I stumbled away from the entity, blinking in shock. Somewhere in my mind, I knew this was nothing more than a dream, an illusion. But everything still felt so real.

" Don't look so surprised, kiddo." The being mocked, slowly beginning to walk around me with a glare. "You said so yourself, you know exactly who I am." I returned his glare fiercely, my head tilted upwards to actually meet his gaze. Curse his eight foot something height. I took a few steps away from the entity, not trusting the guy. I mean, sure, I had my theories about him, but that didn't mean those theories are true. Jack just snickered at my antics, stopping his predatory walk.

" What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He teased and I hardened my glare.

" What do you want?" I snapped, holding my ground. This guy could probably slice me open with a spoon like a knife through butter, but my stubbornness wasn't about to let that hold me back. Jack leaned forward, bending at his waist until he was nearly level with me and jabbed me in the chest with a claw.

" I want you and your aunt to get the fuck out of my territory." He snarled, looming over me like a feral animal. I snarled back, neck craned to meet his glare.

" Why should we?" I retorted. " We want to help and you can't just expect us to up and leave, it could make things worse. Hell, that crazy nun could burn the place down to 'purge the evil' or whatever." Jack scoffed and stood to his full height once more, silvery eyes narrowed in irritation.

" Does it look like I give a shit, kid?" He sneered. " I just want you out of here so things can go back to normal."

" Back to normal?" I repeated. " Dude, things aren't going to go 'back to normal'. Ms. McOlsen knows you're there, Cory's terrified of you, and that old witch ain't gonna stop until you're gone or the house burns to the ground. Face it. Things aren't going back to normal." Laughing Jack fell silent, eyes still narrowed at me in thought before his face split into a grin.

" Really now? Then how about a bet?" He offered, crossing his arms. I slowly rose a brow, studying the entity. Making a deal with the devil? I shrugged. Why not? At least it wasn't a fiddle contest.

" Okay," I mused. " What's the best then?" If possible, Jack's smile widened.

" How about a fight between the two of us?" He said, slowly beginning to circle me once again. " If I win… well, you won't be alive anymore~" A chuckle. " But if you win, I'll… I dunno, be nicer and shit. Maybe even be your-" Jack coughed, giving the most disgusted and irritated look as he rolled his hand around like he was looking for the right word. " …friend…" The word was so forced I almost laughed out loud, but I bit it back.

This was definitely Laughing Jack.

But that's one hell of a mouthful… I think I'll just call him LJ.

"Alright…" I drawled. " But what if we sweetened the deal a bit more?" LJ raised a brow, looking at me in slight confusion.

" How so, kid?" He inquired, voice betraying his clear interest in my offer. I smiled and crossed my arms.

" Okay, if you win, I'll let you put me on one of those spinning dart board things and throw knives at me until I'm dead. Hell, you can even improvise and use whatever else." I explained, seeing amusement spark in his eyes. " But if I win, not only do I live and get a free friendship pass… you tell me your story."

"Whoa whoa whoa kid." LJ narrowed his eyes, amusement gone. " I thought that shit was all over the internet."

" It is," I nodded in agreement. " But I want to hear it from you. After all, it's been what? A couple centuries? A lot can happen in a few centuries." The entity stared down at me, looking pretty damn conflicted by the proposition. After a few minutes, he let out a deep sigh and gave a stiff nod.

" Fine," He agreed, albeit very reluctantly. " Not like you'll win anyways." I cracked a grin.

" Don't be so sure, Jackie-boy." I teased, causing LJ to growl at me in irritation.

" Don't call me that." He hissed. " I gotta admit, though, kid, you've got some balls. I admire your determination. Even though it's gonna get you killed." A memory flashed through my mind at his words, followed by the memories of twisted laughter and screams of children. I quickly shook the memory away.

" What's life without a bit of risk, eh?" I chuckled dryly, glaring at the ground before looking back up at the entity. " We gonna do this or what?" LJ's lips twitched as if he was holding back a smile as he backed away.

" Eager, huh kiddo?" He smirked. " Alright, let's get this over with." I nodded, squinting at the entity.

So we stood, facing each other in silence. Waiting for someone to make the first move. I could feel my heart begin to pound in anticipation, the suspense of the situation making my adrenaline spike.

" You gonna do something or just stand there, kid?" LJ asked through a grin. I answered him with a glare.

" My momma always told me to never start a fight." I shot back, feeling my body tense up, waiting for the entity to lunge at me or something.

Just a heads up, being distracted in a fight is never good. Especially against an entity that could kill you with his pinky.

In a flash, I felt pain erupt in my abdomen, sending me flying a few feet away. Groaning, I staggered to my feet, wincing and looking around. LJ was nowhere to be seen. A spike of fear and adrenaline pulsed through my veins as I looked for something—anything—to use to defend myself.

Hearing a few steps behind me, I went to turn only to receive a kick to my side. I hit the ground, sending dust up into the air as I groaned.

" Wow kid, really?" LJ scoffed. " This is just pathetic, is that all you got?" I wobbled to my feet, holding my side and wincing. Memories began to bubble in my mind, kicking in a fight or flight response in my subconscious.

Allie! I heard the fearful shrieks of my little sister, eyes widening. My body acted before my mind could process what was happening, grabbing a splintering two-by-four and swinging it towards the entity. Catching him off guard, the wood struck his abdomen, breaking in half and pushing him a few feet back. Using the momentary distraction, I darted over and used the remainder of the two-by-four to hit LJ in the gut. He grunted in pain and doubled over before glaring at me. He let out a deep snarl and swiped a clawed hand at me.

I ducked down just in time and threw out a punch, landing a hit under his jaw. LJ stumbled back from the hit, rubbing his jaw.

" Fuck, kid." He groaned, wincing. " Where the fuck did this side of you come from?" I blinked a few times, adrenaline still pumping as my nerves calmed a bit. I stayed silent for a few moments.

" I've fought before, asshole." I spat, glaring at the entity. He scoffed.

" No shit." He sneered. " I'm surprised you even got a hit in… Fuck that hurts…" He muttered to himself and continued to rub his jaw. I raised a brow and spotted a loose rope beneath LJ's feet. Moving my eyes back to his face, I slowly made my way towards the rope.

" Yeah, well, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you know." I replied, nearing the rope.

" Shit, really? I hate that goddamn phrase…" The rope was within reach.

" Yeah? I like it." I said, quickly picking up the rope. " I also like the phrase, 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'." I pulled the rope with all my strength, grinning as it snagged LJ's ankle and sent the entity crashing into the ground. He let out a grunt of surprise before sitting up on his elbows and glaring at me.

"…Very funny, kiddo." He snorted. " I'll give you that." I smiled triumphantly, still holding the rope.

" So, do I win?" I asked with a smirk. LJ frowned and stared at me boredly.

" Sure kid, just one thing." He replied and I furrowed my brows. Before I could ask, he grabbed the rope and pulled hard, causing me to lose my balance and hit the ground. I groaned and glared up at him, wanting to punch that annoying smirk off his face.

" Asshole." I snapped, albeit weakly.

" Serves you right." He retorted playfully. " Just be happy you're alive, kid." I scoffed and sat up, crossing my legs and glaring at the entity.

" Fine, whatever." I agreed. " So you know what that mean." LJ narrowed his eyes and sat up as well.

" What?" He asked and I rolled my eyes.

" Don't tell me you already forgot." I sighed. " You tell me your story, remember? I wanna know everything." LJ groaned and rubbed his face, a dark bruise was beginning to form on his lower jaw from where I hit him. I internally winced, not knowing that I hit him that hard.

" Fuck, yeah, I forgot." He muttered. " Shit, isn't there something else you want? A fucking puppy or something?" I shook my head.

" I have a dog and two cats, I don't need a puppy." I replied dully. " I want you to tell me your story because I want to hear it from the source. People can change things on the internet and the real story is lost. Besides, I'd like to know what happened after you killed your 'best friend'." LJ winced slightly at that but waved me off.

" Fine, fine… But it's gonna be a long story, kid. I'll tell you tomorrow night." He said. " It's already morning." I furrowed my brows.

" Morning?" I echoed. " How-"

" This is a dream, kid." LJ reminded me, leaning back on his arms. " All of this is in your head. I'll tell you what you wanna know tomorrow night." I was about to argue, but with the snap of his fingers, the dark carnival blinked out of existence and I found myself looking at the dusty white ceiling of the orphanage.