Time: The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future, regarded as a whole.
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(Y/N)'s whole week passed in a blur. Her classes, work, daily life in general annoyed her as much to make her overwork herself until she'd pass out earlier than usual. She wanted Saturday to arrive more than anything, and when it finally did, the girl went running out of her apartment towards the forest.
With her bag clutched in her hands, she finally slowed her pace and walked on the forest path - it wasn't necessary to draw attention to her anyway. People were already walking around since it wasn't that early. Looking at the clock on her phone, it showed that it was 11:23 – she had slept in accidentally.
It was warmer today, March was just around the corner and the temperatures were slowly beginning to rise. The sun hit (Y/N)'s skin, warming her face and making her squint her eyes. She took a turn to the smaller path, careful not to draw any other people in.
There weren't many joggers, the usual bunch would always be here very early in the morning. It made (Y/N) feel more content, knowing that she won't need to be as careful. She didn't want random people watching as she stuck her hand in a tree hole for seemingly no reason.
The girl prepared for the worst when she pulled out the neatly folded paper, thinking that she will just see the words she wrote and that this will be the end. Unfolding the paper, she was met with a short sentence in a handwriting she never thought she'd miss so much.
"Tonight, one in the morning. Don't be late, and don't worry about anything."
(Y/N) didn't know whether she should cry or be happy. On one hand, he was alive and well and that made her feel lighter. The other? She didn't know if Jack was mad at her. If he was, who's to say that he wouldn't lash out and worst case scenario kill her? Of course, she trusted him, he had so many chances to kill her and eat her kidneys but he never did.
The rational side of hers was the one filling her with anxiety. He did say that she shouldn't worry about anything, which was a little confusing. Did he know she was scared or was it the fact that she has to leave her house late at night completely alone?
Could be both.
She barely made it to Saturday, and now she has to wait hours until she finally sees Jack. Nervousness was eating her alive which was understandable. The two haven't seen each other in a month, and (Y/N) had no idea what Jack was feeling like. The girl could only hope that he had no ill intentions towards her.
Seeing that she didn't have much to do, she decided to go to the park near her and stay there for a while. Fresh air should do her justice after days of stress.
The park was filled with little kids and their parents running around and playing. It brought a smile to her face. So young, with nothing to care about in the world - it was a nice sight to see.
Taking a seat on the nearest bench, (Y/N) observed the people around her. It was one of those days that was nearly perfect for a long walk that would end with a drink or two in some café in the city. It reminded her of when she went outside with Oliver, Andrew and Lauren back in October.
The sudden memory made her realize that she didn't speak to Oliver for a couple of days, so it'd be smart to give him a call. Taking her phone she noticed that an hour passed by already, which made sense as weird as it may be. Time went by rather quickly today - not that she was complaining.
The sooner this is over the better it is.
"Do you know how much money I'm getting for this one specific piece? It's crazy!"
"Oliver are you drawing something awfully explicit for one of those people?"
"Yes, but that's not the point, the point is that I am making money."
The girl rolled her eyes, smiling. It was insane how Oliver could make her day better so fast. He always had that weird charm, making people laugh easily. It made (Y/N) think how maybe he should've been a comedian. If he had been one maybe she'd get the chance to meet John Mulaney or other big comedians.
Curse him for liking art and being talented.
"Whatever you say, I'm supporting you regardless."
"You better. Anyway, why'd you call?"
(Y/N) paused for a second. Looking at the floor, she felt the weird pit in her stomach again. She wanted to say: Oh you know, waiting for my 'serial killer who doesn't really look human' crush. We haven't talked for a month ha-ha, the usual; but she obviously couldn't do that.
"I was bored and wanted to see how you were doing, we haven't talked in a couple of days."
The two got absorbed in conversation. So much so, that the girl eventually left the park, seeing that she sat there talking for an additional hour. In her apartment, Oliver and her continued their conversation, sometimes switching to video call, but mostly staying on speaker. She thanked every entity in the universe for not letting Oliver notice how awful she looked due to recent stress. The girl couldn't deal with him worrying too.
They talked for hours, which was normal for them. There were those empty days (Y/N) had in which she'd call Oliver and be his company if he drew – the calls knew to last as much as six hours.
When the call ended the clock ticked six in the afternoon. Long conversations with her loved ones were her favorite, but there was still six and a half hours until she was supposed to leave.
The boredom got so bad that she ended up making dinner for herself and then rearranged the big bookshelf she had in her room. When she finished that, she looked through her old pictures underneath the bed, carefully observing each one as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. She also noticed that she no longer possessed the gun her father gave to her.
Thanks Jack. Such a shame that no one broke into my house and killed me. I'd die just to spite him for all of this.
She wasted her time on rather stupid things that would occupy her for a while. Studying or watching the TV weren't an option, they only made her feel frustrated. She needed to move around in order to successfully pass the time.
Now, the clock ticked 00:34 late in the night, and she was more than ready to leave. The walk there takes her around ten to fifteen minutes, so she left earlier in case he'd appear before too.
The nights in her town were terrifying. During the day, her street looked pretty, especially because it was near the forest – nights were the complete opposite though.
Each noise that could be heard made her flinch, even if it was just a bug or the wind moving occasional trash that ended up on the street.
The streetlights that illuminated the forest made (Y/N) tremble. She forced herself to think it was from the cold weather, but it obviously was from the dark forest that swallowed as much light as it could.
Jack might be a killer, but hell how does this not terrify him...
She had one of the headphones in her ear, playing barely audible music as company. Nearing the smaller path, the girl took a deep breath and prepared for what was to come next. Excitement, fear, anticipation – all of these feelings spun around her stomach, making it hard to breathe normally.
Finally arriving to the giant tree she'd grown to like, (Y/N) leaned on it while checking the time.
00:55, okay. Five minutes in the dark isn't that scary.
There wasn't anything she could use as a distraction. It was hardly visible, and forests aren't really that special to look at during the night. Sighing, she played with the wire of her headphones, killing time in the most boring way she could.
Suddenly, sounds of footsteps started nearing, making her snap her gaze towards them. Trying to adjust her vision to the dark forest, she noticed a familiar figure walking towards her. Breaking into a smile, she moved from the tree a little and waved slightly.
"You're actually here." She said, a small smile tugging at her lips. Weirdly enough, she really wanted to give Jack a hug, but the tone of his voice stopped her. The smile she had no longer graced her face when he spoke. He sounded angry, and it terrified her.
"We have to talk."
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Hi! Here's a new chapter for you all! I decided to upload another chapter later tonight, and I think it's gonna be quite a special one for you folks. That's all, take care of yourselves!