Jack stood on the corner and swallowed as his eyes ran over the plywood covering the storefront. He could do this. He could yell at Kieran and sort himself out. He had his alarm set, and his phone was ready to record their conversation.

He marched up to the door and pushed, but it was locked. He knocked and made an effort to look normal and nonchalant. After a moment of silence and seeing no movement from inside, he banged his fist against the wood. "Lemme in! Or I'll find a real brick, and your head'll match the fucking window!"

He stepped back when the door unlocked and slowly opened, revealing an empty entry. The already cool temperature dipped further.

"L-Lindsey?"

The bells on the door chimed softly in response, and the hair on the back of Jack's neck stood up.

He swallowed thickly and asked, "Is Kieran here?"

The door opened wider, and Jack took another step back. "Never… never mind. I'll come back later. I'll call. I shoulda called. Sorry." He turned away and froze as cold raced up his arm.

"Wait! Please! I'm sorry!" Lindsey begged. Her voice had a soft echo and wavered on the edge of hearing.

He turned back to the door to find a shadow lingering just behind a corner. "You're dead."

"I'm sorry," Lindsey said quietly. "I can't look normal until tomorrow, and I don't think you wanna see me looking like… like that."

Jack quickly shook his head. He'd gladly live the rest of his life never seeing Lindsey's mauled remains again. "Where's Kieran?"

"Upstairs. Getting things… ready."

Jack nodded. He could guess what sort of things Kieran was getting up to. "I need to talk to him."

"Do you hate me?"

His eyes widened, and he tugged on his bag strap. Being scared of someone and hating them were entirely different things as far as he was concerned. "W-why would I hate you?"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I lied. I scared you."

Jack ducked his head. "I… I don't know. I'm sorry."

Silence stretched between them as Jack fidgeted on the sidewalk. Lindsey had never been outright mean to him. Sure, she teased him by popping up out of nowhere, but nothing that could really be seen as malicious. He glanced up at the dark shadow. She looked solid enough when he met her, but now he wondered if he would have been able to walk through her.

"He's upstairs."

The air changed, and Jack felt alone. He carefully entered the shop and looked around, his eyes darting about. There was no sign of the ghostly shadow. He breathed shakily as he closed the door. He quickly locked it, hoping no one had followed him this time.

He reached into his bag and set his phone to record audio. He then grabbed his lipstick taser. It didn't give him the security and confidence he'd been hoping for.

Flinching at every sound, he made his way to the back room and the stairwell. This was a stupid idea, and he was going to get himself killed. The murder stairs were going to earn their name, and his body would be crammed into some urn and sold as decoration. He hoped it was a nice urn.

He reached the top step and hesitated. A power tool was running on the other side, and his mind happily offered him a dozen bloody options for what was going on. He kept his eyes down and opened the door.

The sounds of sawing cut off, and Jack cringed as the anger powering him shriveled up. He should have thought this through. Should have come up with more of a plan.

"Jack. Why are you here?"

There was shock, but no anger. Then again, would a soulless murderer show anger? Would Jack get some sort of warning?

"If I look up, am I gonna see blood?" His legs were losing feeling, and he didn't think he'd be able to press the button on his taser. There was the sound of the power tool being set down and plastic shifting. He struggled to breathe as he listened to Kieran's approach. The moment he saw Kieran's shoes with flecks of blood, his legs gave out.

He kept his eyes on the floor and violently shook his head when Kieran tried to lift his chin. "No! No more! Stay the fuck outta my head!"

"Then might I convince you to join me in another room? I should think being away from the smell might help."

And with that, Jack's next breath was filled with nothing but the stench of blood, death, and industrial cleaners. His stomach turned at the thought that he knew that scent intimately, but couldn't remember why. His vision blurred with tears, and he nodded jerkily.

"Can you stand?"

He shook his head and flinched away as Kieran touched his arm.

"I'm going to help you up. You're safe, Jack. I swear. I would never hurt you."

Jack choked on a bitter laugh. He still wanted to believe Kieran. He wanted everything to work out.

Against his better judgment, he dropped his taser and clutched at Kieran's arm.

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]