Ghostly Presence|| Ghostface x Reader

The Search

     You highlighted anything you had deemed important as you read through the older articles that the Roseville Gazette had put out on the Ghostface. You had even started watching the news whenever it was on instead of avoiding it. Although, your stomach would tie into knots whenever the gruesome scenes were described you forced yourself through it. After Ghostfaces last visit you needed to know why he had kept you alive. Why he had even chosen you in the first place. And most importantly you needed to know who he was. You had tried making sense of all his victims. The local police had stated that there was no pattern and as you desperately tried to think of one the clues led you nowhere. Ghostface hadn't specifically targeted anyone. The only thing they had in common was that they lived in nice houses. They had nice lives. They were people that didn't deserve to be brutally murdered. And that's when it hit you as you looked over the article over Caitlyn Greenes murder again. It was one you had helped revise only a day after starting at the Gazette. Why would Ghostface target only these people? That's what you had decided to figure out next. You had the back of the highlighter pressed against your bottom lip as you continued reading through it.
     Maybe it was the fact that they had nice lives. That they were good people. You didn't know much about Danny other than his name and that he didn't seem to feel remorseful for what he did. Maybe that was what he was trying to go after. But why? Did he have something against those people? You looked over at the clock that read 11:00pm and decided to stop for the night. After you had spent your day cleaning the house you immediately jumped on your search. Nothing but trying to figure out who he was. He hadn't visited you however since last time. Though, you knew it was only a matter of time before he did so again. Part of you wanted to leave Roseville. But you knew you had nowhere to go and even if you did you didn't want to leave Jed. He was the only person that had actually cared about you. He listened and made every moment worth it. The last thing you wanted to do was leave especially because what if Danny got mad at your desertion and killed him anyways? Not only that but you felt horrible about what had happened to Josh. You didn't want to see it that way but it felt like it was your fault.
     The guilt was eating away at you. It had been every day. And every time you were reminded of it you felt overwhelmed. Sara had given you the date for the funeral and part of you didn't even want to show up. You had known Ghostface. You had even fucked him. You groaned at the thought and set your head down on your desk as you closed your eyes. The cold hard wood of the table felt uncomfortable though at the same time that made it almost nice. You didn't want to feel comfortable. You didn't deserve it. At least that's what you had told yourself. You couldn't leave. Not now. You were gonna stop Danny.
Before you headed off to bed you did your usual night routine. You looked around the house and locked every window and door in sight. You still weren't sure how he got in the last time. He really was like a fucking ghost. Maybe he just sauntered through the fucking walls of your bedroom to bother you every night. At least that would explain your nightmares. They really hadn't stopped and your sleep was taking a big hit from it. You had gotten some circles under your eyes and though you tried your best to get rest it didn't help. Everyone at work began to notice as did Sara. You felt bad for her. She called a few times to ask if you wanted to hang out to which you only ever gave excuses. Maybe she just wanted to talk about things because it had been a traumatic situation for the both of you and you wanted to be there for her but you couldn't take that risk. You didn't want to spend more time with her as you didn't want Danny to hurt anyone else.
As you finally made it back to your room you switched off the light and shivered slightly at the darkness that had encompassed you. At least you had the small glow of a nightlight by your bedside. It was in the shape of a dog and you couldn't help but buy it the day you saw it knowing you needed it as simply being in the dark was now causing you to be fearful again. You sighed at the feeling of hopelessness thinking it would never end though instead of continuing your work you knew you needed to at least try and get some sleep before work tomorrow.
     The sun caused you to squint a bit as you pulled up promptly at 8:00am in the parking lot of the gazette. You looked around and saw Jed's car had already been parked nearby and you smiled knowing you would at least get to see him. Truthfully, he was one of the only things still keeping you going. You quickly exited your car before walking over to the entrance of the building. It was getting a bit chillier as it had been November and soon you were heading into the winter season. It made you happy though at the same time part of you wished it had been warmer. Everything else had seemed cold enough and now the weather only enhanced it. It got you thinking about how Danny did in the heat with all his gear on.
When you entered the building Samantha greeted you as per usual and you half sighed half smiled at the sight of your desk. It had been covered in papers but also a tiny coffee with a cute card next to it. It read "For the cutest intern" and you chuckled a bit at the statement. You looked up at Jed and he gave you his usual smile that lit up your day. He walked over and leaned against your desk as he talked.
"I'm not gonna be in a lot today. Gotta go out for some quotes and updates on the whole Halloween thing," he said and you grimaced. "So, I got you this coffee and wanted to ask if I could come over tonight," he added and you nodded.
"Most definitely, hey if you get any extra info on Ghostface give me it yeah?" You asked as you organized your desk by priority. He furrowed his brows a bit as he began to talk.
"Surprised to hear you say his name. And now you want more info on him? Trying to solve the case?" He asked curiously and you sighed again feeling somewhat embarrassed. You weren't sure how well things would go, but maybe you could make a difference in the case.
"It's all I've been able to focus on. It fucking sucks. I know I avoided it for a bit but I don't want to anymore. I want to do something. Help yaknow?" you replied looking up at him sadly and he nodded.
"Anything I learn i'll let you know alright? But if this is like a guilt thing... I just wanna make sure you're ok. I know it must've been traumatic and you haven't really tried working through it," he said in a lower tone and you could feel tears threatening to spill.
"I know. I should've done more but I didn't. I'm done pretending like it didn't happen. I've been so scared Jed. Of everything I can't even sleep. Maybe not avoiding it and actively trying to help will do me some good," you responded and he gave you a reassuring look as he nodded.
"Well like I said I will support you no matter what," he said as he placed his hand on your arm reassuringly. "So I gotta go out there and get more details for my little detective huh?" He said with a smirk on his face as you giggled.
"Don't patronize me Jed," you said as you smacked his arm playfully.
"Patronize you? Never. If I had you on my tail I would be scared," he said and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. "Seriously, I think I would just give up then and there. Let you do what you wanted with me," he added as he was leaned in a bit closer to you and a blush rose up to your cheeks.
"Not at work!" You half whispered half screamed. He chuckled in response and just like always his playful antics calmed you down.
"Ok, anyways, I'll be gone probably all day and whatnot but I'll be at your place around 6?" He asked and you nodded.
After that he left and you sat at your desk and began to read through some articles needing some adjustments here and there. Despite all the things you had been going through you didn't let it affect your work. You made sure to stay on top of it all as the last thing you needed at the moment was losing your only source of income. It didn't help though that Brad always needed you do to extra work specifically for him and at one point you wondered what he even did all day considering you did most of his work for him.
The call of your name made your head jerk up and you could see Bob calling you over from his office. Your stomach dropped a bit fearing that maybe you had messed up somehow and you felt like you were going to be reprimanded. You cursed under your breath before standing up and putting on a cheery smile before walking over to him.
"What's up?" You asked nervously and he motioned for you to walk into the office.
"Listen, I know things are tough for you right now," he said and you gave him a slight look of confusion. "I know you went to that party. Must've been hard," he added and as you went to speak up he interrupted. "Samantha told me because your friend from that store asked how you were doing," he said clearing your confusion and you groaned internally from annoyance. "But, you've been coming to work on time and doing well. I know the last thing you need is more work but I wanted to give you the opportunity to write one of this months pieces," he said and it took a moment for you to register what he meant before a smile grew on your face.
"Really?" You asked in a bit of shock.
"Yeah, I'm gonna need it by next Friday no later," he said and you nodded as he continued on about the details. It was only Monday and that didn't leave you with much time but you knew it would be well worth it. "I know you got it in you so I expect something good," he said before continuing, "and I'm gonna have you shadowing Jed more on his field work," he said and you nodded in excitement.
     "Thank you so much sir," you started and he raised his hand to stop you.
     "No need. I see the work you do and I'm sure you'll be good," he said and you nodded yet again.
     After you had left the office and gone back to your desk the reality of your predicament hit you. You would be writing a piece for the paper and you had no clue what to even write it on. You only had a bit of time and all you had been focused on lately was Ghostface. Even your own projects had been put on the back burner. This is what you had been aiming for though and the last thing you wanted was to mess it up because of him. Danny. The thought frustrated you but you took a deep breath and instead focused on the positives. You knew you had to tell Jed as soon as posible.
The day went by quickly as you focused on your work and tried to make sure you did everything as best as possible. You couldn't help the smile that appeared on your face as you thought about it again. The only problem being you weren't sure what you were even gonna write. Maybe Jed would have some good suggestions. As the day neared its end you grabbed all of your things and headed out to your car. The drive home was quick as you sped a little more than you should have trying to get there as quickly as possible. When you finally reached your house you threw your bag down on the couch before heading to the kitchen and deciding to cook pasta for dinner. When the food was just about done you saw Jed's car pull up in the driveway and your mood lit up instantly.
You rushed over to the door before he could even knock on it and he gave you a small look of confusion.
"You look super happy," he said and leaned in to give you a kiss. When he pulled away he shut the door behind him.
"I'll tell you right now just let me serve you some dinner yeah?" You asked and he nodded. He followed behind you and sat down at the table as you plated him the pasta and set it in front of him before getting some for yourself and sitting down.
He went to take a bite and as he chewed you gave him a nervous look.
"Bob wants me to write one of this months pieces," you blurted out excitedly and Jed paused abruptly as he was about to reach for some more food.
"Really?" He asked in surprise and you shook your head.
"Yeah, after you left this morning he called me in the office and told me. I have until next Friday," you said and Jed smiled.
"Holy shit. I'm proud of you," he replied and you nodded again.
"He also said he knows I went to the party. Apparently Sara asked Samantha how I was doing and she told him," you added and he nodded in response. "What if he only did this because he feels bad?" You asked at the sudden realization but Jed stopped you.
"Don't even think that. You work hard and your writing is amazing. I'm sure he just noticed that," he replied but the worry still showed on your face. "Even if that was the case you still got this," he added and you tried to calm yourself.
"I fucking hope so. I don't even know what to write about," you said stressed and he chuckled.
"No matter what you write I'm sure it'll be better than Brad's and that alone would get you promoted," he said and you laughed feeling your nerves go away. "And if you need any help I'm here," he said.
"Speaking of which, he also said I was gonna shadow you out in the field more," you said as you began to pick at your food hoping he wouldn't mind.
"More time with you? Only gonna make my days better," he said before continuing, "I'll make sure to show you the ropes." He smiled brightly at you before taking another bite of his food.
"Thank you," you replied, "in all honestly I didn't think I would get this chance without a degree or something," you added. He waited to finish chewing before he responded.
"Well you're good at what you do," he replied. "Like this pasta is fucking amazing," he added and you laughed.
"Glad you like it. Ive been trying to get better with my cooking," you responded feeling slightly embarrassed at the admission. He gave you a smile and chuckled a bit causing you to blush before you continued eating.
     When the two of you were done with dinner Jed insisted on cleaning the dishes for you and you let him. When all was done the two of you sat on the couch talking a bit as a movie played in the background. Everything felt calm and as time went on the two of you talked more about what you planned on writing about.
     "I have no clue. I feel like I'm gonna mess it up," you said putting your hands on your face as the stress washed over you.
     "Well do you have any ideas you're considering?" Jed asked as he rested his hands on your thighs.
     "No, I mean he just kind of dropped it on me," you responded and Jed nodded.
     "Well you could play it safe and just do a piece on some basic town news like a well known business-" he started and you frowned causing him to chuckle, "hey I'm just throwing out some ideas," he said as he raised his hands playfully. "Or, you could take a risk and write about something more controversial," he added and you nodded.
     "Yeah, not too much of that other than maybe writing more about Ghostface and well thats your job. Plus, I feel like thats all people hear about anymore. I mean I get it. How many people read the daily newspaper before his appearance?" You said contemplating your options.
     "It did help business a lot," Jed grimaced.
     "Maybe thats what people need. A break from him," you replied still unsure even of where you were heading. Jed didn't give much of a response simply nodding and you continued. "I mean like how was this community before he came into the picture? What did he ruin for people?" You asked sounding annoyed. Jed must've noticed your frustration as he put his hand on your thigh and rubbed it softly.
"Well whatever you choose to write about I'll be more than happy to look it over and give some pointers," he replied and you nodded.
"I don't even wanna think about it right now. Anyways, did you find out anything more today about what happened?" You asked and he shook his head.
"Just the usual. Not much to go off of," Jed replied a bit short toned and you frowned a bit.
"Do you have any of your own personal theories about him?" You asked and he furrowed his brows a bit as he thought.
"Not really no. I mean when I first took on these articles I really tried thinking about it but with time I think it just took a toll on me. I write about it for the paper and its important to know whats going on and inform people but I try to not think about it too much outside of work now adays," he said and you nodded.
"Do you think he's ever gonna move on from here?" You asked and Jed sat to think about it again.
"I'm not sure. It's hard to even begin thinking about what someone like that has in mind," he answered and you sighed.
"Yeah, its really fucking confusing sometimes," you responded and he nodded.
"So, another movie or?" Jed started to ask and you hummed in response.
"Uh yeah. Something easy though to distract me," you admitted and he nodded as he headed over to look through the vhs he had rented.
"Don't get too stressed over it. You'l do fine," he smiled.
"I'll try," you laughed knowing it would be difficult.