I stand up and head towards the door, hearing yelling outside. Habit limps behind me, trying not to hunch over around the bullet wound in his chest. Oh God, there's blood everywhere. It makes me shudder hard.
He can't be taken by these bastards. He has been injured, and he's barely holding himself upright. I'd say he needs a hospital, but what would he say? And I highly doubt he'd go anyway. But these guys can't have him, especially not with him being hurt and all. Habit can't be taken out of the game yet.
But I guess that only leaves me with one option.
"Take me!" I yell, catching the attention of all the Dogs surrounding the house. "Leave Habit and Vinny alone and just take me. I'm what you want anyway, right?"
"Y/n, no," Habit pants.
His voice is so weak.
"You will come with us to meet the Administrator," intones one of the many guys.
"Yes, and I won't put up a fight unless you hurt them. Those are my conditions."
I can't believe myself right now. I usually don't act like this, I mean, I've never been in a situation like this before, but still. I swallow my fear and step forward again.
Habit reaches out with a bloody hand and takes mine. I turn to look at those pleading green eyes. "Please, stay."
My heart twists and throbs. "I can't let them hurt you. I won't. Take care of yourself and the boys for me, okay?"
"What? Y/n, this is insane! You don't know what they're capable of doing! They'll really hurt you!"
My sadness only increases. "I have to do this."
I kiss him on the cheek and then turn around, twisting out of his grasp and trying not to think of his skin beneath my lips. I face the Dog who shot Habit and anger boils in my stomach. I have his knife, I could hurt this guy ...
"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay out of this, Habit," snarls a Dog.
"Go fuck yourself," Habit replies. "She's not going anywhere."
I push him aside, startling him. "You're hurt. I can't let them kill you."
"But what about you?"
"I got this."
I so don't got this.
One of the hooded Dogs walks over to us and holds out a gloved hand. I feel like crying as I take his hand in mine and Habit and everything else is ripped away from me, until I'm in a dark room where another Dog secures a chain to the wall. They chain me by the wrists and the other Dogs leave.
But the one who brought me here stays.
"That was very brave of you."
"Thanks."
They back away for a few feet and then turn back around to look at me once again. Then they walk back over to me and set a small electric lantern not far from me, turning it on to reveal a basement all around us.
"At least you could show me your face, give me a name," I say after a moment of tense awkwardness.
He cocks his head. "Why?"
"Because I'd like to know who you were before Slenderman took you. I want to know why you're one of his Dogs."
"I'm not," he says. "I owe him my life, thanks to your boyfriend. I'm just repaying the debt."
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"Right ..."
"Stop judging me, Dog!"
"My name isn't Dog. My name is Jeffrey Koval."
"Wait, what?!"
