Human Again (A Jeff the Killer story)

8. The deal

Emilie's pov

Angry after the conversation with that mean police officer, I stay there, in front of the office for a moment. What can I do? Go back to my home? I'm sure the man will be there waiting for me. Or worse, maybe he's already here, watching my every move and laughing at my stupid attempt to save my life. I'm.....lost. I now realize that I am completely alone. My parents can't help me from where they are, and I don't want to make them worried. It will surely cause them a heart attack if they know what happened yesterday and earlier. No, I need to fight this alone, for as long as I can until I find a solution. What about a hotel room? I sight, I don't have money with me. Even my phone is in my home. No, I need to go back. I have no choice. If the police officers won't help me, I will do my best to survive alone.

I slowly begin to walk again, head glued to my feet. My life is so bad so far. Even the small joy I had earlier with the job offer seems to be nothing at all. I'm going to die before starting working. And my studies? Did I really study all my life just to die before getting the benefits of it?
No one is around on the streets. I assume it's at least 9 or 10 p.m now. I must have slept longer than I thought. But, hopefully, I don't feel someone watching me like the person does in scary movies. Maybe he left to torture someone else and will never come back. I sight once again, even I don't believe in this. He felt so much happiness tormenting me earlier, for sure he will come back to finish the job. My legs are shaking, my breathing is fast, nearly breaking. It would be a lie to say that I am brave, that I am not scared. Because hell, I am. I am terrified, I know I'm going to suffer. But what can I do? I have no choice. I have no family, no friend, no help. If I am lucky, the man won't be there and everything will only be a bad souvenir. Maybe it really was a prank, a new form of bullying for foreigners. Maybe it was only make-up, right? I will be on Youtube tomorrow and will laugh at how stupid I was.

I slowly arrive to my home, the door is still wide open. Seeing my building only gives me dread, but I have to be brave. I also hope that no one came into my home while I was away. I can't bear another mad man or a thief now.
I fearfully enter the kitchen, slowly, on high alert, worried that the man will attack me. But nothing comes, thankfully. I urgently close the window across the bedroom, which has stayed open since the attack earlier. Seeing the kitchen only reminds me of how starving I am. I haven't eaten for hours after all. There's only instant noodles in the fridge and I wait for the microwave to be done. When it's finished, I eat it in front of the tv. I need something to focus on, or else I will become crazy once again. As usual, it's the news, but this time it's about a flight crash in East Asia.

A flight.

Why haven't I thought about it? I can easily go back to France and leave this hell! I can pack my things now, call the landlord, the university, John and get out of here. In less that one day I'd be back to my family and friends. I'd be back to my happy life. Back to the real me.

I quickly grab my phone and search for a flight to Paris, cursing myself for being so stupid. There are two flights this day. If I leave now, everything will be fine again. I grab my suitcase which was hidden under the bed, and open it. I then stand up and toss it on my bed, starting to pack my clothes. I suddenly see that on it is patched the flight paper, with my name and the number of the flight I took to come to Chicago, some months ago. Memories are coming back. I can remember myself, more than happy to go to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, my two parents with me. I kissed and hugged them so much that day, I was sad to leave them, but happy and excited at the same time. Excited for what was coming next. I remember the pride in their eyes when I left. Their only child was going away, to achieve a better life, to get a better future. And here I am now, running away from a monster. Leaving all my dreams. What would they say? Their sacrifice to save money for my studies, their pride of seeing me get a better life, their happiness. All crushed down, because of me and my fear.

I can't turn them down.
I can't give up now.
Not when I finally start to feel better.

I will fight. I won't let him break me. I won't let him kill me without a fight. I do have things to fight for, I know it. He can't destroy everything I had achieved.
I quickly unpack the few things I had put in my suitcase and hide it once again under my bed.

"I can assume you're staying then?"  a dark and rough voice says behind me, making me jump in both surprise and fear. I know immediately who it is. But, how did he enter my room as I closed everything? Only one answer, he was already there.

"Yes, I won't give up." I reply with all of my small confidence, facing him. I can see his face clearer now that the lights are on. His deep dark eyes still sending shivers down my spine, and attracting my own eyes. It's really terrifying to look into them, but at the same time, you can't help to do so. You can't help to look into darkness and pure evil.

"That's amusing. What can you do against me? Without any help?" He obviously knows that I was denied help at the station. Whether he just knew it all along or if he stalked me there is a mystery to me. Taking his knife out of his pocket, he takes a step towards me. Slowly, as if to wait for my reaction, to evaluate me. To see fear breaking my confidence by his every move, before continuing, "Last time you took me off guard but it won't happen again." He licks his dirty knife and I want to vomit.

Trying my best to keep staring at him, not to show my fear and submission, I reply with a stutter.  "I-I do know that you're stronger than me and that I will surely fail anyway. But at least I'll try." He seats on my bed as if watching a show. I want to shout "get out" so bad to him but I don't want to anger him while he seems calm. I don't have the guts to anyway.

"Try for what?" he asks as if I am stupid. "I know you, I told you. You have nothing here to fight for. So just give up already and let me kill you." He stares at his knife, playing with it between his fingers. Probably imagining how to use it on me.

"No that's not true, I have things to fight for." I reply slowly, afraid of being caught saying something bad.

"Like what?" He nearly screams with anger in his voice, like he has lost his temper. I jump in fear in the process. He was calm one minute ago. "Family, love, friends? Nothing like that matters. You're weak, just accept your fate."

I don't know why he's just there, chatting with me. I kind of think he's a lunatic or something, but that's my chance. If I can gain his sympathy, or even respect, there is a change that I can get out of here alive.

"No that's not true," I carefully reply, "there are a lot of things to fight for in life, like hap-"

"Don't talk to me about happiness!" He screams again, standing up abruptly from the bed as if I have awoken the best inside of him. I take a step back, trying to keep a reasonable distance between us. "That's bullshit. I thought by the look of your stupid life that you didn't believe in it. But hell, you're like the others! You all deserve to die!"

He suddenly grabs me by my shirt, planting his scary eyes in mine, only a few centimeters away. I then understand that I need to find something to say, now, before he kills me right here. Think, think, think...

The coldness of the knife on my neck prevents me from thinking properly, and I close my eyes in defeat. My parents, my family, my home...I won't see them again.

"You're so annoying", he suddenly says with pity in his eyes and I can feel his strong and evil gaze on my face, analyzing me. I don't know why his sentence creates this feeling of hatred in my soul, but it did. He can scare me, kill me, hell play with me, but I won't be judged by a monster.

"I prefer to be annoying than a psycho like you!" I scream with anger, not wanting to see judgment in the eyes of a monster. All fear left my body, replaced by that hatred which will surely be the end of me. I have insulted him after all.

"You don't know what you're missing, silly girl. My world is a psycho one, true, but so much interesting than yours." He takes his knife out of my cold neck, only to place it near my heart, ready to stab me at any moment.

I need to find something to say. Now.

"Show me then" is all I could find, not knowing what I get myself into. He looks at me with surprise and incomprehension.

"What?" He pulls his knife away and I know I've won some time.

Hesitant but confident, I continue. "Show me your world. In return, I'll show you mine. I'll show you all the beautiful things in it. I'll show you how to be human again."

And with that, my world has never been the same anymore.