To Live without Fear [Jeff the KillerxReader]

13

"Here's your reciept." The cashier said, handing you the curled slip of paper. You shoved it unceremoniously into your pocket along with a few coins and crumpled up bills. "Have a nice day."

You walked out of the truck stop with a few bags of groceries and damp hair. You'd taken to using various truck stops around town to take showers once a week or so. You wished Jeff would let you sneak him in to do the same. You noticed a distant pillar of smoke rising through the sky. As you got closer to home, it got bigger and bigger. It wasn't until you were about 10 minutes out that you realized the fire was definitely coming from your's and Jeff's little abandoned neighborhood. You heard sirens somewhere in the distance behind you. Firefighters.

You dropped everything and ran. Worst case scenario, Jeff was trapped in a burning old house. Best case he wasn't, and was trying to find you so you could get out of there. Either way, you needed to get there before the police and firefighters did.

When you made it there, the sight took away whatever breath you had left. The entire upper floor of your house was burning. Smoke poured out the windows, and the closer you got, the more unbearable the heat grew. "Jeff!" You called out. No response. "Jeff! Where are you?!" Nothing. If he wasn't trapped, he would've replied by now. The sirens were getting closer. Even if they saved Jeff's life, he'd end up in prison. You didn't have any choice but to go in yourself.

You kicked in the door and ran through the living room. The TV was crushed under fallen chunks of ceiling, and the couch was ablaze. No sign of Jeff. You covered your mouth and nose, but the heat and smoke were already burning your lungs. You peeked into the other ground floor room. It was furnitureless, and more importantly, Jeff-less. You tried calling his name again, but could hardly hear your own voice over the roaring fire and cracking structure. There was still one more floor to check. You bolted up the stairs, jumping over a patch of flames. The fire was much thicker on the top floor; you could hardly see through the smoke. You crouched to the ground to catch your breath. There, about 10 feet away, you could barely make out a white form through the haze. Jeff.

You got up and hurried over to him. He was lying on his stomach, coughing. You grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up. "Jeff c'mon, we gotta get out of here!"

Jeff looked up at you weakly. He had blood trickling down his forehead, between his eyebrows. "(Y/N)..." He croaked. You could barely hear his voice over the sound of the building burning down. You sighed and heaved the killer up off the ground. You pulled one of his arms over your shoulders and wrapped your arm around his waist. The killer was dead weight, only made heavier by the lack of oxygen in your lungs. "C'mon, dumbass..." you mumbled, dragging him along as fast as you could. It seemed what little consciousness Jeff had left was gone, as his head hung limply forward.

You reached the staircase and looked down it. The downstairs room still had a decently clear area, but the staircase itself was basically a tunnel of fire. And with the structural integrity of the house already questionable, even if you didn't catch on fire, the stairs would probably collapse underneath you. It couldn't be helped. The stairs were your only option.

You bolted down the steps. The flames licked at your skin and the heat was horrendous, but you were making it... until about halfway down the stairs. When your foot hit the wooden step you heard a sharp snap, like the the crack of a whip. Your foot dropped between the two splintered halves of the step and you fell forward. The momentum sent Jeff flying out of your hands, and his limp body crashed down the remaining steps.

"Shit." You muttered. You braced your hands against the next step down and pulled your ankle out of its wooden trap. The flesh was shredded and oozing blood, with a few splinters sticking out. The pain was nauseating, but you forced yourself back onto your feet and stumbled down the steps. You picked Jeff up again and limped, with tremendous effort, to the front door. You could hear the sirens drawing near. You were almost out of time.

You summoned up the last of your adrenaline rush and pushed through the front door. There were a few onlookers that had stepped out of their homes and were snapping pictures of the impressive inferno. One spotted you as you ran out the door.

"Hey wait!" The man called out, lowering his phone. But you didn't wait. You sprinted off down an alley with Jeff in tow. There was an abandoned shop a few blocks away that you had made your emergency backup hideout. You pushed in the creaky alleyway door and shoved it closed with your back, then collapsed. You were exhausted and out of breath. Burns stung you all over your legs and arms, but the most intense pain came from your ankle. You pushed yourself up and brought your legs in front of you. You were losing blood, and fast. With tremendous effort, you stood and limped over to where you'd stashed the emergency first aid kit. You sat down and started dealing with your ankle. First you had to pull several bits of wood from the eviscerated flesh, then you used some peroxide to clean it, gritting your teeth through the sting. Finally you dressed it and swallowed a couple of pain pills. You grabbed the kit and dragged yourself back over to Jeff. Damn idiot, you thought as you cleaned and dressed the cut on his head, what did you do this time?

You rubbed burn ointment onto your arms and legs. Everything hurt, right down to your aching lungs. You and Jeff were both covered in ash and soot. You thought about where you found Jeff, and the wound on his head. What had happened while you were out? You heard Jeff groan and you whipped your head around. He shifted a little and looked like he was coming to. You leaned over him and waved your hand in front of his face. His lidless eyes snapped back to clarity and he grabbed your arm. He bolted upright, keeping a tight grip on your wrist.

"Fire!" He gasped. "It's on fire! We need to get out of-" You slapped him across the face, and he stopped.

"Pull yourself together!" You barked. You'd never seen the killer panic like this. He was literally shaking. "I got us to the store. We're alright."

Jeff looked around and finally processed his surroundings. He relaxed a little, but didn't let go of your wrist. The killer gently touched the bandages on his forehead and took a few deep breaths. You could still feel him trembling and couldn't help but marvel at how strange it was to see him in this state. Until now, he'd seemed as fearless and invincible as you were.

"What happened?" You asked. Jeff didn't answer, so you added, "Jeff, I just dragged your unconscious ass out of a burning building. I think I deserve to know what's going on."

The Killer sighed in resignation. "It was her. She found me faster than I anticipated. She knocked me out, and must've lit the fire to finish me off. Probably considered it poetic justice."

"Who's she?" You asked. You slid your wrist out of his grip, replacing it with your hand. You sandwiched his hand between the two of yours, steadying it. Jeff stared at the floor tiredly.

"Jane."