Strings In My Veins ( Puppeteer x Reader )

Chapter nine

10.16.18// Woodberry Park

Everyday seems faster than the day before and each day is just another day closer to Finn's death. To make it even worse, he shut out everyone he cared about...nobody has seen him at school either. Now, I just wander this park every morning before school.
I felt a cold raindrop on my head as I looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. This park is completely isolated; no kids, no picnics, just...me. I'm vulnerable...

I heard someone walking behind me. I took a quick glance and, to my surprise, nobody was even there, yet I still hear loud and heavy footsteps. I stopped walking but it's still there.

"Hello? Anybody there?" I called out, but I knew exactly who it was...I just have to pretend that I don't for me not to go insane. The footsteps grew louder by the second as I spun around. The surrounding trees seemed to cave in on me and move as if it were...as if it were breathing. A sudden cold wind ran into me, nearly knocking me down to the concrete.

"I-I know who and what you are, and...," I called out, "these innocent kids you murdered...why?"
The wind grew at an unnatural strength, the trees trapped me, and I am completely incapacitated. Everything stopped but the eerie feeling was still lingering—it's like the scene in a horror movie right before a big jump scare.
A raven flew above me but then slowed down until it froze, the trees stopped swaying back and forth, and the raindrops were in mid-air yet the thrashing wind still remained.

"Those you call 'innocent' are sinister, you naïve girl. I was just getting even with them," a deep, painfully-familiar voice booms.

"I'm sorry for what a couple of kids did to you but this isn't right...everyone is still grieving over your death, isn't that punishment enough? Stop this, " I say motioning to my glowing cut on my arm.
The wind calmed down to a small breeze and the eerie feeling was gone. I smiled in relief.

"Enough? Not even close," a harsh voice whispered in my right ear. My eyes widened as I was harshly thrown against a bench, which was a good 10 yards away from me. I grunted in pain as I held my head. I scooted away in fear, ignorant of where he even is.

"Y/N!" Another voice called after me. I hesitated as I looked up to see Finn rushing after me. My eyes lit up as he approached me.

"Finn...," I managed to say. He crouched down to me and hugged me tightly. I felt him cry silently on my shoulder as I did to him.

"I'll make him suffer death again, Y/N, I'm tired of him being a little bitch and I'm tired of running away," Finn says. I sighed.

"We need to rid him...if we do...you'll survive right?" I asked hopefully. Finn rested his head against mine.

"One year since I've been marked lands on November 28th. If we stop him by then, not only will I survive, which is not my top priority, but you will along with future victims he'll torcher," Finn explained.
I nodded.

10.16.18// Finn's College

We entered the library and quickly jumped on the computers to find books on exorcisms, spirits, and...well anything remotely related to whatever we're dealing with.
I heard the fast and loud typing on Finn's keyboard.

"Finn, finding books isn't going to take long so should I just go ahead and interview students?" I offered. Finn mumbled a "yeah" without looking up.
I grabbed my journal and pencil as I headed towards a girl glued to her book. I cleared my throat as she rolled her eyes and glanced up at me.

"Have somethin' to say to me?" She threatened with a southern accent. I kept my expressionless face and opened my notebook. She had a skinny-to-the-bone face, thin blonde hair, and dark under-eyes. She wore an oversized, black sweater with jeans.

"Yes. Could you tell me all you know about the recent death of Jonathan Blake?" I asked her. She froze and put down her book.

"You better keep your voice down and don't go asking questions like that. You aren't goin' to get nowhere askin' strangers, but I know about...it," she says.

"There's nothin' really to know about it. He had the perfect girl, Emra, who was just a school friend to me before she moved away. Jonathan deprived himself of human connections and later...," she trailed off but I knew what she was going to say.
I started writing everything down. Emra...that was the dehumanized puppet-like ballerina I saw who tried to kill me, right?

"What about Zachary? Do you know anything about him?" I asked. She gave me a confused look.

"I knew everyone in my class but there wasn't any Zachary," she commented. I nodded slightly.

"Well, I should get going to interview more people," I say, "thank you."
She hesitated before clearing her throat.

"I'm Anna May, but everyone just calls me May. I can help if you want, there's only just a handful of students who know about all of this," May offered. I smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I should introduce you to my...friend, Finn Jackson," I commented as I led her to where Finn was with a pile of books stacked by him.

"You weren't bluffing, it's actually Finn. I didn't know he still went to school," May laughed a bit. Finn didn't even look up at her and kept typing.
I picked up a book from the desk and read the title out loud, "An Exorcist." I then noticed a piece of paper he was writing dozens of phone numbers and addresses on.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Looking for an exorcist, best holy water, salt meant for shit like this, and a priest," Finn says, "are you done asking questions?"

"I got a lot of valuable information from May, but I think I still need more," I say. May rocked on her heels.

"What are you even doing?"

"Nothing, we're done with you," Finn sneered. May pressed her lips together and waved goodbye to me.