Rose Petals - Eyeless Jack x Reader

Chapter 26

[26— Familiar Faces]

   You were a deer in headlights.

   Portia screamed as the proxy pinned her to the floor, sinking its rotten teeth into her shoulder and just barely missing her neck from all of her thrashing. She attempted to kick it off, to shove it off, to do anything to delay the inevitable. She sputtered out begs of mercy between her cries, saying she did not want to die, that she would do anything if it stopped.

   You didn't know why she bothered. It wasn't as if the thing could truly understand human language anymore. At least, as far as anyone knew. Even if it did, it would not have listened, anyway.

   The sound of flesh tearing was drowned out by her pained shrieks, blood pooling out of her wounds and spattering across the room as the proxy had its way with her meaty exterior. It let out an angry growl before striking with its teeth again, biting down this time on her neck.

   Portia's cries were drowned out by gasps for air and then choking gurgles. She sporadically twitched and kicked underneath the decayed monster before her body finally succumbed and went limp.

   You watched, in silent terror, as the proxy proceeded to whip out of a broken knife and dig it into Portia's now-still chest. It worked away as it let out distorted, wheezy breaths, carefully carving into her chest cavity. What proceeded was the carnal sound of skin and bone breaking as it plucked off her ribs, tossing them aside afterward.

   The stinging sensation of bile hit the back of your throat, but you forced it down. The proxy drove a hand into her chest, the squishing, fleshy noise of it all forcing you to cringe. It pulled, and in seconds, it had yanked her heart out, then shoving it into its decrepit mouth.

   It was then that you came to the conclusion that each proxy must be bound to eating a specific part of the body, and nothing more. You glanced over at the two other corpses in the room, figuring that other proxies came later to pick off their own share of the meal.

   Your eyes fell back on Portia— what remained of her— and felt your jaw clench. At least she's at peace now. This is all over for her.

   "Jesus Christ..." Zeke's distressed voice muttered from across the room, and you looked over to see his face buried in his hands.

   Perhaps this would get to you more if you had not gone through what you already had. You would have been more disturbed if all of your thoughts and concerns were not on Liam, and if this had already happened to him off in some other room, and on Jack, and if he had already torn into some other innocent person against his will.

   You squeezed your eyes shut, lowering your head as the wretched sound of the proxy devouring its meal droned in your ears. A few minutes passed of this, and it left afterwards.

   In truth, you knew there was no way to get out just between the two of you, but you were scrambling for anything to keep sane. The last thing you wanted was for what just happened to Portia to happen to you. You were hopeless, but desperate. If only you could see Jack, then maybe, just maybe you could have a fleeting sense that you could all escape, even if just by a margin.

   Jack...

   It was as if your pleading thoughts had summoned him.

   The locks unlatched once more, one by one. You had not bothered to look up this time, but you knew the moment the static crackled in your ears and you heard him groan in pain.

   Your entire body froze. Your mind was attacked by a hundred thoughts at once, overwhelming it and leaving you momentarily numb.

   You looked up at him. Your throat was seized by the invisible hand of grief, tightening it to choke down the sobs that fought to erupt from your core. Tears stung your eyes.