Partners In Crime (Ticciwork fanfic) [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 33: Fire

"Pepper, I got a paper cut." Jeff said the moment he stepped into the house. How he knew beforehand that Pepper was at the kitchen table, watching Masky and Hoody play poker, Clockwork would never know.

Pepper looked up. "Sweetheart, that is not a paper cut."

Jeff wiped blood from his eyes and went into the kitchen, looking around in some of the upper cabinets, getting blood everywhere. "Where's the first aid?"

"Under the sink."

"You moved it!!"

"It's easier to reach down there."

"That's too logical, though!" He rummaged through the bright red box for a moment, growled with frustration and wiped more blood from his eyes, then continued.

"There was a Night Demon that attacked us." Clockwork explained to Pepper, who looked only mildly concerned with Jeff's injury. She raised her eyebrows at the mention of the demon.

"Oh?"

Why is she surprised? Clockwork thought. Didn't she hear it roaring?

"Night Demons are only heard by who they choose to hear them." Jeff said to Clockwork, like he was reading her thoughts. He was holding a thick bandage up to the cut on his forehead, and it was already starting to bleed through. He looked over at Hoody, who was only half paying attention to his card game. "Said there was a guy gathering an army to destroy us."

"The One With Machines." Clockwork specified. Jeff nodded.

Hoody sighed hugely and tossed Masky a few bills. He laid his cards down and Masky started cleaning them up. "That's fabulous." Clockwork couldn't decide if he was talking about his game or the army.

"If they get past Megan and her hellhounds I'll be surprised." Masky had gathered all the cards together and started shuffling them in such a complex way it made Clockwork's head hurt - and he wasn't even looking.

"I doubt she'll summon the entire Pack on our behalf." Jeff said. "She could care less what happens to us, as long as she gets Toby."

"There's only one pack of hellhounds in this forest?" Clockwork wondered.

"No, but yes." Hoody said. "Pack with a capital P is the entire population of hellhounds in the single forest, but they divide into their own little packs as well for convenience."

"Megan owns Smeagol." Pepper added. "He's the Alpha Male, so she can ask him to summon the entire mass of hellhounds if she wants, and they'll answer."

"That's..." Clockwork trailed off, looking for the word.

"Terrifying?" Masky suggested. He was flipping a single card between his fingers, and its face kept changing. "Yeah."

"Toby could tell you more." Pepper said. "He's our hellhound expert."

"Where is he, anyway?" Jack leaned his back against the counter and tipped his head back. "Could use his disgusting enthusiasm right about now."

"He's out with Slender." Clockwork said.

Hoody grunted. "That's strange..." He cocked his gun back and made like he was aiming for Jeff's head, but didn't put his finger on the trigger. "Toby doesn't usually go out alone with him." He brought his gun back to him and started tweaking the scope.

Something about that sentence chilled Clockwork to the bone, but Hoody sounded calm, so she didn't say anything.

Hoody aimed for Jeff's head again, and Clockwork couldn't see any difference to his gun. Jeff started eyeing him warily. "Anyway," He continued, "This Night Demon said this machine guy was building an army for this war he wants to start," He said. "And he said that this guy signed this treaty or something so the Night Demons would serve him."