Devouring The Cure [Ticci Toby] (1st Place Ticci Toby & Admin's Choice 2016)

Minor Arrangements

Toby left the restaurant with a terrible gut feeling wrenching his insides. His feet hit to the ground as he bit his lip in thought, staring at the ground with wide eyes. He hadn't seen this coming. How he was going to tell Slenderman about this? Slenderman already had a lot of things to handle at this point, with the weird dreams he's been having and with everyone coming over at his place for the emergency. And to top that all off with the fact that Offenderman now had a kid...

Toby shook his head. He shouldn't even be thinking about this. This wasn't any of his business.

Then why did he feel like it was?

Toby snapped out his thoughts when a voice suddenly tugged at his attention. It was Slenderman. The suited man was probably checking up on him. He tuned himself into a quiet state to accommodate it's humming vibrations and he lifted his head knowingly, drawing his hood below his nose to hide the crazed look in his eyes.

Is your business with the woman over? The voice asked, the soft drawl of his words cooling the proxy's mind.

Yes. I just left the shop now, Toby answered. Toby brushed through the crowd as he bit his lip, his eyes focused on the shoes that passed him. He noticed a man and a woman walk by with a child between them, both of them holding the youth's hand protectively.

And what was her request?

Toby hesitated, his eyes darting from shop to shop before he bit his lip. He wanted Slenderman to be there in front of him when he broke the news. If he didn't, Toby feared that Slenderman would do something reckless. Who knows what his boss could do...

Toby's hands clenched the pill bottle he had in his pocket, the very same bottle that had little of his cure remaining.

I-I'll tell you once I get back home.

----

Toby entered into the mansion with ease, his nose greeted by the same sweet, old scent as he removed his hatchet from his belt. He could hear Sally's voice distantly, the hum of their old refrigerator soothing the curling sensation in his stomach.

Distantly, he could also feel Slenderman in the house. Their connection, that strange tug of someone smothering your mind, usually accompanied the drabness of  his boss's intentions. And right now, Toby could already tell that Slenderman wanted something from him, that whatever Slenderman was feeling was causing him to act this way, as though he was on edge. 

"Get in your room!"

Toby nearly jumped by the harsh tone, his brow quirking up  in confusion as he made his way over to the living room. He dropped his coat onto a nearby chair, hearing the voices  getting louder. Apparently, Sally wasn't alone today.

"You little son of a- Let go of me or I'll rip your intestines out and decorate your little tea set with your blood!"

Toby's lips drew up into a thin line, his breath pushing up his bangs as he shoved his hands into his pockets, the pill bottle shaking from the contact. He should have known that they would have guests.

Walking up to the door, the young proxy peeked into the room. His brown eyes scanned the living area and found Sally trying to push someone into her mini toy house. It was a play habit Sally did often and much to his disdain, Toby was stuffed into that god forsaken house on more than one occasion. But upon focusing on the stranger's sweater, and the terrible swearing, Toby rolled his eyes again.

It was Jeff.

But as soon as Ben came into view, Toby didn't feel as annoyed.

I hear an awful lot of chatter down there. Please remind Jeff that while I'm gone, Sally is the headmistress and that he should obey every command.