Dream ∆ 008
Someone was out there.
Jack turned off the water to the shower and listened to the creaking, unsubtle footsteps out in his apartment. Jack never let anyone into his apartment. Whoever it was, he wasn’t welcome - a robber? Huh, he wouldn’t find anything to rob. It wasn’t Maintenance, they always sent him notification before barging in. And it certainly wasn’t the electrician; he was just in the other day.
Jack quietly opened the mirror cupboard with a small snap and withdrew a small hand pistol, trying his best to stifle the sound of the gun cocking. He halfheartedly wrapped a towel around his waist and padded out in the hall, toward his bedroom.
The door was open. A shadow was moving around inside.
Someone else was definitely there.
----------------------------------------------------
The sharp crack of flesh violently meeting flesh broke the choked silence.
Rose shrank away, the newly-acquired red mark throbbing on her face, her eyes alight with horror and fear. She choked back a sob, tears welling in her lovely, pale brown eyes.
“Jack…” she sobbed. “Oh, Jack, your room, it’s so-“
“I never said you could come in,” Jack uttered coldly, gaze hooded with fury, his pistol at his side. “Get out.”
“Jack!” she cried again. “Jack, please talk to me. I want you to talk to me. You’ve been so cold and distant, I…!”
“I said, get out!”
Jack reeled the fist gripping his pistol back. Rose let out a small gasp and raised her arms to shield herself.
Yet when Jack moved forward to bring his arm down, he found that something was holding it in place, gripping him by the wrist.
Or, rather, someone.
“What do you think you’re doing, Raiden?” Colonel Campbell’s authoritative voice demanded. “Rosemary never wanted this. Rosemary never wanted you.” He stepped in front of Jack, his old, wrinkled face in full view. Jack never wanted to see his FOXHOUND commander in such an up close and personal kind of way. “See what you’ve done to her? She’s a pathetic, broken woman, Raiden. Can you imagine what kind of state she was in after you disappeared? All she needed was someone to pick up the pieces.” Campbell grinned. “Lucky me!”
The anger dimmed and fled from Jack’s eyes, ushering in the terror and confusion instead. His lips parted in surprise; he wrenched his wrist from Campbell’s steely grip and backed away from him, looking back to Rose. Rose carefully rose to her feet, shaking, reaching her delicate little hands out to Campbell.
“Oh, Roy,” she said, her voice much stronger than her appearance. “You’ve been so kind to me… so kind… Roy.”
“Rose,” Jack protested, his posture sagging. “Rose, wait. I didn’t-God, Rose, I just lost control. This isn’t like me, you know it isn’t. I don’t want to hurt-“
“Yourself, Jack,” said Rose calmly, now entwined in Roy Campbell’s old, wrinkly arms. He was beaming self-righteously. “You never wanted to hurt yourself. Everything you’ve done is selfish. I was right, Jack; this room is as cold and empty as your heart. I can’t get through to you. But Roy…”
“Finders keepers, Raiden!” boasted Campbell. Sometime between his entrance and now his clothes had mysteriously disappeared. Jack’s expression flattened. “As they say - Finders Keepers. Rosemary, let’s go to my bedroom.”
They turned and headed for the exit. Jack fixed his gaze on Roy’s wrinkly, naked, hairy ass, eyes narrowing. At the doorframe, Rose paused to look over her shoulder at Jack, alone, with nothing but a towel to maintain his dignity. He was staring at the floor.
“Jack, there’s something else you should know,” she said sadly. “I lost the b-“
“Rose,” interrupted Jack firmly, not a hint of tears in his voice. “I lo…”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish it.
Instead, he raised his pistol and shot Campbell in the face.
Jack turned off the water to the shower and listened to the creaking, unsubtle footsteps out in his apartment. Jack never let anyone into his apartment. Whoever it was, he wasn’t welcome - a robber? Huh, he wouldn’t find anything to rob. It wasn’t Maintenance, they always sent him notification before barging in. And it certainly wasn’t the electrician; he was just in the other day.
Jack quietly opened the mirror cupboard with a small snap and withdrew a small hand pistol, trying his best to stifle the sound of the gun cocking. He halfheartedly wrapped a towel around his waist and padded out in the hall, toward his bedroom.
The door was open. A shadow was moving around inside.
Someone else was definitely there.
----------------------------------------------------
The sharp crack of flesh violently meeting flesh broke the choked silence.
Rose shrank away, the newly-acquired red mark throbbing on her face, her eyes alight with horror and fear. She choked back a sob, tears welling in her lovely, pale brown eyes.
“Jack…” she sobbed. “Oh, Jack, your room, it’s so-“
“I never said you could come in,” Jack uttered coldly, gaze hooded with fury, his pistol at his side. “Get out.”
“Jack!” she cried again. “Jack, please talk to me. I want you to talk to me. You’ve been so cold and distant, I…!”
“I said, get out!”
Jack reeled the fist gripping his pistol back. Rose let out a small gasp and raised her arms to shield herself.
Yet when Jack moved forward to bring his arm down, he found that something was holding it in place, gripping him by the wrist.
Or, rather, someone.
“What do you think you’re doing, Raiden?” Colonel Campbell’s authoritative voice demanded. “Rosemary never wanted this. Rosemary never wanted you.” He stepped in front of Jack, his old, wrinkled face in full view. Jack never wanted to see his FOXHOUND commander in such an up close and personal kind of way. “See what you’ve done to her? She’s a pathetic, broken woman, Raiden. Can you imagine what kind of state she was in after you disappeared? All she needed was someone to pick up the pieces.” Campbell grinned. “Lucky me!”
The anger dimmed and fled from Jack’s eyes, ushering in the terror and confusion instead. His lips parted in surprise; he wrenched his wrist from Campbell’s steely grip and backed away from him, looking back to Rose. Rose carefully rose to her feet, shaking, reaching her delicate little hands out to Campbell.
“Oh, Roy,” she said, her voice much stronger than her appearance. “You’ve been so kind to me… so kind… Roy.”
“Rose,” Jack protested, his posture sagging. “Rose, wait. I didn’t-God, Rose, I just lost control. This isn’t like me, you know it isn’t. I don’t want to hurt-“
“Yourself, Jack,” said Rose calmly, now entwined in Roy Campbell’s old, wrinkly arms. He was beaming self-righteously. “You never wanted to hurt yourself. Everything you’ve done is selfish. I was right, Jack; this room is as cold and empty as your heart. I can’t get through to you. But Roy…”
“Finders keepers, Raiden!” boasted Campbell. Sometime between his entrance and now his clothes had mysteriously disappeared. Jack’s expression flattened. “As they say - Finders Keepers. Rosemary, let’s go to my bedroom.”
They turned and headed for the exit. Jack fixed his gaze on Roy’s wrinkly, naked, hairy ass, eyes narrowing. At the doorframe, Rose paused to look over her shoulder at Jack, alone, with nothing but a towel to maintain his dignity. He was staring at the floor.
“Jack, there’s something else you should know,” she said sadly. “I lost the b-“
“Rose,” interrupted Jack firmly, not a hint of tears in his voice. “I lo…”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish it.
Instead, he raised his pistol and shot Campbell in the face.