She awoke alone. She lurched forward in the darkness, blinking sleep out of her eyes until they became adjusted to the dark... And found herself in the familiar surroundings of her home. She was still in the same clothes, but there was bandages on her chin and knees. Even her ankle was tightly wrapped. It didn't even hurt terribly, even when pressure or weight was applied.

"What... The fuck." Slipping out of bed, she noticed that her dirty cardigan and bag was even resting on her dresser. Those creeps in the woods... Took the time to take her home? How did they even manage to figure out where she lived?

They know where I live.

That alone was enough to scare her. They hadn't hurt her, but she wasn't about to take any chances. Her keys were still there, so if she just locked everything up she should be fine... Right? So with that thought in mind, she limped over to her bedroom door. She had to lock up the house.

Did they turn the TV on, though? She heard the sounds of a late night sitcom echoing through the hall. And the lights were on... They wouldn't still be here, right?

A hoarse laugh shocked her to her core. They were in her house... And she was defenseless. Sera silently inched over to the end of the hall, where it opened up to her living room. There, she could see the untidy black hair poking up over the back of her couch. That bloodied man was just... Calmly watching a random sitcom. In her house.

Sera was frozen in the hallway, unsure what to do. She forced her shaking legs to turn back; she had to get her phone and call the police. That was the logical solution; call the authorities and hide in her closet.

"Hey. Come back in here."

She winced, her back feeling exposed. He knew she was there, and now she was caught in a corner. She didn't any choice but to turn back. He was looking back at her; now that she was closer, she could see how greasy his hair was, and his marred eyes. And his hoody...

"You can relax. I'd be in deep shit if ya were hurt. Just c'mere."

Taking a deep breath, she drew a little closer. Sera didn't want to be too near this stranger but she hadn't any other option. "Who... Are you?" She mentally cursed herself for how small her voice had gotten. Her chest felt tight though, like the mere presence of the man was enough to knock the wind out of her.

He turned his attention back to the TV. "Jeff. I'm just here to keep an eye on you."

"What's that supposed to mean...?" She bit her lip; this wasn't a good situation at all. Now she was stuck with this.

"How's that ankle?"

He changed the subject; she would just have to leave that line of questioning alone for now. "It's fine... Did you wrap it?" Why would they treat her injuries?

"Nah. That would be Jack. Speaking of which..." He suddenly jabbed his elbow in a mess of blankets beside him. "You need to get the fuck off!"

The blanket mess that had extended onto Jeff's thigh shifted, and another man popped up. "What the fuck do you want." His voice was lighter, but slightly deadpanning. His blue mask was eerie, with black mesh obscuring his eyes and black paint smeared from the eyes to the bottom of the mask. It definitely gave the man a more intimidating vibe- or it would, if he weren't just sleeping in Sera's spare sheets printed with bunny rabbits.

Jeff shoved the man to the other side of the couch. "Stay off of me, asshole."

It would have been a funny scene, if Sera weren't still shaking. She didn't know what these two men were capable of and she didn't know what they wanted with her. And now, she could tell clearly that the reddish-brown ochre stains on Jeff's hoody were really blood. The sight and stench of the man's clothes seemed to hit her all at once, leaving her pale- she couldn't handle gore, not since she was a child.

"Hey, are you-?"

Sera didn't even let him finish his sentence; she turned and limped as fast as she could to the bathroom. Whatever was left in her stomach wasn't waiting for her, it seemed. It took the woman a few minutes to regain composure. The stress of her situation and the sight of blood seemed to have combined, leaving her shaking and exhausted.

"What the hell, are you sick or something?!"

She didn't even bring herself to look at Jeff; just the thought of seeing blood again was going to make things worse. "Just... Just stay away from me." She had managed to speak between the fingers over her mouth.

"Excuse me? What the fuck do you think this is-?!"

There was a grunt from Jeff that seemed to shut him up, and the door closed. She didn't dare to look up, worried that Jeff was only coming closer. She wanted to steel herself for that crude scent; but she instead flinched when a thin hand settled on her shoulder. Her eyes met the mask that was lit up by the dim night-light in the bathroom; this was Jack. It was a only a small relief that he wasn't bloody, but she still was under the stress of the situation. This was closed quarters with another man she didn't know.

"... Sorry. He's a dumbass." His voice, still monochrome, was slightly softer than it was when addressing Jeff. "I'm not surprised Jeff made you sick. But are you okay?"

A breath left her as the nausea slowly passed. "It's... The blood. I can't..." Her throat still felt tight, however, making it hard for Sera to get out the words. But her eyes were locked on Jack's mask, watching every move he made.

"Sure, that's understandable. Do you want some water? Or do you have anything in your cabinet that can help?"

She shook her head. "I'm... fine." Mostly she just was riding the nausea out. But now, Sera was mentally dealing with the absurdity of the situation. Two men were in her home, one covered in... But they were joking around? Acting like this was all normal? "I just... Want all this to go away."

Jack settled down on the floor beside her, leaning against her tub. "I'm sure this isn't how you were planning to spend your night, but..."

"I don't know who you people are, what do you think?" Her tone came out sharper than intended, it even made Sera herself flinch. She shouldn't do anything to antagonize these people. "I'm sorry- I just... I don't know you, and... You're both acting like this is normal..."

Jack merely lowered his head. "Trust me, I get it. But would you rather us try to intimidate you?" There was a slow shake of her head. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll make Jeff take it off."

She pinched the bridge of her nose; headaches from vomiting were always the worst. "Can you... At least answer some questions?" Maybe if she understood her situation, she would be able to calm herself down.

"Well... I can try. But I can't guarantee anything."

Sera closed her eyes, trying to visualize what she wanted to ask first. "I... Why are you here?"

"We were told to make sure you're safe." He seemed to be keeping his answers brief.

"By who?"

"Jeff said you already met him, our 'boss' of sorts."

Chills ran down her spine. That tall, faceless man... She had assumed it was makeup, or some sort of special FX deal. But the more she thought about it, the more the getup reminded Sera of a story her Grandmother used to tell her. "That man... The one with the full mask right? Tall?"

Jack let out a breath-like chuckle. "That 'mask' was his face- his lack of one."

Sera stared at him. Her ears felt like they were ringing, but there was no high pitch clouding her hearing. "I'm sorry... You're saying he actually doesn't have a face?"

"Yes."

There was a beat of silence before Sera shifted away from Jack. "I, uh... Sure." These people were certified insane. They were covered in blood, or wearing masks... She had deluded herself into thinking they were at least sane. Was this a symptom of Stockholm Syndrome? Or was she overthinking this?

"I know how this sounds to you, but it's the truth."

"Yeah." Just agree, and she can get out of this sooner. Should she make an excuse to hide in her room? Or should she try to pry for more answers from them? "What does he want with me...?"

"We don't really know. Either he wants you to do something for him, or... Well. It doesn't matter; it'll all be clear once he comes back."

The 'or' didn't calm her down at all. They might kill her- that was the only thought running through Sera's mind. "I... I think I need to lie down. If that's alright-..." If she can get to her room, she can use her phone there to call the police. Maybe she could even sneak out and make it to Wen's place...

"Right. You're still not feeling well, that's fine." He pushed himself onto his feet, reaching down to help Sera onto her feet. She hesitated before accepting his hand; his skin felt cold and dry. Her voice seemed to fail her just being pulled up onto her feet next to a lunatic. Jack seemed to take her silence as her feeling worse, and kept a hold on her hand as he guided her to the door. "I'll walk you to your room; make sure that Jeff won't bother you."

There was a crash of broken glass outside in the living room which had caused her to flinch in shock. She instinctively stepped back, a feeling in her gut telling her not to leave the bathroom. Sera felt like she was made of stone, and it wasn't until Jack waved his hand in front of her face that she snapped back into reality. "Oh- uhm... sorry. Right, thank you..."

"You really need to rest. This is hard to deal with, I know..."

As he spoke, he turned the door handle. "No-," her voice came out choked as she wrenched her hand from his. Her heart was beating its way out if her chest... There was something innately wrong, and the source of this sensation was clear when he opened the door.

A tall figure blocked the light from the hall.