𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢? [✔] {Jeff the Killer x Gender Neutral Reader}

Chapter 1

Deep down, you've always known it would end like this.

You press your hand to your side, futilely trying to stop the blood from gushing out of your wounds.

"Quick, I think they went this way!" Shouts a man- a man you were supposed to kill, but who got you with a gun instead. You press your back against the closet door, trying to reinforce it while you still can. Loud steps pass by you and you let out a ragged breath, your relief cut short by the excruciating pain flashing through your body.

You've been in this business since you turned 18. Your... rough upbringing made it easy to become a trained weapon, a killer.

...though you still preferred the term 'mercenary'. You had standards.

Your breathing becomes shallow and you know that you're fighting a losing battle with trying to keep your eyes open. Feeling dizzy, you let go of your wound to look at your hand, mesmerized by the deep color of blood, the maroon leaving unwashable, yet beautiful stains on your blue shirt.

"Heh," You chuckle, looking at the lone lightbulb above you, a dim source of light in your cramped hiding spot. "At least it was fun while it lasted."

Life drains from your body and your eyes flutter shut, coming to terms that this is it. This is how you go down.

Suddenly, the light starts flickering. Confused, you muster your remaining strength to look up, only to see a figure standing in front of you.

"It doesn't have to end here, child." A voice reverberates through your head, a tone you would recognize anywhere.

And as the darkness overtakes your vision, the last thing you see is a tall, pale man in a black suit, with a bright, red, tie.

- - -

A small child runs through the forest.

They don't have a direction, nor a destination in mind, they are simply running away.

Away from the house that caused them so much pain, away from the parents that caused them so much suffering.

After what feels like forever, the child trips on one of the protruding roots, landing face-first into the muddy ground.

They can feel a lump forming on their forehead, and that, coupled with their troubling thoughts, is what finally makes them break.

They start crying, sitting up as they wrap their hands around their knees, hugging them tightly. They've never felt so helpless, so alone, so... fragile in this big, cruel world.

The sound of their parents screaming their name snaps them out of their thoughts. They sound mad, worse than they've ever sounded before.

With their vision blurred by their tears, the child manages to hide behind a nearby tree, praying to God- no, to anyone, to help them, to make it so that their parents will never find them.

The sounds of screaming get closer and closer, and so the child shuts their eyes, hoping for a miracle.

And as the steps get louder, so close that the kid can swear their parents are right on the other side of the tree, their 'guardians' stop screaming their name.

And instead, they start screaming in pain.

The child's eyes widen in shock, paralyzed by fear as they refuse to look at the unfolding scene behind them. They hear their parents' piercing shrieks, the sounds of 'something' ripping followed by a chilling, wet thud against the tree.

Trembling, they look down at their once pristine, white shoes, only to see them painted with dark, maroon spots.

They've seen it enough to recognize it as blood.

And as they stare at what is surely their parents' remains, the screams end just as suddenly as they started.

The child holds their breath, awaiting something, anything-

...

But nothing happens.

After what felt like hours but was probably just minutes, the kid curiously peaks their head out from behind the tree.

To their surprise, nobody is there.

Their parents are nowhere to be seen; the only tangible proof that they were there was a sizeable puddle of blood where they once stood, the liquid slowly sinking into the ground. Some specks can also be seen on the flora around it, the red beautifully contrasting with the forest green.

It was then that the child's fear turned into acceptance, relief flooding their senses. Their parents were not there anymore, so that means...

They are free.

They are finally free.

"Yes."

A soothing, male voice flashes through the child's mind, startling them. They look up, noticing a figure that wasn't there before.

The man is of a tall, slender build, dressed in an immaculate black suit, with a bright, red tie. If only for that, he would look human, except-

Except that he doesn't have a face.

He's a creature of myths, feared by many.

But the child is no longer afraid.

They run up to the man, tears still in their eyes as they hug him tightly, wanting, no, needing closure after such an intense experience.

At first, the creature does nothing as the child wraps their arms securely around his legs, but as the seconds pass, he slowly bends down, embracing the kid as well.

"There is nothing to be scared of." His voice once again echoes through the child's head and they can't help but press their cheek harder against the smooth fabric of his suit, not even flinching when tentacles sprout from the man's back, capturing them in an even tighter, warmer embrace. "I'll take care of you."

And for the first time in what feels like forever, the kid smiles.