Let Me In || Ticci Toby x Reader

21 || House

The lights go off in the house. Toby estimates around half an hour before it is safe to break in. Something seems familiar about the place. The house backs onto a forest filled with hiking trails. Instead of a fence, there are rows of evergreen hedges. A shovelled patio leads to a glass sliding door. The snow in the backyard is mostly untouched. Apparently, there is no security system installed. It is a two-story, with one woman living alone. No sign of anyone else being in the house. No indication of pets either. A newspaper article indicates there are rooms for rent. The neighbours to the left are a young family that goes to bed early. And the neighbours to the right are an elderly couple that don't leave the house often. This lady goes to bed quite late, so most other neighbours should be asleep or doing their own activities.

The plan is to go around to the front via a trail that connects with the neighbourhood. We walk along the road to hide our footprints in the tiretracks and stay away from any security cameras. The woman shovels her sidewalk regularly so there is no concern there. There hasn't been much snow lately, so it should already be either shovelled or packed down. We move quickly and stay alert for anything that can spot us in the moment. Cars, other houses, anything. Chances are the investigation will conclude that Ticci Toby and an unknown accomplice will be the two main suspects. That doesn't matter. Getting caught is the main thing to avoid. Before, during, and after.

I feel ready. Crouching down in the bush, I feel adrenaline start to course through me. I am alert, eyes darting around to catch minute details and signs of life. Heart begins to pound, the time drawing closer and closer. Am I seriously about to kill someone of my own free will? Yes. Yes, I am. Because I know that that person inside of me will wake up. That scared person filled with paranoia and do what has to be done. To survive.

Toby stands, keeping hunched over. He moves back to the trail. I follow, keeping my axe in my hand. Toby readies a hatchet in his left hand, keeping the other free. We follow the forest path until we get to the trail in between houses. I stick a few paces behind Toby, glancing over my shoulder every so often. We keep our prints in tire tracks along the road, avoiding any vehicles parked on the side of the road. Approaching the targetted house, I cannot shake the undeniable feeling that I recognize it from somewhere.

I grab a spare key that was left underneath the mat. Slowly, I insert the key into the lock and twist it. Making as little sound as possible, I open the door and we walk in. Toby takes a quick glance throughout the house as I close the door back. The key is left in the lock for easy access when we leave.

We leave our shoes on, wiping the bottoms of them off to avoid tracking anything throughout the house that may identify how we broke in or where we came from. Toby leads, already having mapped out where this woman's room is. I kill her first, then we grab whatever we think is necessary in terms of personal products, clothes, and food.

My heart thumps in my chest each step we take up the staircase. I disregard any pictures hanging on the walls, any decorative pieces, anything that humanizes the person I am about to kill. That feeling returns. Eyes on the back of my head, burning into my skull. I feel hot and loose, able to move freely. Despite all that, my head is clear. Only one thing remains on it. And that is to hunt this woman down and end her. I do not fear what is watching me, instead I welcome it to witness what I am about to do.

Toby looks to me, a wild glare in his eyes. He is focused too. His hand is fixated on a door handle. I nod, letting him know to let me in. He frees the doorknob from its hinge and opens it to let me rush in. Both my hands grip my axe, ready to move at a moments notice. And as I look at the woman lying on the bed... I freeze.

"Shit," I whisper forcefully.

"What?" Toby whispers back. The woman starts to stir. She makes a small grunting sound.

Eyes widening, breathing getting faster, I rear my axe up and over my head. With as much might as I can, I charge ahead. And at the side of the bed, I swing the axe down. The blade catches in her throat. Her eyes open, buldging out of her head as she stares at me. I see her mouth open as she struggles to breath in. I take the axe out and swing down again. It hits her neck again. Blood starts to spurt and dribble down the side of her neck. I only get two more swings of the axe embedded into her neck before I see the life drain out of her eyes. She looks pale as the life bleeds out of her. Eyes losing vibrance as they bulge out of her skill. I see her mouth freeze open in a silent scream of pain. Her neck is a bloody mess, yet I can't look away. The blood oozes, having no heartbeat to give it force. Battered muscle and flesh are stripped away from the large gash. White bone of the spine can be clearly seen.

"Grab whatever you can find. I'll start working on grabbing stuff from the kitchen." Toby comes up behind me. I feel him stare over my shoulder at the dead woman lying in her bed. "You did well. I was scared for a moment."

"Yeah, thanks."

Toby leaves. And I can only stand in stunned silence. Guess I really am a part of the household now. Funny thing is, I barely even feel guilty. Despite knowing her somewhat, I can only look down and be impressed with myself. With my own two hands, I held the power to take away her life. And I used it. She never even stood a chance. It makes me feel powerful, strong, like nothing stands in my way.

I shake the thoughts away and get to working. By now my eyes have adjusted to the darkness. Using flashlights are too risky at this time of night. I put my backpack on the ground and zip it open. The woman is around my size, I already know. I open the doors to her closet, turning my back towards her body. It is filled to the brim with clothes. I quickly look through them, pushing past anything that wouldn't be practical or is too damn ugly. Jeans, sweats, shirts, sweaters, tanks, anything that may be of use. She has even more clothes in shopping bags lying by her closet. Victoria's Secret, Old Navy, Pink, and more. I go through to find anything else that is useful.

Satisfied with the clothes, I go to walk across the room to her adjoining bathroom. As I walk by the end of her bed I look over to her. She stares at me with disappointment in her cold, dead eyes. My lips pull to the sides and tighten, brows furrowing. I walk over to the side of her bed and look down at her.

"Sorry. It is what it is." With two fingers, I gently pull her eyelids over her eyes. They don't stay closed, pulling up a bit to reveal a small portion of her sclera. I drag the blanket over her head and let her rest. It was the least I could do.

Before I leave her side, I notice a bottle of Smirnoff on her nightside table. It is half full. I contemplate taking it before giving in.

A nightlight shines in the woman's bathroom. I use it to my advantage as I look through her drawers and over the countertop. She is messy, leaving quite a few things strewn about. I grab a hairbrush from the counter. Inside one drawer is extra tooth brushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. I take three of each, leaving only a small pile of toothbrushes from a specific dentist office. There is some skincare and makeup products in a few drawers. I take only the skincare that is unopened or has been rarely used.

When finished, I rush downstairs. Toby is still grabbing a few things from the kitchen.

"All done?" he asks.

"Yeah, need any help?"

"Nope, can fit it all in here. Almost done."

I adjust the backpack on my shoulders, tightening the grip on my axe. There is a family photo standing on a table near the front door. In it, six people are smiling in front of a boat. Two of the people I recognize, one of the two being the woman I just killed. I reach out to grab it, but before I can Toby walks up behind me.

"Let's not try our luck staying any longer," he says. I nod my head, leaving the house of my most recent victim.

As Toby and I run back the way we came, it starts to snow. The sky weeps for the lost soul as she ascends into heaven. Big, soft flakes float down and conceal our footprints. By the time she is found dead, our prints may be gone entirely. I don't look back, continuing to run next to Toby. He grabs my hand. This is where I belong now, I guess.