Terrible Fates (BEN Drowned story)

Chapter 2

[New update because why not??]

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 2

Ben's POV

It's kind of crappy that wraiths don't need sleep. I mean, I can still sleep, but I don't need it. There are times when I just want to sleep forever and dream about, I don't know, fluffy dogs with berets and Australian accents despite that they look French with the beret. It's hard for me to dream, though, and when they do come, I like to remember them as much as I can.

I want sleep. I want to just see blackness for a little while. And if I dream, even better...! But, my mind and body are too rattled with emotions that sleep won't come to me. The constant reminders of what life is right now sink into me when there's nothing else to do.

It's been a year since everything changed again. Ao has become the head of the mansion, as far as it looks. She's grown from that sweet girl I first met, and from the broken person she was after everything went to shit, into a strong, completely capable woman. You could barely distinguish her current self with her old self a year ago.  But she's still kind, still caring, and still the geek she was, though she doesn't get to have those geek moments as often as she used to.

Jack is still by her side, being like an advisor and helping her out. He's even scarier than he used to be, but not to a level that he's cold towards everyone at the mansion. He's become more talkative; more open. Whenever I'm out with him on a mission to exterminate Corrupted, he's relentless. His wendigo side comes out more often than it did before, making him the ultimate beast that I wouldn't even fuck with...

Ms. P is also still here, helping Ao from the mansion, giving her more magic lessons and such. She takes care of Sally and Ladon, who has already grown to the size of a lion and makes a mess of the mansion when he scurries around too much. He's made good friends with Smile and Grinny, and there always has to be someone keeping watch of them, especially if Sally is involved (and Charlie, who can forget that little shit).

Masky and Hoodie are back to their previous routine: leaving the mansion for a few days, coming back, then leaving again. They've mostly been scouting, trying to find Elizabeth. That's all we've been doing this past year. Since the mansion is physical in most forests in the country, yet still transcendent, it's easy for us to look in different spots. Yet even with that advantage, no trace of Ellie has been found.

And then there's Jeff.

My jobs include running errands for everyone, going on short scouting missions, exterminating Corrupted in nearby towns and cities, and taking care of Jeff. The brunt of all of my stress mostly stems from him. He's still the scarred up, traumatized man he was a year ago, but he's become colder now, less empathetic. The words that come from his mouth are either full of spite or sarcasm, and nothing seems to change his attitude. But, his bitter personality is better than when he isn't on medication.

When he doesn't take his pills, he's erratic, twitchy, and more temperamental. So temperamental that even the quiet shuffle of fabric can piss him off. I've learned to recognize the signs of this behavior: quiet muttering, fidgeting, the need to pace around, biting his nails. Sometimes outbursts just happen without warning. But when he isn't aggressive towards others (mostly me), he's aggressive towards himself.

Multiple times already he has attempted to kill himself, and at the very least, he'll hurt himself. He's tried various methods, some of them being scarily creative. From trying to stab himself with a fork, to smashing his head into the bathroom mirror, he's done it all. I'm there every time to keep him alive, or to keep him from giving himself any wounds at all. The medication we give him is what's keeping him in line, keeping him just sane enough. Although he's a far more cynical man, he's alive and healthy. But, the same can't exactly be said for his mind and heart.