Toby sat on the bed while you lazed against the wall, a plate of toast in your lap as you slowly munched on it. There was a glass of cool water too and you weren`t shy about downing it either. He only watched you from where he sat, analytically almost, not that you minded. As a matter of fact, you were feeling pretty bold, meeting his gaze head on without any hesitation. It wasn`t until you had finished that you cleared your throat to speak, nudging the plate away from yourself.

"Thank you," you offered.

He hummed in response.

"Something on your mind?" you tried to act casual, as if having a conversation with your kidnapper was completely normal. To be honest it was beginning to feel very normal. You smoothly stood up, walking over to him with a sway in your step. Now at his side, you paused, easing yourself onto the bed so you were shoulder to shoulder.

"Yeah…" he replied, his gaze once again boring into your own, "thinking about things I`ve never th-thought about."

Well, that sounded quite risqué, and so you raised an intrigued eyebrow.

"You look good in my shirt," was all he decided to say.

There really wasn`t much of a shirt left to be honest, most of it was bloody and torn from all the abuse you had been put through. But considering his line of work, he was probably into that stuff. Geez, you were really overthinking this now. Maybe getting all slutty wasn`t the perfect plan right now. You should balance it out a little, try and connect emotionally too. You wanted him to fall in love- not lust, after all.

"What happened to you?" you asked calmly, trying to force your voice to sound almost soothing as you placed a careful hand on his bare arm. You could practically feel the power behind those arms, the monster behind the exterior. "Why are you like this?"

"J-just unlucky…" his gaze fell to his lap, his expression unreadable.

"You don`t seem all that bad to me," you continued, and for the most part it was true. "You`re kind." To an extent. "You saved me." But I`m here because of you. "You protected me." But you`ve hurt me too, you`ve hurt me so much. "A man like you doesn`t belong in a place like this." But you`re not a man, are you? "I want to know why you`re doing these things when you clearly don`t want to."

His gaze remained locked on his jeans as he exhaled a soft sigh.

"I don`t know w-why me," he began to explain, "Was a little odd as a kid, but lots of kids are o-odd. The boss came after me though, after my sister died, he was h-haunting me. I`d see his face everywhere, stalking me, taunting me. I don`t know… j-just cracked one day, stopped fi-fighting it. Killed someone that day, started a fire, ran away. Loyal servant ever since…"

"Why don`t you just leave this place?"

"I can`t."

Why don`t we leave together, was what you wanted to suggest. Maybe coax him into a little plan. But it was too early for that. Still, you decided to archive that idea into your mind for later use. Once you had him under your 'spell' for lack of better word, you would bring up that idea, maybe then you could finally escape the nightmare. But for the time being you needed to delve deeper, you needed to make the man feel vulnerable, you needed him to open up to you.

"Do you miss normal life?" you asked softly, ever so subtly easing your head against his shoulder.

"No, normal life was n-ne-never anything great," there was definitely a story there.

"You`re so young," you said, going off of what you assumed his current age was. "You had a whole life ahead of you, it would have gotten better."

He didn`t say anything and you found yourself honestly wanting to comfort him as you smoothed your hand over his shoulder in an assuring manner.

"You need to stop touching me," he said quietly.

"You don`t like it?"

"I like it a little too much," he answered, suddenly standing up. "You c-can`t keep wearing that, let`s get you some real clothes."

Now it was your turn to blink at him as he moved to the closet, pulling out another one of his shirts before tossing it your way. "Put that on."

He had his back turned to you as he continued to rummage through the closet, and even though the washroom was only a short walk away, you decided to simply strip off the bloodied shirt in favor for the new one. Your body didn`t feel any cleaner, but the unsullied fabric was far more breathable. It was a bit longer than the last one, comfortably reaching your knees. Turning your attention back to Toby, you noticed the half-second of surprise in his eyes as he noticed you were changed.

"Come," he shoved something into his pocket before holding the door open for you. This wasn`t like the time Jack had tried to force you out, instead, you felt absolutely no fear as you followed Toby out of the room. Trailing only a few steps behind him, you followed as he led you downstairs and into the large hall where the main door stood. You could taste freedom but knew better than to get ahead of yourself. He had mentioned something about getting proper clothes, perhaps he really meant it.

"Where are we going?" you asked as you stepped outside into the autumn woods. You instinctively sucked in a deep breath, feeling the cool, clean air enter your lungs. The grounds were littered with yellow and orange leaves, the trees barren and tall as ever. How long had you been in that house?

He didn`t answer your question as he shoved his hands into his pockets, keeping them there as he lazily walked out of the porch and into the field. You could have ran if you wanted, he wasn`t holding you or anything at all. He was also walking fairly ahead of you, you`d probably get a two-minute head start if you bolted now. But how far would you get before he caught you? Could you even outrun him? And it wasn`t like you knew which way to go. Fighting the urge to frown you lowered your gaze and followed behind him.

Your mind began to make assumptions as you neared the hood of a familiar car. Where in the world was he taking you? As if on cue he pulled out a pair of keys from his pocket, coming to stop at the side of the car as he inserted the key. In a minute the car was turned on, Toby gesturing for you to hop into the front before closing the door behind him. Not knowing what else to do you followed suit, tucking yourself into the passenger seat as he locked the doors and began to pull the car onto the path.

"Rules are simple," the car came to a pause as he finally began speaking, "Don`t run. Don't try to get o-other p-people to help you. If you signal them, I kill them and you lose the rest of your hand." That threat hit a chord in you and you suddenly remembered how vicious the man could be.

"O-of course," you didn`t mean to stutter but a bit of nervousness managed to seep into your voice.

"Just be good," he added before turning back to the wheel. He didn`t start though, his eyes narrowing at the figure that stood in front of the car. You recognized the newcomers mask, the little voice in your head reminding you of the threats he had once made.

Toby rolled his eyes, turning the keys so the car quieted as he lowered the window.

"What?" there was no amusement in his voice.

"Where you goin`?" the other man was equally unamused, his voice a bit more grating, as aggressive as you remembered. Despite the mask, you could feel his gaze on you from beyond the windshield.

"I d-don`t answer to you, move." Toby replied with equal hostility, which was surprising considering how indifferent he was to the masked man before.

"I saw Jeff," the masked man continued, "he told me what you did for the little bitch. I don`t wanna believe it but you`re acting real fucking soft Toby."

"I`m doing my job," Toby`s voice was slightly calmer now, "Jeff`s a fucking animal, he`d have killed her."

"And now?" the masked man sneered, his displeasure conveyed through his voice, "What`re you protecting her from now?"

"A little reward for good behaviour," Toby mumbled the words, his voice seemed to have quietened significantly.

"You don`t need to ta-

The masked man was cut off as Toby turned the keys again, saying nothing as he instantly slammed his foot against the pedal. You couldn`t help but shriek as the car rammed straight into Tim, catching him under the tire as the car rumbled over his body before smoothly making its way down the path that led to the road. You couldn`t believe what you had seen, and with wild eyes you glanced at your driver to see him perfectly calm and collected. As if he hadn`t just ran over his accomplice.

"You killed him?!" you choked the words out, surprised that you felt so sick at the death of someone like Tim.

"If only it was that easy," Toby sighed, and you then understood that the monsters here had nothing to fear. You vaguely remembered how a police officer had shot Toby, you remembered how he walked on like nothing had happened. Then there was the time you had watched that girl stab Jeff, but even then the killer preceded to shake it off. God, what were these things. Why would things like them even exist? What cruel deity decided unkillable psychopaths was a good idea?

The drive was short, and though you tried to memorize the way out of the woods you were unable to differentiate from one tree or another. With no notable markers you ended up giving up and staring out the window as the time rolled by. You vaguely recalled Toby humming throughout the entire ride, an unfamiliar tune that was stuck in your head at this point. You`d probably have gone nuts if the ride didn`t end only moments after, the car pulling up to a small, sketchy looking gas station.

So, it appeared civilization wasn`t too far. Then again, the drive was nearly twenty minutes, how long would a run be? Considering you even knew which way to go.

"R-remember the r-rules," Toby reminded you as he pulled out the keys, coming over to your side and helping you out of the car. You say helping, but it was more like forcing as he firmly locked his hand around your wrist. You didn`t necessarily mind as he led you into the little store, your eyes landing immediately on the small, elderly Asian woman that sat behind the counter, her gaze trained on a crossword in front of her. She picked her head up for a moment to narrow her eyes at you and Toby before slumping back down to her crossword.

"Pick out whatever you like," he told you, gesturing towards the shelf of tourist-like shirts and sweatpants. You gave him a curious look he didn`t return as he turned away from you and headed over to where they kept the drinks. You lingered for a moment, watching him begin to empty the fridge. Was that why you were here? A beer run? Made sense after all. Deciding you might as well make use of it, you headed towards the shelves, feeling a little normal as you rummaged through clothing.

Your first instinct was to get oversized everything, after all you wouldn`t want to provoke them. But then you remembered that for some godforsaken reason that was exactly what you wanted to do. Your survival depended on provoking Toby, and so with a guilty frown you picked out the smallest sizes, wondering how tight the shirt would look on you. Goddammit, this couldn`t be right. You held the extra small shirt up, your frown deepening at the little cartoon bear that sat on the logo, a small hat on its head. Yeah, nothing said 'sex appeal' like cartoon teddy bears. Rolling your eyes you grabbed a few other versions before taking equal time to criticize a pair of sweatpants.

Returning to the counter you dropped the hoard of clothing down, smiling apologetically at the cashier lady. Toby joined you shortly, placing a crate of beers on the counter, but holding the other one in his hand. The lady stood up now, mumbling something about too much alcohol as she began to work the cashier. She never got a chance though, both of you screaming as Toby suddenly slammed the beer crate into her head. It all happened so fast, the sickening, squishy sound of gore spilling onto the cold, tiled floors. You couldn`t help but cover your mouth, your eyes wide as Toby easily hoisted the crate up, not minding the bloody bits that stuck to it as he slowly walked around the counter. You couldn`t bare to look as he stood over the woman, ignoring her gurgling pleas as he brought the crate down on her head. Then again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

He didn`t bother picking up the crate after that, leaving it on the puddle that was her head as he calmly told you to grab your stuff. Instead, he picked up one of the other, cleaner crates, holding up a bag of other bottles as he headed out to the car as if nothing had happened. It took you a while before you could collect your sanity and follow him. Why were you still surprised? Shocked? Horrified? Surely by now, you should be used to it, you should expect it.

As you slipped into the car, you dropped the pile of clothing in your lap, your eyes trained on the floor as you couldn`t bare to look at him. Was that thing really your best bet at survival? Did you honestly feel sympathy for it? Did its lips actually touch yours? How could you have let that happen? How could you have kissed a monster? Suddenly freedom didn`t sound all that worthwhile, the rolling in your stomach making the simple thought of being in Toby`s vicinity sound disgusting.

Now, back in the house, back in that little safe heaven of a washroom you found yourself glaring at your reflection. You couldn`t find it in yourself to pull on that tight little shirt and flaunt around. Instead you kept on the baggy shirt he had given you, deciding to at least pull on the sweat pants. He didn`t deserve your affection, and now you were just trying to figure out what the plan was. Should you power through? Grit your teeth and put up with him for the sake of survival? Or should you perhaps put together a different plan altogether. You knew where he kept his car keys, you knew where he kept his axes, you knew he wouldn`t stay in this room forever.

You could probably escape.

Your train of thought was cut off by a gentle tap at the door. With a heavy exhale you opened it, briefly looking up at him before walking right past.

"D-did I do something wrong?" he blurted it out immediately and for a small second you wanted to whip around and scream at him. Did he do something wrong? Was the man utterly insane? Did he not understand the gravity of his actions? Of course, he didn`t. He was a fucking psychopath.

"Just a `lil sick," you lied bitterly, knowing all too well where lashing out would get you.

He examined you for a moment before moving far too close, his hand roughly grabbing your jaw and holding it up to him. You felt his fingernails dig into your skin but you didn`t get a chance to complain as he kissed you. It was a huge improvement from the last one you shared, but it was fairly difficult to enjoy considering just how sickened you were by the man at the moment.

You wanted to deny him, to pull away and grumble a 'no', but then you thought better. This was a good opportunity to get some control over him, he had initiated this himself after all. Also, a small part of you was afraid. Afraid that he`d force you if you didn`t comply, and if it came to that… well then, this entire relationship would be hell. You didn`t intend on becoming his victim, instead you had to get to the playing field of a lover, one that could manipulate him.

So, biting back the hatred you felt, you kissed him back, your hands tangling themselves in his dark hair. Just pretend it`s someone else. Think of some celebrity or something, fucking Tom Hardy, Chris Evans, Henry Cavil, anyone, just anyone else. He stepped back a bit, his arm wrapping around your waist as he pulled you down on the bed with him. In mere seconds he was on top of you, his legs on either side of your waist, holding you down with utmost ease. His breathing was fairly noticeable now, the steady rise and fall of his chest as he just looked down at you with those cold brown eyes. You stared back, wondering if he could see the bitterness behind your fake affection.

"You`re so small," his voice was low, a little rough around the edges and strangely attractive. "I could break you so e-easily."

Well, hopefully you won`t.

"You`re shaking," he whispered, and you noticed you indeed were. Now a bit embarrassed you turned your face to the side, not quite able to look him in the eye. He didn`t seem to care though, his head slipping down to your exposed neck. His breath felt cool against your skin and you felt a shudder travel up your spine, making you stiffen as his lips barely brushed against the soft skin of your throat. Why were you mad at him again?

You continued to avoid eye contact as his lips ghosted down to your chest, the fabric of your shirt the only thing protecting you. Luckily, he didn`t linger, or else you`d probably end up doing something you`d regret. Instead, he continued his little exploration, his cold hands easing around your hips and holding you still as he nipped at your side, making you squirm in surprise. Geez, had he been watching porn or something? How`d he go from clueless, never-kissed-a-girl-before to a completely in control tease? Was he playing off instincts? Because damn, his instincts were on a whole different level if so.

You bit your lip to stop yourself from making any embarrassing noises as his mouth trailed down your navel to- Well fuck. You squealed in surprise, deciding right then and there to draw the line. That was more than enough for one day. Struggling in his grasp, you broke away from his hands, sitting up and nudging him away with a little shove. He was chivalrous enough to not push forward, instead, he sat up too, a faint, amused smile on his face.

"Learning so much about women today," he said with a certain, humorous tone that you couldn`t help but grimace at. You were lining up a smartass reply when a sharp, bang at the door caught your attention. Toby frowned, giving you a look that made you instantly scramble off the bed and off into a corner, anywhere you`d look a little less suspicious. With that done he stood up, running a hand through his hair before opening the door wide enough for you to see a familiar-looking, blonde boy. You were almost certain you had seen him before when his red eyes caught yours for a brief, unsettling second.

"W-what is it Ben?" Toby`s voice had returned to normal now, cold and casual.

"Boss is callin`, you won`t believe who showed up," the boy grinned sharply, "Claire wants to make a trade!"