Apprentice of Nightmares

A Devil's Home

    Josh didn't know what to focus on: the fact that the bear actually spoke or the strange observation that it's wearing a slightly tattered suit. He could see scars along its exposed fur, some showing red but no blood coming out. It didn't seem fazed at all-- not even a twitch of discomfort. No, its orange eyes were focused on him, a large toothy grin across its muzzle.

    Josh thought he could hear small growls coming from inside the bear, tiny bulges poking out from the suit before disappearing. It seemed to notice the teen's growing fear and widened its grin. Josh took a moment to think: either die by a psychotic talking bear or get beat up by a jock.

Honestly, he'd choose the bear for the sole reason that it would be a unique way to go out.

He took a small breath before leaning against the couch, "If you're gonna kill me, at least make it quick."

"You're not going to run away?"

"There's no point. Chances are the moment I step out of this room, you'd get me in a heartbeat.", he leaned back and looked at the ceiling, "Besides, I don't have many regrets. I'm not even sure if I want to be around..."

Things were silent until he felt the couch sink next to him, "That kind of takes the fun out of it, don't you think?"

"Maybe.", he mused, "I'm not the psychotic murdering type, so I couldn't say."

He could feel the bear's eyes on him, "You seem awfully calm about this..."

He looked at it, "Trust me, I'm terrified on the inside. I just don't show that much emotion because I'm content with being on the sidelines."

The bear's eyes seemed to widen slightly, "Those eyes..."

Josh could see the shock in the bear as if it were suddenly reminded of something. He saw his reflection in them slightly-- drained eyes staring back at him with disheveled hair. For a second, he thought he saw the reflection shorten and get smaller. Rubbing his eyes, he looked back to see that the bear was gone. He didn't even feel the couch shift!

    Deciding to explore the house a bit more, he got up and made his way towards a stairwell near the front door. On the railing, he spotted a black bear plush looking at him with red eyes. It had a yellow top hat and bow tie, much like the bear he met earlier. He stared at it for a second before venturing up to the second floor.

    The teen once again had to wonder about the near pristine state of the house despite the vandalized exterior. Almost everything looked as if it were cleaned recently and not abandoned for an extended amount of time. Did the bear live here? If it does, are there others like it? His thoughts faded from that as he found his way into a bedroom.

    Based on the small array of toys around, he assumed it to be a child's. The bed looked neatly set, aside from the toys laying on the floor. He could see a digital clock on the dresser, red lights showing 00:00. He could see another door on the opposite side of the room, which seemed to loop back to the hallway. In front was a closet, seemingly empty if it weren't for the yellow dots peeking from the flaps of the door.

"I can see you there.", he said while looking around some more, "I'm guessing you're like the brown bear."

"Aye.", came the accented reply. Josh took note of how the voice had a pirate feel to it, more than the accent could give away. It was deep, yet it had a tinge of cynicism layered beneath. He'd almost think the closet's occupant was mocking him.

A hook popped out from one of the flaps and pulled one of the doors to the side, revealing a tattered red snout. As the creature stepped out, Josh couldn't help widening his eyes at the state of most of its body. The legs were bare of any fur-- or flesh for that matter, replaced by metal.

Going from there, a pair of torn brown shorts was the only pair of clothing it had. Its torso had some large scars as well, including a few blood stains. The same could be said for the arms, one of them ending in a sharp hook. The jaw is lined with sharp teeth, a metallic tongue sticking out from the side. Its eyes seemed to be robotic, as they looked like small dots inside empty holes. The strangest thing was its ears, small tears in them but wires sticking out instead of blood.

Just what is this thing?! It looks real, but parts of it are robotic!

"How'd ye found yer way up here?", the canine— or vulpine asked, breaking the teen from his thoughts.

"I, uh, kind of ran away from a buff guy.", he rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, "I cut through a few yards to get through the back door and the bear found me. He disappeared for some reason...said something about my eyes."

The animal squinted its eyes for a second, "Aye, ye do look like a certain laddie we had before."

"So how long have you all been here-- assuming there's more than two of you?"

"I can't say fer sure, but we've been in this world fer a while. We mostly traveled, but soon we got stuck here.", its eyes narrowed a bit, "What I wouldn't give to skewer the landlubbers who trash this place!"

Josh shifted slightly, "Yeah...some of the kids around here aren't the most well-behaved. I don't see them often, but they seem to be the bad type."

"And ye be the good type?"

"Not exactly, but I can't say I'm completely bad either.", he leaned back against the bed, "Not everyone can be put on one side, so I'm not sure which one I'm on. Although, some people think I'm bad because of how I act...maybe they're right."

"They're not."

Both of them perked up at the distorted voice, coming from behind Josh. The teen turned, finding a pair of luminous crimson eyes staring at him. The whole room darkened in an instant, making his heart quiver. Even through the black abyss, he could see the form sitting on the bed, bow tie and top hat glowing in contrast. The sharp toothed grin seemed to widen impossibly, the set of teeth on its torso shifting.

"I can see it in your eyes, the absence of emotion. You discarded them because you didn't wish to be one of the herd. The eyes of a lost soul...a look we know all too well."

The boy remained shocked for a second before smiling slightly, "You're the first one to actually get me-- and you're not even human, much less a psychologist from what I can tell. So who exactly are you, and what's the deal with you being creepy and all?"

The creature chuckled, "You may call me Nightmare, behind you is Foxy. There's seven of us in total, but we weren't always like this. We started out as figments of imagination, but something went wrong and we ended up in this world. Can't say it's all bad, though. I've spotted a few interesting characters."

"Ah, now that you mention it...you watched me yesterday, didn't you? And when I was going up the stairs."

"Now you're getting it...", the creature seemed to tilt its head, "I'd have to wonder if that big guy will hold a grudge against you and try to get you."

Josh scoffed, "I doubt it...I'm mostly an outcast, so chances are he'll forget me by tomorrow. I should probably get going before my parents start worrying."

"Is there a chance we'll see you again."

"Probably. I live across the street, so getting here won't be a problem. Although, keeping this a secret may be tough— especially with certain people."

"Oh? Are they interesting?"

"Can't say for sure...", he glanced back at the multiple pairs of eyes watching him, "But I guess time will tell for that."