Masked Roses

Chapter Fourteen

I've been on missions constantly the past few days since a week ago. Stalking through the snow day in and day out, returning to the cabin just to heat up some leftovers covered up in the fridge with my name on it, courtesy of Sadie. As I sat in the kitchen, eating my meal in the darkness, I glanced at the clock on the wall, barely able to see its numbers and ticking hands in the dim light. Two thirty nine. It's really late...or early. I sighed and felt my eye twitch from my recent deprivation of medication. The time I had taken it was three days ago because Slenderman preferred me to be off of it rather than on it when I go out on missions, even though I had proved to him I become a mad man even if I've taken the regular dosage I've been having. He still wouldn't listen. I guess it's just a way of telling me to get used to it in case things get worse.

I heard footsteps approach behind me, making me turn to see Toby standing in the dim lighting. He had his goggles off and his mouthguard was no longer covering his face. Instead of his musty brown sweater with its familiar blue hood and his dull blue jeans, he wore a gray t-shirt and black shorts. Rubbing his brown eyes, he looked up at me, brushing aside his chestnut brown locks. Giving him a wide eyed stare, I shoved the fork full of steak and corn into my mouth, watching him walk over into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.

He turned and looked at me as he sipped his water. As I stared at his face in the kitchen light, I realized that his left cheek was rotted in the middle, not all the way to his ear, but almost. It revealed his teeth in his mouth, his pink gums bright and clear in the light as I stared at him. No wonder he wore a mouthguard all the time, it must've been to cover that up.

"You l-look lik-ke shit, Sc-Scarlet." He stuttered and I gave him a confused look before looking down at my clothes. Right...I was covered in blood, my black crop top stained in a few places and the crimson color showed up against the maroon despite it being a rather dark hue of red. My gray jeans suffered the worst of it though, and my shoes. I muttered a curse under my breath, silently apologizing to whoever did laundry in this house.

Sighing, I set my fork down as I ran my fingers through my soaked hair from the freezing snow. "Yeah...I realize this, Toby. I've looked like shit since I started getting those missions almost every hour from Slenderman himself." I laid my head on the table, pushing away the half eaten plate of food.

He stood there quietly, the silence deafening to my ears as the only sound I could hear was the ticking of the hands belonging to the clock on the wall. I shivered as a hand ran across my back and I knew it was them, but I didn't look up. Glancing up, I saw Toby walk over to the table and set his glass down as he turned a chair to face me and sat down, opening his arms. I stared at him with confusion and a narrowed eye, my brows furrowed.

He let out a shaky laugh due to his twitching and stuttery voice. "I-I just th-think you ne-need a hug. S-Someone to co-comfort you e-espec-cially since y-you haven't had yo-your medicine re-recen-tly." He stammered as I contemplated his words, looking down at the floor as I nodded a bit. I could feel a line of blood roll down my cheek from the rose as I turned my chair towards him and accepted his hug, laying my head on his shoulder as I closed my only eye. It felt nice to be in someone else's arms again. I couldn't remember the last time someone gave me a hug and just wanted to be close to comfort me, listen to my pains.

A sudden opening of the door threw us apart and we sat up to look over at the door. Jack stood there with his mask on, a navy blue t-shirt and knee length gray shorts with black socks covered him, leaving some of his legs and most of his arms exposed. His ash-colored skin looked nearly black in the dim lighting of the kitchen and I blinked at him as he walked closer, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

"You're back late again, Scarlet." He said. I had grown accustomed to my new name, Scarlet Rose, but was only called by my first name. I nodded a bit and lifted my hand to rub at my eye when I paused, wincing in slight pain as I glanced at my hand. It was covered in bruises and cuts, making me remember that I had somewhat knocked my fists against the man's face in order for him to stop clawing at my hands and pushing me away from him. He irritated me and I decided to simply bash his head against a large boulder I came across as we had our little scuffle in the rocky terrain of the woods.

Both of the men's attention turned to my hand and Toby's eyes widened. "O-Oh god! Y-Your h-hand! Does i-it hurt a-at all?" He asked as he grabbed my wrist gently, avoiding contact with my palm or the main structure of my hand.

"Well...I barely noticed it until just now..." I muttered.

Jack began to walk away and I glanced at him for a moment. "I'll go get the first-aid kit." He started before leaving the kitchen, closing the door behind him. I could've sworn I heard him make a mad dash for the bathroom where it was located the moment he had shut the door, but I wasn't sure if my ears were playing tricks on me or if that was accurate.

Toby held onto my wrist, even after Jack had left the room. He observed the purple and black bruises along my knuckles and the cuts from the scratches caused by the man's sharp nails. He obviously wasn't going to let go anytime soon, so I just endured it, keeping my hand still as he stared at the wounds coating my fingers and palm. As Toby was about to speak up, I heard thumping footsteps and the door opened to reveal Jack, his pace slowing to a walk as he shut the door behind him and strode over to the table, pulling out a chair and opening the first-aid kit in his lap, pulling out some bandages.

"Since they're just scratches and minor cuts, I don't think they need to be disinfected. If they were washed off from the snow melting on your hands, then it should be fine. Just speak up if they begin to hurt or sting. Wouldn't want you getting an infection." Jack said as he began to wrap bandages around my wrist and palm, avoiding my fingers as I assumed he'd put band-aids or separate bandages so they wouldn't be confined to just the bandage around my wrist and palm. He seemed to be considerate of possible tasks that would require the usage of my hand, which I was grateful for, but I never verbally expressed it in detailed words.

"Thanks..." I mumbled when he was finished. Flexing my fingers, I winced as the bruise started to take effect and made me wince every time I moved my fingers quite a bit at a time. If I moved them slowly, it was fine, but I couldn't instinctively squeeze my hand into a fist so carelessly anymore. Not until they were healed, that is.

Jack nodded at my gratitude and stood up, putting the chair back after closing the first-aid kit. He said his good nights and waved as he then left us alone, walking back to his room to go back to bed. Toby stared at the door before then finishing his glass of water and taking it, and my plate of food, to the kitchen. I stood up, glancing over at the clock to see ten minutes had passed and I sighed, waving to Toby.

"Good night, Toby. I'm going to bed, and hopefully I'll sleep in..." I said as I left the room, rubbing my head as I stared at the floor of the hall. It was quiet now, except for my footsteps and their's. They had their hands behind their head as they walked up to stand beside me, their bloody shoes matching mine as they hummed a tune as we walked. Glancing up at them for a moment, I noticed them grinning from ear to ear, their sharp teeth were pale in the dark lighting and I turned my gaze back to the floor as they began to talk to me, breaking the silence.

"You know, Scarlet, I think Jack really likes you. He just doesn't show it. Maybe even Toby, too. He honestly looked worried for you even though you only had a few minor injuries to your hand...He even looked a bit envious of Jack who patched up your hand! Isn't that something?" They cooed as they bent closer to my ear. I paused my steps as I stopped in front of my bedroom door. Grabbing the handle, I sighed and shook my head, entering my room as I quietly shut the door behind me.

Stripping down to my undergarments, I took out some pastel blue sweatpants and a white long sleeve shirt, wanting to stay warm while I slept since the winter air sometimes made the house colder in the morning. Stumbling over to my bed, I laid down and pulled the sheets up over me, their face staring at me as they wore a smug smirk, watching as I closed my one eye and drifted off to sleep.