Safety from Drama Ch. 20- DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING

BEN had long since moved himself to the couch in the main lodge, watching television with Jeff and Iris. The tongue stealer sat in the centre, a bowl of candy on her lap. BEN reached over to snag a handful of M&M's. Iris smiled at him.
"You seem stressed. You okay, dude?" Her cheeks tensed from the toxin inside them. The Hylian nodded, popping a blue piece into his mouth.
"Yeah. Let's just watch the movie."

Jeff was slunk into his jacket, his lidless eyes glaring at the television screen. He glanced over his shoulder, as if paranoid. The killer gripped his knife and grumbled irritably to himself.

Iris glanced over to the raven-head. "Geez, why's everyone PMSing lately?" She laughed hardheartedly, biting into a candy bar.
BEN choked on his treat and coughed. "I'm not a woman, crazy! You're the woman!"

"That... Stupid bitch Jane..." Jeff snarled. He swore he saw something move and quickly threw his knife behind him as he whipped around. It landed with a crack in the wall behind Rake who gave off a snarl.
"Oops..." Jeff replied, rubbing his head and smiling sheepishly.

"What about her?" Iris was suddenly concerned. Jane was a very close friend of hers. She had taken the tongue stealer into the mansion a few years before and raised her to be a seasoned killer. She knew Jeff and Jane had been feuding but this seemed worse than usual.
BEN chuckled at Jeff's blunder.


Jeff hopped over the couch and ripped his knife from the wall. A storm was rolling in once more. The electric crack of lightning split the air and illuminated Jeff's features and grinning face. He seemed more maniacal than ever.
"Storms closing in... So is-" He paused at a slam of the door. A fuming Hoody marched into the house, hissing and covered in what looked like blood.
Gashes speckled her body, some so deep you could almost see bone.
She gave a hellish laugh and entered the room, eyes crazed behind that dark mask as she stared right at BEN.
"Lover boy decided to get mouthy with me..." She growled, slamming her machete into the wall. She raised something pale that was illuminated by the light of the TV.
"He won't be doing it again..."
She stalked past the group, throwing a white mask into BEN's lap.
The eyes were ringed with black... The lips the same color... A raised brow painted over each eye.

BEN's features went pale and his eyes widened. His blood ran cold as the mask landed in his shuddering legs. His eyelid twitched.
"No..."
The Hylian gripped the porcelain and growled in utter rage. His bloodlust, not having been touched in years, began to boil in his mind. He leapt from the couch with a snarl. His eyes were black again. Iris went to restrain him but he began a mad dash and disappeared. She herself felt a pang of anger and followed Hoody. The tongue stealer kept herself quiet until she was sure they were alone before shouting at the female proxy.
"What in the fuck were you thinking, you little bitch?!" She grit her teeth.
BEN reappeared in front of the proxy brothers' door, slamming his fists into the wood. "Guys, it's BEN!! You need to let me in!!" The Hylian's anger still bubbled inder his surface but he needed their help. He was at a loss.

Hoody snarled and whipped around, a dark expression on her face.
"That son of a bitch has been taking the spotlight for years. It's about time I have my pay." She roared.
StitcheZ opened the door, eyes sockets wide in surprise.
"BEN?!" He asked. "What's wrong bro? Come in..." Ripped was on the couch fiddling with a small device as he carefully slipped the small wires back together. Inferno looked up from his notebook.

"Not for long..." Iris grabbed her syringe and dagger to take a swing at Hoody. Killing one of her friends was something she wouldn't stand for. Hoody would pay dearly.
Pinkie looked up from rubbing her stomach and gasped. It was a bit difficult for her to stand but she managed to do so and get over to her brother. "BEN, is everything okay? Why did you come here?"
The Hylian bit his lip, the persona behind his back. "Hoody..." He growled, his stomach churning. Without another word, he revealed the mask to the other members of the house. He looked up. "She murdered Masky."

Hoody laughed and easily sidestepped before bringing her knee up into Iris's stomach. She snarled.
"I'll let you live this time 'round, runt."
The room went dead silent. If the storm hadn't been raging it sure as hell was now. The Proxy brothers' masks seemed to take a haunting, hollowed turn.
StitcheZ reached out for the persona in BEN's hand. His touch shuddered, fingers twitching.

Iris gasped, clutching her stomach as she rocketed into a nearby wall. She snarled. "You disgust me... This isn't over. Watch your ass." She stood and strode past Hoody, elbowing her arm and returning to the couch. Her stomach ached.
Pinkie's face fell as tears beaded her eyes. She went to wrap her arms around BEN. The elf gave a hurt growl but let her touch him. His emotions were a cloud. How should he feel? He was lost between blind rage and crying baby.

Hoody slammed the door to her room, wanting to wash the blood off of her body.
StitcheZ gently took the mask and looked it over. He wiped a speck of crimson liquid from the white material and strode to his brothers. He looked up and held the mask out as if it were a child. Ripped looked into the hollows of the eyes, the sapphire orbs of Masky's eyes not staring back.
"No..." Inferno spoke up, his voice harsh.
"Masky's not dead... I-it's just some... Some sick joke!" He tried to assure himself nervously the steam-punk proxy shuddered.
"He's out there! J-just fooling with us! Right...?" He felt tears welling in his charred eyes as he looked out of the window. Something bolted past him and out into the oncoming storm.
"MASKY!" Ripped's voice called out as he plunged into the forest, searching for his friend.

BEN had finally lost himself in the emotion and collapsed onto Pinkie, gripping her shirt as he sobbed. She stroked the Hylian's hair back and knelt down to hold him tighter.
He was shuddering in disbelief. 'This didn't happen... No, no it couldn't have! Masky promised he'd come back, remember? Masky wouldn't break a promise! No, not Masky!' BEN's eyes grew wide again and he shouted into Pinkie's chest. 'He lied to you, don't you see? He lied.'
"It wasn't his fault... It was Hoody's... Hoody..." He sobbed and muffled the words. Pinkie looked up to the brothers.

Inferno stared like a sentential after Ripped, not moving. He felt his heart sink... No... His heart shattered. Masky, the joker of the group, the brother by spirit, was gone... Like that.
StitcheZ slumped to the ground, eyes blank of emotion. He clenched his Jaw.
"He can't be... " He murmured softly.

BEN screamed again before Pinkie looked back to him. She put a hand to the back of his head and muttered, "Pernoctabit. Ne videre." The elf slumped in an instant. Pinkie picked him up and sat on the couch, holding him tight and crying herself. BEN was no liar. If Hoody really had killed Masky, then it was the truth.

StitcheZ looked to Pinkie, eye sockets moist with what seemed like tears.
"My brothers and I might have to take a leave tonight... This... It's just..." He looked out into the forest. His heart was heavy with grief. He couldn't cry. No... Not here. He had to stay strong despite the loss of his best friend. Inferno remained silent as a roar of thunder slammed the sky.

Pinkie didn't reply. She knew that this was a heafty blow for the proxies. They loved Masky. They all did. The Party girl's eyes met StitcheZ' eye sockets and she nodded. Her lips parted, then shut again. No words could explain her grief. She was most worried about BEN. He couldn't handle such an intense truth. What were they going to do?

StitcheZ crawled beside Pinkie and wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her shoulder and couldn't help a sob as he winced. It was all too much. Masky was a good man, he was.
Another bolt of lightning split the sky in a blinding streak of light.

Pinkie rubbed the back of StitcheZ' neck comfortingly. Masky was so important to them all... She shut her eyes as a tear dripped into the proxy's hair. She didn't know how much more she could bear.

StitcheZ took a shuddering breath, keeping himself in Pinkie's grasp. He felt safer there but he had to go out. The old urge was calling to him. He couldn't let the feeling burst near his unborn child and lover. He looked up and kissed the party girl's cheek.
"I'll be back..." He murmured softly.

Pinkie smiled lightly. Her tummy was aching her a bit, and there was a very small lump there. Due to her bloodline, the baby naturally developed faster than normal babies. She let her sight fall to it. "Be safe..."

StitcheZ stood up and pursed his lips before nodding. He moved towards Inferno and tugged at his arm before sliding his skeletal dagger from his belt. He turned for the door and burst into the rain, the metal masked brother at his heels. They needed to hunt. It was the only way they could escape such stress.

BEN awoke slowly, his mark stinging.
"Sis... Lift up my shirt for me..."
Pinkie did as she was instructed. She lifted up the bottom of his shirt. She gasped. "It's black again... Oh no..."
The elf chuckled. "Yes. It's true then..."

Screams echoed from the nearby village dispite the fact that it was miles away, the sounds of agony ringing in the air.
Inferno leapt from his perch, sending another flaming bottle towards one house. He howled in anger, lifting his head to the sky that was cut by lightning. The flames grew as he leaped away and landed on a nearby man, twisting his neck with a savage snarl.
Ripped had gotten a hold of two harvesting hooks and took his grief out on a small mob of gathering villagers who dared defy the servants of Ibraxus. Blood splattered his mask as his bright, violet eyes glinted with deep insanity.
StitcheZ was more humble though as he targeted stray thieves that tried to loot the burning houses, dragging them into darkened allys before ruthlessly taking their sight like his had been taken so long ago.

Pinkie shook her head, carrying BEN to the extra room while getting soaking wet from the storm in the process. The two heard the desperate and panicked cries from the villagers as she set the elf on the empty bed. She rubbed his forehead and tucked him in. "Just get some rest. You can't handle this much distress. Nameless and BENmallow will take you over again." She kissed his forehead, getting up and turning the lights out. She wanted to join the proxies as well. The thought crossed her mind, but she feared for the life of her unborn child. Her blood boiled. The need to kill wrung her. She held it down and sat on StitcheZ' bed to sleep.

The village was no more as the brothers searched its ruins for survivors, twitching and shaking to find the last people of the small settlement. The fires had been quenched by the downpour, leaving smoking, blackened buildings.
They looked to one another in their broken state of mind. Ripped looked to the ground, still clutching the harvesting hook. Inferno rested a hand on his shoulder. The grief was still there.
StitcheZ turned for their home and leaped away into the forest. The brothers followed.
The remaining villagers struggled to find others as the three terrors were swallowed up by the night.

Pinkie put a hand over her eyes to calm her stirring mind. This was a mess. Her bloodlust was peaked but she had no way of relieving it. She heard rustling in the trees even over the storm outside. She wanted StitcheZ home. The Party girl felt alone, and the proxy made her feel safe. She felt her stomach ache again and held it with a sigh. "Daddy's coming..." She cooed, more for her own sanity than anything else.

By day they were human... By night they were savage animals. The Proxy brothers leaped skillfully through the trees, the only noise being their bodies hitting a stray bunch of leaves every now and again. The masks seemed to hold an eerie life of their own, as if it was the smooth porcelain that saw everything and not the men behind them.
StitcheZ landed on the platform first, a black figure in the dark thundering night. His brothers landed after him.
Ripped had taken a liking to the Harvesting hook by now, as it was still in his grasp.

Pinkie looked up to the platform as she laid down, nuzzling her face into the soft fabric of the pillow. She didn't care if the proxies had killed off an entire village. They needed stress relief so that's what they had done. She rubbed her stomach with a thumb and tried to sleep. Insomnia and rage kept her awake however, so she was forced to wait with wide eyes for her lover and his brothers.

StitcheZ collapsed onto the bed soon enough beside Pinkie, silently encircling her waist with his arms. The Proxy held her close protectively. He was still breathing hard but slowly he was calming down.

Pinkie nuzzled up to StitcheZ, his touch lulling her to sleep. She sniffed quietly.
BEN, on the other hand, was worriedly pacing around the room. His other two personalities were pulling at his mind. They were screaming at him. His tears ran heavy onto his shirt and he looked to the door, hearing subtle footsteps. The Hylian plopped onto the bed in defeat.

Ripped gently rapped on BEN's door, head low. He had placed the weapon he had used in the mass murder in his room.
The Proxy leaned against the doorframe. He felt defeated. He couldn't find the lost brother... He had failed.

BEN got up and opened the door. He looked over Ripped and hung his head in apology. "I..." He paused, shaking his head. He turned and stalked toward the window. He grit his teeth in misery.

Ripped brushed BEN's shoulder and frowned beneath his mask.
"It's not your fault..." He whispered, voice hollow and empty from its normal tone filled with emotion. His violet eyes had glazed over during the battle and dry blood had caked his jeans and coat. He looked to the Hylian. He seemed so helpless now.
"You meant so much to him..." He murmured softly.

BEN's ruby gaze flowed to Ripped and held there. He didn't respond. Masky meant the world to him, and he knew he meant the same to the Proxy. His vision returned to his belt. A small dagger hung limply, swinging from the Hylian's short movements. He drew it, placing the tip of the blade to his chest and smiling. The waterfalls coming from his eyes wouldn't stop. "I wanted you to see this..." He started to push the metal against his chest, but he was far too weak to get it through.

Ripped lunged for BEN, knocking the dagger from his hand. He felt his heart rate shoot skyward suddenly.
"NO! Masky wouldn't want you to do this. He would want you to live on." The brother frowned. He gazed deeply into BEN's eyes.
"Y-you need rest. Please... We will figure this all out in the morning."

"Ngh-!" BEN gasped, his hands balled into fists. "I need him... I need to be with him!" He frowned. His eyes were cold and unfeeling as he stared back into Ripped's eyes with a sigh. He slunk into the bed. "I won't be in this world for much longer... You can bet your life on it." His voice was a muffled hiss against the sheets.

Ripped felt his heart sink. It was a cold dread in his chest. It ached.
"And I need you..."
He murmured turning for the door. He ran a hand through his hair as thunder once again rumbled outside. He closed his eyes an went to leave.

"What?" BEN sat up slowly, his eyes wide with confusion. For some reason the claps of thunder meant nothing to him now. He was unafraid. He slid out from under the covers and stood, lightly grabbing the proxy's coat sleeve.

"Nothing... Please... Rest..." Ripped's voice was a barely audible whisper. He knew BEN would never love him despite his feelings but... He was okay with that. He wouldn't dishonor his best friend by forcing an unwanted relationship on the Hylian.

"You're lying..." BEN could tell if anyone was being untruthful to him. With Pinkie, Masky, even Ripped. He kept a firm hold on the jacket but said nothing more. His vision scanned the proxy for a moment. The elf's eyes shut after a bit and he sighed again.

"I said... And I need you..." Ripped replied, avoiding BEN's crimson eyes as he looked down the hall. He looked out into the storm that sent a mist into the air. Nothing could be seen past the tree line of the clearing.

BEN's shoulders tensed. He felt a small pang in his chest and moved in front of Ripped, wrapping his arms around the other's waist. He was even shorter now. He didn't know what Ripped was feeling for him, but the least he could do was try to make him feel a little better. The Hylian needed help himself. "I'm sorry..."

Ripped looked down at the Hylian, still frowning softly.
"R-Rest..." He spoke again. BEN needed to sleep. He shut his eyes for a moment.

BEN nodded. He slid past Ripped and cuddled under the covers. His thoughts were too muddled to sleep properly now. For the time being, he just laid there with his eyes shut until sleep took him.

Ripped watched BEN for a moment longer before slipping into the darkness of the house, rubbing his eyes. That's when he realized that out of his brothers, he was the only one who actually had eyes. StitcheZ had his torn out, Inferno had set his aflame leaving only charred sockets behind. He pursed his lips for a moment and sighed before slipping into his room.