(A/N)

Just a quick one! This is the sequel to Tasked With Insanity, which can also be found on my profile, so you should probably go and read that first if you'd like to understand this.

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"What's wrong, dollface? Did something not go as you wanted it to?"

The words echoed in my mind as tears fell from my eyes, I jolted upright in my bed, and a strangled scream slipped from my throat.

A strangled scream that no one heard, or just dismissed as one of my usual 'nightmares' that I always had.

This time, however, it was all too real. All too real, and all too much, because to me, that voice meant so many things.

Failure. Failure to fulfill the delusional thoughts that made me believe I'd be able to save my friends.

A reason to fear. I had interfered with their appearance, and surely, now that the primary 'obstacles' were gone, I would be next.

"Oh, shut up, doll. No one's coming to help you, and anyway, shouldn't fear be a foreign emotion to you by now?"

A hand clamped over my mouth, and the pair of glowing red eyes returned once again, this time right in front of me. No other feature of this being's face was visible. Tonight was a new moon. There was no moonlight to flood through my barred window.

I let out a delicate whimper. Apparently, fear was not a foreign emotion to me yet.

"Really, you were the perfect little puppet for the job! Messed up not even once. Oh-" he chuckled, darkly. It sent shivers down my spine and more tears trailing down my cheeks. "-But in your eyes, that's all-" he tapped me on the nose.

"You ever-"

And again.

"Did."

This time, he pushed me backwards into the wall beside my bed. My head and the wall collided with a lifeless thud and a burst of pain that truly made me cry out.

Physical pain, however, was nothing compared to all the mental pain I had been vulnerable to over the days.

"Now, doll, give me one reason I shouldn't slit your throat right here, right now."

Sobbing from me was the only noise that didn't cease. I didn't even try to talk.

"Hm? What was that? I didn't hear you."

"I-I-..." The words were choked out, through tears. They just wouldn't stop coming, and I didn't know why.

"Oh, leave her alone. We were after them, not her." Glowing blue eyes joined the red ones. This new voice was kinder, but it confused me.

A funny smelling cloth was held up to my mouth. Scrambling, I backed away as far as I could, still prone to fear. The kinder, calming voice spoke again.

"Don't worry, poppet, it's only chloroform. We're just going to get you out of here, and then maybe we can introduce ourselves properly, hm?"

Sometimes, I look back and wonder why I trusted them. Sometimes, I look back and wonder why I calmed down and moved forward again, to let them put the cloth to my face. Sometimes, I wonder why I was so stupid.

Because as my eyes closed and I lost consciousness, there was one last thing I heard.

"Finally, little doll. We got you."

PART ONE END