No Longer Dead

9

It's as though Masky hates me again.

He ignores me every time I try to talk to him and he leaves the area whenever I enter it.

"Masky, please l-let me e-explain--"

"Oh, please, make everything worse, Toby. Or should I say Ticci." He snarls. I twitch at the word and close my eyes.

"D-Don't call m-me that."

"You don't seem to have a problem with that when Puppet calls you Ticci." He snarls.

"Nobody can c-c-control Puppet. H-He's too p-persistent." I say.

"Toby, you explained enough the other day. You pretended to not have your memories just so you could 'live a normal life'. I call bullshit on that." Masky snarls. "Don't talk to me."

He walks away and I don't try to stop him. My shoulder twitches and my neck cracks. I turn around and walk back to camp, my mind buzzing with thoughts.

He doesn't like you anymore.

You lost your only friend.

Poor, helpless, Ticci Toby...nobody likes a person with tics. You should just disappear again. Only this time, forever.

"You're w-w-wrong." I stutter. "I have m-more f-f-friends than M-Masky..."

But do you? Or are they all going to betray you...again?

"Th-they didn't betray me." I say.

"Who're you talking to?" Hoodie asks; snapping me back to reality. He stares at me a moment and holds up a hand when I open my mouth to talk. "Never mind, stupid question." He says as he pokes his temple; showing he understands the voices.

"M-Masky hate m-me again." I say.

"Oh, sure he doesn't." Hoodie says. "That's just Masky being Masky. He'll get over it when he decides to not be a pussy about the situation."

"D-did you g-guys know ab-b-bout the-the man with the g-gl-glasses before?" I ask.

"Jeff's brother Liu went through therapy with him after Jeff disappeared. Liu was never the same after that." Hoodie explains. I bring my hand to my side where a huge scar was left from the man with the glasses whipping me. I sigh and hang my head.

"N-nothing seems to be g-going right after-r I c-c-came back..." I say.

"Don't say that, Toby. We all missed--"

BANG!

"Wh-wha was that?!" I shout.

"It sounded like a gunshot." Hoodie says. I look around me but I know the direction the shot came from.

"M-Masky..." I whisper. I take off down the way Masky went and Hoodie follows closely behind. "MASKY?!" I shout.

"Masky!" Hoodie shouts. We run until we see blood on a tree close to the edge of the forest. Panic ceases me and I call for him again with more panic in my voice than usual.

"MASKY!" I scream.

"Toby! Over there!" I look where Hoodie is pointing to see familiar combat boots on the ground. I run to them to see Masky on the ground, shaking; his hands bloody as he holds his torso.

"Masky!" I holler. I run to him and drop to the floor, Hoodie following close behind. I grab Masky's bloody hand and pull it away from his torso to see dark crimson blood staining his jacket. Blood was splattered on his mask and he was wheezing and coughing. Hoodie pulls his mask off and blood stains his lips and trickles down his chin. "What happened?!" I demand.

"H-h-he's looking...f-for you...r-run..." Masky wheezes.

"Who is?!" I holler.

"Hello, again."

My body freezes and grows cold immediately.

No...

"Long time, no see." His cruel, smooth voice makes the hairs on the back of my head stand up and my body tenses as a huge twitch attacks my neck.

I slowly turn my head to the side to see the man with the glasses standing there, holding the all familiar gun, with a grotesque smile plastered on his face.

"No..." I whisper.