'Well,' EJ said with a sigh as he collapsed into the passenger seat, 'that was pointless.'

'It wasn't that pointless,' you argued, resting your head against the steering wheel. 'Whatever's stopping you from remembering things must be pretty strong. But that's okay!' You sat up, bringing the car to life. 'You'll get there.'

It doesn't help that the security guard chased us out, but oh well.

'I want to see Greg.'

'What?'

'I want to see Greg,' he repeated, 'you said he was my best friend.'

'Well, yeah, but—'

'But what?'

You bit your tongue, shaking your head. 'Nothing.'

It was getting dark as you slowly followed the traffic, too tired after running away from the security guard to speed.

'Turn right at the junction,' EJ said suddenly, reaching over to flick on the indicator.

Wordlessly, you did as he said and turned right onto a small, quiet country road, causing the satnav to momentarily freak out.

'Is this a shortcut?' you asked.

He shrugged. 'Kinda. It's never as busy as the main road.'

'Have you been down this road before?'

'I killed someone here, I think. So, when can I meet Greg?'

'Um, whenever you want and whenever he's free, I suppose,' you said, trying to ignore the sinking anxiety in your chest. 'I can message him later and see when he's got a day off if you'd like?'

'That sounds good. You'll have to come with me, though.'

'Don't worry, I will.'

EJ stared at you, frowning slightly under his mask. Your eyes looked tired and defeated, as though you could burst into tears at any moment. Did the security guard's actions affect you that much? It confused him—did you want to help him so badly? Why would anybody care about him, a man dead to the world, to such an extent?

'Hey,' he said in the gentlest tone he could muster, 'are you okay?'

'Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine,' you replied, internally cringing at the pathetic excuse of a lie.

'(Y/N), don't lie to me. Are you okay?'

You sighed. 'No,' you admitted, 'I'm not. I'm pissed off.'

'Why?'

'Because you didn't remember anything. I'm annoyed that it didn't work, and you're still clueless about your life before the ritual. I'm not mad at you,' you added quickly, 'I just...argh!' In a momentary fit of rage, you slammed your hand down on the steering wheel, feeling your anger dissipate almost immediately. 'Ah...sorry about that.'

'Don't apologise. Pull over, I'll drive.'

You stopped the car in a nearby lay-by. When you got out the car, you stretched, groaning as some of your joints popped. 'That feels better.'

'I don't mind if you sleep for the rest of the journey,' EJ said, 'I won't do anything.'

'I know, I know. I'll try and sleep for a bit.'

Surprisingly, EJ was a pretty good driver. He drove a little bit too fast for your liking, but it wasn't anything that caused you to feel unsafe as you curled up on the passenger seat.

And then you found out how good the brakes were.

It wasn't long after EJ had taken the wheel, and just as you were about to drift off, he suddenly swerved off the road to the left, throwing an arm out to keep you safe as he slammed on the brakes. You jolted awake, all traces of drowsiness gone, as your eyes darted around, panicked. About a metre in front of you—maybe even less than that—was a large tree that would've caused more than a dent in the car's bodywork.

'Shit!' EJ exclaimed, 'are you alright? You're not injured, are you?!'

'No, I'm fine,' you said weakly, your heart jumping in your throat, 'are you alright?'

'Just peachy,' he replied, turning the car off before opening the car door, 'just stay in here, alright? Don't get out of the car unless I tell you to.'

You opened your mouth to ask what was wrong, but he was already gone. You glanced in the wing-mirror and saw a woman stood behind the car. Your throat tightened and your stomach performed an acrobatics routine out of fear. She was one you'd never seen before; a tall lady, dressed in a short, black leather nurse uniform with matching gloves and shoes. Red hair fell above her shoulders and over one eye, and a medical mask covered her lower face. Her lean body was covered in stitches, and a blood-covered chainsaw dangled from her hand.

You watched in silence as EJ and the woman exchanged a few heated words, frowning in mild irritation when she pulled a bag out from behind her back and waved it teasingly in EJ's face. When he shook his head, she pushed it closer to his face, lips moving as she spoke, only to receive a swift kick in the stomach.

To your horror, the two began to throw punches and kicks at each other, weapons discarded.

'Never seen two serial killers scrap before?' asked a familiar voice to your right.

'Hello, Jane,' you said, 'what're you doing here?'

'Can't I talk to my friend without a reason?' she asked, a tiny pout on her lips, 'I think I'm more than a friend at this point, right? Maybe the crazy aunt. Yeah.' She sat back, folding her arms. 'Crazy lesbian wine aunt. I like the sound of that.'

'You have the vibes of a cat-lady.'

'Hm, I suppose a cat wouldn't be that bad. They are quite adorable. Oh! Speaking of animals, I found this not too long ago.' She handed you a plastic bag with something wrapped in a tea towel. You gingerly poked it out of the way, revealing a recently deceased rabbit.

'Thanks,' you said, placing the corpse on the floor. 'So...was that all you came to see me for?'

She shook her head, flicking some of long hair over her shoulder. 'Nope. You need to be sneakier with your research.'

'What do you mean? Researching is my job.'

'You know what I mean.' She gestured to EJ, who was yanking at the nurse's hair. 'Your research on how to reverse the ritual. If you and—what's his name? Greg? If you and Greg keep doing this much research, you might well find yourself on someone's hit list. You're lucky it's only me and one other person who's noticed.'

'Who's the other person?' you asked, your heart suddenly beating loudly in your ears.

'Some elf kid.'

Ah, BEN, I presume. I've read about him.

'He isn't one to snitch on people, and he knows we can't hurt you anyway. I'm concerned that the 'no hurting (Y/N)' rule will be reversed and you'll be dead meat.'

'There's a rule about me?'

She nodded. 'There is. We're specifically prevented from harming you in any way.'

'And everyone under No-Face is affected by this rule?'

'Yep. Just...don't get yourself into too much shit, alright?' She glanced over her shoulder. 'I should probably be going; the fight'll be over in a second.'

'Oh, okay.' You were genuinely disappointed that she was leaving so soon. 'See you later.'

'See you later, (Y/N).' She slipped out of the car, walking away into the forest.

A few moments later, EJ returned, his now-scratched mask ever so slightly skewed, revealing ashy grey skin. He was breathing slightly heavier than normal, and didn't say a word to you as he slammed the car door. He switched the car on, reversed back onto the road before zooming off, throwing a middle finger at the breathless nurse who was clutching her ankle.

'When we get back to your place, get a hoover and hoover out the front of the car,' he said, breaking the silence, 'just in case any of your hair fell out. I'll drive it back to the owners.'

'Sounds good,' you said, 'uhm, EJ? Your mask is damaged.'

He put a hand up the mask, tapping it to get a feel of the scratches in it. As he realised that it was skewed, he quickly moved it so it covered his entire face.

'I can repair it, if you'd like,' you offered.

'Don't worry about it. I have a spare.'

EJ returned to your place after dropping off the stolen—sorry, borrowed—car. You didn't notice him stood at the window, watching as you sewed up the body of the rabbit Jane had kindly given you. You only noticed that he was there when he knocked on the glass, making you jump and stab yourself with the needle.

'Dear God!' you exclaimed, putting your needle-less hand over your heart. You went over to the window and opened it, frowning as you saw him fail to suppress a laugh. 'Please don't make a habit of standing outside my window. Why don't you try the front door?'

'You locked it,' EJ stated, climbing inside, 'and I wouldn't get your attention from there, would I?'

'...You could always knock.'

'But that's boring.'

'No, it's preventing a heart attack.'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever. I've got something for you.' He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a familiar knife. You recognised it as the pocket knife from the antiques shop that you had given back.

'Huh? But this is yours,' you protested.

'And I want you to have it.' EJ took your hand, gently removed the needle from your thumb and placed the knife in your palm. 'It'll do more damage than a bat, and I already have a knife. I have no need for this one.'

'But it's got sentimental value.'

He shrugged. 'Eh, I'm not fussed about sentimental value. If it was gonna help me remember something, it would've done so by now.'

'Well, if you insist.' Your fingers closed around the cold knife. 'Thanks.' You beamed at him, holding out your other hand for a high five.

'No problem.' He slapped his hand against yours. For a second, every nerve in his body wanted to hold onto your hand, to pull you into a hug and bury his face in your shoulder. It was so hard keeping his actions in check. He wanted to be near you, to hold you close and never ever let go.

You removed your hand from against his and went over to your desk, slipping the knife into a drawer. 'Do you want something to drink, or—'

'I gotta go,' EJ blurted out, already halfway out the window. 'I'll see you later.'

'O-Okay,' you replied, 'see you later?'

there's literally no point in writing this like 'oooh who's the yandere??? i wonder who it could beeeee' cause it's right there. in the title. so yeah expect me to go full out with the yandere thoughts monologues.

- gravity