Ringside Seat ||A Laughing Jack Love Story||

Chapter 17- A Gated Forest

As I stood beside the towering chain link fence with lovely barbed wire on top- I kept rethinking all my decisions up to this point. 

After Jeff told me the truth about Laughing Jack, he agreed that I could help him aid Jack. Even though all these murders were wrong, I still hated this rainbow clown. Jeff handed me a lined piece of paper with an address on it and a crudely drawn map which all looked like it was written in crayon. Immediately I began packing my bags, getting ready for the trip up to this random address. I was expecting a house, maybe a town home or something but definitely not this. 

A sign posted on the twenty-foot fence read 'Forest fenced off for YOUR SAFETY. Do not enter.' How convincing. I tried to think of all the positives to encourage myself.

I'll be helping out this neglected imaginary friend. I'll be getting rid of a creepy rainbow clown. And maybe then he might leave me alone. But... I don't want him to leave me alone. Getting my thoughts together I shake my head and look up at the gate. I needed to find this savior Jeff was talking about and fast- before Jeff loses track of Jack. I feel my legs shaking under me, but with the thought of Jack in my mind I muster the mental strength to latch onto the chain links.

I climb over top of the fence, in a place where the razor sharp wire was purposely cut. I guess this may have been done by Jeff, this savior or curious onlookers. Either way after a jump of faith I roll into the eerie forest.

The forest was completely made from pine trees, only the prickly needles littered the floor. Shadows seem to dance across the trunks out of the corner of my eyes the further I ventured in. Wind whipped past my ears in a howl of warning, while the breeze also gave me chills. Every fiber of my being was telling me to get out of here, it was obviously a dangerous place. But my will to continue on was led by the vision of a smiling Jack- when he was gentle and quiet. When I played the old broken tune from his box. But also the hurt on his face when I called him a monster, or the fear when he stabbed me.

Jack was waiting for me. I would not and could not disappoint him. No matter his past.

~

I had to be lost at this point. Jeff's map was no use to me, these scribbles were hard to decipher. Not like they'd be of any use anyway. Turn left at the ruined Jeep, right at a random tree? I think I passed the tree a while back, and what is this ball in the corner supposed to be? So many questions- I knew I was lost. 

At least until I trudged through some brush and discovered a huge house. It looked in ruins, impossible to live in and abandoned. 

"Hello?" I called, to see if anyone was taking shelter inside.

No response other than a suddenly strong breath of wind whizzing past me. The wind caught the map in my hand and flew off.

"Wait! Shit!" I curse and turn to go catch the flying piece of paper above me but a long arm reaches out and takes it before me. 

Following the hand back to its owner I look up at a ten-foot-tall man in a suit and red tie. He was as pale as snow and the thing that made me scream was, he had no facial features at all, only a faint outline of where his eyes, nose, and mouth once were.

I couldn't help the scream that squeezed all the air from my lungs. Stumbling back I fell over a rock and rolled onto the ground. My limbs trembling too hard to try and stand up or run away.

A map scribbled in the hand of Jefferey Woods. What are you doing with this, mortal? Though the tall thing in front of me didn't have a mouth, a booming voice echoed in my head. 

"I-I-I-"

Spit it out! Before I lose my patience. 

"I need help before Laughing Jack is lost forever!" I finally spit out.