𝙃𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙎 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝘾𝙍𝙄𝘽𝘽𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿𝙎; 𝙃𝙊𝙊𝘿𝙔

Chapter 8

Hoody stopped running once he was about halfway on his way back to the abandoned barn. "What the hell do you want, Timothy?" He sneered under his mask to face the masked man that had followed him.

"You already know what I want, Brian, so do you really need to ask such a pointless question?" Masky retorted as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, which made Hoody take a step back. He didn't want to smell the tobacco, and he certainly didn't want to smell like it.

He huffed as he shoved a gloved hand into his pocket and rested it on the grip. A click resonated from it as he quickly flicked off the safety. It was an obvious sign of his distrust.

Masky chuckled as he shifted his mask to a position that revealed almost all of his face. Brown eyes that seemed stuck into a permanent glare stared at Brian from their position on his face. Dark brown hair was partially hidden by the mask, but the rest seemed to be combed. He had sideburns, which were a feature that just screamed who he was because most people didn't have them anymore.

He lit a cigarette that he had placed on his lips before taking a long drag from it. Hoody took another step back from him, his arm making contact with a tree. He shifted away from the tree as Masky exhaled smoke with a small laugh. "You always hated it when I smoked." He commented with a chuckle as his eyes bore into the red ones on Hoody's mask.

"Of course I have, it's bad for your body."

He grew even more on edge as the edges of Tim's lips quirked up. "Take off your mask, old friend. I miss seeing the face of the man who's supposed to be dead."

The last word made him take a large step back and his hand tensed on his gun. "Not gonna happen. I don't show my face anymore, and I would like this interaction to be over." Hoody raked his eyes over Masky's body for any sign of a weapon or any movement.

Static formed in their ears, which made both men tense. The sound was very unwelcomed as their common enemy began to show itself. Hoody pulled his gun out of his pocket and watched as Masky pulled a silver gun from behind his back.

They nodded their heads at each other, forming a temporary truce that neither of them really wanted to make. They walked closer to each other and looked around for the tall white figure dressed in a suit. Their shoulders knocked together when they saw it.

The Operator.

It was the thing that fucked up their lives. It was the thing that led Masky to try and kill Hoody. He fucking hated the damn creature more than anything in the world. They could've lived normal lives, but no, it just had to show itself and start attacking his friend group.

"When was the last time you took the pills?" Masky muttered as he threw his cigarette to the group, stamping it out. He shifted his mask back into place before he aimed the silver barrel of his pistol at the Operator.

Hoody followed suit, raising the dark metal of his pistol to it. "A few days ago." He bit his tongue as he remembered that information.

"Shit. Can you take them dry?"

"Yeah. Do you have any on you?"

"A few." Masky reached into one of his front pockets in his jeans and fished out a blue and white pill capsule. "I make sure to keep spares on me." Hoody grabbed the anti-seizure pills and maneuvered around his mask to shove it in his mouth. He swallowed a few times to make sure it stayed down as he glared at the Operator.

Are you two done now? It asked, tilting its featureless head. The voice cut through the static for barely a second as it spoke. Hoody hesitantly nodded as his body tensed. He could feel that Masky was just as tense as he was. Good. Now, your Starlight will be marked.

"What the fuck do you mean she'll be marked?" Hoody exploded as he took a step toward the creature. He would've continued walking closer, but the grip Masky had created on his arm stopped him from doing so.

She entered my forest. You should know the rules by now, Hoody.

"Oh fuck you! This isn't just your forest because you fucking share it with all of us."

"Hoody." Masky said harshly and pulled him back, making him stumble slightly. "Shut the actual fuck up, dude."

Hoody glared at Masky from under his mask, but listened, attempting to calm himself. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, forcing all attention on him.

You should look at her text. It will be of interest to you.

If it had a face, he knew it would have a wicked grin spread across it. The Operator was a sadistic creature, and he knew the lengths it would go to just to kill off a victim of it's torture.

He reluctantly pulled his phone from his pocket in front of them and stared at the name of the contact for a moment before he opened it.

His soulmate had sent him a picture of the front side of her left hip. On it was a mark that looked like it was scratched into her skin, but it was one he knew she'd never seen.

It was the mark of the Operator. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that it was. With the circle that had an 'X' going through it, he had only ever seen that on victims of the Operator. Which included himself and Masky.

He shut his phone off and slid both his gun as well as his phone back into his pocket. Hoody clicked on the safety and spared a glance at Masky before he took off running in the direction of his Starlight's university.