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junocandraw · 14 days ago

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JEFF THE KILLER REWRITE 4/4

If you’ve made it this far, I owe you my firstborn. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Anyways, back to edgelord 9000.

Incase you couldn’t tell, this isn’t the beginning. The first part is linked at the top of my page!

The Inferno

It had been a week. An entire week since their aunt from Michigan had come to take Liu away. She pulled up to the Wood’s house in her beat up red minivan, and without even allowing him a hug, took Liu away to a town even smaller than Elmerville. Jeff cried out in the driveway for an hour, before his father pulled him inside.

That week was so painful for Jeff. He missed Liu’s random visits to his room. His drawings, his poetry, his stupid striped scarf. He began to eat even less, and pace even more. He would have moments of violence where he would throw things in his room, punch the walls, or pull out his hair, one strand at a time. He looked like a shell of what he used to be. His friends from Milwaukee, including Stanley, had tried to get into contact with him, but he wouldn’t answer his texts.

Jeff lost track of time. He was beginning to have the opposite problems with his sleep schedule. When he wasn’t pulling his hair out of his head, he was sleeping. He was grateful for this at the beginning, but soon hypersomnia became a problem. He would shut his blackout curtains, and sleep for 48 hours. Once in the week, he went three whole days without eating anything, and drinking out of a left over plastic water bottle in his room. He was so pale and skinny, he looked almost inhuman. All he knew was that everything was getting worse.

One Friday morning, Jeff had been sleeping for around 17 hours straight. His eyes were puffy and red from yet another night of crying himself to sleep. He began to stir when something caught his attention. A vacuum cleaner. His mom was vacuuming the hallway. It was around 11 in the morning. Jeff knew she wasn’t cleaning, she was trying to wake him up.

He buried his head under his pillow, his black nails gripping the white fabric case in an attempt to block out the noise. He desperately wanted more sleep, even though he had been getting more than enough. He realized his attempt was futile when his room door opened, and his stepmother entered. She wore pink capri jeans, an expensive belt, a patterned paisley tank-top, a revolting lipstick color, and a pair of flats. It was an odd choice for the dead of winter. Jeff peeked out from under his pillow, and saw her. He immediately knew that something was up. His suspicions were proved when his stepmother began to speak,

“Jeff! Wake up! It’s a beautiful morning!” She uninvitedly pulled his curtains open, and let the sunlight in, further angering her eldest son. He felt like a vampire being burned alive, as sunlight hadn’t touched his skin in days,

“Mom- What?” He groaned, sitting up in his bed. His stepmother frowned when she saw him. His shaggy black hair was messy, and streaks of eyeliner stained his pale cheeks,

“Jeff, wipe that depressing muck off of your face. It isn’t proper.” She scolded, switching the vacuum cleaner off,

“Are we going somewhere?” Jeff asked, pulling his slippers on as he stepped out of bed. He wore blue sweatpants from his old hockey team, and a black, Jason Vorhees themed hockey shirt.

“Jeff! I have a wonderful surprise for you!” She cheesed, moving to her stepson and grabbing his hands. Jeff was disgusted. This affection was so fake, and her words were sweetly superficial. They dripped from her mouth like honey,

“I know things haven’t been easy for you with Liu gone. I’ve struggled a bit myself.” She lied. Jeff resisted the urge to scoff, and instead raised a quick eyebrow, before settling back into his bored expression, “But, we’re going to set things right. We-“

“Is Liu coming home?” Jeff’s face lit up. This was mostly a jab at his stepmother, a way to show that whatever she was offering, he didn’t care. It was also a glimmer of hope that just maybe, he would see his brother again soon,

“Jeffery. We talked about that.” She looked up sternly at stepson.

“Jeff.” He corrected her. An unnoticeable smile tugged at the left corner of Jeff’s mouth, knowing his disinterest was absolutely killing her. She wanted so badly to fight, but she swallowed her pride, knowing she couldn’t fight to get what she wanted,

“Jeff… The Haydens have invited us over to their house. Randy’s mother and I want to set things right between the two of you.” Jeff felt like the floor had fallen from underneath him, and his heart rate began to increase at the mention of his foe. The feeling was back, the one he hadn’t felt since he was on the ice. That awful, sadistic hatred.

“No. No, Mom. Not in a million years, no.” He ripped his hands out of his stepmother’s grip, and ran one hand through his hair. He started to hyperventilate. He needed to calm down.

“Jeff! What is wrong with you?” His stepmother placed her hands on her hips, “Is it really that bad to make amends? Do you hate the idea of being friends with a normal person that much?”

“Normal person? Does she even know what he did?” Jeff thought, his knuckles whitening from the fists he was making. His stepmother prepared to use her secret weapon,

“This may change your mind. If you make this work for us, Liu can come home early.” Jeff stopped. This kind of a move was his father’s idea, as his stepmother was far too dull to come up with a plan as elaborate as this. His parents had absolutely backed him into a corner. He was trapped. He had no choice. His stepmother took his hands again, her fake, bedazzled nails clawing at Jeff’s skin. He sighed, begrudgingly admitting his defeat,

“Fine.” He muttered, staring down at the floor. Her expression changed from one of anger, back to one of superficial delight.

“I knew you would! Thank you, son. We’re leaving at 6 tonight. Make sure you eat something.” Before she left, she did a double take at Jeff’s black nails, “What is this? Jeff, just- I can’t- clean this off before we leave.” With that, she stormed out of his room, not shutting the door behind her. Jeff stood still, unable to process what had just happened. With all of this rage pent up inside of him, he did the only thing he could think to do.

Jeff gave a swift, unforgiving blow to the wall on his left, right through his Pantera poster, and right through the drywall. He didn’t care. It was just paper. He held his head in his hands, and sat on his bed.

He realized then that it was the first time in a week that he hadn’t been under the hazy trance that controlled his movements while he idly watched. He actually felt in control of his actions. This thought only lasted for a moment, before his attention was directed back towards getting Liu home,

“This is for Liu. It’s just one night. How bad can it be?” Jeff breathed in and out, “It’s fine. I’m fine. It’ll be fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was around when Jeff started getting ready. He found that he couldn’t decide what to wear. When he had come downstairs with a red band t-shirt, a black zip up jacket, black skinny jeans, and Converse, his parents were upset, and sent him back upstairs to change. Luckily, he still had around 30 minutes to decide.

He kept the pair of black skinny jeans on, and opened the door to his closet. All he had to wear were band tees, striped shirts, and patterned or printed hoodies. He furrowed his brow, and began to sift through his wardrobe. Finally, he made it to the back of the row of hangers. All he found was a plain white hoodie. He sighed, realizing it was his best bet. He threw it on over a black System of a Down t-shirt, his favorite band. He laced up his Converse again, and called it a day. It wasn’t exactly fashionable, but it was his.

Jeff picked up an eyeliner pencil and held it in his hand. He stared at it for a moment, examining the label. He remembered that he purchased it from a corner drugstore outside of his neighborhood in Milwaukee a week after he got his full license. He realized that he hadn’t thought about home in a while, which only made the memory more painful. Just as these thoughts flew through Jeff’s mind, he heard a voice call from downstairs,

“Jeff! We’re leaving!” His father called. Jeff looked at the clock on his wall. It read 5:55.

“One second!” Jeff called back, quickly lining his eyes and blending the pigment with his middle finger. He grabbed his phone and his earbuds, and ran swiftly down the stairs. When his parents saw him, they frowned,

“You’re wearing that?” They asked in unison, before Jeff’s stepmother looked at her phone,

“Oh, no time to change. Let’s just go.” His stepmother shook her head, moving out the front door in her over-the-top winter dress.

Once everyone was in the car, Jeff noticed the empty back seat next to him. Jeff looked at his family, noticing how overdressed they were,

“Jeff, why on earth do you think that attire is appropriate?” His father asked, glancing at him in the rear view mirror.

“Don’t you think you’re a little overdressed?” Jeff commented, sitting criss-cross in the car’s seat. His father was about to lecture Jeff, but he was stopped by his wife,

“Jeff, we may be overdressed, but this is how you go if you want to make an impression.” His stepmother explained, as Jeff quit listening. He plugged in his earbuds and began to mentally prepare to be in the same house with Randy for the whole night. He looked out the window. The sun had just begun to set, and the snow fell down gracefully. The sky was a dark blue color, with hints of a sunset behind a dreary overcast on the horizon. That winter hadn’t been super snowy, for Wisconsin at least. It only snowed every couple of days, but it was still very cold. Instead of admiring the beauty of nature, Jeff imagined a scene much more beautiful to him,

Jeff was digging a clip-point knife into Randy’s sternum, breaking each of his ribs with memorable cracking. The look of terror on his face was priceless, as was the crimson blood that stained Jeff’s clothes. He relished in the pained screams and the weak struggling that came from his prey.

“Jeff? Are you listening to me?” His stepmother’s shrill voice interrupted his train of thought,

“Um…yes?”

”Then what did I say?”

“I don’t- I don’t know?” His stepmother sighed, and shook her head. Jeff just continued to stare out the window, his mind wandering back to sadistic visions of gore.

The Woods had driven eastward a little ways out of town. This is where the dairy farms were in the county. All of the sudden, they were surrounded by a thick forest. After they drove a little ways longer down the winding back road, they made it to Randy’s house. They were around 20 minutes from Jeff’s house, and 10 minutes from the school.

They pulled into the Hayden’s long driveway slowly, so as to not lose traction on the ice. They drove for about a minute, before they found the house. It was huge, a borderline mansion. It was painted white with blue shutters and a matching navy blue door. The lawn was illuminated by the glow of warm lights coming from indoors. The house was in the middle of the woods, which made for great privacy. Jeff admired their place. Even he had to admit that it was nice.

They three exited the car, and walked up to the porch. Jeff’s father knocked on the door. Jeff shoved his hands into his hoodie’s pocket. The door opened, and they were greeted by Randy’s mom, whom Jeff hadn’t met. She was a taller, thinner woman. She had short blonde hair that framed her face, and the same dark blue eyes as Randy. She wore a light blue winter sweater, black dress pants, and white ankle boots. She gave the trio a smile, and welcomed them into her home. As Jeff walked in, he could smell roast beef and various vegetables and sides cooking. He had, once again, forgotten to eat, so his stomach growled at the smell of the delicious food. Randy’s mother turned her attention away from Jeff’s parents, and to Jeff,

“You must be Jeff. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kirsten.” Randy’s mom was a brain surgeon, the breadwinner of the family. She had a strong Canadian accent. She offered Jeff a hand to shake, and he reluctantly obliged.

“Kirsten, are you aware that having your son was a mistake?” Jeff thought, putting his hand back into his pocket,

“I’m really sorry about everything that's happened,” Kirsten pouted her face deceitfully, “Randy never gets into fights. He told me that Jeff is new, and is still getting adjusted.” Jeff turned his head to the side, and then back to Mrs. Hayden. He just couldn’t resist a slight jab at her,

Jeff rolled his eyes, making sure that Mrs. Hayden could see him. Her face flickered with resentment before returning to its false hospitality.

”Jeff, the boys are upstairs in Randy’s room. It’s the second door on the right.” Jeff felt his stomach flip. The dreaded moment of the night had finally come. He gave a curt nod, and turned to the stairs beside where they stood. As he walked, he took note of the family pictures hung all over the walls of the staircase. Once he completed his ascent, he turned right.

There was a dim light coming from underneath one of the doors. Jeff took a shaky inhale, and knocked twice. The conversation inside stopped. He waited for a moment before the door opened. He was face-to-face with his redheaded enemy. Jeff quickly averted his eyes to the floor, waiting for something to happen.

“Hey.” Randy also averted his eyes from Jeff. They stood parallel to each other, unsure of what to do or say. Randy broke the silence with an awkward, “Come in.”

Randy’s room was decorated with Maple Leaf posters, and other hockey decorations. Jeff assumed by his mother’s accent, and Randy’s room, that she was from Toronto. Jeff noticed four other boys in the room with Randy. Tom and Adam sat on the carpeted floor around a TV with a paused video game displayed on the screen, and Troy and Keith sat on Randy’s bed. Jeff felt his heart rate increase. He was at least relieved to see two others who seemed to be there against their wills as well. Randy sat on a gaming chair next to his bed. All eyes were on Jeff, so he broke the incredibly awkward silence,

“I’m…sorry about…everything, dude.” He apologized, even though he didn’t mean a word of what he said. Swallowing his pride did not taste good, but he would have said anything to make Liu come back home. To Jeff’s surprise, Randy laughed.

“It’s fine. I don’t care if you don’t care.” He shrugged, grabbing the PlayStation controller and unpausing the game. Jeff let out a sigh of relief, and plopped down on the floor next to Tom. Tom was playing the game, and Adam was watching.

Jeff remembered Randy’s comment about how Adam “probably couldn’t afford” to go to Milwaukee. He wondered why Adam’s family was at Randy’s house if they disliked them so much. Despite his apology going well, Troy and Keith’s silence made Jeff nervous. Jeff pulled his hoodie off over his head to fight the heat in the house.

”You like System of a Down?” Randy asked, noticing Jeff’s T-shirt.

“Yeah.” Jeff replied, looking down at his t-shirt.

“Name three songs.” Jeff was a bit annoyed at Randy’s pretentious comment, as it seemed like something a middle schooler would say. However, when he looked up, he noticed that Randy was smiling. Not a mean smile, a genuine, happy smile. Jeff felt like he was dreaming,

“Sugar, Soil, and uh…Chop Suey.” Jeff answered proudly.

“Poser.” Randy leaned forward, throwing a punch at Tom’s video game character. Jeff couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, so he just tried to continue the conversation,

“What about you?” Jeff questioned,

“Huh?”

“What music do you like?”

“I’m a Led Zeppelin fan. My dad introduced me to them when I was younger.”

“Name three songs.”

“Gallows Pole, Immigrant Song, and The Battle of Evermore.” Randy answered as he won the match in his game, “Do you and Adam want a turn?” Randy asked, offering Jeff his controller. Jeff was hesitant, but agreed. He was a little weirded out by Randy’s weird shift in behavior, but he decided that he would just go downstairs and hide in a bathroom or something until it was time to leave.

After a while of being there, Jeff had actually started to relax a bit. He started to let his guard down, and actually began to have fun with the boys. They played video games, talked about music, hockey, girls, and other teenage-boys things. Jeff even got to hear about some of the town's gossip,

“What have you done while you’ve been out, Jeff?” Adam asked, watching Jeff and Tom fight in Randy’s video game. Jeff let out a long sigh, and shook his head,

“A whole lot of nothing.” He admitted, “My parents took pretty much everything from me, and thanks to the medication I’m on, I can’t drive anywhere. It sucks.” Suddenly, Randy snapped his fingers,

“Driving!” He smiled, eyes wide, “Jeff, do you like cars?” He asked, looking down at Jeff from his bed. When Randy said this, it seemed to grab Troy and Keith’s attention,

“Yeah, I know a little bit about them.” Jeff shrugged, pausing the game.

“Do you want to see my Dad’s 60s mustang? It’s really awesome.” Jeff raised a suspicious eyebrow at Randy,

“Where is it?”

”Oh, in the garage. Trust me, it’s beautiful. You’ll regret it if you don’t.” Jeff wanted to say no, but Randy looked so excited. Everything had been going so well. Randy might just want to show him a cool car. Maybe he would get mad if Jeff said no to him. Maybe there would be another fight. Maybe Liu couldn’t come home,

“Sure.” Jeff nodded, throwing his hoodie back on.

“Okay, but we have to be quiet. My dad doesn’t like me going outside after dark, okay?”

”Outside?” Jeff wondered out loud. Randy stood up, and motioned for his friends to follow behind him. Jeff wasn’t sure about going outside, but he was in too deep now, “For Liu. Do it for Liu.” His mind repeated, the thought of his brother coming home early warming his heart.

The six walked through the upstairs hallway into a large family room in the upstairs area. Randy had a second living room. It was to the right of Randy’s room. All of the lights were off. There was another staircase that led downstairs. At the bottom of it, there was a back door that led outside.

“There's a window outside of the door into the dining room, which is where everyone is.” Randy explained, “We have to be quick and quiet or we'll get caught.” The boys nodded, following Randy down the stairs. Once they made it to the door, Randy opened it, and led them outside. The snow was still falling peacefully, and a thick blanket of it covered the ground. It was very dark out, only the porch light illuminating the exterior of the house. They hurried off of the porch and into Randy’s backyard.

The snow crunched underneath the boys’ shoes. Jeff’s legs were cold, and he began to wonder if the jeans he had chosen were the best choice. He could see his breath as he exhaled, following Randy through the backyard.

“Where…are we going?” Jeff asked, feeling a tinge of nausea,

“The garage is a little ways back here. You can’t see it yet, but the light will come on automatically once we get there.” Just as Randy said this, a motion light lit over their heads, revealing a barn at the entrance of the woods. Jeff shivered, breathing hot air into his hands. The barn was about 60 yards from the house.

“Jeff, I promise, it’s gonna be super cool.” Tom smiled, his green eyes reflecting from the light above. Tom’s reassurance made Jeff feel a bit better. He wondered why they were suddenly on Randy’s side after the mean things he had said to them in the locker room.

Randy attempted to push the sliding barn door open, and eventually did after a long grunt. The inside of the barn was pitch black, only the front of the entrance dimly illuminated by the motion light.

“Come in, it’s toward the back.” Randy had an odd look in his eye, but Jeff moved inside anyway. The dirt floors dusted Jeff’s sneakers, and he couldn’t see a foot in front of him.

“So…where’s the ca-“ Jeff’s sentence was cut short by a blunt force connecting with the back of the head. His body hit the ground along with a metal pipe that Randy had just swung. Jeff clutched his head in pain. It was a trap.

Keith kicked him in his back with much force, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Jeff howled in pain. Just as he tried to stand up, another hard kick connected with the back of his neck. After much difficulty, he shakily stood up, facing away from Randy.

“You’re finally up?” Randy snickered, his two cronies by his side. Tom tried to intervene, but he was knocked to the floor by Troy by a swift punch in the throat. Adam was frozen in place while he watched Tom choking on the blood in his throat. Wasn’t really sure what he was going to do. He moved his feet into a shaky fighting stance, and glared at Randy through his brows. They were about 6 feet apart from each other.

Randy lunged at Jeff, and delivered a good punch to his cheek, knocking him back into a dusty chest on the ground. Suddenly, the ringing in his ears slowly started to return. A fire ignited in Jeff, bringing that feeling back. The fury. The sadistic urges. The pleasure. They had all led up to this moment. He rubbed the spot on his cheek where he had been hit, the violent haze beginning to consume him. He forgot everything he ever knew. He didn’t care about hockey, he didn’t care about Liu, and he didn’t care about Milwaukee. All he wanted to do was hurt the three boys in front of him. Jeff dusted his pants off, and looked up at Randy.

Jeff’s pale face was smeared with black eyeliner, dirt, and a slow drip of blood from his nose. What was the most alarming was the look in his eyes. He was like a violent predator closing in on his prey. Jeff slowly turned his head to the side, and stared at Randy. He wiped his nose on his hoodie sleeve, staining its pure fabric with red blood.

“Randy…what are you doing…?” Adam stuttered, watching Jeff and Randy faceoff in silence.

Randy balled up his fists ready to deliver another blow to Jeff’s face, but Jeff acted quicker. He wrapped his hands around Randy’s neck and pushed him to the ground. He wrestled Randy into the dirt, and pinned his arms down with his knees, just as he had done on the ice. He continued to choke Randy, watching him gasp and sputter for air. A surge of adrenaline ran through Randy’s body, and he pushed Jeff off of him. Jeff quickly recovered, and sent a powerful right hook to Randy’s face who was still on the ground, then another, then another. A wicked cackle escaped Jeff’s throat as he watched his visions become reality. Just then, Troy grabbed Jeff’s hoodie, and pulled him off of the ground. Jeff spun around and sent a strong knee to Troy’s groin, causing him to let go of Jeff and fall over.

Keith came out of nowhere and punched Jeff in the back of the neck. This hurt, but it didn’t stun Jeff. Jeff whipped around and sent a hard fist into Keith’s throat, and then into his chest at just the right moment, stopping his heart. Keith stood shocked for just a moment, before his lifeless body collapsed into the dirt with a thud. With a demented laugh, Jeff launched a final kick directly into Keith’s throat for good measure. He looked unconscious to everyone else, when he was in fact dead. Jeff turned around to Troy and Randy, a wicked grin tugging at the corners of his mouth,

“GUYS!” Tom called out, blood pouring from his mouth. He was far too scared to intervene. Troy stood up and pulled a knife on Adam and Tom so that they wouldn’t come between Jeff and Randy,

“NO ONE INTERRUPTS THEM, OR GUTS WILL FLY.” Troy barked, shoving Adam to the floor. They were helpless. It was between Jeff and Randy now. Randy’s nose was bleeding just like Jeff’s, and he had a nasty incision on his bottom lip. Jeff breathed heavily, reveling in the twisted satisfaction and pleasure that this violence gave him. Randy stared at Jeff, his eyes overflowing with unbridled hatred. He rushed Jeff, sending his fist flying into his opponent’s cheek. Jeff ducked just in time, but received a brutal kick to his back instead. He let out an angered groan before recovering as fast as he could. He then kicked Randy hard into a shelf on the barn’s wall. When Randy collided with the shelf, several items rattled around and fell to the ground.

A can of kerosene fell from the top shelf with a thud beside Randy, barely missing his head. Randy’s eyes landed on the can, lighting up with an idea so horrific, it made him smile. Jeff took his opportunity while he was still on the ground. Jeff punched Randy in the nose as hard as he could. Randy screamed in pain, and pushed Jeff off of him again. He was as angry as ever now. Randy grabbed a knife that had fallen off of the shelf and stood up. He refixed his gaze on Jeff,

“Randy…NO!” Adam called, running to break them up before being grabbed by Troy. It was too late. Randy stabbed Jeff hard in the shoulder. Jeff let out a guttural scream of agony. It was the most pain he had ever been in in his life. He grabbed Randy’s shoulders, and flipped over on top of him. He pulled the knife out of his own shoulder with another blood curdling scream, and held it right above Randy’s throat. Randy was terrified, and he and Jeff struggled for what felt like an eternity. Just as the tip of the knife connected with Randy’s throat, he felt a tug on the back of his bloodstained hoodie,

”JEFF! RANDY! STOP!” Adam begged, trying to pull Jeff off of him. Troy grabbed Adam, and slammed him onto the dirt floor of the barn, kicking him hard in the face with his cowboy boot.

“WHAT’RE YOU DOING?” Tom cried on his knees, trying not to look at Randy’s disgusting blood stained shirt. Jeff was trying to get back up, but he was losing a lot of blood. He was growing weak. Randy shoved Tom, knocking his small frame to the ground. While Adam was busy trying to calm Tom down, Randy grabbed the can of kerosene that had fallen off of the shelf. If you thought about it, Jeff and Randy weren’t that much different anymore. He was just as insane as Jeff was.

Jeff’s body began to try to crawl out to the snow. His vision was growing blurry. The night was so serene. Randy’s house silhouetted against the trees, the lights from inside shining onto the porch and into the backyard. He could see the adults in the dining room, oblivious to what was going on outside. The snow fell to the ground, only seen under the brassy motion activated light outside of the barn. He couldn’t really hear anything, the ringing in his ears had taken the sense away from him entirely.

He was almost to the outside. When his fingertips reached the cold surface, he was dragged back into the barn by his ankles. Randy kicked Jeff in his ribs as hard as he could. Randy shivered because his long sleeve shirt was so stained with blood, it had frozen halfway to his body. Jeff coughed up blood, the metallic liquid staining the dirt.

Randy turned around and stumbled to the shelf. He saw the half empty gallon of kerosene spilled on the ground. He picked it up and started to unscrew the cap.

“Randy…what are you doing?” Troy tried to talk to his friend while still holding Adam and Tom back. The bully realized how long Keith had been laying still for, and began to assume the worst,

“RANDY, THIS IS TOO FAR!!” Adam yelled, Randy pointed the knife at him, and widened his eyes. He could barely be seen in the darkness of the barn,

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP TROY! GET AWAY FROM US OR I SWEAR, I’LL GUT YOU!” Randy screeched, throwing the kerosene can’s cap to the ground. Tom, Troy and Adam were frozen. They wanted to run and tell the adults, but they were scared of what Randy would do to them. They watched helplessly as Randy poured what little was left in the gas tank onto Jeff’s body. Jeff groaned in pain when the gasoline met the wound on his shoulder. He used the last ounce of his strength trying to crawl away. The fluid made him colder than he already was. He shivered, his vision beginning to fade.

Randy let out a chilling laugh. He then took a lighter out of his coat pocket, and struggled to summon the flame. Finally, Randy’s face brightened in the darkness from the orange glow of the lighter. Adam ran towards Randy, but it was too late. As soon as the lighter hit Jeff’s kerosene soaked hoodie, his entire back went up in flames. The scream he let out shook all of the boys to their cores, including Randy. His adrenaline surged and he actually managed to stand up as Randy and Adam fought behind him. He was an inferno, using his last bit of life to tear what remained of his hoodie from his body. The fire had soaked into his teeshirt, which now burned into his skin. Jeff panicked as the flames seared his skin, moving up his body. His skin melted, and sloughed off into the snow in chunks, hissing when it hit the cold snow. The fire cauterized the wound on his shoulder as he collapsed backwards into the cold powder.

The back of his body was put out, but his front was still on fire. The flames had reached his face, and now up in his hair. He tore at his skin, trying to extinguish the blaze. Instead, he just tore pieces of flesh from his face, only worsening the pain. He used his last bit of life to flip his body over. He laid motionless in the cold snow. He still couldn’t hear anything. He stared sideways at the treeine against the night sky. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and even if it was out, he wouldn’t have been able to see it over the motion light. Everything seemed completely peaceful as the snow fell around him. The pain slowly subsided, as did Jeff’s consciousness.

The last thing Jeff remembered seeing before he faded away was the tall, faceless man standing over him under the flickering barn light.

The Breaking

Jeff’s body had laid still in the hospital for 2 weeks, going in and out of stable condition. He was a medical miracle. If it hadn’t been for the thick blanket of powdery snow on the ground that put out the fire, he would have certainly died.

Jeff’s friends and close family members had visited him throughout his hospitalization. His parents had only stopped by when they absolutely had to, even Jeff’s stepmother, who was a stay-at-home mom. Jeff awoke in the hospital room on a Wednesday.

He could just barely open his eyes as his entire head was wrapped in sterile, white bandages. There were several vases of flowers beside his bed, including an especially beautiful blue and yellow bouquet from Jeff’s old travel hockey team in Milwaukee.

He made a weak attempt to sit up, not realizing the extent to which his upper-half was wrapped up. He was bandaged all the way down to his upper stomach, and all the way down his wrists. He tried to sit up one more time, and was successful. He brought his hands up to his face, and felt the coarse bandages under his fingertips. He tried to unwrap them, but was interrupted by a nurse rushing into his room,

“Hello, Jeffery!” She whispered cheerfully before grabbing Jeff’s hands. He was annoyed that she didn’t call him ‘Jeff’, but he could hardly speak to correct her,

“Water…” He croaked, his throat as dry as a desert. The nurse ran over to a sink in the room, and poured him a little paper cup of water. She put it up to Jeff’s lips, and let him drink in small sips. He started to take in his surroundings,

“Where…am I? What happe-“ This was all Jeff’s mind could process before the memories came pouring back in. His body engulfed in flames and the smell of kerosene and burnt flesh singing his nose after he had been beaten nearly to death. His hands clawing at the dirt floor of the barn to make it to the snow so that he could escape the agony. Randy’s sick grin under his disgusting blue eyes. Jeff felt rage flow through his veins at the thought of Randy.

“Jeffery? Hello?” The nurse asked, waving her hand in front of his face. Jeff responded without averting his gaze an inch,

“It’s Jeff.” He muttered faintly, memories of the fire scorching his skin replaying over and over in his mind.

“I’m sorry,” The nurse was a bit stunned at Jeff’s terrifying blue eyes, “So…Jeff…how are you feeling? Do you need more water?” She asked. Jeff didn’t answer with words. He instead shook his head slowly. The nurse hit the call button, and within minutes, doctors and nurses swarmed the hospital room.

The next few hours, Jeff was pelted with redundant questions from every direction. About an hour in, Jeff stopped answering them entirely. All he could think about was hurting people. Hurting the doctors. Hurting the nurses surrounding him. Mr. H, Coach Barkley, and of course, Randy.

That night, Jeff was left alone by everyone, excluding the first nurse that had originally come to check on him. She would periodically return to give him food or water whenever he needed it. That night, she entered Jeff’s room to find him watching a movie on the TV in front of his bed. On screen, Laurie Strode hid in her closet from Michael Myers, who was just about to break through the door.

“Halloween?” She smiled, carrying a tray of broth. Jeff slowly turned to look up at her. He nodded, “That’s one of my favorites. Have you seen Rob Zombie’s version?” She asked, setting the tray beside Jeff’s bed,

“I hate that movie.” Jeff mumbled, almost inaudibly. He tracked her every move out of the corner of his light blue eyes.

“Me too.” She laughed, agreeing with her patient. She looked to be fresh out of college, with dark, hazel eyes, and long, wavy, brown hair. Freckles dotted her pale face, and she wore dark blue scrubs.

“Michael Myers is my favorite slasher.” Jeff breathed, turning his face back to his movie.

“I love Scream.” She admitted, beginning to spoon feed Jeff his broth. If Jeff was in his right mind, he would have been very embarrassed. Instead, he was enveloped in the body that Michael Myers hung on the wall with a knife through the neck. Jeff found that he liked this nurse, and he wanted to know more about her,

“What’s your name?” He turned his gaze back to her without moving his head,

“Oh I’m Jane.” She smiled, and gave Jeff another spoonful of warm broth. When Jeff finished his dinner, the nurse switched the movie off, and tucked Jeff into bed,

“Will you be here in the morning?” Jeff wondered. His voice almost had a creepy, child-like tone to it.

“Um- Yes! I’ll be here.” She answered, “Goodnight, Jeff. Use the call button if you need anything.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeff’s January, February, and the beginning of March were spent in the hospital healing from his burn wounds. Every couple of days, his favorite nurse, Jane, would come in to change his bandages. They would have the same conversation every time:

”Do you want to see your face, Jeff?” She would ask, offering him a mirror. He would shake his head, and giggle childishly,

“No, no, no…It’s not time yet.”

Jeff’s friends would visit sometimes, and Stanley came once a week to check on him. Jeff didn’t care anymore. When they would come, he would give them one word responses to all of their questions, hoping that they would go away. Sometimes, he would pretend to be asleep so that they would drop their gifts off and leave. He had much more important matters at hand.

He would mutter to himself about Randy, or his parents, and about how much he hated them. He would watch his movies, and imagine himself as the antagonist. Every character that died was Randy Hayden. These movies only fueled his twisted fantasies further.

Jeff also began to refuse treatment as much as he could, as it would interrupt his thoughts. His doctors and visitors were beginning to notice Jeff’s behavior. It concerned them, but they replaced their worries with blissful indifference, and moved on. Finally, the day Jeff would be discharged came.

Jeff had insisted multiple times every day that his family not be there when his bandages were finally removed, but unfortunately, his wishes weren’t granted. Jeff’s stepmother and father were scheduled to come in and see Jeff’s bandage removal. Little did Jeff know, there was a surprise that came with them.

“Jeff?” Liu’s voice caused Jeff to turn rapidly towards the doorway, hurting his neck a little in the process,

“Liu?” He called back as his half brother ran to him in an embrace.

“Jeff! I missed you so much!” Liu cried into Jeff’s shoulder, hugging him tight. Jeff’s reunion with Liu didn’t feel anything like he thought it would. He wasn’t really excited or joyed to see his brother. It was underwhelming. It felt empty. He realized then that he had barely given his brother’s absence a thought while in the hospital. Liu was taken away from Jeff with a gentle nudge by Jeff’s main doctor.

“Well…are you ready?” The doctor asked, standing beside Jeff’s bed in a pristine white lab coat. The 4 nurses that had cared for Jeff, including Jane, as well as Jeff’s parents, and Liu stood around the bed in anticipation. Jeff gave a little nod, and felt his arm bandages begin to be unwound. He shut his eyes tight to avoid spoiling the surprise. When the bandage at Jeff’s left shoulder was all the way off, he heard his stepmother irk in horror. The doctor shot her a look, before moving to the other side of the bed to unwrap Jeff’s other arm.

After his chest bandages had been unwrapped, it was time for the grand finale. The doctor unwrapped Jeff’s face, and shakily peeled away the gauze. The whole room gasped when his face was finally revealed.

Jeff opened his eyes, and immediately looked down. His upper arms, shoulders, and chest were covered in jagged peaks and valleys where smooth, pale skin had once been. Surgery scars etched shiny lines all along his upper body. He was a mosaic of pale pink and tan. He slowly moved his hands to touch his chest. The ridges and bumps felt unfamilar to him. Jeff gazed in the mirror that had been provided. The mirror shook, and his knuckles turned white from how hard he gripped the handle.

His face was covered in jagged burn scars that ran all across his face. The upper right side had been relatively unscathed, but his nose, cheeks, chin, and left eye were severely damaged. The outer half of his left eyebrow was gone. He moved his black hair to the side, and found that he had a bit of an undercut below his ear where his hair had been burned away. His blue eyes stood out even more now that his face was covered in scars, almost seeming to glow.

“Mr. And Mrs. Woods…May I speak to you outside?” The lead doctor asked, giving a look of sympathy to Jeff’s stepmother, who was now crying. They were taken outside, and the doctor began to speak,

“Your son is a very lucky boy. Dare I say a walking miracle. He made an incredible recovery, one of the best I’ve ever seen in my 25 years here. However, he still has a long road ahead of him.”

Jeff’s father glared at the doctor, and moved to comfort his wife. The nurses and doctors exited Jeff’s room so that he could spend time alone with his family. Jeff’s parents stayed outside, and spoke quietly together in the lobby of the hospital.

Meanwhile, Liu watched with a great deal of concern as his older brother stared at himself in the mirror. He wore a green hospital gown, and grippy socks. Jeff would feel his skin, and stare at his scarred face. Liu couldn’t tell how he was feeling, as Jeff hadn’t said anything since they had embraced.

“Jeff…It’s not that bad…” Liu tried to comfort him, setting a gentle hand on Jeff’s lower back to avoid touching his scars.

“Not that bad?” He spun around to look at Liu, “It’s perfect!” Jeff turned back around, and laughed.

“Um…What?” Liu raised an eyebrow, worry beginning to simmer inside of him.

“This new face…It matches me perfectly! It’s perfect. It-It looks like me.” Jeff began to repeat ‘It’s perfect’ over and over under his breath, wrapping his fingers in his hair. Liu backed out of the hospital room’s bathroom without his brother noticing. He crept into the hallway, looking for a doctor. He ran straight into Jane, who was carrying clothes for Jeff.

“U-um…are you a doctor?” He mumbled, a bit taken aback by her beauty.

”I’m a nurse, sweetheart.” She answered, “What can I do for you?”

”Um…I don’t think my brother is…okay.” He whispered, not wanting to alert Jeff to his conversation. Jane looked slightly confused,

“How so?”

“He isn’t upset about his face at all…he’s happy. He keeps talking about how “perfect” it is.” Liu answered, talking nervously with his hands.

“Ah…um…I’ll tell the doctor. In the meantime, you can wait outside while your brother gets changed.” Liu nodded, and sat on a bench beside his brother’s room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeff gave his doctors and nurses a final goodbye right before he was discharged. He never really cared for any of them, except for Jane. He found her odd. She wasn’t like the rest of the staff. She was the only one who got a hug from Jeff.

The car ride home was bleak and empty. Muffled sobs from Jeff’s stepmother, the engine, and the wind rushing past the car were the only sounds that could be heard. Jeff didn’t pay attention, and instead smiled widely while looking out the window. Liu felt odd, and decided to break the silence,

“What’s for dinner? We should go somewhere special for Jeff.” He suggested, before a scoff from his father,

“Shut up, Liu.” He spoke bluntly, as his wife continued to sob. Liu was alarmed. His parents were mean, but never that bluntly. He looked back at Jeff, to see if this had elicited any reaction from him. Nothing. He continued to smile wide, and stare out the window.

Liu couldn’t explain it, but he had a horrible feeling. A gut-wrenching, sickening, alarm-bell-ringing feeling. His brother needed help, and he knew that his parents would delay a psychiatry appointment for as long as they could.

The End

That night, Jeff hadn’t been able to sleep a wink. All he could think about were his parents, Randy, and his beautiful new face.

They had ruined everything. His parents took his home, his school, hockey, and his brother from him. They wouldn’t listen to his (or his half-brother’s) cries for help, no matter how desperate they were. And when he thought that it couldn’t possibly get worse, they sent him to the slaughter house. They sent him to die. Though Jeff didn’t view his appearance in a negative way, they were why he was disfigured. It was all their fault.

And Randy. He had been a nuisance since the moment he arrived in Elmerville. If he had just left Jeff alone, they might have made a great team. Jeff hated him. He hated him more than his parents. His heart pounded harder than it ever had before. Then, he realized something. He had beat Randy pretty badly when he had first arrived at the school, but Randy had hit him back harder. He had bit off more revenge than he could chew. He hadn’t even been punished for it, as his parents just paid for an expensive lawyer to get him out of the trouble.

Jeff wasn’t like him. He knew that the score needed to be settled. He knew that justice needed to be served. Jeff’s cheeks burned from his manic smiling, and he dropped the facial expression. He sat up in his bed, and shook his fluffy hair around.

“I can’t smile anymore.” He whispered out loud to himself, followed by an angry head shake and groan. He gripped his head in his hands, and gave a loud sigh. Then, an idea popped into his broken mind. He regained his smile, and jumped out of bed with a start to head downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeff’s stepmother awoke when she heard a noise coming from outside of her bedroom. She had always been a light sleeper, unlike her husband. She sighed, and tried to ignore it. It was around 12 in the morning. Her hair was in curlers, and she wore pink satin pajamas. The noise grew louder, and she found that she couldn’t ignore it any longer. She figured it was Liu trying to sneak a midnight snack. Too bad he couldn’t be any quieter.

She pulled her slippers on, and walked slowly to her bedroom door. She opened it, allowing her to better hear the noises. The guest bathroom’s light was on. It was across the living room from their room, about 25 feet away. She crept towards it, finding that the door was slightly opened. It sounded almost like crying. As she approached the door, her mind made more sense of what she heard. It was laughter. Twisted, evil laughter. A chill ran down her spine.

When she set her hand on the door to open it, the laughter instantly stopped. She took a quick breath, unsure of what to do. She hesitated before pushing the door all the way open. What she saw horrified her. Her hands moved to cover her agape mouth as her body was frozen in shock.

Jeff stood in front of the bathroom vanity, which was covered in blood. Bloody handprints covered the mirror, as well as the walls, the sink, the floor, and even the cabinet below the sink. The bathroom looked like a piece of modern art. Jeff gripped a blood soaked knife in his right hand, evidence of what he had just done. His burned cheeks were freshly sliced open into a gruesome smile. Blood poured out onto his light gray band tee-shirt, underneath which he wore a long sleeved black shirt. Mrs. Woods had a look of disbelief on her face as she stared at what her son had done to himself,

“You…Jeff- What- What have you done?” She stared at him as he let out a soul-chilling cackle.

“I-I couldn’t keep smiling…It….It hurt after a while…so…I did this! Now, I can smile forever...” His pale blue eyes were ringed in black. He had taken his eyeliner in a messy attempt to enhance his appearance.

“Son…you look hideous…w-what have you done!?” She screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks, “All these years your father and I have been through, and for what?!” Jeff’s psychotic smile changed. His chin tilted downwards, and he stared at his stepmother through his eyebrows. His smile fled his face,

“You…d-don’t think I’m beautiful…do you?” He cocked his head slightly to the side. Before his stepmother could answer, he rushed her with his knife, gutting her. Her organs and copious amounts of red blood spilled out onto the bathroom floor, furthering the mess he had already created. Jeff couldn’t contain his laughter as he watched her lifeless body fall to the floor, twitching and sputtering for air. When he looked up, he saw his father standing in the darkness of the living room, frozen in terror,

“Son…” Was all he said. Jeff resumed a smile, although it wasn’t quite as large this time,

“Dad?” Jeff questioned, wiping the blood on his knife off with his sleeve, “Do you think I’m beautiful?” Jeff’s father stared at his wife’s bloody corpse on the floor. He said nothing, his biggest mistake. Jeff’s smile faded again, and he lunged at his father.

His shoved his son, but it had nothing to it. Jeff was a machine that was running off of adrenaline, bloodlust, and rage, a deadly combination. He stabbed his father in the chest, his ribs cracking loudly. When Jeff pulled the knife out. Jeff’s father yowled, clutching his bloody shirt. He staggered backwards, unsure of what to do. He fell into the short coffee table with a loud crash. The glass shattered beneath his weight, and the wood support that held the table up in the middle impaled him straight through his stomach. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.

He looked up at his eldest son, his blue eyes seeming to glow in the dark. The only sounds were Jeff’s footsteps and the drops of his own blood hitting the floor. Jeff tilted his head to the side again, staring at his helpless father’s suffering. When he was bored of this sight, he leaned over him, and slit his throat, blood spurting out on the carpet.

When Jeff stood back up, he sighed out and smiled again. He was pleased with what he saw. He had made such quick work of his parents, and it felt great. They wouldn’t be there to bother him anymore. When he stood up to leave, he heard a soft groaning sound coming from behind him. When he turned around, he saw his stepmother crawling towards him, dragging her intestines out behind her. She left a smear of blood on the floor like a snail. Jeff got down to her level, and finished her off with a quick stab in the back of her neck.

He flopped down on the couch for a moment, examining the chaos of the living room that was only illuminated by the light from the guest bathroom. Warm blood flowed slowly down his chin and neck, but he couldn’t feel a thing. It was eerily silent, his surroundings standing in awe at what he had just done.

He pondered his next move, and decided to go for a drive. He padded silently up the stairs, and stepped quietly through the hallway. Just as he was about to enter his room, he remembered his brother. He walked slowly to Liu’s room, his door already cracked open. When he pushed on the wood, he found his brother asleep in his bed. He listened to music with headphones, so Jeff knew he wouldn’t have heard any of the commotion downstairs.

Jeff moved silently to Liu’s bed, and leaned over him. This woke Liu up, but just barely. The room was too dark for him to actually see Jeff’s appearance.

“Jeff…?” He muttered sleepily. Jeff gave his brother a bloody kiss on the forehead, “Jeff did you…wash your face?” Liu chuckled, wiping his forehead with his sleeve and pulling his covers over his shoulder. Jeff smiled slightly, stroking his brother’s brown hair with his hand.

“Go to sleep, asshole.” Liu whispered, hugging his pillow and trying to return to his slumber. Jeff said nothing and took his knife out of his pocket, wiping it clean of his parent’s blood with his hoodie sleeve.

“No, Liu.” He uttered, a short giggle escaping his lungs. Liu stirred more, sitting up in his bed. Jeff grabbed Liu’s shoulder, and pushed him back down into his bed with force, “Jeff, stop-”

Jeff raised his knife above his head, the light from the hallway catching the blade. It took Liu a moment to process, but when he did, he let out a scream so loud, Jeff had to cover his mouth with his hand to shut him up. He plunged the knife directly into Liu’s chest. Directly into his beating heart. Liu looked stunned, like he couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. Jeff yanked the knife out, and stabbed him again. Then again. Then again. He kept going for around 5 minutes, until Liu’s poor body had around 34 stab wounds in it. He looked like a slush of blood, organs, and bone fragments. His face was unrecognizable because Jeff had carved a deep smile into his cheeks to match his own. Liu didn’t move. He didn’t breathe. He was dead. Jeff’s beloved brother was dead, and he felt nothing.

Jeff climbed out of Liu’s blood-soaked bed, and dusted himself off. Obviously, this did no good. He threw Liu’s door open, knowing now that he was basically home alone. He felt sick to his stomach. What he had done hadn’t quite registered yet. He was too focused on what he was going to do next. He had limited time. He had to make the most of it.

Jeff went back to his room, leaving bloody footprints in the carpet. He flipped his bedroom light on, and began to search for what he needed. He changed his clothes, as the ones he was wearing were completely saturated in blood, and would become unbearable in the cold. He put on a team hockey hoodie from his old school, and a Black Veil Brides shirt over it for warmth. He grabbed a black jacket, his fuzzy socks, boots, and a thicker pair of insulated pants. He had some fingerless gloves that he pulled on, along with a couple of bracelets from his nightstand.

Jeff walked down the stairs, and passed the site where he murdered his parents. He admired his work for one more quick moment, before grabbing his car keys off of the kitchen’s island with shaking hands. When he opened the house’s garage door, he felt a rush of chilly air surround his body. He looked out into the serene night sky, dusted with stars and the occasional clouds. It was mesmerising. With one final glance backwards at his parents, he disappeared into the night, leaving the new house’s door wide open.

OH MY GOSH??? YOU READ THE WHOLE THING???? THIS MUST MEAN THAT YOU LIKED IT?? THANKS!!