{Narrator's POV}
"Gabriel, why have you brought us here? And why did you send us a music box?", an old man with graying hair inquired as he followed the sandy brunette down a hallway.
Other policemen trailed behind the two men wearing suits, and held onto their guns with great caution.
"The music box was merely preparation for what I have to show you", Gabriel smirked and caught a glimpse of the old man's reaction. He frowned and immediately stopped walking to stare at Gabriel in question.
"This isn't about your father is it? Forgive me, but your father has already moved on and left the case to us. I appreciate that you want to help us by avenging your father, but you're not qualified to handle this matter", the old, slender man noted as he pushed his round-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Gabriel shook his head and chuckled at the frail gentlemen, "I understand... However, I'd appreciated a lighter critique.. I did catch the killer after all, I should be getting my thanks by now", he boasted.
The old man's eyes widened and he stood gawking at Gabriel.
Much to the sandy brunette's amusement, he stepped in front of a metal panel and pushed a button on the wall. "You must be pulling my leg! There's no way you could have caught—", the old man interrupted himself as he gazed at the nightmarish sight before him.
As the metal panel had slid upwards, the one-way glass revealed a monstrous, abnormally tall clown. The policemen gripped their guns and tightened their jaws as they stared in bewilderment at the hellish creature in front of them.
Gabriel sustained a laugh and smiled warmly, "Remember the box? It belongs to him. Once you touch it, you gain access to see him on your own accord", the brunette explained with amusement hidden in his voice.
The old man froze where he stood and trembled as he gazed in horror at the monochrome clown. His eyes darted in every direction as he tried to inspect every inch of the monster, but sadly, he couldn't comprehend what this thing was.
"Him?", the old man cried and stared at Gabriel in confusion. The sandy brunette smiled again and nodded his head as he began to fix his tie, "Yes, he prefers you call him Laughing jack."
The old man gulped and took a step back to put more distance between him and the creature—for some reason, every time the clown stared up at the glass, he felt like the monster was watching him...ever so slightly.
"Is he a demon..?", the gentlemen quivered as he gazed at the clown's malicious, dark eyes. Gabriel shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"I'm not sure what he is. What I know for sure is that he possesses strange powers and abnormal abilities. He was also responsible for murdering my father," Gabriel hissed near the end and glared deeply towards the clown. The old man nodded his head and turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
"Alright Gabriel, you won us over. What should we do?", the old man asked as he purposely avoided Gabriel's stare.
"Let's have him transferred to a remote facility where nobody can find him. We won't mention this to the media, it'll only cause an uproar. However, we should hire someone else to play the part of the killer to cover up this mess", Gabriel grinned and pressed his palm against the glass.
His psychotic gaze met the clown's and he knew right away that Jack had heard the entire conversation. It didn't matter though. Even if the clown had heard and saw everything, it wouldn't make much of a difference now.
The monochrome clown had lost and soon would perish in his humiliation and shame.
"Alright, you heard him men! Bring the others and will have Laughing Jack shipped to one of our islands hidden in the Pacific!", the old man nodded his head to Gabriel and pleased the sandy brunette.
Yup, everything was going according to plan.
Gazing once more at Jack, Gabriel noticed the impassive, hostile grin the clown possessed and frowned at his odd reaction. With a quick sigh, Gabriel shrugged it off and labeled his actions as mere childish behavior. He was a psychopath after all, maybe he just couldn't understand the meaning of isolation or the fear of death.
"Yeah, maybe", Gabriel thought and calmed his nerves as the policemen began to scatter across the hallway, following the old man's orders.
~*~
{Reader's POV}
I laid emotionless on the bed and stared up at the blank wall above me. My dull expression hadn't wavered ever since I finally stopped crying and I knew I wouldn't be smiling any time soon.
I felt empty inside.
Without Jack by my side, I just couldn't feel at ease anymore. As much as I hated to admit it, and especially now that he rejected me, but... I'm just no good without him...
I let out another deep sigh and shook my head as I turned on the bed. I hugged the white pillow for comfort and warmth as I silently tried to forget about Jack.
"He didn't love me"
Thoughts of rejection swirled around my head like a tornado and I frowned as I tried to ignore them. It also didn't help that the pillow still smelled of my tears and sorrow.
With another sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep off the pain.
"(Y/N)? Are you still sulking about him rejecting you? It really wasn't all that bad."
My eyes shot open and I instinctively gripped the pillow and angrily dug my nails into it. A familiar, foul voice hung in the air and just hearing the tone of it made me trembled with rage. "Gabriel", I hissed venomously as I rose off the bed and glared daggers at the brunette.
"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE, YOU ASS!!", I screeched as I watched Gabriel slowly walk towards me from the corner of my eye. He immediately froze and flinched from my harsh reply.
Then, as if he found this all amusing, he chuckled and smiled warmly at me.
"Get ready, I'm transferring you to an asylum."
I felt my breath hitch and my eyes widen as I processed Gabriel's words. My body automatically tensed up and I gawked at the sandy brunette, "...What..?", I muttered incredulously as I watched Gabriel smirk.
"We apprehended the criminal and now all that's left is to drop you off at an asylum for conspiring with a lunatic... Since you fell in love with your kidnapper, society can now offer you help to change your life and turn things around before you go down the wrong path", he mused as he gazed at my fear-sickened state.
"B..But he didn't kidnap me."
"Yes, but the media doesn't know that."
"They won't believe you! Nobody will believe a supernatural clown with a sweet tooth murdered hundreds of children for fun... It ludicrous!!"
"No, but they'll believe an ordinary middle-aged man lost his sanity and went on killing sprees to quench his thirst for blood. They'll also believe that he kidnapped you once, made you fall head over heels for him, and had you conspiring with him this entire time."
The room went silent and I stood there gawking at Gabriel.
This man had smiled at me just now...
He smiled even though he's humiliated me and ruined my life forever with just a simple story for the media and the rest of the world tuning in.
I dropped down to my knees and clutched my head in dread as I realized my life was falling to pieces.
The man I loved disappeared and left me a sobbing mess.
The man who's held a grudge between Jack and I had permanent destroyed any chance of me living an ordinary life.
And now, I'd have to spend the rest of my life in an asylum.
I would have to spend my life hearing the cries of agony and shame from my parents as they came to visit...and indulge the judgmental stares from the nurses who'd attend to my every need.
"I'll come back for you in an hour, there's still so many preparations I need to attend to..", Gabriel trailed off nonchalantly as he walked toward the exit and left me alone to grieve on the matter.
I gazed at the floor and bowed my head in defeat. Every ounce of my hope and determination faded as Gabriel's words struck me hard. My face had turned pale and I was still in shock.
"Are you okay..?"
A soft whisper echoed through the room and I jumped at the sudden noise. I scanned all over the room in search of the voice and tensed up at the familiarity of it.
"Don't worry, it's only me... Jamie."
My jaw dropped open and I immediately turned around to find the little boy I thought I'd never encounter after that night in the alleyway. That night where my life had been turned upside down.
"...What are you doing here?!", I gasped as I scanned over the boy's features and confirmed he was really who he said he was. Jamie grinned and gazed up at me with those white, pupil-less eyes, "LJ sent me. He said that if Gabriel tried to lie to him, that I should free you and kill the man", he said with a warm smile and I gawked at him in bewilderment.
"H..How could you say that so easily..? You're a kid... You've never murdered anyone before... Right..?", I muttered under my breath and watched as Jamie's smile widened.
His smile unnerved me and with the way he kept a straight face, I wondered what went on in that carnival.