Whispers of a Killer

This bites

(Jeff's POV)

I hate allowing myself to think so, but I almost feel different about Cora. I'm not exactly sure in what way, though. We haven't really spent that much time together. Not really. What time we have spent together has mostly consisted of fighting, me having to put her in her place, or her rejecting my advances. It's infuriating. There's been so many times when I've wanted to just kill her, and be done with it. Or to take what I want from her, then kill her. Something has always stopped me, though.

As I sit on the bed beside Cora, a few small moments come to mind. Sitting on the couch with her and watching meaningless, stupid cartoons. Her being the one to willingly cling to me in her sleep when she was having a bad dream. Even the more recent breakfast with Sally and Toby - which was a fiasco.

There's a lot more bad that outweighs the good here. Which is not a surprise on my part, being that I am a killer.

I think that the true surprise is Cora herself. She's lasted a lot longer than most of the girls I've brought here; girls who I mostly only planned to make toys out of before throwing them away due to my short attention span. Messing with the same person can get boring over time.

Her reactions as well, are surprising. She can't do a lot of work without feeling sick or being painfully exhausted. She hasn't told me; I've gathered it from occasionally idly watching her or from Smile Dog's rambling about it. Despite these things, her response when Jenny was here was to clean nonstop. I know her hands bled from the drops of blood on the couch where she was sleeping, and the stains from where she passed out on the floor and let the dogs have the couch. Although I think that it'll heal now, being that EJ wrapped her hands up too.

A slow sigh escapes me as my eyes travel over her. I'd close them, but I can't. And for some reason, I feel like my vision is only getting better. Things look sharper, and I'm noticing things I never noticed before. Like the faint little bit of freckles here and there across Cora's cheeks. Or how much paler she seems now than she did. If this continues, she'll be as pale as me. Which is funny, because I don't think anyone ever dumped bleach on her.

Absently, I find myself doing things I never cared to before. And still don't care to! I don't care, killers don't "care"! Like brushing her hair out of her face, or just touching her face in general. Her skin is so soft, yet so cold. It's a change to how my skin must feel, I think.

Cora's breathing changes; briefly, she seems a little calmer. Right before her breathing becomes more quick and panicky; she's scared, so I have to leave her alone. Even though it's my home, I have to leave the room and leave her be; EJ will kill me otherwise.

~

When I leave the room and head downstairs, the first thing I see is facepalm worthy. Smile has decided to 'do it' with Courage, only reminding me further that I myself won't be getting any anymore. At least not for a very long time.

"Hey! Go do that outside. Go on, get!" My irritation causes me to shoo them out, and earns a low chuckle from Eyeless Jack, who has just decided to show up beside me. He's eating something that looks like raw meat; I decide not to question it and assume that's what it is.

"Jealous?" EJ raises a brow, sinking his sharp teeth into the red, bloody mess in his hand again. He tilts his head, a smirk on his face that only gains an eye roll from me.

"No." I grumble, making my way over to the fridge. I pull out a Root Beer and pop it open, shooting him a dirty look as I hop up on the counter. "I am not 'jealous' of two dogs getting to fuck. What the hell gave you that impression anyway?"

"I don't know. Maybe the fact that you shooed them out, and you're pouting now." EJ shakes his head, his dark gaze centering on the side of my neck as he sits at the table to finish the whatever the heck it is that he's eating.

I try to ignore his eyeless staring, though after a few minutes..it's getting on my nerves. Rather than tell him off, I decide to go to bed instead. I'm tired as fuck and if I don't get any sleep then no one in this damn cabin is getting any peace until I do.

~

I'm not sure how long it's been since I passed out on the couch, though what I wake up to is a severe burning sensation on the side of my neck, that is being further irritated by dog slobber from Smile deciding to sleep on my back.

"Get off! Smile, get off of me before I turn your ass into a living room rug!" I don't mean to snap at him so much, but with how much this bite hurts, even I will have to finally have something done.

(EJ's POV)

I don't have to turn around to know he's there. His hair is all messy, there's a wild look in his eyes, and he doesn't seem to be able to walk right. I've seen the signs before.

It also probably doesn't hurt that I know what he was bitten by, either. Not long ago, I was returning through the woods to the place where I've been staying. I had to take the long way in order to avoid a rather unpleasant bloodsucker who had to take up residence in the woods; I could probably handle it, though I find it more a nuisance to have to deal with the vampiric.

Jenny wasn't far off. I could see her on my way home; she was leading someone through the trees. By the direction she was headed, it wasn't hard to figure out what she was doing. The question that plagued me for a long time afterward, though, was why. Why she would do it.

And so I asked.

I got a simple answer to a question I didn't even have a true need to ask: Mitchell was in the woods. Jenny had grown tired of him disturbing her grave, so she decided to lead him to the Vampire in hopes of finally gaining revenge on him for lying to her, brutally taking advantage of her, and murdering her on her sixteenth birthday.

In light of what happened to Cora; I can only assume one thing: That Mitchell not only survived the attack...but was turned into a vampire himself.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"What does?"

"The bite on your neck. It hurts, doesn't it?"