Page 43 of Dollface

“I just polished these,” Charisma hisses, flexing their boots.

“I’ll murder you,” I grit out, at my wits end. “But first, I’ll murder your fucking shoes and make you watch.” Charisma gasps, appalled at my threat before huffing. My body aches, stinging with some strange pain, as if someone has hung me up by hooks or strings, letting me dangle in the air as the weight of my body pulls against my skin. It’s beyond uncomfortable, nipping at my anger.

“We told you, we haven’t seen her!” the demon yells back.

“Then find her!” I scream, my fist slamming into the desk. “Where are they? And what the fuck are you two even doing?” I wrinkle my nose at the smell of... is that—popcorn? “Stop it! Whatever you’re doing, just stop!”

Sullen and Charisma exchange confused glances before looking back at me.

“Boss,” Sullen says slowly, his voice hard to hear over the echoing waves of strange, pounding music playing. It’s as if a circus is performing upstairs. “We’re not doing anything,” He slithers closer, looking me up and down, Charisma shadowing him. I shake my head and rub my ear while staring at the deadly couple.

“You don’t hear that?” I call over the loud noise, motioning around the air. “The music?” They both shake their heads. “Fuck. Do you atleast smell the popcorn?”

“Popcorn?” Charisma snickers. “Boss, I think you’ve finally lost it.” Charisma snorts and turns to walk away, but Sullen’s tail stops them as his black eyes narrow on me in suspicion.

“You know,” his eyes roam over me, stepping closer as his face darkens with a sinister smile. “Sharing needles can lead to some rather... unfortunate side effects. No one should share needles; even I know that.” Even with the music blaring in my ears, I still hear the snark in his tone.

“What?” I growl out while rubbing my nose, the smell of popcorn twisting into something burnt and charred, more pricks pulling at my flesh.

“You trading stitches with the toy?” he asks, and I let the slur go only because of his question. “Feeling things that aren’t there? Hearing things?”

“What does that matter?” I ask as Charisma clicks their tongue while shaking their head.

“Like a moth lured in by the siren’s call of fire, blind to the searing torture that awaits. A shared needle and thread—a futile attempt to mend two broken creations, only to end up ensnared together in a web of agony.” I blink, shaking my head.

“You fucking sound like Havoc,” I growl as Charisma petty huffs.

“Excuse you! That was poetic brilliance right there!” they snap, their hands on their hips. “I’m underappreciated in this world.” They tisk.

“Speak. Fucking. English,” I say impatiently through my gritted teeth. Sullen growls as he sharply steps forward.

“You stitched each other, correct? Shared a needle? Shared the same thread?” I say nothing, but the tightening of my jaw gives him the confirmation. Sullen nods. “You’re feeling thedoll, Boss. You’re experiencing what she is because you two are connected.” I stare at my shirt-covered chest in shock before ripping the garment off and running my hand over the stitching.

“How do you know?” I whisper as Sullen shrugs.

“We may not be ‘big kids’,” he sneers while strolling back to Charisma. “But we make sure to stay knowledgeable in what makes others tick. Now tell me, what are you feeling?” I blink a couple of times, trying to get my bearings.

“Uh... scared? Maybe? Confused. I don’t know. I-I feel trapped, like my skin is being pulled from my bones and attached to hooks or something! I smell burnt popcorn, and this god-awful music. It’s loud and fast; it’s making my heartbeat even faster.”

“Burnt popcorn,” Charisma muses. “Sounds like Havoc is settling in for a show. You know she likes the crispy kernels– or at least, that’s what she always said.”

“She always was a clown,” Sullen drags out the words.

I’m feeling what Blue feels? Does that mean the pain?—

“I need to get to Dreadmoor,” I grab my shirt and put it back on before reaching for my Boogeyman outfit. “I need to save Blue. If we are connected, like you said, then there has to be a way for me to get back there, to get through the portal myself.”

Sullen tilts his head from one side to the other in thought. “Possibly, but there’s no guarantee.”

“That’s good enough for me.” I rush from the room, bolting from the treehouse as I struggle to put my suit on, my legs moving quickly. I speed towards the direction of the portal to Dreadmoor, the smells and sounds of Blue’s own senses choking me out as I struggle to focus and keep a level head.

I’m coming for you, Blue. I huff and pant, pushing through the ongoing pain and torture she must be enduring.I’m coming, dollface.

Charisma and Sullen shadow me, moving just as fast. Together, the three of us aim for the entrance of the portal. We reach our destination, quicker than ever before, the two minions completely unaffected as I breathe heavily, suddenly struggling to catch my breath. Something is wrong. I try to catch my breath, my heart racing as I couldn’t properly inhale.

I can’t breathe. I can’t fucking breathe!

Panic grips my chest like a vice, squeezing until I can't even draw a breath. Blue must be enduring so much, having a full panic attack that I’m now experiencing. I slam my fists into a nearby tree, the wood splintering from the immense impact of my anger.

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