Cryptid Hunting Gone Wrong: Eyeless Jack Version

His Introduction (and Why I Was Here)

I awoke, and for a few moments, I thought I had died. I wasn't in pain. Everything felt cold and black. This wasn't Valhalla. I heard no song, nor smelled no meats. Opening my eyes I was met with an oppressive darkness in musty room. My body had been strapped to a bloodstained table. I knew then that I was in my own very personal version of Hel. For a moment I stared up at what I could only assume was the ceiling and asked the gods 'Why? Why me?'. My eyes began to burn as I tried to cry. There wasn't enough water in my body to have any tears come out. My mouth felt like cotton and my lips were chapped beyond belief. I glance down at my body. It was almost completely naked save for my panties which were surprisingly clean. I squeak in protest, thrashing a bit on instinct to cover myself. The squeak caused a coughing fit. My throat must be too dry. Gods, my stomach hurt. I was starving, but everything I saw only made me lose my appetite. I look myself over again and note that my injuries were being treated. Although the gauze was old and almost filthy, the rest of the treatments seemed to be in surprisingly good condition. The splint I had was made out of a sturdy material and was surprisingly clean. There was even a makeshift cast for my leg.

Whoever finally captured me was trying to keep me alive and well. So most of the pastas were out of the question. The likelihood that some random passerby found me and wasn't one of those... creatures were slim to none. That leaves only one real, viable option... Eyeless Jack. He would be the only one who would want his victims alive, that way the meat was fresh. He wasn't the only cannibal in the creepypasta and slender mythos, but he was the only one that I knew of that was this good at medicine. It had to be him.

A door opened what sounded like a few rooms away, and the stomping of feet in a doorway. The footsteps came towards me, the door slamming behind them. I felt my heart begin to race, my breath becoming louder. For a moment my vision tunnels as I am sent into a panic. Oh god, he must be here. The door to the room slams open. I instinctively jerk away and repressed the urge to scream. I watch him as he crept into the room. His head twisted one way, then the other. He was listening. There were clicks from behind the mask, and he froze. Suddenly, Eyeless Jack's head snaps towards me and seemed to watch me for a time, tilting his head to the side. He chattered softly to himself, mumbling quietly. Then jerked his head off to the side, keeping his ear towards me. He seemed to want some kind of response.

My silence wasn't going to help me in this situation. From what I could hypothesize, Jack is blind and used echolocation to 'see'. That was what the clicking was. Noise means life to him. If he wanted me for organs, he wouldn't have wanted my limbs to heal as that would make it easier for me to get away. He must have other plans. So, I indulged him.

"h...i..." I mumble. By the Norns, it hurt to speak. I cough again, the fit had caused fresh blood to coat my tongue once again. My vision blurred and I panted softly to catch my breath. I had to close my eyes, let myself rest for a bit. It took a lot out of me. Now, my limbs were throbbing and my leg burned like it had been stuck with a hot iron.

Jack growled, then grumbled to himself. He went off to (presumably) some shelf hidden in the dark that I didn't pay attention to before. I heard a faucet turn on and after a moment or two, I heard a cup being filled with some water. For a moment, I wondered what he was doing. My questions were answered once he walked over to me. Jack splayed his hand over my face. I grimaced, momentarily recoiling from his touch. His hands were freezing, almost clammy and his fingers were almost unnaturally thin.

I stopped myself from going down that train of thought, staring up into his mask. Black ooze seeped from his eye sockets, and I watched him blink behind the mask. He seemed to regard my features for a moment, following them with the tips of his fingers. He lingered mainly near my lips, tracing their shape. After a few awkward moments of him stroking my face, he forced my mouth open. He placed the rim of some mug that hardly looked clean in my lips and slightly tipped, careful not to accidentally drown me. Clear water spilled from the mug and I took in as much as he would let me. I never really liked water, but it almost tasted as sweet as candy now. I never thought I'd be thanking the gods so much for such a small of an amount of clean water. He pulled it away and placed it beside me. He then went back to wherever he had gotten that mug from.

"Thanks," I mutter, not expecting a response.

Jack seemed pleased with this. He reached over and began to stroke my matted hair. He spoke, his voice deeper than I imagined and rough from disuse, "Pet- My lovely pet." He paused. I wasn't sure if it was for effect or if he was simply forming the words he wanted in his head. "Soft. Sweet. Thankful and obedient." He took a deep breath in, almost pressing his mask to my skin. "Delicious." I swallowed hard at that and goosebumps traveled up my arms. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I did not want to interrupt him, fearing for my fragile life."The others wanted you so they could kill you, leave your corpse to rot in those woods. Couldn't have that..." He pulled away, stroking the side of my face again, slowly trailing down to my collarbone. "I stole you away. So yummy smelling, so fresh." He fidgeted and his hand contorted in a way that a hand really shouldn't. The talons on the tips of his fingers extended and he trailed them across my skin."I was going to cut you up. Savor every piece, but you would look so lovely broken and tamed." He spoke with almost childlike glee and stroked my cheek, resting his hand there. "I took you in, a rescue. You've been out three days. I fixed you up. I'll train you, and you'll be my pet." He chattered again, tilting his head. "Lily."

Had I been out for three days? Not surprising. I lost a lot of blood."Lily?" I ask.

"Yes, pet. You smell so sweet. Like a Lily... It is your name now."

I knew that trying to correct him with my actual name may set him off. It was safer to go along with whatever game he was playing. I hated how my voice quivered as I said, "M-My name is Lily."

He perked up for a moment before purring and lifting his mask. I didn't get a good chance to see what was underneath, but what I did see was far too many jagged, pointy teeth. He placed a kiss on my neck. I felt sick again like I had been when I looked up and saw my friends in the tree. He was close enough to kill me with a single bite. A whimper escaped in the form of a soft, "Thank you."

He seemed pleased with my reaction. Jack replaced his mask over his face while he pulled away. He stated in his almost broken way, "Will be back. I need food for you, my pet. Not like my food," he chuckled a bit before continuing, "My food makes humans sick. It's like poison. Can't poison my lovely pet, yes?"

I hum in affirmation, biting my lip. I hoped that was enough to please him and to get him to go away. His mask moved up slightly as if he were smiling. A cold chill traveled up my spine. I don't think I ever want to see that thing smile with his far too many teeth.

He hummed, "I'll be back soon." He acted like this kidnapping was a normal thing. It was as if in his mind, this was the most logical thing to do. Perhaps it was. It was obvious to me now that whatever Jack was, he was never human. I watched as he opened and closed the door. I held my breath and listened to his footsteps travel through what I assumed was his house. The front door opened then closed. There was silence, and in that silence, I wept.