There he stood. Just outside the place we had thought for oh so long was oh so safe. Black and white monochrome gave way to uncontrolled brush and long forgotten lawn; I didn't know if he was simply making an appearance or making a statement.
There was no fight to be had; I could only assume that he had been keeping tabs on us and knew just as much. With two of our proxies out on a whirlwind mission to find the other Jack, we were all left borderline defenseless. Of course, I knew some combat, but not nearly enough to even hold a candle to the fucking clown. Who could I call? Tim? He would speak nonsense into the phone, regain some sort of consciousness and cry for a solid five minutes, then promptly hang up. I doubted Brian would be bothered to answer the phone at all; it would take away from the very precious and very limited time left that he had with Tim. I tore my stare away from death who lingered just outside these crumbling walls to look over my monitors. All I was met with was my own reflection; it was a sort of bittersweet way to go, really. If I were to die right then by the hands of a clown, the very last thing I'd see is my own reflection.
It taunted me, toyed with my brain a bit more than I was used to. I had already been dead for quite some time, so I wasn't really sure how a second death would really go. I hadn't ever had to think about it. But seeing him just outside with that stupid, scarily wide grin on his face definitely forced me to think about it, and I didn't particularly like the outcomes.
I never really had to think about using technology; if I wanted it to do something, instantly, it was done. However, something was forcing me to hesitate. I willed for my monitors to turn on, to shut down, to fucking do something. But nothing happened.
Was this... fear?
Suddenly, I wasn't dead. I wasn't dealing with the intensity of looming dread.
I was drowning. A strong, calloused hand held me under. Why?
Why, Dad?
...
Every sharp intake was a searingly cold rush directly to the lungs; as a child, I thought I was learning to breathe underwater. Turns out, that's actually called drowning.
And there I was all over again. Drowning. Fear wasn't an emotion I was unfamiliar with, but it was absolutely one I was uncomfortable with. I watched my stupid little monitor reflection tremble and shake; I couldn't associate this reflection to myself lest I crumble alongside the mansion when time came.
Though...I knew time had already come. We had been sitting ducks the moment (Name) and Toby had left, and while I had a feeling it was going to be that way, I chose not to say anything. There was nothing that could have been done, regardless of if they had stayed or not. They would have died alongside the rest of us.
It wasn't a heroic thing to do in any way, but I had never claimed to be a hero. In a way, I hadn't stopped them from leaving because of the fear of having to look at my reflection during the aftermath. In a room full of monitors, it's pretty hard to avoid seeing yourself.
But, being trapped in a room full of monitors that wouldn't turn on, it was impossible not to see myself.
A little boy who's life had been taken far too soon. A child with a vendetta against the world; a kid with something to prove.
All I had ever wanted to do was live. I wanted a chance to get to my old man's age, maybe have a few kids of my own or something. But that chance was ripped from me and shoved down my throat to sit in my spirit for the rest of all eternity, brewing into anger and maliciousness.
And then, that's what I allowed to completely take me over like the tide.
Anger. Malice.
If I could have just died, really died, none of this would have ever happened. Being forced, even in the afterlife, to silently watch the world around me progress was purgatory; however, the hell was watching my associates fall in and out of love, move on to new things, grow stronger...live.
Black monitor gave way to neon green coding. Lifeless and trembling reflection gave way to the very thing that had created it; a little boy with a vendetta.
If it was all going to come to an end, I wouldn't accept dying the same way I had the first time. Fear would not consume me and what I wanted would not be taken from me. Not this time. Not ever again.
I couldn't be saved back then, it just wasn't something that could have happened for me. It was fate, a predestined occurrence that nothing could have changed. I had so many years to come to terms with it, but there was always something that had prevented me.
"Ah..haha...what do you think you're doing on your little, uh, device there, Benny boy?"
I wanted to freeze up at the mention of the horrid nickname my father once used, but I didn't have the time nor the patience to do so.
The prevention was in the same room as me, I knew it wouldn't be long. He would try with all of his might to stop me from sending what I was about to send, but this time, I was going to be taking away what someone else wanted. This time, I controlled my fate; I looked directly at it as I pressed start without hesitation. I knew what I was doing was incredibly dangerous, but I also knew that there were two people I had grown to deeply care for out in those woods who needed more time to come home. That is, if 'home' was still standing by the time they got back. I just hoped it wouldn't hurt them too much to see, but I knew that I'd rather have them be hurt than be dead.
The instant that the cameras light set at a steady red color, I willed the monitors to black out yet still remain functional; he'd never be able to fully get into the computers enough to shut them off.
There were far too many. Not only in the room, but across the entire globe.
I knew I was outing all of us; I knew I was putting us all in serious danger. But I also knew that (Name), Jack and sometimes even Toby were smart enough to evade law enforcement when needed.
"What...what have you done!"
I chuckled to myself as he screeched; he was frantically trying to get the computers camera to stop recording. I watched with a smirk on my face as he tried using the power button, then moved to unplugging it, seemingly forgetting all about my presence, he had resorted to trying to smash it. Even in tiny pieces, the camera was intact. And forever it would be.
He moved so quickly, I could barely even register it. In an instant, his long claws were wrapped tightly around my throat, but I did not succumb to fear. I had been through much worse. Much, much worse.
"Have you no self-preservation? I had only come here to play games with you, to taunt you! Now look what you've done! You've fucking done it now. I suppose I really have no choice but to end all of this,"
"As if you..would have..had it any other way. You wouldn't...have..come all this way...to taunt and play games. Besides...leave the games...to...the ones who can actually...play,"
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Jack couldn't bear to hear the vicious sounds coming from our phones any longer.
And, if I were honest, neither could I. I wanted to throw it, destroy it, dig a hole to the underworld and throw the little device into the flames of hell. But I knew better.
At first, I had really thought it had been some sort of sick, twisted joke. Maybe he had bribed Helen into dressing up as the clown to scare us, to play a horribly timed prank.
Oh, God, how I wish it was. The little device shaking within my palm continued spewing the hateful words of Laughing Jack; as I looked over to Toby, I saw his phone was displaying the same thing. I didn't have the heart nor the stomach to watch the camera as it recorded every last gory detail; I didn't wish to see Ben as a body when I had only ever known him as a friend.
I let a few tears roll down my cheek; rivers gave way to oceans as I sobbed and held my phone to my chest. The live camera feed couldn't be dismissed, or cleared; it was impossible to escape it.
I clutched it to my chest so hard that I thought it would sink into my skin and merge into my very being. Toby moved closer to me and put his arm around my shoulder; though, I didn't need the comfort. I needed my friend. I needed Ben to laugh into the microphone and say it was a cruel joke, that he was sorry and he'd never do it again. I needed one more day with him. One more hour. One more second.
Jack stood just in front of us, pacing back and forth with his hand in his hair, pushing it up and away from his face.
Not one of us was unaffected by this; the shattering of our resolves could be heard throughout the forest.
I screamed at the top of my lungs and ripped at my hair, letting the phone fall rather bluntly to the forest floor. Toby stilled beside me; I knew that he had absolutely no idea of what to say. There was no comfort that anyone could provide; blood had been shed and now blood needed to be spilled.
"I know the rest of you are out there, and I'll fucking rip you to shreds for what your little ghost has done,"
Laughing Jack spoke to us through the microphone, his demonic voice booming through the phone.
"I'll kill you, clown. With my bare fucking hands I will kill you!...You'll say his name before you die. I'll carve it onto your tongue,"
I swore to the phone through gritted teeth. Broken resolve or not, there was a new and improved mission; it was indeed time to end all of this, just as the clown had said.
"Jack, is your phone working?"
He looked a bit surprised at hearing me address him, but the look I shot him wasn't a bluff he wanted to call, and I could see that. He reached into his pocket and handed me his cellphone.
"Yes. Strange,"
I nodded and ripped it from his grasp. Luckily, he still didn't have a password on it, so unlocking it would prove to be no problem. Though, I was sure that if he did have one, he wouldn't hesitate in unlocking it for me. I wasn't someone he wanted to test anymore, for I didn't care about answering questions nor showing my work; I was result based only. He had to have noticed at some point; nothing ever escaped him.
I scrolled through his contacts, which, for whatever reason, still contained my phone number, until I found who I was looking for.
Tim? You do know that he's probably not coherent enough to even speak with, right?
I nodded, but clicked the call button anyway. If there was anything that could bring Tim back to reality, it would be the safety of his associates. Whether he was losing his ever loving mind or not, he was still the leader; I had no doubts that being reminded of that very fact would snap him back to reality, even if for only a moment. I needed some sort of insight, some sort of advice, some sort of confirmation that the others weren't dead or under attack.
Though I could no longer hear Laughing Jack on my or Toby's phone, that didn't mean he had entirely left the vicinity.
After a few excoriatingly long rings, it finally connected the call.
"Tim? Are you there-,"
Heavy breathing could be heard on the other end along with two heavy pairs of running footsteps.
"Getting Tim to safety, the clown is in the house. Presume the others dead until contact is made. Keep all phone calls under thirty seconds and meet us where water touches brick-,"
Call disconnected. Please try again or redial.
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The NSFW chapter will have to go somewhere else in the story because it just wouldn't fit in here, but there will be one so don't worry!
I...I'm extremely upset. Ben is gone. Our little green booger boy is officially gone. He sacrificed himself so his friends could have enough time to escape...
;-;
If you're going to Meatball, grab the tissues, because it only gets worse from here.
If there is typos let me know, i got a new keyboard and im trying to get used to it.
Also, if anyone cares, the playlist I use to write this book is called 'welcome to forks' on youtube (yes its about twilight leave me alone) and its very sad music to make my mind go shhhhh while i write
if anyone wants to know the keyboard is called E-Yooso Typewriter RGB Edition