Emily sat hunched over her desk, re-examining all the evidence and clues that had been left over the last few days for probably the fiftieth time. It had been separated into two piles – "clues" and "dead ends" – and right now he was cross-examining every object from the "clues" pile.
Frustrated with the lack of conclusion, they rested their face in their hands, sighing loudly. "I've gotten nowhere.. and I'm supposed to be good at my job.."
What frustrated Emily the most was the note he'd left from the most recent murder. Well, that and the growing pressure from the media and the general public. They wanted him CAUGHT. And yet, it seemed, that was the last thing he could do. "I will come." He would come when? Where? She sighed again.
That night, Jona showed up in Emily's house well before she was home and laid up in her bed. For hours it waited, until it heard her car drive up. It smiled to itself and sat up.
Finally. it thinks.
(DAMNNNN OMG. IM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. I DONT GOT THE BRAINCELLS TO WRITE RN BUT I WILL WHEN I WAKE UP TOMORROW)
(I definitely feel that, but here I am, still writing, lol.)
Upon arriving home, Emily let out another frustrated sigh as she unlocked the door. Dropping her stuff on the small dining table*, he opted for a quick snack on crackers they found in the cupboard and sat down, glad to be home. It had been a long day, and when he was at home, he could pretend that none of her troubles existed and that her work life was as it should.
When she was done, she headed to her bedroom to relax and think about the day.
*As the image I found is for bedroom decor, here's what the far right should look like instead
Jona waits until Emily gets close to the bed to make his presence known.
"Hello, Emily. I came, as I said I was going to." it says, his form emerging from among the shadows.
His body tensed up, knowing this man was dangerous. But.. he'd dodged his bullets so easily.. such preciseness.. it was impossible for your average human to achieve such a feat. This man.. person.. he wasn't human, that was for certain. "What the hell are you doing?" Emily demanded with a glare.
"Currently? Having a pleasant talk with a friend. Before you got here? Waiting for you to get home." Jona replies, grinning.
(HEYY sorry omg i was passed out all day)
Emily scowled at him. This man made her SO irritated she didn't even know what to do. "….. friend?" they questioned, but didn't wait for an answer. "Let's just skip the small talk, shall we? What do you want from me?"
(You're fine, Iz. I figured that was the case.)
Jona's face goes cold. "Very well, Emily."
"But in a moment, you're going to wish you'd never said that. Because you are going to take a couple days off from work. And then you're coming with me." it says, an air of extreme violence in the air. The temperature in the room had also rapidly dropped to the point where they could see each other's breath in the air.
His eyes spun rapidly around the room while he tried to conceal his emotions, to no avail. This man.. monster.. he was not human. Whatever he was doing.. god damn.. he was strong. Emily tried to remember what their father would say.. he was better with the supernatural and other non-human creatures than she was. In fact, there was very little she knew about them, and honestly, that was something they regretted. It would have come in real handy right about now.
"…and then what?" she asked, trying to keep her frustration out of her voice. He could sense that the more hostility he showed, the worse everything was going to be. … and when did it get so cold in here? Did my heater break? ..I'll have to get that checked out later, ugh, Emily thought to herself, shifting their position in an effort to warm themselves subtly.
(oh!! this is kinda giving me like.. stockholm syndrome vibes. like if you wanna do the romance naturally all good with me but i also think stockholm syndrom would be kinda fun to play out.. but then again maybe not since it's not something i know enough about to write confidently ;o)
(just a thought though!!)
(I'd definitely love to try out Stockholm, but honestly, I don't know too much about it either. The best way to learn is by doing, though!)
Jona smiles coldly, its flawless teeth glinting.
"You know what happens next." it says, its tone sharper than a razor in a bucket full of ice shards.
(hm.. i may do some research later if i remember then.)
Instinctively, Emily's eyes widened in fear. She kept silent. Was this going to be her end? To be murdered by the very man she so desperately wanted to catch and put behind bars? This couldn't be. They looked around desperately, trying to find anything within reach that could potentially be used as a weapon or defense of some sort. But there was nothing. This house had not been decorated with the idea that someday she'd be cornered by a mass murderer in mind.
(Okay!)
Jona smirks at Emily's fear, and dissappers from that spot. Only the feel of its breath against the detective's skin gave tell of the fact that it was behind her.
One slim arm wraps around Emily's waist.
"Don't worry, detective. You'll live." he whispers, dissappearing with her.
They were now standing in a crumbling manor house. Long vacant, it echoed with the phantasmal screams of those long dead.
(hm.. i'm not really sure how to write this next part from emily's pov since i don't know where they went..)
(Oop- yeah that'd do it. Sorry, lol.)
(HAHA it's okey xD)
A shiver went down Emily's spine. As a detective, he liked to work off facts, not "vibes" or "feelings." And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that this place was haunted. 'You'll live,' he'd told her. So then, what was he going to do instead? Torture her? Force her to please him in any way possible? Become an accomplice? .. he seemed too skilled to need an accomplice, though. ".. who.. no, what.. are you..?" they demanded through clenched teeth.
Jona smirks. "You'll find out. Eventually."
Keeping a tight grip on Emily, he blinks to the basement. Staining the ground are suspicious rust colored spots around various circular grates. Chains hang from the ceiling, at the end of which are manacles.
Despite her fear, Emily couldn't help herself. "Are these.. are you going to torture me?" he asked with genuine curiousity. Obviously, they wouldn't want to be tortured, but.. they honestly expected to be toyed around with, held as ransom, maybe just outright murdered. He didn't think he was quite ready for this. Maybe he could just stall time with curiousity, perhaps…
Jona looks a bit surprised, then snickers.
"You seem surprisingly calm about it." he replies, chaining Emily up using the manacles.
He goes over to a large cart and selects a sharp obsidian dagger.
"But that calmness won't last."
Their heart was pounding, loud enough that Emily was surprised he couldn't hear it. They didn't want to die. Not yet, not when they were so young. Squeezing her eyes shut, she didn't want to see what he was doing to her. She only hoped that he wouldn't sense it. Him, him, him. It seemed to be all about him. As if she was some madman in love with a murderer. The thought made her feel ill. God, as if he would ever fall in love with some crazy psycho like the man in front of her was.
Jona walks over to Emily.
"Now now, Emily. It'll only hurt for a little bit." it coos, tracing the detective's lips with the dagger.
"Open your eyes, dear. Watch."
A pause.
Emily could have cringed at how loud it sounded when she sucked in her breath at the cold metal tracing her lips. If he'd been brave enough, perhaps he would have laughed loudly, spat in his face, eyes wide open, and said something like, "I'll never bow down to a cold-blooded murderer like you." But alas, they were frozen with fear. Complying reluctantly, they forced their eyes open, trying their best to glare into his eyes. God, she hated that she'd gotten herself into this situation in the first place.
(Major warning to the stalkers. If you're triggered by torture and shit like that, I'd suggest you not continue to follow this RP. I warned you.)
(As for you, Iz, if you feel uncomfortable with any of this at any time, feel free to ask me to stop. I will immediately stop. Okay?)
(Mm-hmmm, here we go.)
Jona notes the attempt at defiance and smiles.
"As a kindness, I shall leave your face untouched." it says.
It brings the knife down to the top of the detective's shirt and slices the fabric down, leaving her in her underclothes. It examines Emily for a moment before suddenly bringing the knife across the detective's stomach, shivering as it watched the blood well up, the shart intake of breath from Emily. It cuts again, parallel to the last cut, and pauses once more before making a series of diagonal cuts across her torso, then curved cuts. It was enjoying itself immensely, listening to Emily's gasping breaths. It was disappointing and exhilerating that she hadn't screamed yet.
It shifts its attention to Emily's arms and shoulders, cutting deep enough into the flesh to cause intense pain but do little damage to the muscle and tendons. It wanted her alive, functional, but in enough pain that she wouldn't get very far if she tried to escape. It smiles as it leaves deep wounds down her arms, evenly spaced and of equal length.
Emily grimaced, only barely managing to keep quiet. 'Kindness,' hah. She doubted he knew of such a thing, or even what it meant. A word sprang to the surface of her mind. Psychopath. Immediately attaching the word to him, their hatred for him only grew. A psychopath, that's what he was. Murderer. It suddenly occurred to her that if he didn't know what kindness meant, that would mean he'd had trauma. Trauma, he could have laughed at that thought. No severity of trauma or abuse could have excused the kind of torture this man was planning on putting him through.
But, she reminded herself. She was good at her job. .. perhaps.. if she showed him kindness.. perhaps he would cave? Emily grit their teeth again, hating that she was having to do this. "..listen.. I don't know why you're doing this.. but if you let me go.. I won't turn you in. I'll hunt someone else down instead. Maybe I'll make you a nice meal too, but only if you let me go," they managed in a quiet voice.
Jona tilts its head.
"Why would I accept that when this is far more interesting?" it replies, putting the knife away and grabbing a flexible, braided metal whip. It snapr it right next to the detective's face, enjoying her fear.
"Feel free to scream as loud as you'd like, Emily. Nobody will hear you besides me." it coos as it brings the whip down on Emily's back.
(hey, my cat died. i hope you'll understand when i say i'll need a few days off to collect myself)
