Work Text:
Lorelei was staring down through the glass window of the bar, snapping pictures with her camera. The itch was back, that awful little tinkle that made you want to crack your skull open and scratch your brains out. She growled quietly to herself as she readjusted the lens
The itch that reminds her that she hasn’t had a victim in months. Her skin jumped slightly, she needed someone, animals won’t do anymore.
She had to close up shop in her previous town because the local guild was dangerously close to discovering her operations. Asking too many questions. Carelessness is what got people caught. And she wasn’t careless.
It’s not like she was evil anyways, all discoveries, well the useful ones, and even some organs went to the hospital. It was incredibly difficult to donate anonymously, but a few bribes did the trick. When you think about it, one person vs hundreds of lives, the math spoke for itself. She prevents her worst actions by doing this ritual. someone lonely, pathetic and forgettable vanishes, and in return lives are saved and her mind is quiet for a few months. Win, win, win.
Plus, it wasn’t her fault she had these compulsions. She didn’t want to do the twisted disgusting things. Her mind told her to do it, though she’s learned to delight in it. If Yoba wanted her to be an average doctor then they should have made her that way. It’s not her fault.
She’s been stalking her prey like an ambush predator, waiting for the perfect time to strike. She's narrowed down her targets. She needed someone isolated, someone who disappears often, someone who didn’t have close friends, someone easy. At first it was small threads of desire, but now it was a mess of tangled wire.
A boy exited the saloon to take a smoke break, no, not a boy, he was older than that, independent, that was good. While she did do awful, disgusting things she'd never hurt children. She raised her camera again, fingers trembling, zooming in. Sebastian. She had profiled him a week ago. Dark hair, eye bags that never fade, a tendency avoids social interaction even when surrounded by people. He has predictable habits, liked to stay up late. He was perfect and recently she was buttering him up. She watched with interest as the cigarette flickered. He huffed in and blew it, staring out into space. He was the kind who could just… disappear and nobody would bat an eye.
He stood to the side, angling himself to avoid the noise from the lively audience. He finished his cigarette, dropping then stomping out the bud. He sighed and re-entered the bar, the warm light and drunk laughter surrounding him. Lorelei smiled to herself. She knew he was next.
Inside the Stardrop Saloon Sebastian was lining up his next shot. He was currently in another game of pool with Sam, to which the blond was failing horribly. The farmer was out of town so the town had naturally quieted down, but recently someone new did just move in. Lorelei. Nobody really knew what she did. But she was friendly , easy to talk with, and enjoyed everyone’s company. Always around. Always around him.
“So the new girl,” Sam spoke aiming his next shot “she’s nice”
“I guess” he responded, making a clean hit “she seems a little weird though”
“That’s because you're not used to girls paying attention to you “ Abigail butted in, not even bothering to look away from her game.
“Yeah yeah, whatever” Sebastion replied flatly
“Come on!” Sam grinned, hoping to distract him. “she totally has a thing for you, she even got you your favorite food”
“Yeah, how did she even know I liked sashimi” he mumbled “kinda creepy”
he made his final move beating Sam 7-0
“Again!?”
Sebastian just shrugged with a smirk, started to back away from the table.
The night soon winded down and the three decided to head home. The air was chill, a distinct difference from the warm atmosphere at the bar. Sebastian waved his friends goodbye, splitting up at their usual time. “Later,” he called before starting his hike up the mountain. The walk was quiet, calm, but something felt off. He had a tingling sensation in his back, a faint prickle. Was someone watching him? He quickly whipped around but all he was the blackness of night. “Whatever..” he grumbled, shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pockets. But that tick down his spine never left.
The more he climbed, the longer the path seemed to go, and the more unsettled he became. Then, something moved. Sebastian didn’t want to be outside anymore. Sender hands grasped his shoulders and yanked him back. He gasped, feeling like his lungs hit the back of his rib cage, Arms immediately coiled around him, keeping him pinned.
“Shh.. go to sleep,” a female voice said. A familiar voice. He knew her.
“No!” Those words barely formed as sweet smelling cloth clasped around his mouth. He tried to speak , tried to yell, to scream, but nothing came out. His head started to feel hazy, but he needed to stay awake, he had to. Sebastian started to thrash to the best of his abilities but they were weak. He couldn’t pull himself out. Soon the cotton had clouded his head entirely. The world seemed to melt around him, tinting black. He was out.
A slimy smile graced the hunter’s lips, that messy scribbling in her head was already soothing.
“Oh hun” she chuckled “you’re already helping me so much” she lifted him up onto her shoulder, his limp arms swaying. “You’re perfect for this project”
It was cold, his body felt heavy. He tried to move his legs but they were completely stuck. His eyes barely opened, his mouth left with a bitter chemical taste. A soft calm voice wafts through the air
“Good, you're awake” he lifted his head weakly to her call. Lorelei. “How are you feeling dear, sleepy?” She asked innocently. Sebastian tried to move but he was restricted. The chair he was in had thick leather straps. They crossed his chest, arms, legs and even his neck. He started to struggle. Wrenching his arms, feeling the strap strangle him. He coughed and closed his eyes, before finally taking a glance at his surroundings.
When looking around he could see the room was some form of lab. Knives and scalpels hung from the walls. Biology books shoved in the corner as well as medical equipment scattered around the place. He felt the cold sterilized air hit his bare skin. She had taken his shirt off.
He finally gazed upon Lorelei herself. She was prepping a machine of sorts. It looked like an air pump with a dial on the base. A long hollow wire was connected to the main pump, most likely to transfer the air. Lorelei was currently fidgeting with the mask. It was a plastic piece that wrapped around the mouth, with a tube on the inside. It looked like some twisted kind of gas mask. Sebastian frankly didn’t want to test it out.
“Wha-what’s that..?”
“Don’t worry about it hun, it’s just some funny gas” she responded quietly “it’ll make you loopy and numb”
“Why..”
“So you won’t feel a thing during the dissection,” she smiled widely at him showing her upper teeth, it was like the smile of a cartoon wolf with how monstrous it was.
“Dissection, wait” he coughed out “hold up we can talk about this- I won’t tell anyone, I swear-“ she put a finger to his lips
“Hush darling, it won’t hurt a bit,” she reassured. That didn’t help him feel better at all. She removed her hand from him. “You’ll be fine”
“That’s-“
“Shh… that’s enough”
“Please-“
“Enough!” Lorelei’s voice took a sharper tone. Sebastian shut his mouth, swallowing nervously. “Good” she purred, gently picking up the plastic torture device.
“Wait! No! People will notice” he started to stammer “Sam, Abigail, they’ll-“ Lorelei grabbed his face, putting pressure on his jaw
“Stop talking,” she was cold and bitter now. Her hand tightened, forcing his mouth open. He tried to twist his head, but the doctor had grabbed his hair, pulling at his scalp as a way to force him still. He started to feel the pressure increase. He started to gasp. The mask pressed over his face, sliding the tube down his throat. She strapped the plastic over his mouth and sealing it tightly, effectively gagging him.
“Mmhp.. Mmhp!” The tube was uncomfortable and suffocating. A general pain to breathe through. He choked on the plastic, trying to get used to the sensation.
Lorelei glides over and gently pats his head. “Good, good,” She noticed a hair out of place so she pushed it back behind his ear before reaching to slide the dial of the pump. It clicked, as it shifted in place.“one level should be enough to keep you nice and numb” the machine started to whirl. A similar sweet but sharp taste ran down his throat. He wanted to cough it up, to deny it but because of the tube it immediately ran into his lungs. This was level one? He glanced over to see the pump went to twenty. That was a horrid thought.
The stress started to muddle but it was still loud, just confused, like someone put foam on a glass shard. His emotions dulled, his head felt like it was wrapped in cotton. The fear never vanished though, it still coursed through him, making his blood go cold.
Sebastian could hear Lorelei move around him, but his vision was swimming. She laid out her tool kit, opening it up. He tried to look but he couldn’t move at all, from the straps and the heaviness in his limbs.
“Mmnn….” He whines behind the mask.
She turned around, marker in her hand. “Don’t worry hun, you won’t remember any of this” she tilted the chair down into a laying position, once he was down she opened the cap to her drawing instrument and started to mark his arms and chest, reminding herself where to cut. He could feel her hand trace his veins before marking. The ink tickled Sebastian's skin and he squirmed a bit, but Lorelei never mentioned it.
Finally she finished drawing and moved to grab the scalpel. She traced her lines on his chest, some light red lines appearing on his skin. She ignored his whimpers and angled the scalpel to go in for the first official cut. Sebastian started to feel the pressure on the sternum, deeper, deeper… she stopped.
There was a knock on the door. Lorelei lifted her precision knife, listening to the upstairs. Another knock. The woman sighed and placed the scalpel down on her desk, pinching her nose bridge in annoyance. “Just when I was getting to the good part,” she grumbled. She stood up, but turned back to Sebastian. “If you scream, I will turn off the gas, and dissect you sober” she let the threat hang in the air, making sure Sebastian got the message.
She walked up the stairs closing the door with her hostage hiding underneath. She opened her front door.
“Ah, Sam and Abigail, what brings you two here?” Lorelei spoke with that practiced friendly tone.
“We’re looking for Sebastian? Have you seen him?” Sam asked, tilted his head.
“Sebastian?” Lorelei lifted her finger up to her chin to mimic thinking “no, I don’t think so” she smiled sweetly “perhaps he took a walk, he seems like a take-a-walk fellow,”
Abigail frowned, her entire face scrunched “he should have been home by now,” she turned away to scowl at the ground, but something perked her ears. It was faint, muffled. Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that noise?”
“What noise,” she played dumb, kicking the ground to warn her hostage. The sound faltered but didn’t stop completely.
Sam raised his head now , eyebrows furrowed “no, I hear it too” some more muffled crying rose from the floorboards, broken, pained, but unmistakably human. Sam started to push past Lorelei but her thin hands shot towards him and pushed the blond back with a surprising force.
“I think you’re mistaken,” he voice lowered , losing all warmth and melting into something more predatory “there is no noise…”
“Get out of the way” Sam spat
“Move, now!” Abigail added, stepping by Sam, her tone hard. Both starting to tower over her. For a moment the three remained motionless. She hissed and backed off, not to retreat, but to punish. She bolted back down to the basement, locking it behind her. Her breathing was quick, her composure cracked. She slammed her fists on her desk before grabbing her scalpel once more.
“Careless! Careless!” She scolded herself “look at this mess!” Her face, stone yet burning behind the mask, she glared at Sebastian. He was still struggling weekly, his movements slow and desperate. Her expression stilled when a plan formed in her sick mind “what you did..” she started before her face twisted up into her signature smile “was a big mistake “ her hand flew and turned the dial all the way up, before spearing the knob with the knife to lock in place.
The machine hissed and screeched, shaking with violence. It all hit at once. What were once cries for help now were torn into nightmare screams of agony. Air rabidly rushing through him clawing at his insides, ripping him apart. He felt his body jerk, trying to tear his arms and legs from the restraints. He could barely register the banging of the door behind him
“Break it down!” One voice shouted! She sounded familiar but where he couldn’t place, the world was spinning like a marry go round. More sounds of thrashing filled the air when finally the wood cracked and splintered.
The sight Abigail and Sam saw was going to linger in their nightmares forever.
“Yoba!” Abigail shrieked. Sebastian was shaking, mask still strapped. Sam didn’t even think before going into action.
“Get it off! Get it off!” He commanded, already at his side trying to rip the straps off. Abigail dashed to Sebastian’s face, wet with tears, trying to remove the awful contraption, but it was difficult with his jerking and twisting, his muffled screams echoing through the room
“Hold him still Sam!” Trying to get a grip without hurting him
“I’m trying!” He replied holding Sebastian’s shoulders
“ Seb, hey, hey, it’s ok, We have you,” Abby tried her best to settle him. The straps were tight, too tight, but with a sharp pull she finally tore the device out of his mouth. Sebastian gasped for clean air, his lungs heaving and burning, throat ravaged, but he was alive. He dry heaved, desperate for anything but the gas as his body slowly stopped shaking.
“It’s ok, it’s ok, you're safe,” Sam soothed , working the rest of the straps while Abby managed to find his shirt, and slip it back on him. “Breath Seb, you can do it”
Sebastian had passed out as soon as the torment was over. All the fight was gone. Understandably so. As soon as the pain had ended, he went limp.
Sam's face dropped “Sebastian?” He started to panic again but Abigail quickly stopped it
“He’s ok!” She reassured “just passed out” she gently grabbed him from under his arms and lifted him up into a bridal carry.
They finally managed to get a good look at the room. It was clean, sterile, to think what might have happened if they hadn’t gotten here in time. Sam picked up the mask, still pumping gas through it.
“Look at this, it’s practically a torture device “ he then turned and saw the dial “Abby..”
“I know, I know.. but right now he needs Harvey”
“Right, yeah you’re right”
Sebastian felt like he was floating on water. His chest ached, each breath hard and heavy. He could register a faint beeping. He felt a hand grab his face and pull an eyelid open before shining a light in it. He groaned in annoyance but couldn’t do much to stop him.
He felt cotton around his chest, wrists, and ankles. Bandages snuggly pressed against him. He shifted around, he felt a cold prick in his arm at every small twitch. He moved to touch the cold plastic, but a gentle hand stopped him.
“Please don’t touch the IV” he spoke
“Mmnnn…”
“It’s good to see you awake,” A calm quiet voice said, gently moving Sebastian’s hand back to his side “it took awhile to stabilize you, your body took quite the beating”
“What.. oh Yoba” soon the memories flashed back to him, flickering in his eyes. The walk alone, the pump, the threats, the inhuman screams that tore from his throat. “Oh Yoba,” he didn’t even notice he started to shake
“Hey it’s ok,” a firm hand clasped his shoulder. He tensed instinctively curling his fingers in the bedsheet. He tried to slow his breath but all he did was wheeze. “Easy does it, after me, in, out, in, out”
“Who..?” He choked out
“It’s me Harvey,” the doctor reassured, “your friends brought you in”
“I don’t, I don’t-“ he started to tremble
“Hey, calm down” Harvey slipped an open bottle into his shaky hands “Drink some water, you’re dehydrated”, he said before helping him drink. He didn’t even realize how thirsty he was. He gulped greedily, water cascading down his throat. Soon the entire bottle was empty. He coughed slightly, using his free arm to wipe his mouth.
He could feel Harvey’s fingers gently press his wrist, counting his pulse. He then draped a blanket around his shoulders to which Sebastian pulled over himself more
“I think you’re friends would like to see you” Harvey smiled “can I let them in?” Sebastian nodded, still slightly hazy.
Harvey stood up and opened the door to his room, welcoming his two friends in.
“Hey bud, it’s good to see you awake,” Sam spoke with an uncharacteristic softness. Abigail trailed behind him holding a clump of obsidian.
“We got this for you” she explained, placing the rock on his side table, letting her fingers linger slightly before pulling away.
“Thank you…” he mumbled “does mom know?”
“Not yet, we’ve been preoccupied with you” Sam replied, scratching the back of his head. Sebastian nodded, before zoning out.
“It’s best if we continue to let him rest,” Harvey told the worried audience.
“Alright, we’ll come visit you later ok Seb?” Sam said with a smile “I’ll bring you some ice cream,”
“O-ok..” he muttered, his head heavy. At some point Harvey ushered his friends out of the room, leaving the patient to his own devices. Sebastian felt his eyes close. He fell back onto the bed, mind wandering away from him. He had a slight smile though. His friends cared, they really cared, and if it wasn’t for them, things would have ended very differently.