Into the Woods | Ticci Toby

.4.

Felicia walked back in the direction of the house, singing, "Don't go past the lamp post! You'll regret it~!" in a singsong voice. Maura took a look at the metaphorical line of the lamp post, and took a step away from it. How am I supposed to just go back there now? She looked back to Felicia, and she was just able to get a glimpse of her before she disappeared in a cloud of mist. Unsettled, Maura hugged herself and started walking back to the mansion. She didn't want to go back, but she sure as hell didn't want to find out what she'd be 'regretting' by passing the lamp post. She sighed, looking at the large house in the far distance. She couldn't quite grasp that the people she had met earlier were odd variants of humans, but she remembered the icy silence that settled when she spoke to Toby and EJ about it earlier. "That has to mean something, at least," Maura mumbled. She started back to the house. She took her time, of course. The sky was darkening by the time she stepped onto the front porch. Slight panic in her heart, she opened the door.

And the smell of cooking meat filled Maura's nose. She walked through the door on the left, into the dining room. She peered around the doorframe, and the sight she saw was nothing like what she thought. The kitchen was filled with plates of food, EJ cooking at the stove. Luna sat at another table in a sun room along with a few familiar and unfamiliar faces. There was an empty seat on each side of Luna, one presumably for EJ and perhaps Maura?

Toby laughed at something Luna said, and he glanced in Maura's direction. He noticed her, and his face lit up. He smiled and waved at Maura, patting the chair between him and Luna. Maura stepped out of the doorframe and made her way to the table. She tripped on her third step, and fell against the counter. All eyes were on her, and she waved everyone off. "I'm fine!" she laughed nervously, and she walked quicker to the seat. She pulled up to the table quietly. "Hey, are you okay?" Toby whispered after leaning over. Maura internally flinched, although she wasn't sure if it showed. She nodded her head quickly, forcing a smile. Toby raised an eyebrow, but didn't push the matter. The chatter resumed as normal, and Maura played with her fork.

"Hey, Maura-" Toby was cut off by Masky entering the kitchen, who immediately walked over to the two. "Mr. S wants you in his office at 9 PM sharp. Please don't be late or wander off like earlier." Maura just raised an eyebrow at him, an unimpressed look etched into her face. "Okay, Masky." Masky looked at her funnily, and he rolled his eyes. He walked past the table and entered another hall on the other side, disappearing into the darkness. "Why is he always so cranky," Luna muttered to her left, and Maura replied, "I've literally only had two conversations with him now."

EJ walked around with the now fully prepared food, and Maura caught a whiff of the food, a deliciously savory spaghetti dinner. Maura glanced at Luna beside her, and she saw a look of disgust flash across her face. It was gone just as quickly though, and Luna smiled at EJ as she took a bite. Confused, Maura took one as well, and she let a small smile graze her lips.

It was delicious.

She dug in, not really listening to the conversation; she didn't hear them calling her name either. "Hey, Maura!" Toby poked her forcefully on the side of her head, and Maura flinched at the surprise. "Jeff was talking to you." Maura turned towards the bleach white man sitting across from her at the table, who looked at her expectantly. "What were you saying?" Maura asked, placing her fork on her plate.

"I asked, what are you doing here? I'm the one that carried you back, you know." Jeff huffed, obviously annoyed. Maura frowned. "I'm not sure. No one has really given me a straight answer about it since I got here, but I did talk to someone about it that made it slightly more clear." Sally tilted her head, and looked around. "Who was it, Maura?"

"I think her name was Felicia or something like that." Jeff scoffed, and Maura narrowed her eyes at him. "Felicia is dead, there's no way." Maura shrugged. "She looked a lot like Luna actually-" Maura turned to look at Luna, but Luna stood straight up, knocking the chair under her away. She quickly rushed out of the room. "Can we change the topic?" asked the girl sitting on the other side of EJ, the dark haired girl who played with Sally earlier. "Jane's right. This isn't good to talk about," EJ said. "I'm gonna go check on her." He followed the path Luna took, up the stairs.

"Since we're bringing up bad topics, how about we talk about the knife in your waistband?" Maura's head swiveled, shocked. A smug Jeff looked at her, arms crossed. "You think I couldn't tell? I specialize in knife play, sweetheart. Tripping is SO obvious." Maura stared at him with eyes wide. That was the trick she pulled with her parents to hide a snack or a dollar for her escape fund. She certainly didn't expect any of these people to get it.

Her mind drifted back to an earlier conversation, and Felicia's words drifted through her head. Everyone in the mansion is either supernatural or dead. Or a serial killer.

Maura shook her head and stood up. "I have to go meet Slender." Jeff stood up, walking over to her. Maura walked into the hallway, and Jeff slinked behind her. She made it about halfway to the office door before Jeff grabbed her hand. His hand felt leathery and cold, like a present wrapped in construction paper. Panicked, Maura pulled out the knife she had concealed earlier, the one Jeff had pointed out.

He laughed. Cackled, even. "Oh, you really think you can do something with that to me?" He looked down at her and the kitchen knife. Maura pressed the tip of the knife to his throat. "Let. Go." Maura gritted. Jeff smiled at her lazily. "Not so quiet now, are we?" Jeff asked. An uncomfortable feeling grew in her chest, and she felt as if the air was sucked out of her lungs. Before she could panic completely, he finally let go of her wrist. "Go on. Daddy's calling." He wiggled his fingers at her, walking back into the other room with his hair flowing behind him. Maura glared after him. "What the hell?"

The door opened with a slam behind her, causing her to flinch. Maura stared into the dark room, uneasiness growing again. However, instead of the anxiousness she had experienced a moment ago, this was more of an innate fear. Perhaps, it is just like the kind that would be found in someone walking alone at night. In the dark. Like a child, Maura thought to herself. She stood up straighter. She couldn't ruin this.

And so she entered the lion's den.