The Man (Puppet Boy Prequel)

9.

THE AIR was knocked out of Tommy's lungs the instant he set eyes on his livid creator. He felt a small tug on his pants and he glanced down to find Julie gripping his leg in fear. Her wide eyes and soft cries made his body practically vibrate from shaking so hard, he could barely even keep his balance as he slowly stepped off the table.

"Here I am," his creator's voice boomed, "deciding to be nice. Deciding to give my Puppet a present, and this is what I return to."

His creator just stood there, laughing mercilessly at his two terrified victims.

Julie gravitated behind Tommy, still clasping his clothes as tight as possible. When his creator stepped closer, she whimpered from behind him.

"What, do you think this girl loves you or something?" His creator tilted his head, putting his hands on his waist.

The question made Tommy's heart drop to his stomach. He stared at the floor, his unnaturally heavy and desperate breaths filling the stuffy atmosphere.

"Do you love this girl, Puppet Boy?" he asked, and Tommy didn't allow his angry eyes to leave his creator's as he humiliated him. "Does my beautiful Puppet Boy have a crush?"

When Tommy stayed silent again, his creator laughed. The sound of his booming chuckle made bile rise to Tommy's throat, it made Julie's cries just a little bit louder, and it also forced him to realize that there was no way the situation would end well.

Before Tommy could even bear a second thought, his creator was already charging at them. He couldn't think fast enough; he didn't have time to step in front of Julie or to toss her to the side and make her run towards the door. He just stood there, still as the simpleminded puppet he was, staring with fear-filled eyes as Julie was ripped away from him.

Tommy watched as his creator tossed her to the ground. Her mouth was open and her eyes were shut and tears were streaming down her cheeks, but no sound escaped her lips. He couldn't hear anything over the blaring, monotonous roar in his ears.

"Answer me, Puppet Boy," his creator demanded. "Answer me!"

"Leave him alone!" Julie tried to defend, but his creator was not a bully that she could protect him from. She realized that the second his creator's fingers threaded into her hair and she was slapped harshly across her face. She let out a wail of pain, bringing her hands up in attempt to pry herself free from his grip.

"Jesus Christ," his creator growled, irritated. "You asked for it."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a familiar syringe filled with dark liquid. Tommy remembered him using it on his past puppets. His eyes grew wide when he noticed his creator shove the needle into her arm.

Her cries quickly weakened.

Her one hand fell limp to the side of her body, dangling there lifelessly.

"Stop it, please," she begged, defeat obvious in her tone. "Please! I won't fight back, I promise I won't fight back!"

As his creator stabbed the needle into her other arm, Julie helplessly fixed her eyes on Tommy's. He noticed their honey colour had drained and darkened significantly, horrifying him more than anything he had been through.

"Puppet Boy, do you love this girl?" his creator repeated, his voice stern and irate.

Tommy couldn't answer. He had to be in shock - no matter what happened in front of his eyes, he couldn't seem to move or react. He could only stare.

"Fucking answer me!" he screamed, dropping Julie to the ground.

Her loud and echoing cries were soon drowned out by the sound of metal jingling. When Tommy finally processed what was going to happen, his creator was walking towards him, a belt in his hands.

Before Tommy knew it, his shirt was ripped from his thin torso and he was thrown to the ground.

"Please, I'm sorry, please don't!" Tommy screamed, begging for his creator to stop but it was no use. The belt tore into his back, and this time, he couldn't even think of Julie to subdue his pain. Instead she was a reality. She was in front of him, laying on the ground with matted hair, tear-filled cheeks and desperate eyes.

The sensation of the belt meeting his flesh had never been so painful.

After the punishment, his creator fixed the blood-stained belt back around his khaki pants again as if nothing had happened.

"Are you going to answer me now, Puppet Boy?" he asked while grabbing Tommy's arm and pulling him to his feet.

Tommy stumbled, pressing against the wall for balance. He looked at Julie who was laying on the floor, her chest heaving with each loud snivel she made.

"Uh, y-yes," he croaked. "I l-love her. Please stop hurting her, please, sir."

"Does she love you?"

"I do, I love him," Julie interrupted quickly. Tommy's heart fluttered as he gazed at her with surprise.

She loved him?

His creator watched Julie for a few seconds before averting his gaze back to Tommy.

His eyes softened. "Oh," his creator said thoughtfully, his voice surprisingly sweet. "I will stop hurting her, because you both love each other. Love is a beautiful thing, my boy. I am glad that you learned that."

Tommy's mind clouded with relief. "Thank you s-so much, sir," he said, watching as his creator walked over to Julie. Tommy even felt his lips twitch into a smile, watching as he lifted Julie from the ground and embraced her in his arms.

"Oh, Puppet Girl. You and Puppet Boy are going to be such a beautiful couple. The audience will be so thrilled!" his creator announced into the air, laughing happily as he pulled a few strands of knotty hair away from her eyes.

Tommy's heart was swelling with elation. They were going to get married and have a family, and his creator had approved it!

He couldn't help himself from picturing what Julie's curvy body would look like in a beautiful ivory dress, flowing behind her as she stepped down the aisle. He pictured what it would be like to kiss her soft pink lips, just like his mother and creator would.

He heard a heavy thump, and his breath hitched.

He didn't see Julie fall to the ground, but she was suddenly laying in a growing pool of her own blood. Her clothes were stained with crimson and the maroon liquid was beginning to surround his creator's feet.

Clutched in his creator's hand was a knife, her blood trickling down the silver edge.

"Anybody who says that they love you is a liar, Puppet Boy. I am the only one who truly loves you, I am the only one who will ever love you. Remember that."