Chains Eyelessjack X Reader

Chapter 14

        I frowned as I watched him. I assumed he'd hurt it when he punched the wall or whatever. Why had he done that? It wasn't just because he'd had a bad night, that horrible wailing afterwards indicated something more. Again my earlier suspicion came to mind, but the theory still felt pretty outrageous. And yet...

{Jack's POV}

        Sewing new patches onto the dummy was taking a bit longer than it should thanks to his bruised hand. Bending his hand to grip the tiny needle created a dull pain, and he gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore it. He should have been done with twice as much by now, this was just getting more frustrating by the second. He uttered a small curse as he pricked his finger, sucking in a sharp breath.

        It was at that point he noticed that [Name] was staring at him.

        Frowning, he tilted his head and mumbled, "What?"

        "Nothing," she quickly replied. Pausing, she added, "Want to take a break?" Jack didn't respond, but instead just sighed and shrugged. It wasn't like he was getting much done anyway, he could use the time to cool off. He pushed the dummy off his lap and opened the backpack, removing a water bottle and tossing it to her. As she unscrewed the cap and took a grateful sip he watched silently, just... thinking.

        Jack wasn't sure why he'd brought [Name] along. It wasn't like he needed her help. Sure, he was having trouble, but he would have gotten it done eventually. He could have easily left her alone, but today he didn't feel like it. Last night he'd forgotten to take off her shackle, and he didn't want to make her wear it anymore than necessary, nor did he feel like locking her in her room. Except those shouldn't matter. Sure, he cared about her physical well-being, but she was just a pet to him, a plaything to toy with mentally.

        Maybe he just didn't want to be alone.

        After going to bed he'd been plagued all night by dreams of his captivity. Whenever he drifted off he dreamed he was back in that basement, completely immobile while that man's demonic cackling filled his ears. Panic and desperation filled him each time, emotions which were alien to the inhuman being. Yes, he created them in his victims, but he himself hadn't experienced those feelings in years. No matter what he did he never seemed able to wake up, and when he did he'd just cry softly before falling asleep again. Hearing the chains rattle when [Name] knocked on his door that morning hadn't helped, making him think for a brief, terrifying moment that Buddy had returned.

        Speaking of the chain... Jack cast a discreet guilty glance at [Name]'s ankle. Right now, he felt he was no better than his own captor. Sure, he gave her considerably more freedom than Buddy had given him, but that still wasn't much to talk about. Yesterday was the first time he'd become aware of the potential long term effects. While he'd lost circulation in his arms from being suspended above his head for so long, he'd still had his sleeves to protect his skin from the metal.

        A bit of guilt filled him as he thought about it. Sighing, he reached into the bag and pulled out the remains of the lung. He hadn't been too hungry last night so there was still a quarter of it left. Absently he lifted his mask a little and raised it to his mouth only to stop as he heard a small squeak. [Name] was staring at him wide-eyed, her face pale. Oh, right. Humans didn't like watching people eat lungs. Jack rose and circled a large tree so he was out of her sight, leaning against the trunk as he took a large bite. Not like she'd try to run away just because he couldn't see her. At this point she feared him enough to not do something stupid like that.

        As he quietly finished off the lung and licked his fingers a scent suddenly caught his nose and he tensed, snapping his head to the side. That smell... Was it...?

        Jack glanced around the trunk of the tree. [Name] was still sitting on the stump, drinking from the bottle. "[Name]," he said, and the girl gave a start, drops of water falling from the bottle and onto her lap, as she snapped her head to look at him.

        "Y-yeah?"

        "Stay here. Don't go anywhere. Got it?" Gulping, she nodded.

        "Um, yeah... Okay..." Satisfied, Jack turned and followed the scent. The closer he got the stronger it grew, and after a few minutes he came to a stop. Ducking behind a tree, he lifted his mask as he cautiously peered around the corner. A figure was sprawled on the ground, moaning softly with his leg mangled and bloody. A quick appraisal of the scene made it obvious that the man was most likely a camper and had been in that spot for quite a while, probably the result of a bad fall from the tree.

        Smirking, Jack lowered his mask and stepped into the clearing, deliberately stepping on a twig. The man's head snapped to the side, staring at him with wide eyes. A smile graced Jack's lips as he fingered the scalpel hidden in his pocket, his smirk hidden by his mask.

        Looks like he wouldn't be going hungry after all.