Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Jhonen Vasquez, the god of comics.
A/N: I had fun. ~
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Chapter 6: Science fiction
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Ring.
"Please answer. Please answer..."
Ring.
"Come on. Please....for the love of God..."
Ring ring ring.
"H-hullo?
"Tenna? Tenna, is that you?
"Huh....? Who is this?
Devi rolled her eyes. "Tenna, it's me, Devi. Devi, your friend. Probably your only friend..." she muttered the last part, barely audible in the first place. She stood at a payphone, eight blocks from the restaurant where Johnny had tried to kill her...again. She didn't realize until morning that she had really only run around in circles and passed the damn place eighteen times. Now she needed rest and there wasn't a Johnny C. in sight.
"Devi's not here. She didn't even make it to her apartment. Call back later." Came the reply.
Click.
"No, Tenna! Don't hang up! Don't hang up!" She screamed into the phone, before stopping, coming to the realization that her reaction came five seconds two late. Tenna was gone and Devi's last bit of change was taken by the phone. She groaned, slamming the phone back against its proper place on the hook, and stepped away towards the curb.
What a night. And running into Jaeyzon made everything ten times worse. *I can't believe I went out with that puberty-stricken....* Wait. She had dropped him off at home around....what was it? 8:45 to 9. Why the hell had he been out there that late...? A sudden wave of anger gripped her body and she felt her face redden. "Why that little punk! He had other dates planned that night! That's why he had to get home so early! Ack, if I ever see that little dickhead again, I'll kill him....." she calmed down rather quickly, remembering just how old he was. Fifteen. She could been arrested for statutory rape if anything (God forbid) had actually happened. It was best just to forget about that punk-ass.
What mattered now was finding a place to stay for the next few days. Staying with Tenna was definitely out of the question. She'd end up killing her and then Devi herself would be no better than that psycho Johnny. No money. No nearby family...no family. She groaned again. Maybe some nice stranger would take her in....just for a little while... "Yeah, if paranoia wasn't at the top of everyone's list. Ugh, what the hell am I supposed to do now? He knows where I live. Suppose he's there waiting for me....there's another reason why I can't go stay at Tenna's. He might see me.....I'm so screwed."
Johnny C. Her mind whispered his name and she felt her heart thump hard in her chest. "Why won't he just leave my life? All I want is a happy little normal life with a normal guy who doesn't kill people and who's just normal...and boring...." she sat on the curb and rested her arms on her knees. "Boring. Great, I want someone boring. Why is it that the normal ones are boring and the neat ones are....homicidal?"
She finally stood and started to cross the street. "Well, I'm not going to get anywhere by just standing around. I need to find a place to hide out for a while.
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Johnny stared, wanting to drop the knife that willingly stayed in his hand. He gulped audibly, staring down at his young neighbor. This boy, the only human Johnny had ever decided had the slightest bit of hope for his future, needed no such thing as someone to kill him.
"S-Squee, what are you talking about....?"
"Please," tears fell from his large eyes. "Please. Do it."
Johnny felt sweat begin to drip down from his forehead. His thoughts were so clouded....clouded by what? The pure want of killing someone or something at that exact moment? With the only potential victim before him being his young friend? He cursed himself mentally. *I promised myself that I would never kill him of all the people in the world. I could nev...never..."
*Johnny C., lovely to see the world through your eyes again.* a voice cooed in his mind, soaring and scratching his brain. It paused from all movement and took a moment to, what Johnny decided to refer to it as, breathe. *Well? Aren't you going to kill it already? It's already offering itself to you, beckoning the blade's sharpened edge to rip across his gut, forever staining you...doormat.....tell me the damned thing doesn't say welcome. I will lose all respect for your profession if indeed it does....*
Johnny felt himself unable to move and responded icily. *Aren't you apart of me? If that's the case then you are partly responsible for that 'welcome' lying on my doorstep.* He tried to push away the horrid little voice pestering him indecently without remorse, but found he couldn't.
*Kill him, Johnny. He's right there, waiting, hoping, wanting, as are you. I can feel it. The both of us can barely wait for the moment, you know. If it weren't for the fact that you were holding back, the little fuck would've been dead by now and I would've taken over, leaving you to die in this cozy little body of ours, spiraling away to be consumed by my reigning soul.*
Johnny knew indeed that he....or it....other Johnny, was grinning maliciously. He drew in a breath and glared at Squee.
"Run before I lose control Squee." he growled. "Go away before I end up doing something we both regret. If you stay here any longer, I can guarantee that you will die and if you die..." he paused, wanting so badly to put the fear of God into the fragile child. "Then so do I."
Squee drew back slightly, looking as if he were reconsidering the situation he had just placed himself so uncomfortably into.
"Is that what you want, Squee?" Johnny's voice was low and terrifying, the tone that sent shiver's up the boy's spine. "You want both of us to die? One right after the other? Are you really willing to risk someone else's life by throwing yours away?"
Squee gulped.
"Are you?"
He shook his head slowly, tears still dripping from his eyes.
"Then go. Don't come back until you know for sure it's safe, Squee. I don't want to hurt you and I won't if you stay away from me, understand?"
Squee's lower lip began to quiver and he hastily nodded. Without so much as a word, he turned away and ran as fast as his tiny legs could manage, away from the house. He carried himself off down the street, in the direction Johnny hoped was school.
Johnny sighed and quickly slammed the door of his decrepit home shut. He leaned against the door, panting as if some epic battle had taken place, but in truth, he felt like he was suffocating. His lungs felt like they were going to burst. He fell to the floor on his hands and knees, gripping his throat, sweating as he panicked to breathe.
*What the hell did you do that for, you fucking sack of metaphorical shit? Your opportunity is lost; the cold was nearly released. You could've been cold you asshole! Free of fucking emotions, but no!! You had to reject his presence! Ack! I could kill you!*
Johnny moved a couple feet, before falling and rolling on his back, both hands clawing at his chest. "C-can't....breeee.....the...."
*Yes, think of it as holding your breath, you conniving shit. The only thing is, I'm holding it for you. I'm gaining control, more and more every day, every second, every time you inhale a lungful of the disgusting negativity you actually call air. Think of it this way, Johnny: You won't be able to protect him for long. Once I get a second's hold over our body, he'll be as good as dead. You'll awaken to realize what you have done, and I will emerge, killing 'the nice crazy neighbor man' and unleashing my cold form unto the world. You've lost, Johnny C.*
The voice disappeared into the far reaches of his mind once again; Johnny felt his breath fly free from his mouth and he gasped, the feeling of burning lungs lost. He coughed and groaned a minute on the wood floor of the house, trying to regain air, trying to get back strength.
Black began to take over, consuming (I love that word) his vision, blinding him to the lights and the shadows. He groaned once again and closed his eyes, giving in to the weakness, and inviting the dark to his world.
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Johnny felt a deep sound move from his throat, a moan he hadn't meant to let go. He opened his eyes ever so slightly, then closed them again, the light too powerful on his sensitive pupils.
"So it lives. Dear me, perhaps I should try to remedy that....what say you, Oh-Murderer-of-the-Innocent?"
Johnny turned over, his eyes snapping open immediately. He knew that voice. That putrid, all knowing tone, filled with amusement and sarcasm. That voice.....He gritted his teeth, focusing on its owner. "Y-you.....what the hell do-do you want.....? Get ow...out...NOW."
"My, my," Shmee answered, giggling. He stood less than two inches away from Johnny's smudged face and leant in just a tiny bit closer. "Is that any way to treat a guest? Oh, silly me. I forgot what I was talking to. Of course, it's not like you could do anything damaging to me at the moment, right? Not in the shape your in..."
Johnny got to his knees, scanning the room for his knife.
Shmee's smile faded. "Oh, come on. You didn't honestly think I'd just allow you to rip the hell out of me, like last time." He turned around, exposing his back. "I didn't used to have those stitches; all fifteen of them. Lucky our little friend Squee knows how to fix things such as this." He glared. "Which brings me as to why I'm here...."
Johnny raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Squee? What's wrong with him, other than the fact that he asked me to kill him?"
"That's just it," Shmee answered. "He disobeyed me. I warned him that if he attempted something so stupid, I'd...."
"You'd what?"
"Leave him. Forever. It was only a threat, but it backfired. He didn't listen to me." Shmee explained, looking away, ashamed. "Nevertheless, a threat is a threat, and I stuck to it. I don't belong to Squee anymore."
Johnny raised an eyebrow, skeptical. It had to be a trick of some sort. "Yeah? So then, who do you belong to now? What poor soul did you latch on to, only to suck out his brain and force feed him lies and fear, hm? Do tell; I'm so fucking curious."
Shmee turned to face him, grinning with the al the hatred he could muster being a stuffed bear. He looked Johnny straight in the eye and announced, "Why, you Johnny. I belong to you now."
Johnny stared bewildered, left eye twitching from shock. "You're kidding, right? You must be. It was you who accused me of ever harming the boy. You who threatened me, and on our first meeting; accusing me of being sick....well, that's true in a sense, but you couldn't have honestly just known that right off the bat." He growled low and deep in his throat. "Why the hell would you come to me, you sickening piece of trash?"
Shmee giggled, still grinning at his new 'friend.' "I did it for you, Johnny." He cackled and promptly rolled across the floor in hysterics. Johnny glared.
Shmee quickly stood up, still giggling evilly. He dusted off his teddy bear self and finally responded, "Actually, I thought it fitting to torment the very person who drove me to this. You sick bastard put that gross idea that killing himself would set Squee free of miserable people. It's your fault I'm here, so if that's the way things have turned out, then I'm going to make the most of it." He took a small step forward. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll have actually gone through with killing yourself, instead of wallowing in self pity trying to die."
Johnny stood up in an instant; hands set in fists, clenched teeth, red eyes. His body shook in anger and he felt the uncontrollable urge to tear the toy to pieces. "Shit!! Do you honestly think I need a fucking knife to rip you apart?!? I need only by bare hands and I'll fucking tear your fuzzy little fucking head off!!! Do you understand me!!??
"I put nothing into Squee's head! I never mentioned to him once that he should kill himself to make everyone happy!" Johnny shrieked, raising his hands in the air. "If you're going to blame anyone for what he's doing, you should blame yourself! You're supposed to be the one watching over him, protecting him from those fucking nightmares of his, so you fucking do your job or I'll....I'll...."
Shmee waited. "You'll do what, Scary Neighbor Fuck?"
Johnny closed his eyes and began to rub his temples. *Be calm. Screaming isn't going to get you anywhere. I mean, for Christ's sake, the thing's a toy. A stupid-ass toy. You can't kill him, he lives no matter what....or as long as Squee believes in him....well, fine....if Squee believes him so much, then he can have him back....*
He popped open his eyes in realization of the thought. "I'm going to give you back. That's what I'm going to do. I'll give you back."
Shmee thought a moment. "Is that what you're going to do? Have you thought about how? I'm not going to go willingly; I promised I'd leave him and I did. He'll just have to accept it."
Johnny raised his hand to silence the bear. "Shut up. He won't have to accept anything. Without him, you wouldn't even exist."
Shmee grimaced and replied with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "What are you getting at...? He found the answer to his question lying on Johnny's face in the form of a cruel smile. A rush of heat fell over his stuffed body, and he, oddly enough, gulped something down.
"If he stops believing in you, you cease to exists." Johnny squealed in delight. "You'd be gone, disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving only that ratty body of yours. Where would the little tyke be then? No savior? No one to share in and absorb his nightmares?"
Shmee growled.
"He'd be eaten alive by his own fears. He'd be as dead as you. Oh, don't relish the thought too much, teddy." the thing man sneered. "Face it, without him, you're dead. Think ahead next time. I'd hate to not be around when you do something stupid again."
"So what?" Shmee tried to retaliate. "How would you get him to stop believing in me? Hypnosis I suppose?" It was Shmee's turn to laugh this time. "Ha! I'd love to see you try, and fail. Face it Johnny. I'm stuck with you until the second you die, and hopefully I wont have to wait long."
Johnny's smile never faded. "Not exactly. I wouldn't have to do anything really. Just bring his old friend and let you do the rest. I don't think it would be all that hard when he tries to speak to you as always and you say nothing. Forget about that? Silly fucking bear..."
"It's a bluff."
"I must admit, you're quite the actor," Johnny commented, sighing, that mean smile still spread across his face. "Acting as if you don't care about him. But I know you do. I know. You've protected him so many damn times, that to just give up on him now is pure stupidity. Good acting."
Shmee began to itch. "I'm not the only one. However, its easier to see through your type of fake than anyone else's. At least I'll admit to caring for Squee."
A rush of anger shuddered its way up Johnny's spine. Enough. He'd had enough. But the fucking thing just didn't know when to shut up. What could he do? Squee wouldn't come home for at least a few more hours. He'd have to wait. He glanced at the grinning teddy, and quickly screamed.
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Squee groaned, nearly falling down the steps of his house. So many thoughts, so many times today. All day long they had tormented him, eating away at him, sucking away at his soul. What the hell had he been thinking, trying to get Johnny to kill him like that? Ugh, that was so freaking stupid.
He glanced over at his neighbor's house. For some reason, it appeared so much more dark and empty; so cold. He wanted to be brave. He wanted to march right over there and apologize to Johnny for that little misunderstanding earlier. However....
However, he couldn't do it. All that bravery he had held this morning in the palm of his hand had vanished. The fear as back yet again, dripping down his forehead, stuck in his throat, tearing up in his large eyes. For a moment, he almost wished the house would eat itself right there in front of him.
But then, Johnny would be gobbled up too. Shaking his head in defeat, he sighed heavily and opened the door to his home.
"Mommy. Daddy. I'm home." Squee uttered, closing the door behind him. It creaked shut, and that was the only sound made in the house. He waited for the irritated reply of his father or some dosed-up moan from his mother. Anything to prove that he wasn't alone.
The floor creaked slowly, its moan suppressed by the silence. Other than that, the house was dead.
Squee gulped down the fear, and began to head up the stairs. Once he got to Shmee, everything would be fine; he wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. Shmee knew just how to calm him down, and then they would venture down the steps in search of Squee's parents.
*These stairs are awfully big today.* the child thought, finally reaching the top. He gasped for a lost breath and stood there for a minute or two, waiting....waiting for something....For some reason, he felt that was the only thing he could do. Just....well, stand there.
*I don't hear Shmee* he suddenly realized, glancing down the hallway to his bedroom. *But...but...I-I normally hear him laughing or talking to himself. Why isn't he.....Shmee.....*
Effortlessly, he sped down the hall, skidding almost passed his own bedroom door. He ran in, and immediately jumped onto his bed. Shmee! Where had he gone ? He had to be around there somewhere! He couldn't have just gotten up and walked off. That was...that was...
Squee thought back to last night, early last night, when Shmee had gone into Johnny's house all on his own. Did he go back? Why? Why would he? He hated Johnny; he always plotted against him, wanted to set him aflame. Why would Shmee ever even think of going into that house?
"If you ever, EVER go near him again, I won't be here to help you anymore."
Squee sat up, staring blankly at his wall, smothered with bright happy faces, smiling neatly back at him, mocking him. "Shmee..." he managed to utter.
He knew. Shmee was gone. He kept by his word and left, leaving Squee all alone.
It was his fault. Tears swelled up in his eyes; not tears of fear, but tears of sadness. He had done what Shmee had warned him not to, and for that, his friend had gone. And he wouldn't be coming back.
"No, no, he-he didn't...." his voice was on the verge of sobs, and he rushed out of his room, down the stairs. "He-he didn't go. Shmee's juh-just playing a game is all. He has to be. I know he wouldn't really leave me."
He stopped dead in his tracks. His running had led him to the kitchen, and never had he wanted to scream so much. His heart almost stopped in chest; his mind lost all thought; he could barely comprehend the sight he was now seeing. A cold shiver ran up his spine.
"Muh-Mommy...." he whispered.
There sat in the middle of the table, a head, with an eye missing, the face frozen in unspeakable horror. A pair of arms hung limply from over the ceiling fan, and two pairs of torso lay entwined, if that were possible, on the floor just ahead of him. In the kitchen, lying in several bits and pieces, lay the corpses of his beloved parents.
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A/N: Yes, after years of writer's block, I wrote again, due to the popular demand of people who are really freaking cool. I owe you guys. Linkin Park also helped me get my groove back. Props to "My December."
Thanks to: EscapedManiac911(IBIWD911) (Did I get that right?), Cyanide-Rat, Jessy Antichrist, NnysGirl, Kitty-N3, Kitsune., Lito Kid Skullington, PoisonTears, bittersweet saturn, Deadaliveheavenhell, anonymoose, EscapedManiac911, Tandy.
I don't think I missed anyone, but if I did, then I'm sorry and I thank you too.
Reviewers fucking rock.
A/N: I had fun. ~
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Chapter 6: Science fiction
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Ring.
"Please answer. Please answer..."
Ring.
"Come on. Please....for the love of God..."
Ring ring ring.
"H-hullo?
"Tenna? Tenna, is that you?
"Huh....? Who is this?
Devi rolled her eyes. "Tenna, it's me, Devi. Devi, your friend. Probably your only friend..." she muttered the last part, barely audible in the first place. She stood at a payphone, eight blocks from the restaurant where Johnny had tried to kill her...again. She didn't realize until morning that she had really only run around in circles and passed the damn place eighteen times. Now she needed rest and there wasn't a Johnny C. in sight.
"Devi's not here. She didn't even make it to her apartment. Call back later." Came the reply.
Click.
"No, Tenna! Don't hang up! Don't hang up!" She screamed into the phone, before stopping, coming to the realization that her reaction came five seconds two late. Tenna was gone and Devi's last bit of change was taken by the phone. She groaned, slamming the phone back against its proper place on the hook, and stepped away towards the curb.
What a night. And running into Jaeyzon made everything ten times worse. *I can't believe I went out with that puberty-stricken....* Wait. She had dropped him off at home around....what was it? 8:45 to 9. Why the hell had he been out there that late...? A sudden wave of anger gripped her body and she felt her face redden. "Why that little punk! He had other dates planned that night! That's why he had to get home so early! Ack, if I ever see that little dickhead again, I'll kill him....." she calmed down rather quickly, remembering just how old he was. Fifteen. She could been arrested for statutory rape if anything (God forbid) had actually happened. It was best just to forget about that punk-ass.
What mattered now was finding a place to stay for the next few days. Staying with Tenna was definitely out of the question. She'd end up killing her and then Devi herself would be no better than that psycho Johnny. No money. No nearby family...no family. She groaned again. Maybe some nice stranger would take her in....just for a little while... "Yeah, if paranoia wasn't at the top of everyone's list. Ugh, what the hell am I supposed to do now? He knows where I live. Suppose he's there waiting for me....there's another reason why I can't go stay at Tenna's. He might see me.....I'm so screwed."
Johnny C. Her mind whispered his name and she felt her heart thump hard in her chest. "Why won't he just leave my life? All I want is a happy little normal life with a normal guy who doesn't kill people and who's just normal...and boring...." she sat on the curb and rested her arms on her knees. "Boring. Great, I want someone boring. Why is it that the normal ones are boring and the neat ones are....homicidal?"
She finally stood and started to cross the street. "Well, I'm not going to get anywhere by just standing around. I need to find a place to hide out for a while.
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Johnny stared, wanting to drop the knife that willingly stayed in his hand. He gulped audibly, staring down at his young neighbor. This boy, the only human Johnny had ever decided had the slightest bit of hope for his future, needed no such thing as someone to kill him.
"S-Squee, what are you talking about....?"
"Please," tears fell from his large eyes. "Please. Do it."
Johnny felt sweat begin to drip down from his forehead. His thoughts were so clouded....clouded by what? The pure want of killing someone or something at that exact moment? With the only potential victim before him being his young friend? He cursed himself mentally. *I promised myself that I would never kill him of all the people in the world. I could nev...never..."
*Johnny C., lovely to see the world through your eyes again.* a voice cooed in his mind, soaring and scratching his brain. It paused from all movement and took a moment to, what Johnny decided to refer to it as, breathe. *Well? Aren't you going to kill it already? It's already offering itself to you, beckoning the blade's sharpened edge to rip across his gut, forever staining you...doormat.....tell me the damned thing doesn't say welcome. I will lose all respect for your profession if indeed it does....*
Johnny felt himself unable to move and responded icily. *Aren't you apart of me? If that's the case then you are partly responsible for that 'welcome' lying on my doorstep.* He tried to push away the horrid little voice pestering him indecently without remorse, but found he couldn't.
*Kill him, Johnny. He's right there, waiting, hoping, wanting, as are you. I can feel it. The both of us can barely wait for the moment, you know. If it weren't for the fact that you were holding back, the little fuck would've been dead by now and I would've taken over, leaving you to die in this cozy little body of ours, spiraling away to be consumed by my reigning soul.*
Johnny knew indeed that he....or it....other Johnny, was grinning maliciously. He drew in a breath and glared at Squee.
"Run before I lose control Squee." he growled. "Go away before I end up doing something we both regret. If you stay here any longer, I can guarantee that you will die and if you die..." he paused, wanting so badly to put the fear of God into the fragile child. "Then so do I."
Squee drew back slightly, looking as if he were reconsidering the situation he had just placed himself so uncomfortably into.
"Is that what you want, Squee?" Johnny's voice was low and terrifying, the tone that sent shiver's up the boy's spine. "You want both of us to die? One right after the other? Are you really willing to risk someone else's life by throwing yours away?"
Squee gulped.
"Are you?"
He shook his head slowly, tears still dripping from his eyes.
"Then go. Don't come back until you know for sure it's safe, Squee. I don't want to hurt you and I won't if you stay away from me, understand?"
Squee's lower lip began to quiver and he hastily nodded. Without so much as a word, he turned away and ran as fast as his tiny legs could manage, away from the house. He carried himself off down the street, in the direction Johnny hoped was school.
Johnny sighed and quickly slammed the door of his decrepit home shut. He leaned against the door, panting as if some epic battle had taken place, but in truth, he felt like he was suffocating. His lungs felt like they were going to burst. He fell to the floor on his hands and knees, gripping his throat, sweating as he panicked to breathe.
*What the hell did you do that for, you fucking sack of metaphorical shit? Your opportunity is lost; the cold was nearly released. You could've been cold you asshole! Free of fucking emotions, but no!! You had to reject his presence! Ack! I could kill you!*
Johnny moved a couple feet, before falling and rolling on his back, both hands clawing at his chest. "C-can't....breeee.....the...."
*Yes, think of it as holding your breath, you conniving shit. The only thing is, I'm holding it for you. I'm gaining control, more and more every day, every second, every time you inhale a lungful of the disgusting negativity you actually call air. Think of it this way, Johnny: You won't be able to protect him for long. Once I get a second's hold over our body, he'll be as good as dead. You'll awaken to realize what you have done, and I will emerge, killing 'the nice crazy neighbor man' and unleashing my cold form unto the world. You've lost, Johnny C.*
The voice disappeared into the far reaches of his mind once again; Johnny felt his breath fly free from his mouth and he gasped, the feeling of burning lungs lost. He coughed and groaned a minute on the wood floor of the house, trying to regain air, trying to get back strength.
Black began to take over, consuming (I love that word) his vision, blinding him to the lights and the shadows. He groaned once again and closed his eyes, giving in to the weakness, and inviting the dark to his world.
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Johnny felt a deep sound move from his throat, a moan he hadn't meant to let go. He opened his eyes ever so slightly, then closed them again, the light too powerful on his sensitive pupils.
"So it lives. Dear me, perhaps I should try to remedy that....what say you, Oh-Murderer-of-the-Innocent?"
Johnny turned over, his eyes snapping open immediately. He knew that voice. That putrid, all knowing tone, filled with amusement and sarcasm. That voice.....He gritted his teeth, focusing on its owner. "Y-you.....what the hell do-do you want.....? Get ow...out...NOW."
"My, my," Shmee answered, giggling. He stood less than two inches away from Johnny's smudged face and leant in just a tiny bit closer. "Is that any way to treat a guest? Oh, silly me. I forgot what I was talking to. Of course, it's not like you could do anything damaging to me at the moment, right? Not in the shape your in..."
Johnny got to his knees, scanning the room for his knife.
Shmee's smile faded. "Oh, come on. You didn't honestly think I'd just allow you to rip the hell out of me, like last time." He turned around, exposing his back. "I didn't used to have those stitches; all fifteen of them. Lucky our little friend Squee knows how to fix things such as this." He glared. "Which brings me as to why I'm here...."
Johnny raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Squee? What's wrong with him, other than the fact that he asked me to kill him?"
"That's just it," Shmee answered. "He disobeyed me. I warned him that if he attempted something so stupid, I'd...."
"You'd what?"
"Leave him. Forever. It was only a threat, but it backfired. He didn't listen to me." Shmee explained, looking away, ashamed. "Nevertheless, a threat is a threat, and I stuck to it. I don't belong to Squee anymore."
Johnny raised an eyebrow, skeptical. It had to be a trick of some sort. "Yeah? So then, who do you belong to now? What poor soul did you latch on to, only to suck out his brain and force feed him lies and fear, hm? Do tell; I'm so fucking curious."
Shmee turned to face him, grinning with the al the hatred he could muster being a stuffed bear. He looked Johnny straight in the eye and announced, "Why, you Johnny. I belong to you now."
Johnny stared bewildered, left eye twitching from shock. "You're kidding, right? You must be. It was you who accused me of ever harming the boy. You who threatened me, and on our first meeting; accusing me of being sick....well, that's true in a sense, but you couldn't have honestly just known that right off the bat." He growled low and deep in his throat. "Why the hell would you come to me, you sickening piece of trash?"
Shmee giggled, still grinning at his new 'friend.' "I did it for you, Johnny." He cackled and promptly rolled across the floor in hysterics. Johnny glared.
Shmee quickly stood up, still giggling evilly. He dusted off his teddy bear self and finally responded, "Actually, I thought it fitting to torment the very person who drove me to this. You sick bastard put that gross idea that killing himself would set Squee free of miserable people. It's your fault I'm here, so if that's the way things have turned out, then I'm going to make the most of it." He took a small step forward. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll have actually gone through with killing yourself, instead of wallowing in self pity trying to die."
Johnny stood up in an instant; hands set in fists, clenched teeth, red eyes. His body shook in anger and he felt the uncontrollable urge to tear the toy to pieces. "Shit!! Do you honestly think I need a fucking knife to rip you apart?!? I need only by bare hands and I'll fucking tear your fuzzy little fucking head off!!! Do you understand me!!??
"I put nothing into Squee's head! I never mentioned to him once that he should kill himself to make everyone happy!" Johnny shrieked, raising his hands in the air. "If you're going to blame anyone for what he's doing, you should blame yourself! You're supposed to be the one watching over him, protecting him from those fucking nightmares of his, so you fucking do your job or I'll....I'll...."
Shmee waited. "You'll do what, Scary Neighbor Fuck?"
Johnny closed his eyes and began to rub his temples. *Be calm. Screaming isn't going to get you anywhere. I mean, for Christ's sake, the thing's a toy. A stupid-ass toy. You can't kill him, he lives no matter what....or as long as Squee believes in him....well, fine....if Squee believes him so much, then he can have him back....*
He popped open his eyes in realization of the thought. "I'm going to give you back. That's what I'm going to do. I'll give you back."
Shmee thought a moment. "Is that what you're going to do? Have you thought about how? I'm not going to go willingly; I promised I'd leave him and I did. He'll just have to accept it."
Johnny raised his hand to silence the bear. "Shut up. He won't have to accept anything. Without him, you wouldn't even exist."
Shmee grimaced and replied with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "What are you getting at...? He found the answer to his question lying on Johnny's face in the form of a cruel smile. A rush of heat fell over his stuffed body, and he, oddly enough, gulped something down.
"If he stops believing in you, you cease to exists." Johnny squealed in delight. "You'd be gone, disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving only that ratty body of yours. Where would the little tyke be then? No savior? No one to share in and absorb his nightmares?"
Shmee growled.
"He'd be eaten alive by his own fears. He'd be as dead as you. Oh, don't relish the thought too much, teddy." the thing man sneered. "Face it, without him, you're dead. Think ahead next time. I'd hate to not be around when you do something stupid again."
"So what?" Shmee tried to retaliate. "How would you get him to stop believing in me? Hypnosis I suppose?" It was Shmee's turn to laugh this time. "Ha! I'd love to see you try, and fail. Face it Johnny. I'm stuck with you until the second you die, and hopefully I wont have to wait long."
Johnny's smile never faded. "Not exactly. I wouldn't have to do anything really. Just bring his old friend and let you do the rest. I don't think it would be all that hard when he tries to speak to you as always and you say nothing. Forget about that? Silly fucking bear..."
"It's a bluff."
"I must admit, you're quite the actor," Johnny commented, sighing, that mean smile still spread across his face. "Acting as if you don't care about him. But I know you do. I know. You've protected him so many damn times, that to just give up on him now is pure stupidity. Good acting."
Shmee began to itch. "I'm not the only one. However, its easier to see through your type of fake than anyone else's. At least I'll admit to caring for Squee."
A rush of anger shuddered its way up Johnny's spine. Enough. He'd had enough. But the fucking thing just didn't know when to shut up. What could he do? Squee wouldn't come home for at least a few more hours. He'd have to wait. He glanced at the grinning teddy, and quickly screamed.
~~~
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Squee groaned, nearly falling down the steps of his house. So many thoughts, so many times today. All day long they had tormented him, eating away at him, sucking away at his soul. What the hell had he been thinking, trying to get Johnny to kill him like that? Ugh, that was so freaking stupid.
He glanced over at his neighbor's house. For some reason, it appeared so much more dark and empty; so cold. He wanted to be brave. He wanted to march right over there and apologize to Johnny for that little misunderstanding earlier. However....
However, he couldn't do it. All that bravery he had held this morning in the palm of his hand had vanished. The fear as back yet again, dripping down his forehead, stuck in his throat, tearing up in his large eyes. For a moment, he almost wished the house would eat itself right there in front of him.
But then, Johnny would be gobbled up too. Shaking his head in defeat, he sighed heavily and opened the door to his home.
"Mommy. Daddy. I'm home." Squee uttered, closing the door behind him. It creaked shut, and that was the only sound made in the house. He waited for the irritated reply of his father or some dosed-up moan from his mother. Anything to prove that he wasn't alone.
The floor creaked slowly, its moan suppressed by the silence. Other than that, the house was dead.
Squee gulped down the fear, and began to head up the stairs. Once he got to Shmee, everything would be fine; he wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. Shmee knew just how to calm him down, and then they would venture down the steps in search of Squee's parents.
*These stairs are awfully big today.* the child thought, finally reaching the top. He gasped for a lost breath and stood there for a minute or two, waiting....waiting for something....For some reason, he felt that was the only thing he could do. Just....well, stand there.
*I don't hear Shmee* he suddenly realized, glancing down the hallway to his bedroom. *But...but...I-I normally hear him laughing or talking to himself. Why isn't he.....Shmee.....*
Effortlessly, he sped down the hall, skidding almost passed his own bedroom door. He ran in, and immediately jumped onto his bed. Shmee! Where had he gone ? He had to be around there somewhere! He couldn't have just gotten up and walked off. That was...that was...
Squee thought back to last night, early last night, when Shmee had gone into Johnny's house all on his own. Did he go back? Why? Why would he? He hated Johnny; he always plotted against him, wanted to set him aflame. Why would Shmee ever even think of going into that house?
"If you ever, EVER go near him again, I won't be here to help you anymore."
Squee sat up, staring blankly at his wall, smothered with bright happy faces, smiling neatly back at him, mocking him. "Shmee..." he managed to utter.
He knew. Shmee was gone. He kept by his word and left, leaving Squee all alone.
It was his fault. Tears swelled up in his eyes; not tears of fear, but tears of sadness. He had done what Shmee had warned him not to, and for that, his friend had gone. And he wouldn't be coming back.
"No, no, he-he didn't...." his voice was on the verge of sobs, and he rushed out of his room, down the stairs. "He-he didn't go. Shmee's juh-just playing a game is all. He has to be. I know he wouldn't really leave me."
He stopped dead in his tracks. His running had led him to the kitchen, and never had he wanted to scream so much. His heart almost stopped in chest; his mind lost all thought; he could barely comprehend the sight he was now seeing. A cold shiver ran up his spine.
"Muh-Mommy...." he whispered.
There sat in the middle of the table, a head, with an eye missing, the face frozen in unspeakable horror. A pair of arms hung limply from over the ceiling fan, and two pairs of torso lay entwined, if that were possible, on the floor just ahead of him. In the kitchen, lying in several bits and pieces, lay the corpses of his beloved parents.
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A/N: Yes, after years of writer's block, I wrote again, due to the popular demand of people who are really freaking cool. I owe you guys. Linkin Park also helped me get my groove back. Props to "My December."
Thanks to: EscapedManiac911(IBIWD911) (Did I get that right?), Cyanide-Rat, Jessy Antichrist, NnysGirl, Kitty-N3, Kitsune., Lito Kid Skullington, PoisonTears, bittersweet saturn, Deadaliveheavenhell, anonymoose, EscapedManiac911, Tandy.
I don't think I missed anyone, but if I did, then I'm sorry and I thank you too.
Reviewers fucking rock.