Something that haunted me for awhile (as i took. a hot minute to work all the way through it) during Volume 3 was... [obvious spoilers next]
Benjamin. Or, I guess, the Benjimimics, but the final one in particular.
I'm not 100% sure that Bear Trapped Ben was the original or if the original had died prior (thus is the nature of Jack's POV hah), but can you imagine being the final one?
You are probably the baddest fucker in the town (not a hard bar, admittedly), and you've just gotten back from whatever supernatural hunting/investigation you were doing wherever else. You have more things to worry about than some shitty gas station, but you've caught wind of Strange Things going on in that town again, so you return to check in.
So, the first thing you do is check in on the employee at that hotbed of activity. Historically, there's something horribly horribly wrong with both him and his friend, but they'd be useful so far. If strange things are happening, it's probably centered there. But-
You see the sleep deprived & unstable & frankly tiny gas station clerk lead you - another you, not you-you (so you think) - out back. You watch as this other-you is trapped by one bear trap after another (6 of them). He begs the clerk. You listen, even from the distance, as this other-you screams for someone, anyone to help and as the clerk screams with him in seemingly mocking tandem. Completely indifferent and terribly callous.
That "you" tries to reason with him; tries so hard. The clerk - tiny, generally pathetic & apathetic Jack, that strange little man - shoots "you" dead. And promptly burns the body.
It isnt the last time you see this happen.
Even ignoring the whole replacement/multiples situation, how are you supposed to react to Jack here? Just a cursory glance says it clear: This isn't the first time. He's used to this. How many times did he listen to "you" beg him? How quickly did he get used to it? You can't tell exactly how many graves he's dug behind the station.
If you walked in there, what would happen? Would his general harmless-and-resigned demeanor fool you? The apathy? What other tricks or traps did he have? He wasn't winning through brute force.
He was clever, more than you (or, likely, anyone else) gave him credit for. (at least, thats how I had read Ben)
AND THEN HE STILL PROVES TO BE THE BIGGEST IDIOT IN EXISTENCE. i need to kick Jack around like a deflated balloon.
