Whispers of a Killer

Aubrey

Though I haven't been gone that long, I am starting to miss the dogs. I have been wondering how they've been doing lately. I would go back to check up on them, but I don't want to risk a run-in with Jeff.

EJ says that I have been getting better, and I don't want to mess that up. Well, rather, I don't want to let Jeff mess it up for me. Something tells me that if I go back to the cabin and run into Jeff, he won't be happy to see me, and that he won't have a problem with telling - or probably, showing - me it.

I don't know what his problem is.

I never have, actually.

I just don't get him. If I had been asked before EJ took me from the cabin, or before he helped me start getting better again, I would have said that I thought they were all the same - killers. I would have said that I hate them all, and that I want nothing to do with them ever again. that I would rather be hit by a truck than be near one. The odd thing is, I have been thinking on my opinion lately. EJ has been so nice to me. Never once has he threatened to kill me if I did something he didn't like, never once has he threatened me with trying to make me sleep with him just to see my reaction. As a matter of fact, he hasn't done anything bad to me at all. If I didn't know better, I would think he was just a normal person like anyone else.

I mean, he does all the normal things that I or anyone else would. He even has a cat that runs around the place. It's tiny and clumsy as hell, but is literally the most adorable thing ever. More than once now, I have woken up to find him asleep on my face or sleeping on EJ's. It's not often that I wake up before he does, but I think it's so cute how the kitten likes to sleep on his face. If I were to go just off animal instincts, trusting the kitten, that is; I would know by that alone that I could trust EJ.

I don't know why exactly he kills people anyway - or what happened to him to make it to where he has to wear a mask all the time. I have been wondering about it, though I am not sure whether or not I should ask about it. I have a feeling that whatever it is or was, it might be something really..personal.

Speaking of which, EJ has promised to let me meet his girlfriend today.

That is actually what I was waiting for, before I fell asleep. I was sitting on the couch, playing with the little fluffball of a kitten that is EJ's pet, while I waited. Trying to keep myself awake, so I would be ready when they came. Each time I glanced at the clock, however, I could feel my eyes growing heavier. How long it was before my eyes finally closed, I'm not sure. All I do remember, is the fact that EJ did tell me I should let myself rest more than I have been so I can fully get better.

Oops.

~

"CORA!!"

The next thing I hear is a very loud, very excited, familiar voice. This is right before I am pounced on and hugged tightly. The smell of jelly-filled doughnuts and some kind of sweet scented perfume fills my nose as I wake up and open my eyes. I want to say something, although I can't breathe. If it were anyone else, I would likely be much more freaked out than I am now.

Only when I finally realize who she is, do I place the perfume smell; it is also when I mentally can place her name to her face.

Aubrey Parr.

My cousin Twill's best friend, Aubrey Parr.

"Where have you been?! We've been looking for you like CRAZY! Twill has been so worried, she thought you were dead." Aubrey says, a flurry of emotions on her face. She is just as I remember her, though perhaps a little more hyper.

Without even stopping to take a breath, Aubrey continues.

"EJ, why didn't you tell me you had her here? We have all been worried sick since she went missing! If I had known that you had her at your place then everything would have been fine," Aubrey pulls back from hugging me and pouts, folding her arms as she looks back at Eyeless Jack, who hasn't said anything yet.

Finally, I decide to clear my throat. Hopefully, it gets her attention. "Aubrey, I haven't been here the whole time. I just got here. When I was taken from my house, I was taken by someone else. Someone who your boyfriend apparently knows."

I put stress on the word 'boyfriend' as I sit up, letting her know that I'm wondering how the hell she has hidden something like this for so long without anyone noticing. I'm not sure if she gets the hint or not, but I am also wondering how she is even dating him. Given the fact that he eats kidneys and she is clearly not dead, I have to wonder what exactly the story is behind their relationship.

"Oh.. ah.." Aubrey stops, for once seeming to have nothing else to say. Jack still hasn't said anything; not even when she looks to him for help does he make a comment. I'm sensing that he's basically telling her that she is going to have to work her own way out of her mess.

There is a few minutes of awkward silence, before Aubrey brightens up again and waves it off.

"That's not important right now. Now that I know you're not dead, we have all the time in the world to talk about how my Jackie and I met. What I think we should talk about right now, is where you've been and how you've been and why you never bothered to let us know you weren't all dead and chopped to bits in the woods somewhere!"

There is a hint of irritance in her eyes as she grins at me; I swear I see her eye twitch as well. I think I am almost beginning to understand why their relationship has lasted so long. She's off her gourd and he's.. well, he eats kidneys. Anyone can do the math.

It is my turn to wince and bite my lower lip, looking for an explanation. I could tell Aubrey the truth - which is that I'm pretty sure Jeff would have murderlized me if I made any attempt to reach out to them - or, I could sit here and say nothing.

Although I'm leaning more towards the "saying nothing" option, I can tell I'm not going to be getting out of it as long as Aubrey is determined to get me to tell her where I've been. I can also tell, that I'm in for a pretty long night.

"Well.. how much time do you have?"