The night was still young, and Toby was having trouble sleeping after choosing to lay beside the girl on their king-size bed, forced to hear her obnoxious snoring, which was sensitive to his ears. She was also hogging the blanket and didn't seem to care about the cold side of the bed.
He once tried to gently grab some of the blanket, but she continuously refused his requests by pulling them back to herself while still being asleep somehow. To say how difficult it is to sleep throughout the entire night is an understatement of how noisy and uncomfortable he felt during his attempt.
Another hour passes, and one of his eyes twitches with obvious sign of being irritated, forcing him to lay down on his back just to stare above the ceiling while having to endure Unity's never-ending snoring. Toby feels cold, sleepy, and exhausted from how long he has been lying down on his back.
It's two AM, and he's not sure if he should continue to stay or leave the room. Moreover, his neck is starting to hurt due to staying in this position for so long that he's beginning to regret not using the extra couch in the room.
He sighed before turning his head to the side, watching Unity's chest rise and fall rhythmically beneath the covers as she sleeps peacefully, unaware of the discomfort she's causing her roommate. Toby silently expressed some envy for her position despite trying his damn best to ignore some of the stiffness from his neck.
The soft creaking of the mattress under his movements seemed ridiculously loud in the quiet room as he tried to adjust his body to a more comfortable one. Just when he's about to give up on any hope of getting a good night's sleep, a slight breeze from the window seems to bring some relief to this stressful situation.
Meanwhile, he took a glance at Danny sleeping peacefully on his bed on the other side of this room, as the boy wondered how he didn't have the guts to say anything else after their awkward exchange with one another.
From the moment he introduced himself to the young man, the guy returned the kind gesture with his own before the two of them quickly departed from their quick conversation with one another. The awkward tension was still noticeable in their minds; neither of them seemed to know what to do or say next after such an weird encounter.
Now lying awake and wide-eyed in the darkness, he decided to try turning around, moving his body in hopes of finding a comfortable spot by mimicking Danny's sleeping position, face-down with arms wrapped around a pillow.
Although it's completely opposite of what he wanted in the first place, attempting to imitate someone else's sleeping habit is incredibly difficult and usually ends up failing miserably, like now, when he's feeling the same garbage discomfort from before and wonders if he would never make it through the night.
Closing his eyes shut, he forced himself to fall into slumber in hopes of just passing through this mess and later speaking to the head doctor in the morning about adding another bed for himself.
While he could technically ask Danny to exchange beds at this moment, he is still kind of nervous when speaking to the man, at least until he fully understands his motivations and intentions for living in this community with them. Other than trusting Hansel, he isn't keen on opening his heart to anyone, excluding the girl sleeping next to him.
"I hate this."
Gruelingly annoyingly, Toby wanted nothing more than to just wait for morning to arrive, regardless of how painful the remaining hours would feel. The worst part is that there's absolutely nothing he can do to alleviate his misery except lie here in agony and suffer quietly until the day breaks.
At least he won't die as he learns humans can survive a few days of not sleeping depending on their health and mind altogether. However, the side effects of fatigue are undeniable here. He tried to hold back a yawn, but it ended up being louder than intended, his lips quivering in the growing chill of the air around them.
"Ugh..."
Toby can't take this anymore; he doesn't like it. He had been forcing himself to lay still before trying to mimic Danny's peaceful slumber, but his tired muscles were screaming for mercy, his eyelids heavy, and his breaths ragged.
With a frustrated groan, he slowly and quietly gets out of bed, disturbed by everything from her taking all the blanket to being forced to listen to her loud snores. It is borderline insanity for him. Silently standing up with his two legs, he slowly walked over to the door while adjusting his eyes to the darkness.
While he is willing to admit the difficulty of seeing his surroundings around them clearly without a proper light source around the place, the moonlight entering through the windows of this room has helped to illuminate the general area of this room to some extent, allowing Toby to navigate through it successfully with careful steps so he wouldn't accidentally step on anything or wake Unity and Danny from their slumber. It's time for him to find somewhere else to rest for tonight, not knowing where to go exactly, but he knew he couldn't stand this anymore.
Reaching the door, he carefully grabs the handle with precise movements, avoiding any noise that could disturb the peace within this room.
As he turns the knob and pulls the door open ever so slightly, a small creak echos through the empty hallway as he cautiously steps out, relieved to finally be out of that bedroom that reminded him of being trapped in some eternal loop. "Finally," sighing with relief all over his face, he feels his heart full of excitement from finding a suitable place to lay down.
The darkness outside of this room had made his view rather harder to see, not to mention he couldn't see where he's stepping or where this hall leads to.
Yet after having lived in this building for so long, his eyes have already adjusted to this place, and what's more, there were some broken windows along the way, allowing at least the lights from the moon to slide in the warehouse, providing a faint light in the darkest corners of these halls. With this small light source, he managed to navigate his way out of this place.
Thinking back from the moment he left, he feels more uncomfortable than ever due to how empty this hall is now compared to the bustling morning where everyone is present in every corner of their eyes, as the mere echo of his footsteps is deafening, as if he's the only one alive in this building right now.
It was uncanny. However, he moved forward, his mind set on finding a cozy spot elsewhere in the building, away from Unity's obnoxious snoring and the tension he felt around Danny.
He doesn't hate or dislike either of them. Toby holds some sympathy for the young woman, who had barely any understanding of the world around her, including how the teens and children alike were talking rudely about her from her back.
On the other hand, Danny is something else; he can't put a finger on the type of individual he is bonding with. The man was enigmatic at best and weirdly cringey at worst. Though, seeing how Hansel had considered that person a friend of his, the boy isn't sure if he should be harsh to this complete stranger.
Just like some kids, being thrown into a tarnished world without any parents or guardians by his side is horrific enough. He knows firsthand how hard it is to survive out here, especially when betrayal is common when dealing with anyone they deem suspicious, so he's willing to give Danny a chance since Hansel trusted him to adopt someone like Toby.
It is still hard to properly find a way to get to know one another in a respectful manner without ending up hating each other for one minor mistake, But as he continued contemplating everything in regards to his uncomfortable sleeping and his relationship with those two, he unfortunately bumped into someone due to his occupied mind, causing him to fall on his back from the sudden shock.
Upright forms loomed over him, backlit by the moonlight filtering through the shattered glasses around them, twin eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark. A low growl emanated from the figures, warning Toby to remain still and silent.
Sitting down on the floor, Toby didn't dare move or speak, as fear drowned him in its entirety. He doesn't know who he's dealing with, but the air around them is suffocating.
"Sorry," forcing himself to speak up in hopes of decreasing this tense situation, he remained staring down at the ground with sweat profusely dripping from his forehead, imagining how terrifying this moment is for him. The boy didn't know what he was getting himself into until he finally heard one of them speak, causing his soul to collapse in the realization of knowing who he was dealing with.
"If it ain't our buddy!"
Dread washed over him like an icy wave as that familiar, mocking voice echoed in the hall, his heart slamming painfully against his ribs as the chilling sight of his bullies loomed over him.
Toby's stomach twisted with revulsion and terror, unable to tear his gaze from the cruel, gloating expressions of the twins. He knew he was completely doomed in this situation, and doing anything else, let alone screaming, would make his punishment much worse.
Having nothing else to do, he remained as a statue, waiting for the bullying to start so he could hopefully endure it long enough to get through this night alive.
The twin brothers, Michael and Mikey, were a formidable duo known for their relentless bullying of Toby. Mikey, the elder, at fiften, towered over his younger sibling. His lean, somewhat chubby frame was accented by the mischief dancing in his amber eyes, while his unruly mop of messy blond hair only added to his impish aura. His mouth curled into a sneer most of the time, the corners of his lips twitching with a perpetual smirk.
The younger brother, Michael, the youngest of the two, stood at an intimidating eleven years old along with a skinny frame that also shows his worn clothing, emphasizing his wiry physique while posing ash-blond hair, similar in texture to Michael's, which was always neatly combed and often slicked back with a streak of greasy black oil.
Mikey's attire consisted of a plain white tank top, his arms bare and adorned with a few scrapes and bruises, evidence of his roughhousing nature. Around his narrow waist, he wore a pair of faded jeans, the denim threadbare in some spots, the wear suggesting countless encounters with the concrete floors of the community's building. On his feet, he sported a pair of scuffed and Mikey dusty sneakers, the laces dangling loosely, indicating his disinterest in keeping his footwear in order.
But Mikey's brother looked almost deceptively innocent, clad in a light blue button-down shirt, hinting at a life of constant movement and mischief. Michael's sleeves were rolled up, revealing slim, undeveloped forearms. Like his bigger brother, he wore faded jeans, the fabric fraying at the hem. But, unlike Mikey, he had slipped on a pair of black, shiny leather boots, complete with silver buckles, adding a touch of juvenile swagger to his appearance despite only being one year older than Toby.
All of this matters not to him, as Toby knows the worst is yet to come from meeting them again. "W-what do you want with me?" He prays to God that this nightmare will end soon, so he can lay his head down and rest his weary body before facing another grueling day like yesterday.
His voice was trembling with fear and uncertainty, his eyes darting nervously between the twin boys looming over him despite his head still facing down. "Just leave me alone, please," he begged softly, hoping that his pleas might actually be heard.
"Dude, look at him, all scared and stuff!" The bigger brother said, clearly amused by the state Toby was in, a cruel chuckle spilling from his lips. Michael snickered along with his brother, taking pleasure in Toby's predicament. "Aww, did the big, bad orphan scare the little runt?" He teased further, moving closer, the front of his boots coming into view.
"Yo!" Roughly placing a hand on the unexpected Toby's head, he begins to torment him back and forth in mockery of a frightened child, causing Toby to whimper uncomfortably from this humiliating treatment.
"Don't be such a wuss, orphan boy!"
Through this entire torment, he just had enough of it. The feeling of being mocked, thrown around like some piece of garbage—he just can't keep going like this: "Why are you guys the way you are?" a sudden question that completely caught his bullies off guard from the sheer despair in his eyes.
A pause occurred as the dead silence felt heavier than ever in that hall, a weight bearing down on all three of them, until he lifted his own head to face them only to realize his complete mistake in having to ask such a personal question.
Their serious faces were replaced with shocked expressions as Michael and Mikey stared back at Toby, unsure how to respond to the question that had been thrown their way like a grenade.
The sudden change in atmosphere was palpable, and the heavy weight of unspoken words hanging in the air was unmistakable.
He said something wrong that offended them greatly, and as a result, he was going to have to pay for what he had, and by the looks of it, the punishment they are going to give isn't going to be pretty in the slightest.
