Cat and Mouse [Closed- GC Warning]

[Hollow]

(Warning: The following thread is extremely violent and is not a very pleasant read. Please only read it if you are prepared for that.)

In the time of humanity, when fickle fear was spread across the globe, the dark was especially feared. Many strange and dangerous creatures lurked in the darkness, just out of the light where no-one could see them. And on a night like tonight, when the moon was buried in the coffins of the storm clouds that hung overhead like gravestones, well- It was just his kind of night.

He was one of those strange, dangerous creatures that lurked in the dark. And tonight he was finally making his move.

He stood perched on the windowsill, looking into the dark interior of a relatively nice room. His talons rested against the blade of his scythe, the handle firmly gripped in his right hand, held horizontally across his body with his arm fully extended downwards, so that the blade curved back upwards to point back at him. The tips of his talons squealed softly as he contracted his fingers, the sound of nails on a chalkboard. And then he did it again. And again. And again.

As he made the soft sound, so soft that if the resident of the bedchamber happened to awake she might perhaps mistake it for the window creaking. His optics gave that away though- They burned like red, haunting orbs, sagging fabric underneath betraying hideous motes of sanguine light that were currently dimmed to their lowest setting. Any higher and they would illuminate the room all on their own.

And so Hollow waited patiently for his little mouse to realize that the cat had her cornered.

Cornered after stalking her.

Unnoticed.

For an entire week.

A grin split his cracked, ill-fitting lips. It was finally playtime.

[Florin]

Were this doll a bit wiser, she might have followed the instinctive sense of danger she felt when she awoke suddenly, seemingly for no reason.

She'd slept so soundly, so comfortably in a deep, dreamless sleep. She never awoke in the middle of the night for no reason. What on Earth could have caused such a thing? Briefly, her tired optics flickered open to look down at herself, her hand pushing away the red velvet sheets that covered her body. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she must not be ill or injured. There was nothing out of place in her room, no one strange in it... at least that she believed, or that she could see. In her bed she faced away from the stranger who'd entered her room uninvited.

Sleep seemed far too important right now.

With a frustrated groan, she lazily plopped back down into her bed, pulling the sheets back over her as she shifted her body so she was laying on her back, her optics shut, completely unaware of the doll that stood just inches from her.

[Hollow]

He bit his lip. He couldn't help it. It was so funny. She was just laying there. She hadn't even noticed him. An almost silent, barely-noticeable giggle escaped him, and his grin widened even more, stitched lips stretching against the motion. He tapped the tip of his long forefinger incessantly against the blade of the scythe, just as quiet and repetitive as the scratching. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Out of time with the horrendous clock's ticking above. Tick-tap tock, tap-tick, tock-tap tick. He leered down at her. The clock bothered him. But he was too excited now to let himself be dissuaded from this kill. Here in the middle of civilization. The Racketeers would never see it coming. And they would never see him, either.

Hickory dickory dock. The mouse slept in the clock. She thought she was safe, 'til he tore off her face, hickory dickory dock. No, those can't have been the right words, tsk tsk tsk. He stood stock-still. No time to be spoiling his fun by getting antsy. He'd have to start all over again. The thought allowed him to wipe the smile from his face and settle into a more serious facial expression. His mouth looked as though it had always been stitched shut. Nothing to give away the truth. Not yet.

[Florin]

The tower's constant ticking to most would be annoying, irritating. But to Florin, likely as to most others who called the tower home, the clock's tick-tocks were as familiar as a heartbeat. And right now, that heartbeat was out of rhythm.

Florin's eyes snapped open. She knew the sound of the tower's clock, and the tapping she currently heard could not belong to it. Someone, or something was here. For a moment, she froze. No, surely nothing could get in here... well, granted she'd been proven wrong before. More than once the clock tower was breached, and recently as well. No, no, it had to be her brother playing around, or another magnet user who stumbled into her room on accident.

Florin breathed out sharply in an attempt to repel the fear from her body. She felt the gears which functioned as her heart quicken. Still, she was far too proud to let her fear over take her. Slowly, carefully, as though her movements would cause something to shatter, she sat up in her bed, her gaze slowly scanning the room, and eventually, falling on the stranger.

[Hollow]

He could hold it back no longer. His face slowly split into a wide, horrendous grin, teeth showing past tattered lips and stitching. His optics brightened substantially, bathing Florin and the room in their ruby light.

He slowly stepped down, his foot contacting the floor with a loud 'Thump'. He didn't even have to bend his back, his height being what it was. He loomed menacingly over Florin, his demented sneer boring into her as his scythe swung to his side, a whisper-quiet hiss of the blade falling. His clawed hand reached up to his face, a single talon, stretched out, in front of lips that began to move inwards, pursing slightly.

The faintest exhale of air. And then he gave out a quiet, almost playful,

"Shhhhh."

[Florin]

Florin swore she felt her heart stop for a moment when her gaze fell upon him. This was no machine, at least, but by the looks of this doll... a machine sounded quite preferable right now.

Her mouth opened to release a scream... which never came. Something told her to hold it back, and this time she listened. Her optics narrowed in horror at the anima. She couldn't help but wonder in the back of her mind how long he'd been there... watching her like that. She felt tainted by his very gaze.

Almost without telling herself, she swiftly spun out of bed and onto her feet, likely the most physically impressively feat she'd ever managed. Her eyes never left the doll, as if she feared that should her gaze turn from him, he'd just appear closer when she looked back.

[Hollow]

He took two more steps into the room, his first onto her bed, his second placing himself between her and the door. His grin widened. His optics never left hers. His hand shot out lightning fast and snipped some of the fur on her neck from her shoulders. He withdrew his talons slowly, rolling one of the fine hairs between the tips of his fingers.

"Oh, about... A week now." He crooned in answer to her unspoken question. It was invariably the first thing they asked, or thought of. He cut the hair between his fingertips in half and he slowly bent forward to stare directly into her eyes, the brightness of his optics like staring into a lightbulb. His joints creaked and clicked slightly as he did so. His head tilted, ever so slightly to the side.

"You look so carefree when you wake up in the mornings. Did you know that? Like nothing can touch you." His silky hiss of a voice filled her audio receptors as it echoed through the room. For such a naturally quiet voice, it sure carried.

He walked his longest talons up her chest. "I rather have enjoyed getting to know you over the last week, Florin. And ah, don't think to call your brother, or I may have to skin him too." He gave out another demented giggle and slid the tip of his forefinger down the side of Florin's face, fraying the fabric. His wide, electric grin was made to burn itself into people's minds. He knew it was doing the very same to her as he spoke.

[Florin]

The doll's voice alone sent chills through her spine, her 'blood' feeling like ice in her veins. His gaze felt like fire, the brightness of his optics forcing her to turn her head. The red glow from them felt as though it were burning her skin. Florin tried to move away from it, but the glow of his optics flooded the entire room.

She involuntarily jerked away when he touched her, a habit she'd acquired as a female Racketeer. Any other male would've received a slap from her. This one, though, his finger trailing across her face seemed to be the least of her problems.

She struggled to keep herself claim. She'd seen the looks in the eyes of other stitchpunks. So much could be told from one look at the eyes alone. She could see greed, lust, love, innocence, hate, everything... but this doll... never had she seen such a gaze. Even in machines, in the most magnet-addicted, or diseased dolls, nothing like this. It terrified her.

Finally, she managed to find her voice, though it was barely more than a whisper. "A-alright... wh.. what is it you want?" Her voice held only the slightest hint of fear or panic. It seemed more as though she were speaking to a customer, rather than one who wanted to see her die.

[Hollow]

Then, the laughter really started. He let out a low, rolling giggle, which slowly evolved into a high-pitched shriek of laughter, making the nightmarish doll throw his head back with mirth and then bend over for air.

What do I want? What do I want!? What do you think I want?" His clawed hand shot out and gripped her chin, forcing her gaze back onto him. His tattered lips widened even more with the grin that followed, and his optics got so close to hers they were almost touching. His talons lay on her face, creating a fine cage for her precious skull. He didn't seem to need to blink.

"Life and death represent two all-important aspects of existence, yet only life is celebrated. Does that seem right to you?" He mused, far off-topic, a maddening calmness in his voice. He shoved Florin onto the bed with his scythe's butt, then bent over her. The tip of one of his talons found it's way underneath the stitching in her chest, and with a quiet 'pop!' it tore free. His grin modulated into something far more sinister as his foretalon slid into her chest underneath her fur like a knife into butter, the tip of it pressing dangerously against her sternum.

"Tell me, my dear," He purred as his sharp finger slit a hole in her fabric along the seam in her chest, neatly slicing through the stitches, "Are you familiar with the works of Xiang Yu?"

He slid a second thin talon into her chest, spreading her fabric wide. "He was a great Human warlord. He once posited that you can live with a man for ten years- Drink his water, eat his food, and share his space- Then, haul him out to volcano's edge and throw him in. And on that day, you will finally meet the man." His third finger slid inside and pressed against her sternum, the sharp blade easily incising into the metal. "Tonight, we are going to meet you, Florin. And, we are also going to say 'goodbye'."

[Florin]

A mild shout slipped from her lips as she was forced back onto her bed. Her body was trembling, but still, something kept her from screaming. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, to call out for help, but just... couldn't. At least until his talons prodded into her chest. A pained, terrified, yet pathetic scream slipped from her throat, barely loud enough to even be heard outside the room. Her hand shot up to grab his, trying to hold it back from moving any furthering into her chest. "No! Nono, please, d-don't, just... please, anything you want, I swear. I promise, I'm more useful alive! Anything, please, just don't kill me!" She stammered and pleaded up to him. Long gone was the image of a proud,elegant lady she usually wore. Now, her only thoughts were on staying alive.

[Hollow]

The grin on his face merely widened. "That was rather fast, wasn't it?" He said, an almost disappointed tone in his voice. He pulled his talon free and dragged it along her sternum to her voice box. He dug the tip of it against the small apparatus and then tapped it lightly. "Now now my dear, wouldn't want you to lose your voice, would we?" He crooned, dragging his talons down her chest, the shriek of his claws cutting grooves in the metal muffled by the fabric.

His fingers tensed, and he used the handle of his scythe to push back the fur around her shoulders to uncover his chest. He needed to be able to do this cleanly. His eyes never left Florin's, however- He'd done this so many times he could do it in his sleep. With a harsh ripping sound, the ghoulish stitchpunk tore free the baseplate that shielded Florin's inner elements from everyday life. He tossed it aside, where it clattered to the floor, and put the handle of his scythe across Florin's neck to keep her down. His claws stopped mid-reach and retracted slightly as a thought occured to him.

"Dear me," He started, a slight frown now tugging his face. "I've forgotten to introduce myself, haven't I?" He reached up slowly, his talons resting against Florin's optics. He dragged the tips down their casings, letting out a high-pitched squeal of metal on metal. "My name is Hollow. We are going to have so much fun together. It'll be a real scream." He giggled madly again smile returning once more.

[Florin]

Her free hand grabbed onto the handle of the scythe to prevent it from harming her neck, her other hand still holding Hollow's wrist. She quickly turned her head away when her chest workings were exposed. She had no desire to see her own organs.

A small amount of oil began to bleed freely from the tubes that were severed when her chest plate was removed. Her 'heart' could easily be seen, ticking away as fast as it could, a sign of her terror. An indentation could be seen on the outside of the right side of her rib cage, parallel on each rib, as though something had struck against her and dented them, at some point in her life.

Her optics snapped shut as Hollow touched their casings and slid his talons down them. "Look, please, you don't want me! I'm weak, I can't fight back, I won't be any fun! You should go find someone stronger, I won't tell anyone about you, I swear!" She begged, her voice beginning to crack, as though she were about to cry.

[Hollow]

Hollow's nefarious giggle started up again. His hand jerked free of Florin's grasp and his claws delicately moved through Florin's organs without puncturing or altering any of them, with great practice. His fingertips touched something... Foreign. Something warm. The giggle died in his throat and confusion covered his face. He'd found something that didn't belong where it was.

His face, for the first time that night, showed something other than sadistic glee as he brought his gaze down from her face, the warmth of the light from his optics moving down to her inner workings. A green glow, a second heartbeat, and in that moment, for Hollow, a stunning realization.

Hollow's breath hissed in through his teeth. "Oh my. How very, very, very interesting." He hummed shortly to himself as he considered his next course of action. There was a pause. A horrible, gut-wrenching pause, like a wrench tossed into a pair of gears. The corners of his mouth twitched. He glanced back up at Florin, and his optics dimmed, letting the green wash of the second soul within Florin's stomach cover his face, fighting the ghastly glow of his optics. His grin returned, ever so slowly, more electric than before.

He reared back, claws clicking as they extended all the way, prepared to strike a blow that would cut clean through Florin and her child.

[Florin]

If one looked closely, it was possible to see Florin's heart stop for a moment when Hollow found the second soul that would be her child. Her optics snapped back open, wide and alert, before narrowing dangerously into cat-like slits. Her fear and pain momentarily vanished as instinct took control of her. All that mattered was protecting her child, whatever the costs.

The soul was tiny, not even yet noticeable from a covered, outside view of her body. It was likely just a few days since it'd been created, not nearly developed enough to survive without her yet. She had been fully aware of it for a while now, but no one else knew of it's existence. At least, until now. And right now, she wished he were anyone else. She wished she'd told someone else, then maybe she'd been better protected. That was a mistake she'd have to pay for now.

Primitive motherly instincts took over. She raised her own sharp hand at him, swinging it across his face, her talons cutting through his skin. She raised up her legs, pulling them back and driving them forward as she attempted to kick him off.

[Hollow]

Hollow's head snapped sideways as she slapped him, the small cuts in his face seeming not to perturb him terribly. He caught one of her legs in his right hand and one in his left, and then reached back and slapped her hard across the face, denting the rim of her left optic. The grin remained, and he giggled slightly again. "Tch. Temper, temper." He admonished, plunging his talons into her chest, each one knifing through the mesh of wiring around her heart, all clean misses to anything vital, but all excruciatingly painful.

He withdrew his talons and watched the oil drip from them. He held them over her neck fluff and let the oil drip into the fur, staining it- Probably permanently. He reared back again, prepared to strike, when the giant clock struck twelve. He gave a hideous shriek and his strike went high, slashing across Florin's left optic, cutting deep into the metal and across her face between her optics, cutting cleanly through the fabric, and along her eyebrow.

He staggered backwards off the bed, and the bell rang again, making him spasm slightly. It was one thing to be so close to the clock- It was another thing entirely to have to deal with the monstrous thing striking the hour. He skittered backwards to slam against the wall, chest heaving. He shrieked again as the third peal rang out and he clapped his hands over his ears.