Love (Slashers X Male Reader)

ONE

"The Wittmore Sanitarium has burnt down in a mysterious fire. Authorities are still investigating but they believe it to have been a malicious act and not an accident. More on that later tonight."

You flick off the news that has been repeating the same story for the past few weeks. When you first heard about the fire you were terrified that the others were trapped in it and passed away. The news repeatedly spoke of how there were seemingly no survivors. You didn't want to believe it but there still hasn't been any updates on what happened or if they found any survivors.

It's been weeks since you last saw them so not knowing if they're alive or dead- if you'd ever get the chance to see them again- is heartbreaking. You didn't even get to say goodbye to any of them. The last person you interacted with was Bubba who held you and comforted you as Thomas murdered the guards. You didn't even look at Thomas. He probably thinks you hate him now if he's still alive.

Pushing the rather depressing thoughts away you get off the couch and head into the kitchen to make dinner. It's late in the evening, the sun already setting leaving the sky dark. It's a bit late for dinner but you barely ate during the day due to slight depressive episodes. It's been like this ever since Wanda fired you.

You've been trying to get better but some days are worse than others. Especially on days where you stupidly put on the repetitive news that continuously speak of the Sanitarium burning down. Thankfully you've had some help feeling better on some days.

As you're preparing your dinner your phone rings. You smile, already knowing who it is based off of the ringtone you set for him. "What do you want?"

"Eh? Can a guy not check up on his baby brother?" Mark gasps in pretend offense.

You roll your eyes, setting the phone on the counter as you put it on speaker so you can continue making your food. "You only call when you want something."

"Fair enough." He clears his throat at the bold yet true statement. "Anyways, have you heard from Chris lately?"

"Why?" A teasing smirk blooms across your lips. "Do you miss your boyfriend more than me?"

You listen as your brother chokes on his breath before sputtering a moment as he tries to deny the claim. "He's not my boyfriend! I'm just wondering because I haven't heard from him since he let me know you got fired."

"That was weeks ago." You furrow your brows. "How often do you two usually talk?"

"At least once a week.... Well, ever since I told him to keep an eye on you. He would give me weekly check ins that more often than not became just us chatting." Mark sighs, sounding disappointed. "Do you think he stopped bothering since he doesn't have to watch you anymore?"

"I'm sure that's not it." You try to soothe your brothers worries. "Have you tried calling him?"

"A ton of times but it goes straight to voicemail every time. I don't understand."

"I'm sorry. Maybe his phone broke? And he's waiting for a new one to be delivered? That could be possible. There aren't exactly any phones stores in little old Wittmore." You shrug, hoping that's what's going on and that he's not ghosting your poor brother. The only other explanation would be the worst case scenario- he died in the fire. You can only hope that's not the case. Same with Jackson.

Mark groans and you know he's annoyed and still worried. "I hate this."

"I know you do but there's nothing you can really do about it." You pick your phone up, turning it off speaker as you head back to the living room. "Are you sure he's not your boyfriend?"

"We used to have... a thing, I guess you could say. We fooled around a bit in college but after graduation we kind of drifted apart."

"You love him." The words come out as a statement rather than question.

"Is it that obvious?" His voice drops into a whisper as if scared somebody will overhear him admitting it.

You chuckle softly. "It's pretty obvious but that might just be because I'm your brother."

"You've always been unnecessarily good at reading me." He scoffs. "It's pretty damn annoying."

"You love me anyways!" Both of you laugh as he agrees. "For real though, maybe you should let Chris know how you feel about him whenever you finally get in touch with him. I mean, you've been in love with him for so long, right? And he obviously felt something for you, too. You shouldn't let your feelings sit in the dark until forgotten."

"You're right. I'll see about visiting him next time I talk to him. It'll give me a chance to see you as well on the drive there."

"I see how it is- Crush first, brother second. I'm wounded, dear brother, that you don't love me as much." You sigh dramatically to put emphasis on the feeling of your broken heart.

"You're a dork." Mark snorts. "I've gotta go now. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

The two of you exchange goodbyes before you hang up and toss your phone next to you on the couch cushion. You flick the TV onto a random channel before digging into your dinner that has sadly gotten a bit cold from your long unexpected chat with your brother. It's still good though.

At some point during the movie you begin to feel strange. Almost as if someone is watching you. Shivers run down your spine and you can't help but to look around only to see nothing out of the ordinary.

If only you looked a little harder.

~~~~~~~~~
Woohoo! Chapter one of book two complete!

Y'all excited for the story to continue? Which new slasher are you looking forward to meeting the most?