literature

Eyeless Jack X Intelligent Reader - Chapter 1

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      I’ve always been paranoid.
      I’ve accepted that fact and try to keep it… reasonable.
      But this is just… too much.
      I was just walking home, minding my own business. I take the same shortcut from the bar I work at, cutting through a relatively abandoned part of town lined with rotting storefronts and warehouses.
      I always take this route. It’s quicker, quieter, and comfortable to me. I much prefer the open air of the abandoned area to the cramped space of a bus or subway. I go this way no matter rain or shine, hot or cold. Some people believe I’m an idiot – that I’m asking to be mugged or taken advantage of.
      That’s why I carry weapons. Several, in fact.
      I carry them because I’m not an idiot – and I’m notoriously paranoid.

      And I know I’m being followed this very moment.
      I had been hearing the faint echo of soft footsteps near me for a while. They had not dimmed, had not stopped, had not drifted from my path. The follower was a distance behind me.
      I’ve rarely seen others on this path, this section of my walk home. Only a few huddled druggies, a lost passerby or two, and a few drunks from the bar. None were threats, but then again, none of them kept such a constant pace behind me. It was terrifying.
      I could see my mother shaking her head at my paranoia, my seemingly irrational fear. In my opinion, she wasn’t distrustful enough. My mind was already jumping to extreme conclusions of possible attack. There were so many possibilities…
      What if it was a person just strolling down the same path I do coincidentally?
      Unlikely.
      I tugged the strap of my purse higher, conscious of the target it placed on me. It’s not like I made bank at the bar I worked at. I worked from 4pm to about 1am or sometimes 2am depending on the customers and how much cleaning was needed. I got quite a few tips, so that may attract a robber?
      Maybe.
      I had a feeling this one wasn’t after my wallet.
      I carried a fairly large purse because I had to. I kept my taser in there – well, stun gun is a more exact term. It wasn’t one of those official gun-looking weapons though – it appeared as a flashlight. It worked as a flashlight too. It was large black flashlight with two discreet prongs at the end that rimmed the working light bulb. On the side, a button could be pushed forward once to turn on the light. Pushed another notch forward and the light goes off and the metal prongs are primed. A single touch to a different button lets flow thousands of volts through the prongs.
      You can say I’m paranoid.
      But I’d rather be over prepared than dead.
      Just to make sure I could survive anything, I also carried a tiny bottle of mace and a small pocketknife. So anything this character throws, I have a about an 80% chance of surviving. It all depends on what said follower can do.
      However, mother told me to check whether the people I deemed threats were actually threats. I guess I will make sure.
      We were still walking casually and I hadn’t looked back yet. I had been using the cracked windows of the shop fronts to see a scattered view behind me. The reflections in old car doors, windows, and anything else metal, gave me a distorted view of my stalker. The figure was taller than me, covered from head to toe in a black outfit. They had a hood over their head, plunging their face into complete shadow. It was night of course, so I had little hope of seeing this person’s face. However, by their general figure I could deem the follower a likely male. His gate was loose, his body was lean, and his legs were steady. Without even looking back, I knew this fellow could probably run fast. He was built for it. Therefore, I did not want to risk an all-out chase. Not that I was slow, but his speed was a variable I couldn’t account for. Not to mention the confidence that emitted from his eased walk. It was unnerving.
      But I still needed to check his true intent.
      As I rounded a familiar corner, I reached into my purse slowly. I rummaged around for a bit to throw suspicion that I was getting something due to the follower’s presence. I hope he didn’t realize I knew he was there, that’s all I can hope for.
      I felt the hard edges of my ipod along with the soft folded paper of a tip. I believe it was the twenty a regular at the bar gives me every Tuesday. I gripped both and pulled them from my purse.
      As I tugged the iPod and its ear buds out of my bag, I let the twenty catch between my fingers and fall out of my hand. I quickly stuck the ear buds in without turning on any music and looked down at the iPod. The twenty fluttered to the ground, purposely ignored.
      I lifted the iPod to get a better look at the screen, pointing it behind me. The figure was about thirty feet behind me, keeping pace. His twisted hood showed that he had turned his head down and to the left to look at the item I dropped.
      He ignored the money.
      He kept right on my trail.
      Damn.
      With my fears confirmed, I immediately searched through the recent weeks. I don’t think I had gotten involved in any mafia, gangs, police, or debt. I just served drinks at a hole-in-the-wall bar, nothing much. No one had sent a bounty hunter, a gang member, or officer after me. So that left only a few options. He wasn’t a robber since he didn’t snatch the easy twenty. The only likely option left was that he was a rapist. There was the chance he was a serial killer, but that was much more unlikely than a guy just wanting to advantage of a girl walking home.
      I felt my muscles tensing, but I willed them to loosen in an attempt to keep up the facade I didn’t know he was following. I didn’t know if he bought my acting, but I desperately hoped he did. Maybe that confidence he exhibited would be his downfall.
      I bob my head to the ghost music in my ear buds, listening carefully to his approaching steps. He was definitely gaining on me. A strong pang of fear flooded through my gut. Yes, his footfalls were getting slowly louder. A quick glance in a dark window confirmed this observation.
      Now I know for sure. He is a threat – a personal threat. He is a danger and he is determined to do something involving me. I was definitely unwilling to see what that something was.
      Time for action.
      As I walked, I glanced into the street. Still slightly bobbing my head to silent music, I dumbly walked closer to the street. I kept my eyes up, as if looking as the building across the street. I let myself reach the curb, letting my shoe catch on the rim. I let out a gasp as I stumbled into the street, allowing my other foot to twist into one of the many potholes.
      “Shoot.” I mumbled quietly, pulling my foot from the deep hole and continuing on my walk home.
      Now I had to be subtle about this. I forced a very slight limp in my right leg, the one that had been caught in the pothole. It was barely noticeable. It was a tiny difference, but it could mean everything. I was perfectly fine. I had intended that little tumble. Now, the limp made me appear not only weak but also stupid. The combination of music in my ears, limp in my leg, and general disregard for safety made me seem an idiot.
      If my follower bought these ploys, he would surely underestimate me. Underestimation greatly improves chance of survival - that was all I could ask for.
      His weapon arsenal was unknown, his speed unknown, and his goal mainly unknown. He was a variable I couldn’t calculate and therefore, the threat he represented must not be underrated.
      I am not paranoid, not right now at least. To me, I was completely justified in my coarse of actions.
      I strayed from my usual path, stupidly peeling off into the dark and narrow alleyway. I listened to my footsteps bounce off the tight walls, soon joined by the fainter steps behind me. I was certain he was a threat.
      As I continued the limp I quietly talked to myself.
      “Sheez it’s dark.” I muttered to myself, quickly pulling my ‘flashlight’ from my purse and flicking the dim light on. Everything was calculated and everything was set. I was as ready as I’ll ever be.
      I took a settling breath and kept facing forward. I slowed my pace, letting the flashlight’s glare dance in front of me.
      My stalker’s footsteps suddenly got very quiet – almost inaudible. He was closing in quickly and efficiently. I heard the faint sound of something metallic rubbing across fabric. I braced for whatever was to come.

----EJ POV----

      I can’t believe this human. She’s a complete idiot.
      She’s begging to be slaughtered, like cattle. She decided to walk alone… at night… in the middle of the deadest part of the city. She deserves death, not that the idea of deserving death has influenced me before. I’ve killed many who didn’t deserve death by most people’s opinions. Then again, I really don’t care what others think. This world will be better without her idiotic genes in the system – the other cattle should thank me.
      I trailed far behind her at first, savoring the delicious scent that wafted from her. It was completely new to me – a mix of sweetness like fruit and bitterness of something else. Though faint from this distance, it was pulling me in. Not to mention the obvious youthfulness that surrounded her like an aura. She spelled good, fresh, and easy.
      As I followed, my prey ignorantly dropped a twenty and put freaking ear buds in. She’s a complete moron. Now she can’t hear me coming even if her ears were that sensitive.
Since I didn’t really need the money, I ignored the forgotten paper and kept my pursuit. My focus was on my prey, my target, and ultimately my food. Nothing could save her now.
      When she tripped and twisted her leg, I almost laughed. This was too perfect. It was a little sad actually. She wouldn’t be much of a fighter. She’s incredibly stupid and weak. And oh, is that a little limp I see? Great.
      I stayed close behind her, contemplating when to strike. I was about to make a move when she veered off down a dark alley. It’s confirmed, she’s dumber that a box of rocks.
Now she’s in a narrow, dark alley. Hasn’t she ever seen a horror film? Doesn’t she know what happens in creepy dark alleys?
      Obviously she doesn’t.
      I listened to her footsteps as I rounded the same corner. Her pace was constant, her breathing regular. Her heart was going fairly quickly but I didn’t think about that too much. She would be so easy to kill – it was pitiful.
      Her pace slowed as she muttered something about it being dark, pulling out a medium sized flashlight. She flicked it on. How precious. Is it the little thing afraid of the dark?
      I felt a grin grow beneath my mask as I quickened my pace and softened my steps. Her scent, trapped in the confined area, filled the air with its bittersweet aroma. If she smelled this good, she must taste amazing.
      Just as I lifted my scalpel to slice through her back, the little thing whirled around with amazing speed. I was caught by surprise, startled as I stared into piercing ___color___ eyes. Normally, I wouldn’t freeze like this – but I just didn’t expect her to realize I was there. I didn’t think she’d…
      The light from her flashlight turned off with a quiet click, plunging the small space into darkness. Her hand with the flashlight struck out in the same movement, shoving the cold metal tip of the flashlight under my hoodie.
      It happened so quickly and unexpectedly, I didn’t even process my next move of attack. The metal was against my bare skin for less than a second before a terrible sweeping pain erupted through my body.
      I doubled over in immediate agony, clutching my side and crying out hoarsely.
She muttered a few curse words at me before pulling the metal contraption back to her side. Every single muscle in my body had tensed to the max, making me fall to me knees in torment.
It was then – in my pain – I realized her headphones weren’t even playing music, her limp was nonexistent, and her posture was more confident than I felt a minute ago.
      Holy crap.
      My world was just flipped upside down.
Next: lil-magpie.deviantart.com/art/…
First: You're here!
--
Well. There you have it.
This chapter is mainly a teaser for a series that will probably come after Jeff's story. I was just so happy with it that I posted. XD

However, informing "pov shifts" to readers has always bothered me. Is there anyway to communicate to the reader that it's now EJ's view without using the words "EJ POV?" Let me know!

Please let me know what you think! This is only my second cp story and I've never written about Jack.
Comments are loved. :)

EDIT:
This story is now in full swing.
The story will sadly be a Female reader insert... it would be very difficult to make it genderless or male... apologies!
If you only read male inserts, stick around. There will be other fics that will be genderless or male!

EDIT:
This story is now complete! :squee:
You have 24 chapters left~~
© 2015 - 2024 Lil-Magpie
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OtterLoverQueen's avatar

Ooooh! Holly crap this is awesome! In your face you handsomely dumb killer.