Chapter Twenty-five: In Which Jeff Bitches and Jack Drives

After approximately two miserable hours, Jeff was dog-tired, his ankle was numb, his stomach growled irritably, and his mood had taken a sharp turn for the worse. Jack's ringtone made him want to butcher someone. He jabbed the talk button with more force than necessary and growled, "Hi."

"Hello, Mr. Grumpy Pants. I'm in Caskon. Are you almost here?"

"I'm in the middle of fucking nowhere, how am I supposed to know?"

"So I guess the nice Jeffy from earlier is gone?"

"There is no such thing as nice Jeffy," Jeff snapped. "And quit calling me that. My name is Jeff."

"Okay, Jeff. Tell me how to find you."

"I don't know where I am, dammit."

"Look at the GPS."

Jeff glared at his shoes. About half an hour ago he'd reached the edge of the grass field and stepped across the salty border of Seed Eater's territory. Once out of the field, the grass had been mown to a more manageable level and he'd crossed a single backroad. He'd expected to find Caskon quickly and easily-but, as it was turning out, nothing could ever be that simple. "I left the GPS," he grumbled at the grass.

The phone was silent for a moment. "Could you describe your surroundings?"

"Hm. Ho-hum, ho-hum. Um, there's grass, and grass, and more fucking grass. We're in Nebraska."

"Have you crossed any roads?"

"Yes," Jeff said poisonously, grinding his teeth. "I suppose you want me to go back."

"Would be beneficial."

"Don't use smartass words with me, Laughingstock, I am not in the mood," Jeff hissed.

"All I said was-"

"I know what you said, I'm not stupid."

There was a put-upon sigh from the phone. "No, Jeff. Of course not."

"What are you insinuating?"

"That you're in a helluva bad mood."

"I'm starving to death, I'm fucking tired, my ankle's killing me, and everyone is dying." Jeff stomped his foot-the bad one-snarled and sat in the grass, wrapping his free arm around his knees and trying hard to stuff the Eyeless-memory back into its little box.

"Aw, Jeffy," Jack sighed. "I know. Just find the road, okay?"

Jeff flopped onto his back, stared at the sky, and took a few settling breaths. After a moment, he said, "Alright. I'll text you the name and you'll meet me on it?"

"You betcha," Jack said.

"'kay," Jeff muttered, heaving his weight back onto his feet. "Talk to you later."

"Yeah. Be safe," Jack said. Jeff snorted and hit the end button before turning back the way he'd come, putting his head against the hard November wind, and walking.

It was some fifteen minutes later he found the road, and then he walked up it another ten before he found a road sign and texted Jack his location. Then he spent another thirty minutes waiting for Jack and wallowing in his misery. He was attempting to avoid thinking about Slenderman and Eyeless and everything else that was causing him hell, but he really had nothing else to do but stare at the stars. He did manage to focus on those for a while. They were hard and cold-clear, and he named the few constellations he saw and knew. Andromedea, Pisces, Aquarius.

Eyeless had never seen the constellations. And he never would. Jeff rolled onto his stomach and buried his face against his arms, inhaling the smell of his hoodie, of safety and warmth and good times. Why was Eyeless so attached to his own hoodie? Jeff adored both his hoodies, but not to the point that Eyeless loved his. Jeff had never even asked about it. He didn't even know where Eyeless came from. Fuckin' good friend he was.

He'd have to be better, try harder. Oh, wait. He couldn't, because Eyeless was fucking dead. Jeff sucked in a breath and grabbed his hair. Maybe he's not, maybe he's not. No, don't do this. Don't lie to yourself. We're not a child. Eyeless is dead. No hope. Don't hope. But-no. Just keep it together a little longer. Just a little longer and then we can snap and we can kill those motherfuckers.

He entertained himself with visions of their mutilated bodies. They didn't even have to smile. They didn't deserve to smile. They didn't deserve fucking faces. He'd take all their eyes, that's what he'd do. Then he'd roll their eyes around and feed them to Seed Eater. Could someone feel their eye if you pulled it out but it was still attached by a nerve? Now that would be a fine experiment. He'd have to try it. There'd be plenty of subjects. All his brothers would want to have fun, too. But there would still be enough for all of them, Jeff thought. They could help each other out. Who said they had to work alone? Slender wasn't fucking around anymore to fucking tell them what to fucking do. It was Slender's fault Eye was-Jeff tugged on his hair again. The sparks of pain distracted him from the black hollow forming behind his sternum.

Shortly after Jeff heard the growl of an engine, headlights (on bright, Jack the bloody bastard) flared over the grass. Jeff pushed himself onto his feet at the same time Jack pulled the van off the road. When he turned it off, the land around them was readily cast into darkness.

"It's about time," Jeff grumbled, heading towards the van. It was actually good to see the vehicle again, ugly and familiar.

Jack met him halfway and looked him up and down. "You look like hell."

"Gee, thanks," Jeff said, swerving around him and pulling the van's side door open. "Don't feel much better." He collapsed onto the bench seat and pressed his face against the fabric, breathing in. It smelled like Masky and Hoodie, faintly-cinnamon and warm clothes. It was also pleasantly warm inside the van. "Get in and turn the heater back on," Jeff said, when Jack stopped beside the van.

"Are you hurt?" Jack asked.

"Nothing serious," Jeff said. "I can still fight."

"Who's blood?"

"Nobody's who deserved it. Well, mostly. Eye-never fucking mind. Let's go. We've got people to kill, brothers to rescue."

Jack rested a hand on Jeff's back, just above his mark. Jeff let him. It was soothing to feel a touch that wasn't panicked or painful, even from the clown-but they still didn't have that kind of time, so after a second Jeff turned his head and glared. "They'll be fine," Jack said, stepping away and climbing into the driver's seat.

"Yeah," Jeff said. "Right."

They drove south, towards the burning place and Slender and Seed Eater and their family.