Into the Woods | Ticci Toby

.8.

It had been a week. Maura was pulled into the basic routine of training, interacting with the residents of the House, eating supper, and going to sleep. It had been tiresome, but anything was better than where she had been a little over a week ago. While her housemates seemed a bit off and sometimes scary, Maura could live with it. At least, for now.

A soft thump hit maura's ears, snapping her awake. She looked around blearily, pulling the chain of the lamp. The soft glow of the lamp illuminated the room, showing a lack of, well, anything in the room actually. Maura sat up in the bed, reaching for a weapon that wasn't beside her. "Who is that?" Maura asked, trying to push anger into her voice. Toby had told her that angry people were scary people, and scary people could get things done. Maura didn't quite believe it, but if it got whoever was in her room out.

"Is that you, Toby? Because if it is, it's not funny," she said irritatedly, a bit of true anger filling in her voice. Silence. She huffed, laying back down on the bed. She glanced at the other side of the room, then cut her lamp off. She immediately tucked herself under the covers and squeezed her eyes shut, begging herself to go to sleep quickly.

And quickly she did not. Tossing and turning all night, Maura looked like the dead when she pulled herself out of bed at 7 the next morning. She walked downstairs into, hands tucked under her elbows. She opened the fridge, scanning its contents. She decided on the milk in the fridge, and she reached up to grab the box of cereal. A bleach white hand grabbed it before she could, and pulled it away from her completely. Maura looked up at the culprit, an irritated look on her face.

Jeff smirked, dangling the box over her head. Maura just stared at him, a dead look in her eyes. "Give me back the cereal," She said, ignoring the fact that he was very close to her. Maura waited for a moment, but he wasn't budging. Maura's already very thin patience wore out right then, and she grabbed the milk, walking over to the sink. She opened the cap and twisted the jug upside down, letting the milk run down the drain. She stared Jeff dead in the eyes as she did it, unblinking.

Jeff laughed, entertained. "You do have some spite in you, don't you Maura," he said, walking with the box of cereal to the other side of the sink. "See ya," he said while walking back into the living room, eating the cereal straight from the box as he went. Maura sighed, looking in the pantry again. She debated just going to training without eating breakfast, but she shooed that thought from her mind. You'll fall asleep on your feet, she scolded herself. She walked back to the fridge, grabbing the orange juice and pouring her a glass. She sat at the table and took a sip of her orange juice. It wasn't bad, but she really wanted that cereal. She sighed and laid her head on her arms, which were resting on the table. Maybe she could get some sleep before training?

She didn't even notice the person walking around the kitchen behind her. Only when Toby sat down beside her with two coffees in hand did she finally acknowledge his presence. "Morning," Maura said as she sat up, accepting the cup from Toby.

"Rough night?" he asked, sipping the drink. Maura shrugged in response. "It wasn't rough, I just couldn't go back to sleep. Something woke me up, I guess." A flash of concern crossed Toby's face. "No one can break into the house, if that's what you're worried about. What do you think it was?"

"I'm not too sure," Maura said, "To be honest, I thought you were playing a joke on me." Toby laughed. "I can promise you that I wasn't in your room last night. You should probably let Masky know if you still have concerns about it, though." Maura nodded, drinking the coffee. She didn't really know if someone was in her room the night before. She may have very well been half asleep and still dreaming. Either way, she was still just so, so tired. Toby leaned slightly over the table, pulling the cup with him.

"Hey, we can cancel training today if you're not feeling well enough. Masky said yesterday that we've got our first mission tonight, so it might be better if we rest up," Toby said, his eyes glancing over Maura's face. Maura thought about it. She wasn't quite sure whether or not she was ready for a mission. Especially when you don't even know what you'll be doing, a snide voice in the back of her head said. She blinked a couple of times, and looked back at Toby. She nodded, and Toby said, "Alright, We'll do that then." Maura stood up, stretching slightly. "Wanna watch a movie with me?" she asked, and Toby smiled back at her. "Sure!"

They both walked into the living room, the coffee forgotten. Maura didn't really focus on what movie Toby decided to pull up; she was more worried about grabbing a pillow and a blanket. After curling up in her blanket, Maura passed out instantly. She didn't dream, thankfully. However, she wasn't asleep for very long before she was woken up. She glanced around blearily, noticing the red streams of lights on the tv and... llamas? Maura shook her head slightly, looking over to the other end of the couch. Toby was knocked out as well, cuddled up in a very similar position as she was. Maura turned back over, facing the back of the couch. She fell back asleep, letting herself rest more.

This time, however, she did have a dream. She was isolated in a dark place. She could feel fresh wind on her face, but there was no moon to give her light. She could only hear heaving breaths and smell the coppery taste that was filling the air. Maura couldn't even take a step; she felt that heavy. Time seemed to stretch out infinitely.

Maura was yanked out of her sleep, her and the blanket she was wrapped in spilling onto the floor. She looked up angrily at the perpetrator to find the blonde one with the black eyes hovering above her. He was quite literally floating above her, feet level with his body as he peered down at her with a bland look. "Wake up, bitch," he said, unbothered by her glares. He floated over to a wall, and to Maura's shock, glided straight through with no problem. She sat up and looked outside. It was already dark, and Toby seemed to have disappeared on her. That's fine, she thought to herself. He's been acting oddly nice lately anyways.

Maura stood up, throwing the blanket on the couch. "Time to go pack," She hummed to herself. She walked over to the kitchen, walking into the hallway on the other side. She took a right instead of a left like the last time she went to Slenderman's office, and walked further in. She reached the storage room finally, and glanced at what laid before her. The small room was filled with survival necessities, but the sheer amount of ammunition and weapons that took up most of the space shocked her yet again.

"What are they planning for, the apocalypse?" she said to herself, grabbing a backpack and filling it up with some survival items and a knife. Never know if you'll get in trouble, Maura said to herself. She zipped the bag, pulling it over her shoulder. Maura stepped out of the room and walked back to the kitchen. Toby was standing at the table, a list in hand. "I didn't take you for a planner, Toby!" Maura said, a smile cracking on her face. Toby shook his head with a small smile, scanning the list. "Masky made it for us."

Maura sat on the table next to him, looking at the list as well. "So what are we doing for the mission?" Toby looked up at her and the bag she was holding. "It's a recon mission. We're just getting information today." Maura nodded. "Sounds easy enough."

Toby walked around behind her, opening up her bag. "What weapons do you have?" He asked. "I have a knife." Maura responded, and she could feel a bit of extra weight being added to her bag. Toby shut the bag, walking back to grab his own. "You shouldn't leave on a mission without at least two weapons," he said, pointing to two wood handles sticking out of his bag, "I learned that one the hard way." Toby walked into the hallway, and Maura followed him. "You see, I'd always have to walk to my old missions, right?" Toby opened the door at the end of the hallway, and they both walked into the garage. "But this time? We'll be traveling in style."