BEN Drowned | Hopes And Dreams

Chapter VII

I flinched as a yelp slipped pass my lips.

The hooded man stood by the doorframe, snarling at me. But as he took sight of the blonde wraith in front of me, his entire demeanor vanishes, turning into a confused one.

"Ben?" The hooded man scoffed in a hoarse voice.

"Hey, buddy."

"What're you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing." Ben countered, raising his hands at chest level.

"On a hunt." The hooded man answered bluntly.

"But why her specifically?"

"Well," the hooded man started, "she's a witness. And as the saying go," his eyes pierced into mine, shivers ran down my spine as cold sweat trickled from my forehead to the floor, "leave no witnesses alive."

"Pretty sure that's incorrect, Jeff." Ben sighed; Jeff, the hooded man, gave him a look.

"Why are you even here? Aren't you suppose to be helping Masky with something?"

"I was. Until she texted me an S.O.S message. Dude, seriously, you gotta leave. This is my domain."

Jeff crossed his arms, sticking his knife under it. "Yeah? You and what army?"

"Jeff, we can't do a Shrek reference right now. But that was a really gash darn good one!" Ben praised the hooded man, who only nodded in acknowledgement.

"No, but seriously, Ben. What's up with you two? She your girlfriend or somethin'?" My cheeks heat up at the question as I anticipated an answer from the blonde wraith.

"You know I don't roll that way." I furrowed my eyebrows at this(does that mean he's—).

"Then you don't fully understand what bi means." Jeff shrugged, earning a groan from Ben.

"Dude, you know what I meant. I can't roll like that. Not after he—" Ben stopped, and I could sense the sadness he was radiating from his body.

"But really," Jeff broke the silence, and just like that, the gloominess vanished. "What's the deal with her?"

"She's . . . my Proxy." There was that word again. Proxy.

"You're . . . Proxy—Oh, no. Oh, no, it's starting again, isn't it?" Ben nodded as a response, "FUCK." Jeff exclaimed, making me flinch at the sudden outburst.

"Jeff, please, don't tell them just yet." Ben begged, his arms shaking.

"Slendy will know anyway. He's got that big-ass book, remember?"

"I know, it's just.. Please let her enjoy the rest of her life before it happens. She, at least deserves it."

Silence swept across the room like a broom on dirty floor. Jeff, whom I now recognized as the infamous Jeffrey the Killer, released a long exasperated sigh. Pinching the bridge of his nose, "Fine. Fine! But be warned, if I somehow got dragged into this, imma push your ass deeper so I could resurface."

Ben nodded eagerly, "Okay, that's cool. I'll accept all the consequences. I won't let your name be dragged into this. Just, plesse, Jeff. Do it for me. If not . . . then for him."

The two exchanged longing stares, until Jeff broke and groaned out the word; "Fine!"

"I'm leaving. Poof me back to the mansion. I'm too lazy to walk all the way back."

"Okay, I was about to go home, anyway." Ben stated as he walked towards the hooded man. On instinct, however, I reached out to him and grabbed hold of his arm.