Jack

Strange Night

As I walked through the streets, I felt as if someone had been following me since I arrived on Astoria Street.

'I'll check to see if it's just my imagination or if someone is really messing with me.'

I went to the nearby buildings that had lights. Because it's a narrow road, I could see someone pass by, and I knew if someone was following me, he'd have to walk through here. I hid in the corner, waiting for someone to appear. I'm not sure if I'm lucky that I didn't see anyone pass by, but I have goosebumps because I was sure someone was staring at my back.

I dashed into the small bakery where a few people were conversing. Maybe I'm just paranoid as a result of recent events in town.

I passed by and bought some bread. I dismiss the possibility of someone following me. I'm just a nobody from the slums. Why would anyone want to stalk someone like me?

"These days, young people get excited about bread," the old man observed. He was puzzled as to why I would rush out to buy bread. It's not like there are a lot of people buying bread.

'Perhaps he's just getting old and can't keep up with the energy the kid has,' the old man reasoned.

I noticed an elderly woman sitting in a corner as I walked through the alleys. I passed by to see what she was selling, but all I found was a deck of cards on the table. The old woman, on the other hand, creeps me out because she was silent the entire time. I know she noticed me, and a normal person would have asked the customer. I conclude that she was not selling anything on her table.

I was about to leave when she suddenly grabbed my hands and I nearly jumped back and screamed. Fortunately, I kept my voice quiet, so I couldn't scream. Why would this elderly lady behave in this manner? I noticed her waving her arms above the deck of cards. I assumed she wanted me to place my hand over the cards, so I did.

"I only have two mora left, Ma'am; I can't pay you," I explained. I still had change from the ten-mora my father gave me after I bought the bread. I considered returning it to Father, but the old woman seemed so desperate for mora that I decided to tell her.

She nodded and said weakly, “it’s enough”

Just listening to her makes my heart ache. An old woman working even through the night is something I didn’t expect, especially when I saw her on the corners of the streets.

I didn't respond and simply did what she asked. Based on her previous action, I interpreted it as her requesting that I place my hand over the cards. I was about to wave my hand over it when I noticed a card stuck to my palm.

'I didn't even touch it,' I thought.

“Jaccccckk” she said. When I heard my name, I flinched. 'Oh, god. 'I'm scared,' Jack admitted to himself.

“Yes ma’am, how do you know my name?” I asked her because I heard her suddenly calling my name.

“No, that card is jack” she said, with her head down so I couldn’t really see her face.

I looked at the card and saw a picture of a man dressed up as an aristocrat. 'So, this is jack?'

“What does this mean though?” I asked curiously at the old woman.

“Jaccckkk...... Jack is mysterious, while the Kings and Queens represent the highest value in both cards and life. But why would Jack be there? What happened to him? The Princes and Princesses are obviously lower than the King and Queen. But neither is on the cards." She then clasped her shaking hands around mine and clasped them together.

"Does the "jack" refer to a royal court? Perhaps it's another important character we haven't met yet. What is the origin of Jack? When the time comes, you'll know. Keep it, keep this card near you," she advised.

I was dumbfounded, but strangely enough, I found myself nodding at her. I gave her two mora and began walking home, wondering why she thought I could answer her questions "when the time comes."

As he turned his back on her, the old woman could be seen smiling as she was cast into the shadows.

Jack could see a normal-looking card as he held the cards in his hands. He was going to throw it away on my way home, but he decided against it because it would make him feel bad, so he didn't. When he feels the cold of the night, jack puts it in his pocket and hugs himself. Jack went home without thinking about the fact that he had been being followed a while ago and that he had met a strange old woman.

At the time when jack and Amelie walked on the street of Astoria, there was something bad around the corner.

...

Someone was sitting in the corner waiting for any prey to appear tonight.

'It’s already been two nights and I am shaking over the fact that I have been lying low for a while. The police inspector patrols every night, so just to be safe, I decided not to take any prey, but I couldn’t take it anymore.' He thought.

When he was lost in his thoughts, there he saw his prey walking in the streets.

'I can tell that these two individuals are still young. Perfect for being my prey. God really loves me for giving me such young flesh to kill. I am laughing thinking how lucky I am.' He said to himself. He observed the girl go into the apartment, so he decided to follow the young boy.

“hek hek, my, this lad is truly a perfect victim for tonight” A smile could be seen through the night while l*****g the knife.

He noticed something moving on the corner of the street while following the boy. Suddenly, a shadow grew so large that it could be compared to a building, and his consciousness was swept away, along with intense pain in every inch of his body. He is screaming in pain as he is being eaten by something, and blood is splashing on every wall of the building. But he was powerless to stop the shadows from devouring him.