The Killer's Girl (Watty Awards 2013)

Chapter 47- Wide Awake

BEN's P.O.V.

I felt my eyes open slowly. God, did I feel pain. My head was killing me and so was my neck. Everything from my waist up was sore beyond all belief. Sitting up, I examined my surroundings. I was on my bed in my bedroom.

Everything came back to me. Iris, Jeff, Pinkamena, it all flooded through me. I'd sacrificed myself so that Iris wasn't killed. Looking around, everything was nice and tidy, just like how I'd left it. Everything smelled nice except for one thing. Me.

I went into my bathroom and looked into the mirror. My face looked tired, bags around my eyes, matted blonde hair, a frown. Yawning, I turned the shower on to let it warm up while I got undressed.

Slowly, I pulled my tunic off. My ribs were countable, as they always were. Oh, what I would do for muscles like Jeff or Masky. I guess I would always be the stick.

My leggings came off next, followed by my boxers. The shower appeared to be warm enough, so I stepped in. Hot water immediately hit me and I smiled. It had been a year since I'd taken a hot shower.

I poured some shampoo into my hand and lathered it into my scalp. While the shampoo rinsed out of my hair, I began to soap down my entire body. Every bit of this felt calm and relaxing. It almost helped me escape the reality I had to face the next time I saw Iris and Jeff.

Stepping out, I grabbed a towel off the rack by my shower and wrapped it around my body. Now, I smelled better, but I still felt bad. I heard a purring noise. Looking down, Grinny was rubbing himself up against my legs. My little kitten. I knelt down and scratched the top of his head. I smiled a small smile.

Standing, I walked back into my bedroom. Dropping the towel, I began to search through my dresser and threw on a pair of boxers, jeans, a white shirt, and a greens hoodie to go over it. I put my hat and shoes one and walked into my kitchen.

After quickly eating an eggo waffle, I walked out front. The air felt good, as I hadn't felt it in a while. The breeze hit my face with a cold whip that felt like heaven. I'd always liked cool weather.

Hands in pockets, I walked down the broken and cracked streets. The quiet solemnity of the area.

As I approached Iris and Jeff's house, I heard their laughter. I smiled at the sound of Iris's laughter, and continued walking.

That's when I saw what was making them laugh. Two little girls sat on Jeff's lap. They both strongly resembled Iris and Jeff. One had brown hair, while the other had silver hair.

I almost turned around and ran home, where I could wallow in self pity. Then, I wouldn't have to face reality. However, I didn't. I stood solid and stared at them. It was time to stop feeling bad for myself. It was time to grow up and act like a man. A shy, quiet man, but a man nonetheless.

Taking a breath, I opened my mouth. "Hi Jeff and Iris." My voice was small, but I managed to get their attention. Jeff glared at me for a minute, then waved slowly. Iris stared at me for a minute. "Hey, BEN... You woke up?" I nodded. "About fucking time, too! We wanted you to meet Jazz and Opal, our baby daughters." I laughed. "Opal and Jazz? ... Original names." Those were the weirdest names. But, hey, it was Iris and Jeff. A serial killer and a girl with really bad anger issues. What should I expect?

I began to walk away when Iris cleared her throat. "Would you like to stay here with us and hang out for the day? You can hold the girls, if you'd like." I stared at my feet for a minute. "I... I guess." I sat by them.

I wasn't over Iris, necessarily, a part of me still desired for her love, but I had finally reached what I had needed to for a long time. Finally, I'd realized that she loved Jeff, and I was just going to have to accept it.