"So who was yelling at you?" I heard Jack asked.

I didn't bother looking over since it was pretty dark in the room. "Why do you assume someone was yelling at me?"

"You're not the type to just go and yell at someone for no reason and also it wasn't your voice."

"Masky was being a stalker." I responded after several seconds.

"Him again? Why?"

"He was actually yelling at me for hanging around with you."

"... Well it's good to know he likes me."

"Do you ever get lonely?"

"Sometimes."

"Do what everyone say bother you?"

"Sometimes."

"Does it make you angry?"

"Sometimes."

"Are You ok?"

"Fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because no one ever does."

"Ah."

"So are you ok?"

"Fine."

"Are you just saying that so I'll leave you alone?"

"No."

"Are you saying that because you're not sure yourself?"

"... Maybe."

"Am I bothering you?"

"No. What's with the twenty questions?"

"You just seem so sullen all the time and you're always there for me so… yeah."

We had a moment of silence.

"I assume this whole Masky deal isn't going to be sorting itself out very soon?"

"Probably not. I'm not too keen on apologizing for being worried or being friends with you. He's the one who's going to have to apologize and he probably won't for a while."

"He'll probably go through a Tim and a killing episode before he even considers it."

"Might take longer than that. He gets really defensive."

"... Well you can stay here until this clears up."

"You're really nice, you know that?"

"Question…"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you two become partners anyway?"

"Hmmm…. I think it started out with me feeling bad about how he had episodes… That and no one liked me back then because I didn't really talk to anyone. They all thought I was a stuck up asshole because I never walked up and talked to anyone and no one talked to Masky because of his episodes so we kind of just happened since no one else would look at us. We were the ones that didn't belong at the time."

"I see."

"How? You have no eyes."

"Ha ha. You're so funny." He answered with slightly amused sarcasm.

"I tried. You have to give me that."

Another round of silence.

"Want to be my partner?… You know just until this mess get's cleared up? I wouldn't mind you moving in here."

"Sure. You're more fun anyway."

"Fun?"

"Yeah. Masky has no backbone to kill unless he has one of his killing episodes and for some reason I'm never around when it happens."

"Maybe that's a good thing you're never around."

I walked back with Jack with huge grins plastered on our faces. The sun was slowly starting to rise. We were late getting back, but we didn't care. I had always wondered why he was always so late, but now I got it. One stalk and kill and we were having too much fun to just stop there so we went for some extra unsuspecting victim.

"I liked how that smile of hers just slowly slipped off her face once she saw us."

"She didn't even try to run or scream. It's so funny when they freeze."

We chatted happily as the mansion came in sight. I went to bed rather content that night. That morning I woke later than usual as it was to be expected after last night. First thing I did was head down to my previous sleeping quarters and took the clothing that I had set on the bed a couple nights ago or so and walk it up to Jack's room and put the few items I had into a space in the closet he cleared for me. Next I headed out and down the first flight of stairs, but was caught halfway down.

"I thought I told you Not to go killing with him." Came the comment that snapped me out of my happy mood.

I stayed silent.

"Hanging around with him is only going to hurt you whether you see it or not. You'll become like him."

"We're all killers here."

"But you don't need to be."

"You're wrong. We're here because we need to kill and our skill at it is useful. I don't understand your resistance with it. You have weird episodes-"

"Don't."

"at random times either on one extreme or the other and half the time you have no clue who you are. You smoke because all of it stresses you out and you'll be much happier once you accept who you are."

"I smoke of my own will. And just because I haven't given up on my humanity doesn't make me any lesser than you."

"Humanity?"

"You're the ones who have given up. You only think you need to kill. It's all in your head. You were doing fine Not killing with me."

"You have no idea how boring and frustrating that was."

"But you weren't killing and you didn't do anything crazy. That proves that recovery is possible. It proves-"

"Recovery?! You were using me as some freaking experiment?!"

"I was preventing you from becoming like Jeff!"

"You were Using me! You told me we were friends and that you cared about me!"

"I do! I was helping you! You weren't killing and you were content so maybe with some more help or some medicine-"

"Help?! Medicine?! Oh so I can end up like You?! Some freak who has no clue who he is half the time?!"

"I was trying to save you!"

"No. You were only trying to help yourself." I pushed past him a little more forcefully than necessary.

"Hoody-"

"You call us monsters. Well you should do a little soul searching. Maybe you'll find one."

I darted down the rest of the stairs.

"Hoody, wait!"

I gave no response. I just ran. Down the next flight of stairs and out the door. I pushed through the thick underbrush that encircled the mansion and kept going at the sound of pursuit. I was not going to be his little experiment. I'd show him. I can do whatever I wanted. I was in control of my own life now. I was not going to just let him keep manipulating me like he had been. He thought I was some insane unstable animal so that's what I give him. I was going to show him what I could really do. After all I'm mentally unstable, aren't I? But first I needed a target and a plan. Just because I was a killer didn't mean I just winged every kill nor did it mean that I needed a ritual killing cycle of who I killed.

"Hoody! Come back!"

Still tailing me. Great… Changing my course I went toward that old abandoned hospital. That place always messed with his head. I'd be able to lose him there. Once the building was in sight I all but sprinted. Through the front door and around the maze like halls. However he didn't stop at the door like I had planned. He was still behind me. So damn persistent. He was breathing very heavily now and he sounded like he would just drop at any second. How he was still running I had no clue.

"H-... Hoody!" Came the gasped call.

"Just leave me alone!"

I bolted up the stairs in hopes of it slowing him down. It did and I felt some relief as I kept going. Down a few more halls and I felt confident enough to slow down and stop. I entered one of the rooms and sat down with my back to the wall right next to the door frame. I drew in large gulps of air as I took in the destroyed room. Nothing of any real interest was here. Just graffiti and chunks of wall paper on the floor. After I had caught my breath I took a peek out of the room before exiting. I walked the halls in search of another stairway down. It was almost alarmingly quiet besides the dull sound my shoes made on the old floor and the sounds of the forest outside. I found myself looking around, but I mentally chided myself at such an act. I kept up my search. Those stairs weren't going to find themselves. Hall by hall it seemed to grow ever quieter. I smiled at the sight of the stairs and proceeded down. I stopped at the bottom. Had that feeling that-

"Run."

I froze at the whisper that came out of nowhere.

I slowly looked over. Masky. How did he find me so quickly? Why was he hiding?

"Run." He pressed.

Sure I was a little more than angry with him and I was very much hurt by the information that I had learned, but I could tell that something was up. So I kept quiet and removed my gaze from his hiding place and directed it somewhere else. I listened closely since whatever it was or whoever it was I couldn't see from this angle. Then I heard it. The slight shuffle. The almost silent, muffled breathing.

"Behind you. Jay."

Of course. It had to be him. I started walking. I turned the next corner and then I bolted. I heard the unmistakable sound of the camera junky following me. Several corners and circles later in an attempt to lose him I was outside. Just one problem after the next. I silently cursed myself for not noticing sooner. How could I not have noticed?! Stupid, stupid, stupid! This is what happens when you let your emotions get the best of you! People hurt you if you let them get close and they outcast anyone that's different. Masky is just like them. He got to close and that's why it hurts. That's why I'm in this situation. Now focus and get out of it! Wham! I hit the ground. Freaking Bipolar Trees! (See Unexpected Events if you don't get it) I shoved myself up only to find that there was an added weight that prevented that plan. I struggled and fought with the person Masky chose over the rest of us 'monsters'. The one Masky would rather be like drove his knee into the crook of my arm successfully pinning it and extracting a yelp out of me. The one Masky chose over me pinned me and I knew then that I lost. I was trapped and not only did I lose against Jay, but I lost everything. Jay made it alarmingly clear that he claimed the one I had called my best friend for so long and that no matter how hard I tried I'd never succeed in bringing him around. He was the reason Masky wanted to be like our prey. It was that moment I knew Masky had never been who I had thought he was. I gave up.