Black and Blue

13 - I Try to Avoid Some Feelings

I heard something fizz on my hand as I filled up a glass with water, looking to see the same smoke that had poured out of Jack's body when he last came to my house like this. It stuck to my hand like syrup, and as drops of water spilled over the glass's rim, it bubbled and fizzed out, falling down the drain before I could get a better look at it.

The water just...dissolves it? I furrowed my eyebrows, tiredness making way for a sick, bitter feeling. Where was that when I was trying to scrub that disgusting tar off of my walls?! Does it only work when it's still smoke?

Jack dug his nails into the tiled floor, as if to keep himself from being dragged away again. I took one last glance at the cup of water in my hand and made my way back to him, lifting his chin to look him in the eyes; his mask had fallen off somewhere in the brief panic.

"Okay, buddy, you're going to have to work with me here. I've got some water—you can drink that, right? It works with your weird, cannibalistic diet?"

He didn't move, but the corners of his mouth turned upward to form a weak, thin smile, and I took that as a yes.

"I'm going to give you this, then we can head upstairs and fix you up. Sound like a good idea?"

He nodded lazily, his mouth falling open by about an inch. The second the water touched his lips, I heard a loud hiss in the air as he coughed and sputtered. His skin suddenly looked torn up, blistered and burnt...

"Shit!" I wiped the remainder of the liquid off his face and set the glass down. Right. Demon. "Oh, my god. I'm sorry, are you—"

Jack started laughing, hard. "Y-you just...you just burned me! Did I scare you?"

How is that a joke to you?!

I narrowed my eyes. "Okay. We're getting you upstairs. Can you at least help me with that?"

"But did I scare you?"

"Yes! A lot, now come on." I hoisted him up by the arms, figuring anything that got dislocated could be dealt with later. He was surprisingly light, even more so than last time...

Blood loss, I found myself thinking against my every wish. I hastily shook my head. No, no, it doesn't work like that. Does it? Stop, that doesn't matter!

I practically heaved him up each step while he stayed limp in my arms, nowhere near as enthusiastic as he'd been seconds before. He grumbled a few incomprehensible things under his breath, claws on the verge of piercing my sweater sleeve. All I was able to catch was, "Where is it...where is it..."

I decided against the makeshift operating table this time, dragging him into my room and laying him down on a cleared-off section of the floor. I knew I would regret taking all this blood and tar and god-knows-what-else into the space where I slept, on purpose to boot. Jack wheezed and yelled when I left the room to wash my hands and put gloves on, and I saw a shaky hand grab at thin air from my doorway when I returned with supplies. His eyelids widened with desperation as I walked back in.

"Where did...hey!" Each of his breaths were cracked and hoarse, like he was forcing down phlegm. "Please. Where's my mask, I-I need it, it's blue and—"

"Jeez, hold on! I don't know, it's probably back downstairs. You'll live without it," I sighed, leaning down to comb some hair out of his face. He turned his head and tried to swat my hand away, his arm lifting by about an inch and falling to the floor. When it didn't work, he grabbed my hand as I was about to stand back up and held it to his chest, letting out a small wince of pain.

"Please, y-you have to make sure no one sees me. Nobody can mourn me like this. I...listen, please!" He tightened his grip on me as I tried to stand up again. "Here it is. My will: the mask goes to Nyx Smith, so she remembers all the shit I had to go through because of her...my knives, those go to the demons, Vick and the HTA guys and whoever else is down there." A pained, twisted smile was starting to spread across his face, and he looked as if he was on the verge of manic laughter. "A-and my college debt...goes to our lord and savior, Chernobog!"