Jack dragged his feet as he made his way with ironic blindness down to the common room. He was alone, he shouldn't be alone. Last time he was alone he blacked out and when he came to he didn't know where he was, and more importantly, he didn't know whose corpse he had been feeding from. He hated himself, and he wished that he didn't have to do this, but it was who he was now. And that's what made it all the worse. He was trapped within himself, forced to cause pain on others that he himself had suffered in the past. Jack; Eyeless Jack, was never meant to be alone.

He paused a few yards from the common room door, just listening. Conversations, bickering, the static of the TV, it reminded him too much of what used to be. He didn't want to break the illusion just yet, so he'd wait a while. But then a new noise behind him made Jack turn. He couldn't see, but he could sense. Forever blind unless gorging on the life of another, in such cases he gets to live their life, just more a moment... But sensing the unseen was his gift. And he was using it now. He sensed someone, a Proxy, but not a branded Proxy so it must have been an original like Slender. But it had something with him, something alive but motionless. Something human.

"Not another." He sighed, shaking his head as he finally entered the common room.

"Hey there, Jackie, how's the happy pills treating you?" Jeff announced, "Could be stronger?"

"It's here." He answered quietly.

"What is?" asked Ben tiredly, not bothering to turn away from the TV.

"The new one."

Alice glared at him, "Are you shitting me?"

Jeff smacked a hand to his forehead and groaned, "For fucks sake... It's been a month, didn't she kill herself by now?"

Ben smirked, "Looks like someone's luck's just ran out..."

"Should've just killed her, but no, Slendy just had to step in, didn't he?"

"You're blaming Slendy for this? Seriously?" Alice scoffed, starting to shuffle her deck of cards with irritation.

"Kind of, but I'm blaming Toby more and if he was here I'd snap his neck! Fuck this shit!"

"I'm sure he'd snap his own neck for you." Ben shrugged, "What's the big deal anyway? It's just a newbie."

A newbie who's going to cut down my already limited freedom, Alice thought to herself; Jeff however was thinking of the amount of hassle he was going to get from Slender. A newbie meant all the trouble of going over the rules, going over explanations, answering countless questions and dealing with split-characters. The trouble wasn't worth it, and he had enough things to do without having a lost kid tripping up around the place. It wasn't his fault! Toby was the one who screwed that night up. He should have killed her when he had the chance. Come to think of it, he might make up for lost time later.

"I just can't be assed." Jeff admitted.

"Guys, guys, you're missing out on a good opportunity here." Ben replied in a mockery of a soothing tone, hovering in the air to circle the pair with a hint of patronisation, "You don't want the newbie here, no doubt she isn't too pleased about it either. She's alone, she'll be scared, she'll be running around every corner and fighting tooth and nail to get out of here."

"Get to the point cyber-glitch." Alice moaned.

"All she's going to see are monsters and killers. And who are we to deny our expectations?" The spectre paused and put his arms around their shoulders, grudgingly locking them in place, "Don't think of her as a newbie; think of her as the new entertainment."

Jeff thought about it. Things had gotten pretty quiet around here lately, and he'd missed giving a good jump-scare and putting his knife at work. Who better to get into mild practice with than an ignorant newbie? And if he did a good enough job, with any luck she'd put herself out of her misery, or flat out run and get herself killed anyway and problem solved.

The killer grinned slyly, "Ben, shall we go and play with our new toy?"

"Special delivery."

Slender turned to look over his shoulder at the knee-high creature covered in matted dark fur, showing off its teeth in a large grimace. In its paws was the ankle of a young girl wearing a plain hospital gown, sandy hair tousled and greasy with sweat. She was silent, but breathing heavily. The sour smell of acid was on her breath from the pill she'd been forced to swallow. It hadn't been a cure, there is nothing that can cure the Sickness. What she had been given was a... well you would most likely call it a type of medication. This medication muted the effects of the Sickness so much so that it was as if you had never suffered from it. But as soon as you slipped into your 'public-appearance', it all too soon came flooding back to you. It controlled it, but didn't take it away.

She asked for help then...?

"More or less."

More or less... Slender repeated, You cannot cut corners at a time like this...!

"Who's cutting corners?" Widemouth asked defensively, "I took the watch shift for a month, excuse me if I took while the taking is good."

Slender glanced at the girl, taking note of the marks along her arms and ankles where the restraints had held her. But they weren't deep or permanent; she had been willing to give up from the start, he concluded. No doubt if she hadn't been under professional watch, she would have ended this long ago. Now that, Slender thought to himself with some amusement, is cheating. But she wasn't the first, most likely won't be the last.

Her eyes were darting back and fore beneath her eyelids, muscles throughout her body twitching involuntarily. She could vaguely hear them, flickers of light that forced their way through delivered shapes and shadows, not quite human but close enough that she wished she could open her eyes properly to see them. See if they could help her. Take away this numbness she fought so furiously.

Slender looked at the time and straightened up, I don't have time for this right now... I'll be back tomorrow evening... Until then take her to one of the spare rooms, I'll have Alice take charge of her until then...

"Pray tell why can't I take charge of the sweetheart till then?" the creature asked wryly.

You don't need me to answer that...

Trixie gasped and shot up into sitting position, hands clawed at the sheets beneath her as she looked around in panic. Where was she? The bare room with only the bed she lay on, a desk and closet gave her nothing to go by. The restraints had gone, the little window in the door where she'd been viewed like a goldfish had vanished. Yet the gown remained. And the whispers had gone with them. No shadows danced her now, no unseen creatures breathed in her ear. Abandoned was the longing for death in fact she felt... She felt healthy. Alive even for the first time in weeks. Just tired and sore. Mostly on her tongue, a leftover burning sensation tingled at her, making her wince.

"You'll want this to take the taste away."

She flinched and turned to see a reasonably attractive girl a few years older than her leaning against the far wall, shuffling cards tiredly. Waves of copper hair hung by her waist and blue eyes rolled at the lack of response. The stranger nodded to the desk close to the bed, indicating a glass of water. Too eager to extinguish the embers in her mouth Trixie grabbed at the glass and emptied it. Gasping from the cold, she dared to speak.

"Wh-where am I?"

The girl extended her arms dramatically, "Welcome to hell, hun, you're going to be here for a while."

"I-I was in a hospital and..." Trixie racked her brains to remember. That creature, it had done something to her, "...and that thing it-"

"I'm not here to listen to back-stories. I'm here to keep an eye on you until Slendy comes back and fills you in."

"Fill me in?" she asked, not wanting to know what a 'Slendy' was.

"Pretty much." The stranger sighed, looking both bored and irritated with the situation, "There's an on-suite through there for you to clean up and you can borrow some of my clothes for now. I'll be back in twenty minutes, don't keep me waiting I'm not in the mood for it. Like this for example," the girl suddenly turned suspicious and stormed towards the bed, crouching down and grabbing something that lay beneath it. She pulled out a grinning, struggling creature that made Trixie's blood run cold, "Get out of here you little pervert!"

The creature wriggle in the girls arms as she left the room, but as the door closed, it winked at Trixie menacingly, "See you around, sweetheart!"

"Alice, where're we going?"

"You've got to meet the rest of the inmates." She answered.

"But... what was that thing? And what are we all doing here?"

"I've told you, that's not my job. I've done enough of people's dirty work around here. You meet, you greet, and then I'm done."

Trixie didn't understand. All she had been able to gather from this tour was that everything she saw in the hospital had been real, and that she wasn't suffering anymore so she'd been sent here. When she'd first heard that, Trixie had figure that she'd died in that tomb and this was her punishment. But no, it had all been real. The creature, the shadows, the medication, the psychology tests... and the monsters tearing her family from her.

Alice had done her job and given the kid some time to get her bearings. So what if the girl was confused, it was Slender's job to fill in newbies, not her. For the first time ever, she just wanted to get to the others and palm her off onto someone else. So she'd stuck around this long, now enough was enough. Why did Slender have to give the job to her anyway? Like she didn't have enough to deal with. But regardless, Alice led the way to the common room and gave an unnerving smile.

"You may just see a familiar face by the way." She chuckled and entered the room, "Oh boys, I have a present for you..."

As soon as they entered the room, three pairs of eyes snapped to view them. Trixie took them in one at a time, feeling her body grow rigid. They were all boys, one a few years younger than her while the others looked about her age, maybe a year older or so. The youngest looking incredibly pale, so much so that she could have sworn his skin was an icy blue. Instead of eyes, there were just empty black sockets, leaking a thick black liquid that ran down it's cheeks before blending into his hoodie. The second also had black in his eyes, but it was as if they really were his eyes, scarlet pupils focussed on her. He looked a lot like a game character that she couldn't quite put her finger on, dressed like him too but she was taking more notice of the fact that she could practically see right through him as he hovered a few feet off of the floor. And then Trixie saw the third, and she instantly felt the urge to scream and run, yet she was rooted to the spot. She'd recognise that mass of black hair, leathery white skin, and that smile. That scarred and mutilated grin that was permanently carved into his cheeks. It was him... one of the monsters from that night. And there were more of them.

"N-no..." she breathed, "No... no..."

"Well, long time no see."

"Newbie, Ben and Jack; losers, newbie." Alice said curtly, "You already know Jeff, right, familiar with the family if I recall."

Trixie felt her throat tighten, fear burning at her skull. This wasn't real, it could be. This was some sick joke. Her legs felt like they were going to give out as the blood-drenched flashback skimmed across her mind. Her eyes stung as tears threatened to gather, but she couldn't manage it. It was like every part of her being had turned to stone.

"Is that her gimmick or something?" Ben asked sardonically as he chose to plant both feet on the floor and peer closely at the terrified girl, "Standing still and shaking?"

"Oh I get it!" Jeff laughed, slamming his hand onto Trixie's head and ruffling her hair like one would to an animal and making her squeak nervously, "She's a freezer!" Even Trixie had to give him a quizzical look at that one before he chose to elaborate, "What? When people are scared, they either fight or take flight. This rarity just so happens to be a freezer instead." He shrugged, giving her head a heavy nudge as he stepped away.

"You're going to have to get over that one." Ben mused, "We're all fighters here."

"And there's no room for fear either." Alice added.

"So has Slendy filled you in on our line of work?" Jeff asked patronisingly, when he didn't get an answer he snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, making her blink, "I know you can speak, if I remember you're quite the mutterer so out with it."

Not wanting to anger him, Trixie forced her jaws to part, "N-no... I d-don't know."

"So you just woke up here and have no idea why?" Ben smirked as she nodded, "Oh how adorable."

Trixie understood that they were toying with her, cruelly bouncing her between them like she was a mouse and they were the claws of a feline. Alice sniggered, "Now boys, scare her anymore and she may just pass out on us."

"You've changed your tune." Jeff commented.

"Well I can't let you have all the fun."

Trixie looked up at what had just minutes ago been her one guide in this maze or horrors, but had now become of the attractions itself. She instinctively took a step backwards and felt her back press against the wall. Not again, she begged, don't let them get to me again... She noticed that the one with leaking eyes hadn't said anything, but just stared at her morosely.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked finally, her voice strangely calm as if she was asking them to do it.

Jeff snorted with laughter, "You're right, Ben, fucking adorable."

That didn't answer her question. "Well that's pretty much everyone." Alice grinned crookedly, "Although, Ticci's still out on a job right now. And Shad is... where is he again?"

"Hell if I know." Ben shrugged.

"T-Ticci?" Trixie asked nervously.

Ben coiled a translucent arm over her shoulders, "Oh you'll love him." Trixie wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that. Actually, no, she was certain that she didn't. The spectre glanced over at the open laptop on the corner desk and smirked, "Actually he should be arriving right about... now."

There was a booming creak from behind where the large chipped door burst open. A figure of around their age strode in wearing a green hoddie was what freshly stained with... crimson. A metal mask covered his mouth and his eyes were hidden behind amber-lensed goggles. A damp hatched was being twisted between his gloved fingers and even with the hidden features, it was plain to see that he was pleased with himself. Trixie let out a shaky breath riddled with a shriek at the sight of him. She knew him. She feared him. Just like the grinning madman beside her, he was one of the ones that were there that night.

"New record!" the newcomer announced.

"Loosing style points for the mess though." Ben muttered as he took back to the air, eyeing the soaked patches.

"Details, details..." he presumably pouted. Suddenly, he looked in the direction of the newbie, pausing for a minute before calculating what must have happened, "Speaking of which! Hi again!"

"Newbie, you may not recognize him without that axe," Jeff smirked, "but officially meet Tick-Prick."

"Toby." He corrected, holding out an arm to shake hands with the girl, "Ticci-Toby." Trixie didn't want to move but he insisted, gripping her hand forcefully, she shuddered as she felt the click and crack of his bones beneath his skin as he moved. That, and his gloves were wet with something she didn't want to know the origins of, "Sorry about before." He added passively as if he'd accidently bumped into her, yet there was something in his voice that sounded like regret.

"Great, so now you've met Casper, Emo, Special-Ed and the Cure for Insomnia." Alice said, looking from Ben to Jack, then from Toby and finally Jeff sarcastically.

When Trixie didn't answer and just lowered her eyes, still trembling, Toby tilted his head to get another look at her, "Ah don't feel left out! She'll come up with a name for you t-" Halfway through the word, he froze, eyes widening under his eye-gear. Without warning, his neck gave a violent turn to the side, a sickening crack echoing around them and making Trixie jump back in surprise. A faint giggle escaped the gaps in his mask, his back arching to continue the symphony of popping ligaments and seemingly enjoying it, "Oh that one's been bugging me all night!"

Trixie swallowed anxiously and looked at the others for guidance. At her uneased look, Jeff shrugged passively, "Relax, it's a reflex he gets from time to time."

Feeling that Alice was still the most sane, and human, one here, she looked at her pleadingly, "I don't want to stay here."

"You think I do?" she snapped suddenly.

"Please..." She muttered, "I didn't ask for this!"

Jeff had been listening in and picked up a knife that had been set on the arm of the sofa, for good measure he aimed it and threw it across the room, nodding as it embedded in the opposite wall, "None of us asked for this, kid."

"Well Ben did." Toby shrugged, still trying to get his shoulder to click back into place.

Ben presented his palms defensively, "Hey I'm dead, what else was I going to do with my spare time?"

Dead? Trixie internally cried. The others however, were greatly enjoying making the newbie feel as uncomfortable as possible. Ben had been right, this girl had no idea what was going on and she was terrified... all the more fun to have. Taunting her with the sudden twist in persona, the sadistic humour and offering no explanation, it was all too entertaining. But on the other hand, Alice still had a point. The newbie had gotten so pale that she was close to matching Jack's level of icy paleness and she looked ready to pass out.

"It's been one big day for you newbie." Jeff mocked, "Maybe you'd better go to sleep."

At the poor choice of wording, Trixie tensed and her eyebrows shit upwards in panic, hoping to back away but not finding anyway to go. Alice clapped her hands condescendingly, "Oh very well put, Jeffy-boy, very well put..."

"What? All I said was..." he trailed off in realisation and slumped his shoulders, flashing a scowl at Trixie before glaring at Alice and flipping her off, "Fuck you."

"Oh I plan to later." She retorted, slowly licking her middle finger suggestively before prominently returning the crude gesture he still held at her.

Jeff opened his mouth to retaliate, but thought better of it and instead turned towards Trixie, an irritable twitch under his left eye, "Welcome home, newbie. May your first kill be someone in this room and let it be done soon..."

"K-kill?" she strained.

He ignored her and turned around so that his back was to the sofa and collapsed backwards onto it, Toby scratched his head in thought, "But practically everyone's here, including you."

"Well if it does end up being me then at least she's putting me out of my fucking misery!" At yet another of his outbursts, Trixie flinched again. "What's wrong, newbie?" Jeff sneered wryly, emphasising his scarred features, "I don't bite."

"But as you know, he does stab and hack." Alice arched an eyebrow.

"And she slices and shags." He returned, "In that order."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you Jeff."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Awe, don't get all worked up Jeffy."

"Fuck you."

"Someone beat you to it."

"Ben, you're standards are slipping."

"Hey, don't drag me into this!"

Trixie watched the argument bounce back and fore with growing unease, it was surely only amount of time before one of them lashed out. Please, she begged mentally, not another killing, please... She flinched as she heard a sickening cracking of bones beside her and a heavy arm drop onto her shoulders. Coming face to face with the pale hooded boy with the goggles and mask, she let out a groan of panic. He however, grinned widely at her behind the metal and tugged her to his side in a failing attempt at comfort.

"They're not all scary all the time." He insisted, "Between us, Jeff looks better like this. Even when he's pissed off he's got a smile!"

Trixie certainly didn't think he looked in anyway smile-worthy. Scars or not. The monsters that had haunted her mind for over a month, the ones that framed her and cornered her... that stole her family... They were here, and there were more of them. She couldn't leave. She didn't know where she was. Hell, Alice called it. If anything, this place must surely be just that. Her own personal hell...