Partners In Crime (Ticciwork fanfic) [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 34: Pain

Clockwork tore through the bright yellows of fallen leaves, her lungs burning from cold air, her eyes watering from the wind. Someone behind her called her name, and she almost looked back - she wanted to look back - but she didn't.

Never wanted to stay there anyway.

Then why did it hurt so much to leave?

A root materialized in front of her and she slammed her foot into it, just barely catching herself on a tree before she smashed her face into the ground. She staggered, her foot pulsing with pain, and caught her breath.

Her throat was burning with cold and dryness, her calves weak from running so far so fast. She buried her nose in the fur around her jacket, shoved her hands into her pockets, and limped onward at a regular speed, still refusing to look back.

Now that the rage had died along with her energy, she felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness come over her. Where was she supposed to go now? It wasn't like she could go back into society and lead a normal life. But she couldn't exactly hang around in the forest, either, not with Slenderman's promise to kill her. Would she go on the run again? Sleep in alleyways and sneak onto train after train until she was miles away? Until she forgot?

"Clockwork..." A voice said from behind her. She tensed.

"Leave me alone!" She snapped. She continued walking, determined not to turn around and see the cold, fake smile and the round orangey eyes.

She heard his footsteps following her and narrowed her eyes with annoyance.

"Where are you gonna go?" He sounded amused, which annoyed Clockwork even more. Her head had started to hurt, and she really wished he would just shut up and go back home.

It's not home anymore, Clockwork. She silently reminded herself. Not to you.

Clockwork winced, her headache getting worse. She stopped and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "Look, Toby," She said, turning around finally to face him. "I never intended to stay here anyway; it's better I leave now rather than cause more trouble."

His arms were folded casually across his chest, his head tilted slightly, his eyes glittering with a strange sort of amusement behind the tinted orange of his goggles. He looked completely calm, and it made Clockwork marvel at how well he hid the stress Slenderman gave him behind nothing but a face guard and a pair of glasses.

"I don't want you to leave." He said helpfully. Clockwork sighed and rolled her eyes. She turned back around but didn't keep going.

"I know." She muttered. She watched a bright red leaf settle on the forest floor. Something about the color told an imaginary axman to start hacking away at the inside of her skull. She winced.

"Hey, we can fix this," Toby said encouragingly. "I can get Slender to loosen up -"

"No," Clockwork growled. "You can't." Her head pulsed, making the world turn hazy with each spike of pain. The splashes of red leaves on the ground looked like blood.

Blood...

"Clockwork -"

"NO!" She snarled, whipping around. Her vision tinged with red as her headache reached an impossible maximum, making her ears ring. "I don't want to go back okay!? I'm done with this place, I'm done with Slenderman, and I'm done with you." She took a step forward, her vision blurring to almost blindness, then clearing back again to a red-tinged world that she recognized.