Careful now, you're swimming with piranhas

Watch your step, you're trotting on fire

||KIT||

The next morning I barely had enough time to eat the toast and eggs Amy made before Masky had us pile into the car at the crack of dawn.

I didn't want to sit next to him but I didn't have a choice.

He had us sit at the back, away from Toby's prying eyes I'm guessing, but he didn't even have to worry. Toby seemed to be more interested in Amy this time around, calling shotgun and securing himself in the passenger seat next to Amy before Hoodie could object. I could tell he was upset by how hard he had his fists clenched, his knuckles turning white as he sat before us, his broad shoulders blocking most of the light, and the view.

Since I'd had a hard time sleeping, I kept nodding off during the drive and eventually I was asleep, resting my head against the glass as the car followed the road we were travelling on before our detour last night.

A few hours later I woke up to the sound of the car door slamming shut.

My head was on Maskys shoulder as I blinked my eyes open, and I quickly distanced myself from him.

"Where'd the others go?" I asked, clearing my throat. After last night I wasn't sure how to talk to him anymore.

"Your friend needed a bathroom break, even though I said no."

I rolled my eyes, "you can try and control everything, but not someone else's bladder, sadly."

I heard something like a chuckle from him but as I turned to look at him I was met with his expressionless mask.

"If I could help it we wouldn't be doing all this. I just can't afford to have Slenderman catch up to us before we get where we need to."

I heaved a sigh. He was right, kinda, and it didn't seem like he was too upset about what I'd said to him last night.

Were we-- okay?

I perked up a bit, wanting to lighten the mood a little.

"Hey do you wanna maybe do something, you know, after all this craziness is over?"

"Like kill?"

His question threw me off a little and I raised a brow.

Was that really all he thought about?

"No, I mean something fun."

"Killing is fun."

"How can you just say that so casually?" I threw my hands up, "I meant like going out, having a picnic, talking about life and what we want to do with our futures, stuff like that."

"That doesn't sound fun," he answered, stretching his legs out before him and resting his head on the back of the seat.

"Well of course it wouldn't sound fun to you, you're not normal. Sometimes I want to do normal things."

"You already knew from the get-go that I wasn't normal. Heck, the first time we met there was a body falling out of the closet behind you, and you say you want something normal?"

"That was an accident." I rolled my eyes and picked at the thread coming loose at the hem of my shirt.

Why does everyone keep mentioning that? It was an accident.

"To me, you looked like someone who would be a great addition to our-"

"No, you were wrong. Why can't we just do normal stuff that don't involve illegal activities for once?"

"I'm a killer. I'm not going to sit around talking about the fucking future and you can't change that."

"I'm not trying to change you. If anything you're the one trying to change me. You're trying to convince me I should kill people when I don't want to."

"I'm just seeing something in you that you have yet to see for yourself."

"That's bullcrap."

He shrugged at this before resting his clasped hands on his stomach, "if you say so, Curly."

I chewed on my lower lip a bit as I stared out the window. The car was quiet with the other three gone so the only sound we could hear was the faint hum of music over the stereo.

I turned my gaze down to my hands on my lap, "hey, um- there's something else I wanted to talk to you about too I guess."

Silence.

I looked over at him to see him staring blankly back at me.

Well I couldn't even tell if he was looking at me because of that stupid mask.

"I- I think I'm gonna find my own path, once we know I'm safe from The Slenderman. I know the police will be on the lookout for me and everything but I think Amy and I can find a way to avoid them..." I trailed off, hoping for him to say something.

Nothing.

Was he asleep?

Before I could speak again he interrupted, "If you try to leave, I'll kill you."

"W-what?"

"You heard me."

I let out a frustrated breath, "you can't kill me. You're literally saving my life."

"Exactly. I'm the reason you're alive and if you leave, I'm the reason you'll become worm food."

I swallowed, hard.

"You have no morals do you?"

"Morals are for people who actually give a fuck."

"Well you're saving me so I'd say you do give a-"

"You're right, maybe I should kill you right now instead of giving you an option," he growled, sitting upright.

"Well— maybe you should!'' I huffed in frustration.

My heart skipped a beat when he was suddenly moving, getting closer and I held my breath.

"Would you scream for me?" his voice was low, threatening, but it almost sounded seductive too.

Was he... flirting with me?

"I... I would," the words left my lips and the next instant his hand was encircling my waist, pulling my body to his and I was staring up at him, breathing shakily.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking, or feeling and my heart thundered so hard in my chest I knew he could feel it too.

His fingers gripped my waist, digging into my soft skin through my top and as I was about to raise a hand to lift his Mask I heard the car door open and laughter sounded as the other three piled back into the car once more, chatting among themselves.

Masky didn't let me go immediately though but after a few seconds we seperated, settling back down into our seats as the engine roared to life and we were on the road once more.

My skin was still tingling from where he had touched me and my mouth was dry as sandpaper.

To say I was confused would be an understatement.

Someone who found no value in a person's life should not be making me feel the way I did, but I couldn't help it.

Even now as he sat next to me, the air between us seemed to be charged with a thick tension that threatened to make my heart beat out of my chest.

My nails dug into the car's leather seats as I closed my eyes and tried to listen to the music.

Amy had turned up the stereo and a song was playing, but for some reason I couldn't focus on the words.

Suddenly, a warm hand was covering mine and my eyes flickered open as I turned my head to look at Masky.

His head was was still resting against the seat, taking no notice of me while he was gripping my hand with his.

Was that in effort to calm me down?

Because if so, it was having the opposite effect.

His thumb lazily rubbed over my skin and I pulled my lower lip between my teeth, biting down nervously as I noticed how large his hand was when compared to mine and how our skin tones contrasted each other.

He gripped my hand then, tugging me closer to him, and I obeyed, scooting closer.

"You're awfully compliant," he whispered against my ear as he finally moved from his laid back position, wrapping an arm around my waist and pressing my body flush against his.

I gulped.

This feeling that was creeping up in the pit of my stomach... it felt like I was struggling to breathe.

"Relax."

Easy for you to say.

I slowly released the breath I'd been holding and at the same moment his free hand found my thigh, gripping it tightly.

A few shuddering breaths left my lips.

"Are you scared?"

Scared? No. I wasn't scared at all. I was way more excited than scared.

From my peripheral I saw him slide his mask up, letting it rest atop his head as he leaned in closer to whisper in my ear.

"I won't hold back any more."

My brows furrowed and I cringed away from him in that instant.

What was that supposed to mean?

He was holding himself back?

From what?

Did I even want to know?

I tried scooting away but his hand that was on my thigh tightened its grip, causing me to stay put.

He moved in closer, burying his face in the crook of my neck and it was a fight for me to not let out the sounds that threatened to escape me when I felt his hot breath fan my neck.

Oh crap this is actually happening!

His warm mouth was on my already heated skin and I bit down harshly on my lower lip when he started sucking on the skin there.

"S-stop-," I stuttered out on a whisper as I pulled away again, daring to make eye contact with him.

His expression was flat, distant, and in the moment I felt like taking those words back, because the look he gave me made me want to curl into myself and die.

Scary.

He surprisingly obliged, though I didn't miss the way his jaw muscles clenched before he slid his mask back into place after letting me go.

He was upset.

I placed as much distance between us as I could again and let out a shuddering breath as I tried to peer around Hoodie's broad shoulders.

I could see Amy and Toby chatting away and the music was no longer unintelligible.

I sunk into the seats again, preparing for the long road ahead while the jerk next to me went back to resting his head against the seat. I wondered how Sara, Nick and the twins were doing.

She was probably stressed out of her mind with me being missing.

I knew that someday I had to make sure to say a proper goodbye to them and let her know she was a great mom, to all of us and my number one role model.

Sometime later I drifted off to sleep again.

+×+

💜

Next update: soon.