The Smell Of Ashes

Hoodie and I stood patiently at the front door of our home. Two coats hung from a hook on the wall, and seven pairs of shoes by the front door. All of them different in, colour, size, and type. The walls rotted from the inside out, the grey paint was slowly chipping away. Blood and water staining the walls. Still, I called it home. So did a few other 'people'. That is if you considered forgotten clowns, eyeless demons, drowned boys, and undead little girls human.

Today we were getting another member added to our makeshift family. The Operator had told us that he had been farming a new Proxy, and today the boy had taken the right steps to become one of us. The Operator seemed to be excited, if he had any emotions whatsoever, to have a new puppet to play with, which was odd. Both Brian and I worked day-in-day-out. But he seemed glad to have a new person around; are we that useless? I know that Hoodie says the bare minimum and I only speak when spoken to or when information needs to be distributed. However, it stung, but in a bittersweet way. Almost like when you eat something sour. At first, it hurts, the taste of the sour candy will burn your fragile taste buds but later it becomes sweet. The sour soon being overwhelmed by the sweetness of the candy on the inside. It felt like that, I hated being used by The Operator but if he didn't use me then I was useless. I had no point in my fruitless life other than that.

While lost in thought the door swung opened, showing a slender figure. It wore a black suit and had a bright red tie. Though it had no face, only a paper-like surface with bumps, almost as if there was a face under that paper. Everyone who lived here knew this being as Slenderman, well everyone other than me and Hoodie. Having a different past and relationship with this monster, he'd gained a different name, one that we couldn't just forget.

His slim fingers were wrapped around the rusting doorknob, holding it open for the unknown person. At that very second, my friend and I straightened our backs and looked at the now opening door. My mind raced with the idea of what this new Proxy might look like: was he going to be like EJ? No, all Proxies are human, maybe this Proxy will be a girl like Kate? Male, female, monster, neither, or all of the above. I don't care, but being the emotionally driven person I am, I still yearned to know.

When the door opened a boy walked, he figure slim and seeming brittle. It looked like he hadn't eaten anything in weeks. The smell of ashes followed him into the room. This smell wasn't the gentle one that you loved recognizing after camping, no, it was harsh, overwhelming, and burned my nose.

He wore torn clothes: a sweater with grey and black striped sleeves, leaving a grey middle and black jeans. But they were all stained with blood, some of it was fresh and others patches were dried. He had black boots that went to his shins and almost grey skin along with fluffy, but messy, light brown hair, dark highlights of brown running through it. He wore a dark blue hoodie that covered his head. And he wore two things on his face: a mouthguard and goggles. The goggles were tinted a yellowish-orange colour. Along with a mouthguard that had a grey grin painted onto it. Although, I knew he wasn't smiling under the mask. The small bit of his eyes I was able to see told me he wanted was sleep. I couldn't help but wonder when he'd last slept. The one thing that I found off about the new-comer was that he was twitching. His shoulder would tic rapidly, and shortly after he would crack his neck.

"Timothy, Brian," The Operator spoke, closing the door. "This is Tobias," The being offered.

"N-N-Nice to meet you," His voice was hoarse and high.

"Yeah, it's a pleasure," I spoke up in a neutral tone. If I were being honest, I wasn't pleased by our acquaintance at all. Meeting him meant another person was being dragged into this hell. I wished this existence upon no one. Especially not a young boy who looked exhausted with life already.

"Brian, find a new pair of clothes for Tobias to wear while his wash. I would also like them stitched back together." The Operator ordered and Brian nodded obediently. "Timothy, I would like you to show Tobias around the house once he has a new pair of clothes. Is that clear?" I nodded as well.

"Crystal," With that being said the faceless being patted Toby on the back and went to his office, leaving me, Brian, and Toby alone. I glanced over at Brian and nodded my head. The hoodied man rushed off. I swear, sometimes he could read my thoughts.

"I'm Masky, by the way," I introduced myself. "The guy in the orange hoodie is well, Hoodie," I added still finding our given names funny. "Please don't call us Tim or Brian," It was a staement. Not a request. "Welcome to the mansion. I suggest you avoid everyone that isn't Hoodie or me, they might think you're prey."

"P-Prey?" He stuttered back.

"Yeah, prey, everyone in this mansion would be more than happy to kill you. So, keep your door locked and don't open it unless it's me or Hoodie. Got it, kid?" I asked. Really, he could relax a bit. There were so many rules about killing or hurting another member of the household. Earlier today, The Operator had told us that we'd be getting another Proxy. Everyone in the household knew this, and they knew not to kill anyone at random, but there were always those Killers who'd say 'fuck the rules' and attempt to kill them. Aka, Jeffery, EJ, Seed Eater, and Smile Dog. But you couldn't blame the last two, they were just mindless beings, more akin to dogs rather than humans.

"G-Got it!" Toby replied as if I was his Captian, forcing a small chuckle from me. Just then, Brain came rushing down the stairs with some cloths in hand. He swiftly handed them off to Toby.

"Th-Th-Thank you," Toby stuttered taking the clothing from Brian. I pointed to a washroom where he was able to change.

Brian and I stood outside waiting for him, which wasn't long. Toby was changed within two minutes, and once he came out he had his clothes folded, and ready to be washed. With his goggles and mouthguard on top of everything. The male was fairly handsome at first glance but that all changed once you saw the side of his mouth. It looked liked someone had burned or ripped off the side part of his mouth, showing off his teeth and gums. But, his thin brown hair and dark brown eyes made up for it.

His eyes, however, held a childlike wonder to them. A little bit of hidden mischievousness. But it was easy to tell he wouldn't be acting upon those traits. Under his charming eyes were dark back bags, showing just how tried the younger male was.

The ticking boy went up to Brian and handed him his dirt and blood-filled clothes. After receiving the cloths, Brian swiftly went up the stairs to go wash the clothes. It was only Toby and me.

"So, shall we get going?" I asked, now turning my eyes away from the running Brian and over to the twitching Toby.

"S-Sure."

+++

"And this will be your sleeping chambers," I explained. The tour of the house coming to a close, Toby had been very quiet throughout the whole tour. Haha, he's going to fit right in.

The boy's shoulder twitched once more before he spoke, "T-Thank you, Masky."

"You're welcome, Toby," I reassured him. "Hoodie should be done with your clothes in a little, so I guess just to be on the lookout for him," I quickly add, telling that he was slightly uncomfortable in the clothes he was wearing at that moment. "If that's all then, I'll be on my way," I said before making my way out of the room.