In the neighborhood where Jack was prowling, the scene changes to the interior of a home. Around a dining table, a family of three sat around and was eating what seemed to be breakfast, judging by the bacon, eggs, chocolate tea, and the time of day. Around the table sat two adults: a man and a woman, along with a young boy, by his looks, a preteen.
There were four seats, two on each side of the table, but the seat beside the boy was strangely empty.
Although the house seemed small in terms of space, the home was quite appealing to the eye. The Victorian-styled furniture in the living and dining rooms, the ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the Victorian-styled carpet designed with its intricate shapes and patterns fitted in the middle of the rooms gave the house a vintage feel.
The house's size didn't matter to the family happily eating. Strangely enough, paintings of what seemed like angelic beings hung on the walls. Fitting with what they are, the angels in the paintings wore white linen robes, had mighty wings of white feathers, and yellow glowing halos.
The 'angels' in each painting looked very similar, but their face was obscured by a bright yellow light as if enhancing their divine presence.
"When's Amber coming to eat, mom?" The young boy asked. "Her food is going to get cold!"
"She'll be here soon," The mom responded. "She's just getting ready."
Just as he asked, a woman sprinted downstairs and across the living room before entering the dining room. She garnered the attention of the family.
"Good morning, Amber," The mom greeted her with a happy smile. "Your food's ready."
"Good morning everyone! Sorry for taking so long getting ready!" Amber stated. Amber was a young woman, by her looks, in her early twenties. She was fairly tall for her gender. Her light caramel face framed S waves hairstyle, which went down to her back nicely blended with her fair skin tone and her light blue eyes.
She was dressed in a size-fitted red polo shirt and a pair of tunic jeans, which accentuated her curves. She also wore a pair of leather boots. It was as if she was getting ready to leave.
"Finally! I was gonna eat your breakfast too if you took any longer!" The boy teased. From his manner of speaking, it was as if they shared a sibling relationship.
"Haha, how funny are you, Ben!" Amber said as she patted her brother, Ben, on the head before sitting down.
Before Amber started eating, she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
"Thanks for blessing me with this meal!" Amber expressed her gratitude through what it seems to be a short prayer. This was a normal occurrence, as the rest of the family closed their eyes in respect.
"Thanks for the food, mom!" Amber continued after she finished praying.
"No problem, honey!"
After saying her graces and expressing her gratitude, Amber began to eat.
* * *
As Jack stalked the neighborhood, he searched for the perfect home to attack.
"Hmm...no...no...no..." Jack muttered as he rejected the different houses he came across. "Most of these houses are empty...or they don't have enough people for me to enjoy myself...is there no good houses--"
Just as Jack said that he stopped at a certain house. It was the home of Amber and her family.
"Ah...that seems like a full household," Jack said as he began to smile. "Perfect."
* * *
"So, how is university so far, Amber?" The father asked. "You're almost in your fourth year, so how's it treating you?"
"It's been great so far!" Amber happily responded. "Well, the mood of my classes has gotten a bit gloomy. The incident in the US has come up in many conversations."
"Oh?"
"It does make me slightly concerned...what if our country gets attacked too...?" Amber continued. "I don't want a tragedy like that to happen again..."
"Don't think like that, Amber," The mother interjected. "Everyone will be fine...you'll be fine!"
Amid her speech, the mom gently grabbed her child by her hands.
"Those demons will get their punishment for their sins," The mother assured. "You don't need to worry yourself. We'll always be with you, and more importantly, your god will always be with you."
Hearing this, a big smile came over Amber's face as she felt a great warmth inside.
* * *
As Jack approached their house, he pulled one of the dura-neg blades given to him by the developer.
I've been stressed by the fact that I couldn't properly enjoy a kill... Jack pondered. But...I'll be sure to make the most out of this.
* * *
"I can't stay any longer, guys. I have to leave now!" Amber said as she stood up.
"Yes, take care, honey!" The mom responded.
"See you later," said the dad.
"When you come back, buy those candies for me!" Ben said.
"Sure, sure!" Amber responded as she approached the door to leave. "Bye, everyone--"
BOOM!
Suddenly, the door burst from its hinges and flew several feet, stunning everyone. Amid their bewilderment, Jack casually stepped inside.
"Hey, buggers! What's up!" Jack said as he waved to them. As if not realizing immediately who it was, the family became confused.
"W-Who are you...?" Amber asked as Jack stood right in front of her. The blood stains on Jack's clothing gave him a menacing aura, which induced a great deal of concern upon the family. If only they knew the blood was his own...due to the injuries Jack sustained in his fight against Kreuger.
"Don't you know me, love?" Jack asked. "S-Class criminal, Jack the Ripper...or whatever they call me? Aren't I famous?"
Upon hearing that, their confusion quickly turned to panic as they finally recognized the man standing in their house.
"A...Ah...AHHHHH!!!" Amber suddenly screamed before running. Her family also followed suit as Amber picked her brother up. Jack watched as they ran through the house, desperately finding somewhere to hide.
"Oh? Are we playing hide and seek now?" Jack asked. "Not the type of trick I had in mind, but this will work nicely..."
Before he began to search for them, Jack noticed the paintings of the angelic beings on the walls.
Huh? Are these guys religious or something? Jack asked himself as he tilted his head in confusion. Too bad your god won't save you now!
"Hey! Can you guys hear me!?" Jack yelled. "To make this more fun, I'll give you guys ten seconds to find the best hiding spot or something!"
The family could hear Jack, even from the different rooms they hid in.
"Ahem...1...2...3" Jack uttered as he began counting. Jack knew exactly what he was doing with the ten-count. It was not to give them time to hide or plan - Jack had already set his mind on killing them. It was to induce fear into them...to fill them with panic as he drew near to that ten-count.
* * *
Jack's ploy was definitely working, as the family was sweating bricks, especially Amber. While she and her brother, Ben, hid under a bed, she had an issue controlling her breathing patterns and sweating while Jack counted.
Please, God...please help us! Amber pleaded. Please protect me and my family from this demon...
* * *
"...8...9...10. Ready or not...here I come!!!" Jack declared as he began to walk while having a sadistic smirk.
It may be the small size of the house or Jack's instincts, but it did not take long for Jack to encounter someone - the dad. While the dad stooped down and hid behind a couch, he heard Jack's footsteps, which caused him to spring from his hideout.
He did not spring out just to condemn himself to death, for in his arms was a pump-action shotgun.
"Huh?" Jack uttered.
"...Put the swords down..." The dad instructed.
"These aren't swords. They are knives," Jack nonchalantly corrected, as he felt no fear from the father. "Also, you own a gun? I didn't think you religious guys would own a gun!"
Why is...this demon...talking so much? The dad wondered. "I said put the weapons down...I won't ask a second time!"
* * *
The dad's orders were being heard by her daughter as she hid in the other room.
D-Dad!? Amber asked. What is he...doing?
* * *
"I guess you still keep a gun in case psychos like me show up, right?" Jack continued. "I wonder if your family knows about that--"
BANG!
A deafening noise was audible as the father fired at Jack. Unsurprisingly, however, Jack deflected all the shotgun shells casually, even yawning in the process. The criminal deflected them so fast that the father only noticed his furniture and belongings getting damaged by the shells instead of Jack - he did not see Jack's hand movements.
"Wha--" Before the father could say anything more, Jack appeared in front of him and grabbed the gun.
"Good try...honestly," Jack sarcastically commended. Jack proceeded to toss his blade in the air before grabbing the dad's face and slamming him into the wall.
"Ugh!" The dad uttered as his head started to bleed. Simultaneously, Jack caught his dura-neg blade as it descended.
"Calm down, I didn't slam you hard enough to kill ya, mate!" Jack said as he dragged the dad to the living room. Jack then proceeded to forcefully throw him to the ground before driving his blade through his hand and into the ground.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" The dad yelled in obvious pain as his hand started to bleed.
"Wait here, let me find the others first," Jack said as he continued searching. "And don't even try to pull that out...you don't have the strength."
The sound of gunfire, her father's face slamming against the wall, and his agony-filled yells from the knife stab caused Amber to hyperventilate.
M...My dad...that was his voice...right...? Amber asked herself. N...No...My dad...is okay. My dad...is okay. My dad...is okay. My dad...is okay. My dad...is okay. My dad...is okay.
As she kept trying to convince herself, tears started to surface in her eyes. She wanted to think her dad was fine...but those sounds she heard made her think otherwise.
"Amber...I'm...scared," Ben suddenly said. Are we...going to be okay...?"
"Y...Yes, we are...but you have to be quiet...please..." Amber whispered as she responded.
"But...sob*...I'm too...scared..." Ben continued as he began to cry, which caused Amber to panic slightly.
"I...It'll be fine...just please...stop cry--"
Amid Amber's attempt at comfort, Jack's menacing stare and sadistic smile was visible as he stared in front of them under the bed. A look of pure terror came over Amber as she noticed.
"Children can be naggy, huh?" Jack asked. Without letting her answer, he immediately grabbed them both and pulled them from their hiding place. While being grabbed, Ben immediately burst into tears and began screaming.
"AAAHHHH!!! STOP IT!!!" Amber screamed as well. Unsurprisingly, he never listened and brought them to the living room. With no semblance of gentleness, Jack tossed them to the ground with their father.
"Ugh..." Amber uttered as she hit her head. Her brother was also crying heavily from being thrown to the ground.
After recovering herself, Amber noticed her father's injuries, which made her more distraught.
"D...Dad!" Amber called out.
"...Ugh...I'm...fine..." He said. That was a lie, and Amber knew it.
"Hmm...it's just the woman that's left, right?" Jack asked. Alright, this hide-and-seek stuff is boring...I want to get to the fun part!
"I HAVE THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY! IF YOU CARE ABOUT THEM, THEN COME OUT RIGHT NOW!!!" Jack yelled, much to Amber and the father's surprise.
"N...No!" Amber protested.
"I'll give you five seconds!" Jack advised. "1...2...3--"
After Jack reached three, he heard footsteps approaching from the dining room. It was the mother...and she had taken the bait.
"No! Why did you come out!?" The dad yelled.
"I...had no choice..." The mom softly said.
During her shock and panic, Amber managed to glance at Jack, and what she said utterly terrified her. Jack had the biggest, most sadistic-looking smile one could have. His prey were all in one place...and he was ecstatic.
"Haha! Now then...let's get to the good part..."