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

Chapter 6

          We followed the western shore on Isle of Dogs. We took the A13, then the A101 passed by ST.James Gardens and right after, we drove down the A200, then turned left in Neptune Street, right in Albion Street and straight towards Nisa Local. We could have just gone to Asda... but Avalon had told me not to ; seemed like the groceries weren't quite as good, same for the Clifton Express and as for the Ru Yi Oriental.... Keith beckoned me not to push it too far.

Here it was, the Nisa Local was a little two stories building made of bricks with a tiled roof. I parked the car and, as I went out of it to take a bag in the trunk, a metallic sound erupted from behind me. I turned around quickly and saw a fucked up mix of a dog, a cat and a crow.... and the whole package being sick with leprosy. Its fore and hind left legs were way smaller and massive than its right ones, giving the creature a rather crippled-looking gait. However, the most disturbing thing about its appearance, was the long tongue that dangled from its way to short muzzle, its dislocated-bottom jaw hanging freely.

All my muscles and attention were on it because, even if its morphology seemed to be a drawback for a chase, I had learned it the hard way in the opera. A drop of seat ran down my temple ; a hand landed on my shoulder.

-"Eh frenchy, are there no moggies in France?" he mocked. 'THIS?! A CAT??!!' I then turned my head towards it again, and saw nothing more than a cat... 'I'm loosing the plot, I'm really getting totally bonkers!'.

We entered the building and, without even paying attention to where I was going, I just contented myself with following Keith as I absentmindedly listened to him.
'What's wrong with me? I see monsters where there are none, have nightmares after nightmares, I have imagined my sisters to be possessed and skinned... I have even let my guard down on Jack.... but, was he even real? I mean, if others don't see those things but only everyday life's stuff... so could it be that... all this ; the opera, the monsters, apparitions... everything! That every single one of those things were just in my sickened mind...?' I looked myself in the glass of a fridge, tracing the scar on my right cheek with the very tip of my fingers. But then, what about this scar? And the crank? I couldn't just possibly dream my life that much!

-"Hey, I'm off to get peas, ya can get the flour and apples?" I nodded and went to the fruit and veges section. 'Why did I drop my defenses down on Monday? How? How in hell's name did I find his presence to be pleasant?... I shamed myself! I guy who jerks off while watching a dissection, who thrusts his thumbs into a living-woman's eye sockets like it was only plasticine, who turns everything he touches into nightmares.... how did I even get to feel at ease and calm with this freak so close?!' I bend down to grab a net of apples, when something shinny entered my sight ; the crank.

I held it in my hand and contemplated it for a while ; maybe, it was only me wanting to believe that he could return to who he used to be... the one Isaac had known in his young years, the one I had laughed with in those rush of joy... a tear rolled ; I whipped it.
I had no right to be sentimental.... not after everything he had done... not after what Liz had endured... but did she really live this? Did they really know one another? And if so, why had he never tried anything on her since the opera?

This whole story was losing sense at lightning speed and, as I searched through the diverse flours, I thought I 'saw' a shock wave spreading in the section. Seeing it disappear, I resumed on searching through the many shelves. I eventually put a hand on what I was looking for and, as I brought it at eye level, an other wave crossed the raw and I saw a ton of tiny red little things crawling up on the bag as well as my arm. Out of instinct, I let go of it and back up with a gasp of surprise.

-"What in God's name is it ya doin'?" asked Keith after he caught the bag before it hit the floor.

-"I-... I thought I saw a.. spider on the pack... those damn things really scare me stiff..." I lied. I felt stupid but it seemed like he bought it and, after he put the pack in his bag, we went for the checkout.

A few moments after we got out of the building, Keith got knocked on the head by something. A whole bunch of wankers were insulting, howling and whistling at him. They called him a 'freak of nature', 'queer' and even asked him how a dick tasted like. Keith said nothing but, I saw that the blood now trickling from his wound was actually mixing with tears.
The advanced on us, so I got before Keith but, within a second, their head became those of monsters ; I froze. Seeing this, the giant of the group sent me flying about six feet away from the boy.
I got up rather quickly, the crank now coming out of my T-shirt. I heard whimpers and, as I looked up, I saw them beating him ; their faces, still those of distorted carnivores.

Determined, I took the necklace off, rolled it around my fist, attaching the end of it to the crank and rushed towards the group. Their disgusting mugs were still visible and it only worsened as I advanced.... but I had to protect the kid ; I prepared my fist and launched it in the gaping jaw of the one that held Keith by his vest. We then heard a horrible cracking noise and all backed up a bit. The bones in my hand were trembling ; the shock of the impact still coursing through my body. It was covered in blood and my cheek had ground against the tar.

-"THIS KID'S UNDER MY WING SO, THE FIRST WHO'D TRY AND HARM HIM, I OFFER HIM THE WHOLE ARCHITECTURAL FACE-LIFT!!!" I announced, preparing my fist to strike again ; they laughed. I took it as a 'come at me bro' and punched the first that stood on my way, sending him where he belonged ; in the trashcans.

However, I very well knew that with such people, some punches wouldn't be enough... no, I had to play it safe. So, mimicking Jack as best as I could, I brought my bloodied fist to my lips and licked the red goo off it, while giggling at first, then building it up to a crazed fit of laughter.
Oh their faces at this moment... priceless!
In an instant, I saw them running away, screaming something about a crazy bitch... Oh, well, since the 'play' was finished, I put the necklace back in place and rushed for Keith.

-"You ok?" I asked as I helped him up? He wasn't as beaten up as this morning but, it didn't quite make him look any better. I actually had planned on visiting the many old pubs and buildings in the suburb, but I just couldn't let him like this! So, I changed my plans and drove him back home.

-"Um... y/n is it?" he asked ; I nodded. "thanks for saving my skin there.... hey! where'd ya got the idea of laughing like a total maniac? Ya really looked like a Psycho!" he said excitedly. I peeked at him but didn't answer. The rest of the ride stayed silent and, in my head, I was preparing myself to bear the wrath of Avalon.



Bags in hands on the doorstep, we both breathed deeply before entering the 'dragon's lair'. It was already four o'clock and Avalon was seated before the TV set doing crosswords. When she looked up from her game, her face changed from poker-face to a state of shock that made her jowl fall on her double chin and the rose of her cheeks go up to her temples.

-"What in the Lord's name has happened to ya?! I'm sending ya to buy groceries and a come back like ya just fought ya way outta the Great War!" she exclaimed. After she calmed down a bit, I explained everything to her, except the 'queer part' and left her to pray for God to punish those 'sinners'.... and then asked Him to forgive them.... still Jack's hobbies make more sense to me than this...

Living her into her religious delirium, I took Keith to the bathroom once again and mended his wounds as well as mine. Avalon then called Keith and he left, leaving me alone in the room... alone with my memories. I once again traced my scar with my fingers and spotted a burn mark on each phalanges of my right hand... the one I used to punch those punks ; the crank had burned me once more... one more of Jack's filthy jokes! I put some pomade on it and went downstairs to help storing the groceries.


After we did so, I helped Keith with his homework, then stored the clothes and linens that Avalon had ironed and finally washed the windows. But, during all this, visions had kept on assailing me yet, I did my best not to let it show ; and even when those tiny little things started crawling up the glasses, I didn't stop ; it was all in my mind... illusions, nothing more and nothing less!

We the ate, and it got worse ; my plate of veges and slice of ham had been replaced by the almost completely eaten lamb head, which eyes kept on following my every moves. Sick off my stomach, I lost all appetite and, after I removed and washed my plate, I went off to bed.

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I know Jack's has been quite absent since the two last chapters, but psychologically speaking, he's always there...