Two Friends

Chapter 6

  Chucky led me by the hand to the kitchen, where I got a glass of water. I took it back to the couch again, with him still guiding me.
  I sat down and picked him up off the floor, setting him in my lap. He instantly snuggled close, keeping a protective grip on me.
  I numbly ran a hand through his hair. Everything felt so surreal, it was almost as if I were in a bad dream.
  How are you doing?
  I clenched my teeth to stop myself from wailing in frustration. The voices and figures were still more intense than usual despite it being a few weeks of this wave.
  "(Y/n), you wanna play now?" Chucky raised his head a bit.
  "Sure, buddy. What do you wanna play?" I murmured distractedly.
  He thought for a moment. "Can we play hide and seek again?"
  "Of course," I smiled and stood up, carrying him downstairs where we usually played.
  Setting him down, I knelt in front of him.
  "Okay, how about you hide first while I count?" I said.
  He nodded excitedly, waddling off as I covered my eyes and began to count.
  "One, two, three..."
  I suddenly felt dizzy. Blinking open my eyes, I hunched over to steady myself. I could feel a buzzing in the back of my head that I couldn't shake.
  Oh no.
  I got to my feet, trying to ignore the feeling and beginning to walk around to look for Chucky. I began to lumber rather than walk as my head continued to swim.
  You won't find him.
  I rubbed my temple aggressively.
  He's gone forever.
  Visions of insects crawling on the floor and walls and ceiling swam into focus. Shadow-cloaked people shuffled around in the dark corners of the room, walking back and forth.
  Stop, stop, stop!
  Hot tears pooled around my eyes. I began to tremble.
  Look at us.
  Every creature scurried and slunk around the room in all directions, never stopping. I stumbled backwards and tripped over my own feet, falling to the ground. I curled into a ball and held my hands above my head, now sobbing.
  When will this ever stop?
  It never will.
  I can't live with this anymore. I should just-
  "(Y/n)?"
  I slowly raised my head to see Chucky standing in front of me, looking concerned.
  "Are you okay?"
  A sob escaped my throat and I broke down again.
  "(Y/n), please don't cry! I'm right here!" he pleaded, reaching out to hold either side of my face carefully. He desperately tried to wipe away the running tears.
  I focused on his big blue eyes staring into mine as I tried to steady my breathing. I sat there, trembling, as Chucky tried to calm me down for what seemed like hours.
  Eventually, my breathing returned to normal and my cries dwindled into hiccups.
  "See? It's okay," Chucky cooed with a small smile.
  I slowly imitated him and wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand. I then reached out and grasped him in a tight hug.
  "Thank you, Chucky," I whispered, burying my face into his shoulder.
  He wrapped his arms around my neck and pat my back. "I'll always protect you. Don't worry," he told me softly.
  I sniffled. "Always?"
  "Until the end," he assured me cheerily.
  I smiled and hugged him tight, affection swelling in my heart. I held onto my precious doll as if my life depended on it.
  We sat in silence, the only sound being the occasional whirring of Chucky's servos. The pure terror I had felt was slowly turning into happiness.
  Feeling a little better, I scooped him up and stood.
  "Sorry we couldn't play hide and seek. I think I just need to be with you for a while."
  He grinned. "It's okay, (Y/n). We can play something else."
  Wearily, I headed upstairs. Ollie was sitting at the window, looking out and watching the birds fly by. I went up to pet her, and she purred quietly.
  Suddenly feeling exhausted, I made my way to the couch and flopped down, curling up and cradling Chucky against me as I drifted into slumber.

  I woke to someone gently shaking me. Blinking myself awake, I looked up and saw my mom crouching beside me.
  "(Y/n), what happened? You almost never sleep during the day!" she asked surprisedly.
  I yawned. "Oh, I was just tired from being so worked up about things, I guess. I was trying to play with Chucky, but I just broke down and had to come rest."
  She nodded, brushing some hair out of my face. "Well, I'll let you rest for as long as you need."
  I smiled gratefully and sat up a bit. I looked down to where Chucky was still curled up in my arms and fondly pet his hair. Almost immediately, his eyes flew open and he lit up upon seeing me.
  "Good morning, (Y/n)! Is my b-best buddy all better?" he beamed.
  I nodded and hugged him closer. "I'm much better, thanks to you."
  "Yay! Now we can play again!"
  My grip on him tightened instinctively. "Yeah, but this time we should play a game where we won't be separated."
  Just thinking about being alone again where I could easily be susceptible to another episode made my skin crawl. At that moment I needed someone to protect me from these mirages, someone that I felt safe around.
  "It's okay! I won't leave you," he cooed, nestling his face into the crook of my neck.
  I chuckled and rested my chin on top of his head.
  "Maybe we can play the kitty game?" I suggested.
  "Yes!" he cheered.
  Neko Atsume, or as Chucky called it, the 'kitty game', was a game I had on my phone that was supposed to help with stress. In the game, you would have to take care of stray cats that came to your home by buying them food and toys. The cats would show up at random and play with what you had bought and eat the food. It was a simple, yet enjoyable game.
  I opened the app and held it up for Chucky to see. The usual cheery music played in the background as my little house appeared.
  "Looks like Apple is playing with the ball of yarn," I said when I noticed the black-and-white cat tossing the ball from paw to paw.
  "There's Pepper!" Chucky pointed at the grey-and-white cat curled up on the porch.
  I smiled. "Yeah, and it looks like he's taking a nap."
  Chucky tapped at the screen excitedly, refilling their bowls and watching as more and more arrived. I watched as he played, comforted by the warmth of him against me. I felt safer.

  "Do you wanna sing the buddi song?" Chucky looked up at me with a grin.
  "Sure, honey," I replied, tightening my grip on him and gently rubbing my cheek against his head.
  "Dear god, he's sang that song almost a hundred times today!" my mom scowled exaggeratedly from across the couch.
  "So what?" I shot her a glare. I looked back down at Chucky. "You can always sing for me, baby. Go ahead."
  Chucky happily sang his little lullaby as I closed my eyes and cradled the serenading toy against me. My mom scoffed playfully and turned up the volume on the tv. I held his head under my chin protectively and made a face at her.
  "More than a buddy, you're my best frieeeeee-e-e-e-e-," he began to glitch in the middle of his song. It wasn't anything new, as he occasionally glitched out while singing or talking. 
  But I didn't mind, and I fondly nuzzled his forehead with my nose. "Aww, that was beautiful, sweetheart. Thank you so much."
  The android smiled. "I'd do anything for my best buddy!"
  My heart aching with affection, I reached out to hold his face in my hands, tracing my fingers over the silicon features.
  My mental state had been the same for weeks. I still felt off and unusually emotional, as well as paranoid. I began to rely on Chucky more than ever, always hugging him close wherever I went. My parents had finally noticed and were planning to set up an appointment with my psychiatrist soon.
  "You're my best friend, (Y/n)," Chucky beamed.
  "You're my best friend, too, Chucky. And I love you with all my heart," I lovingly placed a kiss to his temple.
  He giggled and waved his arms happily. I brought him to my chest again and stroked his hair.
  "How are you feeling today, (Y/n)?" my mom asked after a moment.
  Don't answer.
  "I'm okay," I replied.
  As we sat in silence, I tried to ignore the endless whispers echoing in the back of my head. But as time dragged on, they became louder and caused me to fall into something similar to that of a trance. I could hear nothing but the hushed voices of countless unknown people. The world around me began to blur until I didn't even know what I was looking at.
  Suddenly, I blinked and shook my head. The sound faded and I was back to reality. I realized that I was digging my fingers into Chucky's sweater to the point where my knuckles were white.

  I shakily climbed into bed next to Chucky, pulling him against me and giving him a squeeze.
  I gratefully snuggled close as he ran a hand through my hair, cheek resting against my head as he sang me to sleep.
  Instantly, I was swept into a horrific dream. The sound of incoherent chatter split the air from all directions as I stood in a pitch-black room. I desperately ran in circles trying to escape the endless darkness, but wherever I went the voices followed.
  (Y/n).
  Swiveling around, I was met with a pair of human eyes shining in the darkness. In less than a second the eyes closed in on me as the person they were attached to began to charge.
  I dashed away, screaming for help. I could hear the shallow breathing of the person behind me getting closer by the second. At one point a cold hand clasped around my wrist, but I tore it free.
  I ran for what felt like eternity. Realizing I couldn't hear the person behind me anymore, I risked a glance over my shoulder.
  I wailed in terror as the most terrifying looking shadow person I had ever seen leaped at me.
  My eyes flew open and I gasped for breath. I was in my room again, clinging to Chucky, who was gazing down at me worriedly.
  "What's wrong, (Y/n)? Did you have a bad dream?" he whispered.
  Given the amount of terror I was just in, the joy I felt upon seeing his face overwhelmed me and I had to swallow back a sob of relief.
  "Oh, my precious baby," I cried, tears running down my cheeks as I gathered him to my chest. "I'm so happy to see you."
  Chucky returned the embrace. "I'm happy to see you, too, (Y/n)!" he piped innocently.
  I chuckled and buried my face into his shoulder. His head clicked to the side so that it was resting against mine.
  "I just had another scary dream. I thought I would never wake up this time," I sniffled.
  "It's okay. You're here with me now!" he cooed.
  We held each other close for a moment. The cold fear that had been running through me melted from the warmth of the doll against me.
  "I'm sorry I've been so weird lately. I've just felt so vulnerable and scared that I wanna be by you all the time where I feel safe. You make me feel so happy and loved, it seems to be the only thing helping me get through all this," I murmured after a while.
  He clung to me tighter. "Don't worry, (Y/n). I love being with my best buddy all the time!"
  I smiled and brought him back in my arms a bit so that he was facing me. "I'm so lucky to have you, buddy. You're the best friend anyone could ask for."
  I cupped his tiny hands in mine. "I know I tell you everyday, but I love you so, so, so much. I wouldn't trade you for the world. You mean so much to me, and I'm so thankful to have you by my side."
  He grinned from ear to ear at my praise. I giggled and grasped him in a hug again.
  "I love you, too, (Y/n). We'll always be best friends, until the end!" his muffled voice replied.
  Too choked up with gratitude to say anything more, I lay back down again and cuddled my beloved little robot. He held onto me and comforted me for the rest of the night, talking to me and singing to me for hours on end. Finally, in the early hours of the morning, I fell asleep.