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I flipped through the channels on the television, hoping to find something at least worth listening to while I decorated the house for my sister's thirteenth birthday party, but my search was coming up empty. Commercial after commercial. Soap Operas were about the only thing on the air at that hour and quite frankly, I would rather watch the news than Soap Operas.
I turned on the news and on the television screen was a picture of my town with the words "Don't Go To Sleep" written across it in a shitty photo-shopped font to look like dripping blood. "Tonight, we bring you the latest on the most recent discovery in the Montgomery Falls murders. Apparently, the killer, who has yet to be named or identified, has been writing the words, "Go to Sleep" on the victims' walls in blood after killing them. A chilling new discovery in this case. Tom Arder is on the scene with the latest. Tom?"
Tom, the newscaster on channel 13 since as far back as I can remember, was reporting near the little fairground in my town while crowds of children and parents enjoyed the rides and games behind him. "Yes, I am here in Montgomery Falls at the fairground where most of the townspeople have decided to spend their evenings, far away from any thoughts about the serial murders. Seven people have been slaughtered in their homes within the last three days and all of which were said to be well-loved, with no enemies or reason to be killed. What's even more chilling is that in some cases, entire families were slaughtered with no rhyme or reason."
So he doesn't go after the socially rejected recluses like me then? Tom sent the broadcast back to Jennie in the studio and they concluded the segment by telling viewers to stay on high alert whether at home or out in public and to make sure all doors and windows are locked tight before going to sleep. But let's be honest, who could go to sleep after hearing that seven people in our town had already been slaughtered in their own homes? Montgomery Falls is not a very big town; it's made up of about maybe 700 people. Everyone here knows everyone else. So you would think that if seven people were killed, everyone would be talking about it and locking themselves indoors and boarding up the windows, right?
Well, that would be true if anything around here was normal. My father left my mother and I when I was about eight years old. I don't really remember much about him, other than the fact that he was never home. My little sister came along a few years after my father left, but she wasn't really my sister. My uncle decided to lose his mind one day, shoot my aunt, and then set their house on fire, with their four year old daughter inside. Needless to say, that was the day my cousin became my sister. Shortly after that, weird things started happening in my town. We had people coming door-to-door asking if we had thought about body cleansing cremation and if we'd like to be put on the sign up list. Then there was a man dressed as a clown knocking on people's windows at night and tying balloons to their cars and mailboxes. Pretty harmless, but still creepy.
The most recent incident before the murders was the disappearance of at least twenty-eight children from Montgomery Falls, never seen or heard from again. So it's really no surprise that there's a serial killer in our little town and I know I should be apathetic about it like everyone else, but this isn't just people being scared by clowns or creepy salesmen. People are dying.
"Kenzie, make sure you lock all the doors and windows tonight. Don't fall asleep either because if you go missing before my party tomorrow, Mom will ground you for an eternity," my little sister said while walking towards the front door.
I stood up just as my mom came into the room and headed for the door. "Wait, where are you guys going? I thought you were just putting Alyssa to bed early so I could decorate."
My mom put her hand on her hip and stared at me. "That was the plan but then she decided she wanted to go to the mall to buy an outfit to wear at her party. You can hold the house down for a couple hours Kenzie, can't you? You are seventeen now."
"Oh, sure. I'll be fine, I guess," I said before muttering under my breath, "not like you'd care anyway."
She nodded and blew me a kiss before leaving with Alyssa. I hurried over and locked the door after them. I wasn't scared or anything. Okay, fine. Maybe I was a little scared, but only because people were dying. I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind and gathered the party supplies for my sister's birthday. She was always a tomboy, to the point where people often thought she was a boy, so she left precise instructions on how to decorate the house.
No pinks, purples, or polka dots. Blues, greens, and dark colors only. The most important instruction of all: no party hats. Simple enough. I hung some different colored streamers throughout the living room, blew up some balloons, and set some party favors on the table. Done. I plopped back onto the couch and the clock above the television caught my eye. 11:45. They left at 10:00. Almost two hours to buy one outfit? Ugh.
All the doors and windows were locked and everything in the house was secured and still. I had the perfect opportunity to get a little rest before they came home from the mall and insisted on showing me every single thing they bought, twice. The news had gone off the air and Soap Operas were back on, but at least it was something to fall asleep to. Just as I felt my eyes shut beneath the stillness of the house, something crashed in the other room down the hall. My first instinct normally would have been to run down the hall and check what it was, but my thoughts were far too unsettled to do that tonight. It probably was just my cat making the racket though.
"Beanie? Beanie come to Mommy! Beanie?" I called from the living room, hoping my kitty would come running out of my room. She didn't; but maybe Beanie was just being stubborn and not listening. She was a cat after all, not a dog.
I tried calling her again and even shaking the cat food bag, but she didn't come. The house seemed to grow even stiller and quieter than before. All the electronic appliances had shut off. The television, the telephones, and even the digital clocks had all been disconnected from power. Either Beanie tripped a circuit or something cut our electric. Our lighting and refrigerator were installed on a separate protected breaker when all the weird incidents started happening around town years ago, so at least I wasn't stranded in the dark. My closet door creaked shut and I heard a carving noise against it.
"B-Beanie?" I whispered loudly down the hall.
My journal came flying out of my room and landed open on the floor in front of me. I swallowed back a scream and stared down the hall. Silence. Red paint, or blood, was strewn all over the pages of my journal. HATE. HATE. WHY? SO MUCH. Words were painted boldly all over the pages I had written my thoughts and secrets on; pages I had poured my heart and soul into writing.
I froze on the ground where I sat after I realized he was in my house. The killer. He had gone through my room and read my journal? Why? Fuck it. Why he read my journal was none of my concern; he could play dress up in my closet for all I cared. My main concern was crawling into the kitchen and grabbing the largest knife I could find before he decided to come find me. Just as I edged my way past the couch towards the kitchen, the lights shut off.
"Go to Sleep." Faint whispers rang throughout the living room, seemingly from all directions.
I jumped onto my feet and ran into the kitchen, fumbling for the closest knife I could get my hands on.
"Go to Sleep." The whisper came from the living room this time not even ten feet away from where I stood, but it didn't sound evil.
My hands were shaking as I held the knife close to my chest. I should have ran out the back door or hid in the pantry, but I was too paralyzed to move my feet. Whose blood was on those pages? His? Beanie's? Oh god, no. If he hurt Beanie...
"What the hell do you want?!" I finally shouted into the pitch black living room.
The lights started flickering on and off like a strobe light. Each time they came back on, the whispering and laughing shifted around the room. All I could hear was, "Go to Sleep" coming at me from every angle followed by soft maniacal laughter. It was like being in a house of mirrors; everything looked the same and I had no idea which way to turn.
I felt like I was losing my mind. "I'm not even anything like the others you killed! I'm not loved. I have no friends. I fucking hate everybody!"
Everything stopped and stood still. The lights stopped flickering and the whispering quieted.
"Ah, but see, that's exactly the reason why I'm here."
The lights came back on and ten feet away from me was the man who I assumed was the killer of Montgomery Falls. His appearance made my breathing halt. He was as pale as a corpse with jet black hair to contrast. The corners of his mouth had been cut and healed to leave a permanent smile scarred on his face. I really didn't want to think about the reasoning behind that or the fact that I'm pretty sure he didn't have eyelids. Was he in some sort of freak accident? He wore a white hoodie and black pants, but both of which were spattered all over with blood. He was holding Beanie in his arms and she was happily being petted. This guy was the one who killed seven people in town in two days? He looked barely older than me, but I was still clutching hold of my knife.
The man cracked a half-smirk and said, "Hello Makenzie. You probably know me as the killer of Montgomery Falls."
I stared at him, unable to form words.
"Most people know me as Jeff the Killer."
So, this is my first Jeff the Killer fic and it's my first fic since I've been on hiatus for what feels like a century. I'm very new to the Jeff the Killer fandom so if I screwed something up or you have any suggestions please let me know and also if you just liked the story please follow/favorite/review! ^_^
