#Adam deserves anyway | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shmorp-mcdurgen · 2 years

Text

Alternate AU: Fateful Reunion

The BPS gets a call about an abandoned neighborhood, and decide to investigate it. However, they meet a familiar yet malevolent face, and unfortunately, he remembers them as well.

TW: blood, violence, body/face horror, suicide mentions/thoughts/implications, character death

Notes: this. Is the longest fic I’ve posted so far, being nearly 9’000 words long, so. A bit of a long read compared to the others. This is the canon ending to the au’s main storyline, so I hope it’s up to expectations. :)

-----

Sarah was the one who heard the phone ring.

It was one of the very few nights where Sarah was the last one awake, with both Cesar and, surprisingly, Seth asleep in their own rooms. Sarah was wearing a baggy band T-shirt, which she got at a thrift store, along with a pair of black shorts. She was in the middle of drawing a picture of a crow on her sketchpad when she heard the home phone ring from its hook on the wall. Sarah looked up at the phone through her long, chestnut brown hair, lowering her sketchbook before placing it and her pencil on the coffee table. She quickly approached the phone, hoping to answer it before the ringing awoke the others. She took it off of its base and held it up to her ear.

“You’ve reached the Bythorne Paranormal Society, how may I help you?”

Cesar was sprawled out on his bed, asleep in a plain white T-shirt and shorts, barely covered by his covers. His jet black hair was a complete mess, the black hair nearly covering up the grey streak in his bangs. His therapy cat Johnny, a grey English shorthair, was curled up against him, sleeping peacefully along with his owner. They rested on the twin sized bed for a while before Sarah swung open the door, flicking on the light as soon as she entered the room.

“Cesar!”

Cesar awoke, looking up with squinted eyes before shielding them from the light with his arm. He groggily sat up, staring at Sarah as he attempted to gain his bearings. “Hmm? What’s up?” Cesar mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“We have a job to do, get dressed.” Sarah stated.

Cesar stared at Sarah with confusion in his eyes, half asleep but trying to appear awake. “…This late?” Cesar asked. “What time is it…?”

“Uh…almost three?”

Cesar groaned before throwing the blanket off of him, causing Johnny to awake as well and hop off of the bed and onto the ground. “Okay, so…what’s the job?” Cesar asked as he stood up from the bed. However, when he looked back to where Sarah was, he saw that she was gone, instead walking down the hallway. Cesar stood still for a while before shrugging his shoulders. “Okay, cool.”

Sarah approached another one of the doors, which was cracked open slightly. Sarah knocked on the door lightly, waiting outside of the room with an excited smile on her face. She waited for a few moments, tempted to knock again before the door fully opened. Seth came into view, grimacing slightly from the pain in his stiff joints. He was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants as his pajamas, and his straight black hair was partially covering his face. His facial hair seemed especially scraggly, and his eyes were in a half-lidded, tired glare, fixed on the much shorter woman in front of him. “Everything alright?” Seth asked.

“We got a job.” Sarah said with a smile. “In Mandela, no less.”

“…You seem…excited.” Seth stated. “Thought you didn’t like going on investigations anymore.”

“It’s…it’s not about alternates.” Sarah specified. “It’s just some paranormal activity in some abandoned neighborhood. Could just be…your average ghost report.”

“…It’s 3 AM, Sarah. Mandela’s an hour away.”

“So? You’re normally awake at this time anyway,” Sarah said. “Now go get a shirt on, and we’ll get going.”

Sarah left to go get ready, leaving Seth behind as he sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. It was silly of him to think he could actually get a good night’s sleep for once; at least Sarah seemed to be excited. He turned to his left and saw a pile of clothes on a chair in his room, grabbing a few things off of it before closing the bedroom door.

Sarah stood in front of the couch, holding onto a black backpack as she gently placed gear into it. She was already completely dressed, wearing her black BPS hoodie, dark blue jeans, and black and white sneakers. As she packed, Seth was sitting on a metal chair next to the wall, wrapping braces around his knees and back, over his grey skinny jeans and dark grey tank top. Smoke billowed out of the cigarette in his mouth as he finished wrapping up his joints and putting on fingerless gloves over his scarred hands.

“Do I have to tell you to stop smoking again?” Sarah asked.

Seth paused, glancing over at Sarah before taking the cigarette out of his mouth. “What’s wrong with it?” He asked.

“Nothing, just…don’t do it in the house.” Sarah said. “It makes it smell like shit in here.”

Seth sighed, putting out his cigarette on his thigh, ignoring it leaving a burn mark on his pants. As Seth slipped on his jacket, Cesar entered the living room, Johnny following close behind. He was wearing a white, button up shirt underneath his unzipped BPS hoodie, along with blue jeans and red high-top shoes.

“So uh…what’s the deal? Just…ghosts again?” Cesar asked, turning towards Sarah.

“I think so. It’s what it sounded like.” Sarah responded as she zipped up her backpack and swung it over her back. “Should be a pretty easy job; in and out.”

Cesar glanced at Seth, who was pulling his hair back into a messy bun.

“You have everything together, kid?” Seth asked as he met Cesar’s gaze before standing up from his seat, walking over to the coffee table before picking up a belt with a pistol holster attached to it.

“I guess so, yeah.” Cesar said, holding back the urge to yawn. “Just…wish it was…you know…not now.”

“Yeah,” Seth sighed. “But that’s how it goes.” Seth walked past Cesar, grabbing his trusty shotgun, which was leaning against the wall. He checked to see if it was loaded, and when he saw that it was, he pointed it towards the ground. “I guess we should get going. We have an hour long drive ahead of us.”

“Can I drive?” Sarah asked.

“You were pulled over for speeding last time.” Seth stated. “I’m surprised you weren’t arrested.”

Sarah chuckled slightly, a sly smile forming on her face. “At least my face isn’t plastered on wanted posters.”

Seth let out a not-so-sincere chuckle before sighing. “…Yeah. Whatever, we need to get going.” Seth led the two other members out of the door, closing it behind them after shutting the lights off. Johnny the cat sat in front of the door, meowing before resting his head on his paws, starting the wait for Cesar to get back home.

The streets were nearly completely barren and dark, with the clouds overhead concealing the moon. The headlights of the BPS’s van cut through the darkness as it rolled down the road, leaving town and heading to the neighboring county. Cesar sat in the back of the van, arms crossed as he leaned back in his seat, eyes closed as he attempted to regain some lost sleep. Sarah sat in the front seat next to Seth, who was driving in silence. Sarah also remained quiet, glancing back at Cesar every once in a while, seeing that he was already asleep. It was almost miraculous that he could sleep in an uncomfortable van when he had trouble sleeping in his own bed. Though to be fair, Sarah found Seth crashed on the floor a couple times.

“What exactly did the person want anyway?” Seth asked, breaking the silence.

“They saw some strange activity in a neighborhood that had been blocked off for around a year.” Sarah explained. “The MCPD wouldn’t talk about it, who would’ve figured, so they called us. They just wanted a checkup. They offered around…400$ for the job.”

“Hmm.” Seth stared at the road in front of him. “I’m surprised; Cesar seemed alright, with going back to Mandela, knowing…y’know…”

Sarah nodded slightly, before her eyes widened suddenly and her breath audibly hitched. “Oh…shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I…I didn’t tell him we were going to Mandela.”

Seth froze, sighing slightly before pulling the van over to the side of the road, stopping and turning towards Sarah with furrowed brows. “You…didn’t tell him?” Seth asked, his serious tone making Sarah’s guilt already feel worse. “You didn’t tell him about a job he was going on?”

“I forgot! I was trying to get everything together quickly, i-it just…slipped.” Sarah said, trying to keep her voice quiet.

“Sarah, you know damn well how he feels about this county.” Seth stated.

“I know, I’m…I’m sorry.”

Seth sighed, looking back at Cesar, who was still asleep. “God…damn it.” Seth stared at the ground, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. “…He can stay in the van while we get it done. We’ll…tell him when he wakes up.”

“…A bit of a rude awakening, don’t you think?” Sarah asked.

“Not like we have much of a choice now.” Seth said, shifting the vehicle back into drive before continuing down the road, passing by the wheat field that was to their right. “We’re already here.”

Sarah looked through the windshield, seeing a sign on the left side of the road, reading in faded green letters: “WELCOME TO MANDELA COUNTY.” She slumped back in her seat, crossing her arms and lightly rubbing them. She felt like complete shit. She completely forgot about Cesar’s…experiences with Mandela, and didn’t even warn him about it. He’d go into a fucking frenzy if he knew where they were going. No wonder Seth seemed slightly pissed off; it was an awful mistake to make. Sarah just hoped Cesar wouldn’t be…too upset.

When the van drove into town, it was clear that curfew had been in effect for a while, as there was no movement to be seen. No cars drove around town, and no one was walking on the sidewalks. It felt…surreal to be back in Mandela, for both Sarah and Seth. Sarah had lived in the town they were in, and seeing the vaguely familiar streets and buildings made her feel nostalgic, though unnerved. Seth may not have lived in the same town, though he too lived in Mandela when he was younger, and he didn’t especially appreciate being back. None of the BPS had especially positive memories with the county; hell, they doubted anyone did.

Seth parked the van in front of a street, its headlights beaming through the steel bars of the gate leading into the neighborhood. Brick walls stretched on for a couple blocks, seeming to be hastily put together instead of being neatly placed. Sarah stared at the gate, seeing a few of the vacant homes on the other side of it. She furrowed her brows before looking over to Seth. “I...guess we should wake up Ces.” Sarah said.

“I’ll do it.” Seth stated, taking a couple small objects out of his pocket before handing them to Sarah. “Take these lock-picks and unlock the gate. I’ll take care of Torres.”

“You sure?”

“I can handle it.”

Sarah took the lock picks out of Seth’s hands before unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door, walking out before slamming it shut. Seth sighed deeply, turning towards Cesar before removing his seatbelt and moving to the back of the van. He sat in front of Cesar, hesitantly and lightly shaking his arm. Cesar awoke eventually, groaning slightly as he regained his bearings and realized how sore his neck was from sleeping weirdly. “Are we there?” He asked.

Seth looked at his feet, breathing deeply through his nose. “Yes.”

“…What’s up?”

“…Cesar, you are free to stay in the van for this job.” Seth stated. “You don’t have to join us.”

“…Okay?” Cesar said, sitting up straight. “…Why are you telling me this?”

Seth thought for a moment, biting his lip slightly. “…You may recognize…where we’re working tonight.” He said, scratching the back of his neck.

“You’re acting weird, dude…”

“…Cesar…” Seth looked up, staring Cesar in the eye. “…We’re currently in Mandela.”

Cesar didn’t seem to respond for a second, instead staring blankly at Seth for a few moments. That was until his eyes seemed to widen and his brows furrowed up, his hands noticeably shaking. “Y-You didn’t tell me that.” Cesar stated.

“I’m aware that—”

“I want to go home,” Cesar said, his tone sounding almost desperate. “I-I want to go home now…”

“Cesar…” Seth said.

“Please, just fucking take me home,” Cesar was trembling, holding his arms close to his stomach as his shoulders appeared to tense up. “I can’t be here, I-I just…I just can’t, I can’t.”

Seth sat next to Cesar, seeing that he was beginning to hyperventilate. “Get me out of here, please, just—I can’t—I don’t want to be here,” Cesar mumbled. “He’ll find me, he’ll—”

“Cesar.” Seth stated, lightly resting a hand on Cesar’s shoulder. Cesar jerked around, looking at Seth with silent tears running down his face. Seth could see the fear in his eyes, making Seth himself feel his heart sink to his feet. He sighed before wrapping his arms around Cesar, letting him cry into his shoulder. Seth’s heart hurt hearing his muffled sobs, but he didn’t pull away. Though he was curious on whom the “He” was that Cesar mentioned, Seth decided not to ask further. Last think Cesar needed was prying questions; if anyone knew how awful it was to be questioned about your past, it was Seth.

When Sarah successfully unlocked the deadbolt, she removed the chains keeping the gate shut and pushed it open; all before jogging back to the van and hopping into the front seat. With that, they were able to pass, and the van drove past the barrier and into the barren neighborhood. The warm glow of the streetlights shone on the damp asphalt, puddles still formed from a recent rainfall. The headlights of the BPS van reflected on the dark windows on the sides of homes, illuminating the sometimes cracked glass. Graffiti was covering the outer walls of some of the homes, though the BPS couldn’t help but notice that the vandalism became rarer as they progressed.

Cesar’s leg bounced rhythmically as he sat in his seat, lightly rubbing his fingers over the faint scar across his right hand. His brown eyes stared at the ground, breathing in and out deeply as he tried to fight the urge to panic. He wouldn’t have gone if he knew where they were going; that was a fact. It didn’t help that a part of him recognized the street, though he wasn’t alone in that thought. Sarah too began to recall things about the neighborhood they were in.

It started with a vaguely familiar tree she saw on the side of the road, or one of the homes having Christmas lights on all year despite no one living there. However, it wasn’t until she saw a line of trees blocking the next house that she figured it out. “Stop the car.” Sarah placed her hand on Seth’s arm, causing him to look at her with confusion. He obliged, parking the vehicle in the middle of the road before turning to look at Sarah.

“What’s wrong?” Seth questioned.

Sarah pointed towards the pale grey house that was barely peeking out from behind the trees. “I know that house.” Sarah said, her voice strangely quiet.

Cesar, almost sensing her concern, sat up, looking at Sarah with pensiveness in his eyes. “Wh-What house?” He asked quietly.

Sarah glanced back at Cesar, then to Seth, then back to the house before abruptly opening the door and running down the road in front of the van. Seth watched her for a second before looking back to Cesar. “Stay here, I’ll be back in a second.” Seth then opened his door, following Sarah until he saw that she was stopped in the middle of the street, staring up at something. “What’s going on, are you alright?” Seth asked, lightly placing a hand on Sarah’s shoulder.

“Oh my God.” Sarah muttered. “…This is Mark’s house.”

Seth looked at the aforementioned home, seeing the absolutely terrible state it was in. The pale grey paint on the outer panels was chipping and peeling away, though it was covered by layers of moss and other plants, making it appear to be a yellowish green. The grass on the lawn was almost completely dead, aside from one spot where a few weeds were growing. There were two windows leading to the second floor, with one of them completely shattered, leading to a dark room. Sarah’s eyes were fixed on that window specifically, as she remembered the room it led to. It was Mark’s bedroom, where he stayed in most of the time.

“Mark?” Seth asked.

“My brother?” Sarah seemed almost offended that the name didn’t ring a bell. “H-He wasn’t seen in eight years; I-I…I just…”

Seth looked back up at the house, feeling a strange pit in his stomach.

“I need to go in.” Sarah started walking towards the home before Seth grabbed the back of her hoodie.

“Wait.” Seth stated. “…get your gear first. I need to get my gun too.”

Cesar watched through the windshield as the two walked back to the van, opening the back doors to grab their things. “What’s going on?” Cesar asked.

“We found a house we’re going to—” Seth started, but was interrupted by Sarah.

“I’m going into Mark’s house.” Sarah stated. “We’re seeing if we can find out anything about his disappearance.”

“Wh-what?!” Cesar’s voice squeaked, and his eyes shown horror. “N-No, no, no you shouldn’t…you can’t…”

“I’m not letting this chance go, Cesar.” Sarah said, her voice stern. “The MCPD isn’t telling me shit about him; I’m going to investigate this myself.”

“Sarah.” Seth didn’t say it out loud, but his tone said “Stop talking,” and Sarah took the hint and became silent. Seth could see Cesar shaking, harder than he was before. He looked like he wanted to say more, but couldn’t get anything past his tight throat. Seth looked back at Sarah before crawling into the van and carefully approaching Cesar.

“We’ll be out in no more than ten minutes, and we can go—”

“We need more than ten minutes for this.” Sarah said.

Seth glared at her for a second before turning back. “We can go home after we’re done.”

“I-I…I.” Cesar couldn’t get his words out, instead trying to hold back his tears.

Seth backed away a second, but when Cesar’s expression seemed to become more panicked by the action, Seth paused. “I’ll be back, don’t worry.” He said in a calm tone. “It won’t take long, I promise. Okay?”

Cesar nodded, and Seth exited the vehicle, closing the doors behind him. “God…damn it.” Seth said, turning back towards Sarah before they both started walking back to the house. “Why…why this job out of all of them?”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

“You know how fucking…sensitive Cesar is to this shit.”

“Seth, I don’t expect you to…understand this kinda stuff,” Sarah said. “But I haven’t learned anything new about Mark in nearly a decade. This is the first chance in forever I’ve had to figure out anything about his disappearance.”

“…What do you mean you don’t expect me to understand?” Seth asked, his brows furrowing as they paused in the house’s driveway.

“W-Well…you were an only child, right?” Sarah asked, though she began to wonder if bringing it up was a bad idea. Seth’s nose twitched slightly as his expression darkened.

“Sure, but I think I can understand wanting to know about a loved one’s disappearance…right?” Seth asked rhetorically. “Just ‘cause I never had a sibling like you doesn’t mean I’m heartless to shit like this.”

“Yeah, I…yeah.” Sarah sighed, avoiding eye contact.

“Whatever, let’s…get this done quickly,” Seth continued. “I don’t want Cesar here any longer than necessary.”

Sarah and Seth approached the front door, though when Seth grabbed the doorknob, he found that it was locked. “Is there another way in?” Seth asked, turning back to Sarah.

“If I remember right, there’s a back door that leads to the kitchen.”

Sarah and Seth then jogged around the home to test their luck with the alternative entrance. Luckily, the door in fact existed, though they couldn’t see inside through the window in the door, as it was covered by a thin curtain. Seth tried his luck with the door again, though it appeared to be locked as well. Sarah sighed in disappointment when she saw that it didn’t open, but was immediately startled by the sound of shattering glass. She looked back up to see that Seth had broken the glass window in the door with the butt of his shotgun.

“What the hell?!” Sarah questioned.

Seth looked back at Sarah, his expression almost like a toddler that got caught stealing snacks from the cabinet. “No one lives here anymore.” He stated.

“That doesn’t mean you can just break shit!”

Seth turned back to the shattered window before reaching through it and unlocking the door from the inside. “…Too late now.”

Cesar sat in the van, his knees pressed against his torso as he thought to himself. He had a pit in his stomach, feeling nothing more than an intense want to go home and get the fuck away from there. He hadn’t been even remotely close to Mark’s old house since nearly a decade before, and Cesar wasn’t necessarily ecstatic to break that record. Nevertheless, there he was; back in the cesspool that was Mandela County, and back in the town he swore to never return to in a million years.

Despite not wanting to move, he hated staying in the van. He was sitting in the cramped van with the extra gear and tech, half of which barely worked. He was alone with the thoughts he desperately wanted to run from, which was almost scarier than being back where he started. Cesar glanced towards the floor, his eye catching something on the ground. It was a spare pistol, resting on the ground next to a box of bullets. Cesar’s watery eyes stared at the firearm before his shaky hand grabbed onto it. If he was going to be in Mandela again, he might as well accept and face it.

The home smelled of mildew and dust, its stagnant air feeling oddly claustrophobic. Seth walked into the living room, his boots pressing down the old shaggy carpet as he looked around, his gun in hand and his guard up. Sarah’s flashlight pointed at the walls, seeing the stained and peeled wallpaper. There were the occasional framed photo on the wall, though most were completely shattered or on the ground somewhere. It felt surreal being in the home again, especially seeing that it was in such disrepair. It felt as if it had an air of sadness and despair, though Sarah wasn’t sure why. Either way, she began to understand why Cesar was so hesitant.

Seth walked towards the couch, his eye catching something resting on its dusty cushions. He leaned over and picked it up, examining it carefully. It was a worn out notebook, its yellow cover torn and dirty. He gently placed his shotgun down on the sofa before opening up the notebook, staring at its contents. It appeared to be a sketchbook, though he couldn’t help but feel his heart sink as he stared at the sketches themselves.

The first one he saw was what seemed to be a screaming figure, though it was hastily drawn, and hard to distinguish. It didn’t even appear to be human; more like a half-human, half-animal creature with long and jagged teeth. Seth turned the page, seeing an abstract humanoid figure grabbing its head, also screaming. Every single drawing Seth saw was all but scribbles, just barely conveying whatever it was supposed to convey. He glanced at Sarah, who was staring at a photo on the wall, with her light trained on it. Seth closed the notebook, grabbing his gun with his free hand before walking over to where Sarah was standing.

“What is it?” Seth asked quietly.

“It’s…a picture of Mark and Cesar.” Sarah said, continuing to stare at the photo. Seth also looked at the picture, seeing that it was of Cesar and Mark in Halloween costumes. At least it appeared to be Cesar, though his face appeared to be scratched out. “…It’s been tampered.”

“Yeah?” Seth said, holding up the notebook towards Sarah. “Take a look at this.”

Sarah looked at the notebook, grabbing it from Seth’s hand before opening it. Her face immediately showed concern and confusion as she flipped through the pages. “What the fuck…” She sighed.

“Was…Mark an artist?” Seth asked.

“Well, yeah, but…not…not like this.” Sarah looked at the ground before taking off her back pack and unzipping it, putting the notebook inside. “It just doesn’t make sense…”

Seth looked back towards the photos on the wall, seeing the broken glass and scratched out faces. Though something seemed to connect them all; every photo with Cesar involved was altered. Some with black marker covering him up, and others with an entire half of the picture ripped off. It was bizarre, and only made Seth’s strange feeling of dread become less and less easy to be ignored. However, that could’ve also been the fact that the house felt so…constricting, despite it being decently big. It almost felt like it was trying to choke him.

Cesar stood outside of the van, staring up at the house in front of him, grasping the pistol with his trembling hand. He breathed in and out deeply, preparing himself before finally stepping onto the driveway. As he looked for an entrance, or any sign of where the other two went, he felt a strange dread in his stomach. He pushed it down, trying to ignore it the best he could as he walked around the house. He also forced himself to ignore the feeling of being watched every time he glanced up at the second story window.

Sarah stood in front of the stairway, her light pointed up the steps. She glanced behind her, seeing Seth wandering around the living room, examining certain objects around the house. Sarah then looked back up the stairs, breathing in before walking up the creaky steps. As she made her way upstairs, Seth stared at the mudroom in front of the front door. There was a knocked over table in front of the door, with the shards of a smashed vase next to it. It looked like the signs of a break in, though it was unclear where the point of entry was, as the door was still locked.

Next to the table however was yet another broken picture frame, one that was bigger than the others. Seth crouched down, wincing slightly when his knees cracked before grabbing onto the frame and standing back up, turning it around to see the photo inside. It was a picture of Mark, Sarah, and Cesar all together, though once again Cesar’s face was crossed out. However, words were written on the picture as well, almost covering it entirely:

“I HATE YOU”

Reading over the message made Seth’s heart sink, and not soon after he felt something growing in his stomach. It was an immense feeling of dread; more intense than any similar feeling he had before. It felt like a metaphorical punch in the gut, making him drop the picture entirely.

His breathing quickened as his mind began to connect the dots. The crossed out photos, the eerie drawings, the message written on the photo, even the fact that the neighborhood was blocked off; it all began to make sense. Whoever, or whatever, had been in that house hated Cesar, and not only were Seth and Sarah there, but also the very man the thing living there hated. He just brought his friends, hell, his family to the belly of the beast like a fucking moron. And to make everything worse?

“Seth?”

Shit. Shit. Fuck, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK.

Seth swung around, seeing that Cesar was standing in the kitchen, in front of the back door. Seth immediately jogged towards him, nearly hyperventilating. “Get the fuck out of here.”

“Wha—”

“Get back to the van, NOW.” Seth commanded, not even letting Cesar question him.

“But w-what about Sarah?” Cesar asked. The question made Seth visibly freeze before he turned around, seeing that Sarah wasn’t there. How the fuck did he not notice?

Sarah stepped towards the door leading to Mark’s bedroom, noticing the stains on the wooden floor underneath her. She hesitantly reached for the doorknob, her fingers brushing against the ice cold metal, before she began to turn it—

“Sarah!”

She was interrupted by the sound of Seth yelling for her downstairs, causing her to pull her hand away from the door. She glanced at the door, thinking for a second before ultimately deciding to go back downstairs to see what was going on. As she ran down the stairs, she failed to notice the door open behind her.

“What’s going—” She couldn’t even finish her question before she felt Seth grab the back of her hoodie and push her towards the door, his other hand clasped on his shotgun.

“Get back to the van, both of you.” Seth demanded, pushing the two out of the house. As they hurried around the home, Sarah turned around, staring Seth in the eye.

“What the hell is going on?!” She asked. “You’re freaking us out—”

“Listen, we need to get out of here, I…I can feel it.” Seth stated, his voice noticeably shaking. It was the most freaked out Sarah had ever seen him.

“But I still haven’t found anything.” Sarah said.

“M-Maybe he’s right,” Cesar chimed in. “I don’t feel good about this either.”

“No, it’s not just that, it’s…” Seth attempted to get his thoughts in order. “It’s something more than that, like—”

“Seth, please, we can’t do this now,” Sarah interrupted. “I’m so fucking close, I can feel it!”

“I’m trying to keep you safe—”

“You keep saying that!” Sarah bordered on yelling, trying to hold back her tears. “I need this, Seth. I need to know, and this is the only way I can; I need to help Mark!”

“CAN WE FUCKING LEAVE?!” Cesar shouted, startling both Sarah and Seth. They stared at him, seeing that he was crying, but also looking completely pissed off. “I’m tired of this! Mark’s dead! That’s it! There’s no fucking point to being here anymore!”

“Cesar, what the fuck are you—” Sarah started.

“NO!” Cesar glared at her. “Enough arguing, enough searching, enough fucking self-pity; CAN WE JUST GO HOME?!”

Sarah and Seth were stuck in a stunned silence, staring at Cesar, who was beginning to sob to himself. Sarah felt her eyes sting, and seeing Cesar trembling made her feel even worse. She glanced at Seth, who was almost glaring at her, though he didn’t seem necessarily angry; more…concerned.

“I…Ces…” Sarah looked back at Cesar. “I’m…I’m sorry—”

The sound of four bangs coming from the front of the house interrupted her apology, causing the trio to snap their attention towards the noise. Seth glanced back at Sarah and Cesar, gesturing them to follow him as he raised his firearm. Cesar also grasped his pistol tighter as he followed close behind Seth, with Sarah by his side. When they made it back to the van, they could see the culprit of the noise; all four tires had been blown out.

Seth stared at the ruined tires, his gaze intense and his breathing beginning to quicken. Cesar stared at the tires before looking back towards the house, freezing as soon as his eyes caught something.

“Who…why would someone do this?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t know…” Seth stated, trying to keep his breath steady despite the tightness in his chest.

“Should we walk then?”

“It’ll take too long to get back…hitchhiking’s too risky…” As Seth thought aloud, Sarah looked back at Cesar, seeing that he was completely motionless aside from his shaking hands. His wide, watering eyes were fixed on the house, looking up at something.

“…Cesar?” Sarah asked, lightly tapping his shoulder. No response. “Seth, Cesar’s not…” She trailed off when she finally looked at Cesar was focused on. She too became silent, covering her mouth as she couldn’t help but cry. She didn’t even want to believe what she was seeing.

It looked like Mark; but it wasn’t him.

Mark’s nearly white sweatshirt had turned a dingy grey from years of use, covered in blood and grime. There was a hole in the sweatshirt and black undershirt in his shoulder, the hole stained with red. His dull pink sweatpants covered his legs, along with grey socks, both of which having mud and dirt covering them. His messy, long brown hair swayed in the wind, his one, bloodshot eye fixed on Cesar, burning with hate. The entire right side of his face was a cracked hole, leading to a dark void, with only his lower jaw and teeth visible. Blood streamed down the holes in his face, along with his eye, almost like he was eternally crying. It looked only vaguely like the Mark they knew, while also nothing but a husk of his former self; a hollow being desperately hanging on to its past.

As soon as Seth saw Mark, he swung his shotgun up, preparing to fire before Mark snapped his gaze towards him. Seth felt himself be pushed back, slamming against the ground hard with a thud. His gun clattered against the asphalt, sliding to the middle of the street. Sarah was temporarily snapped out of her shock by the sound of Seth grunting from the sudden pain spike in his back. Sarah hastily approached Seth, crouching down quickly before helping him get up.

Seth looked straight past Sarah, his eyes widening before he scrambled to his feet. “CESAR, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” He shouted, seeing that Cesar was still standing still in front of Mark.

The plead didn’t seem to do anything; Cesar was still stuck in place, paralyzed by his own fear. Mark looked to the side, seeing a small piece of rebar resting on the ground next to a tree before he raised his hand towards it. The pole immediately started to hover in the air, Mark staring at Cesar before the post turned directly towards the frozen man, being flung towards him as quick as an arrow. Cesar was barely able to respond before he felt himself being pushed over by something.

“GO!”

Cesar fell to the ground, finally snapping out of his trance. His breathing was heavy as he stared at the dead grass below him. He could hear Sarah crying, along with pained yells behind him. Cesar turned around, his eyes widening when he saw where the noises were coming from. Seth was hunched over, grasping the piece of rebar buried in his shoulder, the blood pouring out from between his fingers. He was bleeding heavily, Sarah staring at him with horror in her eyes. Seth just saved Cesar’s fucking life.

“JUST LET HIM DIE ALREADY!” Mark shouted, his many discordant voices burying themselves in the ears of all that heard it.

Cesar stumbled to his feet, immediately backing away as he regained his bearings. He looked towards Seth before glaring at Mark, swallowing the lump in his throat before he spoke. “WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” Cesar questioned.

“YOU…You didn’t do anything, didn’t answer any of my cries for help!” Mark yelled, blood pouring down from his “face.” “I thought you were my fucking FRIEND! YOU’RE THE REASON I’M DEAD!”

Cesar pushed back the urge to cry before responding. “I NEVER DID ANYTHING—”

“BULLSHIT!” Mark’s voice almost shook the entirety of Mandela to its core, causing the streetlights to flicker and some to even explode. “YOU NEVER GAVE A SHIT ABOUT ME, DID YOU?!”

“MARK, I DID!” Cesar cried. “I FUCKING CARED ABOUT YOU! I THOUGHT OF YOU LIKE A BROTHER!”

“YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A FUCKING LIAR!” Mark screamed, not only blood, but actual tears running down his cheeks. “I WAS NOTHING BUT A PROP! I MADE YOU LOOK BETTER! You wanted everyone to see…look! I can befriend even the stupid, lonely, ANGRY, LOSER OF A KID!”

Cesar felt as if the words were stabbing him directly in the heart. He had no way of telling him how much he cared; how much he valued Mark’s friendship ever since middle school. It was too late to reconcile, as the damage had already been done. Cesar just wished that he saw it sooner.

“Mark, listen to yourself!”

Cesar turned to see Sarah staring up at Mark with fury in her eyes. Seth seemed to visibly struggle more when he saw what Sarah was doing, begging with his eyes for her to back down. He tried to grab her jacket, though she was already out of reach, and every movement only made the sharp pain in his shoulder spike.

“We all cared about you!” Sarah claimed, her hands curled into fists. “I loved you! Cesar loved you! We all loved you; why won’t you just listen to us?!”

“You left me to die…you never came for me.” Mark stated. “I was left to DIE, BY EVERYONE IN THIS GOD DAMNED COUNTY! NONE OF YOU HELPED ME WHILE I WAS STUCK IN ONE FUCKING ROOM FOR DAYS! I…I DIED BECAUSE YOU WERE A BUNCH OF FUCKING COWARDS!”

“THAT’S BULLSHIT!” Sarah shouted through the tears, not noticing that Mark was staring at a rock behind her, making it rise into the air. “I LOVED YOU MARK, I JUST WISH YOU ACTUALLY ACTED LIKE HI—”

A loud crack. Seth could barely process the sound before he felt something splatter against his face, bringing his hand up to his face and wiping it off, staring at the small streaks of red on his fingers. Sarah immediately fell to the ground as a now red-stained rock fell to her side. She twitched, convulsing on the front yard in silence, blood pouring from the large gash in the back of her skull.

“S-Sarah…SARAH!” Seth cried, possibly for the first time in a very long time. He took in a few deep breaths before ripping the pole out of his shoulder, yelling in pain before throwing it to the side and covering the wound with his hand. He scrambled to Sarah’s body, turning it over onto her back. Her eyes were cloudy; unresponsive. “Sarah…” Seth sobbed as Cesar quickly fell to his knees by her side. Seth buried his face in her shoulder, grasping her rapidly cooling hand as he cried. “Oh god…Sarah…I’m sorry…”

Cesar grimaced, tears running down his face before he looked back at Mark. He killed her; his own sister was dead, murdered in cold blood. Cesar pushed himself to his feet, swinging his pistol towards Mark, finally feeling unafraid for the first time in forever. It wasn’t the friend he used to know anymore, and as he aimed for the head, Cesar pulled the trigger.

Click.

The gun wasn’t loaded.

Cesar looked back up at Mark with horror, seeing the rage building in his eye. He dropped the pistol before stumbling backwards, feeling dread building in his heart before he turned and ran. Seth watched him run, seeing his shotgun in the middle of the street.

“YOU COWARD!” Mark shouted, following Cesar from the air.

Seth looked down at Sarah’s lifeless body one last time, taking in a deep breath before reluctantly letting her go, ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder as he ran onto the street, grabbing the shotgun as soon as he reached it.

Cesar refused to look back, though he could see the streetlights rapidly flickering and the light bulbs exploding behind him. He could feel his lungs burning from hyperventilating, and his legs hurt like hell, but he couldn’t stop running. Mark was screaming loud enough to make Cesar’s ears ring, his pure rage being heard throughout the entire town. If Cesar stopped moving, he was dead, and Cesar didn’t want to find out what being killed by a former best friend was like.

Cesar glanced to the side, seeing that one of the streetlights was beginning to bend to the side from the middle before falling off of its base. Cesar put his arms over his head, using one burst of energy to sprint out of the way before it slammed against the asphalt, the light shattering and the metal bending in nearly impossible ways. Mark looked over to the side of the road, seeing a rusty stop sign. He raised his hand towards it, ripping it out of the ground while also snapping the sign off of its post. He glared back at Cesar before throwing the post towards him. Cesar leapt to the side, though not soon enough.

The post grazed his leg, leaving a large gash right before his knee. Cesar yelled, falling to the ground on his stomach. He grasped the rapidly bleeding wound in his leg before turning around, laying on his back as he stared at the injury. His entire body screamed out, sore from running and his throat raw from screaming.

Cesar looked up, tears streaming down his face as he attempted to crawl backwards, staring up at Mark as he lowered himself to the ground. Mark walked towards Cesar, ignoring the sharp pain in his legs with every step as he glared at the man in front of him. “You’ve ruined…everything.” Mark stated, his voice almost sounding like the Mark Cesar once knew. “I trusted you…I cared about you, yet you leave me in the dust the second you’re able to.”

“Mark…I…I’m sorry…” Cesar mumbled. “I…I didn’t…mean to.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Mark growled. “It’s over now. It’s all over.” Mark raised his hand towards Cesar, whose wide petrified eyes were fixed on Mark’s missing face. “I’m sorry it had to come to this.” Mark muttered under his breath.

“HEY, SHITHEAD!”

Mark swung around, seeing Seth standing in the middle of the street behind him, gun trained on him. Mark barely had time to react before Seth pulled the trigger, a loud boom echoing as Mark’s arm shattered, the lower half of it breaking off and slamming against the ground. Mark let out a loud, pained screech, staring at the shattered, hollow remains of his left arm and the tattered cloth around it. Seth cocked the gun before shooting once again, this time at Mark’s right leg. His shin exploded into shards as Mark fell to the ground, his skin cracking as blood poured from the holes in his body.

Mark yelled as Seth grew closer, his gun pointed at Mark’s head, silent tears running down his cheeks. Mark looked up at the tall man in front of him, his one bloodshot eye fixed on the stranger.

“…You…you’re too late.” Mark growled, whispers and quiet laughter accompanying his voice. “You brought them here. You’re the reason this happened. You…you didn’t have to be a part of this.”

Seth’s nose twitched, and his eyes widened slightly. He swallowed hard, attempting to keep his breath steady, all before his brows furrowed and he grimaced. “Fuck you.”

Seth pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He stared at the gun with surprise, trying to fix the sudden jam before he looked back at Mark, whose one eye was squinted and staring at the gun’s barrel. He then floated onto his one remaining foot before flying up into the dark sky, out of view. Seth looked up to where he went, clenching his jaw. “YOU BASTARD!” Seth shouted into the night air.

Seth turned back to Cesar, his expression turning from anger to worry as he dropped his shotgun. He rushed to Cesar’s side, grabbing his hand and helping him sit up. “You’re okay…you’re gonna be alright, can you walk?” Seth questioned.

“I…I can’t…” Cesar exhaled, staring at the large wound in his leg.

“Cesar, don’t look at it,” Seth gestured for Cesar to stare him in the eyes. “Look at me…I’m…I’m gonna get you out of here.” Seth wrapped Cesar’s arm over his shoulders, supporting him with his arm as they stood up. Cesar winced as he put some pressure on his leg, slowly limping by Seth’s side.

“Wh…What about Sarah?”

The question made Seth’s breath hitch, but nevertheless he continued walking. “You’re going to be alright, just…just trust me.” Seth didn’t want to tell Cesar Sarah would be alright, as it was a complete fucking lie. Sarah was dead, and Cesar didn’t need to be reminded of that at that moment. All Seth wanted to do was get Cesar out of that hellhole. Mourning is for later.

As they walked towards the gate, Cesar yelled out, hunching over slightly, causing Seth to turn his head towards him in worry. “Are you alright?” Seth questioned.

“I…I don’t know…” Cesar said with a grimace. “I don’t feel good…I…I feel sick.”

Blood loss, Seth presumed. “Shit…you’re gonna be fine, the hospital isn’t that far away.” Seth assured, covering up his uncertainty. “Y-You’re gonna get help, alright?”

Cesar looked up at Seth’s face. “I…I don’t know what’s—” Cesar’s statement was interrupted by him yelling again, falling to the ground as Seth watched.

“Cesar!” Seth crouched down beside him, seeing that he was staring at the ground, his face partially covered by his hair. “Cesar, what’s going on, are you alright?! I…I can carry you to the hospital if you can’t walk—”

“Mm.”

“What?”

“MMMH.”

Cesar raised his hands towards his face, beginning to shake uncontrollably as his hands began to claw at his face. Suppressed screams were heard from him as he shook and cried, though Seth couldn’t see what was happening. “Cesar, what’s going—”

Cesar looked up, tears running from his eyes as he scratched at the area near his mouth. Seth’s eyes widened as he finally saw what was wrong; Cesar’s mouth was completely missing, healed over like a scar. Thin red lines covered the new skin as Cesar scratched it raw, all in a desperate attempt to be able to speak again.

“…Oh god.” Seth muttered. Cesar held his hands up to Seth, who helped him get up on his feet. Cesar’s trembling hands were clutched on Seth’s bloody hoodie, trying to hold himself closer to him. His muffled screams for help only became worse as his hands began to shake even harder, his fingers turning a charcoal black. His fingers fell apart as he stumbled away from Seth, who was frozen in both confusion and horror. Cesar watched helplessly as the skin and bones in his hands broke apart, leaving nothing but part of his forearm bones visible as he desperately tried to shriek for help.

Cesar was sobbing, unable to let out a single anguished yell as he fell into Seth’s arms, shaking as if he was suffering from hypothermia. His nose was barely visible anymore, the nostrils being completely missing and it being nothing but a small bump on his face. His wide, bloodshot eyes stared up at Seth, as if he was pleading for him to do something, ANYTHING to save him from his fate, whether he was able to do so or not. “Cesar…” Seth cried, his mind going too fast to be able to come up with anything he could do. “Cesar, PLEASE…” Seth watched helplessly as even Cesar’s gaze was torn away from him, as his eyes shut, healing over and leaving nothing but blank eye sockets in their place.

Cesar’s screams were unable to be heard, and his entire face was missing. Seth stared at the blank, emotionless face that used to be his closest friend. He was gone; the man Seth dared to get close to was gone. Cesar fell to his knees, holding his arm nubs up to his “face” as he desperately wanted to be able to breathe and see again. There was nothing he could do however, and soon enough, he could no longer hear Seth’s desperate cries for him to stay as even his hearing was taken away from him.

Seth tried to grab Cesar’s shoulder, though as soon as he made contact, Cesar appeared to panic, letting out more horrid muffled screams, slamming his forearm against Seth’s hand to push it away. He sprung up to his feet and ran the opposite direction. He slammed against the gate, stumbling backwards before pushing it open and running down the road, disoriented and stumbling around as if he could barely hold himself up. Seth watched as Cesar disappeared from view, his eyes wide and his expression blank.

Seth took a few steps forward, pushing open the gate and looking down the road, seeing that Cesar was already gone from sight. He continued to step forward, tripping over his own feet before collapsing to his knees, with his head hung low in defeat. He didn’t know what to think anymore. Sarah was gone, and Cesar…oh god, Cesar; left wandering aimlessly, sightless, deaf, mute, and scared for god knows how long. Seth had nothing left. His son was gone…all because of him. Mark was right; he brought them to their death.

Seth stared at the ground, emotionless, feeling like a husk of his former self. His shoulder stung and every joint in his body was sore, but he no longer cared. He was empty without them; nothing more than a stupid man with a criminal record and a lifetime of regret. How dare he think he could make friends? How stupid was he? Sarah and Cesar didn’t deserve this…they didn’t deserve any of it, and the one man that did was the only one alive and human. He should’ve taken their place. He should’ve been the one to die, not them. It was all his fault.

“How…pathetic.”

No.

No, god, please not now.

Seth didn’t even need to see who was talking to recognize the voice, his fears only being confirmed by the sight of slender, fingerless gloved covered hands pressing against the ground next to him, connected to mangled, impossibly long arms.

“How poetic.” Adam stated, leaning down so Seth could see his wide smile from his peripheral vision. “Your story starts with you losing your family…and ends with the same thing.”

Seth didn’t respond or even flinch, only slowly turning away when Adam pushed his face closer. “Well…Mark sure can hold a grudge, huh?” Adam chuckled. “Cesar…doomed to a life of darkness and silence for all eternity, I mean, how petty can you get?”

Seth remained silent.

“…Come on, Seth.” Adam said. “…You don’t have to be so grumpy.”

“Leave.” Seth grumbled.

Adam smiled wider when he heard Seth’s broken tone. “…Hey…I’m your friend you know. And you know what? I have an idea that may help you out.” Adam stated. “And all it takes is one simple step.”

Adam reached for the pistol in Seth’s holster, pulling it out before holding it in front of Seth’s face. “…It’s loaded, isn’t it?” Adam asked.

Seth didn’t respond, his empty eyes staring at the gun in front of him.

“Everything gone…in the blink of an eye.” Adam continued. “Your friends…your family…your sanity. Cesar was like your son. You’re the reason they’re in the state they’re in now…they hate you…but I have the solution.”

Adam held the barrel of the pistol, nudging Seth with the handle. “All it takes…is one bullet.” Adam whispered in Seth’s ear, his smile widening further than what should be possible. “And everything…will fade away.”

Seth’s twitching hand grabbed the gun, staring at it as his fingers ran across the metal. Adam placed one of his hands on Seth’s shoulder, his smile becoming more crazed as Seth gripped the handle and pointed the barrel of the gun up. Seth smiled, his smile lopsided and wide as he stood still. Silence fell for a moment as the barrel was pointed into Seth’s chin, until he jerked it to the side and fired.

Adam’s head flung back as the bullet pierced his jaw and out through the top of his head. Adam screamed before stumbling back and falling to the ground, his hands grasping his head as Seth slowly stood up, ignoring the cracks from his knees. Seth turned towards Adam, seeing that his eyes were wide, his dilated pupils focused on him. Seth swung his gun up, firing into Adam’s head, neck, and chest. The series of shots echoed throughout the street until it ran out of bullets. Seth pulled the trigger multiple times before he processed that it was empty and stopped. He slowly lowered his gun, trembling slightly as he stared at Adam’s unmoving body.

“…If you were smart…” Seth muttered. “You’d stay dead.”

Seth put the gun back into his holster before unzipping his jacket, slipping it off as he looked at the wound in his shoulder. It was bleeding steadily from the hole, and needed to be disinfected as soon as possible. Seth held up his hoodie, seeing the now bloodied letters “BPS” written on the front, which was interrupted by a large tear in the fabric. Seth dropped the now meaningless hoodie, leaving it behind as he limped past Adam’s body and further into town.

He wasn’t sure when or where he’d see Mark again, or when he’d start to feel the mental anguish that was surely going to hit him like a freight train, but at that moment he didn’t care. He didn’t even think of anything; unsure of how he would get home. Though he supposed it wouldn’t matter, as the thought of going home alone and seeing an empty house made him sick. All he could think was what he would do when he saw Mark’s hollow face again.

All he knew is that when he saw that bastard again, he would regret letting Seth walk away alive.

93 notes · View notes