Chapter Text
MONDAY, November 2
You should have known you’d see him again.
Charles the puppet, with his stupid smile and empty eyes.
He haunted you a lot these days, and you’d learned to recognize when you’d meet him in your dreams.
It all starts in the maze. There’s a house off in the distance and you feel a desperate need to get there, but as soon as you take a step, the maze changes. You can barely see the path, let alone run it, but you have to try otherwise…
He’ll catch you.
Sometimes he grabs you from behind. Sometimes you trip and wake up before he does. Sometimes you turn to fight him off -- though “fight” is a fairly generous word for what you do. It feels more more like moving through jello.
Tonight, his dead eyes are unconcerned as you turn to take a swing at him. Your fist does nothing but gently brush his cheek before he grabs your wrist and pulls you into an inescapable embrace.
“You’re mine now.”
Help.
You gasp as he chokes you.
Help, Silco.
You shake free and push him off.
“Silco!”
You snap awake, heart galloping. You’re frozen in a tangle of blankets, eyes searching the darkness until they land on something familiar. You blink rapidly at the bedside table, faintly illuminated by a night light. There are flowers there. Roses. And a small alarm clock.
The time is 2:14 am.
The silence builds. You can’t move, even if you dared. Your ears are tuned in for any signs of movement in the room. Charles. Zombies. Danger.
He’s not here. You’re alone. Silco’s nearby. You’re fine.
After several repetitions of this litany, your pulse slows. You force your body to un-clench, starting with the shoulders. Slowly, inch by inch, you uncurl from the fetal position. Several deep breaths later you’re able to shift yourself onto your back.
“Do you need assistance?”
The canny voice catapults your adrenaline.
“My name is Billings, I’m Silco’s personal physician. I was tasked to watch over you tonight.”
After a few fear fueled moments you’re able to identify that the graveled voice is coming from the corner of the room. A little red light reminds you there’s a camera up there.
You take a few deep breaths in.
“Apologies for the sudden introduction. I saw no other way to make myself known.”
You nod slowly, still working to shake off the sticky shadows of the nightmare.
“You appear to be in some distress. Shall I prepare a sedative for you?”
“No,” you croak, “I’ll be fine. It usually takes a few minutes for me to… to calm down. I just have to move around and um… redirect my thoughts then I’m… I’m fine.”
As if to prove your point, you shuck the blankets and struggle into a sitting position. Once on your feet, the lingering effects of the paralysis begin sluicing off. You rub your hand across your chest, reminding yourself to be strong. That you're fine. That this is probably nothing compared to the nightmares Jinx suffers.
So get over it.
“I’m sorry you have to watch me.”
“It’s what I’m paid to do.”
At this point you’re feeling more like yourself. Not completely grounded, but your nervous system isn’t on alert for danger. It’s weird knowing you're being watched by a man you know of, but never met. He certainly seems to know you. You wonder just what Silco told him about you.
“I think I’m fine now.”
“I will bid you good night then,” he answers flatly. “If you change your mind about the sedative, simply call out and I will answer.”
“Thank you.”
You pad over to the bathroom and splash your face with water before heading back to the bed. You try to settle in, but several minutes pass without your being able to do anything other than toss and turn. The knowledge that there’s a faceless man watching you from the corner of the room makes it hard for you to close your eyes and relax. What you want right now, more than anything, is to be in the same room as another present, conscious person.
You throw off the blankets again and awkwardly look towards the camera.
“Um… Billings?”
“Yes?”
“Is… anyone else awake right now?”
A pause. “Yes. Jinx.”
You wish it was Silco, but Jinx is probably the better option.
“Where is she?”
“Her room.”
You wrap one of the spare blankets around your shoulders and climb the stairs to her room. When you knock lightly on her door, she appears wearing footie pajamas looking completely awake. Surprise lights up her pale features.
“Toots! What are you doing up?”
“Can’t sleep. I was hoping I could sit in here with you for a little while?”
Her eyes dart between yours. If she reads something in them, she’s kind enough not to say.
“‘Course you can. Mi casa, su casa.”
You shuffle inside and she shuts the door firmly behind you. Music is on in the background, growing louder as you make yourself comfortable on her bed. It's some kind of metal band, with a woman making noises like she’s mid-exorcism.
Jinx throws herself onto the fluffy pouf in front of a disastrous desk and heaves a dramatic sigh.
“What are you still doing up?” You ask, touching all the pudgy, colorful stuffies on the bed. Mr. Fishbones is sticking up from behind a pillow, and you draw him into your lap. His fluffy fins are fraying, and his plastic eyes are milky and scuffed.
It was a very well loved creature.
“I’m paying late dues to the institution.” She pulls a sour straw from a pocket and twirling it around. “I never finished this stupid book, and now I have to write this stupid essay, and its due in six hours and I just feel so blah so now I don’t even care. Also, I can’t think with all this…”
She twirls the sour straw in the air.
“Music?”
“Existential ennui.”
You chuckle. “What do you have to read?”
“The Catcher in the Rye.”
“Ah.”
That was a rough one for you too.
She releases a noise of absolute misery as she buries her head in her arms. “The kid’s so annoying! I’m literally dying right now.”
“How far in are you?”
“Only like… a third of the way,” comes the muffled reply, “and I swear I’m trying to, like, be objective and think like an artist and stuff but I just can’t with his whining!”
“Well… would it help if I read it out loud?”
She gasps as she lifts her head to look at you. “Would you?”
“Of course.”
“Oh you’re an absolute angel!”
She throws open her laptop and flings the book at you over her shoulder. A crinkled receipt goes flying off into neverland as it careens off the side of the bed.
“Uh… what page were you on?” You ask as you crawl over to sweep it off the floor.
“I think like 98 or something? I was on chapter uh….”
You start flipping through and land on chapter 13.
“Okay so I’m looking at like… themes and stuff so…”
“How about I just read until you stop me.”
“Fantastic.”
She already has her eyes fixed on the screen and her fingers wiggling over the keys. You clear your throat and begin.
"’The funny thing is, I didn't even feel like a drink, but I felt like a louse anyway…’"
“Ugh this guy is the woooooorst…”
Reading out loud isn’t something you’re used to. Reading out loud with Jinx’s dramatic personal commentary is even harder. Add to that the content of the story and the narrative style, and it takes several chapters to actually make any headway. Jinx’s legs cross and uncross. She gets to her feet and dances across the room. You aren’t sure if she’s still paying attention until she pauses and darts towards the computer like a fish, fingernails clacking on the keys in a mad cacophony.
The chapters slip away, and your words grow slurred. Jinx tosses an entire package of blue sour candy straws onto the bed and you automatically eat two. On that high you manage another few chapters. Several candy packages are demolished, and energy drinks appear. You’ve never had a monster in your life, and half a can in you start to feel manic. Your heart, mind, and body can’t seem to decide whether you’re awake or dying or both. The longer you read, the less you understand. Jinx starts mocking every mess up, and giggling, and you suddenly you’re gigging too.
Then somehow you’ve finished it.
“The End.”
“Thank sweet baby Jesus!” Jinx says with much enthusiastic clapping.
She stops to snatch Mr. Fishbones from your arms and dance with him around the room.
“All that’s left is to polish this rough draft into a diamond!”
“What time is it?”
“5:45!” She sings, swirling into a waltz.
“Holy smokes,” you laugh, holding your buzzing head. “I don’t even feel tired at all.”
“That’s the beauty of the monster, baby.”
You laugh. Watching Jinx swirl makes you feel ill, so you close your eyes. Somehow, the world is still spinning around even in the dark. You press your hands over your eyes and will them to stop.
My Chemical Romance croons as the sound of Jinx’s feet shuffle across the carpet.
The spinning in your head stops eventually, replaced by the sensation that you’re vibrating above Jinx’s comforter instead.
Light as a feather, stiff as a board.
“So,” you say, breathless for no reason, “how’s it looking?”
“I think…” she sings, “this is going to be… the worst paper… of all times!”
You release a giddy laugh. “I’m sure it’s not that bad!”
“If Holden saw it he’d be so depressed, he’d write another book about it.”
Something switches in your brain as you laugh. You completely lose control.
“Nooooohohoho... hahaha... It’s gonna be… sohoho goohoohoohoohood!”
You can’t get a hold of yourself. Your ribs hurt so bad, but you can't stop. Jinx’s cackles join in, and the situation escalates quickly out of control. Through gasping breaths and teary eyes you see the girl convulsing on the carpet, feet kicking and face contorted into soundless mirth.
At some point, you both somehow manage to regain your breath, and sanity.
“You should help me with my homework more often,” she gasps, wiping her eyes, “I’ve NEVER laughed this much in my entire LIFE. I mean honestly, if I get an F on this paper I won’t even care!”
“I’d be so happy to help,” you pant, swallowing another laugh, “but maybe without the energy drink next time.”
“Aw, but that’s what makes it fuuuuuun!”
You laugh then groan. “I’m serious, I can’t do this again. I think I’m dying!”
“You’re such an old person,” she giggles, then picks herself up off the floor. “I think I got it from here, Toots. Feel free to shuffle off to your room to sleep it off.”
“Are you kidding me? I won’t be able to sleep this off! This is… like… I just feel really weird! Like everything is so bright and dark at once. Like I’m in a hallucination…”
“Then maybe you should go get some water and head down to the gym or something.”
“Yeah… yeah, good idea. Wait. You have a gym?”
“Yeah, down in the basement. It’s got all Sevika’s power lifting stuff, but there’s also like punching bags, a treadmill, medicine balls, a sauna, stuff like that.”
“You’ve got a sauna?”
“Yeah.”
“Woah.”
“You should def check it out. There’s gloves and stuff already down there. The blue ones are mine if you wanna use ‘em.”
“Thanks. I think I will.”
She blows a kiss over her shoulder, “muah! Ta ta, toodle-oo, I love you!”
The words are so offhand, but they still take you by surprise.
Her fingers are already click-clacking away, but you sober. The buzzing in your head intensifies as you bend down to hug her lightly from the side. She immediately tenses.
“I love you too, Jinx.”
She releases a few deep, unsteady breaths before her shoulders drop.
“Do you really mean that?” she whispers, voice breaking.
“Absolutely. I’m so grateful you picked me to be your friend.”
She reaches up to grip your hand. There’s a soft sniffle, then she turns to bury her face into your sweatshirt.
Her arms circle your waist and cling there for a few heartbeats.
“I never wanted a mom before,” she mumbles, “until I met you.”
A huge bubble of light blossoms in your chest. You close your eyes and smile.
Thank you for this gift.
You wait for her to release you first, then give her another good-night. You leave her sniffling and hunched crossed legged on her pouf. The light is still buzzing along your limbs as you stop quickly in your room to change. It’s only when you reenter the hall that the bubble of light bursts, leaving only the void waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs.
You're back in the throes of the nightmare, as if you'd never left.
Your heart beats triple time, the energy drink doing you no favors at all.
A click, and a night light blinks on at the bottom of the stairs.
You tense.
It’s Charles. He escaped prison and snuck into the house.
Silco missed someone. They’re down there, waiting to kill me.
The AC vent rattles a picture frame.
A dog barks, a car backfires.
Your heart thunders against your ribcage.
A zombie apocalypse is happening outside, right now, and one of them broke into the house while you were upstairs laughing with the Jinx.
You're sure that if you make even a single sound, it’ll come flying out of the doorway and eat your face off.
You’re stuck, paralyzed on the steps, too petrified to even breathe.
White spots dance in front of your eyes.
A floorboard creaks behind you.
Fingers brush your arm.
You release a blood curdling scream as you whirl, and a figure with a white mask looms out of the dark.
What happens next is a surprise. You don't run, or try to throw a punch.
Instead, you faint dead away to the floor.