The Devil's Puppet

≪•◦Chapter 2.3❈Abigail◦•≫

She sighed. What was she supposed to do? Her only son was missing, her late lover was dead, and now she was stuck in her feelings while living with her ex-husband. She couldn't bring herself to move back into her house. After all, she was sure the smell of rotting flesh and blood still lingered from the box Liam was inside. If that weren't it, it would merely be because she couldn't handle looking at the pictures hung of her, Liam, and Sapnap. She couldn't look at her old room, Sapnap's, or any room in the house. Abigail didn't have the heart for it. She knew she'd break.

At least, more than she has already.

Abigail stared at the ceiling, biting at her bottom lip. She could feel the cracks, tasting the blood. What else could she do? She's tried everything she could think of to find her son. Anything she could think of to move on from Liam and get past the grieving. She didn't want any distractions, she wanted solutions. Jackson tried giving them to her, telling her everything someone in their situation would love to hear. Your typical "everything will be okay, Liam's in a better place. We will bring Sapnap home soon. He's safe."

She didn't believe it. At least, not fully. She knew that Jackson felt the same way. But what could she do besides pretend? "Abigail--" Jackson called. She sighed as she looked down from the ceiling, turning to look at him sitting in the kitchen. He stared back at her, a cup of coffee in his hands. Jackson had his reading glasses on, even though he had nothing to read before him. Abigail remembers loving the way he looked with them on. She began to smile softly, "Yeah?"

"How have you been feeling? It's been a while since we've talked about... things," he said.

Abigail's smile dropped as she looked away, "Right."

Jackson cleared his throat, getting up from the table. He held the mug by the handle, approaching the couch where she sat. Abigail kept her eyes on the ground, feeling her heart beat quickly in her chest. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked, reaching for the TV remote. As he turned the television on and clicked through the channels, Abigail began to pick at her fingers. She shrugged, "About what, exactly?"

"How have you been feeling recently since the incident with your boyfriend?" he asked.

Abigail sighed as she looked up, turning to look at him. "I can't get over it. Sometimes, Liam inside the box still appears in my mind when I try to sleep--" she said. "Sleeping in Sapnap's room doesn't help."

"I offered you to sleep in my room when you moved in," he said.

Abigail shook her head, "It's okay. I don't want to be a bother. And I doubt sleeping on the couch would be comfortable for you."

Jackson shrugged. "I guess I also want to know how you're dealing with Sapnap's situation. It hurts that we haven't been able to do more to help him." Abigail frowned, looking away from the man. She turned to look at the television, watching as the news played. They were speaking about how the Smiling Man had struck again. A wealthy man who used to be convicted had been found brutally murdered in his bedroom. Images sporadically appeared on the screen. "Oh my god--" she gasped.

They both stared at the TV. The wealthy man was lying on his bed, he was skinned. The slices of said skin were on the floor. His face, which was still intact, had a big smile carved into the cheek. "Huh... look at the note the Smiling Man left--" Jackson said. Abigail hummed as she looked closed, finding a message on the wall. It was written in the man's blood, "He should've stayed locked away. :)" 

Chills ran through Abigail's spine. "Do you think the Smiling Man had a motive for this attack?" she asked, turning to look at Jackson. The man shrugged, "I think so. That man was in prison for assaulting his wife and daughter. The daughter was killed."