[Stingy Jack]

Now? He is going back onto the stage and fetching the axe from the pile. Hefting it, so that its newly-honed blade sparkles. Coming back towards me, his black gaze locked on my face.
He isn't the only one. Every single person in the theatre is staring at me now. Ritch has just reached down and given me an encouraging pat on the shoulder. Cassie is clutching my sleeve and giggleing furiously, her eyes damp and her face bright red. Miranda has her head buried in her lap again, but even she is looking at me sideways, out of just one eye.
And I keep on trying to reassure myself -- 'it's all fake, it's just a show'.
Except ... there's what I told myself before. Illusion. Misdirection. Making things seem one way when the truth is actually something else.
And ... if a madman wanted to kill people ... wanted them to let him ....
Wanted them to sit there smiling, actually going along with it, while he butchered them one by one ....
Is there a sharp, coppery smell on the theatre's air by this time? The brunette's boyfriend shaking her, starting to look concerned?
"Don't lose your head, Ian!" Daniel is chortling. Everybody laughs at that.
I could try and wrestle the axe off Chopper, for sure. Or I could get up and run -- there is a fire exit behind me, I noticed it when we first came in. But I'd be doing either thing to the incredulous hilarity of the crowd. To my friends' dismay, astonishment. To the loss of Cassie's respect, affection, and even her love.
So many eyes on me. So many smiling faces.
So I try and drive that second theory right out of my mind, and reassure myself it's just a show, even though I still can't understand its point.
He is coming towards me now, his dark and unreflective eyes fixed upon mine.
And there doesn't seem to be a thing that I can do about it ....



The end.





So.... what do you think?