Eyes In The Night

The Truth

"Laura, wake up."

John rubbed his wife's shoulder to nudge her awake. She slowly lifted her eyelids and looked to him.

"John? Oh my God, did I fall asleep?! What happened?! Where's Deacon?"

"I'm right here." Deacon was on the far end of the couch. His clothes were changed.

"What time is it?" She asked looking around. She was completely out of it.

"It's 3pm."

"3pm? Why did you let me sleep so long? We have to find Ella. We just lost another day."

"Laura, calm down. You were tired and up late. You looked worse than me when I saw you, I couldn't just wake you up." John explained to her. She looked to him. His eye still patched up. The right side of his face still looked tight and not as relaxed as the other half.

"Sorry, I had a crazy dream. That guy or person... it was there."

"It's been a wild 36 hours. Of course, you would dream about that."

"We still have to find this girl. I shouldn't be sleeping. We just lost so much time."

"Hey, hey, hey. You do know I still have a functioning eye and arm, right?" John held up his right hand. Laura looked to his face again. She noticed he had on Deacon's headset.

"Are you playing?"

"Yes, I've been playing with Deacon for a few hours."

"Did you find anything?"

"Well, we still haven't found her online."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Someone who talked to her remembered her username. So I looked her up and sent her a message. I just haven't gotten a reply yet."

Laura looked to the screen and saw Fortnite still up.

"We went back to gaming just to see if we could find anything else."

"So we're close but... but what does it actually mean if we find this girl? Do we ask her to go with some... thing that almost killed you?"

"I don't know Laura. He wants her for something and I want to protect our family."

"So we're really going to just sacrifice some girl?"

"We don't know what he plans to do with her. Who says he'll kill her? And who knows, maybe she's the real enemy. I don't know. But you want to know what I do know? That guy ripped my eye out and said he'd be back for me if we don't do what he wants us to do."

"But... but last night he came back."

"Deacon told me he was on the game."

"Yes, and he did the thing he did to Deacon with the other players. Asked a question and got them to bargain with him and he... he offered his life that poor kid is probably gone now."

Laura thought about last night. How the kid played right into his trap. It didn't matter what they said. Face Mask took everything that was said literally and acted on it. Being on the internet these days was dangerous. And with kids being gullible and easily manipulated, it gave Face Mask the upper hand when doing his deeds.

"Look, Laura. I know you're scared, but we can't worry about someone else when we're also in danger. You didn't face him. You didn't feel what I felt Laura. That guy is no human. He's a monster. And we're on his hit list."

"Dad, she replied!" Deacon shouted to get their attention. John looked to the screen to see the message she sent.

-Looks like the pedo is still alive.

"I can definitely say we got the right person." John remembered their conversation and how she mistook him for some predator.

John sent another message. He begged her to talk to them. Tell them everything she knew about Face Mask and how she knows so much about him.

-Let's play a game

Ella was offering a match. She agreed to talk to them. They hurriedly started another round inviting her to the game just the two of them.

"I suppose word is finally getting around if you were able to find me." She said once the game started.

"What word? You mean you telling people about this guy?"

"That's putting it mildly. I'm not telling people anything. I'm warning them."

"But why? No one believes this guy is real anyway."

"Some do and some don't. But I want to make sure it's out there. So if someone comes across him, they know what to do."

"Okay, so tell me everything I need to do to get rid of this guy."

"Is he still after you? The only time I've heard of him coming back was for me."

"I thought you said he got your friend. Why is he after you?" John adjusted himself on the couch. His shoulder felt numb and hard against the back. Laura sat right next to him trying to hear.

"Because he knows I'm a threat. I found out who he was and how he works. As long as I'm free, I can eventually come up with a way to stop him or stop him from tricking other people."

"How did you even find out? He comes and goes so fast."

"It wasn't really hard since he told me himself. I figured out his contract deal after my friend's incident. As long as some sort of worthy sacrifice is made; life, arm, kidney, whatever, he'll do whatever you want or say that is physically obtainable or doable."

"So you gave something up just to figure him out?" John watched the game play as he waited for an answer. There was 40 people left.

"Well— I never said you had to use your own life." Ella spoke low. John looked to Laura trying to process what she meant.

"You gave up your friend?"

"No, it wasn't like that. He already made a deal with her. She joked and said she'd give a kidney for a thousand bucks for a new PC. But she forgot she already had a bad kidney. So when he took it she was left to basically die. So I..." Ella hesitated. He could hear her take a deep breath.

"I offered him her heart to tell me exactly who he was and he had no choice but to agree. And once he told me I did what I had to do to get rid of him. He can only find you as long as you have an open deal with him. But just in case, I changed my location and he's been looking for me since."

"Wow, that's a— that's one hell of story." John didn't know how to react.

"Of course it is. I'm just as much of a monster as he is. And I know you found me for one of two things. Answers, or to give me up. And if you've been searching for me, you likely already got some answers."

John pressed his lips. She was right. He didn't know how to approach the statement.

"Looks like we're running low on time. I gave you info on how to work him. It's up to you if you can wiggle your way out of his grasp. I'm not giving myself up. I have to stay hidden to keep warning people. I'll ask that you not look for me anymore. If you do, I'll assume you're working for him and start to warn people of the pedo profile. That could go bad in multiple ways now couldn't it?"

John stayed silent. He needed her. Without her, his contract deal is incomplete and he'll be taken out.

"Wait before you go, yes I needed you because I told Face Mask I'd find you for him. But I offered my life to do so and I need to know what to do now. He'll be back and I'm running out of time."

"That's tough buddy." Ella chuckled. "Listen here Mr. Pedo, I don't owe anyone but my friend my life. So if he wants me, he can come find me. When the time comes, I'll lure him to me myself.  Until then, I can only extend my best wishes to you."

John watched the screen. She didn't say anything else. The game ended and he looked down to his lap.

"So now what John?" Laura put her hand on his back.

"She won't help us. So we'll have to try and help ourselves."