Archive of Our Own

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“Face the camera.”
*Snap*
“Turn left.”
*Snap*
“Turn right.”
*Snap*
“Alright, next.”
Jeff the Killer stepped out of the way of the camera towards the officer to his left with a grin on his face. The officer slightly pushed him, and Jeff’s grin faltered. Slenderman’s words came to mind clear as day.
“You want to make things interesting? Fine. If you’re so bored, go recruit, I don’t care how.”
Well, he said he didn’t care how.
----
The trial was quick and painless. It wasn’t hard to prove insanity for him. And breaking out of this sanitarium definitely would not be difficult once he had his fun. He currently was on the way to Ferrington Sanitarium for the Criminally Insane. Once the building came into view, He immediately started scouting for possible exits. Once inside, he was processed, shown his cell, and brought to the sunroom, but not before being warned that this privilege can and would be taken away if the wrong behavior was exhibited.
Jeff took a big sweep of the sunroom, immediately getting to work on what he was there for. He paced around, and he spotted a woman in her mid-twenties giggling in the corner. Nah, that’s not right.
He kept looking and saw a man on the couch, back straight as an arrow, knee bobbing at a million miles an hour, and his eyes shifting back and forth. Wow, he needed to chill out.
He then came across another woman, pixie cut red hair, taking up the entire couch. Her hands brought up in front of her face as if in prayer, but with the way her legs were crossed and her eyes so intently focused on the ceiling, it was obvious she wasn’t.
Jeff went and sat on the table near her.
“You shouldn’t do that.” She said, eyebrows furrowed a little more.
“And why not?” Jeff replied with a sly grin she didn’t catch.
“The guards don’t like it.”
As if on cue, a guard grabbed Jeff’s shoulder. Jeff whirled around, about to decimate the guard, but a hand tugged on the back of his garb. Jeff looked over his shoulder, and he noticed her eyes never left the ceiling.
“He’s with me, Antone. I’ll set him straight.”
“Careful, Dani, he is dangerous.”
She grinned widely, and said, “Apparently so am I. I can handle him, thanks.”
The guard nodded and walked away.
“You’re welcome.” She said.
Jeff turned to her. “I didn’t need your help.”
“Yes you did. If you even touched the guard – solitary. I can’t have that.”
“Why not?”
“You are new and interesting – Jeff. Sit.” Dani moved her legs so he could sit. He flopped down in the now empty seat and Dani popped up a bit from the force.
“You know my name?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course. I sleep with the secretary to have access to the record of everyone here. I know everyone – livelihood, homes, crimes, diagnosis. Everything. Except names.” She grimaced. “Never could get but a few, and yours was fresh.”
“Hehe.” Jeff laughed.
“What?” Dani asked, finally breaking her gazed from the ceiling to meet Jeff eye to eye.
“I was laughing at the miserable job of a male secretary.”
“...I never said the secretary was male, but that’s not the point.” She said waving her hand and she sat up on her elbows. “The point is you are here for something. I want to know.”
He grinned, showing off the separation of his cheeks. “Well, what if I’m not here for something – rather someone.”
Dani leaned back to stare at the ceiling and extended her legs onto his lap. “Name your qualifications.”
Jeff was slightly taken aback with her relaxed nature with him. He thought for a second.
“History of homicide.” He said. Her face scrunched in thought.
“67 subjects. Care to narrow it?”
“Enjoyment of the act?”
“23 subjects remain.”
“Competency.”
“13. Little bit more.”
“Psychopathy.”
“Now we are getting somewhere!” She exclaimed. “4 applicants.”
“Can you name them?” Jeff asked.
“Twitchy over there is one.” Dani said, addressing the man on the couch across from them. Jeff shook his head.
“He looks unstable.”
“They pumped him full of drugs. You’re in an asylum, competency, like evil, is a relative term.”
“What does his file say?”
“Cracked one day at his desk job. Took a shotgun to his wife and two kids, went to his office, killed 4 before he was subdued. Report says he was laughing the whole time.”
Jeff stole another glance at the twitching man. “Nope. Next?”
“Laughing girl in the corner. Sorry I never learned their names – it’s easier to attach info to images. A case of Münchausen’s syndrome by proxy. Had many kids and kept smothering them. Husband finally put her in here after she would laugh constantly.”
“Nope. They really need a specific target – not kids.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you tell me? That eliminates one of the two left. There’s one last candidate.”
“Okay. Who?”
“Me.” She grinned.
“Alright, let’s hear your story.”
“A simple serial killer – like yourself. Took the police forever to find me, since they expected a man mid-thirties. I even left clues, and the idiots didn’t catch on! But that’s beside the point. Would you like to hear my resumé?” She laughed.
“Have at it. Let’s see what you got.”
“2 stabbings resulting in death, 2 slit throats, 4 post-mortem decapitations and amputations, 6 pre-mortem 4 way amputations, 2 disembowelments, and an acid assassination. All in order. 15 males. 6 females.
“I see you saved the best for last.” He grinned.
Dani quickly sat up. “Yes I did! Totally the reason I’m here, but so worth it!” She said, arms flailing around. “Have you tried it before?!”
Jeff grinned. “Once I did. Difficult to set up, but worth it.”
Dani started giggling. “Ha, hahaHAHAHA! The stupid bitch I did it on tried to stop, drop – and roll! Fucking hilarious!”
Jeff laughed with her. “Yours too?! Damn!”
“She fought a little much though, ended up getting a lot on my arm.” Dani said, lifting up her left arm’s sleeve. “About 40% of my arm is scarred, but ah well! But ohh, the good times are so worth it!” Dani said, fist pumping the air.
“Tell you what.” Jeff started.
“Hmm?” Dani sang, hands behind her head and eyes closed, remembering the memory of her recent kill.
“I have a feeling you’d like my – associates.”
One eye of Dani’s popped open. “Oh? Are you speaking of escape? Naughty, naughty boy. And you just got here too.” She said shaking a finger with a laugh.
Jeff smirked. “I am.”
“Good. I have a plan, but I needed an accomplice. Care to join?”
“Huh. Looks to me I don’t have to plan.”
“Nope. You’ll have to listen close and remember everything. There are no writing utensils allowed for...obvious reasons. But we’ll make due. Where is your room?”
“2nd floor, east wing.” Jeff replied.
“Damn, okay, we’ll have to change a few aspects. I will have no trouble getting out of my cell, Antone tends to make ‘visits’ when he’s on the night shift. He’s like a damn whipped pup. What about yourself?”
“Don’t worry about me.” He said.
“Don’t cause any trouble today or tonight, as it will make your escape harder due to restraints and sedatives. Those things are handed out like nobody’s business. There is a corridor on the west wing that goes into the cafeteria. It is empty at night, and no cameras. Get out of your cell when you hear the midnight chimes of the nearby church bell – stay in the shadows, and meet me there ASAP. I can lead us out from there.”
“I noticed a hole in the fence on my way in. Does that help?”
“Actually,” she thought a moment, “That’s really good – we won’t have to deal with the barbwire.”
Jeff slapped his forehead, remembering something. “No, I have another plan, and it’s much easier than that.”
Dani cocked her head curiously. “What’s that?”
A guard approached. “It’s time for medication and bed, men to the east, women to their west ends.”
Dani smiled. “Thanks, Jim.” Jim glared at the girl and walked away.
She turned back to Jeff. “I’ll kill him soon.” She said. “Anyways, quickly, what’s your plan?”
He leaned in close to whisper. “Meet in the corridor, you’ll see.”
He walked away. “See what?!” Dani said.
He called back, “That I have a ride!”
Dani shook her head. She made her way to the medicine tray and placed the pills under her tongue and fake swallowed to please the nurses. She was questioning his sanity now. And she was the one who had been there three years.
Jeff did the same with his medication, fake swallowing and all. He noticed the nurse stared at his beautiful face. He got back to his cell without a peep out of him. All that there was on his face was a grin.
Both stayed awake until they heard the bells. Jeff simply had to break the door down.
Dani’s situation was a bit more complicated.
Sure enough, Antone was on time for his ‘visit,’ making sure all the other patients were asleep before going to Dani’s cell. Unbeknownst to Antone, however, this visit would be bloodier. Dani was able to remove a skinny metal bar from her bed, and waited behind the door.
“Daaaniii.” Antone said, creeping through the door. A small hand clamped over his mouth before he could process anything, and the last thing Antone saw before he died was a metal bar protruding from the front of his neck.
“God, I’ve missed this.” Dani said, looking down at her pup. She looted the body for keys, keycards, and a taser to get to the east end. In no time she was in the corridor, waiting in the shadows. A figure emerged from the end of the corridor with long hair, walking rather triumphantly.
“Jeff!” Dani hissed. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Come here!” He said, gesturing to the hallway. Dani slipped out of the shadows and made her way over. She turned the corner to see a blood mural on the wall of a circle with an ‘x’.
“Hmm.” She said with a grin. “Abstract style with a medium of nurse blood. Pretty. Seriously, what are you doing?” She was now really questioning his sanity.
“Calling our ride.” He said with a smirk.”
A static-y voice filled the void of silence. “A few months you’ve been gone, Jeff, why is it when you call me, you are always in trouble?”
Dani’s eyebrows furrowed, and she turned around. She looked up at the 7 foot tall figure, only to see no face. She circled the being. “Huh. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you enter.” Dani said “I figured I would have been able to, at least.” she murmured. The figured cocked his head at the girl. “Morph suit, stilts. What the fuck is this, Jeff??” Dani asked.
Jeff rolled his eyes. “Come on, Slender, let’s go. Girl too.”
“Really?” The static voice said. “This is the best you got?”
Dani glared. Then the three heard voices of the guards.
“We gotta go-WAHH!” Dani felt something grab her arm, and saw something grab Jeff’s. Next thing she knew, they were in a forest. Dani stumbled away and puked her shitty dinner up.
“That tends to happen the first time.” Jeff said.
In the light of the full moon, she could see who Jeff dubbed ‘Slender’ properly. Well dressed, no face, and obviously not human.
“W-who is that?” She said shakily from her sickness, pointing to the tall man.
Slender gave a static laugh. “You are the first to refer to me as a who and not an it!”
“That’s Slenderman.” Jeff said. “He’s a faerie.”
“You’re cutting it close, Jeffery.” Slender hissed.
“In his defense, he was dubbed that by the Germans.”
“I was called der Groβman.” Slender replied, static retreating from his voice.
“I know you!” Dani shot up. “My grandmother told me stories of you! She lived in Germany forever!”
A muscle pulled under Slender’s face, giving the impression he was smirking. “So you have heard of me?”
Dani nodded violently. “Wow. This is...surreal. I wonder if I accidently swallowed a bit of medication.” She muttered.
“Come on, let’s show you the House, and you’ll meet my associates.” Jeff said, walking away.
“Your associates? I’m the one who gathered them!” Slender said, taking long strides, and not taking long to catch up to Jeff. Dani had to jog to catch up. They weren’t far from the House, but to call it a house would be an understatement. It was a mansion, no doubt to house all the occupants. Vines grew on its outside, giving it an older look, but there were no broken windows or structural deficiencies. Inside, the foyer was well furnished, in fact the whole house was. Jeff called everyone in. Dani noticed there were quite a few names to learn, so she asked Jeff, “Will I need to know anything from the asylum anymore? I need to make room for names.” She pointed to her brain.
“Nah, you’re done with that place.” He replied.
“Well,” she began, “I’ll erase all but one.”
Jeff cocked an eyebrow. “Jim?”
“Yep!” she said, popping the p.
“Alright guys, I brought someone back, obviously!” Jeff began. “This is Dani. A serial killer with a kill count of 22. Dani, this is BEN,” he said, pointing to a Link-like character, “Masky and Hoodie,” pointing to the blue and yellow hooded boys, “Eyeless Jack, or EJ,” he pointed to a blue masked man with black ooze coming out of his eye sockets, “Ticci Toby,” he pointed to a guy with a bandanna of sorts on with yellow glasses, “Sally,” he pointed to an auburn haired girl who gave a wave, “and the Rake,” he pointed to a humanoid figure.
First to approach Dani was Sally. “Come play with me!” She said.
Dani crouched to get eye level with the child. “Heh, I will honey, would you mind if it waited? I can’t play right in these clothes.”
“Oh silly me! I can’t play with you until you’re like us!” Sally said, and then she ran away, hiding behind BEN. “Get offfff meeee!!!” BEN yelled, and started chasing after Sally.
“So much for peace.” Slender said.
“Jeff – what did she mean?” Dani whispered.
Jeff smiled a bit, and gestured from her to follow him into a nearby hallway. “This mansion,” he began, “is in the 4th dimension. You were only able to see it because Slender let you. A normal human cannot see or be in here without...consequences.”
“And what are they?” Dani asked.
“Well, death.” Jeff said, and Dani’s eyes widened. “But not permanent!” He said quickly. “You die, but you come back...does that make any sense? I mean, how else would I be able to survive with no eyelids or open wounds all the time?”
Dani just nodded, thinking hard. Jeff could pretty much see the gears turning in her head.
He started up again. “You can’t die again, but the side effect is homicidal tendencies, which I’m sure you have no problem with.”
Again, silence; Dani’s brain was still working.
What Jeff didn’t know, is what was going on in her head...
I die? Not good.
Why am I still here?
They’re gonna kill me? Why? I just got here!
Oh wait, only once.
Hey! I get to be immortal! And kill some people! Yeah!
And die...
But only ONCE!
Can I kill someone now?
I wonder if the heart still pumps after removal...
Oh wait, hehe I know the answer to that!
Oh SHIT! Have I said anything?!
OH SHIT! I haven’t!
He thinks I’m weird now.
I am weird.
Stiiiill haven’t said anything dummy.
Hey! What’s that noise?
Snapping...Oh! Jeff’s trying to get my attention!
Hey!
Wait, that wasn’t out loud, let’s try that again...
“Huh? Yes?” Dani managed to spit out.
“So? What do you say?” Jeff asked.
Dani grinned, and said, “Hell. Yes. How long does it take?”
“It’s already started, but I’d say two or three days with 24 hour exposure.”
A wicked smile appeared on Dani’s face. “Let’s get to it.”
“Alriiiight!” He said, and he high-fived her. “Now let’s get some clothes – I want my hoodie back. And my knife. You can borrow some of my clothes for the time being.”
“Awesome.” She said. Now the thought of being cooped up for three days sounded tedious. “Will it hurt the process if I come and go? I want to get some things before it really takes off.”
“What things?” Jeff asked.
“Well for one: do you guys eat?”
“Nah, except for EJ – ah, not food.”
“I take it he eats something else.”
“Bingo!” He opened the door to his room. Nothing too extreme – just a collage of the pictures of his murders was on the wall.
“Two: I haven’t had a smoke in about two weeks. I’m like – dying.”
“FINALLY!” Jeff said.
“What?” Dani asked.
“Nobody here fucking smokes but me. Finally there’s someone else!”
“Awesome! I’m not alone then!”
“But they let you smoke in that place?” Jeff asked. He tossed her a pair of black sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a black hoodie.
“Not exactly. But three years there teaches you things.”
“You were there,” he pointed out the window, “For three years? Wow. Congrats on keeping your sanity.”
Dani laughed. “It’s not exactly difficult when it wasn’t there in the first place!” She began to change.
“You want me to leave, or...” Jeff began, distracting himself by looking for his own clothes. He didn’t want to seem rude to her.
“Up to you. I don’t care.” She quickly finished getting dressed. “And just like that I’m done – fully clothed. Oh and while we are out, can we stop by Jim’s?” Dani said with a grin.
“Yeah! I look forward to seeing you in action.” He replied.
“He has a wife – you’ll be busy.” She said with a smirk.
“What’s your medium?” He asked, as if he were speaking of art – which in his mind, he was.
“Ahh, I’m a sucker for a good, old-fashioned hand saw!” She replied.
Jeff’s eyebrows rose a bit and he smirked. “Not bad! I think we have one in the house.” He stopped. “Oh shit, we gotta dye your hair.”
Dani’s face fell and her hand instinctively reached up to touch it. “Whaaa?”
“You just escaped a maximum security insane asylum. We have to.”
Dani nodded. “You’re right.” Jeff walked to his bathroom and Dani followed. “Do you guys not have wigs?”
“Nope.” He said, searching for hair dye.
“Hang on!” Dani said, and she took off towards the living room. A guy with a blue mask with ooze coming out was watching TV. “EJ! Right?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Where’s Toby?”
“Upstairs, second door on the right!” EJ told her.
“Thanks!” She turned to head that way, but EJ said something else. “Hey, you’re on TV! HEY JEFF! You’re on TV too!”
Sure enough Jeff ran in, clothed in black pants and a white hoodie, and high-fived EJ. “Haha YES! One up on Toby!”
“What about me?” Toby entered. Dani decided to brief him.
“Jeff’s on TV and is apparently one up on you?”
“Dammit!” Toby said, his neck ticking a bit.
“By the way,” Dani began, “Do you by any chance have a toboggan or a bandanna?”
“Yeah, I have a toboggan.” He replied.
“Awesome! May I borrow it for tonight?” Dani asked.
“Wow, yeah, sure – no one actually asks to borrow my stuff – Jeff.” Toby accused.
“What? Not my fault you leave your door unlocked.” Jeff shrugged with a grin.
“You stole my key!” Toby countered.
Dani pinched the bridge of her nose. “Jeff, give him his key back.”
“You’re taking his side?!” Jeff asked, shocked.
“Yes, get the key.” Dani said, unable to hide her grin.
Jeff headed to his room, but not before mouthing the words ‘payback’ to Dani jokingly.
Toby turned to Dani. “Thanks. He always does that.”
“No problem!” She said. “I’ll keep him straight.” She replied with a wink.
Jeff exited his room, key in hand. “Oh, and Jeff?”
“Hmm?” He replied in defeat.
“I’m so not dyeing my hair. May I have that toboggan, Toby?” She asked.
His face lit up. “Yeah, hang on!” He grabbed his key and took off towards his room.
“Who in this house wears a shoe male size 7?” Dani asked Jeff.
“Oh, I do. I got ya.” Jeff replied.
Soon they were ready to head out, daylight 4 hours away. Dani got her saw, much to her delight, and Jeff and Dani headed towards town. They picked a gas station closed for the night. One, two, they were in. They grabbed a bunch of chips and 2 liters, and Dani grabbed her smokes.
Out they went again to find Jim’s house. “264 Vance St.” She chanted. Soon they arrived at a one story brick house. “This is it!” Dani exclaimed gleefully. “Oh I just can’t wait. Come on, Jeff, it’s been far too long.”
They floated around the house like phantoms until they saw the room the couple slept in. Jeff broke the lock as quietly as he could. Jeff crawled in first, and then helped Dani in. Jeff hovered above the woman, and Dani pulled out the taser she lifted from Antone. Jeff jumped and covered the woman’s mouth, and Dani released the unforgiving taser upon Jim. Jeff had the woman sufficiently subdued, but still awake and aware. Once he was stunned enough, she retrieved his handcuffs from his uniform carelessly strewn on a nearby chair and cuffed him the bed. A sock in his mouth later, she then gave a quick slap across his face, and the woman flinched for her husband. “Wake up, motherfucker.” She greeted. “Didn’t expect to see me so soon? Ah well.” Dani decided to sit on him. “Do you remember when I first got to the asylum?” Jim simply glared. Dani removed her saw from her side. “Funny, you might remember now...” she said as she removed his forefinger. A muffled scream came from the man. “Do you remember, now?”
He nodded violently.
“Good, good!” She grinned. She looked over to his wife. “You remember when you first came into my cell?”
He looked pleadingly to his wife.
“It was my first fucking time!!” She exclaimed, smacking him with the flat end of the saw.
“But, that’s okay, cause she knows now.” Dani said. She then nodded to Jeff, and as if on cue, he whispered “Go to sleep,” as he let the blade slide cleanly across the woman’s neck. Dani yawned. “My, my, it’s getting late, and I’m tired of this game.” She said darkly. She stood and brought the saw down on Jim’s stomach, and he started to squirm. “Too little, too late!” She said. The teeth of the saw dug hungrily into the stomach of the man, and Dani had to dodge a few of the kicks from his flailing legs, but she couldn’t dodge all of them. When he was still, she sighed with a smile on her face. “God I love the fight men put up. Ready?”
“Hang on.” Jeff said. He pulled a camera phone out and took pictures of both bodies. “Yep, ready.”
They both hopped out the window and grabbed their bags.
“Congrats on number 23!” Jeff said, elbowing her.
“He doesn’t count.” She said.
Jeff furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“It was personal, so it doesn’t count.”
“How many personals have you had?” He asked.
“This is 8!” she said.
“30? Wow, nice number!”
Dani liked for a different reason. “Its round and even! I like it.”
Jeff shook his head at her, grinning. The house soon came into view, and upon arrival, shouted “Back!” out to anyone listening. Toby popped his head in the foyer from the living room. “Jeff, guess who is back!” Not soon after Toby’s sentence ended, a gigantic dog came bounding towards Jeff at a high speed. “Oh, Smile! Where you been boy?” Jeff let out a grunt when the dog tackled him and licked his face. The dog soon noticed another presence in the room. One unknown to him.
Smile turned to see the intruder and set his sights on Dani. A deep growl emanated from the hell hound, and was about to pounce until Jeff intervened. “Smile, she with us. Smell her hand.” He said. Smile turned to look at Jeff, and back at Dani. “Stick out your hand, Dani, so he can smell it.” Jeff said.
“What if he takes the whole goddamned thing?!” Dani said, aghast Jeff would even suggest it.
“That or your life – Smile doesn’t mess around.” Jeff warned.
Dani held out her hand slowly, and allowed the giant dog to sniff it. Smile sniffed, looked at Jeff, and then left, glaring at Dani, daring her to mess up.
“Your dog?” Dani questioned.
“Nah, he just likes me cause I’m dazzling!” Jeff replied.
Dani rolled her eyes. She then yawned.
“Oh, hey lemme show ya where you sleep.” Jeff said.
He led her to the room next to his own. “This was Jane’s, but she left. I recruited her like you, but I guess she just didn’t have the potential. It’s yours now.”
Dani went and flopped on the bed. “Hmm. Cool. Thanks Jeff. Night.” She blinked. “Or morning, I don’t fucking know.”
“Go to sleep, Dani.”
“Mmm kay.” She replied with a grin.
Jeff left her room, closed the door, and headed for the living room.
“How was it?” Slender asked him. “Is she any good?”
Jeff flopped on the couch. “Very good. A little fine tuning here and there and she’ll be ready for missions.”
“Excellent. I’ll up the radiation here to make the alteration faster.”
“Sounds good.”
The television blurred on with news, and soon Jeff and Dani’s picture was up again in connection with the guard’s murder in his own home. “Two up on Toby.” He laughed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dani awoke the next night well rested. She was starting to like this ‘staying up at night’ deal. She grabbed a pack of smokes and went outside.
Little did she know she should have looked up on the rooftop. Someone on the roof was watching her intently. The figure reared back their arm, threw a projectile at her, and upon impact...water splashed everywhere all over the top of her head. She gasped, and looked up to the sights of none other than Jeff the Killer rolling around laughing at her. Another water balloon headed her way and hit her square in the chest.
BEN’s head popped up.
“I told you – payback!!” Jeff laughed.
“Aw, fuck you!” Dani said as she looked down at herself. Another water balloon was hurled her way, and she managed to catch it without it breaking.
“Shit, shit! Abandon ship!” Jeff yelled.
“You are gonna get it Jeffery!” Dani yelled. She ran along the wall of the house following the boys. She saw them turn the corner on the roof. She reared back, and let the blue balloon fly, hitting BEN’s leg, but it didn’t even break.
“Dammit!” She cursed. And that’s when the coughing began. Uncontrollable coughs emitted from her throat, and eventually blood made its way to the grass beneath her.
“Shit Dani.”
Dani didn’t hear Jeff approach.
“I’ll get Slender.” BEN said.
“No, she’ll be alright, right Dani?” Jeff said, implying her next words should be ‘yes, I’ll be fine.’
Dani nodded between coughs. It subsided soon enough, and Dani was left exhausted.
“Help an old woman in, Jeff.” Dani said with a laugh.
He complied, but not without commenting, “Old? Yeah right. You’re only...wait, how old are you?”
Dani chuckled to herself as they went inside. “I’m 24.”
“Figured. Old woman.” Jeff laughed. BEN got a towel since she was soaked and had laid it on the couch. Jeff sat her down and left for the kitchen to get her a drink. Dani looked up and saw BEN start up a game on an old Nintendo 64.
“Damn. I haven’t seen one of those in God knows how long! What game are you playing?”
“You know the answer, Dani.” BEN replied with a smirk.
Dani shook her head. “Why would I know that?”
“...you don’t read articles on the internet?” BEN replied, confused. “Does a username ‘jadusable’ ring a bell?”
Dani shook her head again. “Patients weren’t allowed internet access period. What’s your story, BEN?”
“All you need to know about jadusable was that I used him to get my name out there. It’s no fun getting no credit. I came to him in a Nintendo 64 game cartridge of Majora’s Mask. That was how I traveled until I discovered I could travel through the internet.”
“Ah, so you are playing Legend of Zelda. I remember playing that as a teen. That’s why you take the form of Link?”
“Yup. I like it though. They are really comfortable clothes.”
“You need to get out more.” Dani said. “If you want your name out there, you need headlines.”
“True.” BEN conceded. “But who believes a guy that says the ghost of Link is after him? People on the internet tend to at least know my name, and I’m content with that.”
“You after anyone now?” Dani asked with a grin.
“Not currently, but I’ve been considering it for a while. My cartridge is out there somewhere, but it hasn’t neared any routers, so I don’t know where it is. When someone finds it though, I’ll know.” He said.
Jeff walked in with a glass of cola for Dani. “Here, drink this.”
“Thanks!” She said, right before she greedily drank the soda. She turned to Jeff.
“Hey, Jeff, why did Jane leave?”
He grinned a bit before leading her into his room. He pointed to a picture of a dead couple taken with a Polaroid camera. “Apparently I killed Jane’s parents when she was a toddler, and she blew up over it after finding this picture on the wall. I thought it was no big deal, it’s not like she missed them. She’s been looking for my head on a stake now after she cooled down, but eh. I’m not worried.”
“Dude. I think I see my mom up there.” Dani said rather slowly.
“What? I so didn’t plan that. Well. Awkward.” Jeff said, surprised.
“I’m so fucking with you. My mom’s alive and well.” She said, snickering.
She reached up and pulled down a Polaroid of a dead man. “This, however, was my scumbag of a father. Great execution by the way.” The man had been disemboweled by some sort of penetrating trauma. Probably Jeff’s knife.
“You think?”
“The man deserved it. Laid hands on my mother multiple times. I’d like to check on her once our names get off every major news station, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
A searing pain ripped through her abdomen, nearly sending her to the ground. She did drop to one knee. “Damn.” She grimaced. “What did you guys do, turn up the heat?”
“More or less.” Jeff replied.
“Perfect.” She said sarcastically. Dani wasn’t exactly used to having pain; rather she was used to dealing it out. “It’ll be like this all the way to the end, won’t it?” She asked quietly.
“Yes.” He replied.
She picked herself up. “I’m going to try and sleep this one out. Or at least hide until it’s done.” She said. She dragged herself towards the door and murmured, “I don’t want you guys to see me in this pathetic state.”
Twenty four hours passed, and no one had seen Dani – that didn’t mean no one heard her. Screams with simultaneous laughter would emanate from the room down the hall. Furniture was heard being moved. Banging on the walls. And the scratching. Constant scratching.
Every noise from that room stopped around 2 o’clock in the morning, two days after Jeff and Dani’s escape. The noises had nearly taken over the house, so that when they did stop, everyone knew, and breathed a sigh of relief. Jeff, EJ, and Toby were in the living room when the sounds stop, and turned when they heard footsteps from the hall.
In walked Dani, a changed being. Her hair was sticking up every-which way, but was a deeper shade of red than it was before; her eyes went from hazel to a dirty shade of yellow, and the scars from the acid accident turned from white to black. The clothes she borrowed were a mess; the hoodie wasn’t on her, the sweatpants torn in some places, and the grey t-shirt was somehow ripped to be sleeveless.
“Rough night?” Jeff asked.
“Don’t...talk so loud...” Dani murmured, her head hurting. She looked and sounded as if she had a hangover. She flopped on one end of the couch like any other normal day. She looked down at herself. “Sorry about the clothes.”
“No problem.” He said, glued to the television report about him once again.
Slender walked in. “Ah. I see everything progressed smoothly?”
“You could say that.” Dani said. “What now?”
“Whatever you wish. You may want to go out and kill. Or you can stay here – up to you.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Dani said. “I can already feel an itch.”
“I’m going too – it’s been a bit.” Toby said, standing.
“Oh, hey, I pick you up some clothes while you were out.” Jeff said, tossing Dani a bag of clothes.
“Awesome! Thanks.”
Dani went to her room and put on some black cargo pants, which were a bit loose, but wearable. She went to put on a shirt but it was too small. They were all too small – she put the grey sleeveless back on.
Out she came with her saw attached at her hip.
“I see you like my shirt?” Jeff said cockily.
“You underestimated my size, and while flattered, I cannot fit into a small.” Dani said.
“Damn. My bad!” Jeff told her.
As she turned, she noticed Jeff slip EJ a $10 bill.
“You are terrible at betting, Jeffery. I’m too used to loose clothing. Try again later!” She said as she walked out the door, Toby on her heels.
“Who do have in mind, Dani?” Toby asked her.
“Oh, I dunno. I tend to find couples. The first non-personal single kill I had was the acid assassination. What about yourself?”
“Anyone I don’t like. All of my initial kills were personal.” Toby said.
“That must be a long list.” Dani grinned.
“It is. I’ll never be bored!” Toby said, a smile evident in his voice.
“What do you use?” Dani asked.
Toby pulled out double hatchets. “These.”
“Hell yes, Team Shed Tools!”
The two high-fived as they entered into the quiet neighborhood.
“You get first pick, Toby. Where you wanna go?”
He swept the neighborhood and then pointed to a white picturesque vinyl house. “That one.”
“You want me to sit out?” Dani asked. “I’d be more than happy to!”
“Nah, you can sit back and watch the magic with the couple, but I’ll need assistance with any others in there.” Toby said, running at the house, Dani close behind. He ran around back, and tried the back door, and it was unlocked.
“Jeff always likes to break in – he doesn’t bother checking the doors.” Toby said.
Inside they went, and they looked around. Toby walked to the dining room and looked at the table, them waved Dani over.
“Look,” He whispered. “Four chairs, and crumbs at each. What does that tell you?”
“Four occupants.” Dani said in the same hushed tone.
“Yep. Look a little closer.” Toby said.
Dani inspected each place at the table. “One place has a bit more crumbs at it than the others. Two parents, a teen, and a child?”
“Exactly. Very good. Always check the place out so you don’t miss anyone. Come on.”
He walked around the house silently and they came across a door covered in bad drawings. “Kid.” Toby whispered to her.
Another door had the name ‘Emily’ in painted letters on it. “Teen.” Toby said, and they kept going. There was a plain door at the end of the hall. “Parents.” Toby said, a smile could yet again be heard, even in his hushed voice. His neck started twitching in anticipation as he pushed the door open, thankful it didn’t squeak so he may have the element of surprise. Dani stood in the doorway as he crept in to the foot of their bed.
The woman awoke first, more preoccupied with Dani in the doorway than the figure at the foot of her bed twirling his hatchets in circles at his sides. When she shook her husband awake, Toby used the low footboard as a step to gather the momentum needed to embed both hatches into the skulls of the man and woman. A satisfying crack rang through the room, and thick red blood began oozing out of the wounds. Dani grew a wicked grin as she heard the teen get out of bed. She ran silently to stand by the teen’s door and began to wait for her to emerge. The girl Emily, who looked about 16, that walked out had no idea what hit her. Dani’s saw met her neck unforgivingly, and ripped through the jugular as Dani gave it a quick and forceful push and pull. “Too little, too late.” Emily’s lifeless body hit the hardwood floor with a thump. Dani turned to see a sight she’d hoped not to see. It was what looked to be a four year old boy in the doorway.
“Mummy? I had a bad dream.”
Dani froze, trying to keep her face from contorting to disgust. Children. Children. She hated children. Though she didn’t kill them, it didn’t mean she liked them. She loathed them. Despised them. Animalistic creatures, they were.
“Toby.” She called. “What are we doing with this one?”
The child ran up to Dani and hugged her, but not without a flinch from the woman. “Mummy...I had a bad, bad dream.”
“Hey little man!” Toby said. “Since you had a bad dream, I have a surprise for you!”
“Really? What? What??” The child squealed, running to Toby to Dani’s relief. “Come on, hop on my back, and I’ll show you.”
“Okay!” the boy complied, and the three left for the House.
“Toby, you didn’t tell me the surprise?” Dani said, trying her hardest to play along.
“What is it, what is it?” The boy said.
“It’s a very slender surprise.” Toby said.
Dani got the hint. “Oh my, little man, you’re gonna love this!”
“What, what?”
“You’ll see!”
The House came into view, and they were soon inside. “Alright, the surprise is right up ahead, come on!” The two went down the hall, and Dani sat in the living room where Jeff, EJ, Hoodie, and Masky were.
All four heard Toby come in the living room, empty handed.
“Whelp, my job is done.” Toby said, flopping on a love seat.
“How’d you handle the kid so well?” Dani asked.
Toby laughed. “I could tell you were uncomfortable. I never had a problem with kids. Why don’t you like them?” He asked her.
“They’re animalistic, disgusting creatures.”
“You were a kid once.”
“And I was disgusting.”
“Seriously, why not?”
She sighed. “I’m not going to explain any further.”
“Why not? It’s just us.” Toby pressed.
Dani shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.” Toby said, pushing harder now.
Dani pursed her lips, and then mumbled something.
“What?” Toby asked.
“I’m infertile. There, I said it; I hate what I can’t have. I’m going to bed. Good night.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Danielle Ammons?” A nurse said.
“Yeah?” Dani said, now with extremely long red hair.
“Come on back.”
Dani followed the nurse to the back to the doctor’s office.
“Hello, Miss Ammons, have a seat.” The doctor said.
“Alright.”
“Sooo.” The doctor began. “Your physical looks good, healthy and well. Tell me, why do you want to participate in this study?”
“Honestly Dr. Cameron, my medication isn’t working and I am strapped for cash. I figured I could help with something while making money.”
“Well, that’s not uncommon for studies like this. A few warnings – this is an experimental drug aimed for depression patients. Few side effects include nausea, drowsiness, increase in suicidal tendencies, and in women, issues with your menstrual cycle. If you agree to these terms, please sign this paper.” Dr. Cameron said, handing a clip board to Dani. She read over the terms swiftly and got to the signature. She hesitated, and then signed.
“Thank you very much, Miss Ammons, for your cooperation. The nurse will give you your first two month’s supply.”
“Thank you, Dr. Cameron.”
“Make sure you return – Nahja will schedule your appointment.”
“Okay ,thank you.”
5 weeks past and Dani was feeling better. Amazingly, in fact. That is until she collapsed one day at her college. Her professor rushed to the hospital, where emergency tests were taken.
She was half awake when this was happening. “W-what?”
“Miss Ammons? You’re in the hospital – we’re taking care of you. Is there anything we need to know about? Allergies, ailments, medications.”
“Experimental...Flaxin...”
“That helps a lot dear, just hang in there.”
Dani lost consciousness again.
When she awoke next, she was much more aware. She reached over to the call button for the nurse.
“Hello sweetie, how you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a bus. What happened?”
“You collapsed at your school. We ran some tests to see what was wrong.”
“And?”
“Your thyroid want producing enough hormones-“
“Hypothyroidism, yes, what caused it?”
“It is a side effect of Flaxin. There were...other complications.”
“What complications? What are they?” Dani demanded.
“You see, without the hormones from your thyroid, your reproduc-“
“Just shut up and give me my chart. You are making a fool of yourself.”
The nurse jumped, and quickly complied.
Dani had a once over and nodded, her head dropped. “Thank you. I will be checking myself out now.” Dani said dryly.
“Sweetie-“
“Nope. Now.”
“O-okay...”
Dani went back to her dorm, thankful her roommate wasn’t there. She dropped her bags at the door and went straight to the suite bathroom, locking both doors. She looked her reflection in the eye.
-What is wrong with me?- She thought to herself. That’s when the voice answered.
*Wrong with you? It’s their fault. THEIR fault. They need to pay.*
-Pay? Pay with what?-
*They took your ability to give life...you should take their life as payment!*
-I couldn’t kill anyone...-
*Yes you can. We both can...I’ll help you, just let me help...* The voice purred to her.
Dani laugh. Oh she laughed and laughed until her sides hurt. She ran back to grab the scissors from her desk and ran back into the backroom.
*SNIP* *SNIP* *SNIP*
Her beautiful red hair lay in a heap on the tile floor. She gazed in the mirror, liking what she saw. “Time to paint them red.” She whispered giddily.
*The doctor...him first...*
“Him first, him FIRST!” She repeated, giggling.
Her roommate entering snapped Dani back to reality.
“Dani?” The girl said. “Are you back?”
“Yeah, Emma, I’m in the bathroom, I’ll be right out!” She said. Dani quickly cleaned up her hair and left the bathroom.
“Dani...your hair! What did you do?” She asked.
Dani shrugged. “I didn’t like it anymore, so a got rid of it.”
“Honey, do you want me to even it out? You can trust me; I cut my sister’s hair all the time.”
Dani felt her hair. She knew it was at least an inch longer on one side than the other.
“Sure.” She conceded.
Emma got to work on Dani’s hair, and all the while the voice was talking.
*What is she doing to your hair? It was fine the way it was. Get rid of her!*
-No.-
*What did you say?*
-NO! She is kind to me. No.-
*Suit yourself. She’d be fun.*
-You’re a bloody psychopath.-
*What does that make you? I am you!*
Dani didn’t answer back, but deep down she knew – it was right. With the last of her sanity gone, she knew tonight was her night. When Emma was done with her hair, Dani told her, “I’m going out – don’t wait up.” And then she left.
The next morning, Emma awoke at 7 sharp, and saw Dani in her bed, asleep. She turned the TV on, knowing it would eventually wake her roommate.
“Four were found dead last night, all medical personal running an experimental study of a new antidepressant. More details are to arrive.”
Emma heard Dani shuffle out of bed like a zombie to the bathroom.
“Late night?” She called
She heard incoherent mumbling from the bathroom.
“Huh?” Emma called back.
Dani popped her head out. “Don’t...don’t talk that loud...”
“You went partying?! On a Thursday night?!”
“...Yeah...you could say that.”
“Lord have mercy. What frat?” Emma asked knowingly.
“Alpha Phi Alpha.” Dani said quickly.
“Still got your eyes on Matt, huh?”
“Nah, his friend is more interesting.”
“Lord, well, good luck in your 8 AM Advanced Calc.”
“Shh shhh shhh...let it happen, Emma.”
Emma quickly got ready and left for breakfast, while Dani hobbled around the room with a grin as she listened to the news. She made headlines! And no leads! Oh that elective forensics class paid off well. She grabbed a cereal bar and sat, sore from the struggles of her victims.
“We were told by police due to the brutality of the crime, they believe they are looking for a man in his late twenties. Behavioral analysis units have been brought in and have been on the case.”
*We could take it farther you know.*
-Oh I know. And we will.-
Emma went to class as usual that day and met with Emma for lunch after both their classes were finished.
“What are we doing tonight?” Dani asked.
“We could go to Sigma Delta. They are having a beach themed party. I hear they are putting four inches of sand in their basement!”
“Sounds like fun – but it won’t be much of a beach party with all this snow we are getting in the middle of March!”
“It’ll still be fun!’ Emma countered.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go for free beer.”
The girls finished their work for the weekend that afternoon and began to get ready. Both girls wore a type of bikini and a beach cover up – the difference was one of them hit a small pocket knife in her top. Soon, off they went.
The basement of Sigma Delta was packed. Nearly body to body, wall to wall, it was crazy. The girls stuck close, and eventually found a pair of guys, Adam and Sam, from Sigma Delta that both could tolerate.
“Hey! Adam!” Dani yelled over the music.
“Yeah?” Adam said back.
“I want a cig,” she made a motion that suggested smoking. “You want to come with?”
“Sure!” He yelled back. Dani looked to Emma.
Emma gave Dani a thumbs up, a sign they both understand as ‘I’ll be fine.’
Dani and Adam went outside, lit cancer sticks, talked a bit, then headed back in. Dani looked around, but she couldn’t fine Emma or Sam. “I’ll be back!” She yelled to Adam.
Dani searched all over, and soon her mind turned to darker thoughts.
*You know she’s upstairs, right? I’m surprised you didn’t noticed the pill in her drink.*
-Which one? Which room?-
*Since I’m nice, I’ll tell you. For a price.*
-Quick, what is it?-
*You have to kill him!*
-That’s it? Really?-
*...Third door on left.*
Dani ran up the stairs taking two at a time flipping her experienced blade in the process.
She stuck he rear to the door and heard Sam. She opened the door and walked in.
“Hey! This is taken!” Sam said. He didn’t know who it was due to the light shining in. Dani noted Emma was nearly passed out, and was barely conscious.
“Do you think it’s fun,” She began as she closed the door, “To take what is hers?”
“What the fuck?”
“What do you think?” She asked aloud. “Gutting, throat cut, stabbing. Oh there are so many ways to end someone like you!”
Dani knew he was a brainless oaf, so when he charged, it was easy to dodge and jump on his back. “Too little, too LATE!” She cackled, stabbing the knife into his eyeball. Once he was dead, she decorated a bit so it didn’t look like revenge, and wiped away evidence. Dani then headed over to her friend. “Emma? You alright chick?”
“D-Dani?”
“Yeah, hun, let’s go.” She walked her out, making sure to avoid everyone at the party. They hailed a cab, and went back to their dorm. A glass of water and some food later, Emma was completely conscious, but still sweating madly. Emma stared intently at her roommate, who was sitting on her bed with her laptop. “Dani?”
“Hmm?” Dani said.
“...What did you do?”
Dani knew there was no hiding it. “I killed him.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t party last night, did you?”
“No honey, I didn’t. I had something to take care of.”
“Dani?”
“Hmm?” Dani hummed back.
“Don’t...don’t do that anymore.”
“What?”
“Don’t kill anyone anymore.”
Dani closed her laptop. “What? I don’t understand...I thought I helped you? I thought I did well...”
“No Dani, you don’t understand! What Sam was going to do was disgusting, but he didn’t deserve to die!”
“Yes he did.” Dani said firmly.
“Look, I won’t tell anyone, but you need to stop! You’re my friend, Dani, and I want the best for you.”
Friend. Dani sounded out in her head. “Fine.” Dani said, and she went back to her laptop. She wasn’t going to stop. It was too fun! She’d just have to be careful. Nothing was said between the girls for the rest of the night.
Dani woke up first on Saturday morning about 11 AM, as usual. She stared at her roommate who was still in bed. Dani murmured to herself, “I should get rid of you, but I can’t. Just can’t. Friend. Yes, you are my friend.”
Little did Dani know Emma was awake, and she heard every word. Emma was conflicted by what she heard come out of her roommate’s mouth.
Days went by, and more and more murders went on, all with no leads and brutality unmatched by anyone in the area in recent history. Dani would catch Emma watching her from a distance – her eyes glazed over in serious thought. Dani knew that despite her fondness for Emma, she would have to go. The acid wasn’t hard to get a hold of – she was a third year at her school, and well trusted amongst the professors. Hydrofluoric acid also has many uses in many different labs, so all that was needed was a write-up of the ‘lab.’ This one would be difficult to pull off and get away with...and it probably wasn’t going to go well. But a sick sort of curiosity took over Dani the night it was supposed to happen. She wanted to know what happened if acid was dumped on someone – and no one was going to stop her.
No one.
Emma came back to the room like any other day. When she pushed the door open and saw Dani standing to the side – that was it for her. The bucket of acid came crashing down on her, burning her body. Dani didn’t account for the splash of the acid, and her left arm began to burn as well. It didn’t help that Emma grabbed her arm, slid down, and started rolling on the floor.
Dani began uncontrollably laughing. Her roommate dead on the floor, then pain in her arm – it was all so...refreshing! She laughed and laughed until someone came to check on the two. The girl screamed and ran to call the police.
And Dani was fine with that. Just...fine.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dani awoke from her bed, sensing someone near her. She flipped around to see EJ hanging over her bed. “Fuck! EJ! What the hell are you doing?!” He stood straight. “Masky has brought a ton of cheesecake back from somewhere. I thought you’d like a piece.”“No thanks.” Dani said as she rolled over. “I don’t like cheesecake.”“WHAT!?!” Masky yelled from the other room. He barged into Dani’s room and screamed, “You have GOT to be KIDDING me!”“Not kidding.” Dani said, back still turned. “Never liked the texture.”Next thing she knew, a whole cheesecake was brought down on her head, getting all over everything.“Masky.” She said slowly as she sat up. “Since I am nice, I will give you to the count of three to run. If I find you, I will kill you. One.”Masky stood his ground.“Fucking two.”Masky folded his arms and looked at EJ, who shrugged.“Mother fucking THREE!” Dani yelled, saw in hand after Masky. Dani was quick, but Masky was way quicker. “GET BACK HERE YA LITTLE BITCH!!” Dani screamed once in the backyard. Everyone stood on the back porch watching the two run around the courtyard in the back of the house. Slender decided to break up the fiasco. Long, dark tendrils grabbed the proxy by his ankles, and Dani by her left hand and foot.“HE STARTED IT!” Dani accused, cheesecake still dripping from her hair.“And I’m finishing it!” Slender said.“Come on, lemme at him!” Dani said while struggling against the odd hold.“No, and I’ll take this...” Slender told her as his snatched her saw from her hand.“No no no! My saw!!” Cried Dani.“You can have it back when you learn to play nice.”Dani slumped in the hold. “Fine.”“Uhh...sir...” Masky began. “The blood is kinda rushing to my head...”“Sorry.” Slender said as he placed them firmly on the ground.Dani took the opportunity to jump on Masky, choking him in the process.“No! Stop!” Slender said, pulling Dani off. “Bad girl!”Smile barked happily, as if his suspicions were confirmed.“But look what he did to my hair!!!” Dani whined.“Go take a shower then. It’s just cheesecake.” Slender scolded.Dani slumped again and actually complied. But there would be payback. She tried everything – worms in the bed, saran wrap on the toilet seat, and even stink bombing his room. No reaction from him!Finally Dani got an idea. A terrible – AWFUL idea! Since Masky loved cheesecake so much, maybe she’d try her hand at her own...Masky found a box at his door with a note.
Masky,
I’m sorry for trying to get you back – it was stupid and childish. Slender’s making me write this, FYI.
-Dani
When he opened the box, his eyes glazed over as he had his sights set on a homemade cheesecake, all for himself! A few hours later, Jeff, Dani, and Toby were in the living room watching BEN play Majora’s Mask when Hoodie walked in. “Hey guys, you seen Masky? I can’t find him.”Hoodie looked to Jeff who shook his head, as did Toby, and then BEN. Hoodie looked to Dani who had a grin on her face. “Have you checked the bathroom?” She asked.“No, why would I do that?” Hoodie asked.“When you see him, ask him how he liked my recipe. It was my mum’s, but I added a bit of my own flare.”“You didn’t!” Jeff exclaimed.“Oh I did,” Dani said, producing a box of vegetable laxatives from her pocket.BEN dropped his controller and began laughing hysterically, while Hoodie hurriedly went to check on his friend. Jeff leaned over and fist bumped Dani.“Very nice execution.” He commented.“Thank you.” Dani said, still grinning widely.BEN continued his game, but it was interrupted by a certain deity’s static. “Oh come on Slender! I had just got to a boss and I hadn’t saved in a while!!”Slender ignored him. “Who incapacitated my proxy?”Dani, still grinning widely, only raised her hand until after everyone else in the room pointed at her.“Yeah, that was me!”“I had a mission for Tim this evening, but since he is confined to the lavatory, I must send someone in his stead – you.”“Oh? Do I get my saw back?”“No, this is recon.” Slender said. “I need information on a possible recruit...her name is Natalie Ouellete. Scope her out without being seen for the most part. If you like what you see, bring her back here.” The static from the game receded, leaving off at the point it was at as Slender handed Dani a file, much to BEN’s pleasure.“Whoa, looks like Masky has done a lot of leg work!”“All I need is a report on her method of torture. I need to see if she can keep up with us.”“Of course.” Dani said with a grin. “I see you do a little more research than Jeff here does.”“HEY!” Jeff said, his attention finally tearing away from the game.“It’s true!!” Dani shot back. “No matter, I’m on it, Slendy!”Slender sighed. “Please don’t call me that.”Dani slipped into the kitchen before leaving to grab a knife. She only felt it was missing by the time she walked out the front door. She turned to see Slender.“Tim does just fine without a weapon. You will too.”“Aww man! You suck!” Dani said as she sulked off to find Natalie. Dani looked at the file as she walked, getting a feel for the pattern of Natalie’s murders. After all, who knows a serial killer better than a serial killer? Dani pinpointed the next likely target to be in a neighborhood not far south. Dani took a seat by a tree inside the woods with a good view of the community and waited for any sign of Natalie. As Dani sat, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was vulnerable – but she eventually managed to shake that feeling off, believing it to be the absence of her saw. Cool metal soon pressed to Dani’s neck, and she pinpointed the feeling to be a knife to her jugular, and the sound of a ticking wristwatch pervaded her ears.*Nice going, Sherlock Holmes.* The voice in Dani’s head commented.“Why are you following me?” A feminine voice hissed. “At least they sent someone other than the masked boy. If he came back I was going to kill him. Tell me why you are here. Quickly, now, your time is almost up.”“Good luck.” Dani said. “But already I like you. I was sent by a group of...how should I phrase this? Beings? They are very interested in your skills, Miss Ouellete.”“What skills?” The girl commented.“You know! The end of things, seeing the light leaving their eyes – it excites you, and my friends like the way you execute it.”*Friends! You are using the word so freely, Ammons!*The knife released its unforgiving hold on Dani. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Whew. Man I can’t die but I really didn’t want to find out what happens.”“What do you mean?” Natalie asked. Dani turned to face her for the first time. A pocket watch from where the ticking was emanating was position in the 16 year-olds left eye, and stitches lined her cheeks into a smile. “I can’t die. They can’t die either. And you can also take on this gift, and use it to spread your own gift to the world.” Dani noticed Natalie’s eyes linger on her scarred arms. “Heh, acid did it when I was human. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone – I need another girl in the house that’s near my age.”“Why should I come with you?” Natalie glared at Dani.“Yes, yes, why should you trust a psychopath serial killer? One. You can always trust a dishonest person to be dishonest. Two. I am unarmed, and you can check. Slender wouldn’t let me leave with my saw.” Dani said with a grimace as she turned around to be searched.“...Let’s go. You’re taking point.” Natalie said.“Of course.” Dani said.They walked in silence until they got to the mansion. “Slendy! I brought her back. Not like I had a choice, though.”“What is this, what’s going on?” Natalie asked.Dani turned. “You don’t see the house?”Natalie shook her head. “Slender, this isn’t funny, let us in!” Dani said towards the house, but to Natalie, there was nothing. A gasp emanated from Natalie, and Dani knew she saw it appear. “Thank you!” Dani said. “Come on, let’s go, it’s orientation time!” Dani lead the girl in, and saw Masky in fetal position in the couch. “Sorry, man, I had to get you back.”“I’m...going...to kill you Dani.” Masky’s muffled voice said.“Yeah, yeah, get in line.” Dani told him. “That’s Masky,” Dani said to Natalie. “That’s the guy that was following you. I slipped laxatives in a cheesecake ‘cause he threw a cheesecake at me while I was in bed.”Dani walked her through the rest of the house, introducing everyone. Finally, they came across Slender. “There ya are! Natalie, this is Slender.”“Evening, Miss Clockwork. I apologize for the measures we took, but you understand it is difficult trying to find you.”Clockwork nodded. “You know my self-given name?”“I know you well, Clockwork. Perhaps better than you know yourself.”“I sincerely doubt that.”“If you keep doubting, then your time here may be up, Miss Clockwork.” Slender read back to her. He turned to Dani. “Explain to her what Jeff explained to you, and give her the choice you were offered.”“Can I have my saw back?! Pleasssseee??”“Not. Yet. You’re still on punishment.” Slender said to her as he walked away.Dani turned back to Clockwork. “I really want it back. But the laxatives were still worth it. Oh! But I need to explain to you what happens now!”Dani explained to Clockwork about how the house is in the fourth dimension, the change, and nearly everything else. Clockwork’s only response was, “Count me in.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Today was a relatively normal night for the household. Dani had finally convinced BEN to switch games to Golden Eye 007, and soon he grew frustrated due to the slightly inverted controls.“It’s not fair! You’re better than me!” BEN said.“That’s because all you play is Majora’s Mask,” Dani told him. “I’m sure if we had a side by side race in the game, you would beat the hell out of me!” BEN zoned out a bit, his face turned to one of surprise, and then he grinned.“Someone has found my cartridge.” He told Dani. He got up quickly and said, “I’m going to tell Slender, and I’m off!”“Have fun!” Dani shouted back.Well, there went her gaming partner. Outside she went to have a smoke, and there was Jeff doing the same thing. “Ben left.” Dani told him. “Someone found his cartridge.”Jeff nodded. “Lucky bastard. He gets to travel anywhere in the world in an instant.”The two watched Sally run around in the backyard trying to catch fireflies, while chatting about random things. Something odd soon caught Jeff’s eye. “Dani. Who’s Sally talking to?”She turned to see Sally talking to something in the woods whilst looking at her feet. “Go inside to sneak and flank them. It’s not human. I’ll approach point.” Dani told him. She was unarmed – she didn’t have to be, they were just hanging around the house. Jeff would at least have a chance to grab his knife.“Hey Sally!” Dani said, jogging over. “Who are you talking to?”“Jack, this is Dani...She’s new.” Sally said to the woods. There was no response. Dani cocked an eyebrow. Could it be an imaginary friend? “What does he look like, honey?”“He’s a clown, but he’s not colorful like clowns are...he’s black and white.” Sally said, eyes still glued to the ground.Jeff’s head popped up out of the woods. “Jack? Clown? Laughing Jack, get your ass out here and show yourself!!”Wicked laughter resounded from the woods. A swirl of black smoke came together and formed a grotesque perversion of a clown. He was outfitted in a clown’s attire, with exception of hues – just black and white as Sally described. Blood lust filled his eyes to the brim; Dani knew this guy was indiscriminately destructive. “So you are one of the new ones, hmm?” Laughing Jack asked. “I am Laughing Jack – LJ to my best friends.” “Sally, go inside. Get Slender.” Jeff ordered, and she scurried in. “What are you here for, Jack?”“I’m here to play with Sally. She loves to play.”“No, what you did was unforgivable. You know the rules here.”“Sally liked that game.” LJ replied sordidly. “The shit you pulled was WAY out of line.” Jeff roared. He took a minute to compose himself. “Associates are not to be touched.” Jeff said to LJ, and partially to himself. “Go find some human to play with. Sally is off limits.”“Fine, I may just find another plaything.” LJ glanced at Dani, and then the window Clockwork was looking out of. “You so much as TOUCH me or her – you will wish your little two-bit freak show never went on stage.” Dani assured venomously.“Ooohh, feisty! I love it!” LJ cackled. “Tell me sweetheart, how old you are?”Dani hesitated before relinquishing the words, “Twenty four.”“You are but a child, dear! I have been killing people for more than a century!” “I won’t back down without a fight.” She told him.“What is your business here, Jack?” Slender said. Sally was close, hiding behind him with Clockwork, Toby, and EJ on their heels. “You know, this is becoming a bit of a crowd.” LJ glanced around until he met eyes with Clockwork. “A parting gift, dear.” He said to Dani. What he did next astonished everyone – his body burst into smoke, which proceeded to wrap itself around Clockwork, and then both simply vanished.“NO!” Toby shouted. Slender was the first to recover from the shock. “She’s still human! EJ, get in touch with BEN, he sent this number to me to reach him in an emergency, and tell him to look for ANY sign of LJ. Jeff, get Tim, Hoodie, and Rake briefed ASAP. Dani, I need you to stay behind and look after Sally, we can’t leave her alone.”Dani went to protest, but understood her job. From the way Jeff acted, she knew LJ did something abysmal to the unfortunate girl. All of them scattered and started their mission; there was no time to waste.EJ was got a hold of BEN, and in no time BEN had located the pair in a warehouse in Manhattan via hacked security cameras. Slender grabbed a hold of everyone but Dani, Sally, and BEN, and then warped off to the warehouse. “I can’t believe they’re leaving us behind.” BEN complained. “It wasn’t our job.” Dani replied. “We have to stay here, for Sally.”BEN looked over at Sally. “You’re right.” He conceded. “But it doesn’t mean we can’t watch!”“What are you-“BEN went into the television, hacked at a few connections in the interweb mainframe of the security cameras, and a view of the warehouse blared to life on the TV. “That...that’s really cool.” Dani said. BEN exited the television set. “I know, it’s awesome!” The TV displayed the battle about to begin. Clockwork was bound and blindfolded in a corner, LJ in front of her. A few words were said, but were inaudible due to the lack of audio recording. There’s no way LJ could win it seemed – Slender, Jeff, Masky, Hoodie, Toby, EJ, and Rake were all ready for a fight, and all looked agitated beyond belief. The first lunge was by Slender, his black tendril snaking through the air heading right for LJ’s chest. Smoke appeared from where he was, and he reappeared somewhere else. Every time one of them got close enough for a blow, LJ disappeared. It was like he was playing a game with them. Then something caught Dani’s eye. There was a pattern. He was always in view of the camera, and always glanced at it before he disappeared. He was coming back. “BEN! Get Sally! Living room, now!”BEN immediately brought Sally into the living room and Dani ran to get a knife from the kitchen. When she came back, the two were watching the screen. “They’re not fighting anymore...is it over?” Sally asked. “No, honey, it’s not.” Dani replied. “Back into the corner, I need my back to you guys.” They did as instructed, and Dani took a defensive position.“BEN!” Sally shrieked. Dani whipped around to see his image flickering like a light. Sally looked to Dani. “The internet, it’s gone!” Sally told her, and then she screamed. Boney fingers grabbed Dani’s hair and lifted her off the ground, the knife she was holding clattered to the ground as Dani went to try and support herself.“OW OW OW YOU BASTARD!!” Dani cried. “RUN SALLY!” The girl took off, and LJ lost interest in Dani. He threw her to the floor and managed to nail both of her hands into the floor before leaving.“FUCK!” She screamed. “BEN. BEN, you have to wake up.” She said. Nothing came from him.“Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!” She cursed. She knew her only way out of this to help Sally. The one and only way. She started with the left hand. –Like a band aid.– She thought to herself. She counted, “Onetwothree – SHIT!” as she quickly pulled her hand up. “Okay, onetwothree FUCK!” And the right one was free. She grabbed the knife and set off toward the screaming in the woods.“Oh, look whose back!” LJ commented. “You’ve got guts, kid, I’ll give you that.”“Well, maybe if you used 1/2” nails instead of 1/4” I’d still be down for the count.” Dani said cynically.“I’ll look into that for next time,” LJ said, winking.“There won’t be a next time.” Dani snarled. “You can’t kill me!” LJ said.“And how do you know?” Dani asked, stalling and waiting for backup. “BECAUSE I TRIED!” LJ roared. “I waited 26 YEARS in that box! 26! And now I’m free to do what I want! Who wouldn’t take that freedom?” “What about what Sally wants?” Dani asked him.“What?”“Sally. The girl you’re holding hostage, yeah I don’t think she wants to be tortured.” Dani mocked. “That doesn’t concern you –““No it does. It did the moment you threatened me and it double timed when you nailed me to the floor.” She said. “We’re all hurt, LJ. Why do you have to make it worse?”“What do you know? What were you? Bullied, beaten? Give me the same damned sob story everyone else does. 26 ye-““I get it. I do, 26 years in a box can do things to you. I can’t have kids anymore, LJ. And the only kid I consider to even be close to family is one you are going to torture incessantly. I can’t let that happen.” She raised her knife and prepared to fight. “I fight for family. So please, let Sally go, or I will fight until you breathe your last breath.”LJ looked around, and heard the others coming. His gazed fell back on Dani and he grinned.“Never.” He then vanished with Sally.“NO!” Dani cried. She fell to the ground and stabbed the knife into the dirt. Then she did something she hadn’t done in years. Tears began to flow. She didn’t bawl, nor sob – just a silent flowing of tears, knowing she failed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Dani! DANI!” Someone was calling for her. The lights were on but no one was home. Laughing...the laughing from the forest filled her mind. “Faaaiiilure....FAIIILURE!!” It chanted.A sharp pain came across her cheek – it effectively brought her back to reality.“DANI!!” She looked up to see Jeff. “Come on, we have to help BEN right now, there’s nothing else we can do.” He said running back to the mansion.Dani picked herself up and began to jog back. She took a look at the damage to her hands – two giant holes were in the center of her palms. She couldn’t feel her left hand’s middle finger, and couldn’t move it either. Her right hand luckily had minimal damage to tendons, but the nerves were shot as well.She got back in time to see BEN take refuge in Jeff’s camera phone.“What now?” Clockwork asked. “We find Sally, of course.” Dani replied.“Easier said than done.” Slender said. “It took a week to find her last time. LJ only wanted to be found this time.”“Where was he last time?” Dani asked.“England. A small cottage preserved by a historical society – it was believed to be the residence of Jack the Ripper, but they don’t know for sure.” Slender replied.“Take me there.” Dani said. “Jeff and I – we are both serial killers. Between the two of us we should be able to pinpoint a hideout.”“I’m classified as a serial killer as well. Let me help.” Clockwork said. “It’s my fault she was taken.”“It was no one’s fault.” EJ told her.“You’re still human, Clockwork.” Toby told her. “It will be difficult to protect you and Sally if we do find her there.”“Yes, you’re needed here. Serve as a base for BEN – he’ll be scouting any and all electronics.” Slender said.“I’m not helpless!” She said, frustrated.“Against Jack, you are.” Dani told her. “I got nailed to the fucking floor.”“And none of us could even land a hit.” Masky said. “It was partially because we went in blind.” Hoodie commented.“Let me see your hands, Dani.” Jeff said. “They don’t matter at the moment.” Dani told him. “We’ll fix them later.”Jeff shook his head. “You were the only one injured. Let me see.”She reluctantly held her hands out for survey.“They still work.” Dani assured. “...You have a tendon hanging out of your palm.”Dani looked and poked it. “I guess it’s true that if you’re really hurt you don’t feel it!” Jeff slapped his forehead. He retrieved bandages and wrapped her hands up. “She’s fine. Slender, let’s go.” Jeff told him. “We haven’t much time before...”“You’re right.” Slender said. He grabbed Jeff and Dani’s arms and pulled them into a dusty cottage. Dani stumbled a bit before regaining her posture. “Never will get used to that.” She said. They looked around the old cottage. Apparently it was bought to be preserved – everything from the previous owners a century ago was left. Old, dusty dinnerware was on the rickety table, basic furniture in the living room, and a master bedroom. “Let’s check the attic.” Jeff said. “That’s where we found him last time.”The trio headed up the stairs to the attic. It was empty, as expected. Who would go to the same place they were caught at last time? An idiot, that’s who – and LJ was not even close to one. The three spread out. Jeff inspected the torture rack that was centered in the room, Slender headed to a nearby desk and looked at papers, and Dani went to look at the shelves for any trophies.A dusty box caught her eye. It was a faded rainbow color box with a crank. ‘For Issac’ it read. ‘Laughing Jack in a Box.’This is the box. His hellish confinement for 26 years. Dani inspected it, finding nothing odd about it. She finally began to turn the crank, and a horribly off key ‘Pop! Goes the Weasel’ began to play.“What are you doing?” Jeff asked.“Just wait.” She said. The song played through, and she murmured “Pop goes the weasel,” along with the final verse. The lid popped open, but nothing came out. She peered inside the box, only to be met with darkness.“I see you’ve found my box.” LJ said.“I have.” Dani said, turning to look at LJ. “I’m surprised you’ve left it alone for all these years. Tell me, what happens if I try to force you inside?”“You’ll never see Sally again.” He mused.“You bastard.” Jeff hissed.“Now, now – she’s is fine for now. She really doesn’t want to play my game...it’s rather unfortunate, really, no one to appreciate the game.”“Of course she doesn’t want to play, Jack.” Dani told him. “She’s a scared little girl.” “Precisely. That’s why I have a...preposition.”“What’s that-” Dani asked.“Dani no, we’ll find her-“ Jeff began.“Shut up!” She said to Jeff rather harshly. “What is it? What do you want?” “I want someone to play my game willingly for 3 rounds...and Sally goes free.” LJ said, grinning.“Hell no!” Jeff said. “No one would agree to-““I’ll go.” Dani said. LJ’s grin grew wider.“Ahh, motherly love.” He mocked.“You’re insane! No! Not gonna happen.” Jeff protested.Dani turned to Jeff and Slender. “Yes, it is. For Sally.” She went up to Jeff and hugged him, which very much surprised the two. She walked back over to LJ. “Ready?” She asked him. “I should be asking you that.” He said, smirking to himself. “Get your head out your ass and get a move on.” She snapped.“Suit yourself.” LJ replied. A whirl of black smoke appeared, and both were gone. “She...she didn’t. Why?” Slender asked.“I don’t know. BEN, what do you think?” Jeff asked.No response. “BEN?” Jeff said, patting his back pocket for his phone, which he found to be missing. Gone? How did it... “Son of a bitch, she’s leading us to his hideout.” Jeff said. “Slender, we need to head back!” Jeff grabbed LJ’s box and the two were pulled back to the mansion to contact BEN.Sure enough, he was waiting in Masky’s phone. -Quickly guys, before LJ finds the phone on DaniA text message read on the phone. Another one rang out. -571 Fairington Ave Wilmington NC“A port warehouse! On the way BEN!” Jeff said. “Slender, we’re off again, and we are bringing everyone.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The smoke cleared from Dani’s eyes in an instant, but it left her nauseous. She glanced around to find she was in a dank warehouse void of anything but torture tools. She grimaced and hoped the guys would get there soon.
“Where is Sally?” Dani asked. “I won’t agree to this without seeing her first.”
“You’re stalling, girl, you promised.” LJ told her.
“No, I said ‘I’ll go.’ Allow me to see that Sally’s alive and that’ll be it.”
“Hmm, poor choice of words. She’s dead, just like you, and Jeff, and the others too.”
“Then let me see if she isn’t scarred for the rest of her undead life.” Dani seethed.
LJ grinned and pointed to a curtain. Dani walked over to it, and pulled it back.
It was Sally – alive and conscious – but in bad shape. The girls had defensive wounds and bruises that were green and yellow – only due to her accelerated healing process.
“Dani!” Sally jumped up and hugged the woman. Dani actually hugged back.
“How you holding up, honey?”
“I’m fine.” She said flatly.
“I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”
Sally nodded. Dani stood and faced LJ. She took a deep breath. “Round 1.” She muttered.
“Shall we?” LJ invited, gesturing to a chair in the center of the room. “Hide.” She mouthed to Sally, who immediately obeyed. She sat down, and rested her arms on the armrest, knowingly awaiting the-
“FUCK!” She screeched and all four limbs were nailed to the chair. It wasn’t her hands that were nailed this time – each forearm and shin had a nail the size of a railroad spikes protruding from them.
“I took your advice.” He said, dancing around for tools. He jaw was clenched, and she was waiting for the guys to show. They would show up for her? Right? She hoped they got the info LJ gave away about the box as well.
“I see I left an impression...” LJ said, referring to the bandages on her hands. “Let’s make them, bigger!” He said, slamming two kitchen knives down on her hands. Dani threw herself forward with her head between her knees, determined not to scream anymore.
“No, no! You must look!” He said, pulling her chin up to look at him. Her hatred-filled yellow eyes met his blood-lustful black eyes. He frowned. “I don’t like your eyes!” He exclaimed. “They are so bright...colorful! But you need them to see my work...ah! I’ll just take one!” He lifted a spoon from the table and dug it into the socket of her right eye. A true scream ripped through the warehouse from the serial killer herself.
“NO! STOP IT!” Sally yelled at LJ.
“This is adult business kiddo, go back to your corner.” LJ said over Dani’s screams. Once he was satisfied with the eye removal, he spoke again.
“We are playing a game, no? What should I use next? Your choice!” He said, giddily. She glanced around with her one eye at the array of tools.
“Can I say what you do with it?” Dani said.
“Ohh do tell kiddo!” LJ grinned.
“Take that knife there...” she began, “and shove it right up your ass!” She cackled.
“Ah, ah! That’s not how the game works! Still, I WILL take the knife that’s there...you have a terrible mouth for a lady! That sharp tongue...it has to go...”
A sharp crack rang out. LJ stumbled forward a bit, surprise written all over his face. He turned to look behind him, and Dani, even with her one eye, could clearly recognize it as one of Toby’s hatchets embedded in LJ’s shoulder. She grinned wildly knowing they came back.
With LJ still stunned, Masky and Hoodie ran after Sally to retrieve her. The Rake and Smile took off after LJ, pinning him to the ground, and had at him, viciously ripping and tearing at the perversion of a clown. LJ hadn’t a second to think as nails and teeth shredded into his skin. EJ and Jeff ran to help Dani, while Slender cranked the rickety old Jack in the Box. Pop! Goes the Weasel snaked its way into LJ’s ears, and he began wildly thrashing about.
“NONONO I’M NOT GOING BACK IN THERE!!” He screamed as the box’s music became faster and faster. It gave a loud POP! after the last verse and opened. The Rake and Smile dragged the clown towards the tall man, while the clown was thrashing and began laughing at the same time.
“NOT BACK THERE!” He laughed. “YOU CAN’T – YOU JUST CAN’T! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE – ALONE!”
His captors ignored him as they threw him at the opening of the box, and inside the clown went. The lid shut with a snap, and that was the end of Laughing Jack’s menagerie.
“What the fuck, Dani, where is your eye?” Jeff asked while pulling the knives and stakes out.
“Between the H and the J.” She laughed between grunts of pain.
“You really went there.” Jeff said. “A pun? Really?”
“Yeah, it was a little weak if you ask me.” She replied, grinning. “Sally – she’s fine, right? Not hurt?”
“Yeah, she’s fine. Now stop worrying and let us help.” Jeff said picking her up. Slender collected everyone and pulled them to their sanctuary in the woods.
Sleep caressed Dani’s tired consciousness, playfully asking her to join them. “She’s slipping into the coma.” Jeff said.
“She’ll be awake in a few days. The healing process won’t take long.” Slender said. “Her eye on the other hand...she may not get it back.”
“I’d give twenty eyes for that girl.” Dani mumbled sleepily.
Jeff shook his head and carried her to her room. Slender was a talented healer and knew much of the way of man’s medicine, but could only bandage and wait.
“What do we do with the box?” Jeff asked Slender.
“We can’t risk destroying it – it could quite possibly free him again. Store it in the attic, and lock it up tight.” Jeff nodded and did as asked.
A few days later, Dani awoke as predicted. She looked around the room, but realized there was a cotton gauze eye patch in her field of vision. That’s when it hit her that her eye was indeed gone. She looked at the rest of her body to find thin black scares where the stakes and knives were. She noticed it was light outside – everyone else was probably asleep. Dani heard rustling next to her and saw Jeff shifting in the chair next to the bed, trying to find a comfortable way to sleep. She shook her head, grinning. “Jeff!” She said. Nada from him. She picked up a pillow and threw it, hitting him smack in the face.
“Hmm...” He mumbled.
“Wake up, sunshine!!”
“Shhh...Go to sleep, Dani.”
“Nope! Not a chance!” She threw the covers back and immediately regretted it. The soreness hit her like a brick wall. She still got up and headed for the door. She swung it open to find Sally asleep by the door.
“Come on Sally.” Dani said to the sleeping child. She picked the girl up and headed to her room. When there she struggled with the door and finally managed to put the child to bed to tuck her in. Dani gently ran her hand over the sleeping girl’s forehead and said, “Good night, sweet child.”
She left the room and went into the living room. She saw BEN well and playing Majora’s Mask, yet again.
“When are you going to put that thing down and play something else?” She said.
“Dani!” BEN dropped the game and ran to her for a hug.
“Wow, the way everyone’s been acting, you’d think I was going to die!”
“We were worried about you – that’s all.” BEN replied.
“I’m not going anywhere! Now, what dungeon are you in?”
“Ikana Castle!” He replied, and hurried back to finish the puzzle he was solving in the dungeon.
Dani headed outside for a smoke. She found a bench and laid down, her eye focused intently on the sky, smoking her cig. Jeff soon followed her outside. She moved her legs for him to sit and she put her legs on his lap, just like they did when they first met.
“You really scared us, girl.” Jeff said.
“I couldn’t sit back and watch. I saw an opportunity and took it. I knew you guys would come for us.”
“We were.” He grinned. “We would have destroyed the world to find you. Just like Toby would for Clockwork.”
“Are they an item now?” Dani asked, cocking an eye at him.
“Not yet.” Jeff laughed. “It’s coming. I owe EJ five bucks.”
“You’re a horrible better. You need to stop before you bet your kidney and lose!” Dani laughed.
“Oh – he would take that bet too!” Jeff said.
They sat for a bit, contemplating the last few events.
“Did you mean to say ‘WE would have destroyed the world,’ or ‘I.’” She mused.
“You caught me.” He said grinning, swiveling his head around to look for anyone near. “I would have. Truly.”
Dani sat up. “You really wouldn’t need to.”
Jeff gave her a perplexed look. She grinned.
“Cause I’d be next to you destroying it as well.”
He smirked. Jeff grabbed the back of her neck forcefully, pressing their lips together for the first time. The two fought for control, Jeff with his hand on the back of her neck and Dani with a handful of Jeff’s hoodie, each desiring to be closer to the other.
“What...is this?” Masky asked after silently approaching.
Dani and Jeff scrambled away from each other like two teenagers caught after dark. They looked at the ground...each other...and then laughed.
“Not even gonna ask...” Masky said, walking away.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was that night when the battle of the bathrooms began. “Masky! Hey Masky! Hey, hey Masky! MASKY!!” Toby said, over and over.“COULD I GET TEN MINUTES OF PEACE TO TAKE A DAMNED SHOWER?!” Masky replied angrily through the door.“Never gonna happen!” Jeff said, passing Toby outside the bathroom door, towel in hand.“Jeff!! Jeff guess what?!” Toby said, attention turning away from Masky.“You and Clock are together – too obvious!” Jeff said.“Shut up!” Toby turned a bright red at the mention of Clockwork. “That’s not it!”“What then?” Jeff asked.“I know you and Dani are together!”Jeff grinned. “Hell yes we are.” Toby’s face fell when his taunt had no effect. Jeff continued on his way to check and see if the upstairs bathroom was empty. Turned out Hoodie had taken it over. Jeff decided to head back to Dani’s room, and see if she was awake yet. He opened the door to find her fast asleep. He threw his towel on the nearby chair and managed to crawl into the bed with waking her completely. She rolled over to lay on his chest and settled in. “Jeff?”“Hmm?” He asked.“Do you mind if we see my mother tonight?” She asked. “I want to make sure she’s been okay without me.”“Yeah, we can do that.” Jeff said.“Awesome.” She mumbled. “Is there a shower open?” “Just looked.” He said. “Both are taken by Masky and Hoodie, and Toby’s waiting on the one Masky’s in.”“Dammiiiitt.” She groaned. “I usually wake up earlier than them, but you kept me up yesterday.” Jeff grinned in success. “I mean, what can I say?”“Not a damned thing.” She teased. “You think we can steal the shower Hoodie’s in?”“Definitely.”The two showered and got ready to leave for Dani’s mother’s house. Dani had fixed up a more permanent patch for her eye. They had to hotwire a car (something Jeff had to teach Dani) due to their hour drive to Lynchburg. They eventually pulled up to a one story brick building with a small porch in the front. Dani took a deep breath. “Ready?” Jeff asked her.“Do you even think she’s up? It’s like 10:30 and she probably asleep...”“Get your ass out the car and go see your mother.” Jeff said whilst grinning and getting out of the car.“Oh dear. Okay.” Dani said, stepping out as well. She walked up the porch while Jeff waited by the car smoking. She looked back at him before she knocked, and he nodded. She knocked three times before she heard locks being opened.The door revealed a woman much shorter than Dani with red hair the same as hers when she was human. The woman looked older, but no more than 50 years old. The woman also looked tired – so tired of everything life threw at her. And Dani was just the cherry on top.“So, how much would that be?” The woman asked, looking into her wallet.“This time, no charge.” Dani replied, smiling at her mother.The woman looked up. It was silent until Mrs. Ammons’ wallet hit the floor. “Hello mum.” Dani said.“You shouldn’t be here, you really shouldn’t be here.” Mrs. Ammons said quickly. She popped her head outside looking around for anyone. “You and your friend, inside, now.” Ammons senior said quickly. Dani gestured to Jeff to come inside, and both complied. “Please tell me why you are here, Danielle Avery Ammons.” The mother scolded. Dani flinched at her full name. “I had to make sure you were alright mum. Alright without me.”“Oh honey.” Mrs. Ammons began. “You know I’m fine. Teaching is going well; the kids are starting on their alphabet!” “That’s great!” Dani said. “Honey, what did you do to your eye?” Mrs. Ammons asked.Dani gave a soft smile. “You’d be proud, mum. I saved someone. A little girl.” “Is it...?” The woman trailed off.“It is.” Dani confirmed.The woman sighed, and began to walk to the kitchen. “Do you and Jeffery want something to eat?”“How the hell...” Jeff trailed. “I get it from somewhere.” Dani told him, grinning. “And your face has been next to mine for the past two weeks. That would be excellent, mum.” Dani led Jeff to the living room and they sat. “I’m going to go see if she needs help, I’ll be back.” Jeff nodded.She waltzed into the kitchen in time to see her mother hang a phone up.“...Mum...” Dani said, appalled. “You...you called them...on your own daughter?”“You are no daughter of mine.” The woman spat harshly at her own flesh and blood. “You’re...you’re a MONSTER!” Dani’s eyes widened, and she darted out. “Jeff! We gotta go!” “On it!” He replied. The two darted out the door and sped off just as the sirens came into earshot. Jeff took back roads on their way home, while Dani just sat and stared out the window.“Hey.” Jeff said, grabbing her hand. “It’ll be alright. She just got spooked is all.”“No, she hates me – always has. I just gave her reason to. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. She’s right. I am a monster.”“Family by blood isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.” Jeff told her.“You’re right. My real family is at the House.” Dani said, leaning her head on his shoulder.“That’s the spirit!” Jeff said, managing to get a grin out of Dani. “I just thought it would have been different.” She said. “Mum didn’t attend the trial, nor visited me.” I thought...no, it doesn’t matter.”They made good time, and when they got in about midnight, Slender was a bit curious. “Anything happen?” He asked.“Nope.” Jeff replied.“It was a rather short visit.” Slender pushed.“Yep.” Dani said.“Alright. It’s just both of your names are on the news again.”Both froze, eyes wide. “Shit.” Dani said. “Okay so my mum kinda called the cops on us.”“We didn’t do anything.” Jeff backed.“Yeah, she just kinda flipped.” Dani said.“Did you get rid of the car?” Slender asked.“Parked right where we found it.” Jeff replied.“Alright.” Slender said.Both of them wiped the sweat from their brows. They walked into the living to check out the news report.
“There was a sighting of escaped mental patients Jeffery Woods and Danielle Ammons by the mother of Miss Ammons. The two fled shortly after Mrs. Riley Ammons called police to inform them of the two’s location. They are considered at large and extremely dangerous. Mrs. Ammons declined to commenton seeing her daughter for the first time in three years.”
“Whoop whoop! At large and in charge!” Dani cheered, and high fived Jeff.“You two are the weirdest couple I’ve ever seen.” Hoodie said.“So? Normal is boring.” Dani grinned.“That it is.” Jeff replied, slinging an arm over Dani’s shoulder.“Come on,” Dani steered Jeff towards the door. “Let’s go outside, I want to smoke.” “Sounds good.” He replied.They were heading out the door when something caught Dani’s eye. A cabinet. “What’s in there?” she asked Jeff.“That’s Slender’s liquor cabinet. Trender always gives Slender a bottle of some alcohol for special occasions, but he never drinks it.”“Who is Trender, and why the fuck doesn’t he drink?!”“Trender is Slender’s younger brother, and he doesn’t because he doesn’t remember things that he does, but others do.” Jeff said, grinning. “It’s a running joke amongst them.”“Them? There’s more?” Dani asked.“Oh yeah, there’s also Splendor, who is the oldest.” Jeff told her.“Speaking of them, Jeffery,” Slender began, “They will be arriving tomorrow night for a visit.”“Wait, wut.” Jeff said.A smirk could be seen creeping on Slender’s face (or lack-there-of). “You heard me. And I’m sure Trender has new outfits for you.” He said, walking away.“Nononoooo...shit!” Jeff said. Dani grinned. “Oh this will be fun!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dani laid back on her bed, eyes closed - hands in prayer and legs crossed, reflecting on her own past. She thought about her mum, and how their lives went to hell.
Riley Ammons, 15, flirting with a handsome senior who wasn’t going anywhere, despite her wishes to attend Brown.
Riley, 16, giving birth to a baby girl just days after prom, much to Freddy’s dismay.
Reflecting on her first memory, Dani furrowed her brows.
Riley, 20 years old, tucking 4-year-old Dani into bed, comforting her daughter from the monsters under the bed while the real one was drunk outside the door.
Freddy Ammons, 22, bitterly yelling about their mistakes, yelling about shitty birth control and psycho bitches poking holes in condoms.
Daniella Ammons, clutching her tattered blanket as her mom shushed her, telling her it wasn’t her fault; telling her amazing stories about her father's love for her as he pounded on the door. The door didn’t hold.
Dani grew angry at the memory. “Disgusting.” She murmured. She drifted away from home and toward school.
Seven-year-old Dani playing tag, her red hair flowing behind her as she climbed up the ladder, only to have her hair grabbed and yanked, acquainting her with the ground. Kids laughing as she spit dirt from her mouth and her tears wetting the ground.
Twelve-year-old Dani hearing sniggers about her ill-fitting second hand jeans and tattered band t-shirt that was way too big. Teachers meeting about her ‘home situation’ and murmuring about ‘CPS,’ and how through all of this, she manages perfect grades.
Dani playing sports nonstop to keep from having to go home. Borrowing old cleats from other girls only added to the snickers.
Dani sneered at the memory of her mother’s cold shoulder. ‘Abandonment’ was what Riley called Dani’s extracurriculars.
-YOU’RE LEAVING ME WITH HIM!-
Dani’s eyes flew open at the words her mother scorched into her mind when the news of Dani’s full ride to the state university - 4 hours away - reached her mom’s ears.
She sighed, pushing herself off the bed and primed herself for the hunt, no longer burdened by the past. She approached Jeff in the living room, grabbing his hand thoughtlessly; almost coldly.
“Sup?” He grinned, until he saw her face.
“I have...business to take care of. Care to join?”
“Of course.” He let her lead him out the door. They walked to the car they stole the previous night, Dani taking the wheel as they sped off to a destination unknown to Jeff. Nevertheless, he trusted her. He understood where they were heading when they began rolling into the neighborhood they were in not a day ago.
“Are you sure…?” Jeff trailed off.
After some thought, a curt “yes” was heard. “I need your help. As much as I hate to ask for it- you know I do - I do need it. Unquestionably. If I falter, let me fail. Let her beat me senseless. I will succeed.”
Jeff nodded. “What do you need?”
“A distraction.” as they pulled up two blocks away. “Make them go to sleep.” She pointed to the house next to her mother’s. “Make them scream. Loudly.”
They got out, and walked to the front of the car, surveying. Two men sat in an unmarked car outside the Ammon’s residence. “They’re your target. Lure them in, make them quiet.”
“With pleasure.” He grinned at her, manically. She grabbed his neck and forcefully pressed her lips against his; he responded by gripping her waist tightly before they separated to get the job done.
Jeff jumped through the window after sliding it open; sneaking through, he found it was a home to a young couple. He walked down the hallway, periodically tapping his knife on the walls and dragging it. He heard the bedroom door open at the end of the hall; his light footfalls suddenly became loud thunderous claps as he jumped onto the man.
“GO! TO! SLEEEEEP!” He roared, slipping the cool, unforgiving metal into the folds of skin and cloth that was the man’s chest. The blade kissed his heart, the beating of which only deepened the puncture; the lungs quickening in panic as they deflated like balloons. The man’s stomach, sputtering blood like shaken cola all over itself. Open and bloodied, Jeff was satisfied with the work. He looked to the shaking female in the bed. “Do me a favor?” He said, as he came in close to her. Her terrified, teary eyes pleaded with him as she nodded.
“Scream.” He said, bringing the blade down onto her thigh. A high pitch scream echoed throughout the house as he twisted, her jerking motion only dragging the knife farther down the leg. Jeff grinned when he heard frantic banging on the front door. “Thank you.” He said, dripping with malice. “Go to sleep.” He said, unsheathing the blade from her thigh and ripping it across her neck.
Dani wasted no time when the men exited the car. She entered through the basement window she knew was always unlocked because it was broken. She slipped upstairs and headed into her mother’s room. Dani looked down upon her sleeping figure.
*It’s too easy…* the voice whispered. *NOW!*
Dani sucked in a bit of air, but too loudly. Her mother rolled out of bed quicker than one would imagine a 40-year-old would. She fumbled on the nightstand for the light, and frozen when she realized who it was. “I knew you’d come back.” She whispered, taking a step back towards the wall. Dani searched for words. Another step back from her mom. “You killed...all those people. I’m on the hook, for everything that you did. Millions of dollars in wrongful death suits. I owe it. Because of you.” Dani’s head dropped, hair covering her face. “And for what? I got nothing from you. No love, no gratefulness! You abandoned me. With HIM!” She screamed, reaching for the bat behind her dresser. She readied it.
“I NEVER MARRIED HIM! I NEVER ASKED YOU TO STAY!” Dani roared. “I was NEVER that weak.” She growled. Her mother ran at her, and Dani couldn’t force herself to move - to move against her mother. The other woman didn’t seem to mind so much, bringing the bat in contact to Dani’s stomach. Then her back as she fell to the floor. One more was added for good measure, barely cracking a rib. Her mother breathed heavily as her daughter lay there, unmoving except small breathing. The bat dropped to the floor.
*SNAP!* Dani chuckled; she predicted it would happened after all - her sanity broke. It was the push she needed. The giggle started low, and became animalistic as she brought herself to her feet; wavering slightly, the pain only fueling her insanity. “Aha, hahahahAHAHAHA!” She laughed. “PAINT THEM RED! RED RED RED!” She screamed, jumping on the smaller woman, hands wrapping around her throat. Both hit the ground, Dani’s hands wrapping tighter. Her mother clawed, scratched, kicked, flailed. Dani lifted her mother’s head up and brought it down. Once, twice, three, five, ten, thirty. The skull was a bloody pulp before she knew it, the cerebral cortex oozing onto the floor. She scooped it out, spreading it out on the ground, just like a macabre finger painting. Out came the saw, slicing through the wrists, disconnecting each tendon with a snap, each vein with a pop; red dripped out in rhythm as the heart creeped towards exhaustion. Ankles were next; by then red dripped indiscriminately. She sawed into the sternum, cracking open the chest cavity and abdominal sac. She pulled out the intestines like rope, for the shit she was blamed for over the years. The lungs came out next for all the air wasted arguing. Lastly, the cooling, still twitching heart, clamoring for life; Dani considered it might as well have been ice. She rose, and walked out the back door, calmly entering the passenger seat, awaiting Jeff.
Meanwhile, Jeff waited for the front door to get knocked down, slinking into the shadows of the next room. He heard the thuds down the hall as one officer checked the man’s body for a pulse, fruitlessly. He stood to look at his partner, but before that could happen, his frontal lobe tasted steel; death came from afar, as Jeff had gotten rather good with throwing his knife. Displease with how easily the first went down, Jeff charged the second, taking a shot to the shoulder. It only fueled his bloodlust; in a second the two men where struggling on the ground, the officer yelping as an antelope would under a lion. Jeff grabbed what he could, and tore. Right ear? Gone. Neck? Clawed open like an animal. The officer gasped as air began to leak through the gushing blood in his trachea. Retreating only to get his knife, Jeff returned to fill the man’s stomach with iron and copper, stabbing the knife down and dragging it the length of the stomach. Stab, pull, again. Stab, pull, again. The area once for digesting was mutilated into nothing more than a mix of flaps and mush, resembling a bowl of chili. Rising, he took pictures of his work, and exited the house. Glancing around, he saw Dani sitting in the car. He hopped in, and without a word, began driving.
“Any trouble?” She asked, a giggle bubbling.
“Not one.” Jeff sang, feeling the gunshot wound already beginning to mend
“Beautiful. You’re beautiful~” she sang in the same tone. She grabbed his hand, describing her venture, and his to her.
Upon return to the mansion, they were greeted by a few faces.
“What did you guys do?!” Masky asked.
“You were gone quite a while!” EJ piped up.
“Killed a bitch or five~” Dani sang dragging Jeff down the hall. Jeff gave them a thumbs up as they went down the hall and entered Jeff’s room.
She pushed him forcefully onto the bed and climbed on top of him, the blood in their clothes mixing with one another. Crashing her lips onto his clumsily and hungrily, she ran her hands down his chest. Once at the hem of the hoodie, she struggled to push it up; Jeff sat up, answering her feral calls, only breaking the kiss to pull his garment off. Dani grinded into him as his hands explored her hips, forcefully gripping the handles and pinching her sides. The pain only encouraged her. They traveled up her sides, taking his torn t-shirt that she borrowed the first day with them, eventually going over her head.
He reached around, gripping her ass in one hand, her bra clasp in another; with a snap her breasts were free; she shrugged the garment off. Chest to chest they swirled together in tantalizing teasing, his hands cupping and massaging her breasts and hers unbuttoning his pants.
He gripped her backside for support, and stood up, taking her with him. Turning, he threw her on the bed, and sloughed off his pants; sensing his enthusiasm, she unbuttoned her own and tried to remove them herself, but not until he grabbed the ends of her cargo pants and slid them off her. His hands followed up her legs and grabbed hold of her underwear, sliding them off until there was nothing left. Being fair, he removed his own, taking down the obvious tent forming in the heat of this moment.
He went to climb on top, but Dani desperately wanted the lead; she wrapped her legs around him during a precious moment when his balance would be off, and yanked him down, enough so that she was now dominating the room. She pressed a kiss to his lips, distracting him while she aligned herself. Once satisfied, she lowered herself until she was at the hilt. She could help but to grin when the smallest gasp erupted from her psycho lover; for the time being, he was hers.
Gently she massaged his member with her own walls, allowing herself to adjust to his size; once satisfied, she moved up and down on him, riding him harder with every groan she got.
Jeff felt himself getting close, so he did the only thing he could - he pushed her off of him. Situating himself between her legs, he let his silver tongue do the talking as it explored the hidden folds. Her hand grabbed at his hair; he hummed in approval, making her pull his messy raven hair. He plunged his tongue deep into her cavern while playing with the sensitive nerve above, earning him involuntary spasms from her and a feral moan of pleasure.
Rising up, he kissed her to make her taste herself, and plunged himself back inside. Pumping in and out while she was still spamming and clamping down seemed too much for him, and he released himself inside of her.
He rolled over on his back, and she laid on his chest; both eventually drifting to sleep, covered in blood and sweat.