SLASHER SLASHER SLASHER

Art the Clown x (Artist) Reader

LIGHT GORE WARNING

  I entered this small restaurant, heading near the back when I noticed a clown sitting in my usual booth. I glanced at him before sitting in a booth on the other side of the place, the clown still in my view. My plan was to just do work and possibly finish some projects. The owner was a friend of my neighbors so she let me stay even though I didn't buy any food.

A small group of rowdy teenagers entered the restaurant and I groaned in annoyance before they decided to sit near my booth. I ignored them as I continued to work. Currently, I was working on an art project for this local class in town. We had to draw someone in class and we're given a random name to choose from.

I found myself distracted as the clown was still there. I didn't pay him much or any attention so I couldn't see that he was staring. The teenagers had started getting louder and they sounded a bit tipsy. I eventually put my headphones on and blasted my desired music to drown out the sounds of the real world.

Not really realizing it, I flipped to a new page on my mixed media sketchbook and started drawing the clown. Occasionally I would glance at him, and he would always already be looking straight at me with a happy face. I didn't know what was more strange... the fact that he was dressed like that or that he hadn't eaten or done anything for at least an hour. AND he was here before me, so quite possibly longer.

I was near done with the first sketch, a basic profile since I couldn't really do a full body one. Looking up again this time the clown pointed at my sketchbook and then tapped his face near his eye. I assumed he knew I was drawing him and wanted to see it.

I put my pencil down and held up my sketchbook to show him, both of us remaining seated. He couldn't see it perfectly from his distance but he could see it fine. He smile and gave me two thumbs up and made a heart with his hands, trying to express how much he loved the drawing without talking.

I mouthed a thank you and set the sketchbook back down to continue drawing. Everything was peaceful until I felt my headphones get taken off my head. The fuck? I whipped my head around to see a girl leaning way too close to me, staring at the drawing.

"You're like... reallyyyy good," she slurred as she gingerly set my headphones down on the table, "I can only draw stick figures... and even they're sad."

"Thank you," I flashed a smile.

She stagger over to the clown and leaned onto him.

"I think they liiiiiiike you a lot," she whisper-shouted to the clown, "they have some doodles of youuuu~"

My face was neutral, I'm sure the clown could understand that I wasn't crushing on him and that I simply wanted to draw him. The clown continued to smile but I was sure he was annoyed.

"How about you give the guy some space, girlie," I put my headphones away as I addressed the girl.

"How about you mind your own fucking business," One of the guys snapped at me.

  I didn't want a fight, especially not here in my friend's restaurant. I put all my stuff away in my bag and stood up to leave until the guy shoved me back down.

"I didn't say to leave."

"I don't need your permission, prick," I snapped back at him.

The clown watched, the girl finally not leaning on him and joining her group of friends.

"Let's leave guys," she started walking out of the restaurant and her friends followed after her.

"You're lucky," He grabbed my face, "If not for my girl I would've made sure you wouldn't be able to walk out of here."

He let go and roughly shoved me back onto the seat, my bag spilling its contents on the seat and under the table. I was definitely shaken and as soon as they left I quickly retrieved my items, putting them back into my bag with shaky hands. I bet he would've beaten me to death if he could.

The clown had followed after the group, but I was unaware as I quickly put my stuff away. I quickly got up and made a beeline to the bathroom, lowering my face to hide my watering eyes. I hated teenagers. They scared the living shit out of me. I did have good teen friends in my neighborhood but some I met were quite the bad apples. Like that group.

  Once I got all my belongings I headed to the bathroom to compose myself. Upon entering I stopped immediately in my tracks, the door closing behind me. The guy was harassing me was not on the floor. Dead. Mutilated. Ripped apart like paper in a shredder.

  I almost gagged at the smell and sight but stopped myself. I know I shouldn't have entered farther but I opened one of the stalls, seeing blood pooling out from it and saw another the teens horrifically killed. Dare I look in the other stalls that had blood pooling out from under?

  I felt faint and backed away to the door, I ran but ended up running into a familiar monochrome man. The same smile on his face but instead blood was scattered about his costume.

"You did this," My voice barely came above a whisper as I felt myself trembling. Surely I would be next, I had just found his murdered victims.

  He tilted his head, the smile never leaving and suddenly I felt a prick to my neck. I staggered backwards in surprise before feeling myself getting drowsy.

"What- what was that?" I held a neck on my hand.

  He shrugged and stepped closer to me as soon as I felt my legs give out. He swiftly scooped me up, knowing that next my whole body would become limp. I fell into unconscious and the clown took me back to my booth where he moved me to the seat to make it appear like I just fell asleep, even going so far as to set my sketchbook and stencil case back into the table.

  When I did awake an hour later it was when the manager came by and softly woke me up. She knew I didn't like being touched when woken because it would startle me so she resorted to speaking.

"Y/N?" She whispered, "we're closing, hun."

  I groggily woke up, holding my head and trying to recollect my thoughts. I never fell asleep in the restaurant... I looked over to my side and saw that the clown was in the same place as before. Sitting with a smile in the booth.

"Yes... yes, I'm sorry," I sat up straight, "I'll leave now."

  I noticed my sketching stuff was put back out onto the table, still on the page of the clown. He did that. I put all my stuff away. Questioning him would literally be out of the question. He spared me from that killing spree so the best thing for me would be to leave and return to the safety of my own home.

   I out my stuff away once again as the manager left me and stood up before looking at the clown once more. He gave a small wave and I waved back before leaving the restaurant.

   This would definitely not be our last encounter.

  Even I knew that.