Hatchets (Ticci Toby x Reader)

⬷Madness⤐

"There." Jacks voice was sudden and urgent, causing Toby to perk his head up from where he was standing, which was only a few feet away. 

"W-what did you say?" Toby's voice was barely considered a whisper, his vocals basically rusted shut due to the lack of operating. 

"I can smell a trace, let's hurry." Jack instantly breaks into a sprint and Toby doesn't hesitate to break into one as well.

"Wh-ere from?" The goggled boy asks, anxiety rushing through his veins. They were honestly at a dead end hopelessly roaming around for any sign of the girl. They even looked into nearby neighborhoods that may have had any recent murders and nothing. 

The scent trail was a small one, even Jack hesitated before first calling out. It was hard to fathom the way this scent would appear then disappear in between sniffs, as if it was a static radio that sometimes picked up a different channel. 

"North West, it was small but it's definitely her, I can smell her fear." Jack curtly responded to him while dodging fallen tree limbs and vines. 

This caused Toby to fasten his pace to be able to be right beside Jack. Fear? he thought, what if something happened to her? What if she was in trouble? What if she was caught by someone? 

What if the Operator got to her first?

Anxiety now fueling Toby to the brim, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, he has to get to her and soon. 

Jack suddenly stops, which causes Toby to slightly stumble trying to stop where Jack suddenly did so. 

"What? W-we have to ke-ep going!" Toby half yelled, half spoke, slight irritation rang from his panting, strained breath. 

"Give me a damn moment Rodgers." Jack retorted irritation clear within his venomnes words. The scent has dissipated but then quickly returned, Jack then breaks into another sprint, without explanation nor hesitation, Toby returning to his side in an instant. 

The scent keeps going back and forth, as if it's a light switch being played with, on then off, then on again just to go off again. 

This annoyance causes Jack to grunt and forces him to run a tad faster due to not wanting the scent to cut out all together. 

Sweat drips from the girls distorted face, agony displayed across her once delicate features, nearing succumbing into ground out of pure pain. The pain wasn't constant however, it goes in phases to where she was in control over herself and action then a few seconds later it would cut out again just to repeat the process. 

Her fist comes in contact with the ground, her fist wet with sweat and blood. The pain is unbearable, agony, as if her brain is currently in the process of splitting itself open. 

And in a way it was. 

Standing within the shadows it stood, watching. Waiting. It's long, dark limbs stretched below the knee caps of its own figure, it's legs were longer, thin dressed in old dress pants. Its fingers are bone like in color and in texture, as if the skin was tissue paper itself. 

It was observing her, her tolerance, her mentality, her stability and her resistance. 

It had been following her for a while now, quite a few mortal years, but to it, it was a glimpse, barley a blink of an eye compared to the enternaties this creature has witnessed. 

The mortal girl was definitely a specific case that was very rare for the Operator to be involved in. Typically the Operator doesn't ever get involved in the process. The process usually unfolds on itself with little help from the Operator itself.