From Murder to Dust

ATE - 10 - Always

I had been trapped for a day under seven years by this time, and I despised it. No matter how hard I tried to hold on, my hope was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it! It had been steadily declining for over a year, and Ink knew it. The doll Ink had given me was in fact made by Error; it was a gift from him, but Ink took the credit. That wasn't surprising, knowing Ink. The 'little Killer,' as Ink called it - whether I liked it or not, it was a good name - actually gave me a lot of hope; Error figured that it would be a good way for him to offer some support when he wasn't around. I appreciated the gift with all my soul, and I thanked him so much for it when I saw him again; speaking of visiting, my visit with him was tomorrow, and Ink had just finished his spree. It was time for bed, and I held my doll close as I tried to fall asleep; it was a real comfort. I fell asleep quite soon in anticipation for the next day, and I couldn't wait to see Error once more! When I was woken, I recited my morning lines with Ink, trying to appease his whims in order to see Error. 

"Good morning, Dusty!" Ink grinned.

"Good morning." I hugged my doll close; I was rarely seen without it.

"Today should be quite a fun day for you!"

"Yep." I was counting the seconds.

"I suppose you want to see him sooner rather than later, don't you?"

I nodded.

"Luckily for you, I have a get-together I have to go to this morning, which means I have to get out early; consequently, you'll be taking your visit soon enough." Ink patted my skull; I had grown quite used to that.

That news made me happy.

"Of course, we'll also have to miss our morning routine, but I'll catch you in the afternoon, okay?" Ink looked to me.

"Okay." I only had to wait a little while longer.

"Dusty, are you going to be taking your little Killer?"

"Yeah."

"Don't lose him!" I couldn't stand it when Ink treated me like a child; I lived with it, though..

"I won't."

"Good. In that case, your escort will be here in about five minutes; an evil guard will be waiting for you when you come back!"

"Okay."

Ink left soon after that, leaving me to hug my doll and think about topics for my visit; an hour wasn't a lot of time, and I had to plan my time wisely, calculating for breakdowns and crying. We hadn't managed to get through even one visit without tears, and I wasn't going to bet against the odds; I knew I would cry. As for the guards, they had found out that it was me behind the categories - even if it was Ink's idea to make them official - and I received my fair share of unwarranted pain for it; they also hit me harder in general after that incident. There was still only one diabolical guard, despite the efforts of the others; the only way to achieve that was to be like Ink, and he was the only one took that step. When the door was opened, I was met with two guards who would escort me to Error for my yearly visit; I couldn't wait! I placed my doll into my jacket pocket to avoid losing it; I would be handcuffed this time, since I could actually move. I allowed the guards to restrain me without hesitation; why would I hesitate to do what I had to do to see Error? The trip was long, as always, but the end result was what I was looking forward to; Error looked happy to see me walking through the doorway, and I met him with a smile. When I was seated next to him inside his cage, we hugged eachother tightly.