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FLAYED! ( the flayed & e pluribus unum )
Ben woke up gasping for air, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. He had been having a nightmare, but it didn't seem like a nightmare. It seemed like a memory of what happened the night before, with the monster and the voice in his head. Ben's breathing slowed after a few seconds, and when it did he scrambled out of bed, limping towards the bathroom. The doctor had luckily taken out the IV from his arm, so he could walk without the metal thing dragging behind him.
Ben's ankle hurt anytime he walked on it, so he tried to avoid putting too much pressure on it. He opened his room door and stepped out to the hallway, becoming wary of how empty and silent it was. There weren't any nurses around, but a few room doors down, Ben spotted Nancy and Jonathan entering a room. He sighed in relief as he saw them, but before he went over to them, he went to the bathroom right across from him. Ben hunched over the sink and turned the faucet on, splashing cold water in his face to wake himself up. He didn't even feel the coldness of the water.
A hand rested on his shoulder, making Ben jump and let out a startled yelp. He turned around quickly to see Davey. Ben stared at him in shock, "Davey? What– what are you doing here?" Ben then lurched forward and wrapped his arms around the boy as tightly as he could, tears brimming his eyes at the sheer relief of having someone there with him. Davey stood as stiff as a board, confusing Ben.
Ben pulled away to look into Davey's eyes, they looked extremely bloodshot and... dark? Darker than normal. Something was off. "Davey..?" Ben mumbled, placing a hand on his cheek gently. Davey kept the same, far-off gaze, "You hurt Him."
"What?" Ben questioned, feeling even more confused. "Hurt who? What are you talking about?"
"You shouldn't have done that, Ben," Davey said. The lights started to flicker, making Ben's anxiety increase. "He made you like this to be one of us. To be apart of us. You used your power against Him. You shouldn't have done that."
Ben froze. The monster. What the voice did to him, what he did to the monster. Daveywasapartofthat?
Ben backed away slowly, and Davey took steps closer, until Ben was pinned against the sink. Davey sighed, gave Ben a once-over, before glaring and placing his hand on Ben's head, shoving it back full force against the mirror. The mirror shattered, and Ben stumbled away from Davey, pain searing through his entire head. "Fuck! What the hell?!" Ben screamed.
Davey just started for him again, grabbing at him and pinning him to the floor. Davey swung a fist, hitting Ben right across the cheek, then swung another, splitting his lip. Ben tried with all his might to push Davey off, and eventually succeeded, straddling Davey and punching him as hard as he could. Ben's head was spinning, and he felt nauseous. He was so confused, and weak, and scared. Ben grabbed Davey by the hair and slammed his head hard against the ground, weakening him. The veins on Davey's face turned black.
