tw: mentions of suicide, gore, violence, and foul language.

bold: writing

'single quotation': thoughts

slanted/italics: memories.

underlined: underlined sentences are basically commands and thoughts of those who's thoughts are still completely controlled by the mask.

single quotation dialogue is basically belongs to a person who isn't a mask or has gained a bit of freedom from the command and can retain their own thoughts..

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~" 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘺 "~

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Previously

'Just for a little. I'll be back soon.'

The boy sniffled. "You pinky promise?"
Butcher mask stuck his pinky out. They shook.

"Let's pinky swear on it. When we get back home, we'll share all the memories and information we have." A girl with an apron said. She sounded foggy.

He stood and left. Hopefully, he'd run into the sniper. He had a few questions.

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It was cool outside. Butcher mask was still in the process of familiarizing the feeling of loneliness. He sighed.

'Hey, cv.' He called out.

It didn't respond.

'...rude.' He crossed rope bridge after rope bridge. Though he didn't mind the height, it had become a tedious task to just get to from one place to the other.

'What?' A sarcastic voice responded. Butcher mask looked up at the still dark sky. It'd bake to golden yellow in the morning sun in an hour.

'The sky's pretty today.'

'Yeah.' An uncomfortable silence settled. Butcher mask wasn't used to not being surrounded by chaotic high schoolers with grenades.

His hand brushed against the pocket of his worn apron. Butcher mask remembered his bundle of papers.

'Some light reading wouldn't hurt.' He thought to himself.

His hand grazed the red twine, but he pulled it away hastily and looked around stiffly.
'A human.' The buzzing came and filled his head, and his free time went away with the his now interrupted calmness.

'It's more than one; a group, with one individual with a connected wavelength.'

Butcher mask prepared his cleaver in his left and only good hand (he's right handed).

'Turn a right on that rope bridge.'

'Got it.'

He followed the voice's commands until he heard commotion in the hall around the corner. They were in another office building, blank and empty like everything else in this hell hole. A group of humans were yelling at a scuffed up mask who held his rifle up in a threateningly. Butcher mask recognized the mess of dark hair and black hat.

'The sniper.'

'Your boyfriend.'

'Shut up.'

He peeked around the corner. 'I have to get rid of that gun and disinterest him from the humans.'

A human stepped forward and prepared a lethal blow.

Butcher mask leapt forward. Something compelled Butcher mask to slit the human's throat, but he couldn't quite pin it down. Command or free will, it didn't matter. He had just killed a human. Disbelief couldn't settle properly as he swept to the attacker.

Swiftly, he slammed his body into the sniper and the wall, wrapping his good arm around his chest to hold down his arms and placing his other hand on the man's mask to make sure the impact wouldn't damage it. He pressed him in between the wall and his body so he couldn't squirm free. The rifle laid forgotten on the ground and the man let out a surprised yelp.

Butcher mask turned to the shocked group of people.
"Run." He said- thought(?) when he managed to make eye contact with one of them.

"Let's go!" And they left. Now it was just them; a mask, a sniper, and a corpse. The man stopped struggling.

'Way too close.' The man thought as he felt the taller mask's breath fan against the side of his head. His gaze was fixed on the group leaving, so if Sniper mask struggled enough while he was distracted...

He felt the arm let go, and though confused, he dove for his rifle and prepared to press the barrel snuggly to the mask's head.

When he came back up, the mask kept its head down in an almost apologetic bow.

'It's that mask.' He lowered his gun.
It- He stayed down, bowing. 'I'm glad he's alright.' Something from the bottom of his stomach warmed his body as he looked down at the bent figure. The thought came and went too quickly for Sniper mask to process.

"Uh, hello?" He spoke first. He didn't know why the mask looked so familiar in a way you would recognize an old friend, much like how he didn't know why he protected him from the grenade blast or took him to the doctor.

The man looked up at him from his bow and straightened up. He was covered in blood.

He froze and gazed intently at Sniper mask. "Thanks. For...body slamming me." Started Sniper mask, simultaneously searching for any kind of response from the other.

Nothing. Sniper mask fidgeted. Something about this mask's stare was intimidating. Maybe it was his height. Now that he got a closer look at the man, he was rather tall.

Butcher mask's brain drew a blank after killing that human.
'what am i supposed to do, oh god, why did i come here, why am i just staring at him, he probably thinks im a wei...' He subconsciously did what he always did; give a peace offering.

The mask snapped his fingers and brought out his backpack. He shuffled through the bag nervously, but his nerves didn't seem to show in his body language. He pulled out a small box.
'Food?'
He shoved them into the sniper's hands.

There was a paper on it. 'Butcher mask.'

'Food bribery. Nice job. Bait him out with candy next time, while you're at it.'

Butcher mask hit his head hard to shut the voice up, but stopped when he met Sniper mask's judging stare.

Sniper mask cleared his throat and looked away. He turned the paper over in his hand.
"So, Butcher mask. I'm..." He thought back to those girls at the helicopter building. "Sniper mask."
Butcher mask nodded eagerly. Sniper mask found his nodding oddly endearing, a strange emotion he was not yet used to, but chalked it up to needing a smoke break.
The sniper eased a bit and flicked a cigarette out with his tin lighter to help calm his nerves and ease his mind.
Butcher mask slapped it out of his hand harshly. The lighter landed with a soft clunk a dew feet away.

"..."

"..."

"Smoking's bad." His voice echoed in Sniper mask's mind. 'Huh?' He stared at the mask's sharp (e/c) eyes that gleamed just beyond the mask.

"Hm? Smoking again?" The man asked the shorter, who leant against the wall. The dark gray haired man flickered his eyes at him and then back to the wall, too concentrated on focusing on nothing.

"Hey," The man started again. He yanked the cigarette out of the man's mouth and took a few puffs himself. He maintained firm eye contact, even when he threw the cancer stick on the ground and stomped it out. His stomach turned unpleasantly.

"Smoking's bad, ya know." The man smiled cheekily.

His face felt a tad bit warm. He looked away.
"Hypocrite."

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'You just assaulted that man!'

'I PANICKED!' Butcher mask stiffened even more than usual, but he felt his insides double over and cry.

Sniper mask stopped moving for a number of minutes now, leaving Butcher mask concerned and bewildered.
He calmed his shaky hands and stepped forward in unsureness.

A fake gasp pierced the silence. 'He's so shocked he stopped breathing!'

'Seriously?!' He moved his hand up to the mask to try and feel for any kind of breath being exhaled by the man.

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Sniper mask's migraine subsided. He noticed a gloved hand placed closely against his mask.
"Huh?" Sniper mask met dull (e/c) eyes that pierced him. He could've sworn he saw panic for a split second, before the man turned and started to walk away rather quickly. Sniper mask trailed after him once he retrieved his dinted lighter and crippled cigarette.

Whoever that mask was, he had a connection with Sniper mask. He couldn't let him go just yet.

"Hey, wait. You owe me a cigarette."

The man slowed down to let Sniper mask walk next to him. Silence again. Soft footsteps filled the air of the roof. Soft footsteps that seemed oddly easing.

Butcher mask's head was racing.

Why had he saved that man by killing a human?

His stomach did flips and jumbled in untidy knots. He felt sick. When he made eye contact with the sniper earlier, he felt himself communicate something to him. He heard himself.
The words resonated in his head over and over again. Something didn't feel right. Something was missing.
What the mask had said to him right after took him back.
'You share a strong wavelength with this mask.'
He hadn't a clue what it meant, but it sure as hell didn't help his nagging unease.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sniper mask saw the movement of a human. He raised his gun and shot once before the other mask got a good, restraining grip on his rifle.
Down below, a man yelped in pain, then disappeared over the edge of the high rise.

Butcher mask unhanded his rifle then drew a long breath of disappointment. Disappointment? Sniper mask's stare busied itself by taking in the details of the butcher. His mask was perfectly fine. There wasn't even a scratch on it.
"Odd." He mumbled. The man glanced at him. Butcher mask looked at him with a questioning head tilt.
'Like a dog.' He raised his hand, but put it down when he realized what it was doing.
Sniper mask looked away from Butcher mask's prying glare.

"It's nothing. Why did you walk away back there?" He asked.

He looked at the paper that the mask waved. 'Why did you follow me?'

"I... don't know." He said half sincerely. He completely dodged the question, because a part of him didn't know, and another part didn't want to get too into detail with someone he didn't really now until 20 minutes ago.

Uncomfortable silence again.

"Why did you help me?" He turned to the man.

'I don't know.' Butcher mask wrote and then looked at the man mockingly.

"Touché..."

They looked down at the building below. Sniper mask stiffened when he saw the trail of blood the human left.

'I don't want to be doing this. Killing humans and helping them kill themselves. However, I can't disobey the mask's orders.' His eyes flicked to the man at his side, who was watching him closely. It looked like he was trying to be secretive about it, but it wasn't working at all.
'Then how is he able to be so calm when near humans? I've seen him defend those two girls from before.'

They crossed a bridge together, Butcher mask up front. He was trying to decide how to start his questioning.

'Did... Did my mask get an error that time?' His fingers traced the crack.
'I got my awareness back a little.' He thought, turning his gaze to the man ahead.

'This Command isn't online. It's offline. The moment you see the code inside the mask, the Command gets installed into your brain. Depending on your situation, different commands end up resonating.' They made it to the building's roof.

'How pathetic. This lousy mask, it has full control of my brain.' thought Sniper mask solemnly. His pulsing head recalled the boy he fought back when he was under the Command's complete control.
'Huh? His name... What was it?' His head lit up with pain and green sparks, like a thousand tiny needles probing his head. He grunted and leaned onto the wall for support.
'Not again.' He groaned.

Butcher mask went to his side and hovered over him, holding out a water bottle and bringing his face in closer to examine him.
That small action more than bothered Sniper mask. He was about to complain, when a small voice spoke.
"Excuse me, are you ok?" Both masks stood still with shock as they cranked their heads to the new voice.
"Oh, my apologies. I know masks aren't usually able to converse." She quickly took notice of their close positions then gave a knowing gasp. "I didn't mean to interrupt! I, um-"

'Is this girl... an idiot?' Sniper mask whipped out his rifle, causing Butcher mask's mask to force himself in front of the girl protectively.

He persisted with his rifle.

'You really think you can talk to a mask like that?'

The air got thicker, but his rifle remained drawn.

'I'll show you despair. Even if I have to take this mask out with you too!' He raised the rifle in a threatening way.

Butcher mask fixed his coldest glare on the sniper. His liking for the man was disappearing very quickly. He drew his only cleaver.

'Halt unnecessary action.' Sniper mask's Command said with monotony. 'What?'
His finger twitched on the trigger from the momentary shock of the cold voice. The bullet nearly hit Butcher mask, whizzing by his ear and over his shoulder. His breath hitched.
'It is unnecessary to push this human to the edge of despair.'

"I uh... sorry?" The girl stuttered while peeking from behind Butcher mask, who stood as cold as ice.

'This human has already reached the level close to God.'

Butcher mask watched the sniper's eyes widen. 'What the hell?! What's with this command?'

Butcher mask snapped out of his petrified state. The mask had almost hit him. The mask threatened him and a human girl with a gun. Something like artificial rage swelled inside of Butcher mask. A click in his head, and a swarming buzz.

'This realm is a facility to create God.' The voice spoke to Sniper mask.

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i forgot to feed yall. forgive me 😗👉👈
i just wanted to give y'all something to have while i write more, so im sorry if this feels rushed. i have no idea where this is going, but hey, it's funner that way right?

thank you for reading!