Disclaimer: The Happy Tree Friends are not created by me.
Warning: sex, violence, non-consensual situations, bad language.
xxx
She remained in stillness for what seemed like hours, in the dark, and looked at the ceiling, without thinking anything. She tried not to think about anything, because then she would have those hate filled thoughts again and she didn't want more pain.
She emptied herself of any feelings, of any sensations, as she remained like a lifeless doll on her bed, quiet and emotionless. The clock's ticking was the only sound that could be heard in that deafening silence and, even though it was barely audible, to Flaky it was like an echo. Tears kept falling down on her face, but she didn't notice it anymore, because crying was more like a reflex now. She didn't know how much she stayed like that. She didn't know if it was a minute, an hour or even several hours.
But then, she guessed there were several hours after all, because the sun's light finally invaded her room. It was probably morning or even noon.
It was supposed to be a happy, beautiful day.
She didn't move from her bed. She knew she would get in trouble because she wasn't going to be present at work that day, but she wasn't capable of doing anything.
She felt hopeless and terribly depressed.
The half broken phone suddenly started ringing, but she didn't bother. She waited for the machinery to answer by itself, until it beeped and Flaky's registered voice took over.
Hey, there. I'm Flaky. I'm not here, so just leave a message.
Pop spoke loudly in her ear and it startled her a little. He seemed to be quite pissed.
"Flaky, are you there? Answer the damn phone! I'm going to fire you if you don't come to work in the next hour. Got that?"
The message ended and the phone beeped again, announcing the end of the call. Flaky pursed her lips and scrunched her features up in desperation. Nothing ever worked well for her. It was like an endless chain of bad luck.
Her thoughts were interrupted one more time by another call and Cuddles' worried voice filled the air.
"Where are you? Petunia and Giggles said you didn't come to work this morning and this is not characteristic of you. We're pretty worried. Even though you probably died, I know the deaths don't usually affect you that much. So what happened?"
Flaky breathed fast, feeling nervous. Her lip trembled and she almost burst into cries again, but she stopped herself from doing it. She had cried enough in the last two days. Her friends didn't need other traumatic, horrific information, regarding her wellbeing. They didn't need to know that she was… raped.
The deaths and the torture were enough for them to dwell with anyway.
The sound repeated and the little, green light blinked a few times to remind her that she had messages, but she didn't pay attention to it, anymore. She kept lying on her stained sheets as she gazed at the enlightened walls. She wasn't really decided what to do, even though her conscience told her that she had to go to work and go on with her life.
She had to forget about everything and stop acting like the world was falling apart. Her mind was indeed falling apart, but she had the power to stop that. She had the strength to block all the horrendous memories and carry on, in spite of the fact that it was really hard to use that strength.
It was really hard to forget about the nightmare she went through. About him.
A silent tear still fell on her face, despite her efforts, and she wiped it with the back of her hand. Then she remembered that she was still completely naked and looked down, although she shouldn't have done it, because it bothered her even more.
Her eyes widened dramatically at the sight of her body. It was covered in small, purple bruises that she guessed they were made when he bit her. Her fingers hovered carefully above one little spot, before she pressed them on it, which made her squeak in pain. She expected them to hurt, but not like that.
Flaky knitted her brow in anger and clenched her quivering jaw.
She hated him so much.
The phone rang again and the automatic voice responded in her place once more. She thought Pop finally took the decision to fire her for good and give her the bad news, but it wasn't Pop.
Flaky turned into a rock in the moment she comprehended who was actually talking to her.
"Flaky…it's me." It was like a breathless whisper and she swallowed heavily as her breath quickened, whooshing in and out of her chest. Her joints began to tremble in fury and fear, but she didn't move from her spot. She continued to listen to what he had to say.
"I don't know if I hurt you last night. I'm sorry… if I murdered you. I'm really sorry." There was a pause and her heart hammered in anticipation. So, Flippy didn't actually remember what he did to her last night, after all. Her stomach seemed to drop into her feet and then soar up again to lodge in her throat, when his voice kept talking unsurely.
"When I realized that you were running away from me… it just made me mad and I couldn't control myself anymore. The anger made me flip out. I didn't want to kill you."
A muffled cry escaped her lips. No, he didn't kill her. He did something baffling and appalling, unusual in that world. Something friends didn't do to each other. Something out of ordinary and she clenched her fists at the thought.
"You're my only friend, Flaky. They're going to take me away from here and they'll lock me in. I don't want us to separate like that. I want… to see you."
It took a bit of struggling with herself, until she did it. She stared the ceiling. Her hands were still fists at her sides. She inhaled deeply a couple times, focused on the patterns in the paint up there. She refused to look to her left, to where the phone was placed, on the night table. She didn't want to think about anything related to him. She wanted to be a million miles away.
Then she stood up brusquely and, with a force that took her by surprise, she pulled the phone's wires out, took it and smashed it on the wall, infuriated and exasperated. She almost wanted to gouge her eyeballs out as she gave a yell, wrathful, and her red, messy hair fell in her face, covering her tear-stained face. She burst into loud cries and she kept on crying and crying until she felt that she shed all her tears.
Flaky couldn't even understand how much she hated him; it was like all that was left inside her was that feeling that consumed her and broke her. She sat down, next to her bed, and encircled her knees with her arms, before she stuck her forehead to them and remained still, like a small statue.
She finally discovered how terrible was to have breakdowns.
She tried to calm herself and she listened to peaceful sound of the clock, before she gulped and intended to stand up on her trembling legs. She regained her balance when she stuck herself to the wall and walked slowly, heading toward the bathroom with small steps. She felt so tired that she believed her arms and legs were going to give up in any second, but, fortunately, she managed to reach it, without collapsing to the floor like a crumpled cloth.
She felt strange when her eyes fell on the mirror.
It was like…she wasn't the same person. She had changed somehow and she couldn't figure out in what way, but she felt different as she studied her own reflection. Her body was now marked and it wasn't clean and untouched anymore. It was… used.
She was used.
She wasn't the same, little, naïve Flaky as before. The unknowing girl who was afraid of all living and lifeless things, who made friends easily and who didn't know what true sorrow was. If she believed that life was tough before, she couldn't even describe the state in which she lived now.
Flaky let the cool water fall down on her and wash all the stains away and she sighed, feeling somewhat relaxed. Her head was throbbing from all the stress and the pressure. She got into her usual clothes, before she pushed the sofa back to its place and opened the front door, letting the town's noise intrude her ears.
The streets were crowded and she observed many people gathered in small groups. They talked with a particular interest and she guessed that they spoke about the same thing, because most of them had scared, worried or fascinated expressions. She got close to one of the groups and she distinguished Flippy's name in their conversation.
"It's a good thing they come next week to take him far away from here." A tall man, who had orange hair, spoke decidedly. Flaky recognized him as one of the town's workers and she remembered that Petunia dated him some time ago and that she called him Handy. "Do you know how many times he killed me? Five times. Five times. "He repeated appalled, as other people shook their head in revolt.
"I heard they're taking him to a prison, to the other side of the country. It's a fortress, apparently." Lumpy interfered, scratching his chin in deep thought. "I remember I tried to help him once, he came to my counseling session and asked for psychiatric help, but the cures didn't succeed. He's still wacko as always."
Other persons jumped into the conversation, which soon turned into a heated debate over whether Flippy had to be sentenced to death or let alive, but most agreed it was better if he was let alive, because, if he died, he would have returned as most of them did.
Suddenly, someone asked a question that caught many of them by guard and silence enveloped the air like a thick, invisible veil, filled with tension.
"But what if they don't find him guilty after all?" Sniffles inquired worriedly, looking from one face to another, as their expressions changed in nervousness. "What if they find enough evidence to prove that he is actually innocent?"
Some of them started to grumble, while others protested and blurted out 'no way' angrily, but most stood quiet and considered the possibility.
"There isn't much proof that can be used in his favor. Plus, I don't think he has many friends who can sustain him. " Lumpy spoke, interrupting the agitation caused. "In fact, I don't think he has any friends." He narrowed his eyes, meditating upon the subject.
"Well, there's that red haired girl, Flaky. She seems to be quite close to him." Someone said.
There were murmurs and shifting in the crowd and Flaky felt a sharp, cold shiver travel inside her. Her stomach clenched into a tight knot and she almost felt sick when they mentioned her. She couldn't endure accuses and dangerous glares after everything she'd been through. They were wrongly informed about her relationship with Flippy.
She despised him, too. Perhaps even more than them.
Much more than them.
The silence reared its ugly head once more and every second of it caused impatience to rise in her. She couldn't stand the fact that they all saw her as a wrongdoer, in their minds, just because she committed one small mistake.
Just because she committed the mistake to befriend a criminal, a serial killer, believing that he had something good in him and that he could be changed. That he could be her friend.
Frustration boiled in her and she tried to wane it, but it was useless, because no amount of control would solve that problem. She burst out, in spite of her attempts to stop herself from doing it.
"I hope he'll rot in prison." She grounded out fiercely.
She saw them through her bangs as they all turned their stares in her direction, struck with astonishment and unaware that she had been there all along. They gazed mutely and no one said anything.
Flaky couldn't bear it anymore.
She made her way through them and she continued her road, looking straight ahead.
xxx
"Can you actually believe it?" Petunia sighed in exasperation as she supported her chin on her palm and looked out on the window, at the dark sky. "I mean, I can't. He's just so irritating."
Giggles rolled her eyes, while the guys didn't even pay attention to Petunia's words, being preoccupied with other… things.
They were all sitting at one of the restaurant's tables, gathered into another reunion of friends, but, apparently, the meeting didn't offer much entertainment because Petunia started talking again about the love-hate affairs she had with her latest boyfriend. Cuddles and Toothy munched two sandwiches, with bored looks on their faces, as they gave a yawn once in a while to remind Petunia that they had enough with all the relationship drama, and Giggles tapped her fingers on the table in impatience. Flaky just remained quiet and brooding, without signaling that she was tired with the blue haired girl's story.
Giggles stepped on Cuddles' foot and adjusted her voice, silently motioning him to do something about the situation. He twisted his features up in pain and jumped slightly, before he furrowed his brow as he thought quickly about something.
"Umm, so, Flaky, why did you come so late to work, today?" He asked, focusing his attention on her. The rest of her friends raised their heads quite curious and even Petunia forgot about her previous tale. Flaky widened her eyes and stood silent. She almost felt their intense stares burning holes into her skin.
She opened her mouth, then closed it and she repeated the gesture a few more times, before she gurgled an incomprehensible sound.
"Ahhh…I…urghhh" She stopped and blinked.
"You must have died pretty awfully, if you got here so late." Toothy shared his presumption and the others nodded in agreement.
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." Giggles spoke. "I know I usually don't enjoy talking about my deaths." She shuddered and hugged herself, a little downcast.
Flaky held her breath, taking refuge into herself and waiting for them to start talking about another subject, so that she wouldn't be determined to answer Cuddles' question, but the fate reserved her another run of bad luck.
They indeed began to discuss about something else, but it wasn't what she had in mind. It was something Flaky didn't ever want to happen again. Something she dreaded.
Something she knew it would happen sooner or later. And she knew it from the moment the bell at the door rang, announcing someone's entrance. Her friends became rigid and she noticed their obvious uneasiness, which meant one thing.
The cause of all their deaths was there, in that place.
"Uh-oh." Cuddles swallowed nervously and pointed at something behind Flaky. She didn't dare to turn around. She just shared her friends' reactions. Her heart was pounding so fast and she could hear every beat in her ears, thumping and sending blood roaring through her veins. She grabbed the edges of her chair and rooted herself to it as if it was her salvation, even though every move that she made was useless right then.
"Oh, god, he's here." Petunia muttered, petrified.
Flaky could feel the color drain from her face as she froze at the spot. She couldn't face him. Not that soon. She couldn't face him again. She didn't want to face him, to hear about him, to even know that he existed, but she didn't have a choice, but to struggle with everything that her cruel, twisted life imposed on her.
"It's your… friend." Cuddles finished, watching her cautiously.
Panic rose in her and she breathed deeply through her nose in a sad attempt to calm herself. She closed her fists and she trembled, before she looked at Cuddles accusingly, like he had said something insulting.
"He is not my friend." She retorted through gritted teeth.
They all gazed at her quite taken aback by her fierce response and she was aware that her behavior was unusual, because the usual Flaky just remained quiet, fearful and distressed.
The usual Flaky had never told them that Flippy wasn't her friend, in such an angry and hateful manner.
He reached their table and stopped next to it, because she heard shuffling coming from her left and she caught a glimpse of his army jacket, but she didn't give a sign that she acknowledged his presence. She just stared blankly at the air, in front of her, as her friends raised their gazes and greeted him in respect and silent anxiety. She felt their eyes on her and she knew they waited for her to greet Flippy as well.
She didn't. She just blinked expressionlessly, trying to control her raging, negative emotions. She dug her fingers into her palm hard and her nails pierced her skin, but she ignored the pain.
She ignored the pain just like she tried with great efforts to ignore him at that moment.
"Flaky?" His voice went right into her core and her lips trembled slightly. She turned her head and looked away, in the opposite direction, on the window, and she sensed her friends move in restlessness.
Except for the noise created by a couple, a few tables away, the place was dead silent at that late hour. Her heart was beating frantically against her chest when he spoke up again.
"Please, Flaky, talk to me. I didn't mean to do what I did last night, you know… you know I don't have control over myself."
He waited for her to give an answer, but she still remained unmoving. She almost burst into tears for the umpteenth time that day, but she restrained herself.
"I don't understand why you're so angry with me." He told her and she could obviously hear a deep pain in his tone. "This is not new, I had… murdered before." He paused and inhaled deeply, as if it was really hard for him to mention it. "I just want to talk to you, I-"
"There is nothing to talk about." She suddenly released her thoughts, while she was still gazing out the window. A lump formed in her throat and her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned into ghostly white.
There was an absolute stillness for a few seconds.
"Flaky…" He softly spoke in plea to her.
His voice was strained and she believed he was going to have a fit, but he didn't. No words escaped. Not anymore.
Her friends assisted at the scene with their breaths almost gone and Flippy was apparently wordless. He hovered for a moment, probably hoping that she would change her mind. That she would at least look at him.
He appeared to give up at his attempt after all, because he turned and walked away.
Everyone was under suppressed suspense, until his steps faded away completely and went out the restaurant's door. Flaky looked down miserably.
Then her head perked up to see her friends staring wide eyed at her, their mouths hanging open in awe. She moved her eyes around, feeling a little guilty, fact that annoyed her, because she had no reason to feel guilty.
"What…" Giggles paused, trying to form a sentence. "What was all that about?"
Uneasiness covered Flaky's features, while the rest of them still stared at her like they didn't even know her anymore. She remained quiet, avoiding their looks.
"That was even more dramatic than Petunia's relationships." Toothy told her, which earned him an irritated look from the other girl.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Petunia glared at him. Her face then softened and she turned towards Flaky, who shrunk in her seat, apathetic and silent.
"He killed you last night, didn't he?" She asked her, but Flaky didn't answer, confirming their false hunches. She just let them believe what they wanted to believe.
She wanted to forget everything.
"You should have looked at him, just for the sake of it." Cuddles interfered thoughtfully. "He looked really depressed. And after you spoke to him, I almost believed he was going to commit suicide. " He said, grimacing.
An ocean of emotions swirled inside her. Fear, pain, confusion, pity, concern and, most of all, fury crawled underneath her skin. It was really a wonder that so much could be running through her head and yet the air was so deceptively quiet.
"That was really harsh, even for him." Giggles concluded. "You're the only one that he's left with, especially in this hard time. Think about it." She spoke slowly. "He's mentally ill and he's going to be put behind bars because of his condition. There must be someone who can stand by his side. And you're the only person who can do it." She stopped, watching her reaction. "He expects you to do it."
Flaky sensed a sharp jab at her mind and tremors shook her entire being. She was torn between so many feelings and she didn't have a clue of how to handle that instability.
"He killed us many times, yeah. He's a goddamn psychopath. But you can at least listen to him. After that, you won't have to put up with him, ever again." Giggles finished. "And neither do we, thank goodness."
Flaky's breath hitched, before she frowned and heaved a loud sigh. She couldn't do it. They didn't know that he could be capable of much more than murder and, in no way, she could stay alone with him, not after everything that happened. Maybe he had been her friend once. Maybe she wanted to help, if only a little bit, because there was a trace of sympathy through all that loathing, but, even though she had a small, good intention, she was too scared of him.
She was terrified and angry and those emotions were much more powerful than the pity.
"I can't." She murmured in dismay. "I-I can't." She trembled. "I…I can't help him. I can't be his friend after what he has done to me."
Her friends exchanged troubled looks, as they listened to her, apprehensive.
"He's sick. Too sick." Flaky spoke bitterly, casting a glance outside, towards the pitch black night.
"And nobody can help him anymore."
xxx
It was probably past midnight when she bid her friends goodnight, in front of the restaurant, before she walked away from them and went on the road that she always followed, after she left her work place. Not many people wandered the streets in the city at that hour and Flaky felt somewhat tense because of it. She wasn't used to go out at night, except when her friends decided to reunite from time to time, just to maintain their friendship and not to forget that they could still have fun, after the pain they had to go through.
She barely smiled in sadness and put her arms around herself when a cool breeze passed near her. Her steps echoed in the silence and she started walking faster, as the paranoia gripped her, inducing the usual negative thoughts. Even though the street lamps enveloped the main road in a weak, diffuse light, it was still dark and creepy and she shuddered.
The last thing she needed right then was another death. That would have been the drop that filled the bad luck glass, in that week, and she didn't have any intention to fill it.
As she passed by an alleyway, she was suddenly grabbed from behind by a pair of strong hands. Before she could cry out, she was pulled out of the wind into the alley and engulfed into an embrace.
She struggled and she tried to scream, but it was muffled, because her face was caught between a shirt and two arms. She pushed him with all her force, intending to distance herself from him as fast as she could, but she was immobilized by his strength, which was probably three times bigger than hers.
"Hmpf, l-let m-me go!" Flaky yelled into his chest as she hit him with her fists, but he didn't listen to her. She began tearing up again and her face was probably red from despair and effort.
She barely managed to lift her eyes and look at him and she froze in the moment she saw his deplorable state. His cheeks were sunken and dark blue circles marked the skin under his eyes, that were distant, tired and filled with sorrow. Her breath stuck in her throat and she didn't know if it was from the fear or from the antagonistic feelings she was having right then.
"Why are you doing this, Flaky?" Flippy asked in a quiet, pained voice and she thought her ribs were going to break, her heart was beating so hard. "Why… why don't you want to be my friend anymore?" He cracked, tightening the embrace, and she realized that there was no space between them, clothes being the only thing that separated them.
She whimpered and she sensed that tears were cascading down her face again, which frustrated her.
"Why s-should I-I be? " She retorted sad, as she tried to push him away, but failed. "You o-only do t-terrible things to me." She trembled. She moved wildly, seeking a way through which she could escape, but she couldn't find any.
Flippy looked down at her in hopelessness.
"But you were never bothered by it before. You accepted me the way I was, you were willing to be my friend…" He trailed off as he held her in place. Her mouth was dry and she almost felt dizzy when he rubbed her back in a poor attempt at self consolation. "I don't mean to do those things, Flaky. I need you." He spoke, before he stuck so hard to her that she believed they were going to merge into one being. She choked from the lack of air and scuffled to get away from his tight lock, but he clung desperately to her, frightening her horribly.
She had almost foreseen that he was going to do something vile to her. Again.
She gave a frantic yelp as she dug her fingers into his shirt and shoved him away, and he released her, making her stumble backwards.
"H-how much do you think I can s-stand it? How m-much?" She tremulously cried. "J-just leave me a-alone!"
She turned around, preparing to run away from him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her from making any step. Flaky shook her arm, so that he would set her free, but his clutch became tighter and it even started to hurt.
"L-let go!" She squeaked, moving in agitation like a scared, cornered animal that was going to be torn apart. She grabbed his hand with her other one and tried to unclench it, even though it was futile, because he gazed calmly at her.
"Why do you struggle so much?" He asked and his eyes got a sad, distant glint.
After a minute or two of constant battle, Flaky felt so tired that she pretty much gave in and stopped moving, waiting for him to do what he wanted to her. She trembled wildly and she burst into cries, resigned. She was going to get killed no matter what she did, so it was pointless to put up a fight. It only worsened things.
"I only want you to be my friend. That's all." Flippy said softly, as he stared deceitfully at her. She raised her head and returned the stare, numb, mentally and physically. They continued to look at each other in silence, for what seemed like hours to Flaky, even though, in reality, there were just a few seconds.
Then she said something that she shouldn't have and that she regretted.
"I can't be your friend." Flaky muttered. "I… I hate you."
His face turned into a stone, while his green eyes enlarged, blown away by her words. He gawked and he became so caught up in what she had said, that his entire body started shaking furiously, as his gaze glazed over with lunacy in less than a heartbeat. His whole person changed and turned into someone else, someone mad and malignant. She covered her mouth horrified and backed away aghast, when she took note of what was really going on.
He was flipping out.
His features twisted in extreme anger and he grabbed her by the back of her red jacket, before he pinned her to the wall, violently.
Flaky screamed and scratched him, trying to block his hands that went under her skirt and ripped her undergarments apart. One of his arms sneaked around her waist and brought them closer. She could hear him as he undid his trousers and she realized that he was going to do… that to her.
For the second time.
"No, don't!" She screeched in desperation, and he furrowed his brow, even more angered than before.
"Let's see how much you'll hate me after this!" He yelled at her, boiling in rage. He grabbed her legs and put them around his middle, before he pushed in, and the ache returned. It wasn't as strong as the first time, but it still hurt, and she cried out and slipped her fingers into his hair, pulling it weakly.
It wasn't exactly the same. The act wasn't so rigid and emotionless, like it had been a day before. In fact, he put his face next to hers and pressed his lips into the corner of her mouth, then he covered it entirely and Flaky gasped into the kiss, as she involuntarily moved her own lips against his. Strangely enough, the gesture seemed really intimate and different from everything that happened between them, despite that he had done things much worse to her. It felt like they crossed a whole different line and, even though it was rough and hard, it was like a release to her, because it faded the pain away, to an extent.
It made her forget about the horror of what he was doing to her in that moment. Flippy unglued his mouth from hers and held her close, breathing raggedly in her ear, and she felt the pain invade her body once more, making her whimper.
She lost track of time because she wasn't aware how much it lasted. She didn't know how many times he got in and out, again and again, and she thought her mind was going to implode from the exhaustion. He finally stopped at one point and leaned his forehead on her shoulder, panting heavily, and Flaky rested her head on the wall, as she inhaled and exhaled loudly. They stood like that in the unbearable silence, for a while, until her brain ceased to function.
Her consciousness slipped away, before she blacked out.