A Zoo in the Fog (PersonaxZoophobia)

Attention Whore

            Everyone ventured further into the labyrinth. Autumn seemed a small bit on edge much like before, but everyone took a moment to try and ease him now and again between the occasional fight with lesser Shadows. Through their journey, they reach a final area in the studios. There was angry yelling behind the door that was unmistakably Rusty just from the large amount of profanities and just pure anger behind his voice. "You let me out of here you fucking faggot! I ain't gonna let ya fucking wear my face like that!"

Both Zill and Jackson look to each other before they force their way into the room, guns drawn as they caught the sight of the area. It seemed much like the apartment before, but set into a singular bedroom. It wasn't long before Autumn called out "Ruben!"

In the room there was also Rusty himself and his Shadow. Rusty looks back at Autumn, shocked to see him there. "Autumn? W-what are ya doing here?"

"Oh, there's the man of the hour. You missed him that much?" The Shadow seems to say in a mocking tone, hand upon it's hip. Rusty looks to the Shadow and growls.

"Don't you fucking start!" Rusty yells out, looking back to the party. "Please, go. You... you shouldn't be here!"

"Oh, trying to be the man like always? Trying to be strong you little pussy?" The Shadow laughs loudly. "How can you be a man if you can't even like girls?"

"SHUT UP!!" Rusty attempted to tackle his Shadow, but it disappeared before he could. Rusty immediately picks himself up.

"Rusty, this is what it wants. It wants you to be angry. Don't listen to it!" Jackson yells out.

"I said shut up!" Rusty held his ears shut, and began to do something that shocked everyone. Tears stained his eyes as he tried to avert his eyes from anything around him. He was crying, breaking down even. "I... I ain't like this..."

"Oh but you are! Always seeking attention, wanting everyone to look at you... in the end we're not so much different. We both want the attention, and we both want some sexy men in our life~" The Shadow grins, looking specifically to Autumn. "You liked him for a while... and were always jealous of Jackson."

"Of... me?" Jackson asks, tilting his head.

"Oh, you HATED that no matter how many bad things happen, people still seem to love him. His friends never grew apart from him, no matter how hard his life got." The Shadow chuckles. "I couldn't say the same for us, could I? So lonely, so starved for attention." Rusty tried to lunge at his shadow once more, rage and sadness behind all his tears he tried to desperately to keep back. It was all his emotions just built up over years and now this Shadow was just laying them to bear before them all. The Shadow just moved away from the attack once more and the lights dimmed. Once again there was a younger Rusty in the set. Though this one seemed about mid or late teens rather than the college age student he was now. Rusty seemed to go dead silent, seeming to remember all this.

The younger Rusty was holding an obscene magazine, looking through the photos, but instead of being enticed by them, he looked as if he was angry. He threw the magazine against the wall, yelling out. "Dammit! Why?! Why does this have to be me?!" The younger one sat down on his bed. The real Rusty attempted to stop it, but any attempt to touch this mimic of his former self just resulted in his hands passing through it. "What are you doing to me, fucking doe boy..." The younger Rusty continued, a hand upon his chest. "I ain't like this. This ain't me..." The scene seemed to fade away, leaving the real Rusty breathing in a panicked way.

"Ruben..." Autumn reached a hand out, but Rusty slapped it away, tears staining his eyes.

"That's the real me..." The Shadow then returns to the set. "Weak, starved for attention... and as straight as a bendy straw~" It continued to mock.