Randy couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Jeff. The news about Mark had devastated him. They had the next couple of days off, so they could be at the hospital for Mark's surgery (which was scheduled for the next day). But he knew deep down that there wasn't much they could do besides offer moral support. This was a battle that Mark had to fight for himself. Randy knew if anyone could fight back and beat the cancer, it was Mark. The man was even stronger than anyone actually knew. But it was convincing Jeff this that was the problem. Jeff was terrified of losing Mark in the same manner that he had lost his mother. With the exception of Glenn, he relied on Mark the most.
Jeff began crying in his sleep. He had been making whimpering noises for a few minutes, so Randy wasn't surprised the crying had started. "Jeff wake up," he said gently. He rubbed Jeff's back and kissed his forehead. "It's just a dream honey. Come on, wake up sweetie."
Jeff woke up violently, nearly jumping off the bed. His body was drenched in cold sweat. "Randy?" he whispered after taking several deep breaths.
"I'm here baby," Randy assured him. "Was it a bad dream?"
Jeff nodded. "It was terrible. I was watching the doctors do Mark's surgery and something went wrong and there was so much blood everywhere. It was everywhere Randy and then Mark died." He buried his head in Randy's chest. "He died in my dream. That means he can really die."
"He's not going to die," Randy said. "Mark is way too damn stubborn to do that. We could probably shoot him in the head a dozen times and he would get up ten seconds later and choke slam us through a wall."
"You think so?" Jeff asked with a small laugh.
"I know so." Of course, Randy really doubted Mark would survive twelve bullets to the brain, but he wasn't going to tell Jeff that. Details like that were best not shared when your fiancé was on the verge of losing it.
A thump from outside their door made them both sit up. "What the hell was that?" Jeff whispered.
"I don't know," Randy replied. He got out of bed and opened the door. There was nobody out in the hotel hallway, but a piece of paper had been pushed under the crack of the door. "What the hell is this?" He picked it up and unfolded it. It was another letter from X.
Jeff,
I know Mark's recent illness has caused you tremendous distress, considering that your mother suffered from the same thing before she died. While it pains me to see you cry, you must realize that this might actually be a sign from God. It is a sign that you should distance yourself from Mark and them, because they will only leave you in the end. I know how it feels to be abandoned and I don't wish that same heartache for you. I'm watching over you as best as I can, but I can only do so much from a distance. Maybe it is time I get a little closer.
Sincerely,
X
"What the fuck is this shit?" Randy said in disbelief. He looked around the hallway again, but there was still no sign of anybody. This was too creepy for his taste. X was in the mother fucking hotel with them. This new letter all but said that. And not only was he in the hotel, but he knew what room they were staying in. That was something Randy was not going to deal with.
"What's wrong?" Jeff asked as Randy came back in the room.
"Pack your stuff," Randy ordered. He grabbed his suitcase and started tossing his stuff into it. "We have to get out of here."
"But why?"
Randy handed over the letter. "That bastard X is watching us. He's in the hotel right now."
Jeff read the letter, his jaw dropping in shock as he did so. "Who is this guy?" he asked. "What does he want?"
"You apparently," Randy replied. "But he's not going to get you, because we're going to get this thing taken care of first thing in the morning. The last thing we need right now is for this bastard to keep following us around."
XXXXXXX
X looked through one of his Jeff photo albums. He had three of them and he took them wherever he went. Some of the photos were ones he had found on the internet but a lot of them were his own work. He liked taking pictures of Jeff. Sure, he had to cut Randy out of most of the photos but that was okay. He could deal with that for now.
He looked out his window, which was overlooking the hotel parking lot. He wasn't surprised to see Randy and Jeff getting into their car. His last letter was meant to scare Randy. He wanted the Legend Killer to know he was close. He wanted Randy to feel threatened.
He grabbed his camera and managed to take a picture of Jeff before Randy drove away. He smiled to himself and rested his head against the window. "Oh Jeff," he said with a sigh. "It won't be too much longer now. You're going to be mine, all mine."