how did this happen. . ?

12 - bloody goggles

You took that second of rest to notice the snow didn't even faze him. Wait. Are those goggles?

"What the fuck?"

You hadn't meant to say that out loud. Maybe you were just more sensitive to the cold, but if someone hurled a snowball at your face, you'd at least flinch. This man, though? Nothing. No reaction. Not even a blink.

He let out a sharp, crackling cackle, clearly amused by your shock. That's when you noticed it—a gash on his cheek. Raw. Visible. Old, but ugly.
Shit. Is he hurt?

Your eyes lingered on the wound, and just like that, the stranger's mood shifted. His grin faded, replaced by a scowl.

"The fuck you loo-lookin' at?"

Before you could backpedal, he grabbed the front of your sweater and yanked you forward, hard.

"Whoa - okay!" You latched onto his wrists, trying to keep your shirt from choking you out. "This-this is a huge misunderstanding!"

Up close, you could see more now. His gloves were thin, but his hands were freezing—even through the fabric, the cold bit at your skin. Blood crusted the edges of his goggles. It looked hastily wiped, like he'd tried to clean it off with a sleeve and given up halfway. And that gash on his cheek? It wasn't fresh. The wound had scarred over, partially healed.
So... where had the blood come from?

Who is this guy?

"Sir-!" You tried again.

His expression twisted, and he pulled his fist back.

You squeezed your eyes shut, bracing for impact—

But it never came.

When you dared to open them again, BEN was there. Hovering a few feet off the ground, transparent as ever-except for one thing.

His hand.

It was solid. Real. And it was wrapped around the stranger's wrist, stopping the punch cold.

"BEN!" You exhaled sharply, relief flooding your chest. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now."

The man ticked-an involuntary jerk of the neck-and pulled his fist back. "BEN?"

He knows BEN?

"Yo." BEN floated downward until his boots touched the snowy ground. His hand phased back into transparency. "Your parents came by earlier looking for you, so I dipped."

Great timing, BEN. As always.

The stranger's voice broke the tension. "BEN? What are you doing here?"

You both turned to him. His demeanor had shifted completely. Gone was the aggression—his shoulders dropped, and the harsh ticks softened.

BEN nodded toward you, jerking his thumb in your direction. "This is Y/N."

That was all he needed to hear.

The man's eyes widened slightly. "Y/N! I've been looking for you!"

Okay... what? That's not creepy at all.

"You've been... looking for me?" you laughed nervously. "Why?"

He opened his mouth, but BEN cut him off. "He's a friend. He works with Jeff and me."

Ah. That explains a lot. The gash. The violence. The freezing hands. This man-he's one of them. Their coworker.

The two exchanged a quick, silent glance you didn't catch.

The goggled man stepped forward. "Name's Toby," he said, holding out a gloved hand. "Sor-sorry for attacking you. Thought you were some random."

You hesitated a beat, then reached out and shook his hand. "No worries. Sorry for staring—I was just surprised the cold didn't faze you." You left out the part about gawking at the gash. No need to make it worse.

Toby chuckled. "Oh! I don't feel pain. Like-at all."

"Oh... Well, that would explain it." You nodded slowly. It didn't make total sense, but after everything you'd seen lately, you were learning not to ask too many questions. "Well, Toby, do you want to come inside? I know you don't feel pain, but it's freezing out here, and I'd rather talk somewhere warm."

He smiled warmly. "I'd love to, but boss's orders. Just supposed to check on you, then report back to base."

You nodded, a little disappointed despite yourself, and started walking back toward the house. BEN floated beside you, falling into step at your side.

"You alright?" he asked quietly.

You glanced over your shoulder at Toby, who was trailing a few paces behind. The fact that these guys, hitmen, knew your address... that unsettled you more than you wanted to admit.

"I'm fine," you answered after a moment. "Just caught off guard. And... I was kind of staring at his wound. That was rude." BEN snorted at that.

You gave him a sideways glance. "Was it dumb of me to invite him in?"

BEN shrugged. "Toby's harmless. For the most part."

That "for the most part" isn't super comforting. You hummed in reply. He didn't seem anything like Jeff. Comparing the two felt unfair—more like comparing a housecat to a panther. "He usually works with Masky and Hoodie."

Now that made more sense. You'd only met the other two once, but they'd made a hell of an impression—violent, scary... but they'd saved you and Sally that night.

BEN's voice pulled you from your thoughts. "Things are gonna start happening. You'll have questions. I can't answer most of them, but I need you to trust me."

You hesitated. "What can I know?"

BEN floated silently beside you for a moment, frowning in thought. "Not much. I wish I could tell you more. But... It's the boss's orders. And, well... keeping you in the dark is kind of funny."

You gave him a look, but it lacked real heat. "I understand."

You walked the rest of the way in silence. As you stepped onto your front porch, you glanced over at BEN again.

"Do you think I'll ever get answers?"

He paused just before you opened the door. His eyes didn't meet yours as you walked inside.

Instead, he glanced toward the woods.

A white mask. Hidden. Watching.

BEN finally answered, voice low.

"Probably."

whoops that took so much longer than expected. sorry for the short chapter, hopefully i'll be better. go drink some water.