Purple Eyes

Chapter 5

Jeremy fiddled with his red, plastic straw before sucking it weakly. He was pale, as usual, his brown hair stuck to his forehead. 'You alright?' I asked him. Jeremy's eyes flitted from me to Jessica, to me again, then back to his straw. He swallowed. 'Mhm.' He mumbled and cleared his throat. 'Yes.' He gasped. It sounded like he was losing his voice. 'You...want a refill?' Jessica asked gently. Jeremy half spat out his drink. Wiping his mouth, he shook his head violently. 'N-no thanks. I'm good.' Having both finished our drinks, we were trying to get answers out of Jeremy. All of which attempts, had resulted in him spitting out his drink or choking slightly or wiping his face. 'So,' I said, after a small pause. Jeremy twitched. 'Anything happened recently?' Jeremy opened his mouth. 'I...uh...well...-' Jeremy was interrupted as a woman with black hair came swooping in front of Jeremy, blocking him from view. She was brandishing a wet cloth and vigorously wiped off Jeremy's drink, which had reappeared on the table. Jessica shot her a death stare, which was returned as she drew back. I glanced at Jeremy again, who was staring hard at the table, his head down low. He looked almost, sinister, his brown hair covering his eyes. Bending my head down slightly, to look at his face, I received a jolt of adrenaline. He was smiling to himself. It was a different smile that people make when they are told a joke. This was something else. He was grinning from ear to ear, almost bearing his teeth. Both of us, sitting a foot away from him, could hear him breathing. It wasn't normal breathing. It was raspy and stuttering, hesitating when he inhaled, breathing out heavily and quickly. I shot Jessica a worried glance. She didn't look. She was concentrating on what Jeremy was doing next. Bringing his head back, his hair parted to reveal bright glowing purple eyes. Across the table, a family looked up. Cocking his head slightly, Jeremy stared intently at them, before resting his gaze on a small child. I leaned over the Jessica. 'What is he doing?' My voice was squeaky and weak. Jessica shook her head. 'I-I don't know. He looks like he's going to murder.' She stopped at the last one, emitting a small squeal. The child across the room started to cry. His parents hushed him, making cooing noises, staring at us. Jeremy however, seemed unphased by the entire thing. Chuckling to himself, he turned back to us. I pressed myself against the wood of my chair, leaning back as far as I could go. 'What's the matter with you?' Jeremy asked. He wasn't stuttering or shaking in the slightest, his voice being clear and positively dripping with curiosity. 'Don't you like me anymore?' He asked, lowering his voice. Jessica swallowed hard. 'It's not that...it's more the fact tha-' Jeremy chuckled again. 'It's the eyes, isn't it?' Jessica and I nodded. 'Well,' he said, pushing his cup backwards. 'I don't see anything wrong with them.' He stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. 'I'll see you tomorrow at work.' He said, smiling at me with that cold smile. With that, he walked out of the cafe and down the road. Jessica breathed out a huge sigh of relief and sunk lower in her chair. 'Blimey.' She said breathlessly. I laughed, almost hysterically. 'That was...' I started but realised I couldn't find the words. 'An experience?' Jessica suggested. 'Yes.' I said, laughing. 'It was an experience.' There was a pause. 'Still, though, that was pretty creepy. Has he ever done that before?' Jessica shook her head. 'No.'

In the canteen, there was a large crowd. Pushing to the front, I saw Jeremy doubled up, violently vomiting on the floor. 'What's going on here?' A big booming voice I recognised as Dale's went bouncing off the walls. He caught Jeremy roughly by the shoulder. 'C'mon lad, let's get you fixed up.' Jeremy, now coughing up blood, pushed him away, shaking his head. 'I'm fine.' He wheezed collapsing onto all fours. Dale started to haul Jeremy off of his hands and knees. Again, Jeremy pushed Dale away, who fell onto the floor. Jeremy looked up, fire burning in his eyes. 'I said, I'm fine.' Someone rushed forwards to pick Dale up. Jeremy straightened up. At his full height, he was somewhat terrifying; about a head taller than Dale. His eyes were mad and staring. His mouth, covered in vomit and blood, was wiped with a sleeve. He glanced around the crowd. As he looked at me, he narrowed his eyes slightly. But only slightly.