𝒜 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝐸𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉

9 - 𝐿𝑒𝓉 𝑀𝑒 𝒢𝑜 𝐻𝑜𝓂𝑒

It isn't long before the house that Y/n darted away from only twenty minutes earlier comes into full view; the girl only now notices the shrubbery that the exterior of the building is blanketed in. Almost like it's meant to be inconspicuous to the average, untrained eye. There's no doubt that these people are wanted criminals if they're demented enough to kidnap people from their bedrooms in the middle of the night, so what else are they capable of? Murder? This permanently-smiling man in front of her owns a knife for a reason, and he strongly implied that killing her in cold blood wouldn't bother him in the least. Does everyone here actually end peoples' lives? Is that what they're going to do to her?

Jack told her that they meant no harm; then again, how is she supposed to store her faith in the very guy who abducted her while she was asleep? She limps onto the porch, behind the raven-haired male, and waits in uncomfortable anticipation as he knocks on the door. Smile takes a seat beside her legs, blinking up at her with scarlet eyes and growling from deep within his throat, prompting her to claim a small, almost unnoticeable step away. This dog is freaky. This man is freaky, the guy that took her in the first place is freaky. People like this are supposed to be in movies, not reality. Then again, she's been seeing things lately that should make her question both herself and reality.

The door opens, and she instinctively glances up, regretting it in an instant when she meets the soulless pits where she assumes Jack's eyes used to be. Or did he even have eyes? He did, she saw them. They were a nice, chestnut hue, so what happened? Was it a disguise? A trick of the mind? Is he even human? Maybe he somehow fooled her into seeing him that way. "Jeff," Jack starts, tone low with suspicion, "I hope you didn't do anything stupid."

So that's his name. Jeff. Like Jeffery Dahmer. Oh God, what if he eats people too?

"Psh, why do you have to immediately assume the worst about me?"

"Because stupidity is no stranger to you," he answers plainly, stepping aside and allowing who she now knows as Jeff to enter the small household. Y/n follows, warily glancing at the mask-wearing male and staying as far away from him as possible.

"Ah, you wound me, Jack."

Uninterested in humoring him, he speaks. "What happened to her ankle?"

"Simple, really: she bolted, Smile gave chase, and he won like the good boy he is." He stands there for a moment, staring at Jeff with an emotion that she can't quite identify; though it's quite possibly irritation.

"So what you're saying is, Brian gives us clear instructions not to hurt her, and what you hear is, 'sic my 100-pound killer dog on this frightened, defenseless girl'."

"Hey man, I got her, didn't I? You just better be happy he didn't rip her leg off or somethin'." She crosses her arms and shoots a glare at Jeff, shifting her weight to her right leg to relieve herself of a fraction of the pain. Jack sighs, shaking his head and walking farther into the living room, closer to Jeff.

"Just get outta here. And take your...your mutt with you."

"With pleasure," he replies, sending Y/n a patronizing smirk before stepping outside, snapping his fingers while he does so. "C'mon Smile. Let's go somewhere far away from these simpletons." Smile wags his tail excitedly and stands from his sitting position, looking up at Jeff. "And I'll have you know, demon boy," he looks back at Jack, his eyebrows raised, "if you let her get away again, I ain't gonna be the one responsible for catching her."

"Get lost, Jeff," he responds, pointing outside and facing the icy-eyed teen with clear annoyance. Jeff leaves without another word and Jack closes the door behind him before turning back to the injured girl standing timidly in his living room. "...Are you okay?"