Scary Story Time!- Foul is Fair (Installment 2)

Konichiwa!  I'm back with more of my fanfic for you guys!  It's been longer than I had intended since I last posted and I'm sad to say that I haven't written as much as I'd like to have on this story since then, but I've largely been working on stuff for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which has been really exciting but also a little stressful because my school's creative writing club is doing a group novel and communication is a major issue for us.  We don't even know who all is writing the blasted thing! (>.<)  But that's another post for another day.  Today, we're talking creepypastas.  Now, I've written more than I'm posting, but the only reason for that is because it was the best stopping point I could find without making things confusing.  I'm slowly introducing more of the pastas and I'm really excited because I'm finally introducing my personal favorite, Jane the Killer!  Yes, I know she's largely viewed as a ripoff of Jeff, but I just love how sassy and BAMF she is!  Also, I think it would be really fun to cosplay as her or do a couples cosplay as Jane and Jeff and run around all night pretending to try and kill each other! Ah, there's my sick sense of humor rearing its ugly head, but I guess you guys are getting used to it by now, eh?  If you're like I was until about three minutes ago when I went and checked, you can go back to the time I posted the first installment of this story back in October and refresh your memory before reading the second installment.  I hope you enjoy.  I know I've been having fun writing it.  It's almost like the characters have a life of their own!  I'll be back eventually with more fun stuff for you reader-sans!  Sayonara!


- Turtle-chan

You wake up the next morning and swing your legs over the edge of the bed.  You stand up, a little shaky on your feet, but you don’t fall.  Bright sunlight bathes the room and you take the chance to get your first real look at what has been your prison for who knows how many days.

                The room is small, really only just large enough for the hospital bed and E.J.’s equipment.  The walls are kind of a beige color and so is the tiled floor.  The only light source appears to be the one window and there is also just the one door.  You notice that all of the electronic devices are unplugged and you wonder if it’s because of that creepy kid, Ben.

                You’re about to try to see if you can find a bathroom when E.J. walks in.  “Good morning,” he says quietly.  You think he sounds a little happier and less tired than he did the last time you saw him, but you’re not sure.

                “Morning, E.J.,” you say, smiling up at him.  He’s wearing his usual blue mask and black hoodie with dark jeans.

                He fiddles around, opening and closing the drawers in a cabinet on the other side of the room and you lean against the bed, waiting.  He pulls something out of one of the drawers and turns back to face you.

                “Here, we thought you might like to put on some real clothes,” he says, holding you a bundle of clothes.

                You look down and realize that all this time you’ve been wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown.  You feel your face get hot as you take the clothes from him.  “Yeah, that would be great,” you say.

                He stands there, looking at you and you stare back for a few long moments.  “Um, would you mind waiting in the hall or something…?”

                “O-oh, sorry!” E.J. exclaims, ducking his head like he’s embarrassed.  “I’ll be outside.  Take your time.”  He slips out the door and closes it behind him.

                Wit ha sigh of relief, you pull off the gown and slip your arms and legs into the new, clean clothes.   E.J. gave you a red long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black jeans.  There were no shoes in the bundle, but you assume that you probably won’t be needing them.  You fold the hospital gown neatly and place it on the bed before going to the door and peeking outside.

                You see E.J. leaning against the wall beside the door, standing stock still.  “I’m done now,” you say and he whips his head toward you before nodding.

                “Do you feel up to a walk?” he asks, pushing off of the wall.

                You nod vigorously.  “Yes, please!” you reply, slipping all the way out the door.

                E.J. chuckles, bringing a fist up to his mask where his mouth should be.  “Come on, then.  I’ll give you a tour of the mansion,” he says, starting off down the hallway at a slow enough pace that you can keep up easily.

                Not long after you start walking, you realize how easy it would be to get lost.  It would also be very difficult to escape if you didn’t know your way around.  E.J. points out different things along the way, like the library and Slender Man’s study.  He also points out different people’s bedrooms.  As you pass Jeff’s, he hears the two of you talking and pokes his head out, yelling,” Keep it down, wouldya?  I’m tryin’ to sleep here!”

                You shiver and edge a little closer to E.J., wondering how on earth you could ever have thought Jeff might be trustworthy.  He’s a loose cannon.  You and Eyeless Jack are quiet until Jeff is well out of earshot.  “Well, this is where the girls sleep,” E.J. tells you as you enter yet another hallway that looks exactly the same as the last.

                “Girls?” you ask, unable to conceal your surprise.  You had assumed everyone here was male, since the only people you’d seen were the guys.

                E.J. nods.  “Yep, we’ve got a few girls here, though most of us are guys.  That rome over there belongs to Jane.  And that one is Sally’s.  And that-“ he says, getting interrupted by a loud yell.

                “EEEEEEEEEEEEEE JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ!!!!!!” a shrill, high-pitched voice shouts from behind you.  You hear it getting closer and then E.J. jolts forward a few steps.

                You look over and see a little girl in a tattered pink nightgown clinging to E.J. with her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his chest.  In one hand, she carries a grimy old teddy bear with its stuffing coming out and its head and limbs falling off.

                “He, Sally,” E.J. chuckles, shifting her to support her weight more easily.

                “Did you come to play with me?  Charlie and I are having a tea party!  L.J. is there too and he brought candy and Hoodie made cookies and they aren’t yucky this time and who’s that?” the little girl rambles, finally coming to rest her curiosity on you.

                “This is (y/n).  She’s new here, so be nice to her, okay,” he says.  You get the feeling that he’s smiling.  He must like kids.

                The little girl stares at you with crazy, shining eyes, blood dripping down her face from underneath her wild brown hair.  She grins at you and says,” Will you play with me?”

                You decide to ignore her grotesque appearance and just see her as a little girl.  You smile at her sweetly and say,” Sure, I’d love to play with you!”

                “Yay!” she exclaims, clapping her hands with delight.  E.J. puts her down and she runs over and takes your hand.  “Come on, let’s go!”

                You look over at E.J. who is watching the two of you.  “You’re welcome to go on.  I have some work to get done, so I’ll just come and get you when I’m done,” he tells you, waving you on.  “Oh, but don’t eat any candy you’re given.”

                You nod, knowing by now to just listen when E.J. warns you about something.  Sally drags you down the hall and opens the door to her bedroom.  Inside, it looks just like any other little girl’s room, pink and frilly and littered with dolls and playthings.  In the middle of the room is a little plastic table with plastic cups and plates.  Four chairs sit around the table and Sally leads you over to one.

                “Oh, dahling, I do insist you sit heah,” she tells you, feigning a British accent.

                You giggle as you sit ddown.  “Why thank you.  I do believe that this is the most lovely tea party that I have ever laid eyes upon,” you tell her, also affecting an accent.

                She laughs, but then forces herself to be serious.  “Now, now, Charles.  This simply won’t do.  You have gone and stolen Jack’s chair,” she scolds, lifting her teddy bear out of the chair across from you and placing him next to you.

                “Now, wherever could he have run off to?”

                Sally stands with her little hands on her hips, looking annoyed, and you’re about to try to comfort her when you hear laughing and turn around to see someone or something climb out of the closet.

                “Hee hee!  Don’t fret, pet!  Laughing Jack is here!” the creature announces, still giggling.  As it straightens up, you see that it is a clown clad only in shades of black and white.  He is somewhat tall and has a long, pointed nose and he is giggling and grinning at nothing and everything.

                “You’re being mean, Jack.  We were all ready to start the tea party but you weren’t there!  Now the cookies are going to be cold and we don’t have any candy!” Sally scolds, glaring up at him with her fists still on her hips.

                The clown lopes up to Sally and then squats down to her level.  “Saaaallllyyyyyy,” he singsongs.  She refuses to look at him.  “Saaaaaaaaallllyyyyyy!” he says, raising the pitch of his voice.  She still won’t look at him.  You’re beginning to worry, but you decide to let him handle it.  He giggles a little and then rocks back on his heels, turning his eyes up to the sky in mock nonchalance.  “Well, I guess you don’t want to see my newest trick then, do you?” he sighs.  Sally peeks over at him and then quickly looks away.  The clown catches it and carries on with his act, walking slowly in your direction.  “I guess I’ll just have to show it to this lovely little lady here, then.  Hee hee!”

                He walks up to you and bows deeply, looking up at you with his grey eyes gleaming.  “Milady, would you open your mouth for me, please?” he asks you theatrically.  Uncertainly, you do as he asks and he reached a pale, slender hand into your mouth.  You force yourself not to grimace as he pulls his hand back out again.  “Tadah!” he exclaims and you look up to see him holding a bag of candies.  “Thank you for wrapping them up so nicely for us.”

                You smile and nod to hide your embarrassment and discomfort and you are relieved when Sally runs over to the clown and hugs him around his black-and-white-striped-tight-wearing leg.  “You did bring candy after all, you meanie!” she exclaims joyfully.  “Here, come.  Do sit down.”  She leads him over to the table and directs him to sit in the chair across from you.  His long legs don’t fit under the table, so he sits hunched over with his legs curled up to his chest.  Your feet brush against his underneath the table and you apologize.

                “Oh, don’t worry about it, sugar,” he tells you, flapping a hand dismissively and chuckling.  He offers you a piece of brightly colored candy from the bag.  “Here, a sweet for a sweet!  Ha!”  He falls into a fit of giggles and you take the candy from him but heed E.J.’s warning and don’t eat it.

                Sally bustles around the table, pretending to pour tea into everyone’s cup.  You take a fake sip of the “tea” and exclaim,” Why, Miss Sally!  This is such a lovely tea!  And it pairs so nicely with the wonderful sweets you’ve provided!”

                “But of course, Miss (y/n).  Only the best for my guests,” she responds.  Then, she turns to the clown.  “Oh, Jack.  You’ve been terribly rude.  After all this time you’ve still not asked for an introduction to our guest.”

                “Well I do believe you’re right,” he tells her, putting his cup down.  “Sally, would you do me the honor of introducing your lovely new friend to me?”

                “But of course,” Sally responds.  You briefly wonder whether that’s the only posh response she knows.  “Stand up, Jack.  You must be a gentleman.”  The clown stands and you do as well.  “Now, Jack, this is (y/n).  (Y/n), this is Jack.”

                Jack reaches out and shakes your hand.  His hands feel frail and bony, like a bird’s feet or something.  “Laughing Jack.  Nice to meetcha,” he says, nodding his head at you and smiling.

                “I’m (y/n).  Nice to meet you, too,” you respond with a small smile.

                “No, no, no!  You have it all wrong, Jack!  She is a lady.  Ladies don’t shake hands!” Sally exclaims furiously.

                Laughing Jack chuckles, ”No?  Then how do I need to greet a lady if I can’t shake her hand?”  He shoots a wink over at you and laughing to himself.

                “You kiss her hand.  Everyone knows that!”

                “Well then,” he says, taking your hand and bending over it.  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss (y/n).  I sincerely hope that we shall become better acquainted in the future.”  He kisses your hand and you blush.

                Sally nods in approval.  “Much better.  You may sit down again,” she tells you and Jack.

                You both obey her and she begins to talk to her teddy bear, leaving you and Jack in awkward silence.  You decide to be the one to break the silence with some polite conversation, and hope that you’ll be able to get some information out of him.

                “So, you live here as well?” you ask him with an inquisitive smile.

                He pops a piece of candy in his mouth.  “Yep.  You’re new here, aren’t you?  Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” he responds, sucking on the candy and chuckling.

                You nod politely.  “Yeah, I didn’t have a clue there were other girls here until just a short while ago when E.J. introduced me to Sally,” you tell him.

                He laughs.  “There are a few girls here, but it’s mostly just us men.  But I’m guessing you already know that, judging by those stitches in your cheeks.  Are you Jeff’s, then?  Or E.J.’s?”  He points a long finger lazily in the general direction of your face as he talks.

                You blush a little and then shake your head.  “What do you mean?  I don’t even know them, really.  Jeff cut me and then the Slender Man told E.J. to patch me up.  That’s all,” you tell him, trying not to think about your other encounters with the two.

                Jack laughs out loud with his head thrown back and his long-ish black hair splayed out behind him.  “Hee hee!  I’ll just let you figure it out on your own, then,” he says.  “But I’ll also make life a little harder for those two when I can!”

                You laugh a little uncomfortably and Jack laughs at your awkwardness.  The tea party carries on for a few minutes longer until you all hear a soft knock at the door.  Sally gets up and runs to open it.  E.J. is standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets.

                “Aw, E.J., you’re making (y/n) go back already?” she complains.

                “Sorry, Sally.  I have to finish showing her around and she’s probably tired,” he tells her, stepping into the room.  “Are you ready, (y/n)?”

                You get up from your chair and nod.  “Yep.”  You walk over toward him.

                He’s leading you out the door when you hear Laughing Jack giggling behind you.  “Trying to monopolize our pretty new guest, are we, E.J.?” he inquires with amusement.

                E.J. turns to face him silently and you glance over your shoulder at the two of them.  “What exactly are you trying to imply?”

                Laughing Jack smirks but stops laughing for the first time since you’ve met him.  “You have competition, Jackie boy.  Don’t you forget it,” he says darkly.  Then, he turns to you and smiles.  “Catch, sugar!”

                Instinctively, you throw your hands up to catch the piece of black and white candy that he throws at you.  You look down at it and look back up at Jack, confused.  “Thanks,” you tell him a little uncertainly as you put it into the pocket of your jeans with the other piece of candy he gave you.

                Jack winks at you and laughs while Sally stands by laughing as well, but you can tell she doesn’t have a clue what’s going on.  E.J. stares at Jack for a moment and Jack stares back.  There’s a tension between the two that’s almost tangible and it makes you feel very uncomfortable.

                E.J. lightly places his fingertips on the middle of your back and guides you to the door.  “Bye, Sally.  I’ll come play with you again some other time,” you tell her as you leave.  She smiles and nods at you as she closes the door and she makes Charlie wave at you.

                E.J. takes his hand off you’re your back as soon as you’re out of Sally’s room and starts walking down the hallway.  You still kind of feel like there’s some tension in the air and you want to talk to E.J. but you’re also a little scared to.  You look up at him and not for the first time you wish that he didn’t wear that mask.

                Without warning, he looks over at you and catches you watching him.  “Is something wrong?  If you’re too tired, I can take you back and we can finish this later,” he says in that quiet voice of his.

                “No, I’m fine.  It’s nothing,” you respond and keep walking, looking at the gray floors.

                He nods and you walk on in silence for a few more moments before E.J. speaks again.  “You… didn’t eat any of the candy, did you?” he asks and you think he sounds a little uncomfortable.

                You look back up at him again and notice that he has put his hands in his pockets and is facing straight ahead.  “No!  He gave me candy, but I didn’t eat any of it.  You said not to and I figured you’d know, so...” you trail off, pulling the candies out of your pocket and showing them to him.

                He looks at them and nods.  “Good,” he says, sounding relieved.  “So, we left off at Sally’s room and we already passed a couple of the other girl’s rooms.  Nina is across the hall from Sally and next to her is Clockwork and across from her is Luna.  The one at the end of the hall is Jane’s.  I think she’s only a little bit older than you are.  She should be sleeping right now, but I can try to introduce you two later if you want.  I’m sure you’re getting tired of being stuck with nothing but us boys for company.”

                You smile.  ‘Well, you’re not all bad.  You’re always really nice to me, E.J., and Masky and Hoodie don’t seem too bad.  The Slender Man was really polite and helped me out with Jeff and Ben and those two are the only ones I just don’t like at all.  Laughing Jack was kind of weird, but he seemed nice enough.”

                He chuckles.  “I’m glad you think I’m nice.  I don’t think anyone has ever told me that before, so thank you,” he says and you can hear a smile in his voice.  “But yeah.  Ben is really immature and, to be honest, so is Jeff.  At least Ben doesn’t really know when to stop if he goes too far; Jeff knows when he’s gone too far and he just keeps going anyway because he likes it.  But that’s beside the point.  If you don’t like Jeff then you will definitely get along with Jane!”

                “Why?  Do they not get along?” you ask him.

                You hear him laugh again.  “No, not at all.  They can’t stand each other and they’re always trying to kill each other.  It’s actually pretty fun to watch!”

                “That’s awful!” you exclaim without thinking.  “What if someone got hurt?”

                E.J. cocks his head quizzically.  “Well, I guess I’d patch them up if Slender Man told me to and if not we’d just leave them to die.  Simple as that,” he explains.

                “But aren’t they your friends?” you ask, not able to let it drop.

                “Well, we all live together because of our work, but I wouldn’t exactly say we’re friends.  I mean, sure, we have some alliances just for convenience’s sake, but I wouldn’t say any of us are friends unless you count Sally who seems to think of Slender Man as a father,” he says.  “Why the sudden interest and concern for our well-being?”

                “Oh, no reason.  I was just curious about how things work around here,” you say nonchalantly.

                “It’s probably better if you don’t get too curious,” he tells you.  “Come on, let’s go back before you get too tired.”

                You follow him obediently, but you still wonder about the strange house full of even stranger people.  You also wonder about what Jack said earlier.  Are the guys in the house fighting over you?  You feel a little embarrassed by the thought, but you also feel a thrill of excitement.  You don’t know if Jack was right, but he and E.J. were acting pretty territorial.  And then there’s how Jeff acted last night, being kind to you and even complimenting you…

                But you have to stop thinking about that or it’ll drive you to distraction.  You and E.J. walk in silence the rest of the way to your room and he holds the door open for you as you walk inside.

                “Hey, (y/n).  Do you think you’ll feel up to eating dinner downstairs tonight?  You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but you seem interested in meeting everyone and you should be okay to eat solid foods now,” he says, hovering in the doorway and sounding a little embarrassed.

                “Sure,” you tell him and you’re pretty sure things are alright between you and E.J. again.

                He nods.  “Alright.  I’ll come get you tonight then.  You have a few hours to wait, so maybe try to get some rest in the meantime, okay?” he says as he closes the door.

                You sink down onto the bed with a sigh.  You really are tired.  You lay down, only planning to rest you eyes for a few minutes before getting ready for dinner, but you fall asleep almost before your head hits the pillow.