soft places to break

You walked over to the aisle he was in and looked at the different snacks, and that was when he caught a good whiff of you; you smelled like lavender and something else, light and sweet. That scent filled his senses, he didn't think it was possible to want someone's blood more than he wanted yours. It was all he could think about. He couldn’t even hear himself thinking over the sound of his heart beating. He clenched his jaw. 

Toby had always hated humans. They were so fragile, and he had broken so many of them. They were so easy to scare and kill, so why were you any different? Why did he want you?

Why did you have to exist?

Toby didn’t know what you had done to him, but he wanted you dead. He would be okay if you were dead, right? That would make this feeling go away and he could go back to normal. He needed you dead, just like all those other people. You were no different.

But what if you were?

He watched you intently as you browsed through the drinks in the store. He thought about how he would kill you. He would sneak up behind you and snap your neck, or maybe slit your throat. Or maybe he would slice open your stomach and let you bleed out. He liked the idea of watching you writhe in pain as your blood slowly left your body.

He could smell you getting closer and he could feel himself getting more and more excited. His heart was pounding and he could barely keep his breathing steady. He felt the overwhelming urge to reach out and touch you, to feel your skin.

Soft, she looks so soft.

So easy to break, so easy to kill.

So soft. So small.

How would she feel in my arms?

So soft. So pretty. 

What would she look like covered in blood?

Toby could feel his mind slipping away from him. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the voices. What the fuck? He wasn't supposed to be thinking this way, he wasn't supposed to feel this way. He needed to focus, he needed to kill you and then everything would be okay.

He watched you as you walked over to the counter to pay for your things, and then you were gone, back into the raging storm.

He hated you, he decided. You had done something to him that he couldn’t explain, and he needed it to stop. He couldn’t stand feeling this way, and the only way to make it stop was to kill you.

Without a second thought, he silently stepped out after you and began to follow you. The snow was still coming down hard, but he was determined. He wasn’t going to let some stupid fucking weather stop him.

He followed you through the empty streets, careful to stay far enough behind you that you wouldn't notice him, but close enough that he could see where you were going. The snow was starting to slow down a bit now, but there was still enough that it made it hard to see.

You finally stopped in front of an apartment complex and pulled out your keys. Toby watched as you walked up to one of the first floor apartments and unlocked the door, stepping inside and closing the door behind you, locking it.

Toby stood in front of your door for a minute, contemplating what to do next. He knew he wanted to kill you, but he wasn’t sure how he wanted to do it. He could easily sneak in and take care of you. But something was holding him back.

He shook his head again, trying to get rid of those thoughts. No, he was here to kill you, not to have any second thoughts. He needed to get this over with and go back to normal.

He silently stalked the perimeter of your building, calculating the best way to get in. He finally found a window that was cracked open just enough for him to fit through. He hesitated, his thoughts turning over and over in his head. Why was he so nervous? He had never been nervous about killing someone before. What was so different about you?

He took a deep breath and pushed the window open, climbing through and landing quietly on the floor inside. He quickly closed the window behind him and looked around the room. It was dark, but he could make out the shapes of a bed, a dresser, and a desk. He stepped further into the room, a funny feeling rising in his chest.

His eyes were adjusting to the dark now, and he could see the contents of your room better. There were clothes strewn all over the floor, and a few posters hung on the walls. Books and papers were scattered across the desk, along with what looked like some writing.

Toby walked over to the desk and picked up the notebook. He flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning the words. Most of it seemed to be random thoughts and scribbles, but there was some actual writing too. He put the notebook back down and turned to look at the rest of the room.

Toby didn't know what to think of you. Everything he found out about you only made him more confused. You were so different from the other humans he had encountered, and he didn't understand why. He sighed and sat down on the bed, looking around the room.

He noticed a framed photo sitting on the nightstand and picked it up. It was a picture of you and another woman, both of you smiling and hugging each other. He studied your face, memorizing every detail. He felt that same strange feeling rising in his chest again, and he quickly put the photo back down.

This was too much for him. None of it made sense. He didn’t know what to do. He knew he needed to kill you, but his thoughts kept getting tangled up inside his head. He couldn’t think straight.

He flopped backwards onto your bed, burying his face in the blankets. The smell of you filled his nose and he inhaled deeply. That familiar feeling came back, stronger than ever. He felt his cock twitch in his pants, thoughts and voices swarming around inside his head.

Fuck, smells so good.

How would she taste?

How would she feel around my cock?

What noises would she make?

I bet she would taste so sweet.

I wonder if she's ever been fucked.

I bet she would scream.

I want to hear her scream.

I wonder what it would feel like to fuck her.

I wonder what her blood would taste like.

Toby's heart rate picked up, his breathing becoming ragged and uneven. He could feel himself growing hard as he imagined all the things he could do to you. He ran his hand over his cock through his pants, letting out a soft groan.

Fuck, I need to stop.

But he couldn’t. He couldn't stop thinking about you. You had done something to him, and he wasn’t sure how to undo it. All he knew was that he wanted you. He needed you. And he wasn’t going to let anything get in his way.

After that night, Toby followed you everywhere. He watched you from afar, studying your every move. He learned everything he could about you, and his obsession with you grew stronger by the day. He watched as you went to work, how you interacted with your coworkers, and how you spent your time at home alone. You didn’t seem to have many friends, which Toby was happy about. The less people who knew you, the better.

He learned your habits, your favorite foods, and where you liked to go on the weekends. He even learned what kind of music you listened to and what books you read. He had never been so fascinated with anyone or anything before, and he found himself thinking about you constantly. He couldn’t stop. He was desperate and hungry, and he couldn't find release anywhere else. He needed to know more about you. He needed to know just why you made him feel the way he felt. It was maddening.

You weren't supposed to make him feel weak, no one was. He hated feeling weak, it reminded him too much of how he felt in his childhood. He didn’t want to feel weak anymore. He didn’t want to feel anything but excitement and power. So why did you make him feel this way? Why did you make him feel so vulnerable?

He wanted to kill you, but at the same time he wanted to keep you all to himself. He wanted to protect you, to keep you safe from anyone who would try to hurt you. But he also wanted to break you, to hear your screams as he tortured you. He wanted to see you writhe in pain as he slowly sliced you open. He wanted to watch as your blood poured out of your wounds, staining the ground beneath you.

Toby's thoughts were always on you, it drove him crazy. The urge to kill you grew stronger every day, but his other urges grew stronger as well. Images of you flooded his mind, images of him fucking you senseless, making you scream his name. He wanted to make you his, to claim you as his own. He wanted to hear you moan and gasp as he fucked you hard and rough, leaving bruises on your skin. He wanted to feel you tighten around him as you came, screaming his name. He wanted to mark you, to let everyone know that you were his, and only his. He wanted to make you feel good, to make you feel loved, to make you feel like you were the only one who mattered. He wanted to make you hurt, to make you bleed, to hear you beg for mercy as he tortured you, begging him to stop. 

Toby was losing control. His thoughts were spiraling out of control, and he didn't know what to do. 

Without much thought, he had begun collecting things from your apartment. He took shirts, and a pair of your underwear, even taking strands of hair off your pillow, anything he could get his hands on. He brought them back to his cabin, back to his sanctuary, and placed them carefully in his closet. He would go back to them late at night and just sit and look at them, smelling them, or just holding them in his hands, trying to soak up as much of your essence as he could.

He had altered the lock on your window so that it could be opened from the outside, so that he could come and go as he pleased. The first night he found you asleep in your bed, he had snuck in and stood over you for hours, just watching you sleep. You looked so peaceful, so vulnerable. He had almost taken you then, but something inside of him held him back.

He went back every night after that, watching you sleep, listening to you breathe. He wanted to touch you so badly, but he knew he couldn't.

Not yet.

He had to wait until the time was right.

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Your fingers dug into your aching temples, head throbbing from the long shift you had just finished. You were supposed to meet up with some coworkers at a bar nearby, and the thought of your favorite drink fuzzing the edges of the world and drowning out the sound of people was extremely appealing. Tonight you just wanted to feel nothing, to forget about work, about bills, about everything.

As you walked into to the bar, you noticed one of your coworkers waving you over. You smiled and waved, going to the bar to order a drink before joining them at their table.

“Hey! We were starting to wonder if you were going to show up or not!”

You laughed, taking a sip of your drink.

"Yeah, shift was brutal, had to stay late. Sorry."

Your coworker waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it!"

You lingered with the group longer than you meant to, nursing drinks and letting the noise and laughter wash over you. Alcohol softened the sharp edges of the night, made the bar lights blur into something warmer, friendlier. Your shoulders loosened. Your laugh came easier. For a little while, it felt good to forget everything else.

At some point, one of your coworkers drifted closer. Jake? Josh? You’d been introduced, but the name had already slipped through the cracks of your attention. He leaned in, close enough that you could smell beer and cheap cologne, and rested a hand on your arm as if it had always belonged there.

“Hey,” he said, voice low, conspiratorial. “You wanna go somewhere quieter? Just talk.”

You snorted softly and rolled your eyes, glancing at his hand before looking back up at his face. He was irritating, too confident, too familiar, but not unattractive. And you were drunk. Warm. Lonely in that vague, unfocused way that crept up on you when you weren’t watching.

You weighed it for a second less than you should have, then shrugged. Why not. It wasn’t like you owed anyone anything, and it wasn’t like anything bad was supposed to happen.

“Sure,” you said, draining the rest of your drink and standing.

Outside, the night air hit you hard, cool against your flushed skin. He guided you around the side of the building and into the narrow alley behind the bar, the sounds of music and conversation muffled by brick and distance. A breathy laugh escaped you when his hands found your waist, when he pressed you back against the wall and kissed you with too much enthusiasm and not much finesse.

“I’ve been thinking about this all night,” he murmured as his mouth wandered down your neck.

You arched into him reflexively, breath hitching when he bit the sensitive place between your shoulder and neck. He sucked hard enough to make you gasp, fingers roaming with a confidence that bordered on carelessness. When his hand slid under your shirt and pinched at your nipple through the fabric, a sound slipped out of you before you could stop it.

Then—BANG.

The noise echoed down the alley, sharp and sudden. You jumped, heart slamming into your ribs, twisting your head toward the sound. For a split second, you thought you saw someone standing at the far end of the alley, a tall shadow against the dim light.

And then it was gone.

“Relax,” he said, barely pausing as his mouth returned to your neck. “Probably just rats.”

But your attention stayed fixed on the darkness where the shadow had been. The hair on the back of your neck prickled. The warmth in your chest curdled into something uneasy.

“Hey,” you said, pushing lightly at his chest. “I don’t think I’m really in the mood anymore.”

He didn’t move back. Instead, his hands tightened, pressing you harder against the wall.

“C’mon,” he said, coaxing, impatient. “Don’t be like that.”

“I said no.”

You pushed again, harder this time. He responded by grabbing your arms, fingers digging in, his body crowding yours. Panic surged, sudden and cold.

“Stop—”

He clapped a hand over your mouth, the other pinning you in place. You struggled, the world narrowing to the scrape of brick against your back and the pressure of his grip. Acting on instinct, you bit down as hard as you could.

He yelled and jerked his hand away. “Fucking bitch!”

The slap came before you could react, white-hot and ringing. Your head snapped to the side, ears buzzing, eyes burning with tears you hadn’t asked for.

You lashed out blindly, foot connecting with his knee. He stumbled back, swearing, and then his heel caught on something, a glass bottle, you realized distantly. He went down hard, his head striking the pavement with a sickening, final crack.

Everything stopped.

You stood frozen, staring at him sprawled on the ground. He didn’t move.

You couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The alley seemed too quiet, the air thick and unreal. Blood spread beneath his head, dark and unmistakable.

One moment you’d been kissing him. The next…

Your stomach lurched. You dropped to your knees, shaking, unable to look away. Thoughts crashed over each other in your mind, too fast to hold onto.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. You didn’t mean to— Was he dead? Was this your fault?

You sucked in shallow, ragged breaths, trying to steady yourself, but panic drowned out reason. The police. No. They wouldn’t believe you. Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. You didn’t have money, or power, or anyone who would stand up for you. All you could see was prison bars, headlines, your life collapsing into something unrecognizable.

Your thoughts buzzed and jittered in your skull, breaking apart like radio static. The static filled your ears, drowning everything out. You didn’t know what to do. You felt so lost and alone. You wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

The world seemed to shift around you as you stared at the body, time slipping away from you. You didn’t feel your legs as you pushed yourself up off the ground, or your arms as you dragged the body behind the bar into the dumpster. You didn't feel anything except the overwhelming static piercing and devouring your senses like a TV with no signal.

By the time you stumbled away, you felt hollow.

You don’t know how you got home. The walk blurred into nothing, streetlights, doors, keys all smearing together. One moment you were in the alley, the next you were unlocking your apartment, hands shaking so badly you almost dropped the keys.

You collapsed onto your bed fully clothed, heart still racing, ears ringing with that same awful static.

And then, nothing.

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Toby was practically vibrating. He had been following you all night, watching you with that idiot co-worker of yours. He had watched as you went outside, and he had watched as he touched you.

Toby had felt sick. He had never felt this way before, and he hated it. He hated seeing you with that stupid fucking idiot. He hated seeing him touch you.

His jealousy had overtaken him, and he had thrown a rock at a trash can at the end of the alley, hoping to scare that motherfucker off. He watched as the man was pushed away from you, only to fall back down and hit his head on the pavement. It was almost as if he was meant to die at that moment, just so Toby could have you for himself. Like fate.

He followed you back to your apartment, watching you stumble inside and slam the door shut behind you. He couldn’t help but wonder what you were feeling right now. Were you scared? Were you angry? Were you sad? Or were you just numb?

Toby had felt bad, but not really. It had to be done. He couldn’t let anyone else touch you like that. If you hadn’t killed him, Toby would have. 

He waited until you were asleep before he snuck into your apartment through the window. He looked down at you, sleeping so peacefully, and he felt that familiar feeling rising in his chest again. He wanted to touch you, to feel your skin against his. You were knocked out, the alcohol and adrenaline must have completely wiped you out. He had waited so long, and tonight, it was like the universe had perfectly aligned itself, just for him. Just for you. He let out a soft chuckle, a grin spreading across his face. You wouldn't even remember this.

Toby climbed into your bed, carefully so as not to wake you, and laid down next to you. He pressed his body against yours, his nose buried in your hair, inhaling your scent. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close to him. He felt himself growing hard against you, and he let out a small moan.

He couldn’t stop himself from touching you. He slid his hand under your shirt, cupping your breast and squeezing gently. He flicked his thumb over your nipple, feeling it harden under his touch. He could feel the heat coming off your skin, and he wanted more. He needed more.

Toby squeezed your breast again, rolling your nipple between his fingers. He moaned softly, his other hand sliding down your body to your panties. He slipped his hand inside, running his fingers over your clit.

He rubbed it slowly, teasingly, enjoying the little moans that escaped your lips. His cock was painfully hard now, straining against his jeans. He let out a throaty groan, grinding his hips against your ass. He could feel you getting wetter as he teased you. He studied your face again, watching as your eyebrows furrowed and your mouth dropped open.

"F-fuck." He murmured, sloppily kissing your neck as his hand moved faster against you.

He felt you tense up underneath him, and he knew you were close. He kept going, rubbing your clit faster, harder, until you let out a long, breathy moan, arching your back against him. Your whole body shook as you came, and he kept going, drawing out your orgasm as long as he could.

Toby removed his hand from your panties, bringing his slick fingers up to his mouth and licking them clean, groaning at the taste of you. He had never tasted anything so sweet in his life.

He turned you onto your back, looking down at you. You were still asleep, but your face was flushed and your breathing was heavy. He leaned down and kissed you deeply, exploring your mouth with his tongue, the sleepy slackness of your jaw making it easy for him. You moaned softly against his lips, and he pulled away, looking down at you.

You looked so beautiful, laying there underneath him, completely at his mercy. He ran his hands along your curves, squeezing and pinching you, wanting to memorize every inch of you. His cock throbbed, begging to be inside of you, and he had never felt such a strong urge before. He needed to feel you around him, to be one with you.

He pulled off his shirt, tossing it to the floor, and quickly unbuttoned his pants, sliding them down his thighs. He groaned as his cock sprang free, hard and aching. He positioned himself between your legs, pressing the head of his cock against your entrance.

"I-it's okay baby, I'll be g-gentle."

He pushed into you, eyes wide as you took him all in, inch by inch. You were so warm and wet, it was almost overwhelming. He bottomed out, his hips pressed flush against yours, and he let out a moan, resting his forehead on yours.

"F-fuck, you feel s-so good."

He began to move, thrusting slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed. He moaned and grunted as he fucked you, the feeling of your cunt around his cock driving him crazy. He couldn't believe how good you felt, how tight and wet you were. You were perfect, absolutely perfect. Nothing could compare to this, to you.

He buried his face in your neck, breathing you in, listening to your moans and gasps as he fucked you. He felt you clench around him as you came, your body trembling beneath him. A broken moan tumbled from his lips as he felt your walls tighten around his cock, and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

He thrust into you harder, faster, chasing his release. His hips slammed against yours, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room. He was close, so fucking close. You were still unconscious beneath him, and the thought of it all made his head spin. He didn't think he'd ever get enough of you.

He buried himself deep inside you, spilling his seed with a grunt. His cock twitched as he emptied himself inside you, and he moaned, the primal sound reverberating around the room. He stayed there for a moment, catching his breath, before pulling out of you and sitting back on his heels. He looked down at you, taking in your disheveled state, a smirk spreading across his face. Everything was finally clicking into place. 

You were his. You belonged to him, and only him. No one else could touch you, or have you. You were his, and his alone.

And soon, he would take you away from this place, away from everything. You would be together, just you and him, forever. 

You closed your eyes. You felt something tickle your hand and when you looked down you saw it. A small, pale moth was on your skin, walking along your palm. Its little antenna twitched. It was so delicate. So fragile. You had an urge to hold it, to protect it from everything and everyone. The little moth hopped off of your hand and onto the ground, crawling into the white space around you.

"It's been a long time. Do you remember?"

The voice spoke in a sing-songy manner, as if it were talking to a baby or a small animal. The words made no sense to you, but somehow they calmed you and made you feel safe and secure. The voice continued.

"Do you remember me?"

A strong feeling of déjà vu washed over you. The words rang clear and familiar in your mind, but they sounded different from the words themselves, like there was some deeper meaning behind them that you were unable to grasp. The words became stronger, more insistent. They filled your head like water being poured into a glass.

"You'll know me forever, won't you?"

It was a question, a demand, a statement. It didn't matter what the meaning of it was, but it was important that you answered the question. It felt like if you didn't answer it, you wouldn't be able to remember who you were, or where you had come from. Your lips moved of their own accord and your mouth began forming sounds without your knowing.

"Yes."

It felt so familiar to answer the question that way. It felt so natural, but it felt so wrong at the same time. Why was it wrong to answer the question that way? What was the answer supposed to be? Who had asked the question?

Your eyelids fluttered as you felt something touching them. Something soft. Your hand reached up and felt the delicate wings of the moth that had been on your hand. Its wings twitched and fluttered as it sat on your forehead, staring at you. It was the only thing you could see, but it was like looking at yourself in a mirror, like looking into a pool of clear water. You could see the whole world.

Your eyes were drawn to the white sky above you, a perfect endless sea of light. As you stared into the light, your eyes adjusted. You began to see shapes, images of things. The images drew closer, blurring as they approached, and all sense of up and down were lost. You felt yourself tumbling into a forest of tall white trees with thick white bark that looked like bone.

A breeze blew past your ears and the leaves on the trees shook and rattled with its passing. A single leaf broke off of its branch and was blown towards you. The wind died down and the leaf stopped moving and came to rest on your chest, on top of your heart.

It was white, with a red mark on it. It was an insignia. It meant something, but you didn’t know what.

Your heart began to beat faster and faster, pounding in your chest like it wanted to get out and join the leaf in the wind. Your pulse pounded in your head, blocking out any thoughts and reason you had.

A deer walked through the forest, its long legs striding through the leaves and snow, its antlers tipped with icicles that sparkled in the moonlight.

You reached out to touch the deer. It was warm and soft, and you felt safe holding onto its fur.

The deer lifted its graceful head, its delicate ears perking up as it gazed at you with big, luminous brown eyes. In those deep pools of warmth and understanding, you could see an unmistakable affection, as if it recognized you in the vastness of the forest.

"Do you remember me?"

Its voice sounded familiar, but you didn't understand why it sounded familiar. It felt like home.

"Yes."

The deer nuzzled against you and then looked into your eyes.

"I'll keep you safe." it sang, its brown eyes locked with yours.

A gust of wind blew past, lifting up the leaves and making the trees dance, as if they were alive. You held tightly onto the deer and you saw its eyes change color from brown to black and back again. You recognized the eyes from somewhere, but you couldn't place it.

The wind picked up again and the forest was filled with leaves, they fluttered and flew up into the air, forming a swirling vortex. The air was cold and sharp as they were carried upwards into the sky and into the white forest of the trees, which seemed to stretch out into infinity.

You felt your hands slipping. The deer was slipping from your fingers. The deer tried to reach its head out to you, but you lost your grip.

You felt yourself falling through the sky and the wind whipped your body. The world spun and twisted around you, and you saw flashes of bright colors and lights. You were falling faster and faster, the ground below growing closer and closer. You screwed your eyes shut.

The gentle, warm scent of sweet grass wrapped around you, and you felt yourself being cocooned amidst silken foliage. You tentatively opened your eyes. You found yourself adrift in a sea of orange flowers. You felt peaceful, you felt safe.

The sky was a bright pink. The smell of the flowers around you made your head buzz. They felt so soft underneath you. The warmth of the sun on your skin felt comforting.

The sparrow came to you and rested on your shoulder, nuzzling its head against yours. Its small wing was against your cheek, tickling you slightly.

Ahead of you was a tall and beautiful man, with tousled hair and deep brown eyes. His smile was radiant as he looked at you.

"Do you remember me?" he asked. His voice was so sweet and gentle, and you knew this man. You were sure you had met him before.

You reached out and took hold of him. He pulled you into his arms. His arms felt so warm and comforting around you. He smelled like a garden in the evening, like the flowers that were all around you.

He pressed his forehead to yours, closing his eyes, a smile on his face. He whispered something to you, and it sounded like it came from inside you, rather than from his lips. It sounded like a lullaby, something sweet and soft. A memory that you had forgotten.

"Do you know my name?" he asked, his voice so soft that you almost didn't hear it. He sounded so small, like he was afraid of your answer. You closed your eyes and leaned into him, resting your forehead against his. You didn't have an answer, but you knew it wasn't important. You knew that this man knew your name, and he was going to keep it safe.

His name was lost, and so were your memories of him, but his touch was the one thing you had always been able to remember, his smell and the way it felt when his hand ran through your hair. His fingers were slender but rough, and when his thumb moved across your cheek you shivered.

His lips pressed to yours gently and your breath caught in your throat as his hand came to rest on your waist. He kissed your lips softly, and then kissed your neck as his hands began to slide up your sides. His fingers touched every inch of you, tracing patterns on your skin.

"I love you so much." he said.

It sounded familiar but foreign to your ears at the same time, as if it was the first time you had heard it and the millionth time all at once. His hands cupped your face gently, and you let yourself get lost in his kiss. He was everywhere, inside and outside of you, and you knew that you were everything to him. You knew his touch, his kiss, the way his body moved with yours. He knew yours. It was like you were one entity, one being.

He smiled sadly and placed his hand on the side of your face, caressing your cheek with his thumb. You felt tears sting your eyes as he pressed his forehead to yours, letting his lips hover over your mouth, breathing in your breath and exhaling your air. He closed his eyes and whispered your name softly.

"I love you." He said, his voice trembling.

You wanted to tell him that you loved him too, but your words failed you and you could only close your eyes and nod, wrapping your arms around him as he buried his face into your hair. The boy sobbed as he held you tighter.

His words repeated over and over again until you could hear them without his lips even moving, until you could feel them inside of you, as if they had become a part of your own existence, a part of what made you who you are. They filled the empty space of your mind and replaced any thought you might have had before. It was as if those words were the only things in the universe, the only things that existed at all. Those words, and that voice, and that body. You couldn't tell where you ended and he began. You felt like you had never known anything else but his voice in your head. You couldn't even remember ever having a voice at all.

It wasn't a scary or overwhelming thought, but instead, it was comforting. It made you feel safe. The warmth of his body against yours was more familiar than anything you could remember. You had no memory, and no idea who you were or where you had come from, but you felt like this was all that mattered.

The voice was a little clearer now, the words were a little stronger. It was all coming back to you now. He was holding you tight as his words drifted in your head, echoing from his lips and back again until it became almost deafening.

"Please," he begged, his voice cracking. "P-Please. I l-l-love you. Please d-don't leave me. Don't le-le-leave me behind. I love you s-s-so much. Please..." He choked out another sob as he held you even tighter.

He sounded so broken. You knew you should remember this person. You knew the warmth of his body and the way his hand felt in yours. But there was nothing.

You began to feel dizzy and nauseated. Your stomach lurched, your mouth tasted of metal, your throat felt like it was on fire. You started to cough, choking and wheezing as the acerbic taste filled your mouth.

Toby watched each increasingly faint rise and fall of your chest with intensity. His hands trembled as he touched your neck.

He cradled you tenderly in his arms, his dark brown eyes filled with tears that traced silent paths down his cheeks. He let them fall to the floor. He held you tightly, stroking your hair.

"You're g-g-going to be o-okay." Toby said to himself.

It was a lie. He knew it was, but he pushed it away, pushed everything away that was sane.

Toby kissed your forehead softly, his tears soaking your hair. He began to hum as he held you close to him. His eyes were closed as he gently rocked your limp body. It felt wrong, to hold your body so close to his when it wasn't moving. But he did. Toby didn't want to let go of you.

His gentle humming dissolved into heart-wrenching sobs. Toby clutched your lifeless form tightly, his anguish echoing off the walls as he screamed at the ceiling, his pleas mingled with curses and desperate prayers to gods and demons alike.

His eyes were red and wet. His body was shaking violently. It was all his fault. He lied to you. He lied to himself. He didn’t deserve you. He never could have kept you safe. He should've kept away.

Toby slammed his fist into the floor, his sobs giving way to wild cackles as his knuckles broke and began to bleed. He looked at the shattered bones with a manic grin. He watched the blood drip onto your body as frenzied laughter razed through his body.

The last shreds of hope for a normal life were ripped out of Toby's chest. You were the only thing that had mattered. Now, he would bring hell upon this world.

It was going to be so fun. He was going to laugh as his life faded away, as the world around him fell to ruin. He didn't care who died. They all deserved it.

Toby laughed. He couldn't stop. He was so excited for what was coming next.

Your eyes fluttered open, the blurry world around you started to clear and you sat up slowly, finding yourself surrounded by the darkness again, unsure if your eyes were opened or closed, if you were moving or still, the silence made the world spin and you tried to find some source of light.

As you acclimated, a flicker of movement in your peripheral vision jolted your head around. The world swirled in disarray once more, sending you teetering backward. Your eyes drifted shut as a wave of numbness washed over you, engulfing your senses. You sank into the familiar embrace of the bed, feeling it's comforting weight as you lay down.

Slowly, your eyes blinked open, once again attempting to adjust to the dimness of the room. A fleeting glint caught your attention—a small, shimmering light that danced just beyond your reach. Struggling to discern its source, it seemed to play tricks, darting away each time you tried to focus. The world blurred again, tilting your head back onto the pillow. As your eyes began to close once more, the faint, ethereal glow emerged in your periphery, drawing you back from the edge of sleep.

You struggled to open your eyes fully, the blurry shapes in front of you struggling to take form. You were finally able to discern a figure sitting in a chair beside you, and Toby's face gradually came into blurry focus. Squinting, you attempted to sit up, but Toby gently pressed his hand down, easing you back into the bed as dizziness washed over you. His form seemed to blur before your eyes closed, and you felt his hand against your face, his touch soothing as it moved gently.

When you reopened your eyes, sunlight streamed into the room, causing you to flinch as you turned your head. Toby stood near the door, holding a glass, a small smile forming on his lips as your eyes met his. He approached and carefully sat on the mattress beside you, then brought the water to your lips.

"D-D-Drink."

Your head tilted to the side, too weak to sit up, as his hand ran down your face, "Y-You need t-t-to dr-drink."

He lifted the glass closer, and your parched lips parted eagerly as cool water cascaded into your mouth. Toby’s unwavering eyes met yours, his gentle touch sweeping aside stray strands of hair from your face. Drawing back slightly, you paused, and Toby deftly adjusted the glass before guiding it back to your lips with a steady hand.

You took another sip, relishing the invigorating liquid filling your mouth. Toby glanced away with a soft sigh escaping his lips. With closed eyes, you eased your head back onto the pillow, faintly aware of Toby's hand gently resting on the side of your head. Your body shifted slightly, slipping once more into the haze of unconsciousness.

Some time later, you stirred awake, the world gradually sharpening into focus. Toby sat in the chair beside you, engrossed in a book under the soft glow of the lamp. One leg crossed over the other, he seemed lost in thought. As your head nestled back onto the pillow, darkness enveloped you once again.

Your memories of the days prior were fading and dissolving like mist in the morning sun, all you knew were the dream-like fragments swirling in your head. Unable to open your eyes or move, a pervasive numbness enveloped you. It was as if you weren’t real, detached from reality and existing only as an abstract concept.

The numbness consumed everything, an infinite emptiness, stretching into nothing but void. It was a cold darkness that wrapped itself around your consciousness like a cocoon and squeezed so tightly that your breath became ragged and painful, a throbbing ache in your chest where your heart used to be.

Your eyes closed and everything started to fade away slowly, the world becoming nothing more than a black abyss. You found a strange comfort in the lack of sensation.

There was only the sound of your breathing, which was getting weaker by the minute, as your chest felt tighter, a lump in your throat, but you couldn't make a sound.

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Toby was pacing around the house, the only sounds being the clink of his hatchet hitting the other, the creaking of the floor, and an occasional tic pulling from him as he thought. For days now you'd been sick and weak and feverish, with a very high temperature. The only time he could get you to eat was if he hand-fed you small bits of food. You couldn't even lift your head off the pillow. You looked so fragile and frail lying on the bed, that it scared him.

He knew the situation wasn't good, but he couldn't risk taking you to a doctor or hospital for help, and he knew he couldn’t seek assistance from any of the other proxies. The more he dwelled on it, the deeper his anxiety grew, fear tightening its grip and causing his hands to tremble. In your current weakened state, you were the epitome of vulnerability, easy prey in their world. It was Jeff's mentality, his creed, and the prevailing mindset among his fellow proxies. And whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, he knew deep down that he shared the same ethos.

Whispers began to swirl in his mind, growing more insistent with each passing thought:

They are going to take her away.

You can't keep her safe forever.

They're going to take her.

You are going to lose her.

Fury ignited within him, a fierce protectiveness enveloping his chest. You were his, and his alone. He wouldn't let them touch you, or take you from him, he wouldn't let anyone else touch you ever again.

Running his hand over the top of the hatchet, his chest heaved with rapid breaths. Blood surged through his veins, hot and heavy and full of anger. You belonged to him, you belonged to Toby, and nobody could take you from him, not Jeff, not the other proxies, and not even him. He would kill anyone who tried to hurt you or take you from him. He'd already made a vow to protect you, and that meant protecting you from every possible thing. No matter what that was, or how long he had to do it for. He'd already killed so many people, he had nothing else to lose.

His head twitched involuntarily, his grip tightening around the hatchet as his chest heaved with rapid breaths. He wouldn't let you be taken away, he couldn't, because then you wouldn't be there. And he needed you, needed you like air. You were his everything, and he was determined to have you with him at all costs. He would keep you safe, keep you close, keep you his.

A sharp rap at the door snapped Toby from his thoughts.

"F-Fuck off," he grumbled quietly, annoyance prickling under his skin.

He made his way to the kitchen, contemplating what he could prepare for you. Lately, your appetite had dwindled to mere nibbles, and he wasn't certain if you'd even feel like eating today, but he had to try. As he gathered ingredients, the door creaked open, and he heard footsteps enter the room behind him.

"G-Get the f-fuck out!" Toby's outburst was louder than he intended, anger bubbling over as his head jerked to the side, a painful crack echoing through the room.

"Easy there, Toby," Tim's thick southern drawl cut through the tension. Toby rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter.

"Wh-What are you d-d-doing here?" he asked, annoyance evident in his voice.

Tim raised an eyebrow at Toby. “Just checkin’ in.” He replied calmly.

"R-Right, well th-th-thanks, you can go n-now," Toby's voice took on a steely edge. He knew Tim had an agenda in coming over, and Toby wasn’t in the mood. He folded his arms tightly as he watched Tim approach.

"W-What do y-you want?" Toby asked, his glare directed upward at the large figure before him.

"Well, you ain't been out for a while now. And that's not good," Tim explained. Toby narrowed his eyes, studying him intently.

"Y-yeah, well I g-got things I h-have to do, so leave m-m-me alone," Toby replied curtly, waving Tim off.

Tim, with an offhand stride, moved towards the bedroom, and Toby instinctively stepped in front of him to block his path.

Tim crossed his arms and stared at the man in front of him, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. He could feel it too, the blood in his veins starting to get warmer, burning.

"Oh yeah? Now, what’s got your panties all twisted up?" he replied, a tinge of amusement lacing his words, and Toby sighed in frustration.

He knew it was pointless to try to fight Tim, he was far bigger than him and it wouldn't end well. Not only that, it would only invite more attention to his situation. He was trying to be logical, even in the face of the absurdity of it all. Toby just shook his head.

"J-just, n-nothing, so p-p-please go," he said, his voice cracking slightly from anxiety. He hated this feeling, the one that made him feel so vulnerable. He hated it more than anything.

Toby felt the heat rising to his face again as the tall man pushed past him, and made his way into the bedroom. Toby wanted to scream, to run over and tackle him, to do anything to keep him from touching you. He was angry, but he also felt fear deep within. He couldn't risk it, not when it was about you.

He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging into his palm, drawing blood, as he watched Tim approach your sleeping form and place a hand on your forehead. "Jesus Christ," Toby heard him whisper.

He watched Tim step back, before grabbing a handful of the sheet and throwing it off your body.

"Hey-" Toby started, taking a step closer towards him. Tim was overstepping, and Toby couldn't let him get any farther with you, not now, not like this. He felt the anger coursing through his veins as Tim lifted your arm to examine you closer.

"Well, I’ll tell you I'm surprised. I never thought you had it in you," he said as he placed his hand on your cheek. You flinched at the touch.

"It's alright, sweetheart. It's okay. I ain't gonna hurt you." he said softly, a contradictory gleam in his eye.

"She's...She's n-not yours," Toby said softly as he stepped closer, taking the hatchet in his hand. "B-back the fuck up." Toby growled, the anger rising in his voice as Tim let go of you, dropping your hand on the bed as you turned to curl into the blankets.

"Calm down, Toby. You need to quit being so fuckin' paranoid all the damn time, it ain't cute." Tim scolded as he turned and walked back into the living room, leaving you in bed alone.

Toby felt himself twitching in anger as he followed the tall man out of his bedroom, his hands shaking slightly from the adrenaline coursing through his body. His breath quickened, and he tightened his grip on the hatchet.

"Don't you f-fucking dare talk t-t-to me like I'm a ch-child," Toby growled as he followed the man out into the living room, watching him walk into the kitchen and grab a drink from his fridge. Toby was sick of it, sick of everything. All he wanted was you to himself. Was that really too much to ask for?

"You don't g-get to walk in h-here and do wh-wh-whatever the fuck you want. She's not a f-f-fuckin' toy! And she's not a b-b-body bag. You have to st-stop! You've a-all fucking got t-t-to STOP!" Toby yelled, the words spilling out of him uncontrollably. Tim looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"Don't tell me you care for it, Toby. We don't do that. It's a human. It's prey."

Toby felt his heart sink and anger rose again as the tall man stood over him, towering over him. Toby stood tall and gripped the hatchet tight in his hand.

"D-don't call her an i-it! She's not p-prey! You have to stop this! Y-you have to fucking stop!" Toby's cry filled the room, his hand twisting into his hair, tugging savagely. Tim's gaze hardened, irritation and anger flickering across his face.

"No, you have to stop. This has got to fuckin' stop, Toby. It ain't good for us, for any of us. It ain't right, what you're doin'. I thought you were smarter than that."

"It's n-not up to you t-to decide! Y-You can't have h-her, you're n-not allowed. Y-y-you don't deserve her!" Toby hissed. Tim glanced down at the shorter man, a puzzled expression crossing his face. Then, a laugh bubbled up from within him, causing Toby to twitch aggressively.

"Y'ain't one to talk about who gets what. You're a goddamn murderer, Tobias. What in the world makes you think that you have the right to tell us who gets to be killed or who gets to be fuckin' spared?" Tim said as he took a step closer to Toby.

"You have to get rid of it. It's bad enough it's a human, and even worse that you're so... attached to it." he said.

Toby stared at Tim with hatred as his fingers twitched, itching to grab his hatchet and to strike. He took a deep breath to calm himself, shaking as he glared at him. He was going to be calm, for your sake.

"Y-you have to g-go."

"Toby," Tim said in a stern voice.

"You h-have to g-g-go! Get o-out. Out!"

He felt as if he were on the edge of a cliff. It would have been so easy for him to give in and attack Tim. But he was determined to keep his composure. He didn't want you to see him in his other mind. Not when you were like this, so broken. He needed you to know that you could trust him.

Tim let out an exhausted sigh. "Look, I know you think you know what you're doin', but trust me when I tell you you don't know shit, kid. This isn't the way we do things."

"N-now, Tim." Toby growled, his voice low and edged with frustration. He squared his shoulders defiantly, the muscles tensing beneath his shirt, as Tim crossed his arms with indifference, his expression unreadable.

"Doesn't matter much either way," Tim retorted casually, his tone dismissive. "Her time'll be up soon enough."

With a final glance, Tim turned on his heel and strode out the front door, closing it gently behind him, leaving Toby seething in the wake of his departure.

"Fuckin' dick. He has no f-fucking idea wh-what he's talking ab-b-bout. Stupid ass, d-dumb, dumbass," he cursed quietly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

He could feel pressure building up inside him, and it wasn't the good kind. It was the kind that made him feel sick and exhausted, like the world was going to collapse on top of him. It made him want to punch something until his knuckles bled, just so he could feel something other than that pain that was constantly gnawing away at him.

Toby turned his head, his eyes fixating on your serene, sleeping figure bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamp.

He needed to be calm. You needed him.

Toby took a deep breath. "F-Fuck it," he grumbled as he walked over to the bed and sat down beside you.

"Baby," Toby cooed softly as he placed his hand on your hip, pulling you gently, feeling you curl up into him. He laid there beside you, stroking your arm.

"It's go-going to b-be okay." he said softly, leaning in and pressing his face into your shoulder as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. Toby loved your smell. Your skin was so soft, so smooth. He loved the way you felt against him. He wanted you close.

You tensed for a second.

"Baby g-girl. It's just m-me." He said softly. You didn't respond. He didn't mind, as long as you were letting him hold you. You didn't flinch or move away, and you were calm in his arms.

"I'll k-keep you safe." he mumbled as he ran his fingers along your skin, moving down to the hem of your shirt, brushing it up slightly to expose your bare back to his fingertips.

He took another breath.

He had been doing so well at controlling himself, at holding back his urges. It would be so easy to take advantage of you, especially when you were in this state. It would be so easy.

Toby pushed those thoughts aside as he felt you start to shiver slightly under his touch, his fingertips tracing up the smooth skin of your back. Toby couldn't stop himself from moving closer to you. You weren't saying no, or pulling away, or even tensing.

He slid his hands under your hips and moved you onto your back, laying you out under him, placing a gentle kiss onto your stomach before sitting up and hovering over you.

His breathing was quick as his eyes traced over your form. He tried to remind himself that you needed comfort. He was only going to make sure that you were okay.

Toby felt his heart begin to race and a lump formed in his throat. He had to control himself, to remind himself that you had been through a lot, and you were just seeking comfort from him, but all he could think about was the image of you underneath him, naked, at his mercy, your legs wrapped around him as he-

He shook the thoughts out of his mind as he forced his body to calm down, leaning down, nuzzling into your shoulder, planting gentle kisses as he began to make his way down your chest. He needed you to feel safe. That's all that mattered right now. He just had to keep telling himself that.

Toby placed another kiss onto your breast over your shirt, his eyes filled with hunger as he began to push your shirt up, exposing your belly to him, kissing over it.

Lick her.

Taste her.

Make her scream.

Take her.

Destroy her.

She's yours.

No one else's.

Mine.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

"Fuck." he mumbled. He couldn't stop. The voices were so loud. They were so hard to ignore.

His lips moved up and down your chest as his hands ran down your body and found themselves at the waistband of your panties, gently tugging them down, your legs raising as he did so. Toby moaned as he pushed your legs apart, his head between them.

Toby closed his eyes, inhaling your scent deeply. He pressed his mouth to the inside of your thigh, and his fingers moved to spread your lips, before he began to kiss over them slowly and deliberately, moving to your clit.

Toby flicked out his tongue, pressing it flat before slowly dragging it over the small sensitive nub. He did it again and again, getting into a steady rhythm as he listened to your quiet moans. Toby groaned as he sucked your clit gently, feeling it start to throb. His fingers rubbed against your folds, moving them up and down the slit as his tongue began to move faster, harder.

He wanted you to feel pleasure, not pain, not fear. He wanted to give you something that you would remember later. He needed to give you a good memory.

You moaned and arched your back again, pressing yourself into his mouth. He sucked and licked as he worked in a second finger, pushing them in and out with increasing speed. He wanted to make sure that you had this moment, so you could forget about what had happened, and what was coming. Toby needed to give you something, some kind of distraction, to take your mind off everything, to make you feel loved. You were so perfect. He wanted you so badly. He needed you, to have you. You tasted so sweet, like the honey that you were. He needed to give you this.

"C-Come on, baby. Th-That's it." he mumbled as he sucked and licked harder. Your fingers instinctively wove into the soft strands of his hair, a gentle action that sent a shiver down his spine.

"Good g-girl." he growled. "Cum f-for me, baby." he said softly before burying his face in between your legs, moving his tongue all over before focusing back on your clit, tasting you as he lapped up all of your juices. His fingers continued to fuck you hard and fast, your body tensing and tightening as you finally spilled over.

Toby slowed his pace, licking and sucking softly, working you through your orgasm as you shook and squirmed underneath him, whimpering quietly, tugging on his hair. He slowly pulled out his fingers.

He pulled his face up to meet your eyes. You were looking right at him, your face red, your eyes half-lidded and heavy, your chest rising and falling as you tried to catch your breath, your sex glistening and wet, your shirt up above your breasts.

Toby slowly slid out his tongue and ran it over his lips, taking in your sweet taste, feeling his cock twitch. You made him so hard, so fast.

Toby bit his lip, feeling his heart pounding in his ears, and he felt himself begin to throb with desire for you, for your body, and a deep rumble traveled up his throat.

It would be okay, he was going to make sure that he didn't hurt you.

Toby placed another kiss on the inside of your thigh, before slowly standing up, pulling his pants down to his knees, and pulling his hard length out of his boxers, stroking it as he looked down at you. His eyes trailed all over your body, wanting to take it all in before he slid into you and filled you completely.

He groaned at the thought, biting his lip as he watched your legs open for him. Toby quickly got between them, stroking himself faster before he pushed the tip against your slick opening. Toby moved his hips back, pulling himself away from you before pushing himself forward again, slowly sliding in. You felt so wet, so tight and hot as he pushed himself in, filling you. You were so perfect for him, like you were made for him.

"Oh my g-g-god..."

The words creaked out as he began to push himself into you, deeper, going slow and easy. He started to moan. You felt so good and it felt so good to him to have your tight little cunt wrapped around him, squeezing him.

"I love it, b-b-baby... You feel s-so fucking good." Toby moaned, leaning forward, moving faster, deeper, grinding his hips in small circles. He closed his eyes, feeling the heat of you against his skin as he pumped himself in and out. You groaned in return, grabbing the blanket under you with one hand as Toby slid in deeper, feeling your body stretch around him. He could feel you start to tremble. His orgasm was coming fast and he couldn't hold back.

Toby released a broken moan, closing his eyes tight, feeling himself come undone. He filled you up as he slammed himself inside of you, before he shakingly pulled himself out, spilling his cum all over the mattress.

Toby got out of bed and left the room for a minute. He came back with a towel and started to wipe you clean. You were so still and quiet, almost in shock. Toby wasn't sure what to think. Was it okay? He was sure you would tell him if you didn't want to fuck anymore, or if he had hurt you. Maybe you were in shock because you enjoyed it so much, because of what you just felt. Maybe.

"I d-d-didn't hurt y-you." he said softly, almost as if it was a question, or as if he wasn't sure what he did.

Toby finished cleaning you off and went to leave again, but you grabbed his arm, looking at him with wide, fearful eyes. He covered your hand with his own.

"I w-won't l-l-leave." he said.

Toby climbed back into the bed with you. He laid down on the mattress and wrapped his arms around you, holding you against him. Toby moved your hair from your neck and kissed your forehead. He ran his hands all over your soft body as he held you close, gently caressing and soothing you as you stared blankly ahead.

Toby closed his eyes.

"You're g-going to b-be alright. I’ll k-keep you safe."

Toby is no longer with you in bed. You lie in his sheets, smelling the familiar scent of pine trees and damp earth. He's out hunting again. You try to remember what he said before he left, but the words don't make sense, his voice like static in your ears.

A sigh escapes your lips as you push yourself up off of the mattress. As soon as you stand up, your body wobbles and the world tilts before your eyes. The dizziness washes over you, and for a moment, you fear that you may be sick. It takes a few more seconds before the feeling passes, but it leaves you feeling shaky.

Your eyes trail along the cracks and splinters in the wooden walls. You've lost count of how long it has been since the last time you were out of the cabin. Your hair has grown long and untamed, a reflection of days slipping by without measure. The feeling of being adrift, disconnected from routine, weighs heavily upon you. You've never felt so out of control.

Toby comes and goes, disappearing into the night like a thief, then returning just before sunrise to care for you. His emotions are a turbulent sea, leaving you perpetually uncertain of when the next storm might brew; a sudden outburst or an unexpected advance. Sometimes, when he thinks you are asleep, he'll stroke your hair and whisper words of affection and apology into your ear, begging you to understand. It seems he doesn't understand it himself. He promises that he loves you more than anything and he'll never hurt you again. He keeps you safe and sheltered and warm. He doesn't need anyone else but you.

Your legs carry you toward the closet. Your eyes move to the mirror hanging from the wall beside. It's old, dirty, dusty. There are spider webs on the edge of the glass, a few cobwebs dangling from the frame. You turn to face yourself, gazing into your reflection. Your skin is paler than it used to be. The dark circles under your eyes look more prominent. You look sick. Your eyes are glassy, the color seems to have been sucked out of them. They look empty, lifeless, devoid of emotion. You're starting to lose sight of the person who looked back at you in the mirror so long ago. The person that stared at you through the mirror is unrecognizable now. They're hollow and soulless. They look like the corpse of your old self, like a ghost trapped within its own reflection.

You step back. Your gaze drops down to your body, noticing the dark red marks covering your skin, the bruises, the cuts, the scars. The scars from the time you tried to escape and the marks that Toby leaves on your skin during your nightmares. You study them quietly for a moment, then your attention shifts to the metal collar encircling your neck. It's been there since the day Toby fastened it around you, the unforgiving metal chafing your skin raw, leaving the area tender and sore. The edges dig into you with every movement. Your fingers trace the chain linked to the collar, feeling it's cold solidity, before dropping away.

You feel nothing. The realization comes as a shock, but it feels true. Your hands move up to your head and tangle into your hair. Your eyes close as a tear escapes and trickles down your cheek. It rolls over your chin, slipping past your jaw to fall onto the wooden floor below. Another follows suit and another and another, until your shoulders are shaking violently and sobs begin to escape from your mouth. It hurts, but you don't feel it. It doesn't make any sense to you.

A wave of nausea comes over you, your stomach clenches, your throat constricts. Your mouth waters and bile rises in your throat, threatening to spill over. You can taste the acidity of it, burning the back of your tongue. You swallow it back, forcing yourself to calm down. Your pulse races in your temples, making your head pound with the force of a hammer. The room spins and you grab the edge of the bed frame, using it for support as your knees wobble beneath you. You close your eyes and try to steady yourself. Your heartbeat echoes in your ears, deafening you, drowning out all other sounds. The only thing you hear is the rapid beating of your heart, pulsing with each breath you take. Your fingers grip the wood of the frame tightly, squeezing it so hard that it feels like your hands might shatter if you were to release them. You take several deep breaths, willing yourself to calm down, trying to force the panic out of your mind.

You open your eyes and glance around, blinking rapidly until the room comes back into focus. You take another deep breath before letting go of the frame, moving towards the bed. Your legs tremble as you sit down on the mattress and place your palms flat on your thighs. You inhale deeply through your nose, holding the air for several seconds before letting it out through your mouth. The sound of it echoes around the room.

This cabin is your world now. Toby's world. Toby is your world. That's all there is. No other way to look at it. You feel so lost without him here with you, even though it is his fault that you are trapped in this mess. His fault. He did this, and you hate him for it.

You hate him so much, yet you can't live without him. The thought terrifies you. You need him, even though he has taken everything from you. You feel so weak. Pathetic. Worthless. The last months have drained you of everything that makes you a human being. You can barely function when he is away. You can't remember what it was like before all of this happened. All you remember is that one day everything was fine and then the next, the whole world changed forever. And it is all Toby's fault.

Your hands grip at your hair again, clutching at it until the strands pull at your scalp. You're trying so hard not to fall apart. Not again. Not now.

You don’t want to face reality outside these four walls. You don't want to remember. It is best not to remember. You try to hold on to what little of yourself you have left, but every time you fall asleep, you see the dead man’s face, the tall man in the shadows, and you remember that you aren't safe anymore. You aren't safe anywhere. You'll never be safe again. There are too many monsters lurking around in this world, and all their scents seem to be trained on you.

The front door slams shut, and you tense up. Footsteps approach, unmistakably his. You avoid meeting his gaze; you don't want him to see how upset you are. Yet, his presence fills the room, his scrutiny palpable. You feel a profound exhaustion settling in, sapping your energy more than you thought possible. What was once clear has become a haze of confusion and anger. You want it all to go away.

Toby says your name softly and you shiver. He kneels beside the bed, putting a hand on your leg. You don't react, numb to his touch.

Toby says your name again. It's different this time. It's like he is calling you. You can almost feel him trying to pull you back to reality.

You close your eyes and breathe deeply. The air feels thick, like molasses. It makes it difficult to get a good lungful. You keep trying anyway. You're so tired, all you want to do is sleep. You don't want to feel anymore.

You hear shuffling as Toby moves to sit beside you on the bed. His arm wraps around your shoulders, drawing you close against his chest. His fingers gently comb through your hair.

Surrendering to the soothing sensation, you lean into his embrace. He is the only thing left. The only warm body you can hold on to anymore. You feel the reassuring rhythm of his heart pulsing through his shirt. Strong, steady. The familiarity of it brings you solace. It reminds you that he is alive, therefore you are alive. That is what matters. Nothing else matters anymore.

He calls to you again, pulling you from your thoughts. Blinking away tears, you meet his gaze. His hands cradle your face tenderly, his thumbs brushing the wet trails along your cheeks. Toby leans in, resting his forehead against yours, his warm breath carrying a faint scent of coffee that sends a shiver down your spine. Closing your eyes, you feel his hands move from your cheeks to your hips, his touch searing through the fabric of your shirt.

His lips brush gently against yours, causing you to tense momentarily before he pulls back, leaving you breathless. Opening your eyes, you find his expression soft. He speaks so quietly you almost miss it.

"I-It's okay. I'm h-here." He kisses your cheek gently, murmuring, "I l-love you," against the skin in a low, soothing tone. "Everything's g-g-gonna be okay."

His warmth envelops you like a soft blanket on a cold night, and you find yourself melting into the safety of his embrace. His hold tightens, securing you in his comforting grasp. The solid strength of his chest pressed against yours sends subtle shivers of reassurance through your body, each breath he takes a rhythmic comfort. His body heat surrounds you like a cocoon, gradually guiding you towards the edge of sleep. Your breaths slow in harmony with his, the cadence of your heartbeats syncing in the dimming light.

As the encroaching darkness embraces you, it brings a sense of peace and calm, gently pulling you into its embrace where worries and fears fade into a distant murmur.

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You gradually return to consciousness to the sound of skin slapping on skin. Your groggy mind then registered the feeling of something hard slamming inside you. Your eyes flew open.

Toby was on top of you, and he had woken you up from sleep with a sudden thrust deep inside of you. Your mouth was open and drooling as he continued pounding his hips into yours. He was grunting and moaning into your ear as he moved in and out.

His tongue ran around the shell as he whispered, "I l-love you, I love you s-so much."

He moaned as he pulled out and pushed in again, causing your eyes to flutter and close.

You were in a stupor, your mind only barely able to register what was happening. You could only moan and groan and whine as he pounded into you relentlessly.

"You’re so s-sweet," he growled before his hands grabbed your waist, bucking his hips hard into yours.

He continued to thrust into you relentlessly as you closed your eyes tightly. He pulled out and you felt yourself getting flipped over onto your stomach, your mind so hazy with lust and sleep you barely noticed.

He slid his length back inside of you, filling you completely with one smooth movement of his hips. Your mind felt clouded, like a fog had taken over and you felt so far away from the situation you were in.

He began moving again, thrusting his hips in and out, slowly, in and out. His fingers moved down and his hands wrapped around your thighs,

"I-I'm going to make you come for me," he whispered, his breath in your ear, his hands pushing your legs wider as he moved harder and faster.

His fingers moved to press your clit and your mouth opened in a silent cry as he began rubbing circles around it. The sensations made your body arch and he moaned in your ear, "T-there you go," as you felt the sensations grow through you.

Your body started to grow tight and your breathing became quick and heavy as he slammed his hips into yours. You couldn't ignore the pleasure building and you groaned loudly as he started thrusting harder and faster, his hips snapping into yours as your legs shook, your head turning back. Your toes curled and your breathing hitched as you felt yourself pushed over the edge. His hands moved down to grip your ass and hips, thrusting into you as your legs shook and your hands tangled in the sheets.

You whimpered as you came down and he was breathing heavy in your ear. He growled and your hips jerked as you started to get overly sensitive, your head falling into the sheets as protesting whines lurched from your throat, feeling his thrusts get harder and faster as you closed your eyes.

"Shhh, b-baby..." he whispered, "I'm close..."

His voice trailed off as he pounded his hips into you hard and fast.

You whimpered and cried out as his hands grabbed onto your ass, your body being rocked as you closed your eyes tight. His fingers moved up your sides, panting hard in your ear,

"F-fuck, you're t-tight,"

His hands gripped bruisingly onto your waist, "C-c-cumming, baby girl, sh-shit.." he moaned, his voice cracking as his movements became erratic. He emptied himself deep inside of you, and your eyes fluttered open, looking over your shoulder back at him. His pupils were blown wide, narrowed and dark with lust.

Toby sat up, his hands gripping your ass tightly as his hips continued to snap hard and fast, your body tightening around him inside of you. He was still hard, his fingers moving and running up your back before he flipped you back over.

"I'm not done yet..." he growled.

"Cum again for me…" he grunted in your ear, as his hips pounded hard into your sensitive cunt, causing you to scream as your body jerked under him. He moaned as his hands gripped onto your legs tightly,

"That's it..."

You cried out loudly as his hips thrust harder, "Cum on me..." he grunted before his fingers moved to rub circles over your sore clit, you screwed your eyes shut as your body grew taut, before the sensations took you.

"Cum!" he growled and you cried out in nettled ecstasy, a sudden jolt over the precipice, your body shuddering as you came. He released a broken moan as he felt you clamping down around him.

Your inner walls gripped onto him as he twitched deep inside of you, feeling the warm, hot spurts of his come flooding your walls, and you felt his body shake slightly on top of yours, your mind coming down as you felt him start to soften inside you. You were panting hard and fast, and your mind began to wander off before he finally pulled himself out of you.

Toby panted as he collapsed onto his back next to you. His hands moved up your back and pulled you on top of his chest, his lips pressing against the top of your head, and you let yourself rest in his arms. His fingers traced patterns on your back.

You looked up into his eyes, noticing they had returned to the soft brown color, and he smiled sweetly at you, his hand coming to the side of your face. His voice was barely a whisper, "I l-l-love you..."

Your mind started to feel hazy as he slowly lifted you up. Your mind scarcely registered the soft clink of metal as the collar was released from your neck.

"Take a sh-shower with me," he smiled, his voice trailing into a whisper. Too tired to give any indication of a response, you yielded silently as he guided you to the bathroom. There, the warm water enveloped both of you as he tenderly cleansed your marred skin.

Toby was gently washing your body when he heard his phone go off on the counter, his fingers trailed the back of your neck and shoulder as he stepped out, leaving you standing alone, and you wrapped your arms around your naked form. He grabbed his phone and checked his texts as you started to feel dizzy again.

Your eyes swam around the small bathroom before you found yourself collapsing in the tub, your body went slack and your vision faded.

You couldn't see or feel Toby picking your body up and carrying you back into the bedroom.

He pulled the sheets over your body and his lips pressed against the side of your head as you laid there, unable to open your eyes and move, your body slowly losing feeling as you faded in and out of consciousness.

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Your eyes slowly started to peek open, and your head turned to the side. The sun was barely setting over the trees, illuminating the sky in beautiful pink, orange and yellow tones. The sight brought a smile to your face, but as you sat up, dizziness enveloped you, causing the world to tilt and sway.

A long groan escaped your throat, feeling as though your head was being crushed under immense pressure. You reached out, your arms finding the mattress to steady yourself against the disorienting sensation.

Toby stepped through the door, "Y-Y-You're awake," he smiled widely before he made his way towards you.

You struggled to rise, your body swaying unsteadily. Toby quickly seized you with a tight embrace, steadying your teetering balance. Your head found its place against his chest, where his lips gently brushed against your forehead. With each passing moment, your eyelids grew heavier, and your mind started to drift.

"You've b-b-been out o-of it for o-over a day," he said quietly before his arms moved around you.

Your eyes fluttered back open as his hand gently cupped your face and he leaned down, his thumb moved to run across your cheek.

He pressed his lips to your forehead, "I th-think you m-m-might b-be sick," he said quietly as his lips moved down to the side of your head.

Your body felt warm against him as you sighed quietly.

His eyes searched yours, then he slowly disentangled you from his arms before taking a step back,

"W-w-wait t-there."

Your eyes started to drift again as Toby stepped out of the room to the living room and came back a few moments later. You were still in the same position, your legs barely supporting you as the world spun. Your vision started to fade again before your legs gave out and you felt him catch you. You could faintly feel him pressing his lips to the side of your head and his fingers tracing over your back.

You couldn't feel yourself being moved until Toby placed you onto the soft couch in the main room. Your body started to shake and convulse, and his arms wrapped around you tightly, holding you steady as you closed your eyes. He placed your head back onto the couch gently before he stood up, and made his way into the bathroom.

He twisted the faucet handle, the rush of water filling a glass vessel echoing in the tiled room. After shutting it off, he returned with the brimming cup, and knelt beside you. You could barely keep your eyes open as he sat down. Toby pressed the glass to your lips and helped you drink, the cold water refreshing your mouth as your eyes fluttered, trying to focus on keeping yourself conscious.

"L-L-Lay down," Toby said softly, moving the glass away from your mouth. You felt his arm wrap around you and lift you up gently before he placed your head into his lap. Your eyes slowly shut again as his fingers brushed lightly over your face,

"I-It's go-gonna be okay," he whispered softly.

Toby draped a blanket over you, your breath gradually slowing and steadying as your body relaxed. He tenderly stroked your hair, your breathing deepening with each gentle caress.

"I l-l-love you," Toby said quietly, "You're g-g-gonna be okay."

You felt the familiar limbo of unconsciousness come over you as you slipped into sleep, the words echoing in your mind as you finally let go of reality.