☠︎⚊ ✧ '.-'

Rumors constantly circulated about a killer on the loose in town known by the nickname "Jeff T.K."—or by his real name, Jeffrey Woods. It was a sensational case, given the grim backstory: a young man, relentlessly bullied by his classmates, who decided to end their lives by burning them with bleach. He then did the same to his own family—except for his brother, who was imprisoned after taking the blame for one of Jeff's crimes—and to the family of his neighbor, Jane. After burning himself with bleach until his skin was as pale as a cloud and carving his mouth to mimic a permanent smile, he fled, committing an ever-growing number of crimes.

At least, that was the story—up until the part about him carving his cheeks. Some claimed he hadn't survived and was merely the subject of a terrifying urban legend, while others swore they had seen him in the flesh.

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Your parents frequently traveled for work, leaving you home alone. It was great; you could eat whatever you wanted, watch whatever you pleased, throw a party on a whim, or simply blast the music at ear-splitting volume.

But tonight, you decided to do something low-key: just a late-night movie marathon in the living room, complete with plenty of snacks and blankets. You didn't last long on the floor, though, and quickly fell asleep.

A short while later—around 2 a.m.—a loud crash in the kitchen woke you up. The TV was still on, so you initially blamed the noise on that. You turned it off, intending to head to bed, but decided to grab a glass of water first to soothe your dry mouth. It was pitch black, and you didn't notice someone standing beside the refrigerator. You were getting a drink of water with your back to the appliance and dropped the glass when someone grabbed you from behind; he pressed his body against your back, gripping your waist with enough force to surely leave a bruise, while holding a sharp knife against your throat with his other hand.

I breathed against your ear, tightening my grip, before speaking.