Jack stares at Alex for several moments, as though he's some alien creature he can't understand. Then he throws his arms up and loudly shouts with irritation. "You think!"
"Yeah, I-" Alex tries to speak, but Jack doesn't let him get a word in.
"What happened!? You look half dead! Did you get attacked? Was there an accident? Is there…"
Alex inwardly sighs. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to rile him up this much. "Jack, listen-"
"... you need a hospital! Should I call 911!? What about…"
"Jack! Listen!" He flinches back slightly, mouth frozen mid-motion. Clearly, Jack wants to say more, but Alex shushes him before he can speak. He waits for Jack to close his mouth and pay attention, then he talks in a calm but firm tone.
"I need your help with something."
"Of course!" Jack doesn't hesitate to respond. This isn't the first time that Alex has come to him needing help, so he's used to this kind of thing. Of course, he's never been as injured as he is now. "Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"
Alex shakes his head. "No, I'll recover with time. Besides," he gives an unserious grin, "I'm already broke, what'll I pay with? My soul?"
Jack doesn't pay attention to Alex's joke; he's used to such things now. "Then, uh… what do you need? You aren't going to do something crazy, right?"
"Funny you mention that." Alex's grin turns terse. "I need your help to kill something."
It seems to take a few moments for Jack to internalize what Alex said, but then he shouts louder than before. "I can't murder someone! That's illegal!"
I should've expected this. Jack has always been a bit soft. Alex mentally facepalms. Then he tries to put on the most amiable, understanding expression he can. "I know, I know, but…" How do I get him to help? His morals are way too strong to kill something just by being asked! "Uh…have you ever heard of the trolley problem?"
At his words, Jack pauses for a moment. A hint of confusion is evident in his tone. "Yes? It's basically 'Would you rather kill one person or let multiple die by doing nothing?' Right?"
Alex clicks his fingers with a loud snap and points approvingly at Jack. "Exactly! Now, would you rather let me die, or kill a violent pyromaniac who's killed a bunch of rats, a dog, and a person?"
Jack's eyes widen, and he gets ready to shout again, but he holds himself back. Instead, he thinks about what Alex has said.
After a few moments, realization dawns on him. Did someone try to kill him!? Of course, with Alex's words and his physical state, it isn't difficult to deduce. In Jack's mind, Alex has probably gotten on the wrong side of the wrong person and needs help. Of course, he still needs to confirm.
Trepidatiously he asks, "Are you being hunted by a psychopath!?"
"Yup!" Alex gives a dazzling smile and a thumbs up.
At Alex's response, worry and disbelief well up within Jack. "Why do you want to kill them!? You need to call the police!"
Alex responds in a mocking tone. "Do you really think they'll believe me?"
Jack lets out a sigh. "No. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try!"
In general, the police are not held in high regard by the homeless community in Rifield. Due to the nature of their predicament, many of those living on the streets have no choice but to commit crimes. As such, they are often seen as easy targets by the police when they need to meet their quotas.
Of course, it's the same way the other way around. Due to the lawlessness of Northern Rifield, fearmongering runs rampant in the other sections of the city. It drives a wedge between the social classes and gives those above an easy way to control the middle class.
After a few moments of silence, Jack seems to realize that Alex won't call the police and finally relents. "At least tell me why you want to kill them. Why can't you just run away?"
Alex stares at him blankly, confusion evident in his expression. "Well… it's just… I really wanna kill it."
"What!?" Jack is taken aback. He's known Alex for years, so he's fully aware of how vengeful he is. But this seems a bit excessive! He's never put his own life at risk Alex values his life over almost everything, which could have pushed him this far!?
Cautiously, Jack, his tawny eyes filled with worry, asks, "What did they do?"
Alex doesn't have a reason to hide anything, so he willingly tells Jack what has happened over the night. He begins by detailing his waking up and journey to Tetanus Town, and ends it with the pawn shop being engulfed in flames and his conclusions about the creature and its motives.
He lets out a small sigh and grins at Jack. "So, I figured I might as well kill it first. If I don't, it'll just keep trying to kill me."
Jack doesn't respond for several seconds, needing time to wrap his head around everything Alex has said. Eventually, he tentatively asks, "So, you're being hunted by a monster. That controls fire. And specifically wants to kill you."
Alex responds in deadpan, "Yes."
Jack's voice becomes tinged with worry. "Alex, I know it's hard out there, but there are other solutions. I know a rehab center near-"
"I'm not high, Jack!"
"I-I never said you were!" Jack hastily retorts, although he glances at the beer cans in a nearby merchandise refrigerator while doing so.
"I'm not drunk either!" Alex is incensed. "You know I don't like the taste!"
After a bit more arguing, Alex finally gets Jack to believe his story. It isn't actually all too hard. Jack tends to take things at face value and is fairly excitable about new things, so it's not hard to convince him of things. The main problem was just convincing him that Alex is being hunted by a monster rather than a person.
If Alex and Jack's roles were reversed, it's unlikely Alex would have believed anything Jack had to say. He'd probably laugh it off as Jack having a bad dream and unknowingly leave him to be killed.
"So you want my help to kill it?" After finally believing Alex's story, this is the first thing Jack asks.
Alex smiles wryly. "That's right."
Jack returns Alex's smile with a befuddled one, prominently displaying his chipped front tooth. "Why don't you just run away?"
For a few moments, Alex blankly stares at him in dumbfoundment. "Didn't I just tell you? I gave an exposition dump and everything! It'll hunt me no matter where I go."
Jack's smile turns sheepish. "Well, can't you just leave Rifield? It probably won't follow you to another city. It probably wouldn't even be able to. It's not like it can buy a bus ticket, if it really is a monster."
Alex leans back in surprise. He's… actually right. It would be really hard to leave under the creature's watch, but it'd be easier than killing it.
The more Alex thinks about it, the fewer reasons he has to stay. I'm not all that attached to the people here. I can easily hotwire a car. I doubt the creature can track me all the way to another city, plus, it's a fresh start somewhere new.
But… Despite all the benefits, Alex is still held back by one thing. ...wouldn't that be like letting it win? It doesn't kill me, but it still forces me to give up and admit defeat.
I can imagine it laughing at me right now! That smug piece of shit! I can't possibly le-! Jack's scolding voice abruptly cuts off his thoughts.
"You still want to kill it!"
Alex snorts. "I do not! I don't understand how you even came up with that idea!"
Jack glares at Alex in disbelief. "Anyone could've figured it out! You're terrible at hiding your expression! Besides, I've seen how stubborn you are. You once fought a thief for the right to rob me! You'd rather kill that monster than run away!"
"So?" Alex poses a question. "Is it really a bad thing to kill it? If I run away, it'll just torment someone else. Wouldn't the right thing to do be to kill it?"
"Since when are you so altruistic!" Jack sighs and slumps his shoulders. Although he's concerned about that possibility, he's more concerned that Alex will die. He has to deal with the problems that are happening right now; only then can he move on to future ones.
With one last sigh, Jack makes a last-ditch attempt to convince Alex. "Nothing is stopping you from coming back later. You can run away for now and gather supplies and allies in another city. Then, once you're ready, you can come back and hunt the monster down."
Thankfully for Jack, Alex mulls over this option, putting his hand to his chin as he thinks. That is true. And it would be a lot easier to get allies and resources without being hunted.
Alex removes his hand from his chin and smiles brilliantly at Jack. "Well, as long as you pay for gas!"