Cursed Smile: Laughing Jack x Reader | C O M P L E T E D

Chapter 9

"Hello? Is this (Y/N)?" The officer's voice echoed through my ears and I immediately raised an eyebrow. "Yes, is this you Officer Stan?", I asked. "Why yes, I'm sorry for calling all of a sudden, but... Would you do me the favor of meeting up for a cup of coffee? It's strictly professional, I just have a few question about the killer."

Silence filled my car and I blankly stared out at the parking lot. My eyes were wide open and Jack's face suddenly appeared in my mind, along with the little boy I saved from before. "S..Sure.. What Café exactly..?", I asked as I gripped the steering wheel. I stared down and slowly turned the key in the ignition and felt my engine rev up.

The officer told me the location and I reluctantly began driving after hanging up. My thoughts began swirling all over the place and I could feel my hands begin to sweat. I couldn't handle situations like this. I was already a bad liar and to lie in front of a cop was already a serious offense.

I soon found the Café the officer had requested and I slowly pulled up into a parking space. Jack's face kept appearing in my head and then my thoughts turned to last time I was with him. That horrid laughter that echoed in my ears filled me with guilt and dread and I felt that if I screwed this up... He'd either kill me—well want to kill me more—or I'd die from the guilt.

I stepped into the Café and timidly looked around for the officer. Eventually he raised his hand and I made my way towards him.

"Hi again (Y/N)! Sorry again for calling out of no where..", the officer said with a warm smile and I almost hesitated to shake his hand. I quickly smiled again and sat down with caution. "N..No it's fine... What did you want to ask of me again?" The officer handed me a cup of coffee and shook his head.

"Here, drink this. Let's not make this feel like an interrogation again." I nodded my head and almost choked back on the sizzling liquid. I covered my mouth and mentally cursed at my relentless nerves. "O..Okay." The officer nodded his head and kept his smile in place.

"How you've been? Are your parents still visiting?", he asked casually and I took a shaky breath and smiled back. "Yeah! They're uh staying for the rest of the week. Just a few more days." I rested the coffee on the table and tried to avoid making eye contact.

"That's great! I didn't get the chance to meet them, but they look like wonderful parents. Speaking of which, are they still worried about this whole ordeal?", the officer asked as he bit down on a sugar cookie. "A little. I'm not sure but they seem fine." I gazed down at the sweets and my mind suddenly wondered to Jack.

I hadn't noticed that I stopped fidgeting or that I wasn't paying attention anymore. I wonder if I make him cookies he'll forgive me...

"(Y/N)?" The officer's voice stunned me and I immediately jerked up to stare at him wryly. "S..Sorry", I said with an apologetic smile and sparked confusion in the officer. He soon straightened himself up and changed his expression.

"Maybe I should get to the point. Miss (L/N), I need to ask you something important." My nerves returned and I began to grip the coffee in my hands as I nodded my head sternly. "How much aren't you telling me? About the killer that is."

My heart suddenly stopped and my eyes widened in shock. "What?" The officer furrowed his eyebrows and his demeanor abruptly changed. He leaned in a little closer and stared straight into my eyes.

"Is he human?", he asked.

My breath hitched in my throat and I felt my lips quivering. "Human? I don't understand." I gazed down at the table and began to fiddle with my thumbs. The officer sat up straight again and reached out for something under the table.

He placed a series of pictures on the table and the images sent a striking pain in my chest. Pictures of deceased children were in each photograph, laying on the floor or pinned to a wall with a series of grotesque wounds. Blood was smeared all over them and their organs hung from their abdomen.

I covered my mouth and clenched my other hand from shaking. "These wounds weren't caused by knifes or any other weapon we could think of. Unless this killer owns a dog and has trained him to specifically shred the bodies of children, then maybe we'd consider him as human. But we doubt it." I closed my eyes and sobbed quietly in my seat as the children's terrified faces flashed in my head. I saw handfuls of colorful candy stashed inside the rotting flesh of the children and the sight alone made me avert my tearful eyes.

"You're the only one of his victims that has seen him face-to-face and lived. Now that I've shown you these images, I hope you have a clear image of what this killer is really like and what he'll continue to do if we don't catch him. (Y/N), we need you. We need you to tell us everything you know."

I slowly opened my eyes and gazed once again at the pictures in front of me. The little boy's face flashed in my head and his terrified expression that time I saved him. I briefly remembered him begging Jack to let him live and the thought of it made me angry.

But then... Jack's face appeared in my head. No, more like the image of him on his knees, his claws over his face, his sickening laugh echoing through my room. The way he lost control. All because of me.

"I'm sorry... But I don't know anything." I slammed my hands against the table and jerked out of my seat. "If you want to catch him, then look for someone else because I won't be much use to you anyway." I hissed at the officer and moved to get out of my seat, but as I roughly grabbed my purse, something fell out.

The officer and I stared at the object and I felt my blood run cold. "Laughing Jack..?", the officer mumbled under his breath and stared at me with a frown. "This box... Jamie's parents gave it to you... Right before they died, right before he killed them. An odd coincidence, don't you think?" I stared back at the officer and returned his frown as I snatched the box and stuffed it in my purse. "No, not really", I replied and turned around to walk out of the Café.

The officer raced after me but I continued to run toward my car, ignoring the angry cries from the officer.

"Who is Laughing Jack, (Y/N)?! Huh?! Who is he?!"

I started my engine and drove off the parking lot. I stubbornly kept my eyes from staring at the police officer in my review mirror and rode home with my hands gripping the steering wheel.

Why I had protected a supernatural child killer, I had no idea.

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