Memories gone by [Laughing Jack x reader]

Chip

It was hard for me to keep myself from having a breakdown. With my anxieties at its peak, I couldn't trust anything in front of me. I had become a child again, afraid—vulnerable. The dark became a place that held claws etching near me.

Even with all my fears realized, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. "Hello, I'm here to visit someone" The woman at the counter never took her eyes off her computer, clicking away at things. When she finally gave in, she rolled her eyes rudely, "Uhuh, are you family?" I didn't appreciate her obvious lack of interest, "No, more of a friend"

Her hands ticked away at the keyboard as she sighed. From what I could tell, she hated her job, "Name?" Being a little timid in nature, I stuttered in response, "Jacinda Mills" Jacinda was the woman from the first case, she had been admitted into a Psychiatric Hospital soon after the death of her son. The court tried her for the murder. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sentenced to life into a mental institution. As much as I would have wanted this visit to be under different circumstances, I needed to see her.

The woman in the blue nurse outfit, tiredly stood up, "Right this way" she huffed. As I followed her close behind, I noticed the endless stretch of white halls. It felt dizzying to keep track of all the twists and turns she led me through.

When we finally arrived at the room, my eyes took in all the white and the only color that stood out was her. There she was, her crippled shrunken figure in a wheelchair. Jacinda's hands were tied down to its sides. With a quick nod, the nurse checked out of the room. "Jacinda?" I waved to the woman who was lost to the outside, her eyes unfazed by my presence. Her face was pale, her eyes heavy with dark circles. I stepped in front of her in an attempt to get her attention, "Jacinda, hello, can we talk?"

She looked dazed, from what I could tell it had probably been the medication. Her eyes slowly trailed on me as if she were trying to make out what was in front of her. I took a chair and set it across from her. I felt somewhat hesitant in how exactly I should approach her with the daunting questions. I didn't want to cause her any distress. The closer I got, the more her face became clear. On the sides of her face were deep scratches as if she had been mauled by a wild animal. The woman had obviously been through hell.

I took a deep breath and began to search her for answers, "What do you remember?" I softly said as I leaned in. She just blinked at me, I was unsure if the words had reached her. Turning her head ever so slightly away from me, she began to speak. "All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased weasel" The little tune hauntingly filled the room, I couldn't begin to say how unsettled I felt. Her breathy voice dragged on each word with a rough throaty sound. I recognized the song, it was a nursery rhyme.

She moved her head to the imaginary beat as she tapped robotically on her chair. She had lost her mind. My heart went out to the poor broken woman, I sympathetically took her hand in mine. Her husk form continued on with the lyrics, chanting as tears streamed down her blank face. The woman had lost her son and was still in mourning even in her current state.

I felt horrible for what I was about to do. I rummaged through my jeans pocket, looking for my phone. After I opened it and looked for the photo Jason and I took at the park. I held out the screen to her face, "Do you recognize this thing?" I pointed out the horrifying clown behind us in the picture. She stopped singing and glued her eyes to the phone, she began to go hysterical. "NO! NO! NO!" Her voice pierced my ears as she screamed. "HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE!" The woman struggled against her binds wildly and frantically. Her behavior shook me to the core, "HE KILLED MY BABY" I stood up quickly when she began to thrash around in the chair, breaking things around her. My skin crawled and the hairs on my body stood straight as she pointed to a corner of the white room. Jacinda's hands and fingers trembled madly as her voice quieted down into a petrified hush, her eyes wide as saucer plates. Her throat choking out any words, leaving a helpless whimper. I turned to the direction she singled out, there was nothing there. But knowing what I knew, I knew she was right, there was something there with us.

The tension in the air was cut through by a nurse rushing into the room. With a syringe in hand, the nurse sedated her. From the dirty looks, I got from the nurse I could tell I overstayed my welcome.

The situation had become too real, as crazy as it was Jacinda wasn't the one who was mad. He did exist. Jacinda didn't murder her son, the malicious entity did. Every part of my body grew tense as I got into my car. The report stated that her son was found gruesomely mutilated, the mother was found covered in his blood, holding a knife. Jacinda's insane ramblings of the monstrous creature were what landed her here.

My mind wandered the song she had sung, it was pop goes the weasel. A song attached to the little toy in the box—a Jack in the box. Everything was starting to make sense, that's where it was coming from, how it got children to trust it. I slumped in the driver's seat still affected by the insanity of it all. The homicides weren't homicides at all.  

I replayed the countless news reports, children all brutally murdered. My breath became uneasy as I felt fear run through my veins. I felt trapped and alone, unsure of what I should do as my reality was being turned upside down. My body felt like it was spinning while I stood perfectly still in my seat. I began to break down in tears as I realized how easy it would be to lose Jason.