*HEY GUYS! IT'S ANOTHER CHAPTER!! YAYYY!!! I'VE BEEN REALLY HYPED FOR THIS ONE WHICH MADE IT EASY TO WRITE. I THINK IT TOOK ME TWO DAYS TO DO IT, PLUS ANOTHER DAY FOR EDITING?? IDK, BUT OMG THIS IS THE FASTEST I'VE UPDATED SINCE A PREVIOUS CHAPTER. I MEAN, TWO IN ONE DAY (at least for this day) THAT'S A HUGE THING CONSIDERING MY CURRENT UPDATING SCHEDULE. BUT I'M RAMBLING. LET'S GET TO SOME QUESTIONS.

Questions!!:
-What food would you eat for the rest of your life? (Depending if I don't get tired of eating it and didn't die from fuckin cholesterol or something, I'd go with Asian stir fry.~)
-What feels like love to you? (I know this is a sudden serious question but I'd like to know your thoughts. To me it's just...being able to be yourself, thinking about the person you love from the little things around you, knowing when they're sad or happy or mad just by hearing their voice or seeing their face and being able to laugh at your own joke in front of them because that's just how cool you are with each other. Idk, this is just me. Jfc, this was a long answer.)

SONG IN THE MULTIMEDIA IS Boy and the Beast by Pierce Fulton & Puppet. (Sorry if it throws off the tone of this chapter, but I really like how intense it is.) ENJOY THE CHAPTER!*

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 53

Ao's POV

It's been three days since Seedeater first arrived at my house (for reasons still unknown) and it's been three days since Ben came to me again after days of not showing up. He told me everything; from the car needing repairs to Jeff punching a man named Toby in the face. They made it to their destination but things seem to be tense right now. Unfortunately, it will take two weeks for them to properly come back, leaving Jack and I alone for longer than intended. I'm not worried about us, moreover I'm worried for Jeff, Ben and Elizabeth. With how much I know of them, they're bound to run into trouble while they're away.

"So, Ao," Kayla chimed in, interrupting my thoughts. She, Craig and I were all sitting in a group in class. We're supposed to be doing work but with me in the group, we all finished quicker than the rest of the students. I gave her my attention and she continued, "Your birthday is in a couple of months. What are you planning?"

"I have to plan already?," I murmured.

Kayla gave me wide eyes and said, "Yeah! I mean, this has to be a special birthday, right? You're turning sixteen! The biggest teenage milestone next to eighteen!"

"Even if it's a small get-together," Craig added, "It has to be special somehow."

"I don't know, guys," I said.

"C'mon, Ao," Kayla pleaded, "It'd kill me if we didn't make this special for you. You deserve it, especially after all you've been through recently."

"We could take you to that aquarium in the next city over," Craig said. "We know how much you love the jellyfish and otters."

"And, stingrays," I remarked.

"See? And, we could totally go shopping at the huge mall next to it!," Kayla sang, "You know the one with the giant fountain in front of it where people go wishing and stuff?! Ah, I bet there's more shops there now!"

I giggled at Kayla's enthusiasm. It didn't sound like a bad idea. "I'll consider everything," I told Craig and Kayla. They both smiled yet I knew they were a bit disappointed that I didn't decide right away. Their arguments are compelling and I'm willing to agree, but I'm not sure I should because of my training and all of the other things that they don't know about and wouldn't understand. Still, I'll give them closure that I'm okay and that I'll think about their ideas.

Craig's phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket and he took it out to check it. With a groan, he put it back in his pocket and rolled his eyes. "What's wrong?," I asked him.

Craig shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Oh, is it now?," Kayla murmured deviously.

Craig twisted his lips and grumbled, "Xavier texted me about tutoring today."

"And, you're not going to reply?," I inquired.

"Why should I? He's steering clear of me and hasn't apologized to me for that argument we had," he growled.

"Sometimes you just gotta make the first move," Kayla commented casually.

Craig waved his hand in the air. "It doesn't matter anyway. Besides, he doesn't need me to tutor him anymore. He's well enough on his own."

"Maybe he knows that tutoring is the only way you'd be willing to talk to him," I guessed.

Craig froze for a moment before shaking his head and muttering, "Even if I wanted to tutor him, I'm practicing my cello this afternoon. I've been putting that off for too long."

Kayla and I shared concerned glances but we left the topic alone. Even after he told me how he felt toward Xavier, after he cried on my shoulder, he's still being stubborn. I wish I could just smack him and Xavier, then get them together so they can talk things out. But, I know it's not my place to interfere with whatever there is between them, even if it annoys me to no end.

...

Upon walking into my house after Craig dropped me off, and heading toward the backdoor, I could already feel the pressure in the air caused by Slenderman's presence. I set my backpack down by the backdoor and walked outside. It was colder out now and I honestly didn't want to be out at all.

Ms. P and Slender were waiting outside and under the gazebo stood Jack. He leaned against a wooden pole, quiet, shaded by the roof, looking as mysterious as the day I first met him. This is the first time he has attended a magic training actually.

"How have you been, dear?," Ms. P asked me in her melodic voice. With a smile, I answered, "I've been well. How about you two?"

"We're fine, thank you," she replied.

"How is Sam?," Slender asked.

Ah, I'm flattered that he asked! I'm cool.

"He says he's good," I chuckled.

"Anything new?," Ms. P asked.

"Yes, actually," I said, remembering the day that I first met Seedeater, the day I discovered new powers that I couldn't put a name to. The blazing red markings that could possibly destroy a Corrupted in one punch. Brilliant, blue swirls that can take Corruption away and restore a living thing. Despite how strange it sounded (although I'm sure this kind of stuff would be normal to them), I tried to explain everything as best as I could.

Once I mentioned the blue marks and what they did, Slender stiffened considerably and Ms. P gazed at me in awe. "Oh my goodness," she breathed, "That's...fantastic! Are you sure though? I mean, such magic doesn't exist within a proxy so naturally. This is really surprising, I mean...purification. Just saying it is so exciting..!"

"Now, let's not rush into things," Slender replied, "We need to make sure Ao can even call this power on command. We also need to keep her other ability in check. If she can't control it, she may hurt more than enemies."

"Right, right," Ms. P agreed.

"Is there anything else you wish to share with us, Ao?," Slender asked me.

Aside from the videos of my torture, I thought to myself. I couldn't show them that, though. It's painful enough to even remember them, let alone to speak of. I've been having more nightmares of the incident in my own perspective. Ian failed to mention that those people, SCP, used water torture.

You have to tell them.

Sam is right though. So, with a sigh, I told Ms. P and Slender about my experience, both what I watched in the video and what my dreams have been telling me. They seemed just as shocked as I was, as Jack had been, or maybe not as bad as him... I asked them if they knew anything, and to my dismay they could give me nothing. They didn't know SCP was a thing. The only one who can truly tell me would be Ian, but his information is limited due to circumstances. Jack says he heard about it when he came to rescue me. When Ben came over, I asked him about the videos but he hasn't gotten the chance to see them. I'm nervous for when he does and he talks to me.

I thought about what else I could tell Ms. P and Slender. As I pondered, I stared off at Jack, still standing under the gazebo. Suddenly, I remembered his Ouroboros symbol and what I can do. "I can finally show you that symbol ability I told you about," I told Ms. P and Slender.

"Well, try it out then," Ms. P beckoned.

I nodded eagerly and hurried over towards Jack. I stood right in front of him and called, "Jack?"

"Is there something that you need?," he murmured.

"Yes," I murmured back.

"What is it?"

Staring off at the ground for a few seconds, I hummed and then said, "Can you, perhaps...take off your shirt?"

He was quiet for a few moments. Then, he leaned forward and whispered, "Ms. P and Slender are here. I don't think this is appropriate right now."

"What do you think I'm asking you to do?," I inquired.

"Something weird."

It does look weird.

Rolling my eyes at the both of them, I told Jack, "Just take your shirt off."

He shrugged and started lifting his hoodie, along with his undershirt. He held onto the clothing items and I added, "Now turn around."

"I knew you were doing something weird."

"Oh my god, shut up," I whined. "It's for today's training."

"That's what you say."

"I don't think I should be the one getting questioned about my actions here," I remarked with a smirk, "If anything, I think you want this to be weird."

"That is false," Jack muttered.

"No, it's psychology," I quipped. "Generally, if you assume something, it is a reflection of what you want or what you want to be correct. Like how a bully treats someone poorly to reflect their suffering and achieve the power that they feel they lack in their personal life."

Jack turned his head slightly and said, "Impressive little brain you've got there."

"Isn't it the greatest?," I sang.

"Ahem," Slender's voice interrupted the moment and I looked at him. He motioned his hand in a roll, signaling for me to get on with the task at hand.

"S-Sorry," I murmured, before lifting my hands and hovering them just above Jack's tattoo. "I'm going to touch your mark," I told him, "so don't freak out or anything."

I saw his shoulders tense up a bit. "Ao, the last time you did that, you went blind. That doesn't sound like a good idea."

He's got a point. Every time you do this, you end up being physically affected. Very negatively, I may add. Are you sure you want to go through with this vision thing?

Furrowing my brow and relaxing my shoulders, I answered the both of them, "I'll be fine."

"Alright.." Jack mumbled.

Alright..

Turning my gaze to Ms. P and Slender, I nodded to them both to tell them that I would start. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and inched my hands forward, fingertips pressing gently against Jack's skin--

...

I suddenly found myself in a dark room with a thin line of moonlight seeping in through the curtains of a window. Everything was quiet, save for the crickets outside of whatever house I stood in. I turned to find a light switch but discovered there was none. Frowning, I looked around for a source of more light, only to gasp at the sight of a boy sitting up in bed. The bed sheets were covering his legs as he held a book on his lap, slowly sliding his hands along the pages. It was too dark for me to see him and judging by his calm demeanor, he couldn't see me either.

Cautiously, I tip toed to him to get a better look at who it was. The boy's features were youthful, yet he wasn't a child. He must be in his early teens. My eyes widened upon seeing bandages around the boy's eyes. He really can't see me. But, I wasn't shocked to find he was blind, I was shocked because he was.... "Jack?," I called out in a whisper. He didn't reply or give any indication that he heard me at all. He just kept sliding his fingers over the book pages and it took a while for me to figure out that it was Braille.

"Sam?," I called out.

He didn't respond.

I kept calling out his name to the point where I was hollering. He never replied to me. Worry settled within my chest at the thought of him gone while I was in such an unfamiliar place.

Suddenly, Jack snapped his head up and stiffened, causing me to seize up. I wondered why he got so tense when I realized that the crickets outside had stopped chirping. It was dead silent. Quietly, Jack slipped out of bed and tip toed towards a pair of worn sneakers. Slowly, he put a jacket on and his signature blue mask. Then, he picked up a quiver full of arrows from a far corner, along with a bow and hunting knife. He made his way to his bedroom door and opened it, not bothering to close it behind him. I followed him, tip toeing along with him even though I was sure that my presence has no effect on the environment around me.

Jack walked up to a door beside his and he placed his ear against the wood. Standing right in front of him, I did the same. It was hard to hear but I caught faint breathing. Considering the darkness outside, whoever is inside must be asleep. I watched Jack's body ease slightly as he pulled away from the door. He continued his silent trek towards a front door, hand grasped tightly on the hilt of his hunting knife. I was still unsure of what was setting him on edge. If he still has the personality of the Jack that I know, then whatever is worrying him is nowhere near good.

Jack took in a deep breath, before opening the front door and stepping outside. Within the blink of an eye, I saw Jack's body jerk to the side as the hint of a rifle connected with his head, hard. I yelped though my cry went unheard as six men came busting in. One of them picked up Jack and asked, "What do I do with this one?"

"Dump him somewhere. I don't care," one of the others, the front of the group, ordered.

The other man frowned and looked around. I watched him haul an unconscious Jack towards a set of stairs at the back of the main room. I followed him down the wooden steps and heard him chuckle deviously as he caught sight of a cellar door. The man opened it up and roughly threw Jack inside, weapons and all. The man gagged for a moment and I wondered briefly why, when the rancid stench of blood and hit my senses. He quickly shut the cellar door and locked it from the outside. "Those sick fuckers," he grumbled. I was too distracted by the smell that I failed to see him coming up the stairs. As if I was a ghost, he passed right through me and I gasped. The reality that I really was nothing here settled in my mind, making me shiver slightly.

Concern consumed my thoughts as I passed through the cellar door without resistance. It was extremely dark inside and the smell of blood was much, much stronger now. I felt the need to throw up but I was incapable. Looking down, I could just faintly make out Jack's shape on the floor, as still as stone. I searched for a light switch and actually found one this time but I couldn't move it. My hand only swept over it at every attempt I made.

There was a loud commotion upstairs that startled me to attention. Reluctantly, I left Jack's unconscious body and passed through the cellar door again. Upstairs, I saw the six men, dragging out two people from the bedroom that Jack had listened in to. A man and woman. They spat out curses and punches, especially the woman.

The man was easily pinned to the floor by three of the intruders while the other three struggled with the woman. Her eyes were fiery, nose scrunched, teeth bared, hands ready to grab and claw. The intruders tied her hands behind her back and confined her legs with rope. Soon, she lay on the floor, flailing around like a fish out of water, desperate to jump and bite like a shark.

The man was also in the process of being tied up as the leader of the intruders laughed and boasted, "We finally caught you twisted bastards! How's it feel to be the prey now, huh?!"

"Fuck you," the woman growled and spat towards the leader's shoes. As quick as she had snapped, he kicked her across the face. I gasped as I watched blood spill from the woman's mouth. The man yelled and hissed, "Don't hurt her!!"

"Shut up," another intruder barked, "Your wife had it comin'!"

"No," the man said, "I mean it! You really don't want to hurt her!"

"You boys should listen to him while you still have ears," the wife growled. She glared up at all of them as she snapped her bloodied teeth together with a chilling hiss.

"Where's our son?," the man asked, voice lined with worry.

It suddenly came to me why the couple seemed familiar. I've seen them in another vision, the first time I had touched Jack's symbol. They're his parents. I could recognize the features that Jack took from both of them. But, why are these men hurting them?

"He's in some cellar," the intruder who had carried Jack away answered. "He won't be coming out for a long time."

"No one's going to save either of you," the leader said, "Who would? You all deserve to burn and rot away in hell for all of the people you've murdered."

My heart jumped uneasily at his words.

"We're going to finally turn your asses in," a second intruder hollered.

The leader shook his head. "No. They don't even deserve that." The others were confused. The leader continued with, "They'll only hurt more people. They're going to die, right here."

The other men didn't protest and neither did Jack's parents. Suddenly, from the tension came a quiet chuckle. It gradually crescendoed into a wild, sinister laugh that sent chills through the air. I looked down at Jack's mother, who was the source of this laughter. She looked utterly amused, as if she didn't take these intruders' threats seriously. After a few moments, she stopped and caught her breath. Then, she said, "How stupid and proud can you be to believe you can get rid of us?These woods practically belong to us, to me! Yet you come in here thinking you're tough shit. Well, guess what? You're all pathetic!!!" Her voice lowered down to a growl, too animalistic for a person. "Do you honestly think you can come into our domain and survive? Do you honestly think that I won't go down without a fight?!" Just as she finished her sentence, she tore through her binds without effort. The intruders backed away and Jack's father shook his head.

"I'm sick and tired of everyone's bullshit!," she yelled, "I'm tired of hiding here! I'm tired of having to deal with idiots like you all! I'm tired of keeping this form!"

The husband's face drained of all color and he pleaded, "No, wait, honey, don't!"

"Fuck your binds! Fuck your guns!" She howled. "You think we're animals now?! You're not even close! This is an animal!!!"

Her voice had become so rough, and her eyes had become so fiery they changed to a bright amber. She hunched over, tore at her clothing. I watched in horror as her entire appearance changed before my eyes. I could hear the cracking of bones, the tearing of skin, the animalistic growls of pain and anger as this once normal looking woman changed into a terrifying creature. Her body became paler, almost white, the skin around her eyes grayed, her nails became claws of a sickly black color and she grew so lanky that I could see her spine press against her alabaster skin. From her head, came horns--no, antlers.

Once she lifted her head, I could see her eyes flare with a strange hunger. The kind of hunger that shows in the eyes of a wolf stalking its prey. The woman opened her mouth, gaping with razor sharp teeth, and released an ear-splitting, inhuman screech. My breath was caught in my throat and it took effort to finally breathe.

The creature hissed and lunged forward towards one of the intruders. Within milliseconds she was on top of him, claws dug deep into his skin, mouth open wide to sink those razor sharp teeth into his neck. His cries of pain and agony made me tremble but I couldn't look away. Blood spilled onto the floor, gathering into a pool instantly. I saw pieces of flesh fall to the floor, stick to the walls as what was once Jack's mother tore through the man's neck. The other hunters scrambled to stop her, leaving Jack's father on the floor. To my surprise, he slipped out of his bonds easily and dived towards the kitchen. His hands were quick as he opened up a drawer, pulled out a dagger and threw it right into the shoulder of a hunter who had been charging for him.

Screams and shouts filled the air. Fists were thrown. Blood was spilled. It was horrifying. The entire situation was insane, something a nightmare would deliver. Visions show me what happens in a past time. Could this honestly have been a real event? How am I able to even watch this outside of Jack's perspective? Why am I even witnessing this at all?

From the commotion, I heard a metallic banging echoing from downstairs. I raced down the steps, taking two at a time, and I jumped through the cellar door. The light was now on, Jack was awake now and hitting the door. "Hey!," he screamed, "What's going on?! Let me out! Let me out!! Dammit!!" He rammed his body against the cellar door, punched, kicked and clawed at it. His voice grew more and more desperate for freedom until it reached its limit. I wanted to help him, wanted to open up the cellar door and let him out. I wanted to just be able to touch him so I could feel better about being here. I have no control over this situation and it makes me feel so utterly helpless. But, who would have control over something like this anyway?

Jack stopped and slumped against the wall beside the door, knuckles raw and bruised from hitting the door so many times. I took this time to look around the cellar. There were shelves seemingly covering a wall, full of jars and other containers with contents unknown. Towards the corner was a metal operating table and next to it a smaller table cluttered with surgical tools. But, these things were not what unsettled me. It was the left over blood stains on the concrete floors and walls that had the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. What is all of this...?

A gun shot rang in the air and Jack and I jumped. He immediately went back to banging his fists on the cellar door while I effortlessly walked through. I ran up the stairs and stopped in my tracks once I laid eyes on Jack's father's still body on the floor. Blood caked his side and seeped onto the wood floor. I screamed and so did Jack's mother. Her shrilled cry was filled with agony and hatred, an unforgettable sound that could send gods to their knees.

Everything that happened next was a blur. Jack's mother went ballistic but her moves were reckless. The leader, who held the rifle, aimed and landed a shot to her shoulder. Blood, flesh and bone splattered and splintered but Jack's mother kept going. She charged forward, intimidating antlers piercing a portion of his leg, a bit of blood spilling onto the floor, coating her antler. The leader grunted and hit the end of the rifle against her head. She growled and grabbed onto him, claws catching his clothes. The leader managed to shoot at her lower spine, rendering her immobile and paralyzed from the waist down. Jack's mother let him go and shrieked in pain. Even still she kept trying to fight, trying to kill them all. Her screams were filled with rage yet in her amber eyes she was lost and devastated. Sorrow was blinding her to the point where she couldn't fight properly. I have never seen a living thing become so heartbroken and just...broken.

The leader, panting, asked one of his companions, "Did you bring the lighter fluid?" The man nodded and pulled it out of his thick coat. He quickly sprayed the fluid over the floor, the couch, in the kitchen. One of the other hunters whipped out a lighter and didn't hesitate to throw it onto the floor. In an instant, flames traveled along the wood, into the kitchen, up the couch, desperate to eat. I backed away instinctively even though it didn't affect me. All I could feel was the heat and it intensified.

Jack's mother howled and dragged her body towards the hunters, still full of adrenaline and rage. She managed to place her hand on the leader's foot and groan up at him. He looked down at her and scowled. "Who's pathetic now?," he said, before lifting his rifle and shooting her right in the head. Blood sprayed all across the floor, barely reaching where I stood five feet away, and I screamed a pleading 'no!'.

The hunters quickly fled towards the door which was not yet claimed by the fire. One of the hunters asked, "What about the boy?"

The leader scoffed and said, "Leave him to the flames. If he doesn't burn, he'll starve to death in that cellar."

"And Rodney?"

The leader looked to the mutilated corpse of their friend who lay on the floor near the kitchen. He cast his eyes down and said, "There's nothing we can do for him." All of them hurried out of the door. I followed after and caught them running off into the tree line, darkness swallowing up their figures.

With my heart in my stomach, I turned to look at the destruction those hunters left behind. Jack's father was almost completely surrounded in a circle of his own blood, while Jack's mother was sprawled out in a bloody heap, her once pale skin now splotched with red. I shook my head, truly realizing for the first time that this had all been real, this had all happened. I'm witnessing the night that Jack was orphaned.

I watched fire consume everything within the house and the feeling of helplessness sunk further into my heart. My melancholy was disturbed by the sound of a loud boom which echoed from down the stairs. I ran towards the edge of the first step and caught Jack up against the wall across from the cellar door. He was huffing and heaving while the cellar door swung lazily. A broken jar lay on the floor while an acidic substance bubbled among the shattered glass. Just near the lock on the cellar door, the metal looked worn and stripped. So, that's how he managed to bust through the door. After he regained his breath, Jack bolted up the stairs and I dreaded whatever kind of reaction he may have. He's blind but any body could recognize tragedy.

As soon as Jack made it up the stairs, he reeled back. The heat from the fire was intense now and nearly unbearable. Smoke started filling the air, filling his lungs. Jack removed his mask and hung it on his belt. He coughed and coughed, yet still managed to cry out, "Mom?! Dad?!" My heart broke knowing he can't fully know what had happened. Jack stumbled around, trying to avoid patches of heat, trying to get past the smoke. He suddenly tripped and fell over his father's corpse. The young boy flailed and reached out to whatever he fell over. I begged him not to figure it out. I begged him not to touch the body. But, he did touch his father's corpse, and as he leaned over, sniffed the air and froze, I knew that he had realized what it was. "Dad...?," he murmured, voice quivering, a sound I've never heard. Quickly, he sniffed the air despite the smoke, and stumbled over to his mother's corpse. He clawed at her body and shook her but to no avail. "M...Mom...," he whimpered, before part of the roof bent downward slightly. He jumped and quickly ran for the front door, diving out into the open, safe from the fire.

I followed after him, racing out into the cool night air just in time before a burning, wooden beam blocked the door. Turning around, I saw Jack on his knees, panting again. I carefully inched towards him, even though I have no need to. In the moonlight that illuminated our surroundings, I watched Jack's shoulders tremble and he clenched his jaw tightly. Suddenly, I was startled by his loud cry of rage and agony. He punched at the ground, raking up fallen leaves and dirt. He growled, grunted and screamed until his voice became raspy. "Dammit!," he wailed, "Dammit, dammit, dammit!!" Jack cursed like I've never heard and then clutched at his hair as he leaned forward. He murmured something and although it was faint, it echoed to me like a siren. "Please," he whimpered, "please, don't leave me alone...! Please..! I don't want to be alone..!"

My eyes stung with tears. My heart ached for him, for his parents. Now is when I would hug him, comfort him, hold him for as long as he would want. But, I'm incapable, and it kills me to just stand here and watch him fall apart.

He sat on the ground grieving while his house burned down behind him. After a few moments, he lifted his head from his bloodied hands (stained with his parents blood) and sniffed the air. He sniffed and sniffed, inching over the ground, mouth gradually twisting into a snarl. He suddenly stood up from the ground with a low, angry growl. He removed his mask from his belt and slipped it on, preventing me from seeing his emotion. I didn't have to see his face to guess what he was feeling, though. It was clear by his tense shoulders, clenched fists and firm stance that he was enraged and ready to fight. He sniffed the air one last time before taking off into the woods at an alarming speed. I stood in my spot, wondering where he was going. I wanted to keep my eye on him, wanted to see him. But, he's far too fast for me.

I only blinked and I found myself in a different place. It was still nighttime and the moon still faintly illuminated the forest around. The only difference was that I was sitting in the back of a pick-up truck as it traveled down a road sandwiched by tree covered hills. I turned around and looked through the back window to see the five hunters inside. I passed my head through the window and their talking was now much clearer to me.

"I can't believe we finally got rid of them..!," a hunter in the back marveled.

The driver cackled joyously and said, "Yeah, now we don't have to worry about no murderers or monsters in these woods."

"Hey, Bill," a third hunter jutted in, "we're gonna have to get that leg checked out."

The leader in the passenger seat scoffed and said, "Yeah, but I'll make it through the drive."

A fourth hunter gulped and said, "I can't believe Rod is dead.."

The cabin went silent for a few moments, unease in the air. The leader sighed and muttered, "There was nothing we could do. You all saw that...thing."

"Do you think rangers will find the burned house?," a third hunter asked.

"Even if they do, there's no way they could trace that back to us. Especially since we were camping out in the southern side of the forest...right?," the leader said. All of the other hunters nodded in agreement. I clenched my jaw and glared at them all.

"Man," the driver started, "I'm gonna have some nightmares about that lady."

"That wasn't a lady," the leader said, "she was a damn monster."

"Yeah, well, thank god she's dead," the driver chuckled, "I'm glad all of them murderers are dead, no less a wen--."

Something popped outside and the truck steered out of control. The hunters freaked out and grabbed at whatever they could to keep themselves steady. The driver fought the steering wheel and eventually had to hit the breaks. Everything was silent, save for the harsh breathing of all of the hunters. "The hell happened?," the fourth hunter asked.

"I don't know," the driver said, "Let me check the truck." He popped open the door and hopped out. I leaped out of the back of the truck and followed him. The cause of their stop was clear. In the left-front tire was an arrow, wedged deep into the hard, black material. The driver leaned down and tugged on it but it was stuck in good. "What the hell?," he grumbled as he stood straight. The third hunter rolled down the window at the back and asked, "What's going on?"

The driver scratched his head and said, "There's an arrow in the tire. I don't know where it came from. I think some idiot mistook the truck for an animal or somethi--." Dark droplets suddenly sprayed onto the side of the truck. The hunters inside stared wide eyed at their friend who stood still, choking from the arrow impaled through his neck. He uttered quiet gurgles before falling over onto the ground. The other hunters inside panicked and exited the truck. They scrambled for the bed of the truck, grabbing at hunting gear. The second hunter managed to whip out a hunting rifle before he was shot in the shoulder by another arrow. He fell to his knees and groaned in pain.

The third hunter scowled and shot at the direction from where the arrow came from. The gunshot rang loud in the air, disturbing the trees. After the sound subsided, the area grew quiet. It was eerily silent and everything seemed to go still. The third hunter huffed and whispered, "I...I think I shot it--." Suddenly an arrow came whizzing past me from a different direction and into the man's chest. He cried out and stumbled back, throwing a hand around the arrow shaft. He fell down and bled out onto the ground. The three remaining hunters, including the one with an arrow in his shoulder, scrambled behind the truck for cover.

As they cowered behind the vehicle, I looked behind me and up at the trees atop the hill. It was faint but I could see the outline of a shadow up in the trees. Like a cat, it leaped across branches with slender movements and perched itself on a tree branch. At the angle the figure was at, I could now see the attacker as moonlight shined on his blue mask.

I watched Jack pull an arrow out from the quiver at his back and place it in the bow. He drew his right arm back, aiming for something, and waited. He was absolutely still and it would be easy to never notice him at all. After a while he slowly loosened the tension on the bow string and lowered his weapon. His hands were quick to place the arrow back into the quiver and climb down the tree. After that I lost sight of him.

I turned my attention to the hunters and walked around the truck to see them. They all sat low; eyes wide, faces pale, guns clutched tightly to their chests. Minutes passed of nothing but complete silence. The wind didn't even dare interrupt. The fourth hunter peeked his head around the corner with a rifle at the ready. Just as he moved another inch closer out of cover, a hunting knife flew from the shadows and planted itself into his left eye. His screams were throaty and painful to listen to. He dropped the rifle and grabbed onto the knife's hilt, trying to ease it out of his eye. The other two hunters panicked and scrambled away from their companion.

I was startled by Jack stepping out into sight, his walk heated and energized. He grabbed onto the fourth hunter's hair, gripped the knife tightly and yanked it out. The man wailed in agony while Jack loomed over him forebodingly. He pulled the man's head back and swung his knife into an arc, running the blade straight into the hunter's throat. Jack stabbed and stabbed and stabbed, holding the man's head back, forcing him to look up at the being who would end him.

When Jack was finished, he pulled out the knife and dropped the hunter in a puddle of his own blood. The blue masked boy turned his head over towards the other side of the truck. The two remaining hunters were standing on the other side with the same terrified faces. Without warning, Jack placed a foot on top of the truck's back step, leaped over into the bed, climbed over onto the roof and vaulted himself onto the second hunter. His knife was lodged into the man's chest instantly and both figures went toppling down. Jack yanked out the knife and then slashed at the leader, forcing him to scurry away. The second hunter was now alone, on the ground, sniveling from fear and pain. Jack turned his head down towards him and twirled his hunting knife in his hands.

"P-Please," the man whimpered, "don't kill me...! Please--!"

Jack raised his foot and stomped hard onto the hunter's face. There was a blood-cuddling crack that followed after the loud smack. Jack kept stomping his foot onto the man's head, cutting off the cries, coating his sneakers with more blood. His force was enough to split open the man's face and smash his skull in, ending him for good.

Jack huffed and turned towards the last hunter, the leader, who was running down the road. Judging by the awkwardness of his sprinting, his leg wasn't in the best shape. The blue masked boy pulled out his bow and an arrow from his quiver again. His hands drew it back along the string of his bow, steady and firm. His body was as still as stone, waiting, waiting. Until he let the arrow fly.

Far off, the leader's figure jerked and I watched him fall to the ground. Jack placed the bow on his back again and made his way forward. I followed after him despite how much my legs felt like jello after witnessing the carnage he created. His footsteps sounded like thunder among the forest's silence, prominent and ominous. The leader lay on the dirt, groaning and trying desperately to remove the arrow from his side. Jack stopped right in front of the man, towering over him. His aura was deadly and I knew he was about to do unspeakable things.

The leader looked up at him and hissed, "I thought you were stuck down in that cellar... I thought you were done for..!"

The masked boy didn't respond. He only placed his foot onto the leader's injured leg, right on top of his knee. Suddenly, with lightning quick movements, he stomped down, breaking the kneecap, bending the leg back. The man's cries were, like everyone else's, chilling and agonized. He clawed at his leg, wiggling around from the pain rushing through him. I wanted to look away from the sight of his leg bent the wrong way, bleeding out.

Jack waited until the man's screams died down some to speak. "Your blood," he murmured.

The man stared at him, angry, scared and confused.

Jack continued. "I can smell it. All of it. All of the drops you left behind in the dirt as you fled. All of the drops that led me right to you." He cocked his head to the side momentarily before stomping onto the man's other knee, breaking the leg again.

"You did it," Jack growled, over the sound of the man's crying, "You led your bastards here and you killed my parents! You took everything I had left from me!!" He kicked the hunter at his rib cage, earning an 'oof' from the injured man. "Now I'm alone! I have no one! And, it's all your fault!!!" He stomped on the man's stomach.

"You humans are sick, pathetic creatures! You don't deserve this world! You don't deserve anything! You deserve nothing but suffering! All you do is take and take and take! 'I want this, I want that'! You destroy everything that you touch, everything that you see! Over and over and over again. All because of your filthy greed!!!" Jack kept kicking the hunter hard on his side repeatedly. The man trembled under him and struggled to breathe. 

"Haven't you had enough?! What more is there for you to take?! What did you gain from something like this?! Huh? Answer me!!!" A kick was landed across the hunter's face, releasing crimson spittle from the man's mouth. Jack huffed and removed his mask. "How many of you have to die before you stop?? How much more can you rip away from this world, from me?! Look at me!!!" He ripped off the bandages on his face, revealing his empty eye sockets to the hunter cowering before him. In a rough voice, Jack shouted, "Humans take everything away! You take my eyes, you take my childhood, you take my only family and you...," --his voice cracked--, "you take the only friend I would ever have...would ever love..."

My chest ached at the utter sorrow in his tone, his brokenness. Jack grit his sharp teeth and muttered, "You took everything from me... Now, I'll take everything from you."

The hunter shook his head and stammered, "Y-You're a fucking monster..."

Jack froze for a moment, empty eye sockets seemingly staring daggers into the man's soul. His mouth twitched and he growled, "You think that I'm a monster...? This..?" He motioned a hand to his face. A quiet, short chuckle escaped his lips before he added in a much more sinister voice, "No. You're not even close."

Jack removed the quiver and bow from his back, throwing them down to the ground carelessly. He jumped on top of the man, pinning him to the ground. Jack grabbed onto the man's head and I could see his nails elongating, growing sharper, digging into the man's skin. He leaned his face in close with a growl deep in his throat. The hunter squirmed and whimpered, flailed and struggled but Jack was inescapable. My stomach began churning at the anticipation.

Jack bared his teeth and growled in a dark, monstrous tone, "I'll give you a monster." A bone chilling, nightmarish screech erupted from within his throat, as inhuman as his mother's cries. The hunter's screams of terror couldn't overpower Jack's howls. The boy slammed the hunter's head into the ground, opened his mouth wide and...he began...biting into him.

Jack's head jerked around as he mauled the man's flesh. Blood dripped down the man's neck and spurted onto the dirt. His wails of pain and suffering made a place in my mind, slithering in and violating every undisturbed crevice. The sounds, the sight. They wouldn't let me go. All I could do was stand and watch Jack brutally maim this man at fault for his agony.

Then, he did the most heinous thing. Jack ripped away flesh from the man's neck and...swallowed it. Another howl was released into the air, disturbing whatever other animals in the vicinity, causing an uproar of other sounds among the forest. He ate away at the man's face. He ate away at everything. His claws sunk in deep, deep, deeper until he stripped away clothing and flesh from the man's chest. Jack gorged himself on all of the blood, the flesh, the insides, everything. He tore it all away, devoured it, picked it apart, slaughtered. Blood caked his beautiful auburn hair, his gray skin, his clothes. It changed his appearance. It changed him.

It was at this point that I realized that this was not Jack. This was someone else entirely. Jack wasn't here anymore, he was gone now. All that's in place now is this boy who is devouring a human right before my eyes. And the scary thing? He loves every second of it.

The need to throw up came back but just like last time I am still incapable. I could only watch the scene before me unfold with a twisted stomach and heart. My body trembled, my breathing was troubled, my lips quivered. Fear rushed through to my very fingertips. I began longing for Sam, for his voice, for his singing, for his very presence. But, I was alone. He isn't here to ward off the invasion of all of this fear into my mind. It burrows deep in my soul.

All of the panic, the fear, the anxiety, it was too much for me to bear. Jack lifted his head up in the air and howled up at the night sky, another unforgettable sound that would forever have a place in my mind. His sound so wild, so guttural, so intense. He was an animal, he was a predator, he was...a monster. I couldn't take it. I shut my eyes tight and screamed until all of my breath left my chest and matched at volume with Jack. His blood covered, howling figure was the last thing I saw before white engulfed my vision and my being.

...

The next thing I knew, I was stumbling back, tripping down the steps of the gazebo and landing on the grass. My body was shivering, my limbs felt colder than the weather, my heart was racing in my chest.

"Ao, are you okay?!," a feminine voice called out to me and I lifted my head to see Ms. P leaning toward me. Without giving her an answer, I whirled my head around and looked at the gazebo. There he was, standing there, body tense. Jack.

"What happened?," he asked, concern lining his tone. As he put his undershirt on, he turned and walked toward me. Panic consumed my actions and I scrambled across the grass, away from him.

"What is the matter?," Slender's voice piped in.

Ao, what happened?

Some relief settled in as soon as Sam spoke but I was still overwhelmed with fear. It kept my mouth shut and my senses alert. However, I was too distracted by Sam's voice to notice that Jack was now standing right in front of me.

"What's wrong?," he asked and reached a hand out to grab my arm but I smacked it away.

"D-D-Don't touch m-m-me," I stammered uncontrollably. Tears started swelling in my eyes.

"Ao--."

"Go away!," I cried out.

Jack was suddenly shoved down to the ground by absolutely nothing and I gasped. Sam must've picked up on my panic. Jack kept trying to get up but Sam was holding him down. He grumbled, "Wh-What the hell..?" This wasn't what I wanted though.

"Ao, what is Sam doing?!," Ms. P said, red eyes flaring with worry and frustration.

"Tell him to stop," Slender ordered firmly.

But, I didn't say a word. My mouth was open but nothing came out. My thoughts were too jumbled; filled with screams, and blood, and suffering. I couldn't hold my tears back anymore and they fell continuously. Breathing became hard to do. I couldn't be here. I couldn't look at Jack.

So, I ran away towards the backdoor, busting through to the inside. I immediately slammed it shut, cutting off everyone outside. Then, I started sprinting up the stairs but as I ascended I tripped and fell onto the steps. I didn't get back up though, instead, I only laid there, sobbing and trembling. Trying to forget the screams, and the blood, and the suffering. Trying to forget the eyeless boy I saw in the vision. Trying not to look at the eyeless man outside as anything else but what I had perceived him to be.