Fear Triggers Everyone

Chapter 2

"Oh, you had your revenge! Now, I wanna give you mine" Isaac said before disappearing, along with all the memories and smoke, leaving Jack all alone in the dark box again.

Suddenly, Jack's memorable favorite song, 'Pop! Goes the Weasel', began to play out of nowhere as he felt the box shake.

At the last versus of the song, Jack smiled and hummed it.

'POP!'

The lid then popped open and light shown in from the top.

Jack grinned, looking up, as he got ready to make his entrance to whomever awakened him.

But once he did, he then felt himself being tossed as a sad voice said, "It's broken".

Jack sighed and peered up from the top of the box.

He smiled, seeing a little girl begin to walk away.

He sprung up and jumped out of the box, landing in a cheerful stance, grin on his face, arms in the air, grabbing the girl's attention.

"Now, now, who told you it was broken? Little girl, I'm right here! Now, come, it's time to play!" He laughed.

The girl gasped, then smiled and ran back over to him, giggling.

"Here, want some candy, Cindy?" He asked as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a few of his famous poisonous candy.

The girl laughed again. "How do you know my name? Who exactly are you?" She questioned, taking the candy from his hand.

"Why, I'm Laughing Jack! How do I know your name, you might ask? Because I am your friend!" He answered.

They both then paused when yelling and screaming suddenly was heard from somewhere above, upstairs.

Jack then realized the girl start to shake, afraid.

He examined her for a moment.

She had bright blue eyes, blond hair, and seemed around nine years old.

Then, a bruise on her cheek and next to her eye caught his attention.

He examined her more to see other bruises on her arms and legs, along with cuts and scars, even a hand-shaped bruise on her right arm.

He frowned, having an idea of why she had bruises and scars, and why she seemed afraid at that moment.

He then looked around, now noticing they were in a basement, a basement with a bed and a bookshelf.

"That's my parents...they...they fight a lot, almost all the time" Cindy then said, getting Jack's attention once more.

He then noticed tears at the corner of her eyes, as she held them back.

"I don't have any friends, and I fail at school, they are always disappointed no matter how hard I try to make them proud" she continued.

Jack bent down to her eye level and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him in his eyes to see empathy in them.

Jack didn't know what he was doing, he didn't know why he was doing it, he never have before. He always lured children in to trust him in order to kill them, but for some reason, he hesitated with this girl, and even felt a different way than to kill her.

"Cindy, is this..." He paused and swayed his other hand around the room they were in. "Your room?" He finished, asking.

Cindy nodded, her shaking seizing to an end.

"And does your parents..." He paused again, this time holding her cheek the bruise laid. "Beat you...for no reason at all?" He asked.

She nodded again, letting go of her tears, as one slid down Jack's hand.