Masks

Chapter 52

The floorboards creaked beneath me as I walked through the house. I hadn't wanted to come back here but each day I could feel myself getting worse. Even now, the azoth was threatening to make me sick and I'd been losing chunks of time for the past two weeks. Waking up with Tim there to tell me what happened was one thing but it was another when I'd end up miles away coughing blood. I needed to know how to make it stop... Unfortunately Alastor was the only one who wasn't affiliated with Slenderman or The Operator who might have the answer.

"Tim is going to be pissed when he finds out where I went." I continued forward cautiously, listening for anyone else in the house.

"Well, this is unexpected..." Alastor purred as he entered the house behind me. "Seems you've come crawling back for answers."

I coughed and took a step away from him. "What's happening to me?"

"Slow down, Love." He grinned and circled me, his cloak wrapping around me from his close proximity to me. "...You know I like to have fun with things."

"I-"

"You're lucky I just came back from feeding... Which means I'm in a fairly good mood." He cut me off before I could respond. "Still, I don't see why I should help. What do I have to gain from this? If anything I have more to gain by summoning my dear friend here to collect you- I believe you've met him."

"...HABIT." I growled out the name. "Of course you'd be friends with that psychopath."

"We used to team up on the occasion, breaking victims down physically, mentally, and emotionally... But it grew tiring- too easy- so we parted ways."

I glanced behind me, wondering if I could make it to a window in time if things went wrong. Alastor pulled me closer against him, the wicked smile still on his face. "I was only joking, Pawn... You really shouldn't worry so much. Ethan would never stop nagging me if I did that to you."

"S-so you'll help?" I pushed away, disliking being so close to him.

"Like I said, I'm in a good mood." He released me and beckoned me to follow after him. "Let's sit down, this could be a lot of exposition."

"Great..." I didn't fully trust the demon but also decided it was best to listen and follow along at the moment. "This could be the only chance I get..."

"So... I see you didn't bring your friend this time... Shame. The four of us could've had a fun time together." I didn't like the suggestion in his tone and given the flash of annoyance on his face as he rubbed his head, neither did Ethan. "...Anyway, I believe you asked what was happening to you. Well I think you already have some idea."

"...Then... I-I'm... going to become a proxy? No matter what?"

"No, no, no." He shook his head and ran a hand through his raven black hair. "You were born in the ARK- not that anyone other than your father could recall that- and that left you with a low level of azoth in your body composition. It gave you a sort of shield, or resistance, against operators that grew overtime alongside the exposure to them."

"Wouldn't that help him hold control over me?" I picked at the fabric on the dusty chair.

"If you weren't born inside the ARK, yes, possibly- assuming HABIT didn't keep you to join his experiment like it was originally planned when he Inhabited you father to create you." His grin almost seemed to hold pity in it as he saw my expression shift to one of horror and disgust. "He didn't tell you that during your little sessions?"

I didn't have time to think of a response before he thankfully cut back to the point of my visit. "The fact you were born there was pure chance and the start of this new cycle with HABIT handing you over to your 'favorite' faceless man to toy with."