Promise (Eyeless Jack x Reader)

The Offender

*32 hours until attack*

Opening the car door with a wide grin, (Y/n) smiled at Jack excitedly as she put the grocery bags in the back seat before taking her own place as a passenger. As Jack drove away, he found his mind wandering to those at the mansion. Why do I feel a great sense of guilt? I never would've cared about this before. Jack found himself ruffling up his hair as he sighed out loud, prompting (Y/n) to look at him concerned. "Is everything okay?" As Jack made eye contact with the love of his life, he found himself immediately feeling better.

"Yeah... I suppose I'm just nervous for how all of this will play out in the end."

(Y/n) smiled at Jack tenderly before looking out the window of the now moving car. "I get it, I'm sure it must feel bittersweet. That was your home for as long as you can remember, after all." Jack found himself feeling touched at how well the woman could understand him without him having to say much at all. Before he could feel a greater sense of warmth, guilt and sadness washed over him like a raging tidal wave; would she hate him if she knew the truth? That he wasn't as loyal as he seemed? As he glanced over at the girl beside him, his eyebrows furrowed as he observed her clueless and trusting nature. It simply wasn't fair what Jack had decided to do, and he knew that very well. The only way he could rationalize it within himself was to remind himself that (Y/n) was the very one who taught him that life isn't fair, and that the best thing you can do within this cold, cruel world is to be a light in the darkness. And so, before he could feel anymore pity for himself at the situation he had created, he shoved those feelings of wrongdoing into the back of his mind, convincing himself that she would understand eventually.

*19 hours until attack*

Jack chewed on his bottom lip as he nervously thought about how much time --- or rather, the lack of time --- they had left before the attack would be initiated. As (Y/n) relaxed by flipping through TV channels, Jack’s mind was on the opposite spectrum of worry and doubt. Although he was also looking at the TV in front of the two, it was as if Jack was looking through it with his gaze piercing a hole through the wall behind it. His thoughts were growing more rampant as he continued to feel guilt, not only towards (Y/n) but to his friends that he had alerted about the attack. Though he wasn’t able to give them the precise details, Jack informed Ben about the time of the attack and also how many people to expect from the Reapers of Justice. He instructed Ben to create an escape plan to avoid being captured, as well as to let others know that Jack actually liked such as Clockwork and Jane know as well. Although Jack felt unhappy about leaving members such as Masky out of the equation, he knew he couldn’t trust him, as Masky was a proxy and would surely inform Slenderman about the attack ahead of time. Jack was confident and trusted Ben to not inform Slenderman, as they were best friends and always had each other’s backs.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sigh emitting from (Y/n) next to him, her looking down onto the bed as though she were sad. As Jack cocked his head, the woman made eye contact with him before picking at a loose thread on the cheap blanket covering the motel bed. “I just hope we’ll be okay once we leave the country. I mean, how are we supposed to make money or find a place to stay? It’ll be extremely difficult due to your mask.” Jack nodded in understanding before (Y/n) continued to voice her concerns. “I wish I had worked out the kinks of our plan before committing to such an unreliable way to escape, but I didn’t really have any other choice.” Our plan? Although Jack hid his frustration from her, he felt slightly angered towards (Y/n) for the very first time. Our plan, she had said. As if I agreed to betray my friends and household that has done nothing but accept me. Sure, Jack despised Jeff and could no longer justify the murder of innocent humans. That didn’t mean that he could throw away his life without a second thought, without a morsel of regret and sadness. Perhaps, Jack was so upset at this wording because it was almost as if (Y/n) didn’t think of Jack as being capable of experiencing loss, similarly to how he had been in the beginning when they first met. Although this isn’t what (Y/n) was actually implying and instead was an irrational thought process of Jack’s, he found himself extremely bothered by the entire situation.

Standing up without another word, Jack opened the door to their motel that was in town before semi-slamming it shut, enabling himself to put his hands on his head as he peered up at the sky. Although the sunset was not quite upon them, the sky was getting darker by the second as Jack inhaled and exhaled in an effort to calm down. It’s not even her fault, I’m getting ahead of myself and projecting my feelings onto her. I know that’s not fair. I just… I can’t help but feel that she has no empathy towards the predicament I’m in.

(Y/n), on the other hand, still staring at the door in puzzlement, had no clue why Jack had chosen to storm off that way. Is he… mad at me? We’ve never really fought before, so it’s hard for me to tell. (Y/n) turned the TV off before tucking herself into the bedsheet covers, a hand resting on her head as she began to develop a headache. I just thought he’d be pleased that we’re finally escaping together and having a happy ever after. Maybe I’m wrong. Before her thoughts could continue twisting and turning until tying into a knot, Jack came back into the room before grabbing the car keys and standing back in front of the door. As his hand paused on the door handle, Jack mumbled without looking back, “I need to clear my head, I’ll be back soon,” before softly shutting the door behind him. As (Y/n) stared at the ceiling above her head, she could hear the sounds of an engine turning on before suddenly fading away, a sure sign that Jack had indeed drove off.

Jack tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he waited at a red light anxiously, with nothing but his own thoughts accompanying him. The feeling he felt the most was anxiety, as this was clearly not a situation that he could predict the outcome of. It was almost certain that they would be able to escape together on the boat, but in terms of what would happen at the mansion, who knew? Jack paused the drumming of his fingers as he began to worry more about the state of those he left behind. Won’t the Reapers know they’re missing one if my bedroom is empty and a person is unaccounted for? Jack eventually decided to pull over on the side of an empty road, staring at nothing but dirt ahead of him. To his right was a corn field, the stalks of the corn glaring back at the sunlight beaming down at them. As Jack relaxed his arms and hands before sighing, he rubbed his head obsessively before banging it repeatedly on the steering wheel; blood dripped as Jack continued to repeat this action, feeling parts of his skin blister before breaking apart. You. Fucking. Stupid. Bastard. This is what you wanted all along, isn’t it?! To escape and live with (Y/n)?! So, why… why… As Jack’s self-harm came to a halt, he had hysterically crying, leaving a trail of tar-filled tears mixed with blood dripping down the steering wheel, similar to oil and water. His voice cracked as he yelled while sobbing in pure physical and emotional pain, wondering why, oh why, the world had to make him suffer.

Maybe it was karma for all of the heinous acts he had committed against humans since becoming a monster, or maybe it was karma for betraying those he committed those acts against. For, Jack finally understood why he felt such emotional entrapment and exasperation at the situation at-hand, as well as at the one he loved with such intensity. Resentment began to fill every fiber of his being as his tears slowed, the only noise within the vehicle being his shakey breath as he processed his epiphany with dread and misery. (Y/n)… I don’t want to resent you. But, what am I to do when you made me human again, while I still exist as a monster? What am I to do then?

Author's Note: Jack is feeling resentment because, although he has regained his human abilities to feel empathy and think of the greater good, he is still a monster outwardly, leading to his feelings of rejection and confusion.

There are only 5 more chapters left before the story is complete! Do you think (Y/n) and Jack will get their happily ever after??