It was day, now. Jeff was sat in the far corner of a coffee shop, a hot drink in hand. He had spent most of the night examining the note that had been left at Liu's grave, but to no avail. Who would want his brother's body?
Jeff noticed that the rain was non-stop in the town he was in. It was still raining, and had been all night. He was surprised that there were no flood warnings. His white eyes watched the cars drive by the window, the rain pattering against the pane.
"It's wet today, Jeff…"
"I know, Liu… I know… Hey, let's play indoors, yeah?"
Jeff grit his teeth, growling quietly. He took a sip of his hot beverage, taking the note from his pocket. He knew that it was impossible to be Liu's handwriting, but why was it left at the grave? Was it some sort of code? A secret message perhaps? Jeff ran his finger over the words, tracing the letters. Then, he paused, feeling something odd. It was like touching wax. He ran his fingers over it once more. Definitely wax.
"What is it for…?" He muttered to himself. Jeff looked at the note and remembered that, painting over wax, would make it show up on paper. Silently, he finished his drink and went over to the counter. There, stood a young woman.
"Can I help you…?" She asked, confused as to why Jeff still had his hood up.
"Do you know any paint stores in town?" He asked. The feeling was nudging the back of his mind, but he needed an answer from the woman, and decided to satisfy his killing urge later.
"Uh, sure… Just a few streets away…" Jeff thanked her and left, hands in his pockets. He walked down the streets, getting many stares. He cursed himself for going out in the day.
He reached the store quickly, keeping his head down. He bought a pot of red paint and a paint brush, then, headed to an abandoned bus stop in the rough part of town. Sitting on the ground, he pried the lid off the tin and dipped the brush into the liquid. He pulled the note from his pocket and smoothed it out, laying it on the hard floor. He dipped the brush a few times, before running it across the page. It was instantly dyed red and the wax writing began to appear.
"Got it…" Jeff allowed the red to dry, before reading the words. Written in messy handwriting was 'THE FOREST, MIDNIGHT' He growled at the lack of information, crumpling up the paper and tossing it away. He stood up, panting in anger. Jeff kicked over the paint tin, red paint splattering everywhere. He threw the paint brush in fury, stamping his foot like a child having a tantrum. A scream of pure annoyance emitted from his throat. For once, his emotions were not controlled by the feeling. He bared his teeth, growling and kicking at the bus stop, like a furious wolf in a cage. Hell, he even sounded like one.
After he'd calmed down, he headed to the only wood in the entire area. It wasn't midnight yet, but he had nowhere else to go. Jeff sat against a tree, gripping his knife, sharpening it on the tree. The blade reflected his cruel, permanent smile.
"Fuck…" He repeatedly cursed, the back of his mind tingling. It was only seven in the evening and his body was desperate to kill. He jumped, suddenly, his phone vibrating in his pocket. Cursing more, he pulled it out, flipping the screen up. The entire screen was static, buzzing and humming quietly. Then, words faded onto the screen.
YOU ARE EARLY.
The screen went black, as if nothing happened. Shocked by what had just happened, Jeff stared at his phone, before putting it back into his pocket. He gripped his knife tighter.
"Come out!" He yelled, getting up. "Come out and show yourself!" Jeff felt a presence behind him. He spun and his eyes widened.
Then, black.
A groan escaped his throat. Jeff got up from cold ground as his eyes focused. He was back at Liu's grave. He cursed, his phone vibrating again. Tearing it from his pocket, he snapped the lid open.
YOU WERE FAR TOO EARLY, JEFFREY.
Growling, he checked the time. It was almost midnight. He cursed over and over, walking back to the forest. What annoyed him most was that he could not remember what had happened just before he blacked out. He remembered the message on his phone, but nothing after that. It was like whatever he had seen, did not want to be remembered.
"Liu, what do I do? I can't solve this puzzle…"
"Just keep calm, Jeff. Solving a puzzle needs a calm and collective mind"
Jeff gritted his teeth.
"Just shut up, Liu…" He growled to himself "Just shut the fuck up…" His chest felt heavy, like it had yesterday, but he ignored it. It was not the time for his memories to drain him again. He broke into a run and raced towards the forest, eventually entering once again. Panting, he headed towards the place he'd sat before. This time, his phone did not vibrate. However, there was a note on a tree. He pried it off the trunk and read what was on it.
LEAVE ME ALONE.
There was some kind of weird, scribbled tree next to "ME". Jeff's fist clenched. He screwed up the note and shoved the paper into his pocket.
"Is that all you wanted?!" He screamed at the sky. He withdrew his knife "Fight me!" Nothing happened. Jeff trembled in anger. He fell to his knees. "What… do you want from me…?" Again, nothing. He had never been this emotional before. Usually, the feeling blocked out any emotion, but the past two days had been different. His body was clearly not coping well. Jeff needed to let out his emotions. Getting up, he exited the forest and glanced at the village down the street.
I apologise for this chapter being shorter than the last. Hopefully, the next will be longer. Thank you to all those who have taken the time to read the story so far! It is people who read and review who keep me writing. Thank you ever so much.
-JJ
