TW: imprisonment, torture

Cub woke up in the dark.

He blinked, trying see anything of the room his was in. The ground was hard underneath where he was sat. Something was tight around his wrists. Like sculk. But not sculk. Metal.

Handcuffs.

He'd been taken prisoner.

Cub stopped breathing. His heart raced. Someone had trapped him. Who? What had happened?

Had he been possessed?

Had he killed someone else?

'Hello?' Cub called. 'Anyone?'

'Good morning, sleepy head.'

The door opened, and the room flooded with light. Cub squinted, blinking, staring at the hermit blocking the doorway.

Doc.

'What happened? Did you trap me here? Why? What did I do?' Cub questioned. 'Doc?'

'Someone needed to teach you a lesson.'

'What?' Cub's blood turned cold. 'What did I do? What happened? I don't know what you think I did.'

'Then let me jog your memory. Ren?'

The wolf hybrid appeared behind Doc, expression unreadable, holding a music disk. There was a jukebox in the corner. Doc stepped from the room.

'Ren?' Cub struggled against the restraints. 'Ren, what's on that disk?'

'I'm sorry. But you need to hear it.'

Ren put the disk into the jukebox. For a moment it just crackled as he sped away, closing the door behind, before the recording began.

'Let me go. Please.' Bdubs terrified voice filled the room. Cub's eyes widened. 'Let me go. Go away. Please- please-'

'Oh no, no, Bdubs, you silly goose. That's not how this works.'

Scar.

His voice high, and cold, and malicious.

Possessed.

Cub could barely breathe. He couldn't move, frozen into place. What had he done? What had he and Scar done?

'Hold him down, Cub.'

'Of course, man. We wouldn't want him getting away.'

And himself.

Possessed by the Vex.

Enjoying it. Clearly enjoying it.

'No- no- Please- PLEASE-'

And then Bdubs started screaming.

The recording stretched on, and on, and on. Cub sobbed, trying to drown it out. Flashes of memory returned. The blood. The taste of copper, the pungent smell. The screaming. And even worse, the his and Scar's laughter. Even as Doc stepped back into the room and the record removed, Cub could hear it.

'You killed him.'

Cub could barely hear Doc's voice. The truth of what he'd done hung between them. He didn't speak. He couldn't.

'Imagine me finding and listening to that when I first woke up.' Cub still didn't speak. Bdubs's screams still rang in his ears. Scar's laugh still rang in his ears. 'After everything Bdubs has already faced. Everything you already did to him.' Cub stared at the ground, tears running down his cheeks.

'I- I'm sorry,' he sobbed. 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry...'

'But I don't think you do understand. I don't think you can. But maybe we can give Scar the semblance of an idea... are you recording?'

'Yes- but- Doc- I don't want to...'

'You agreed, Keralis. Ren, pass the knife.'

'Doc- please- dude. I didn't- I never wanted to. It was the Vex. I swear I-'

Cub fell silent as Doc held a knife to his throat.

'I know what Vexlings are. They're parasites. Corrupting players they like and killing the ones they don't. Thinking they control the servers they're in. Causing mindless chaos and destruction. But not anymore. Keralis untie him. Ren, hold him down.'

'Ren, please, Ren. I'm your friend. You know I'd never- I never wanted this. We were possessed. Keralis, you- you always see the best in people, you know I wouldn't- please. Please don't hurt me. Please. Please...'

Neither obeyed. Cub was forced to the ground, helpless as his labcoat was torn off and thrown aside, then his shirt, then his glasses. Keralis and Ren held him down, stopping him from moving. Doc crouched next to him, just watching as Cub struggled to escape, panic clear in the vex blue spreading up his arms and from his ears, the wings flickering into existence behind him and-

Before they could disappear again, Doc grabbed one of the wings. Cub couldn't fight his terror, only fighting harder, swearing, the truth of what was going to happen drowning him. But he still couldn't move.

'Doc- don't- Doc please don't hurt me please. Please don't-'

There was nothing he could do but scream. His claws dug deep into the ground below, blood running down his back. Keralis closed his eyes, swearing over and over. Ren couldn't look away, the image of Doc, or Cub, the sound of the screams even more piercing than for anyone else. He tried to find remorse, pity, anything human in Doc's eyes but all that remained was a cold hatred. Only when Doc finished, stepping away, did Ren manage to turn his attention away, staring at the ground. Cub barely moved, shaking, sobbing, bleeding.

'You didn't have to do that.' Ren whispered. 'Doc... man...'

'He tortured Bdubs to death. He drowned Jevin. He tore Hypno's throat out.' Doc stabbed at the ground with the bloody knife. Cub let out a yell of pain as it cut straight through his hand. 'He deserves worse.'

Ren backed away, ears flat against his head.

'This isn't right, Doc. None of this is right. Even if the Vex, the ConVex, killed Bdubs, and the others, Cub and Scar weren't to blame for their actions. They were possessed.'

'Cub and Scar were gone the moment the Vex turned them into these freaks. The Vex kill players before possessing them. Their souls are Vex souls. Their code is Vex code. They're not our friends.'

'That's not Cub or Scar's fault! They never meant for this to happen! This- oh notch- I can't do this. I have to go.'

Ren fled.

'Wait! Ren! Sweetface!'

Keralis's voice followed him, but he didn't stop. The image of Doc hurting Cub refused to leave Ren's mind. He'd helped. He'd agreed to help. Why? Why would he agree to something like that?

'Ren! Please! Sweetface! Papa K believes you!'

The image of what had happened in that room, what he'd done, Cub's screams, and pleading and Doc just...

Ren skidded to a stop as nausea overtook him and he vomited. Tears ran down his face. His hands and clothes were stained with blood.

'No- no- Sweetface, it's ok.' Keralis reached him, a hand on Ren's shoulder. 'It's alright, Ren.' The wolf hybrid slid to the ground and started sobbing.

'What have we done?' His voice was hoarse. 'Oh Notch, what have we done?'

'Everything will be ok, Ren.'

'It won't be.'

Keralis didn't speak, just hugging Ren as he continued to sob.

'Doc told us not to tell anyone.'

'I don't want to tell anyone. I don't want to admit I helped Doc do that.'

'I'm here, Ren. Papa K is here.' Keralis hugged Ren. Ren didn't reply, just hugging Keralis back as he continued to sob.