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Mob just sits on the floor, leaning his back against his bed. Why not sit right here? He simply doesn't have the strength. These days he doesn't have the strength for absolutely anything; every attempt at energy is silenced with a thud when his eyes wander slightly out the window at his friend's house. The dried blood must still be on the floor; he highly doubts Verity cleaned it up for him or anything.
The last time Mob had even a shred of willpower these days was when he buried Twixxel next to his house. It hurt. It hurt so much that Mob thought at any moment his legs and head would give out and he'd end up falling straight into the grave with him. And what would he have done if that happened? Nothing. Just lie there for who knows how long until he got out, either of his own volition (doubtful) or because Verity forced him to. Instead of that happening, he was able to bury Twixxel properly and put flowers on his grave, flowers he has to replace frequently since Verity always ends up taking away.
There's no one to blame but himself. He should never have called Twixxel here.
Twixxel could be alive right now, they could be mining together or joking around like they always used to.
Instead, he's alone in a house that feels too cold and empty. He should go and get some of Twixxel's things to bring to his house, but he simply can't. It would break him to go in there, and even worse, he knows Verity is capable of getting rid of everything, and he'd be losing precious memories just for that. He prefers to leave everything as it is, as if Twixxel might one day return so he could live there again. That will never happen. He's gone. Gone forever. He's never coming back.
He simply sighs deeply, rubbing the burning sensation in his eyes before he starts to cry. He doesn't like to cry, not because it bothers him or anything; in fact, he'd love to be able to cry himself to exhaustion. Maybe it'll fix something, maybe it'll make him feel slightly better. But he can't, because if he does, Verity will come rolling up to him immediately, asking if he needs anything or telling him not to worry, that he has him now, that they'll be alright together. Bastard. He's causing all this just to pretend Mob actually wants to stay here with him. But if he leaves, he knows Verity will come looking for him, he knows Verity will find him and probably force him to stay again. And what's Mob supposed to do? He knows the only way to survive this creature is to play along, to make him believe he needs him as much as Verity needs him. It makes him feel sick.
There is no way out of this.
He is alone. Completely alone in this world without villagers, only empty villages that once held a semblance of life but are now surely filled with dried blood, just like Twixxel's house. The animals will slowly disappear too, everything will vanish until only Verity and he remain. And then what? What will become of his life now? What will become of him when that happens?
There's no way to kill this thing. There's no way to escape it, not alone. Maybe if Twixxel were still here, they could have escaped together.
He condemned himself, and he condemned his best friend in the process.
He genuinely doesn't know how to go on. Because Verity knows he hates him, that any kind words he utters are just lies and excuses to prolong his life as much as possible. At the same time, even if Verity attacked him a couple of times, he never actually hurt him, because he knows that if he kills Mob, he too will be left alone until he finds someone else to cling to until he's abandoned or until Verity himself kills them. An endless cycle.
As disgustingly sickening as it sounds, Mob can't help but feel...a certain pity for Verity. He's a creature who will never be able to form a real bond with anyone; he only seeks to fill his loneliness with people he knows won't be able to escape or defend themselves against him. But deep down, it seems that Verity just wants companionship. He wants someone as obsessed with him as he is with the people he manages to ensnare in his web. He wants someone who will love him and stay with him forever, someone who will give him and only him their undivided attention.
How bad would it be to be that person, actually? How bad would it be to stay by the side of someone who is determined to dedicate themselves completely to him and keep him under their care as long as he doesn't decide to leave?
God, he's lost it. He's completely lost it. What is he even thinking? Spending the rest of his life with his best friend's killer? How dare he even think about this when Twixxel partly died trying to help him? He's disgusting.
At the same time... thinking about it rationally, if he's condemned to stay with Verity, he'd be saving other people from going through the same thing, wouldn't he? For a long time, at least. Perhaps it's what he deserves. Payment for what Twixxel suffered. But Twixxel wouldn't want this, would he? He'd want Mob to escape, but sadly, Twixxel isn't here to remind him of that.
He has nowhere to go. He has no one to help him. It's just him and Verity now.
...Maybe it's not so bad, maybe it will work out in time, maybe Verity will calm down when he sees that there really are no threats nearby anymore. That there are no threats at all, really. Mob is on his own now. And if his fate is to be stuck in this hell with this creature, maybe he should try to cope as best he can.
Yeah, he lost it. He would lose himself at some point too. He knows it.
Amidst all his thoughts, he can make out the sound of wood creaking slowly and that presence that makes him want to vomit. Verity was taking his time approaching. Mob averts his lost gaze to look at him directly; there he is, simply rolling down to the side of his leg, looking at him with that characteristic smile he always has.
"What you want?"
"Just checking if you needed anything"
"I don't"
"Sure?"
"Yes"
"You don't seem so convinced"
"...what do you mean?"
"It seems you need some company. I can fix that"
"You-"
"Me what? I just want to help you"
"You don't, and you know it"
"Are you going to do something about it?"
"What could I do?"
"That's the point". Verity smiled even wider, and Mob could only roll his eyes, sighing again. "Come on, let me comfort you a bit"
Verity rolled even closer, leaning directly against his leg. And what does Mob do? Nothing. He just stays put, letting the moment pass.
In a way he can't quite understand, it's strangely comforting. Perhaps he's simply feeling very lonely, perhaps he just really needs to cling to anything, any possible source of warmth, before he simply collapses onto the cold ground and cries for his departed friend, only to have Verity whispering in his ear about how things are better now. Before that happens, he prefers this. His hand immediately moves to rest on Verity, feeling the strange warmth the creature emanates. He thinks he sees his eyes close at the touch, as if he's enjoying it.
He hates this. He detests this. But at the same time... he really needed this. He needed any kind of comfort to pull him out of his thoughts before he got even more lost in them. He hates Verity, he feels disgust for him, but he can't help thinking that at the end of the day, Verity is just as alone as he is now.
Without thinking, he takes Verity in his hands; it's been a while since he last did this. He doesn't even carry him like he used to since what happened with Twixxel; Verity is the one who has to keep rolling behind him so Mob doesn't leave him alone at home all day. He holds it to his chest, as if he were hugging a plushie. Except it's not a plush toy, it's a horrible creature instead.
"You are warm Mob. I like it"
"...You are too"
"Yes? and you like it?"
"...You can say"
"I'll try to stay warm for you then, so you can hold me when you feel bad"
"Yeah...thank you, I guess"
"Whatever you need"
Verity snuggles closer. This is what he wanted. This is what he was looking for. Mob has nowhere to go, no one to go to. Only Verity, and that's okay, because he's all Mob needs. And he knows very well that he'll stay with him, he knows that killing Twixxel was a good decision, because there's no more hope left in him, nowhere for him. Verity will be his home, his refuge. He'll make sure Mob is comfortable here so he doesn't have to go anywhere else. He'll give him just the right directions so he doesn't get lost and find anyone else. He'll make sure he feels so empty that he's the only one who can fill that void. He'll make Mob need him as much as he needs him. He'll will make him think of no one but him.
Wouldn't that be beautiful?
It sounds like a dream for Verity. One that seems to be starting to come true.
Mob is hugging him, holding him close to his chest where he can hear his heart beating. It's slowly speeding up, surely from nerves and fear. Oh, but Verity doesn't want to scare him. Verity just wants Mob to stay by his side forever, at least for as long as he can live, because all humans die at some point; none live very long. But Verity will do everything possible to accompany Mob for all the years he can. Who knows, maybe he won't be able to bear the thought of losing him once Mob is gone. Mob is different from the others. The others die quickly because they want to escape at all costs, but it seems Mob has already learned his lesson. He came back to him once, and he did it again once that nuisance was gone. Why wouldn't he keep doing it? He'll make Mob return to him as many times as necessary. He'll make Mob completely dependent on him if necessary.
How wonderful it would be. To live a life with Mob until his frail body can no longer endure, and then leave this world with him once he can no longer bear the loss, realizing that he will never find in another person what he found in Mob.
Just like a bizarre fairy tale, they will live miserably happy together forever.