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You were just supposed to be another one of his victims. EJ never really picked anyone specifically, and did minimal research into a person before deciding who he’d go after next. If there was less info, it only helped keep all suspicion off him for the time being. While the way he killed was unique, he never wanted to fall into a pattern and end up getting caught in the end.
But he wasn’t sure why he didn’t end up killing you. He became almost entranced, in an odd sort of way. You were clueless. Sure, he wasn’t exactly obvious when he went after someone, but you didn’t seem to pay any mind when your window would be open at night. Not once, not twice, but FIVE times, he’d crawled through your window and you always laughed about it being open, thinking you’d left it open again…
He wasn’t sure if you were oblivious or just downright stupid.
At one point, he even thought it would be funny to mess with your head a little more. Do something more obvious to try and get your attention. He’d leave your fridge open, blood on the shelves. He nearly felt his jaw hit the floor when you laughed. Said “must have let the beef stay in there too long.” Before throwing it all out and cleaning it up.
It became a sick form of game for him. To see how much he had to go over the top to finally get you to be afraid. Imagine his frustration when you screamed at a small ball of fuzz, thinking it was a roach in your home. How come the blood trails, the cuts in your pillow, the broken window and the slashed tires didn’t scare you but a ball of fuzz did? It left him groaning, covering his face in disbelief.
He had spent far too long figuring out how to get to you, and decided to just go for it in the end. You were home, and he knew that. He had stolen your keys, made a copy, and now walked right into your home when you were cleaning the living room. Seeing you dancing around, singing entirely off-key to the music you were listening to, it confused him. He had come into the situation prepared to make you his victim.
He did still want to…but why was he hesitating? His inner distractions caused him to not hear when you stopped singing. He nearly flinched when he was pulled out of his thoughts by you walking right up to him. “Hello? I think you have the wrong apartment.” He was so sure you could see his mask shift, brows furrowed as he tried to think of what to say.
His voice was rough around the edges to say the least, he never really took time to talk to anyone. Especially not victims. “Uh…” He couldn’t even think of what to say. It took him several moments before he spoke a bit more confidently. “No. This is the one I meant to be at.” But he didn’t think things through. Why was he even bothering with talking to you? It wasn’t something he’d ever done before, and he tried to resort to different lengths to get you to be scared of him. Something, ANYTHING.
He pulled out a surgical knife, jabbing it in your direction. “You seriously don’t understand the situation?” A scoff, and he continued. “Don’t you know you’re in danger right now?”
You looked at him confused, speaking softly. “Am I? I didn’t even notice you in here…like wouldn’t you have already hurt me if I was in danger?” Your words were genuine, not seeming to feel any semblance of fear…just confusion. A desire to know more.
He paused, his hand twitching as he nearly dropped the knife. For someone so oblivious, so…INNOCENT, he hated that…you were right. If it were any other victims, he would have dealt with them then and there. No questions, no talking, nothing but violence straight out of a horror movie. So why was he hesitating?
“OH!” You clapped your hands in front of you, and you didn’t register him tensing up, as if pulled out of his own conflicting thoughts. “I remember hearing of a costume party in the building, it’s a few doors down though.” You beamed at him, reaching up to feel his mask before he grabbed your wrist to stop you. It was a firm grip that nearly bordered on painful. But you didn’t seem to care, instead gasping.
“Woah you’re pretty strong!” A laugh from you and his grip tightened just slightly. “Don’t worry, apartment buildings can be super confusing since everything looks the same.” You grinned, and pointed with your free hand in the direction of the party being held. “If you go down the hall to-”
He interrupted you, leaning closer and nearly growling as he spoke. “I’m not here for a fucking party.” His emotions were going haywire. He felt too much all at once. Frustration, bafflement, confusion, and small sparks of amusement. “I don’t dress like this for some parties. I do it for my…” He trailed his knife down your arm, though not enough to draw blood. Just enough to sting. “Job. If you wanna call it that.” While he tried to hold out some hope you’d understand the meaning, he figured you wouldn’t catch it.
You tilted your head, and let out a small, “Hey that kinda hurts.” With a furrowed brow, but even still, you didn’t pull back from his grip.
He laughed, and while it seemed to amuse you, anyone else would have ran for their lives if they heard a laugh that was menacing. “You know? This is both fun and frustrating. You’re completely unbelievable.” His words were laced with threats you never knew of, and he found himself smiling just slightly. He hated that this was genuinely a bit amusing. He’d never been treated so kindly since he started killing just for fun. Just to eat.
“Is that a bad thing?” You pouted, but you both turned towards the window as you heard numerous police cars seeming to get closer to the building. While you paid no mind, you noted how he let you go, stepping back with an annoyed huff.
“I’ll tell you next time.” He said, straightening his mask and rushing to the window. It left you gasping, and ran over just in time to see him jump out of it. You let out a startled scream, expecting to see him land on the cold ground below.
But there was no one there. You looked around in confusion, and it left him letting out a chuckle.
Well…it wasn’t exactly what he expected. He anticipated making you scream in fear for yourself. Yet somehow, you screamed in fear that he’d get hurt. An astounding contradiction, but he sighed when out of reach of the police. It left him confused…he promised that he’d tell you next time. If he knew what was good for him, he’d either stay away from you entirely, or end you the second he was within arms reach again.
So why didn’t he feel the desire to hurt you anymore?