The cursor blinked steadily in the password field. Jack tapped his fingers along the table next to his laptop as he stared at the login screen to Kieran's camera system. Kieran didn't exactly seem technologically literate, if his refusal to accommodate Lindsey was anything to go by.

Jack tried the defaults of "admin" and "password" first. He lightly ran his fingertips over the keyboard as a thought struck him.

He typed out "Jack Elster." Before he could dwell on it more, he tabbed over and logged in, hoping he'd be wrong.

A simple interface and a collection of camera angles greeted him. Next time he saw Kieran, he'd suggest not using a business email for his login. This was stupidly easy.

He would also need to find a way to suggest a different password.

He enlarged the camera currently occupied by Kieran and clicked on the little speaker icon, hoping the cameras had mics. He smiled as Kieran's voice filtered through his headphones.

"—and you're out for half the day," said Kieran, his annoyance clear. He shook his head and turned to walk out of the camera's view. A flicker of static jittered across the image, working its way from one side to where Kieran went. "The answer is still no. You have my gratitude, but it is simply not worth the risk. Now if you'll excuse me, I've the rest of this fiasco to take care of."

Even irritated, Kieran's voice was like honey to Jack's ears. He wondered who had earned Kieran's ire.

Jack turned his attention to tracking down the footage of the previous night. He figured he'd start at midnight, expecting to have to go forward, but the window display was already a mess. He moved to set the time back another hour, but his hands had a different idea.

He had entered the approximate time of his phone call to Kieran. He had to admit that he was curious if Kieran acted annoyed behind his back. He sat back, ready to be disappointed.

The footage started, showing Kieran standing in the open doorway.

"Any sign of him?" Kieran asked, bringing his phone to ear and frowning. "He's still running." He breathed a heavy sigh and stepped back, holding the door open further.

Jack came barreling in not a minute later.

He watched himself in confusion, getting conflicting flashes. He hadn't been panicked. He'd been annoyed that his setup had been disrupted by maintenance, and he'd come to complain to Kieran.

But maintenance rarely came over. And they always left a note on his counter when they did show up. Always a note in plain sight. Never a phone call.

He froze up at the sound of glass breaking, dread slowly building. Kieran was going to die. Kieran was dead. But he had spoken to Kieran just a few hours ago.

Kieran pushed Jack behind a large display case.

Jack's heart beat erratically as he watched Kieran sneer at the man. Even knowing what came next didn't prepare him for the loud gunshot and the image of Kieran stumbling and crashing into the glass of the case.

Jack covered his mouth with his hands and flinched as the second shot rang out and Kieran slumped over, lifeless. He zoomed in on Kieran, ignoring the large figure that crossed the frame. The glitchy static appeared over Kieran and slipped off to where Jack and the gunman were.

He half-listened as he heard himself scream. He would have the knife by now. His own ordeal would be over, but Kieran was still dead on the floor. He kept a close eye on the pixels surrounding Kieran, but there was no movement aside from the residual artifacts of the recorded image.

He swallowed as he heard his screams turn frantic, the memory of Lindsey's bloodied face and mauled torso becoming crystal clear. Lindsey was dead. Lindsey had been dead since the moment he met her. And Kieran…

Kieran was struggling to sit up, clutching at the bloody mess his neck had become and looking disoriented.

Everything was becoming clearer, and Jack shook as the false memories gave way to reality. If it could even be called that.

Ghosts were real. Kieran was…

What was Kieran?

He switched camera angles and turned up the volume as Kieran talked him down.

"Look at me, Jack. My sweet, sweet siren. It's alright. Everything is fine. It will all work out. I understand this is so much for you. You can let it go," Kieran said in a steady voice that held an edge of forced calm.

"No one is after you, I'll make sure of it. I'm working on it, I swear. No more hiding in the shadows. No more uncertainty and fear. I'll protect you," he promised. "Now, listen very carefully."

Whatever was going on, Jack's past self was absolutely out of it as he nodded along.

"Sure, but are you okay?" Jack slurred, wobbling unsteadily.

"I'm fine, sweet thing," Kieran said as he lovingly stroked Jack's hair.

"Lindsey's a ghost."

"Lindsey is alive and well." Kieran glared over his shoulder at the staticy glitch before turning his full attention back to Jack. "Lindsey is fine. The last time you saw her was yesterday. You came here tonight to vent about the maintenance worker at your apartment who inadvertently kicked part of your makeshift security system. They called you on your way here to apologize for the inconvenience."

Kieran lifted Jack's hand to his lips. "Having any sort of intruder in your space must be stressful. I offered you a glass of wine to help you relax, and you fell asleep on my couch. Now, then, my sweet, go to sleep, and all will be well when you awaken."

Jack's jaw went slack as he watched himself fall forward into Kieran's waiting arms and was carefully picked up.

Kieran paused to glare at the static. "Oh, do shut up, you stupid ghost. If he didn't like you, I'd put you back on eBay where you belong," he threatened before heading to the back of the store.

Jack stared at the empty screen in silence. Eventually, Kieran reappeared and dragged the dead man onto a nearby rug, already ruined with Kieran's blood.

"I have a lovely urn awaiting you," Kieran said. "But, for now, I'll introduce you to my freezer."

Jack slowly closed his laptop and stared ahead. He was just trying to help. That was all he wanted to do. Just a small thank you for putting up with him. He hadn't meant to stumble onto…

No. None of this was his fault. He may have led the brute of a gunman to Kieran, but he never asked to be brainwashed or hypnotized or whatever it was Kieran had done to him.

His chest tightened at the thought. How many times had it happened already? Was that the only reason they were dating?

Maybe the relationship was still salvageable. If it was just once to get him to calm down…

Who was he kidding? Of course Kieran messed with him more than once. Had any of it been real?

He pulled out his phone and added an alarm for later that night, labeling it "review audio recordings and footage folder." He popped open his laptop and saved the relevant slice of footage from Kieran's security cameras.

He could be on Kieran's doorstep in about twenty minutes. He might be out of breath and look a fool, but he couldn't let anyone else get away with fucking around with his head again.

He frowned as he stood then dropped back onto his chair. Why would he think that? Again. Again what? Kieran messed with his head. Who else was there?

He covered his mouth and pulled his knees to his chest. Who else had fucked with his memories?

There was no one he could talk to. No one would believe him. There was no proof. He'd be locked up with no one to come get him. No one cared enough to find him.

He glared at his knees as his spiraling thoughts ground to a halt.

That wasn't right. Tara had plastered the town and internet with his photograph when he first went missing. She visited him when he was committed and was there when he got out. Sam and Candace had all but adopted him. And there was someone who would believe him. And if he were lucky, Kieran actually liked him and might help. If only out of guilt at getting caught.