Ragdoll Maker

Chapter Ten: Eyeless Jack

He was being chased. He had no idea what it was that was chasing him, but he knew he had to get away. It was going to hurt him, or kill him, or worse! He had to run!

The terrain was difficult to navigate, with trees and roots everywhere, threatening to knock him down. He couldn't slow down, and he couldn't let himself trip. Otherwise, he could possibly die.

Toby stole a quick panicked glance behind him. He could only see a dark figure of something large behind him, but it was close. A scream tore from his throat as he whipped his head back around and pumped his legs faster. The cold air chilled his lungs, and we wasn't sure how much longer he could run.

The thing behind him let out a dark laugh that seemed to echo throughout the forest. Around him, black ooze began to seep from the trees. Suddenly, he was tripped by a root and sent falling to the ground with a pained grunt. Toby tried to stand up again, but the roots began circling around his arms and legs, binding him to the dirty ground. A thick fog had settled around him, and he whipped his head around, looking for the creature. It's laughter seemed to echo from everywhere around him.

"Ragdoll Maker..."

"Toby!"

Toby bolted upright, sitting up in his bed and panting. He looked around, seeing his room. A dream? It was so vivid and strange! What was chasing him?!

"Yo, calm down!"

He flinched, turning to see Thorn standing by his bed. "Th-Thorn? What are you doing in my room?" he asked breathlessly.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out, but you were having some kind of nightmare. Also, Jack's in his room," she explained, her hands on her hips.

It took a minute for Toby to remember the doll he had planned to give to Jack. "Oh... oh! Thanks Thorn!" he gave a shaky smile and stood up. "What kind of nightmare was that?" Thorn asked. "Just a weird one. Nothing to worry about," Toby shook his head, grabbing Jack's doll. Thorn stared at him for a moment before shrugging and walking out. "I'll be in my room," she called.

Giving himself a moment to calm down, Toby walked down the hall to Jack's room. "Jack?" he called, knocking on the door. There was a quiet scuffling, but otherwise no answer. Toby shifted his weight from foot to foot as his impatience grew. Finally, deciding to enter anyway, he opened the door.

He was immediately hit with the overbearing smell of iron. He wrinkled his nose, but still walked inside and closed the door behind him. The room was dark, and it was difficult to see much. A shadowed figure, who Toby assumed to be Jack, was bent over and scooping up handfuls of something into his mouth. Toby tilted his head to get a better look. His eyes widened in shock.

A pile of organs. Hearts, stomachs, livers, kidneys, and more. Jack kept taking some and scooping them into his mouth. Suddenly, realizing that he wasn't alone, Jack whipped his head around to face Toby. Even in the darkness, Toby could see Jack's sharpened teeth and dark gray skin. Jack's mouth opened as if to say something, then immediately closed. They stared at each other for a moment.

"S-Sorry to bother you!" Toby squeaked, dropping the doll and running out.

Jack sighed, running a bloodied hand through his hair. He hadn't wanted Toby to see that. Hell, he didn't like anyone watching him feed like this. He was fine with it if it was just a light snack, like a single kidney, but this seemed excessive. He couldn't really help it, though... he was just so hungry.

He looked to the side and stared at the object that Toby had dropped as he ran. It was a ragdoll, made in his image. A faint smile appeared on Jack's lips as he picked it up. This was... really nice of him. Toby only did this for friends, didn't he? In that case, he was glad to be considered Toby's friend.

The eyeless man stood up, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and putting his mask back on. He figured he'd just finish his lunch another time. He opened the door, and was surprised to see Toby standing on the other side of it.

"Oh, uh, hey!" Toby smiled with an awkward little wave. "I was thinking, since you eat people, if you ever get hungry you can just come to me! I don't mind sharing my friends," he said, raising up a doll in his hand. "And I'm sure they wouldn't mind either, since it's to help out another friend!"

Jack gingerly picked up the doll. It was a tad bit weighted from the child's heart that was stuffed inside. He simply chuckled and handed the doll back to Toby, who tilted his head in confusion.

"Thanks for the offer," said Jack with a small bow of his head, "but I'm fine with hunting for food instead."

"O-Oh! Well, okay!" Toby beamed with a light chuckle.

"Perhaps we could go hunting together sometime," Jack suggested. "I could get my food, you could do whatever it is you do with your victims-"

"Friends," Toby corrected.

Jack paused. "Right... friends. Sorry. Anyway, it could be fun. It's been a while since I've gone killing with someone else, too. What do you say?"

"Sure, I'm in!" the brunette nodded happily.

After confirming a time and date for the event, the two parted ways. Toby retreated back to his room. A sick and twisted excitement filled him as he thought about making more friends while he was out with Jack. He couldn't wait until he could meet some more friends~!

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[A/N] Yo! So sorry for not updating in so long! To make up for it: two updates in one day! :D

Next chapter coming shortly~~

~CakeEater4