femme!reader x Laughing Jack : arc 2 Paranoia (English)

Chapter 1

          Black clouds on a stormy gray sky, the monochrome landscape passing before my unfocused eyes and my maddened heart beats : they were chasing me. Their footsteps and this crazed laughter echoed trough the dead looking circus ; they were getting closer. I had hid myself behind some dusty barrels, hoping with al my heart, that they wouldn't find me any time soon.

After what seemed to be an eternity, I stole a quick glance to see if the way was clear ; I only saw grotty windbags. Once my breathing completely restored, I risked myself a bit more to see my surroundings better. At that moment, I felt something dripping on the back of my neck, I looked up, and saw one of my assailant preparing to pounce on me. I dodged and sprinted in a random but seemingly cleared direction. After some time, other pounding sounds joined in. As I kept on running, I couldn't help but peek at what was on my heels but, just half a second later, I lost my footing and dived head first in a sticky and down right smelly liquide in which wood pieces seemed to float. I was out of my depth and, trying as I could, I wiped enough of this goo to permit me to see if those fuckers would follow me in.

To my greatest surprise, they all were on the edge, standing in a raw. 'That was a close one!' I thought. At that moment, I felt something tangling itself between my fingers... it was stringy and felt a bit like hai-
I brought my hand out of the liquid and saw a black tangle of hair attached to it. Rising it a bit more without really thinking, I then watched in sheer horror as a boneless face got out of the liquid. Panicked, I tore the hair off my hand and fingers ; a faint giggle erupted.

-"Y/n, love, already takin' a bath? Hope ya won't mind me puttin' some 'red wine' aroma in it..." he laughed as his smile widened. 'Red wi..' my muscles stiffened. Looking all round me, I finally found out in what I was swimming; a literal river of blood. "Ya better watch out, honey... that's not very bright ta go swimming after diner..." he said in an almost considerate way. Then, titling his head to the side, a broad and crazed smile traced itself on his alabaster face."Who knows... ya might get a cramp..." he giggled.

Right after he finished his sentence, my four limbs went numb and rigid ; I was sinking! My lungs were burning, my whole body felt like gigantic wound and, despite the blood's thickness, I just kept on hearing that laughter again and again and again and-

-"Miss- Ahh!" screeched a voice as I sat up, eyes wide open. I looked around ; I was still in my car. I heard somebody clear it's throat right beside me ; a controller. I showed him my ticket, then put it back in my wallet and let myself fall back in my seat, my heads firmly griping at the steering wheel. 'A nightmare, just an other one of those fucked up nightmares!' I whispered to myself while passing my right hand on my face.

Four years... it had been four years since the opera's... incident ; since our last encounter. Still, I didn't know if all this had only happened in my head or if it really had occurred.... it was all so confusing..! During the first months, my nights and days were quite normal : no weird-ass dreams nor the feeling of being watched constantly... no creepy shadow creeping in the church's darkness as I went to buy bread... no other stepping sound than mine when I stood alone, waiting for the train to come on Thursdays' nights... and not the horrible impression of being observed while sleeping!

And, all this creeping and stalking impression I constantly felt only went worse with time. At first it was only me feeling somebody's presence in my room... and escalated in my senses tricking me into thinking that something was brushing my cheek, arm or forehead.

To be accurate, the shadows went in first, then, about two years after, this presence seemed to have entered my living space and, since one year, I suffered from those nightmares... each time a new one. The first ones were only memories of what had happened in the opera but the most recent ones were taking places in a deserted creek. And now I could add this 'river of blood' to my map. However, it was the first time since the opera that I saw him... before that, I had only heard him talk once or twice but it only occurred as I started falling asleep.

I just couldn't let this go on forever! It was just unbearable and, from fear that I would lose my mind, my mother thought it was a good idea to send me to a psychologist. A appointment that my wallet and I had greatly regretted : not that I'm tightfisted, but this quack had, right before I even told hm what was wrong, made up some messed-up theory about those nightmares being the consequence to me denying my feral self the basics of sex.... Bottom line : a broken pen, a twitching eye and fifty euros shoved up my ass...big deal!
So I decided to take charge of this shit and to find a solution to all my problems. I had went around in circles for weeks before I realized something as I twirled the crank between my fingers... what if the answer was in this attic... in England?


Yeah it was a nice idea 'going to England~' but I had to find an excuse to make it legit in my mother's eyes and in Liz'. She truly had changed during those four years.... we were as close as sisters can be.
This time, luck was by my side and granted me two whole months where Liz had gone on a school trip to meet her correspondent... what a treat ; I couldn't just bring her into this madness... and, to be honest, I never talked to her about this and even as she asked me about the scar that ran through my right cheek, I told her fibs.

A reminder, that's what this scar was to me.. just a constant memory of what had happened.... like an arrow, this madness was just trying to hit bulls-eye.

-"Hey, d' you got a lighter?" a voice asked on my left. I then pointed the panel listing everything that was forbidden to do, during the trip in the tunnel under the English Channel. He snorted and returned to his car. 'All we need now is for some idiot to-'

-"... set this place on fire..." giggled a drawling voice. Alarmed, I looked all around me and I even went to go out my car when the wagons stopped and the sieves opened. Still stiff, I started up and got out in the open.
Once I was out of this maze of orange cones and on the other side of the barrier, I felt a cool breath on the back of my head. "Ow~ I didn't know that ya missed me so much to come all the way here for me... y/n... it really is heart warming to see... so much I could explode with happiness..." he laughed hysterically.

And, right after he finished his sentence, a loud sound thundered behind me and, looking into my rear-view mirror, I saw a gigantic mass of black smoke coming from the terminus...

Ohhh that was one nasty mess I had gotten myself into...