𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟐

I looked to him, my vision blurring faintly as I gently shook my head. "It was the clown from the box. Jack. His name is Jack." I rambled, my eyes trying to lock on his, though it was difficult when he was starting to become blotches of colours. "Can we sit down and talk about this?" I asked, tilting my head to the side, but it was more like it flopped towards my shoulder - feeling rather heavy.

Cody sighed, gently pulling me towards him again - causing me to wrap my arms around his neck, grumbling quietly. "That's probably for the best." He mumbled quietly, beginning to direct me down the hallway - one of his hands reaching out to press against one of the medical room doors.

"Was just wondering why you smelt like me." I mumbled, "Or if I smelt like you." I swear I was speaking fluently internally.

Cody had only attempted to pick me up as he began to drag me into the room, quite happily laying me down on the bed. "Let's find where you're bleeding, okay?" He mumbled, "Were you snagged on anything at all?"

I slowly nodded, trying to shift in the bed so I was sat up - shuffling up against the headboard by using my hands to push against the mattress. "Yeah - ankle, the clown grabbed my ankle and a bit of my leg." I muttered, looking to the injured limb - the left leg, to be more precise.

Cody gently began to roll my torn up trouser leg; the fabric stopping at my knee revealing the array of scratches painted with a shiny, red liquid - it oozed out of the deep grooves in my skin. They were claw shaped - five long gashes all around my leg,  that came to a stop at my ankle.

"Shit, Toby - that's more than your ankle." Cody muttered, "I'm going to get some stuff - what kinda clown was that thing?" He rambled, "You're probably loopy from blood loss." The man continued as he began to hurriedly rush out of the door.

I sighed quietly, averting my gaze to the wound. "I don't know, but it was a clown. Fucking hate clowns." I grumbled, beginning to try and bend my leg so I could reach it. I'd probably lost more blood than I needed to because of the running and my stupid fucking CIPA. I could see that I'm bleeding (or at least I am looking at it, now) but that doesn't mean that my body would attempt to heal itself just yet. I began to squeeze my calf, a weak attempt to try and put pressure on the wound - but I only got more blood gushing out and seeping onto my hands.

Cody quickly came back, pushing a small cart - like he had grabbed a handful of things before tossing them onto the basic metal frame with wheels. His expression only fell more when he saw what I was doing. "Toby - Toby, you can stop, now." He rambled, letting go of the cart and gently pulling my hands off of my leg. "How's about you run through what happened?" Cody suggested, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my head back against the headboard and wall behind the wood - closing my eyes and letting out a soft sigh. I wasn't nervous about Cody patching me up, I held more confidence in him than I did Eyeless Jack (after all Cody wasn't possessed/sharing a body with a demon that craved human flesh), I was merely attempting to recollect my thoughts and make them coherent words.

"I was in Nina and Helen's cabin." I mumbled, feeling a soft cloth wipe over my calf, disappearing and coming back damp - instead wiping the blood off of my shin.

"You've been hanging out with them a lot, lately." Cody mumbled - I could feel his eyes shift onto me, momentarily, before he looked back to what he was doing. His tone wasn't angry, if anything it sounded more sorrowful. I did leave him in the dark, a little bit. "I'm glad you're talking to other people, Toby." He added - in a cheery tone, though it did hold a slight pang of hurt to it still.

I nodded slightly, sighing. "Well, yeah." I mumbled before reluctantly continuing, "I left to get a rabbit and I saw you, but it wasn't actually you." I felt a slight pinch to the top of my calf before something slipped through the slit of wounded skin, dragging a less smooth object with it.

Cody let out a small chuckle, "Why were you looking for a rabbit?" He asked - causing me to open my eyes and give him a small look, his dimpled smile quickly dropping. "Toby.." He began, his tone hard to pin point - it wasn't exactly scolding or disappointment, but it wasn't exactly playful either.

I rolled my head back against the wall again as I squeezed my eyes shut. "Turns out the thing in that Jack-in-a-box is most likely a demon, and it can create illusions and teleport. It's also made of the same shit as a teddy bear." I rambled through a sigh. "Made me think that you were there, I fell for it, and it told me it was gonna stuff me with candy or something. Sounds like every other creepy ice cream van driver."

Cody sighed, the exhale followed by the sound of a singular scissor snip. "Is this why you've been acting different lately? Avoiding me and asking weird questions?" He hesitantly asked, the sound of metal being placed down onto metal following. He began screwing something open - gently pinching the lower section of the injury on my calf; a goop of some sorts being applied. Probably super glue.

I paused. I didn't want to be honest. He'd already dealt with me distancing myself over this stupid situation before. It would've just have been better if it never happened. So I was going to treat it like it never did.

"Yeah." I mumbled, "Haven't been sleeping too well recently either. TV monster has been bothering me. I saw it the other night."

Cody paused, "Well that makes sense." He sighed, "Maybe you should stay at my place for a little while so you have someone to talk about it with?" The brunette suggested - though it was hesitant. He could probably tell it was about more than what I claimed.

I slowly nodded. That actually sounded nice. "It's just not the first time I've heard someone talk about eating someone." I grumbled.

Cody didn't seem to argue, but he didn't seem to agree, either. He liked to remain neutral on Jack and that thing. "I'm going to hook you up to a blood bag when I've finished stitching you up." He explained, "Then I'll get you something to eat, since you probably haven't."

"I forget." I muttered, though I let out a hoarse chuckle, "And like you know my blood type." I teased.

This earnt a chuckle from Cody in return. "Oh try me - O negative." He retorted, "I know all of your medical conditions and dietary requirements too."

"Mhm, sure." I exhorted with a hum.

"You can't have anything with maple sap sugar, since you're allergic - which means that you can't have maple syrup. But that doesn't exactly cause too many limits. You also follow kosher loosely, or at least did. In high school you weren't too bothered about how it was cooked or prepared, just what animal it came from. So, that means I couldn't mix dairy and meat with your food - and I could only give you certain meats." He rambled, his eyes still fixed on the wounds he was treating, "And then your blood type is O neg, you have ma-"

I felt my lips tug into a small, lazy smile. "Okay, you've proven your point." I mumbled, causing him to glance to me with a smug expression.

"Thank you," He hummed, "And I bet you don't even know my blood type." Cody teased, holding his expression.

"O positive." I retorted, my smile growing - almost childishly grinning at the fact that I had proven him wrong.

Cody's expression faltered momentarily into a small look of shock before he gave me a small smile, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah that's right."

"See, I know you!" I continued, holding my grin and watching a small smile tug at the man's lips again, "And that means I can donate blood to you too!"

A scoff left Cody, almost throwing his head back before looking to me, clearly amused. "Toby, if you're O negative that means you can donate to practically everyone in the manor." He mumbled.

"That means I can be in everyone single person at the same time until they die." I chuckled, "Immortalized by blood donations."

Cody raised an eyebrow with a a brief shake of the head. "Well that's a terrifying thought."