Torture ((neko!Ben x Jeff x Liu))

1. Woods

The street was empty, but the full moon showed bright in a black, starless sky. He hadn't seen a single vehicle pass by all night as he walked slowly down the pavement, feet bare. He was only covered by a pair of black shorts and a loose, dirty black shirt, but the last few months hadn't been too cold.

The empty black holes of his eyes stared blankly forward as he walked. Long black nails dug into his arms as he held himself tightly. His blonde hair was long and wavy, framing his small pale face and laying softly around his shoulders, but it'd been so long since he'd had a proper bath that he noticed his hair was frequently messy and tangled or dirty.

After his death, Ben had found it rather difficult to bathe himself or be near water at all. All he could remember about his past life was the night that he died, when he had been drowned by his abusive father after having his eyes gouged out by the drunk. Ben was thirteen at the time, which he only remembered because it had been the day after his birthday. He could never quite remember what he'd done in order to be killed, and sometimes thought that maybe there had been no reason at all. When he'd woken up from death, confused and lost, Ben was surprised to not only realize that he had grown significantly, to maybe sixteen or seventeen, but his body had changed. Not just because of his age, as now his flesh was ghostly pale, and though his eyes were gone, Ben could still see. And, weirdest of all...

Cat ears, blonde like his hair, and a long, thin tail to go along with them. That was something he'd never understand, but for a guy who was supposed to be blind and dead, it wasn't very surprising anymore. After five years of roaming about aimlessly, they had become nothing more than a second thought.

Ben stayed far away from people, not sure who to trust. He'd been chased after several times by people who were curious about his cat features or frightened by the empty holes where his eyes should have been. He only felt safe walking at night, especially in this place that seemed to be so vacant of people.

He was looking for scraps of food now, often stopping by to dig in trash cans or roaming the woods for mice or birds, which he'd acquired a taste for, but found it quite difficult to hunt as a normal cat would.

Of course I'd get the parts but none of the skill, he thought to himself grudgingly.

His stomach growled loudly, and he groaned.

Maybe I should go back to the woods to scavenge before any people see me.

With that thought, Ben took one last look around the quiet street before turning and making his way towards the shadowed woods nearby. Usually, he'd have a few spots where he'd sleep near the shelter of a tree or small holes in the ground where mice often lived, but realized he hadn't yet come through these parts. The trees were different, more pine than oak. He perked his ears and lifted his nose to sniff the air, but all he could smell was the thick pinesap scent from the trees. For a moment, he thought about turning back to a more familiar part of the woods but decided to try and look for prey in a newer place.

Ben stepped quietly around the soft grass, ears pricked for any sign of movement. He had eventually scented mouse and managed to make a catch, eating the small rodent in fierce gulps and then licking the blood from his lips and sharp teeth as he finished. He hadn't realized just how hungry he'd been until after he'd eaten, craving more of the warm prey.

A tiny movement caught his eye a little ways away amongst pine needles strewn about on the lush ground, and he caught another mouse-scent. Ben licked his lips and dropped low to the ground, focused on the little creature that nibbled on a seed a little ways away. He kept his long tail still to not disturb the undergrowth, ears strained toward the small brown body. He had to keep his head raised so as not to let his long hair drag the ground and make any noise. Carefully, he crawled toward the mouse, fingers pressing lightly to the ground, knees up by his shoulders as he made his way forward.

Suddenly, the mouse started and turned tail. Had he been spotted? Ben hissed in frustration, about to give chase to his prey. His body jerked as his neck was suddenly squeezed tight by what felt like a thin, rough rope. He choked, his breathing cut off. What was happening? Had someone set a trap? A large hand gripped a fistful of his hair and shoved his head down to the ground below. A knee pressed into his back, and he was surprised by the strength of his attacker, but too breathless by the pressure around his neck to fight back. In swift movements, his eyes were covered by cloth, and the rope at his neck grew impossibly tighter as he assumed it was the same rope being used to now bind his wrists together. His tongue lulled, and saliva dripped from his gaping mouth as he fought for breath. In a matter of what seemed like seconds, he had been bound and blindfolded and hadn't even had a breath to scream for help. Panic stricken, he recalled the suffocating feeling he'd suffered in death. Was he going to die again? Though his vision was already black from the cloth over his eyes, he felt his head spinning from the massive effort to breathe properly, and then his mind went blank.