Helluva Family (18+)

Ch. 4: Meet Hell's very own Hitmen

It was all too familiar. The dark void. The piercing lack of sound. The lack of life. One second he was in an office building hanging on to consciousness, next he found himself back where his day had started. It had just been less than twelve hours before that Jack had found himself in this situation. Emptiness seemed to open up to him, almost like it was calling him.

He felt his body all around and felt no pain, surprisingly. The same bone-chilling feeling ran up his spine as he stood there. Jack remembered his previous experience and knew what lay ahead for him. So the first thing he did was try to force the nightmare to speed itself up. Almost like a speedrun of sorts.

Jack: "Let's get this over with! Come on! Where are you!"

His voice bellowed through the void. The sound echoed as if it was a roar through a tunnel. No one could be sure whether it was a boost in confidence or a lack of better judgment that influenced his action. A few seconds went by without a response. It felt like the nightmare knew not to reveal itself, because of it's drive to entertain itself. Jack did something that he hadn't done before in this nightmare. Something he wasn't even sure he could do.

He began to walk. If the abomination wasn't going to show itself, then Jack was just going to have to find it. It had only been what felt like a few minutes, and he was already getting frustrated. He had already been through so much in the last twelve hours that he wasn't having it.

Jack: "You've messed with me for multiple nights now! I'm not scared of you anymore!"

If only he knew how much he messed up with that one. The ground beneath him began to shake. Instead of an earthquake, it felt as if it was a living being, quivering in anger. Jack felt as if his own presence began to shrink. Roaring winds rushed all around him... just like they did before.

Jack couldn't tell if his confidence boost was from his near-death experience or just overall stubbornness. His hands began to twitch as if they knew what was to come. The winds only grew fiercer as Jack braced himself... for nothing. The winds didn't move any closer but kept a short distance away.

That same cold chill ran down Jack's spine, cautioning him. A frigid grip wrapped slowly around his neck. The pressure wasn't strong enough to stop air from entering his lungs, but more to keep him in place. That same buzz rang all around him.

???: "Closer... Still... Far."

Jack: "W-what?! Wh-"

???: "Don't... Stop."

Before Jack could answer a steering pain pierced his back, causing him to cry out in pain. What frightened him was that no sound exited his voice. Never before was he just as confused as he was terrified. The world seemed to flash into a pale white.

Jack: "HUAH?!"

Jack's body bolted upwards as he got a grip on his surroundings. He was no longer at the desk as he could see it across the room. His hands met soft leather. Jack looked down to find he was sitting on a couch. Someone must have moved him while he was unconscious. The ticking of a clock could be heard on one of the walls of the office lobby. It had felt like forever since Jack had checked the time.

The hands read 5:29 pm as Jack attempted to stand. His grogginess prevented him from seeing straight, but he still took a good stab at it. The floorboards creaked under his weight where he stood. Footsteps could be heard in the other room, getting closer and closer. The door opened to reveal Loona and Blitzø on the other side.