An Eternity of Change

Chapter 14

July 23, 1889

Jaylyn shifted uncomfortably as she walked out onto the dark shadowy streets of Whitechapel, London. Adam followed her soon after and looked around a few seconds before taking her hand and leading her down the street. She didn't like any of this, there had been a lot of killings recently and now they were about to add to them, or if Adam got his way, she would be adding to them.

"Please Adam, I don't want to stoop to his level." She tried to change his mind once more.

He glanced back at her. "There's a reason Ripper will be your first kill. Don't think of it as killing a person, he's obviously not judging by the way he kills people-"

"And you are?" She interrupted. "I've seen you kill someone."

"They tried to mug us." He defended with a slight edge to his voice.

"Did you have to torture them though?"

Adam gave a loud sigh and spun around to face her. "This man, he deserves death. You would be doing the world a favor by killing him. He is a monster that needs to be put down. You should feel happy you'll get to kill him, if it helps, think of all the lives you'll save."

"But do they deserve to live?" She asked.

"Maybe not all of them, but none of them deserve to die like they did." He started walking again until they were outside a small alley. "This is where he's been lurking around for the past few weeks, he should be coming any time."

"So I'm going to be the bait and killer? What do you plan to do? If he sees you he might not try attacking."

"He won't see me." Adam replied as he continued to glance around at the quiet street. "But I'll stay near by if you need help."

"I still don't like it." She leaned up against the wall and looked around for any suspicious person.

Adam leaned close to her until he could whisper without anyone else overhearing. "There he is, a bit down the street. Let him follow you for a bit, I'll keep my distance unless needed, once you draw him into a different alley... finish him."

"Have you not paid attention to what his victims' look like?" Jaylyn shuddered at the pictures, she thought Adam's victims' had looked bloodied, they were nothing compared to this killer's. "Of course you'll need to help me."

"Don't doubt the training I gave you." He pulled back and started to walk away. "Trust me Jay."

Trust him. Could she do that? He was asking her to end someone's life. But she did admit, it would make sense to kill the murderer before he could kill truly innocent people. Stubbornness made her speak again however. "Why should I care about strangers dying?"

Adam gave her a bit of a shocked look; he hadn't expected her to question him like that. "I'll pay you. Every time you kill someone, I'll pay you."

"How much?"

"As much as you want and I think you deserve." He replied. "Now hurry before he leaves."

She nodded and felt her pocketknife to reassure herself she wasn't unarmed before stepping out into plain sight. The man's gaze immediately flicked over to her, though he didn't make it too obvious, and she tried to act like she hadn't noticed as she started walking down the street in the opposite direction. Behind her came the soft footsteps as he followed, she glanced back as she reached the corner and caught a glimpse of him walking in and out of shadows, the way he moved reminded her of a cat but his looks would've been hard pressed to show the same. This was a game of cat and mouse, hunter and prey, Jaylyn picked up her pace a bit, she was supposed to be the hunter but at the moment she felt more like the future victim. She turned into an alley but stopped running a few seconds later as she saw the dead end, this wasn't the right alley, the one she needed to be in connected with the one Adam was in. She looked behind her, hoping in vain that she could still get out, but Jack the Ripper was already a few yards away with a rudimentary knife drawn.

"Wrong turn?" His voice made her flinch. "Don't worry, I'll help."

Jaylyn backed away and drew her pocketknife, though at this point she didn't know what good it would do, Ripper was a lot more threatening up close. Still, she tried to attack him as he got closer but he easily dodged and lashed out with a fierce attack. Pain filled her chest as the blade created a deep cut but she stayed on her feet and closed the distance once more. She landed a few decent cuts to his neck and one to his face before he drove the knife into her abdomen and kicked her to the ground. Jaylyn forced herself not to scream but a groan managed to escape as blood trickled out like a crimson river.

"Quiet one, aren't you?" His grating voice sounded worse as he tried to coo mockingly. "Now where's the fun in killing someone like that?"

She gave a small scream as he twisted the knife and glared at him as an ominous smile appeared on his face. Jaylyn drew back her arm and punched him in the face before pulling out the knife as he fell back. She couldn't treat this fight like one of Adam's training matches, Ripper wouldn't stop right before delivering a would be killing blow, that meant she had to deliver it first.

"There's some spirit!" He rumbled with amusement.

Jaylyn scowled, he still found this like a game. She twirled his knife around to test the balance before moving back as he stood up. He went to grab his knife back, humor suddenly gone from his face, and she fell back even more before delivering a smooth wound to his chest. Blood spurted from the gash but Ripper still kept walking, spinning her around and pinning the hand holding his knife behind her back. She tried stabbing him with her pocketknife but the experienced killer moved his head out of the way and gave her a dizzying punch to the temple. Jaylyn lost her grip on his knife and slumped to the ground, dazed for a moment, before being kicked onto her back so he could finish her.

"At least say some last words."

"Why don't you?" She spat and jumped up at him in one last attempt, feeling her small knife plunge into his throat.

Ripper made a choking sound and glared at her before planting his knife in her shoulder, though he'd been aiming for her neck, before collapsing on the ground. Jaylyn backed away from the body and pulled out the knife and sinking to the ground as well; blood was spattered across the small space and she faintly wondered how long it would take Adam to find her. Darkness was threatening to take her but she blinked it away and continued putting pressure on her worst wounds, she tried not to look at the place where Ripper's body had fallen yet when she glanced towards the entrance to the alley to look for Adam passing by she noticed his body was gone. That was when dread filled her. She knew he had died; there was blood on her knife to prove it. Glancing at it though showed a clean blade. Panic filled her; did this mean Jack the Ripper was an immortal now as well? Was it because she killed him or was it just by chance? She wasn't sure which one it was, but she did know Adam wasn't going to be happy when she told him.

"Jay!" She winced as Adam ran over and removed her hand from the wound on her stomach. The blood was dried on her palm but the wound still had liquid oozing out, though it was coming to a stop like the rest of her injuries. "Where were you?"

Was he really asking her that, out of everything he could've asked it was that? She didn't have the strength to answer as her eyes fluttered close again. She did let out a weak shout of pain as he picked her up, but other wise stayed silent and limp in his arms as he carried her away. Jaylyn didn't want to be carried, in fact she wanted to tell him about Ripper, but the dark unconsciousness was calling back to her again and listening to the steady beat of his heart as he walked wasn't helping. Pretty soon she was unaware of anything as she welcomed unconsciousness and blacked out completely.