Obsession (A Jeff the Killer Fanfic)

Chapter 12: Changing

(Grace's POV)

Someone once said that all changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves. That we must die to one life before we can enter another.

They were right.

But they forgot to mention that it hurts like a bitch.

The last thing I saw clearly was Jeff, throwing the match and lighting my funeral pyre. And then, the bright flash of hell.

I felt the fire almost instantaneously, which shocked me. Like, couldn't it have waited for a second? Wasn't my body supposed to not feel it right away? That shock was wiped out when the pain REALLY started. So immediate, so intense, I couldn't form another coherent thought.

As much time as I thought I'd had to prepare myself for the torture, I never thought it'd be this horrible. Harsh screams ripped from my throat as a heavy wave of pure agony overcame me. My teeth bared against the pain, and my body buckled and twisted, trying to throw off the trauma.

Oh, God, I want it to end. I want to die. Please let me die. End it. Please.

I tried to quiet my shrieks, but couldn't. I could feel my burning flesh begin to peel back from the muscle and bone. This caused me to screech even more urgently. I just wanted it to be over.

After what seemed like an eternity more of hell, the pain began to ebb. Yes, please, let me be dying. Let it be over.

Wait, no, I can't die. Jeff needs me. I need to live. I need to survive this.

The bright streak of light that had encompassed my vision began to darken. My shrieking had subsided to dazed moans. I was losing conciousness, and I couldn't help but feel grateful. Anything to escape this pain. I finally gave into the blackness tugging at the corners of my vision, and drifted away.

************

Gasping, I sat up, only to shield my eyes against the sudden blinding light that seared my eyes. I sat still for a minute or two, blinking furiously to adjust to the light. When I could adequately see without hurting my eyes, I looked around my environment.

I wasn't where I had been before I was lit on fire. I was in a huge white room. The floor was soft and richly carpeted, and the ceiling was richly hung with gauzy white canopies. There was nobody here, and it was deathly quiet. It was peaceful to me, which was the really weird part. Usually, complete silence freaked me out. I always liked to have a little background noise. But this silence was comforting. I took in my surroundings with contentment.

Oh shit, I was dead.

With this thought, I shot to my feet. My heart began to hammer in my chest. No no no, that couldn't happen. Not to me, not now. Panicking, I began pacing around the room. What to do....?

I needed a way out. Getting my breathing back under control, I began to methodically search the room. Pushing aside all of the drapery, I pushed at the walls, hoping to come across a door. No such luck; all of the walls were completely solid and seamless. No windows, either.

"Air vents," I whispered to myself. "Anything you can crawl out of." I crawled along the floor, (giving myself rug burn in the process) combing it for a possible air vent. Again, no luck. Throwing myself down, I groaned in defeat.

"There HAS to be a fucking way out of here!!" I screamed. Burying my face in my hands, I began to sob. There was no hope. I was dead, and stuck in this silent room, alone, desperately trying to find my way out. For an eternity.

Heat flooded through me. "NO," my insides roared at me. No. I wasn't going to spend forever here. I was going to wake up, and go back to Jeff.

As soon as I thought that, a flash caught my eye. Pulling my head up from my hands, I saw something sitting in the middle of the floor. It looked like a small silver ball. It was hovering less than an inch off of the ground, and it was glowing softly. I stared at it in wonder, and I had to get closer to it.

I slowly began to crawl towards it. I didn't want to scare it away. I was so drawn to it. Whatever it was. Inch by inch, I made my way closer to it. It didn't move at all. As I neared it, I could hear a faint humming noise come from it. For some reason, the sound comforted me, like the purr of a kitten. I drew even closer to it.

I was so close to it, the glow of it washed over my skin. The humming was even louder now. Without thinking, I reached out and curled my fingers around it. The orb felt warm, like it had been left sitting in the sun on a warm June day. I brought it to my chest, cradling it.

Suddenly, I felt the loss of its weight. Gasping, I looked down. I thought I had dropped it, and feared that I broke it. Instead, I saw it pass through my chest, and into me. I could still see its glow, from inside my chest, and feel its warmth.

It began to move. Up slightly, and over, until it reached my heart. Then it stopped, and I felt a quick surge of heat. The sudden burst made me cry out, and then once again, I blacked out.

************

(Jeff's POV)

I feel a stab of heat in my chest.

I fly up from my bed and clutch at my chest. But just as quickly as it came, the warmth is gone.

I know it has something to do with Grace. Hastily, I throw the covers off of me and plod over to the calendar. It's day thirteen. Which means that if she's going to survive, she could wake up at any second of any day. And I want to be there when she wakes up. I make my way into the room where she lays, and flip on the light switch. No use sitting here in the dark.

Approaching the table where she lays, I can hear her heartbeat. It sounds so much stronger than it has for the last couple of days. Good, that can only be good news. I smooth her hair back from her face; its past her jaw now, and quite healthy looking. And still black. Running my hand across her cheek, I note how smooth and unblemished her skin is. It's completely healed. It's astonishing that not even two weeks ago, the same skin was raw and blackened and scorched. It healed incredibly fast. Inhumanly fast.

A small intake of breath interrupts my thoughts. My eyes snap back to her face, waiting for some sign of movement. Nothing. I sit for three, five. No response. Maybe I just imagined it...

Another intake of breath, but sharper. I lean over Grace, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"Grace, if you can hear me...wake up. Please," I beg. I know that she probably can't hear me, but I can't stand the waiting anymore. And I know I probably sounded cheesy as hell, but I honestly have no clue what else to say. My mind is too frazzled to think up anything else.

As if reading my mind, I hear Grace groan quietly. I put my hand on her forehead and speak again.

"C'mon, Grace, love."

A hand snakes up and grabs my wrist in a tight hold. Ow. That actually hurts. Sucking in a breath, I look at my arm, and see that its Grace's hand holding me in such a tight grasp. I'm beyond shocked. Grace isn't that strong.

Another sharp breath has me looking back down at her. As soon as my eyes make contact with her face, her eyes snap open.

I'm consumed by a pair of burning pools of darkness. Grace grins harshly at me in a grotesque parody of happiness.

"Hello, 'love'," she half snarls at me, and then she dissolves into a fit of maniacal giggling.