PART 6

J-JOE laid on his bed contemplating his day so far, what was he supposed to do? He knew one thing - Bring down The Scar-Face Reaper. J-JOE grew tired of his life and he knew it was not enough to just live it, but to be a force to be reckoned with. For him, everything had to be perfect. Perfect. He decided that the time was perfect, he just needed to be perfect and nothing could go wrong. He was very nervous but was not going to let anyone know. J-JOE had a plan.

He thought about his classes, he thought about his future, he thought about life and death, then he thought about the meaning of justice - Truly what is justice? And then he thought about food, because he was hungry. He turned over in bed, and decided to get up and get some food. But at the last moment he pulled his phone out, only to find a mysterious text message laid bare on his phone's screen. It read:

Unknown Contact: Hello James, I see you're rethinking our conversation earlier, what a shame. You see, heroism is subjective, so I'll only offer you this one chance. Come find me, be the hero and I'll be the villain. Let's play a game together.

"Who the hell does he think he is, Jigsaw?" J-JOE thought. "Ok, let's think about this; a notoriously praised serial-killing vigilante just asked you to come find him, but what's he going to do if I don't?" J-JOE thought. He started to think like the bad guy, like his father said that you should always be a thinker, and not a doer. He decided to not do anything, and see what happens. It took J-JOE a long time to decide, but he eventually came to the conclusion that it would be the safest. J-JOE knew his life was in danger and he would not be able to save others if he did not come out to live.

And then came another message:

Unknown Contact: Or I'll come find you when I'm done, either way, I'm not giving you a choice.

J-JOE felt chills run down his spine, this wasn't just a fantasy of catching a killer anymore, it was something with real stakes attached to it. The Scar-Face Reaper had to be the one messaging him, because everyone he knew called him J-JOE, yet The Scar-Face Reaper referred to him as James. He now had a choice, he could go and attempt to find The Scar-Face Reaper, or he could call the cops and uncover him at the police station. J-JOE chose option two, but when he went to report The Scar-Face Reaper, the response wasn't what he expected.

"What do you mean you can't send anyone? Aren't the people meant to call the police?" J-JOE was frustrated.

An old lady responded:

"Well, you see, dear, when the person is this secretive, that's when you need to call the cops. The police can't be everywhere all the time, that's when you need your friends and family. If you don't call, they can't do anything. And what you ask isn't really helping anyone. You have to start from where you're at, and we have it from what you're saying, your life is about to take a turn, so we're in a position to offer assistance. Don't worry, when he's ready for you, he'll call. If we help, we help in any way we can, if we don't, we don't. That's how it is.

"You mean to tell me that the police couldn't do anything against a psychopathic murderer?" J-JOE asked.

"Correct." The old lady replied.

"That's bullshit and you know it!"

"You don't want to know what else it is, trust me." The old lady replied.

"You really want me to go all the way back to see him?! Are you kidding me? Are you trying to get me killed?" J-JOE thought.

"Look, the thing is," the old lady replied, "we've helped dozens, if not hundreds of people with the Scar-Faced Reaper. It's no easy thing. Our help comes at a price. One call, and it's over, you can't call us back and ask for help again. Believe me, I've had people who've called me and they're not around anymore. Once he hears you call, it's a death sentence. I'm sorry."

The old lady paused, clearly thinking, "There may be someone who could possibly help you, if you survive that is."

"Who?" J-JOE asked.

"Shelley Hauswirth."