My throat burns each time I try to speak, and it hurts like hell, even more than the pain in my stomach. Strangely, this injury is not that bad. I'm sure Anders has injected me a strong pain killer, and I don't want to know what it was.

Slowly, I leave the corridor. No need to attract someone here once again. I head to the stairs and go down the hall, which is quite big. The walls are white again, but clean this time. There are two brown sofas, a tv, and I can see a door which leads to what seems to be the kitchen. Without thinking, I head to that door. Unlike the hall, it's a small room, with only the necessary. I quickly grab a glass in the first wardrobe I've found, and pour me some tap water. I drink it all in once. I pour some more, one, two times. When I'm satisfied, I clean the glass and look at the window. I didn't notice the window when I entered the kitchen, but it's pretty big. In a hope, I try to open it, but of course it's locked. They are not that stupid.

I can see a big garden, and woods which encircle the house, or the manor, I don't even know. It seems like I'm far from the city, in the deep country, and I hate that sensation of being nowhere.
I can't stand being here, I need to leave as soon as possible.

"Do you like the view?"

I rapidly turn around, surprised. Anders is standing at the kitchen door, with a smirk on his face.

"It would have been more pleasant if I wasn't trapped here." I reply more harshly than I wanted, I'm not in the mood for games.

"Well, too bad you take it like that. It's just a matter of time. You won't stay here forever, so be happy. I don't want you here longer than necessary as well." He states, before leaving the room.

I don't know why but I have this impression that I can't trust him on that point. When will I be able to leave? If I'm able to leave, of course.
I will have to wait for the time that my injury is healed before trying to run away again. I normally have no chance against Jeff, but if I'm injured it's not worth to risk my life.

I quickly chase after Anders when I hear my stomach gurgles. I find him only a few centimeters away from the door.

"Hum...May I ask you something, sir? I'd like to know if I can eat, and..."

"Of course. You're my guest, feel free to do what you want here. And you can call me Anders. By the way, I'm sure you know that escaping is only putting you in danger, but I'm warning you again. And pay attention. There are other people here sometimes." He replies before leaving me here.

He's still scary physically, and I'll always remember how he referred me as a toy when I met him at the bar. But he's not that bad when I talk to him. He looks like a killer, but he talks like a polite man. That's... Surprising.

I take my time to eat a sandwich in the kitchen, before visiting the manor. It seems like it's one, as there are more than two stairs. In each stair, there are only bedrooms and bathrooms. It looks like a hotel, a creepy and empty hotel.

More than an hour has passed when I finally go back to the hall to watch some tv. Of course...it doesn't work. I should have guessed. I have no way to communicate with my family and Peter, and no way to entertain myself.
Bored, I decide to go back to "my room". Strangely, the door is not broken anymore. Maybe Jeff has come back to fix it? I'd have to thank him.
Wait what? I won't thank him, he's the one who put me in hell. He's the monster. I feel like I've lost my mind, I need to sleep to regain my intelligence right now.

When I enter my room, Jeff is sited on my bed, looking at an invisible point in front of him. Deep in his thoughts, he doesn't see or even hear me enter. I take that time to analyze him and think about his appearance. That's one of the rare time when he doesn't move, and I'm taking my chance to look at him. How could he become like....this?
It seems like he has been burnt alive. And his smile...his carved smile. How could someone do that to somebody? Or did he do that to himself? He's so insane, I wouldn't even be surprised. But how could he? Has he always been like...this?

I am taken out of my thought when I hear him chuckle. Good, I'm the one who lost track of reality now.
I look at him, asking him with my stare what he's doing here.

"I'm just...bored." He simply replies like a child, looking down.

This situation has already happened before in my student residence. Does he really think I'm his entertainment?

"Well, too bad for you." I retort, being sarcastic.

"Do you want to play a game?" He asks seriously, an evil grin on his face.

"We're already playing a game, Jeff. Don't you remember?"

I will never forget that deal we made. He's supposed to show me his world, and in return I'm supposed to show him mine. It's like I'm already losing, I didn't show him anything, whereas I'm trapped with him.

"That's not a game. You're going to lose anyway." He replies while shrugging his shoulders, "There's no escape in that."

"That's not true, you'll see. When I'll be able to leave this place, I'll start my part of the game."

He laughs at my sentence, making fun of me. But I'm the one who's making fun of him. I will never do my part of the deal. When I'll leave this place, I'll never see him again. I'll leave him for good, even if I have to leave the country, leave the continent. I don't care at this point, my life isn't here after all.

"I'm eager to see that." He says before smiling, obviously enjoying it.

A strange silence falls upon us after that. I don't really want to talk to him, I'm just waiting for him to leave me in peace. But he doesn't seem to care. Now he's starring at the wall, deep in his thoughts again. I will never understand him, and I don't particularly want to. Well, maybe a little. I'd like to know how he has become like...that. How he has become the cold killer he is.
Suddenly, I remember about his victims, the family, the cinema, the people, Luke...

"Did you kill them?" The words escaped my lips before I could stop them. Jeff quickly turns to me, and looks at me like he doesn't understand me. Has he already forgotten about the cinema? I'm sure it's nothing to him, he does that every single day.

When he still doesn't get it, I add "The people in the cinema, did you kill them?"

He still stares at me while answering slowly, "I murdered some."

Some? Is that a correct answer to my damn question?

"Luke...did you kill Luke? And Peter?" I ask him rapidly. I need to know so bad. Please, please tell me you didn't kill them.

"The boy? No, he ran away quickly when I was busy with you," he replies with anger and disappointment, "and Peter...You're talking about your boyfriend right? No, I didn't see him after he ran away. Too bad, it'd have been so fun to cut his cheeks and rip out his-"

What a relief! He didn't kill them. Well he may had murdered some people, but not them. I know I'm certainly egoist to think that, but we all are.

"You're not even listening to me..." He states, not in anger but in a fun tone. He's true, I haven't payed attention to what he was saying at all. I turn to him and do the biggest smile I could ever do.

"Thanks, Jeff."

Strangely, he just stops moving and stares at me with wide eyes, like it was the first time someone thanked him in his life.

And I don't know why, but I feel like it was from that exact moment, that everything has changed in my life.