Chapter 48 As Beautiful As A Purple Rose
'Greetings fair lady.'
In the threshold of the house, it appeared that the three most bizarre people you had ever seen, were standing. It is rather peculiar for a killer such as yourself to say that there is something far more bizarre than either you, or the rest of the fellow residents inside the house, but fate was apparently playing tricks on you, since it appeared that there were far more obscure things in this world.
The man standing right behind the door and was apparently the one that spoke, was as tall and lean as Slender. Well, now that you thought about it, pretty much all of them had characteristics around Slenderman's concept. So the first one, in contrast to Slender, he actually did have facial features, such as two totally black eyes and a mouth that was carved up in a gentle smile that somehow relaxed you, since it carried along the innocence of a child. It reminded you the smile Sally gives you when the two of you play alone and made you wonder how is it possible for someone other than a child to manage to pull it. He was wearing a black suit that had a pattern of polka dots, in various colors, matching it with a tall hat, which he took out as he greeted you, his black tentacles moving gently in the faint breeze. Right behind him, the man that was next reminded you of a real life mannequin, like the ones they have in shops so they can show off their new collections of clothes. And that was not only because he was dressed in high fashion, but also because he was holding a Galaxy phone on his hands, looking at the screen with his blank stare, behind a pair of high fashion glasses. He was the only one among them that didn't have tentacles behind his back, but you couldn't really decide if that was because he chose to hide them, or didn't have at all. Last but not least, the one that was standing behind the first two, was the second one to actually have a mouth. He was as tall as the others and with no facial features, excluding the mouth. He wore a long, grey trench coat and a pair of black pants and a grey hat, while he was smoking heavily.
He was smiling like the first one, but his smile did not, in any way, held any traces of innocence and pure goodness inside. Rather, it made a cold chill run down your spine and the monster inside your mind to growl slowly, menacingly at the view it was presented with, threatening to switch the remaining sanity switches inside you. This smile was a dangerous one, one that made you want to avert your gaze away from it, as if only by looking at it, you would become tainted and impure. By instinct, your mind started securing itself. You practically felt yourself submerge in the cold and black abyss that suddenly arose and bubbled inside of you, knowing that it was the only way to protect your mind from him. Your eyes filled with coldness and the expressionless attitude that you had the first days you arrived here, three times more powerful this time. And why was that? It was because this man reminded you something…it was as if you had seen him before…no, that couldn't be…you would remember that threatening smile…what was it then?
'What's the matter _?' you feel EJ pass his hand on your waist as he comes to stand by you, looking at the newcomers as well. In total contrast with your confused and distressed mind, he just sighs under his breath, so faintly that only you can hear him and greets the three men 'I see that you have arrived. Come inside.'
'Finally. The girl was starting to get annoying.' The man in the glasses said before the others had the time to react, passing proudly by the two of you, never looking up from his phone.
'Nice to see you too Trender.' EJ simply matters.
'Good morning E.J. I see you have another addition in big brother's family.' The man in the polka suit remarks, taking his hat off to greet you both.
'Splendor this is _, _ this is Splendorman or Splendor as we call him.' EJ helps you out with the formalities, sensing your uptight body posture.
'Nice to meet you.' you manage to say politely.
'Nice to meet you too, young lady. What a lovely couple the two of you are.'
'A lovely couple for sure.' The man in the trench coat smiles as he passes by you.
Your cheeks flash with a bright pink, while EJ turns as stiff as a statue behind you.
'W-we are not a couple.' You mumble sheepishly, barely audible to the happy man that passes you by to enter the house as well.
'What a shame then.' He just comments happily.
The others have come along from the living room to greet the new guests, with Jane and Clockwork already talking with the tall man with the glasses and Ben keeping Sally behind his back protectively, as the man in the grey trench coat grins at them. As you close the door, mumbling something of no importance to EJ, you notice that Jeff has his unblinking gaze nailed on you, with surprisingly an unfathomable expression, but as soon as you turn towards the others, he averts his eyes.
'_ these are Trenderman, Splendorman and Offenderman. They are all Slenderman's brothers.' The smiling killer helps you out.
'I have already told her Jeff.' EJ comments, only for the same serious look to return to Jeff's eyes, but before you had the time to study it further, Splendor chirps happily.
'Where is big brother Slender?'
'I am here brother, there is no need to cause a ruckus.' The master of the house makes his appearance through the small corridor that was leading to the kitchen. The moment his brothers see him, Splendor is the first one to shove himself on his big brother's embrace, while Offender gives him a pat in the back with the large grin still on his face and Trender looks up from his phone for the first time to greet his brother.
'Looking good as always brother.' Offender comments.
'How was your trip here?' Slender asks.
'Pleasant. Though your new additions to the family, don't seem to be as sharp or clever.' Trenderman comments, pointing lightly with his head towards your direction.
Immediately, your blood bubbles hot in hearing the insult. How dare the fashion designer wanna-be say that about you?! You're going to rip his head off. The monster growls inside of you, its menacing sound reverberating in the back of your neck as you take a threatening step forward, ready to lunge at the tall man, only for EJ to step in front of you, hiding you behind his back faintly and throwing you a meaningful eyeless stare. He understands your rage, but warns you not to do anything.
'Brother, I would require from you that you are more polite when you are speaking about one of my children.'Slenderman comments, releasing his self from Splendor's arms and dusting the happy man's suit off, his voice even, but with a really faint tint of static.
'Yeah, she still looks dangerous though with those two knives.' Offenderman remarks as he turns to you, confusing you as to how he managed to notice them under your shirt, but you have little to no time to ponder over it as his grin only widens as he slowly but steadily, makes his way towards you 'You wanna go sugar? One on one. I promise I'll be gentle.'
'I don't think she will accept Offender, so back off.' EJ now completely steps in front of you with his back hiding you completely, answering for you before you had the chance to do it yourself, his voice calm, but with the demonic attribute inside of it more evident than before. There was a threat lying behind his calm words and gentle warning. It was too subtle, but evident enough for everyone inside the room to notice. Jeff chuckled silently and you couldn't do anything else but stare between the two males and the tension building among them. Eventually though, a calm and austere voice broke the tension.
'Halloween, Clockwork and Jane, it is time to set the table for supper. EJ, Jeff and Ben, I inquire from you to escort my brothers to the rooms they will be occupying.' Slenderman announced and all of you rushed to follow the orders.
You felt E.J. ease some of the tension he had, sighing ever-so-faintly under his navy blue mask and relaxing his shoulders a bit, turning towards you, only for you to grace him with a big smile to reassure him that you were okay, as well as to thank him for standing up for you. His aura immediately lightens up, before he focuses back at the order at hand, leading the newcomers up the stairs, along with the rest of the guys.
As for you, under the watchful gaze of Slenderman, you follow the girls to the dining room in total silence.
'So what's up with those guys?' you eventually ask them when you are sure it's only the three of you. Clockwork and Jane laugh as they pass you the silver cutlery to place around.
'Bit of f*cking weird as you see.' Jane comments.
'Tell me about it. This guy Offender was coming right against me.' You say.
'Don't mind him, he does that the moment he sees a new girl in the neighborhood. That's his name as well. Sexual Offenderman. If you stay out of his reach, you'll probably be okay.' Clocky smiles.
'I remember the first time I met him. The guy just couldn't stay away. But be very careful, once he starts to talk to you, he has a kind of charm that lures you in. it's one of his attributes that aid him in what he does, which, of course, you can imagine what it is.'
In the sound of Jane's words, the image of Offender stalking and killing girls flashed on your mind 'Yeah, I'll try to stay away.' You mumble.
'Oh, I think it will be easier for you to stay away. Did you notice how silent-and-shy EJ protected you today?' Clocky gives you a devious smile.
'I swear this guy's getting bolder and bolder from the moment he met you. Clocky do you remember him stepping inside a conversation? Like ever?'
Clockwork nods negatively 'Nope. But Splendor's comment is right on spot. The two of you make an adorable couple. Jeff would also fit you quite well, now that I think about it.'
'Noooooo, why are you cursing our best friend to be along this retard? You fit well with EJ _.' Jane says.
Your cheeks flare with a bright cherry red 'Well, the truth is that I do have one of them inside my mind but-'
Their eyes open wide with surprise and they almost fangirl at your blushing face. their enthusiasm is contagious and you also find yourself smiling like an idiot.
'Is it marshmallow Jeff?' Clocky smiles.
'I bet it's all-knightly E.J.' Jane's eyes open wide with anticipation.
'Well-'
'Children, can you add a few more chairs on the table for our guests as well?' Slenderman passes by the dining room, interrupting you.
'We will!' Jane and Clockwork say unanimously.
'Don't you dare go anywhere.' Clocky threatens.
'We'll be back to interrogate you!' Jane adds, as both of them rush out in a hurry to get the things they were asked.
You smile to yourself as you are left alone. Well, it is true; you can't deny it any longer. You like EJ/Jeff. You really, really like him. The thought had slowly started to invade your mind like the rich tide that invades a well protected dock on a summer day. Silently and calmly, but also, mercilessly. It had first began to do that a few months now, but with all the things that have happened and the –oh, my God- the passionate kisses the two of you shared, you just couldn't hold it back any longer. It was your first time in your undead life that you were feeling something that was in no way compared to your inner madness, as it was way stronger than a simple thing as insanity is, so strong, that it was threatening to devour you at any given moment. And the scariest thing of all was that you kind of wanted to be devoured by it. You wanted to let your defenses fall and finally indulge yourself in his dangerous and alluring embrace, accepting everything that came along with that. In fact, you craved the things that it came along with.
Because every time he was kissing you, fireworks were exploding inside your stomach and your mind was unable to comprehend anything other than him. Because every time he was around you, the whole world seized to exist. Because you were craving him with every inch in your body and mind. Every flaw, every positive attribute, everything really. You wanted him just the way he was.
'Why is a beautiful girl like you, all alone?' a voice says from behind you.
Lost as you were in thought, you didn't notice Offender walking inside the dining room until his voice came from, oddly, really close to you. You turn immediately, only to find him inches away from you. Surprise shots through you, as your breath is caught inside your lungs and the dish you were holding falls off your hands, only to crash hard on the ground, breaking into million little pieces right in front of your feet. Averting your gaze from the large grin that seemed to never leave the creatures otherwise blank face, you bend down to pick the pieces up, only to recoil as soon as you feel a sharp pain in your palm. Damn it! You had cut yourself in one of the sharp pieces.
'Oh my, that looks a bit nasty.' The man chuckles and you have the strong impression that he towers threatenly above you.
Without a single word, you straighten yourself up and look him dead in the eye (well, where his eyes would be if he had any), proceeding to look at the wound on your hand.
'It's not that important. It will heal in a short while.' As you speak, you reach for your knives, just to make sure that you would be safe against him, the warnings Jane and Clocky gave you ringing like bells inside your mind. To your complete horror, your knives are not behind your waist. What the- oh, you had left them in your nightstand. Then how did he know that you use knives back when you first met him?
He gives you no time to ponder over, as you immediately feel a hand with long fingers take yours gently, its sudden touch sending a shiver down your spine, which you highly doubt it was just because his hand was cold like ice. He raises your hand towards his face, gently loosening your fingers up and revealing the wound underneath, looking at it with an examining expression on his face. The wound must be indeed pretty nasty, since the moment you open your hand, small streams of blood start streaming down from the edges, with small drops falling on the beautiful crème carpet underneath.
'Injuries like that are always important for a beautiful lady like you. Your beauty might be tainted if you allow such things to happen. Now it was just your hand, but what if next time, it was your lovely face?' he grins at you.
'It's okay, I'm a killer after all; it's only natural to have some scars.' You answer dispassionately, trying to pull your hand away, only for him to grab it and hold it in place.
'My dear, I would be saddened if I saw your lovely face acquire an injury like that. Can you promise me not to let that happen?' you can literally swear that his grin now is a perfect match to the one Jeff has, if not larger.
'Yeah, I promise.' What?! What did you just say? You could swear that you had opened your mouth to say to him to leave you alone and be done with him, but in no way did you even think about saying that! Wait…what is happening? You body feels…strange.
Immediately, as if you have already fallen under some short of spell, you feel your conscience fall back inside your mind and meeting with your insane part, both of you seeing through your eyes like you were some sort of viewers. A strange sensation started to turn your mind utterly numb or better yet, foggy and to your utter horror, you notice that it's coming from the point where he is touching you. No, no no no no no no , Jane and Clockwork had warned you about this! You have to break contact with him, before he wraps you around his little finger. You scream, toss, turn and struggle like a madwoman, with the insane beast beside you doing the very same, as you both try to regain your control over you body and get the hell away from him, but the only result is that you feel your own self break into a large smile towards him, with you unable to do anything but watch.
You scream with all your might once again, but your own voice is covered by his alluring and numbing one.
'_ _ you are beautiful. Your beauty is so extreme and as rare as the beauty of a purple rose.'
Wait! How the hell does he know your full name?! Slenderman couldn't have told him. Just who the hell is he?! Can he read your mind just like Slenderman does?! Then why isn't he hearing your inner voice, begging him to leave you alone, why- why the hell is he placing his hand in his pocket?! Is he going to attack?! You've got to run! You've got to run now! Run you stupid- is that an actual purple rose?
Both your and your self's eyes open wide and your breath is cut at the sight of the luxurious and breathtaking purple rose. It was the most beautiful flower you had ever set your eyes upon, its dark purple petals illuminating on the strong light of the dining room, making the flower seem even more beautiful than before. It had a dark, full purple color that somewhat reminded you of blood, or the dark evening sky as the sun sets deep in the distant horizon, flooding the world with the same, extraordinary color.
'Come on now _. Take the rose.' His voice purrs.
Unable to control yourself, you eventually feel her raise her hands towards the beautiful flower.
'Take the flower _ and let me see what you hide inside your innocent heart.'
'If you wanna keep your f*cking hand, remove it from her RIGHT. NOW!' a pissed-off voice growls threatenly, snapping you back into reality.
You feel yourself being ejected forward with power and you are ecstatic to realize that you have complete control over your own self once again. You almost jump up and down from your happiness, as both you and Offender turn towards the door, Offender to see who interrupted you and you to see your savior. A sigh of relief escapes your lips as you see a raging Jeff stomp his way towards you, grabbing your hand in his and pulling you protectively behind his back. His tall figure is almost blurred by the dark aura that dawns around him, as his anger and insanity are becoming stronger and stronger by the passing seconds.
''Thought Slender warned you to stay the f*ck away from the girls, you mother*cker!'
'It must have slipped my mind.' Offender smiles.
'Take your mind and shove it up your $ss. If you touch her again, I'll f*cking beat you up so hard, your grandchildren will feel it.' Jeff throws on him, and turning, he starts walking out of the room, dragging you along with him by the hand.
'You should have been more f*cking careful around him doll.' he growls to you as he pulls you up the stairs, his harsh voice softening a little bit around the edges.
'He grabbed my hand before I had the chance to react, sorry.' You follow the raven haired man obediently, glad that he had just saved you. Who knows what would have happened if he didn't.
'Next time, the moment he is in your field of vision, come find me.' He says, opening the door to his room and beckoning you to pass first.
Instead, you give him a quizzical stare, folding your hands over your chest.
He is quick to catch up, but he just rolls his eyes. 'What? You want your hand treated or not?'
'Alright, you got a point. But if you try to pull anything, I'll kick you.' you say as you pass inside, with him laughing at your little comment.
It was the very first time you set foot in his room and it was exactly as you had expected it to be, so no surprises there. The colors that were more dominant were black and white, while even the walls seemed to be painted in the same colors. It was rather spacious, with the king-sized bed occupying the space on your left, black covers and pillows decorating its comfortable surface. The floor was made of light wood, while it had scattered clothes, newspapers and magazines pretty much everywhere. Looking around, it was pretty much easy for you to locate the sound system, a desk with a computer and the small library that was overflowing from the CD's, most of them belonging to artists like Motionless In White, Avenged Sevenfold, Marilyn Manson and many others. It was your typical teenager boy's room, while the presence of the newspapers –some old, some new- proved that he was keeping track of his murders.
'Make yourself comfortable doll.' he simply said, opening some random drawer and rummaging through it.
Looking around you excitedly, you plop yourself on the bed, testing it to discover that it was way too comfortable than yours, a thing that only made you pout slightly. Maybe you should grab the chance to re-decorate your room once again, even if it was way smaller than Jeff's. Your thoughts are shortly after interrupted, as Jeff pulled a small chair and sat right in front of you, taking your hand in his, a little bit too gently as you notice. His stare is focused on your hand, making it difficult for you to guess what his thoughts are.
'This guy is a f*cking moving threat, so you better be on your guard.' He comments as he wipes the wound with some disinfectant.
'I really was Jeff, I promise. That guy sends my sanity flying, but still he managed to touch me.' You grumble childishly.
'No need to feel sorry, this is what he does, so it's only natural to be f*cking fooled at first. Just don't be an idiot and fall in the trap a second time.' he advises.
'I know. Though, he eats human women, not Creepypasta women right?'
This time, the unblinking killer raises his stare to look at you '_, he doesn't eat them.' The words drown in his throat for some reason, making him struggle to pronounce them, for reasons that you don't understand. Still, for a single second, he seems sad 'He…..sexually…assaults them.'
'Hmm, it's a good thing you were there then.' You give him a bright smile.
'Y-yeah, I guess it was.'
Both of you remain silent for some time. He is so focused on treating your small injury that you don't want to interrupt him, so you remain silent, watching him work. It was rather strange for Jeff to find difficulty saying something. He was always so frank and talked his mind no matter what others thought, so seeing him now struggle with himself to pronounce those simple words was kinda hard for you to watch and only natural to cause suspicions to rise inside your mind. Did something happen that you were unaware of?
'Here.' He said after some time 'Good as f*cking new.'
You retreat your hand and watch it closely. He had wrapped it carefully with a bandage and no more blood was coming out. It was a very neat job you had to admit.
'Looks amazing to me.' You smile, but he just crosses his arms over his sturdy chest, a dark look dawning on his black eyes.
'Soooooo….you and Jack are an adorable couple huh?'
In the sound of his words, surprise shots inside your mind 'Well…um…you see-'
One moment Jeff is sitting casually right in front of you, looking at you deviously and in the next moment he lunges at you, throwing you back in the soft mattress and trapping you in between, with the mattress bending in more, due to the extra weight. Your eyes open wide with surprise and words leave your mind as you look at him, only to see the dark glow to have penetrated his eyes completely, while his smile seems abnormally dangerous, like he was looking upon one of his victims. A deranged, lustful and dangerous smile. You knew this side of him. You feared this side of him, because you knew that it was the side that was capable for anything.
'Jeff, you said you would pull anything on me.' You try to reason with him, while at the same time, you analyze your escape routes.
His smile grows even more 'I lied.' He chuckles darkly 'So, do you think that you and Jack are a cute couple?'
The only thing you can do is swallow hard, trying with all your might to keep your stare steady on him, in a desperate try to keep him from trying anything. He chuckles once more and you yelp, as he leans on you ear, his hot breath falling on your skin.
'I don't expect you to believe that you belong to anyone else but me…..right?'
'J-Jeff I-' your sentence is interrupted as his hot lips crash against your neck.
'W-What the hell are you doing?! S-stop now!' you try to push him away, only for him to grab your hands tightly and pin them on your sides, trapping you once again and making you unable to do the slightest move to free yourself, as you desperately try to find a way away from him, only to swallow hard, as you feel his teeth biting on the same spot on your neck hard.
You hear his chuckle as he finally withdraws, his eyes a shade of bright red as he looks down to you once again, his smile widening as the spot where he kissed you burns hot in comparison to the rest of your body.
'What does it look like I'm doing? I'm just letting others know that you're mine.'
And before you realize what's going on, he kisses you hard. That was when insanity kicks in inside your mind.
With a loud growl reverberating in the back of your neck, you try to push him off with everything you've got, only to freeze like a deer in headlights as he licks your bottom lip slowly, making your lips part slowly and allowing his tongue to enter your mouth. It explores every single crevice, every single inch of your mouth slowly, painfully slowly, claiming it as an extension of his own, making you moan into the kiss involuntarily, with him smiling arrogantly into the kiss. But before your mind gets completely foggy, you do the last thing he expected you to do.
You kick him.
He growls angrily at the pain, withdrawing immediately just enough for you to push him on the side and stand up, anger and shame bubbling inside of you and turning your face completely red.
'You MORON!' you scream, before you run out of the room and to your own, closing the door with power behind you.
