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Jax can barely see his raised yellow-gloved hand; he's too distracted by the burning, blinding spotlight on him. The dark shadow figures behind his trembling fingers spin in a constant loop, their wide mouths laughing louder. Louder.
When the silhouettes morph from generic outlines to familiar faces, he shakes even more violently. He desperately turns his head and shields his face, trying to block out the shapes of Kaufmo, Ribbit, and Pomni- all laughing at him. Not with him. Not about something he did. At him.
This isn't real... this isn't real...
His mantra fails him as the sharp, cutting guffaws pierce his ears and lodge straight into his head. Watery eyes see the shadows’ outlines on the floor below him.
Nowhere to run or hide, he cowers even more in place. Suddenly, the scoffing is right behind him. He peeks over his shoulder and, in horror, sees three more looming figures hunched over him. Dark hands grab at him, but somehow he's able to dodge them.
The rabbit scrambles backward on his hands, desperate to flee. He doesn't get far before one of the specters grabs him roughly by the ears and yanks him back. He knows he feels no physical pain, but he can swear his neck has snapped.
The laughing figure -it's... Ribbit..- pulls at his ears even tighter. The others grab Jax's shaking arms and pull him forward, holding him in firm place. Slowly, the frog outline pulls- and the purple skin on Jax's head, shoulders, and torso starts to peel off his body like an orange. No physical pain finds him- but the humiliation, the mental torture now overtaking him is far more agonizing. He briefly looks down, seeing he's become a yellow, bare, helpless creature before them.
Tears sting what remains of his eyes. He grabs his skin and rashly pulls it back up, trying to cover himself. The faces just continue their sickening, wicked laughter, the floating contours behind him leading the chorus.
All at once, they roughly toss him to the ground- and ironically, he feels like an abandoned toy. One broken. One damaged, perhaps beyond repair.
His purple skin slipping to his waist, Jax hopelessly scrambles back again. But deep down, he knows he can't escape the rejection, the terror he's forced to confront. The darkness around begins to engulf him- and even more so within him.
Ragatha stares at the dark red table. Mannequin after mannequin, stabbed with knives and deemed lifeless, occupies the few seats to her left and right. Large butcher knives and delicate plates of… centipedes?… are scattered around the table.
But she barely focuses on that for long. Because directly across from her sits a shadow figure so haunting, so terrifying- and all without a face. Its glowing white eyes reveal an eerie smile, which grows in size as the silhouette itself does.
The ragdoll trembles as her lone eye widens. She knows this dark figure isn't a stranger, although how she wishes it were. Its eyes are glued to her, burning into her with each second it stares. In judgment; worse yet, in disgust.
A high-pitched screech is heard, followed by a low chuckle from the nightmarish specter. Ragatha knows better than to take her eyes off it- not that she could anyway. It would only demand her attention right back.
All at once, the knives on the table come to life and shoot toward her at dizzying speed. Instantly, she puts her hand up to shield her face. A long, sharp knife lodges through her palm, making her instinctively yelp- and although she feels no physical ache, she wishes that was all she feels instead.
Another knife flies through the air, this time impaling her shoulder. Then her stomach. Suddenly, one large, thick butcher knife flies and lands square in the middle of her button eye, slicing it in half. But she hardly even notices now.
The shadow figure before her seems to crawl forward, the ragdoll's good eye glued to it. She doesn't flinch when another knife strikes her other shoulder; the horror at the other end of the table has far overtaken any stab wound she could ever have.
Because the very source of all the stab wounds -and far more- stands up before her, looming so close that Ragatha audibly whimpers in horror.
This isn't real... this isn't real...
Her shaking hands grip the table, and her arms lean her back, desperate to escape the intimidating silhouette. She leans back too far and loses her balance, causing the chair to crash to the ground. Thankfully, the force of the impact loosens the knives enough to unpin her from the back of the wooden chair.
Crawling backward on her hands, Ragatha keeps her eye on the hazy outline that is her mother. The knot in her throat is more unbearable than the impaled knives at this point, making it hard to breathe.
The terrifying shadow looms closer. Ragatha scrambles back…
“Oof!”
Bumping her back against something, she turns her head and gasps- and Jax does the same.
“Jax!”
“R-Ragatha!”
Their eyes flash wide as they see the deplorable, inhumane state the other is in. Jax, his purple skin peeled off. Ragatha, multiple knives impaling her.
This is real... this is real!
The cruel, lingering silhouettes -her mom, his three best friends- surround them, causing the rabbit and doll woman to take note. Her heart drops at the familiar outlines mocking and pointing wickedly at Jax. His stomach falls as the tall shadow's glowing eyes land on a shaking Ragatha.
But all at once, their focus is directed toward each other- and the agonizing world around them falls quiet and still. Each raises a hand to delicately touch the other's cheek helplessly, both wanting to somehow comfort the other…
Only for the dark creatures to grab them and yank them apart.
“Jax!” Ragatha cries as her mom's dark, haunting outline drags her back toward the table.
“R-Ragatha!” he cries back, trying to free his yellow arm from the grasping hands of the silhouette Pomni.
The ragdoll watches in horror as the three figures try to strip even more of Jax’s purple skin, each howling hysterically as he desperately tries to keep it on. He looks over just as the cruel shadow causes another knife to impale Ragatha’s back, making her cry out and helplessly pin her to the ground.
Tears slice him more than the laughter of the sickening shadows. Jax lets go of his fallen skin and reaches for her, desperately wanting to save her. If he doesn’t do something soon, there’s no telling what her mother will do!
Ragatha blinks back horrified tears and extends her hand with the knife in it toward him. If she doesn’t save him now, his three closest friends might end up killing him!
But the figures pull Jax further away and nail another knife into Ragatha's hand, as if they are all desperately trying to keep them apart. Maybe that’s just an extra punch Caine has thrown in to torture them even deeper.
There’s nothing we can do! Ragatha panics, tears of terror falling from her eye as her heavy hand falls in defeat. Caine has all the control!
…But so do we, Kinger’s voice suddenly rings in her head.
She rapidly blinks, her chest heaving.
We all technically have the ability to conjure, just like Caine. It requires a lot more skill and concentration.
Pulling her eyes off the peeling rabbit, the doll ignores the shrieking noise radiating from the mother creature behind her. She ignores the cruel sounds from the cackling figures and focuses solely on her hand.
Please... please work.
POOF! The knives in her hands glitch and disappear- and all at once, a softball appears in thin air. Its sudden appearance captures Jax's attention, instantly making him freeze and gasp in utter shock.
Both he and Ragatha watch as the sport ball softly falls and bounces on the floor. When it starts to roll out of her reach, the ragdoll quickly scrambles to grab it- and POP! The knife once in her back vanishes. Beside her appears another ball, its soft neon-yellow color warming her frozen core just a tad.
And somehow, just the sight of the softballs gives Ragatha the strength to push off the ground. She barely notices, but the tall body of the mother figure behind her starts to glitch.
Once to her feet, Ragatha narrows her eyes at the taunting shadows- who, to her horror, have resumed their heinous act of peeling Jax. His skin now reaches his ankles, his bare body trembling as he crumbles to the ground. One more small rip, and the silhouettes will have completely skinned him alive.
Eye focus on her target, the ragdoll swings her arm back. The softball flies from Ragatha's hand at dizzying speed- and nails the outline of Kaufmo straight in the face. Instantly, the figure halts its scornful laughter and roars in pain before melting dramatically into the floor.
Confidence building, the ragdoll takes a few steps forward, not noticing as the knife in her shoulder vanishes. In her hand is the other softball, fitting perfectly in her mittened hand. She flings it with precise aim and insane force, knocking a confused Pomni shadow back until it vaporizes into the air.
Finally, Ragatha blinks and the knife in her eye falls from her face- but this time, it shapes into one last ball, falling effortlessly into her hand. Swinging her arm back extra far, she throws the ball so hard and fast that it causes the figure of Ribbit to yelp in pain the moment it collides with it. The dark silhouette stumbles backward, falling to the ground- and collapses into nothingness.
Gasping in amazement, Jax looks above him. The remaining silhouette figures, stuck in their cruel loop, shift from mocking his suffering and humiliation to shrieking in horror. Slowly, one by one, their faces melt until not even a trace of a shadow is seen. All that’s left is a spotlight still on Jax- and somehow it no longer sears him as badly.
Shaking, the rabbit blinks- and all at once, his purple skin is completely reattached to his body, stuck back onto his yellow core like nothing had happened. He runs his hands down his face and over his sides, letting out a soft, flabbergasted chuckle. Realizing he is okay, he takes a shaky, relieved breath and even offers a bewildered smile. Somehow, someway, this horrific personal torture from Caine is finally over.
For him, anyway.
Eyebrows pinched in realization, he rashly looks over his shoulder. He sees Ragatha has turned her attention back toward the silhouette of her mother. The creature is screeching in anger as its outline grows taller and more intimidating by the second. A dark hand swings and snatches up the now-trembling ragdoll, roughly handling her as it suspends her in the air. A low rumble shakes the ground- and emitting from the figure is a voice fit for a nightmare.
“You will never be wanted.”
The figure tightens its grip around Ragatha, making her yelp and wince. She can almost feel the fingernails digging into her, trapping her arms at her sides. A fresh knife flies by, striking her once again in the face.
“You will never be appreciated.”
The haunting specter slowly pulls her closer to its face, white eyes gleaming. A sharpened butcher knife impales her neck, causing her to cry out. The eyes narrow at her- and its next wicked words stab her deeper than any blade ever could.
“And you will never be loved-”
“Hey, Mommie Dearest!”
Both Ragatha and the large creature holding her freeze. They turn their heads slowly in sync to look down. Standing under the spotlight a few feet away is an enraged Jax, panting so hard that his chest heaves and his ears are tipped back. Fists formed at his sides, he closes his eyes tightly to think, to concentrate- and POOF! A sniper rifle, almost longer than his body, appears in midair as much as the revengeful smirk on his face does.
“Think again.”
He catches the falling gun expertly in his gloved hands, aims it right toward the last shadow figure’s head- and opens fire. Bullets leave the gun at a speed even faster than normal, creating sharp, startling noises that echo around them. The ammunition strikes the silhouette in multiple places, making its large white eyes shut in pain. It howls with an invisible mouth- and is forced to let Ragatha go as it tries to shield its face.
The ragdoll crashes onto the hard ground and scrambles backward as Jax continues firing, watching as the few dozen shots make the shadow's figure start to crumble before their eyes. At last, it gives a defeated roar before collapsing backward. It lands on the dinner table before evaporating like smoke- and the harsh impact sends the centipedes on the dinner plates flying in all directions.
In a panic, Ragatha rushes onto her feet and begins to run. The centipedes create a shrieking sound that is deafening as they rush after her.
She doesn’t get very far before Jax tosses the gun and scoops her up bridal style, safely holding her in the air and off the ground. Her shaking arms instantly wrap around his neck as she clings to him. Each heart pounds as the pair silently watch the centipedes scatter around Jax's feet and finally disappear into the darkness without a trace.
Once convinced all threatening sources are truly gone, Jax gently sets Ragatha back on the ground. Both pant in shallow breaths, quietly quivering as they stare in the direction the insects had crawled away to.
Jax is the first to snap out of the daze as his eyes land on the ragdoll. Just like his, her body is thankfully back to normal as well; not even a cut on her plush skin is seen. Her lone eye, though, reveals the deep pain and agony as it finds its way to his.
“Are... are you okay, Jax?”
Far from it, he immediately thinks. But given his body is intact (and better yet, hers is too), he figures he can successfully lie.
“Been better, but yeah... you?”
The ragdoll just blinks for a moment, her eye twitching slightly. She wants to put back on her positive facade and just nod so badly, chirping with a tearful smile that all is okay. But right now, she can’t. All she can do is stiffly shake her head- and collapse against him.
At the sudden intimate moment of her against his chest, Jax is startled to say the least- especially when he feels Ragatha grab his overall straps tightly. He tenses up as she pulls him unbearably close and starts to weep against him.
“I thought... I thought...”
As her whimpers break through his overalls and scratch at his heart, the blushing rabbit winces. He awkwardly holds his hands up, fingers curling in nervousness. Every part of him wants to slip back into his disinterested act and just push her away, growling at her to suck it up because she's fine. But right now, he can’t. All he can do is gulp- and slowly rest his hands on her shoulders.
“It's okay, Raggy,” he finally says out loud, shocking himself with how gentle and assuring his voice is. “That crazy nightmare is over-”
Her whimpers cut him, almost as much as her clutching onto him desperately does. Her words mix so poorly with her tears that Jax can barely make them out.
“I thought they were going to kill you, and I-I-"
Heart dropping, Jax’s eyes flash wide. Slowly blinking down at the weeping ragdoll, he struggles to breathe even more.
Raw tears fill his large eyes, and suddenly he can’t stop himself. He quickly wraps his long arms around her and pulls her that much closer to him. One set of fingers gently digs into her waist, the other tangles in her red hair. He lets her cry deeper against his chest- and, more remarkably, lets himself cry into the crook of her neck.
The two hold each other still, time frozen. Safely frozen, they decide. Maybe so thick and solid not even savage Caine could thaw them and pull them apart this time.
Feeling her slowing tears against him makes Jax cry softer. Feeling his heartbeat pound gently in her ears leads Ragatha to whimper a little less.
This is real... this is-
A distant sound is heard somewhere far beside them, snapping them out of the moment. Bodies still glued together, they hesitantly open their eyes.
When the sound rings again, Jax and Ragatha slowly unwrap themselves from each other. Their bodies remain adjacent, however, as the sound echoes louder. More distinct, more recognizable.
That of an alligator snarl.
Neither can think before the sound of a truck horn blares from the other direction, making them turn their heads. And when the sound of crunching plastic rings out, their wide eyes land on each other. Reality sets in too quickly, making them each gulp.
“T-The others...”
“There’s... there’s no telling what Caine is doing to them.”
Eyebrows hunched in determination, Ragatha slowly backs away from the safety of Jax’s arms. Feeling his heart ache at the dangerous space created between them again, he stiffly shakes his head- but she doesn’t notice. She gulps down the knot forming in her throat and gives a wobbly sigh.
“We have to try and help them.”
The ragdoll eyes the direction the noises came from and nods one way.
“You go and rescue Pomni,” she directs, backing away in the opposite direction. “I’ll go find Zooble and Gangle.”
For a moment, Jax can’t move, his ears lowering down his back. The spotlight above him starts to burn again as he heaves. When she turns to run toward where she hopes her other friends are, he extends a desperate hand and panics.
“Wait!”
To his surprise, Ragatha halts and turns to face him. She blinks with a wide eye that screams fear- and Jax doesn’t need to explore why.
He starts to open his mouth, ready to express his own fears, but the words are glued to his tongue. Unable to sort through the terrifying, confusing thoughts and feelings building, he gives a shaky sigh and closes his eyes. His mind only clears when he opens his tearful eyes and pulls his hand to his chest.
“Please... please be careful, Dollface.”
I can’t bear to relive that horror again.
That added thought stays in his head, but the look on Ragatha’s face tells him that somehow she read his mind. And, to his shock, he can feel her mind echoing the same thing.
For a moment, Ragatha can’t respond. She briefly eyes the dark expanse around her before turning back to the light. Her light- one that she is positive will always be there.
A small smile pulls at her mouth- especially when a softball appears in the air. She catches it with ease and safely tucks it into her pocket. She gives Jax and the fresh sniper he's conjured a look of confidence- meaning every word and then some.
“You too, Jax.”