Lie To Me~Ticci Toby X Reader

Chapter 21 Fall Of The House Of Death

She didn't want to talk for three months now.

Focusing back on the body before her and its pockets, Kate pats him down for any small spots she missed, thinking absentmindedly that he might have been luckier than all of them combined. To die a quick death and be released. She hoped -despite knowing the truth- that _____ also had that blessing in her final moments.

Suddenly, cold fingers come in contact with what appeared to be a crumbled piece of paper as she discovers a hidden pocket in the Proxy's inner jacket. Promptly, she removes and opens it, only to see a few hurried, messy words written upon it.

13 Planets Crossroads

Under the belt, dog and bear lead to Eleftheria

'It looks like a meeting point.' Hoody muses more to himself than anyone else as she hands him the paper, his voice coming muffled from under his hood.

'There isn't an address like that near here.' Kate informs him 'The last words-'

'Is probably a password. Seems to me like the entire thing is a riddle. The Greek word for Freedom. How curious.' He rests his hand upon his chin 'What can the bear and dog be?'

As they pondered upon the cryptic paper, Kate noticed the first specks of the fast-approaching sunrise mar the horizon in vivid colours of blue and gold. Faraway sounds of the city waking up one household at a time reached her ears, signalling they only had a few minutes before someone was bound to notice them in the light of a bright day.

It was their cue to return into the safety of the Slender Woods.

Hoody kept the piece of paper, studying it curiously as they silently walked back to the treeline, sticking to the back alleys and remaining shadows. Kate held onto the phials of the liquid that had started this entire nightmare like her life depended on it. Keeping a close eye on Toby, who had picked up the corpse and throwing it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing, walked without single care that blood and brain matter stained his clothes more and more with each passing second. Let's hope the Rake wouldn't smell the blood before they took the corpse to EJ or else they'll be in trouble nobody wanted.

Kate felt the weight of the Forest settle upon her shoulders as they passed silently into it, the endless snow crunching under their boots and the static infiltrating the back of her mind. After what happened to the human, Master was in an almost constant foul mood that could be felt by all Proxies within the forest.

The Mansion was uncharacteristically calm and quiet. The rest of the Killers were currently occupied with their own business, while earlier the previous two days, they had agreed that Masky would remain behind and run around the Proxy houses to check on everyone, so when Kate saw his hunched figure sitting by the stairs in the front porch smoking, she knew his chores were successful.

Tim was nothing but a shadow of himself.

The dark circles under his eyes had increased immensely, giving his tired eyes a touch of hollowness, which, coupled with the several pounds he had lost in that small amount of time, made him look sickly. He fell second in barely sleeping, barely eating; he only smoked and downed pills in twice the amount he did before. However, there had been more instances that Masky had surfaced -worrying Kate that soon enough nothing would be able to keep him in check.

Tim had received a good beating to keep him down, which he took willingly, without a single peep.

'Everything's fine. No silver veins, no going in or out still.' He informed them as they approached, his voice gravely with exhaustion 'Vigilante is keeping an eye on the boarders; her team is monitoring the Proxy House but so far, there are no clues.'