Rose Petals - Eyeless Jack x Reader

Chapter 13

[13— Touch]

   Jack said little more that night. He explained what it was like for him to be in such a state, saying that he always remembered little of what happened when he was. You had asked what he had remembered, and only said that he remembered enough to know that Jeff had hurt you. You wished to know what had happened to him to make him what he was, but he wouldn't say, and you didn't push. After all, whatever it was, it must not have been pleasant. He explained the he and Jeff were to leave Sunday, which had been four days from then.

   When you were to leave, Jack had Jeff write you directions to the hideout in case you ever needed them, and then escorted you home. He had made the promise of protecting you from the proxies, and making sure you got back safe would be the start of it. 

   The next day flew by quickly. Get up. Help Liam prepare for school. Talk with Iris. Leave for work. Deal with the stress of your minimum wage job. Leave work once your shift was over. Drive to the graveyard to meet Jack.

   The sun was already setting by the time you had arrived. The air had been cooled by the gentle breeze. A calm, isolated sensation came over you as you gazed over the gravestones from the gated entrance. The sight of the graveyard itself brought back the memory of what happened some nights ago with the proxy. You shook it off as you entered, heading directly for your parent's grave.

   He was already there. You had spotted him from a distance, his blue mask following your movements as you drew closer, a bouquet of roses in your hands. He was sat in the grass, legs cross and hands in his lap as he waited patiently for you to arrive.

   He stood once you were almost there. "How long have you been waiting?" you asked, your mood already better with him than it had been all day.

   "Ten minutes, probably," he answered plainly. Right. You forgot he would know the time you usually left work.

   You stood in front of the grave, reading over your parent's names as you always did. "Glad I didn't keep you waiting for too long, then."

   Jack moved to stand next to you.

   "I usually come here with roses to set on their grave." You explained to him as you knelt down to gently set the bouquet in front of the stone, only covering the names by a little. You put a hand on the grave and then stood up. "They were my mother's favourite flower, so I like to think she'd appreciate the gesture."

   "She would," he said. "...Aren't we standing on top of them?"

   You smiled bittersweetly. "Nope. Nobody's down there."

   He looked at you.

   "Sorry. Shouldn't have just dropped it like that." You shifted your weight on one foot. You began to explain to him what happened the night your family disappeared, ending with how the faceless thing came that night and how you and your sister ran before either of you could witness what happened to them.

   There was a moment of silence shared between the two of you, and then he suddenly spoke again. "I want you to pay a visit tonight. There's something I want to show you."

   Your shoulders slumped. "I'm watching over Liam tonight. Iris will be out, and my uncle's going out tonight for the first time in a while for a drink."

   "It's important," he insisted.

   "Can it wait until tomorrow?" you tried.

   "...I guess it can."

   Sensing the discomfort in the atmosphere, you glanced beyond the graveyard to the field past the fence. It was an open space surrounded by a patch of trees, and beyond the trees was a highway and more buildings. Thankfully, it was not attached to the forest.