(Y/n)'s POV

Cathy: "Well, well, well~ where have you two sinners been hiding?~"

Zack: "Shut your hole!"

Cathy: "So touchy.~ Anyways, you can still spend your life in a cell together if you want, but this is the last time I'll make that offer."

Zack: "I told you that ain't happenin', so QUIT ASKIN'!"

Cathy: "Well that's disappointing. Having you two as playthings for my entertainment... it would have been such a gas.~
I heard all about that ridiculous deal the two of you made earlier. You're just forcing your desires onto each other."

You silently shook your head and continued walking down the hall lined with holding cells.

Cathy: "It May seem like you want the same thing, but really you're just acting as the other's tool. Oh, well, we'll see in the end which one of you is the tool and which is the master."

(Y/n): 'As if there was ever the possibility of me being "the master" '

Zack: "Yeah? The hell are you tryin' to say?"

Cathy: "Silly thing, isn't it obvious? That's okay, idiots like you can be kind of cute. At any rate, enjoy your next punishment experience!"

Thud

Zack kicked the wall.

Zack: "I hate her."

(Y/n): "You and me both.. And, are you okay? Sh-She's only trying to get into your head, you know?"

He turned his back to you, moving ahead, until he noticed your footsteps weren't trailing behind his. An emaciated, dying man had grabbed your ankle through the bars of a holding cell. He was groaning in pain. Zack walked over and slammed his boot down onto the mans wrist, it's snapped like a twig.

Zack: "One good stomp and look what happened. I may not be a very smart guy, but I'm not dumb enough to choose that either. Let's go."

You couldn't help but continue staring at the remains of the man.

(Y/n): 'This is where I deserved to end up, though...'

Zack: "Forget about him, he's dyin' anyway."

(Y/n): "He's dead now..."

Zack: "Yeah? Welp, sucks. Come on."

(Y/n): "..Mhm..."

You made your way to the new area in deafening silence. There were two mats lying on the floor. One was labeled "worker" and the other "navigator". On the "navigators" side, there was a desk with a bunch of small drawers and a book. On the "workers" side sat a dollhouse with a few dolls and accessories scattered around it. Upon seeing the toys, great pain struck by Zack's heterochromatic eyes.

(Y/n): 'Does he recognize this thing?'

Cathy: "Hi! Glad you're here. Kudos on your progress, you two. Oh, my, it looks like Zack's quite taken with my little dollhouse.~"

Zack: "How.. did she do that?.."

He muttered through gritted teeth.

(Y/n): "Stop mocking him, you fucking dickshit."

You cut your eyes at hers, which were displayed on a screen. Her mischievous grin deepened. You realize your defensiveness only made this more fun for her.

Cathy: "You'd better start being a good boy, Zackie. Because if you insist on throwing tantrums, you're never going to make it out of here alive."

The doors locked, matching the way Zack's gaze was on the little house, and yours was on Cathy. Hatred was thick in the air. It was almost easier to breathe in the previous room.

Cathy: "One of you will act as the navigator, and the other will be the worker. The navigator solves the riddle, and the worker follows orders. Easy peasy!"

Zack: "So how do you wanna do this?"

(Y/n): "I'll be the navigator, since it's about solving riddles."

Cathy: "Hm! Well then, let's get this party started! Try not to die, okay? Here we go!"

The drawer on the top left opened. You found the contents to be a piece of paper with equations on it.

' 3W-55=W-1 21+3(-3)=L 1/5P=21
14 x W/2=21 3^2 x P x 3/12=121.5
(8 x 5) ^2/ (W x 2) ^2=25 '

(Y/n) ' Oh geez...uhhh I need to solve the numeric value for W, L, and P...'

Zack: "Hey, you find a clue for me?"

(Y/n): "Not yet, it's some pretty complicated math equations I need to solve. I should get one soon though."

You turned to the book lying on the desks surface to your right.

'Moon World - Your
Fear of Space is of Silence'

(Y/n): 'That's an odd name...

You glided your fingers over the pages in search of the words that seemed to be the equation's solutions.

'Man'

'Living'

'Sofa'

Zack: "Are you done?!"

(Y/n): "No, but I found the first clue. I think you're supposed to put the man doll on the living room sofa."

Zack reluctantly followed your orders.
A scream emitted from Cathy's screen while a scene from a horror movie played. The murderer stabbed a woman, and it cut back to Cathy.

Cathy: "Goodness! What an awful movie! Are you scared, darling?~"

This hit another nerve with Zack.

Zack: "Quit talkin' to me!"

(Y/n): "shut up, bitch."

Cathy: "you're such a killjoy..."

Another drawer opened, you were able to solve the equations faster and faster as time went on.

(Y/n): "Now, place the woman doll to where she's standing to the right of the man doll."

He accidentally placed her to the left instead.

(Y/n): "That's on the left. The other side is the right. You can remember which ones which by-"

Cathy: " The left hand is the one that makes the L, as in little lost loser! Hahaha!"

(Y/n): 'I swear on god I'm going to beat the ever-loving shit out of her.'

Zack: "SHUT UP, IM FIXING IT!"

He slammed the doll onto her correct place, and she began wheeling her way into the little wooden kitchen.

Cathy: "Outstanding! I knew you could do it-"

Zack: "I TOLD YOU, I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OUTTA YOU!"

(Y/n): "..U-uhm...Pick up the doll with the bandages, and put them in front of the woman."

He stood still, shaking with emotion.

(Y/n): "Zack, can you hear me?"

Zack: "What...?..."

His voice was slow and rigid, as If he was holding back an outburst toward you.

(Y/n): "Pick up the doll with the bandages, and put them in front of the woman, please."

He picked it up, still shaking. He stared at it, lost in bad memories.

(Y/n): "Please. This will be over as soon as you allow it to be, Zack"

You couldn't be angry with him if you wanted to. You knew he was going through something that was bothering him. You did all you knew to do, and acted patient with a sweet disposition. He finally set the bandaged doll in front of the woman doll.

Cathy: "Aw! Look at you doing what you're told. I'm proud."

(Y/n): "Just block her out. Talk to my annoying ass instead if it would help be a distraction for you...Whatever you feel like you need to do...."

He didn't respond.

(Y/n): "..okay, give the trash bag to the doll with bandages."

He still wasn't really listening to you.

Cathy: "All you have to do is obey their commands. That shouldn't be so difficult, right Zackie dear?"

Zack: "SCREW YOU!"

He prepared to destroy the Doll house, but you darted over and gently tugged on his jacket sleeve. He looked at you and stopped. You shook your head at him softly. He can't destroy this thing, or you might not escape.

Cathy: "If you break that doll house, you lose any chance of escape."

(Y/n): "It's going to be okay.. I'm here. All you have to do is-"

Zack: "I HEARD YOU!"

You flinched and returned to your station meekly. When he finally was able to preform the task, both the woman doll and the little one with bandages wheeled outside of the dollhouse, and over to a tiny dumpster with a shovel beside it.

(Y/n): "..Give the little boy with bandages the shovel."

Cathy: "Don't think, just follow directions."

(Y/n): "I promise it's going to be okay. Just do as I tell you.."

He jolted at your statement and followed the directions quickly. He stared in shock as the little doll commenced a digging motion with shovel in hand.

Zack: "Dammit. No. That's not me!"

Zack's POV (flashback)

"D⃣o⃣ a⃣s⃣ i⃣ t⃣e⃣l⃣l⃣ y⃣o⃣u⃣"

Thunder crashed outside, and rain was beating down on the cold, grey world below. A little boy with bandages was harshly shoved into the mud. He looked up at the offender. An older woman - a co-owner of the orphanage - waited underneath an umbrella impatiently. The boy glared at her, face still planted halfway in the wet earth.

Woman: "Don't you dare look at me like that."

He stood and picked up the shovel. He then began to dig.

Woman: "There you go. That's all your good for."

She turned away and went back into the home.
A man sat on the couch, a glass of cold whiskey in hand, watching a horror movie on the television before him.

Woman: "You're watching that trashy movie again?"

Man: "Yeah, I just can't get enough of watching these clueless idiots get slaughtered."

The woman seated herself beside him and poured herself a glass.

Man: "So, how'd everything go with the brat?"

Woman: "He wasn't too keen on the whole thing, but once I gave him an order, he hopped to it."

Man: "Even a monster can be useful if you give it no other choice but to do what you want it to."

Woman: "That's true, it's so convenient."

Man: "Nice to have a tool, huh?"

Woman: "A good tool."

The couple laughed as the "tool" watched from the window outside. Cold, soaked, and alone.

(Y/n)'s POV (Back to present )

Zack: "Dammit. No. That's not me!"

Cathy: "There. That's good enough. I know you're not much of a thinker, but you can do what someone tells you.. just like a convenient little tool."

Zack: "SHUT UP! I AM NOT A DAMN TOOL!"

He turned the dollhouse into bits with one rage-powered swing of his scythe.

(Y/n): "Zack..."

You were really worried about him.

Cathy: "Aw, rats. I put so much work into that. But, oh, well, it's of no further use to me, anyway. Go ahead and move along to the next area."

A gate closed between the navigator and worker stations. You had been separated. Zack moved on without a word, or a single trace of hesitation.

(Y/n): "Zack, wait... I'm sorry if I made you upset..."

You progressed through your door, trying to not waste time dwelling on recent events.
You entered a room separating you and Zack with an iron fence. Barbed wire lined the top. There was an exit door on the end of each side. He kicked at his door, shouting profanities. Above you was a glass window, allowing you to see into a fancy control room. A sound played over the intercom, and a door opened inside the control room. Cathy stepped out.

Cathy: "Nice to finally meet you face-to-face."