Mnemovore: Jean-Paul, Wednesday Night

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Jean-Paul hits his breaking point.



Nathan was asleep upstairs, Jean-Paul noted. The remnants of the woman fell to the floor of the laboratory with a wet, two-part thud. He would head upstairs as well, when the last obstacle had been removed. Moira dripped from his hands as he turned to seek out Rachel's room.

The Jean-Paul in hiding had been trying to scratch out his eyes for ages. It wasn't working, somehow. He hurt and he bled, but it did no good...he still perceived every depravity performed by his hands in perfect detail -- sight, sound and smell. He quivered once more and started to rise to his feet. Whatever was beyond his fragile shelter would hunt him to ground eventually and destroy him, but he could not watch this any longer.

A slender hand on his shoulder stilled him. Another across his mouth shushed his cry of surprise. A pair of familiar blue eyes met his own an instant later.

"No noise, my brother. You will draw the monsters."

She should not be here! It would find her too!

"He will not see me. I am not the one he is trying to break." She removed her hand from his lips. "If you catch his eye, then you will die. He will eat you up and no one will ever find all the scattered scraps of you."

That was not the worst of possible fates.

"Try once more. Break yourself into pieces and bury the important ones deep. Leave the monster the lizard's tail to chew on. I can show you how, you know I can."

The beast had claws. It could dig after him.

"Given time." She caressed his bloodied cheek. "But better you die later than give up now, isn't it? Would you leave me all alone?"

No. No, no...never that. But...she could not stay here, not with the beast. Not even for him.

Sadness flickered across his sister's expression. "I cannot. I would, but you are Jean-Paul and I am Jeanne-Marie. I can only give you this help."

She reached out to him. He grasped her hand desperately tight and fell into darkness.