One Killer Maze

Epilogue: Masky

The knock was abrupt and short. The door opened, stopping halfway through, noticing that Y/N had sat up just as the door was opening. Her E/C eyes landed on the male that stood in the doorway. Dark, brown hair and piercing eyes. He was a bit on the short side, but that didn't change the fact that he could kill her quickly.

Y/N inhaled, pulling the messy blankets further upon her body to fend off the chills that crawled up her legs. The room was bathed in a cold light from the window, or was it because of the lack of warmth altogether? The only warmness she could find was the blankets, and that still wasn't enough.

"I'll get you something to drink," the male stated, swinging himself back through the door and leaving her to sit in the stillness of the room. Y/N shifted in the bed, the warmth of the sheets and the fuzziness of the blankets keeping her in place... But this situation made her all too uneasy. Everything about this was off, wasn't it? Ever since her memories returned to her...everything felt different.

And the weight of all of it came crashing down.

S/N's death... Sarah's and Barbara's and Ronan's! Sasha and Norrington...

Levi...

Y/N placed a hand over her mouth to stop her lips from trembling, but her body shuddered and she choked on a sob that erupted from her throat, hot trails of tears running down her face. She pressed her back against the headboard of the bed, curling her body up towards her chest. Blood, so much blood had been shed and it was their fault.

Her eyes trained over to the door, the door that was still kept open, the stale air sweeping through and allowing fresher air to move through. Y/N gasped for breath, her lungs sore and eyes tired from the tears that she had shed. Y/N fell quiet, glancing around the room. An old-looking wardrobe near the far left corner of the room and a dresser in the center, pressed against the wall with a green rug underneath it, spreading underneath the bed she was on as well. The window to the left had drawn back drapes, revealing a white lining around the outside corners of the pane. Frost, the first frost of winter.

The floorboards creaked near the doorway to her right causing Y/N to jump from her place on the bed. Owl-eyed, she stared at the male who held a small, wooden tray with both hands. A mug with something steaming from it, a bowl with a spoon at the side, and an orange bottle of pills. He made his way over to the side of the bed she wasn't near to and settled the tray down onto the bed.

"You should eat." He commented quietly, but it wasn't a suggestion, it was more of a command.

Y/N eyed the tray. The bowl had a yellow broth with orange chunks of what seemed to be carrots and noodles. The mug was a dark orange, but a sweet smell wafted over to her side of the bed. Tea. The blankets had slipped off of her body and she moved over tentatively as Timothy stepped away to a lush chair near the far side of the room to her right.

Taking the mug, she felt tingles run up her hands and shivered in delight. Her chills fell away as she took a small sip, careful to not burn her tongue or mouth. Soon enough, Y/N could feel her fingers and toes again.

The H/C haired girl leaned over the tray, carefully arranging things on it so that the tea wouldn't spill, the soup as well, which she began eating hungrily. The killer that sat in the corner of the room watched her but averted his eyes at certain moments as if this was uncomfortable for the both of them.

"You're stuck with me. You know that, right?" He spoke up suddenly, his arms crossed and legs stretched out in front of him, "I doubt that this is going to be a fun ride, but we've got no other choice."

She watched his face scrunch up as if he thought of something that revolted him.

Y/N lowered the spoon from her lips, placing the utensil inside the bowl gently, only making a quiet noise as it settled. She shifted in place and placed her hands on her lap. The few memories she had of Tim...it was only in the maze. Getting shot by him was one thing, but that wasn't him. That wasn't the one in front of her, it was Masky. And that had her thinking...how far apart were they? How much did he have to restrain himself to keep in control?

"Can you pass me those?" He pointed at the tray, more importantly, the orange bottle of pills. Y/N took them in her hand and glanced them over before tossing them to the man sitting in the chair. He opened the bottle and shook out two pills, then swallowed them dry. The female cringed, taking up her tea to wash away the weird feeling in her throat. He noticed her look and smirked.

"It's not as bad as you think," he shut the bottle and placed them on the small bedside table. Tim ruffled his own hair, "you get used to it after a while."

"What are they for?" She asked quietly, the mug covering her mouth, but her eyes gazed curiously over at him. He hummed in response, sitting up so his legs weren't stretched lazily outwards. She could tell by his body language that it wasn't something that he could say so easily. "It's fine if you don't want to..."

He watched her for a few moments longer and shrugged, "I'm going to have to tell you at one point. It's just the two of us for a while," he sank backward.

"They're for my headaches... For the sickness."

Y/N blinked, staring.

"The... Slender sickness?"

He only nodded, rubbing his hands together. The name of it clearly put him on edge, so she made a mental note not to say anything further until he finished.

"If I don't take them, it gets hard to control these...urges. It's like someone else is fighting for control, but these are the only way to suppress them sometimes." He motioned his head over to the bottle and narrowed his eyes, "if that's not enough...then Masky takes over. But sometimes I have to let him."

"You let him?" Y/N whispered.

He nodded again, sighing, "it's not fun, believe me. Knowing that a killer is also part of me, well, a part of everyone. It's only natural instincts to want to survive."

A natural instinct.

"Am... I a killer?" Y/N glanced at her hands that had been clutching the mug. She nervously placed it on the tray as if she was afraid of doing something. Tim stood up.

"You want me to answer that?"

Y/N parted her lips to respond, but closed them, clenching her hands together, "I... I don't..know."

The male moved over, taking the tray off the bed and on the small table, part of the wooden tray hovering on air, the heaviness of the bowl keeping it upright. Y/N couldn't look at him.

I can't be. I can't be! It was supposed to be a game. It...

"Y/N, look at me."

She didn't.

"Please."

She paused, sucking in a shaky breath, slowly lifting her head. Tim had one leg kneeling on the bed, the other on the ground to lean forward, he placed a hand on the side of her face that was cold- no, it was warm. Her face was cold and the warmth from his hand spread across her face, bringing color back slowly. Her eyes closed and she pressed against it, exhaling slowly.

"You're not. If it really bothers you that much, you're not. I'll repeat it until it gets through that thick head of yours," she opened her eyes to glare slightly at him, but they widened to see him smiling warmly.

"Timothy.."

His hand fell to her shoulder and he leaned forward, bringing her body forward to hug her tightly.

"You're human, Y/N. Believe it or not, we all have to make choices as you have...to survive is to live." He whispered, running a hand through her H/L, H/C hair slowly, "you're alive and that's all that matters."

Y/N shivered and pressed her face into Tim's shoulder, sobbing quietly.

~

Route completed.

[Up next; Kagekao]