The Bard and the Killer

Chapter 2: Settling in, Falling Apart

Days passed and Gamzee grew less and less willing to continue on with his life. His little birdy was gone; flown somewhere. Had she left him of her free will? Had he scared her off in a brief moment of sobriety? He supposed it was an eventuality that she flee from him. He was just a big, scary clown after all. None of the other surviving trolls would speak to him, so he was surprised the day he met his little (your name). He lounged on the couch, eyes half open, staring at the ceiling. He hadn't slept in days, going out each night as soon as the sun set to look for her and going home with the rising sun to spend the day brooding about it. He had found not a single lead. He was tossing his juggling pin up and catching over and over when something the low hum of the television revealed to him caught his ear.

Putting his pin down, he grabbed the remote and turned up what appeared to be a news report on a triple homicide. Among the mangled bodies of some locally known drug dealers, there was a fourth blood splatter not matching any of the found corpses, leading from the road into the woods where the bodies were found. Even more interesting to Gamzee was the handful of white feathers on the ground in front of a nearby tree that the reporter did not even comment on. Those belonged to his little birdy, he was sure. He sat forward from his perch on the couch that still held bare hints of her scent. He was falling apart, yes, but now he had a lead. The barest hint of a smile stretched his lips and he waited once more for the sun to set so that he could go on the hunt.

x

You were beginning to settle in. When Jeff came back to your room, he took one look at the savaged jacket you had put back on and threw you a purple shirt to put on under it. "Since this seems to be your favorite color, I got you something to replaced the ruined one."

"That's uncharacteristically nice of someone I understand to be an infamous serial killer." You retort, hugging your arms to yourself. The scent that had offered you comfort a few days ago had since faded. It was now just a jacket that sometimes made you want to cry.

"It's your life too now." Jeff answers back. "Soon, the Slender will tell you what's expected of you, so I'd get to picking that name I told you about. For now, you need to leave the room and familiarize yourself with the mansion. You can't stay in here any longer. And stop crying. The others are going to tear you to shreds. That's not a very smart thing to show the kind of creatures that live here. Learn to hide your emotions. Get used to the fact that you are now to be a killer and just do your part. So long as you do, you'll be left mostly to your own devices."

You felt stunned. You were still reeling from the black nothingness that was anytime before a few days ago. You weren't even sure of your age. Silently, you slide off the bed, gathering your legs under you and following Jeff out into the darkened hallway. It was surprisingly well maintained considering those who lived within. He led you down a set of stairs and into some sort of dusty parlor. On the other side of the room, Ben sat upon on the floor riveted before a television and gaming system. He was playing some sort of medieval game that you felt like you used to know very well. You said not a word to him as Jeff led you past the main entrance, a massive set of solid, double doors.

He led you into the empty kitchen and had you sit at the small round table on one end before sitting opposite you. Jeff takes a long look at you with his lidless eyes, contemplating something. "Alright. You're coming out on my run with me tonight. I can see that something you don't even remember is holding you up. I'm going to show you just what we do and hopefully you'll let go." There was some logic to what he was saying, even if you regretted to agree. You didn't know your past life anymore, so now it was time to make a new one. You just had the nagging feeling that your life from before held some sort of unfinished business.

"Alright. Fine. I'll go with you, but I'm not going to help you murder anyone." You finally relented, trying to stall, anything to give you enough time to get yourself together and decide what you really wanted and/or needed to do. Jeff slides up the sleeve on his hoodie and checks a grimy watch on his wrist.

"We've got about an hour. Come with me. Each one of us has a signature weapon. You want to be known well by the humans, but as an urban legend. That's all." He stood and lead you back to the massive foyer containing the double doors to what could be your freedom if only you remembered the way to the portal, or even how to use it. Throwing them open, he strode down the icy steps. Hot steamy puffs of breath rose from your mouth, showing more than ever that you were the only living one here. You wondered how long it would be until you turned into one of them; something that wasn't really living anymore.

You shook the thought away and followed him to the side of the massive mansion, toward a little shed in the back. You cast a wistful glance at the forest behind you. "Don't even think about you. You might be able to fly, but you've no idea what the Slender is capable of, and there are more of us you haven't even met yet." He wasn't even looking at you and he knew? You shivered inwardly and made a mental to do as he said and better hide your emotions in the future. He opened the doors on the shed and flicked a switch on the wall, illuminating a wall to wall cache of any sort of weapon you could imagine.

For a moment you forgot that you weren't sure of anything and allowed the awe to show on your face. It was like something out of a Michael Bay movie, in one of the scenes where the characters are suiting up. Jeff walked to the one of the walls, but you weren't paying attention. You found yourself gravitating toward the opposite wall upon which was mounted the most magnificent bow you had ever seen. Now this particular weapon looked as though it could've been from a Hobbit movie. It was carved from the palest white wood you had ever laid your eyes on. Carved in the wood were intricate purple designs that sort of reminded you of Celtic knots. It definitely looked magical. Unaware of the eyes on you, your reached out and took it from the wall, weighing it in your hands.

You weren't sure what made you bring it up, but you when tested the draw weight, it was perfect, almost as if it were designed for someone with your exact strength. This was some surreal destiny shit, that was for sure. "I'd say you found your weapon." Jeff stood at your side, a machete in his hand.

"Where's the quiver?" You asked, taking down your stance.

"There isn't one." Jeff answered. "You'll figure it out." He started toward the exit, leaving you scrambling to catch up. "For now, I've got people to kill."

x

When Gamzee finally located the spot in question, it was sequestered off with police tape, even if any bodies were long gone and any evidence had long since been collected. He gathered up the feathers and held them in his trembling gray hands. With a bolt of certainty, he knew that you hadn't just left. What was it you had told him? They never come out more than one at a time. Any more than that and someone was being grabby... He knew it was still a dire situation, but he couldn't stop the encouraged smile that rose to his face. Wherever you were, you still loved him and were doubtless waiting for him to help you. Stuffing the feathers down his shirt for safe keeping, he whirled the juggling pins he had in each hand and set off through the woods, further following the trail of blood that led away from the scene of the crime; deeper into the crowded trees.