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

Chapter 3

          I really had a tone of shit of luck... but seems like lady luck was on a strike since the opera night... it was stupid to think such a thing, but it I think that it summed this situation pretty well and, by God I wasn't out of the woods... Whether it been during diner and its setting or the evening that followed, they just couldn't stop themselves from arguing. So 'yes' it can be quite unnerving to see your kid mimicking a stranded squid, having to tell him that feet weren't supposed to lay on the chair and that hair could be cut... it truly made me regret my choice... and I was only supposed to start working tomorrow... 'Jack if you read my mind... just kill me now, it's too cruel...!'


Hoping to catch some sleep before an other 'whimsical' nightmare, I got to bed at nine o'clock.

-"And now she's off to sleep when the sun's set, I don't want this chick watching over me mom!" wined Keith as he stumped his foot angrily on the floor. And, for a change, they resumed on arguing ; if only Jack had pushed me over the ledge...


For once in a while, I didn't wake up in sweat nor with a knot in my stomach, but only because of somebody crying. Intrigued, I got out of bed and went down the stairs to search for the origine of it. A single yellowish light was still on in the kitchen and, peeking at what could be inside, I found Avalon seated stool, her head buried in her hands and her entire body shaken by harsh sobs. He has had to tell her something really terrible to put her in such a state...

-"Hum, Miss? May I help in some way...?" I asked advancing towards her. She kept on crying ; I would have never thought that this precious and fierce diva's petty speeches could have affected her that much. Still, I understand the pain of seeing one's child doing the opposite of what his told to, only because it wants to rebel and thus, disregarding of it's parents' efforts to make it right...

I reached out for her shoulder and, as my hand made contact with it, a hot spot grew on my sternum. "uhm miss... Av-". I didn't get the time to finish ; the few syllabes I had to pronounce, died in an instant.
She had turned around but I didn't manage to find at her eyes. Her face had been partially butchered and, according to the flaps of skin that dangled from it, I figured that the rest was laying in her hands. Her mouth had been sewed and, letting go of the pieces of skin that she held, she slipped her fingers between the strings and started tearing at them. Bit by bit, some of the wires gave way when others, much more resistant and pulled with much force, cut through the flesh, carving bloody gashes into her lips. I didn't draw back ; I was to numb to do so. She only had two more threads to tear apart but, as she started to, she seemed to be gagging as if... something wanted to come out...
Suddenly, a long, straight horn went out of her mouth and, as it had me almost impaled on it, my eyes shot wide open and I woke up in sweat in my bed. At that moment, I saw something red swarming in a corner... I went for my pocketknife, the one that I always kept under my pillow... but it had disappeared. Then, I felt a draught passing at lightning speed close to my ear and, I heard something stuck itself in the wooden bedhead ; my knife.

I turned around and, the moment I was about to rise up, I got pressed back against the mattress by an invisible force. I struggled with all my might, but it wouldn't let me lose.

-"y..../n...." called a weak little voice from the bottom of the bed. When I looked towards it, I had just wanted to scream, cry and even do as Œdipus had, and put my eyes out. Liz was before me ; her usually perfectly combed hair a mess, her little smile disfigured by hideous scars making her mouth look like had been stung by a thousand bees. Her skin was and the white in her eyes had turned yellowish...

All of a sudden, and just like a ragdoll one's picks up, she landed at the end of the room where two almond shaped eyes stared back at me. I didn't get a chance to spoke, because I soon felt a stinging sensation rising in my limbs, sensation that only grew more and more painful. I then turned my head towards my left arm and, horrified, I saw little things crawling under my skin ; I felt them roaming against the flesh as they tore me apart from the inside. They went higher, hundred of thousands of little bulges coming towards my head.... they were at my shoulders when-


BIP BIP BIP BIP !!


I woke up with a start and, before I even asked myself where I was, I examined my arms to see if it had been all just a dream.... and, to my greatest relief, yes it was.

I sighted, shut my old alarm clock off and buried my face into my hands ; Liz' face came back into my mind. A tear rolled, then an other and another and another... I couldn't stop myself... I couldn't take it anymore... I couldn't...

-"Ohhh, look at what we got here ; little girly all sweaty in here tiny bed... still thinking about me y/n...?" he laughed. I didn't want to hear him, nor to see him and certainly not to have him bugging me.

-"Leave me alone..." I weakly ordered while curling up in a seated-fetal position.

-"Haha... wait up love, I think I got some coal in my ears... can ya say it again? I think I misheard ya???" he said in his snarky tone.

-"Leave me alone... leave me alone... leave me alone..." I frenetically repeated as my arms tightened more and more around my knees and legs. I didn't want him to see me like this ; it would have made him giggle with joy! But, despite all my willpower, I just couldn't hide the cracks in my voice.
I kept on sobbing, on crying... letting all my rage, distress break free... I never had such a break down in all those four years... but after all this! The visions, the sleepless nights, the nightmares... Liz.... Too much! It was too much!! I couldn't even tell what was real from what wasn't", real life from my nightmares... when those weren't invading reality...

I had waited for a snarky remark or a lewd one... but only a few little 'rocks' fell down on my head and then on the bed sheets right before me. I rose my head up and found three little hard candies which fell, literally from the sky. I took one between my fingers and examined it ; it was foiled in a white and black stripped paper. I opened it slowly and found what seemed to be a honey candy inside. I smelled it and brought it to my lips

-"What the Hell am I doing?!" I exclaimed as I draw the treat away from my mouth. What if he had decided to poison me ; he likes deaths to be slow and gruesome... he wouldn't refrain himself from such a show! I turned the treacherous piece between my fingers ; or a drug... just to maintain me still during my vivisection..... or...

But if he had wanted to do this to me, he could have hung me up, like at the opera... and tied me up with ropes and thus cut me without a worry.... 'Ohh never mind!" I thought as I put the treat into my mouth. I had never played russian roulette ; I would have never had the right amount of luck to do so but, just for once, my choice didn't seem to be the wrong one.

I was right ; honey flower.

As I finished the treat, I felt my vision getting blurry. 'Shi-'