I scream and bite my lip to keep myself from crying. I will not cry in front of these assholes. I will not break. So even as they continue to torture me, as the Collective taunt and mock me, I bite my tongue and say nothing. They want me to break. But I won't.
That was my mindset, until Vinny came back. His glasses are broken and his face is bloodier than ever. He's thrown on the floor next to me and the door slams shut and locks behind the Slenderman's Dogs.
"Oh God, Vinny," I breathe, coughing up blood. How delightful, I tell you.
"It's not as bad as it looks," he says.
"What have they done to you?"
"What haven't they done to me?" He laughs dryly. But then he looks up at me. "Y/n, please tell me you're okay."
"I'd be lying if I did."
"Yeah, same." He then spits blood on the floor. "I don't know what they did to you, but they're trying to break you. Make you succumb to their will. That's why I'm here, I'm leverage."
"We both are," I say softly. "They want Habit."
"We can't let them get him."
"How? What the hell are we supposed to do?"
"Fight back."
He reaches for my hand, and his is bruised and shaking. My heart melts when I see it. Vinny trying so desperately to make sure that I'm okay while he's suffering ... He was always the most empathic of the group. Vinny clutches my hand and starts to cry.
"Jeff blames me for his death; and I do too."
"You didn't kill Jeff, he doesn't blame you. These monsters did, not you," I say. Precious little cinnamon roll. "You did what you had to to survive."
"But I played God, I killed him and Shaun ..."
"Habit did, not you."
How many lives have you lead and spent?
"And now we're waiting for him to save us. Like we're damsels in distress."
"Then I think it's time that we showed them that we are anything but."
"How?" he asks.
"Maybe I can help with that," says Jeff as he steps into the doorway. "Come on, I'm getting you two out of here."
"But I thought you said you'd die if you betrayed Slenderman," I say.
He shrugs a shoulder. "Dying is easy. It's living that's hard. Come on, we've gotta hurry up."
