A Wash Cycle to Live (Eyeless Jack X OC)

Pressing 'Start'.

"Call me EJ."

He changes again, only halfway. He keeps the rumble in his voice that makes her mind hurt a little but the aura of cruel superiority diminishes.

"Call me Flower."

Rose outright refuses to tell him her name. After all, who names their kid EJ? That can't be his, so he doesn't get hers. Besides, she can't count the number of times she's heard that names have power.

EJ laughs at her choice of name, a sinister chuckle that bounces off the walls of the kitchen and her skull.

"What parent calls their kid Flower?" He chuckles.

"What parent calls their kid EJ?" Rose is quick to respond.

A short silence follows, in which Rose swears she can hear her heart beat, and it sounds like it wants to leave.
Then EJ laughs again and Rose can feel every muscle in her body relax.

"My parents didn't give me that name." He says.

"Neither did mine."

Rose doesn't miss a beat in her response. She wonders if that's a good thing.

"Heh. Is that the name you want?"

Rose has gotten the sense that if she says the wrong thing, she might die throughout the whole conversation but now she feels like if she says the right thing, something may go well for her.

"It's the name you can call me by." She replies cautiously.

EJ laughs again and once more does Rose push the idea that it's quite a nice sound out of her head.

"You're smart. Well, apparently not smart enough to keep me out. But enough to be fun."

Rose can feel the sinister undertone in his voice and it sets the hair on her arms rising. She's desperate to ask him why he was outside her window and, more importantly, what he wants to do with her. But, making him angry feels like a death sentence.

"Why did you let me in?" He asks.

As he speaks, he takes a couple steps forward and despite how intimidating he seems, Rose doesn't mind all that much. She can't deny how curious she is about him. After all, when do you get to interact with a man with no eyeballs?

"I let you in because I was curious about you. And, you seemed like you needed help." Rose responds.

Not really a lie, but not quite the truth either. In all honesty, Rose saw a little too much of her sister in EJ and after being away from home for almost a whole year, she misses her family. Not to mention how he looked more than a little like a drowned rat, but she thought that being compared to both a young woman and a rat might be a bit insulting.

EJ doesn't have any visible reaction and neither does he say anything, making Rose more and more uncomfortable as time goes on.

"And that warranted letting a strange man into your apartment?" He asks slowly.

Any snappy comeback dies in Rose's throat as the man sounds genuinely bemused. She, logically, is well aware this was a horrible decision, but it's already been made by a version of her a lot less coherent than she is now. So, unable to back up her own decision, she decides to simply go down her own route of questioning.

"Why were you outside my window?" She asks, tentative.

"I was hunting."

That's the only answer he gave,  clear and simple, aside from it leaving Rose with far more questions than answers.

"Hunting me." Rose says.

Not a question, but a statement. One that Rose fervently hopes he will disagree with. But as the silence stretches on, the pit in her stomach grows bigger and bigger, until a very small nod made her heart fall right through it.

"For what? What are you going to do with me?" Rose can't stop the desperation leaking into her voice.

"You have quite nice kidneys. Good condition, they'll make a decent meal. Could be a bit fatter, but I'll take what you'll give. Your other organs aren't too bad either, and I have a couple friends who wouldn't mind a few spare parts." He speaks so nonchalantly, calmly.

As EJ talks, Rose's world becomes very clear and sharp. She can smell the laundry detergent she just used, the hydrogen peroxide still out on the side, the lingering smell of the cookies she made yesterday. She feels like she can see everything in perfect detail, especially the man standing in front of her, wearing her clothes and wanting her organs.

"Don't go all scared on me now. And here I was, starting to like you." EJ grumbles.

For some reason, this kicks Rose's brain into gear. The half insulting, half disappointed tone irritates her mildly, but enough to provoke a response.

"Who said I'm scared?" She asks.

EJ chuckles again, shaking his head lightly.

"I can hear your heartbeat, sweetheart. You're terrified of me, just admit it."

The teasing tone, the nickname, the outright denial of what she just said, all a perfect combination to piss her off. Perhaps not a good idea, to be angry at a man who wants to kill and eat you like cattle, but Rose's brain hasn't worked the best this entire conversation.

"So what if I am? Why bother scaring me, didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food? And it's creepy to call your meal 'sweetheart'." Rose keeps her tone defensive, gripping the counter so hard her fingers hurt.

EJ changes, regaining his threatening air. Again, Rose can't identify what it was that changed, perhaps his stance, perhaps whatever is behind those black, tar filled eyes.

"My mother taught me plenty, sweetheart. More than your kind could comprehend,"

His voice turns from scratching her brain to outright cutting it, producing a mild ache that seems to encompass the muscle in her brain rather than the skull. But, as he finishes speaking, he relaxes again, settling into the more mild mannerisms he had before.

"As for why I'm bothering, well, you're fun. So far. The last time someone saw me and didn't immediately scream, run, hide or call for help, I made a new friend. Although, that was almost to be expected, as they enjoy painting with fresh blood. You don't have any murderous habits, as far as I can tell, yet you let me in. That deserves some brownie points, at least."

Rose calms slightly, being able to follow his train of thought. A slight hope flutters in her chest, yanking her heart from the pit in her stomach, as he insinuates a possible friendship.

Then, EJ takes a few steps forward, towering over the woman. Rose is by no means tall, but she's not exactly short, coming in at a respectable 5' 4". But EJ dwarfs her, forcing her to tilt her head to remain looking him in the eye as he slowly gets closer and closer. For a brief second, Rose thinks about moving, running, but now he's too close and she could be far more angry, or scared, about that than she is.

"Sweetheart, I'm feeling generous today. And you've been kind to me, you've even taken the time to wash my clothes for me. How sweet. So I'll cut you a deal-" At this, his voice drops and Rose swears she can hear whispers in the background as he speaks. "- you have until my clothes are washed and dried to make me enjoy your presence, find enough value in your life, to let you keep a kidney and the majority of your blood."

EJ pauses for a moment, giving Rose much needed time to think over what he's proposing. But they both know she has no choice.

"Is this a deal, sweetheart?" He asks, holding out a hand that's far too close to her.

Rose grips his hand firmly. It's as cold as death and envelopes her own, the black claws scratching her skin lightly, enough to make the flesh prickle but not leaving a mark.

After all, how could she refuse?