Behind His Blue Mask[Eyeless Jack Story]

Chapter 2: Another Dead

A crash jolted me awake, and I hit my head on the coffee table. I must have fallen asleep and rolled under it. I crawled out, rubbing my head. A pained meow caught my attention, and I hurried down to the basement. A line of bloody paw prints had lead me from a broken picture frame, to a pile of boxes. "Silver? Are you alright buddy?" I asked, moving a box. Silver was licking his paw, which was dripping blood. "Did you cut your foot?" He me owed in response, and licked his foot again. I picked him up, and carried him up the stairs.

There was a roll of gauze on top of the microwave, for emergencies and stuff, so I picked it up and set Silver on the floor. "It's alright kitty kitty." I said, and brushed my fingers over his fur. He hissed in a loving tone as I cleaned his foot and wrapped it. As soon as I finished he sped off, and I pocketed the roll of gauze. Something told me I would need it again soon.

The doorbell rang, and I hurried to answer it. When I opened the door, I regretted the decision. Mrs. Mara, the woman who checked on me once a week, was standing there, looking just as crabby as ever. "Alex Green, I'm here to check and make sure everything is in living conditions." She said.

I sat in a chair, watching her inspect the house. Her constant scribbling on the clipboard in her hand made me nervous. Although I tried to keep the house clean, school and my part-time job made it a little challenging. Bored, I switched on the TV. It was on the cartoons channel again, but I wasn't to worried about it. Until a news bulletin appeared on top of the screen.

The serial killer known to the public as Cannibal has struck again, claiming the lives of two women, who's bodies were found in the park late last night. Citizens are urged to lock all doors and windows, and take caution when outside. More on the case later.

​​​​​​​I switched off the TV and got up. This whole thing was making me nervous. That was another death. Mrs. Mara approached me, a faked smile on her face. "The place looks decent, however I noticed bloody paw prints in the basement. Any notes on that?"

"My cat hurt himself when I was asleep. He's fine now though." I muttered, praying she would leave soon. "I recommend you find a cleaning service though. With you working, cleaning is going to become more difficult." Mrs. Mara said. I nodded, and she left, not even saying goodbye. "Good riddance." Silver walked into the room, a look of disgust on his face.

Mrs. Mara hated pets, and Silver hated her visits. "Well buddy, looks like I gotta get ready for work." I said, and shuffled over to my room.

The café was kinda busy, and every time I finished bringing someone their order, another one needed to be brought to someone. I hated when it got like this, but I had to deal with it. My co-worker Emily was busily filling mugs with coffee, writing down orders, and manning the cash register. I felt bad for her. She was younger than me, yet she was working harder. What did I do?

I delivered orders.

"Hey Emily, why don't you take a little break." I suggested. "But who's gonna do my part?" She asked. "I'll ask Loverboy over there to help me." I said, nodding towards Mike, who was leaning on the counter, flirting with a customer. "Nah, it's okay. I'm good." She said. "You deserve it." I said, and smiled. "Ok. But just for a few minutes." She said, and took off her black apron. "I'll be back soon." She said, and disappeared into the Employees Only! room. "Hey, Mike. Give it a rest and come help me." I said, pulling him away from the counter.

"Hey! What's your problem?" He asked. "Emily is taking a short break, so do your job for a few minutes." I said, and passed him a tray of food. "Bring this to table five." I muttered, and turned to help a customer. Mike whispered something, before going to find the table. I saw some dark clouds through one of the windows, and groaned. It was going to rain tonight. I was almost positive.

​​​​​​​By the time my shift was over, Mike had left, because he was sick. I didn't really believe him, but the manager did. "Hey Emily, you ok?" I asked her, seeing that she was standing by the door, staring out into the dark.

"Yeah. Just a little scared, with all the murders happening." She said. "I can walk you home if you want." I offered. She smiled. "That would be great."