#ahh this part with ragdoll and mag is so good

[huffle-dork]

Swap into the CrystalVerse Chapter 21: Horror Septics

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix 

Read Swapboys | Read Horror Septics | AO3 Link

Prologue | Switch | Stitched | PNPT | Septicheroes | Fantasy Masks | Horror

Taglist: @brokentimewatch @di-diwata  

The power Magnificent took from the forest allows him to teleport vast distances. In his rush to get away from there, he ends up in a town on the edge of some body of water. A sea coast, judging by the smell. And it only took a handful of teleports. There's a strange mist that seems to hover around his feet at all times now. Like he's carrying around a fog machine.

Magnificent stumbles across the street, holding his arms and looking around. The power feels- strange in his system. But… very powerful. He thought he’d be drained trying to do go far but.., he’s fine. That’s incredible. Could he just- escape that thing’s watch and run? Find other things to crush? He… had to find this worlds version of him… right? Why did it feel like… he already did? The fog is new and unsettling but- it could be worse. He keeps an eye out- looking for anything in a red hoodie.

There are some people on the street, going about their own business. They don't notice the mist--or if they do, they don't stare. They do look at Magnificent's face and outfit. Clearly, this isn't a normal appearance for this world. But it must not raise too many questions, because, again, no stares.

Except for one.

A man, younger than Mag is, with sandy blonde hair and a lot of freckles. He's standing beneath a shop's awning and not even bothering to hide his stare.

Magnificent feels the stare on him and locks eyes with the young man, stilling in his walk. He narrows his eyes and tilts his head like a cat, his eyes catching light unnaturally.

The man stares back for a moment. Then he glances to either side and gestures for Magnificent to come closer.

Magnificent checks around too and then he teleports over. He just stares down at the man and raises an eyebrow. "... You're staring an awful lot, aren't you?"

The man gasps as he teleports and staggers backwards. "S-sorry, I dinnae mean to pry, I jus--" He straightens. "Did ye come from Faoirise Hollow? Did ye... talk to it?"

Magnificent narrows his eyes, "... is that the name of the forest back some ways? With the... mist?" He purses his lips and then nods, "... if you're referring to what I'm thinking of then... yes. What of it?"

The man goes pale. "Oh. Oh no, did--did ye agree to anyt'ing? Did ye say yes?"

“What does it matter to you?” Mag spits.

"T'at's not a no." The man's eyes widen. "I-I'm sorry, ye can'--maybe if ye get far enough ye'll be able to escape--" And then he stops. And goes quiet.

“What,.. what do you mean?” Mag tries to hide the way his voice tries to shake.

"I'm sorry, I think I've mistaken you for someone else," the man says. "Were you going to go take the ferry? It leaves soon. You should hurry."

Why is it so quiet?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mag presses, stepping forward, "Why- why do I need to escape?"

"Escape? No, I'm sorry, I think you're not who I was looking for," the man says, smiling. "I'm sorry to bother you." He turns and starts to head inside the store. The awning above shifts. It must have been sturdier than it looked, though, because it doesn't even creak.

Magnificent feels a chill go down his spine- why... why is it so quiet? "W-wait!"

The man does not wait. He goes into the building, the door slowly closing behind him.

Magnificent staggers back, eyes wide. Something's... something's not right here. He backs away more then- he tries to rush back down the street. He said something about escaping- before he started acting even more strange- maybe he should look for a way out!

As he runs, he notices something strange. There were pedestrians on the street, but not anymore. And his footsteps are not there. Even as his feet pound against the pavement, there is no sound.

Magnificent feels panic start to grip at his chest. He tries to run faster.

He keeps running and running until— Something stops him. Not a wall, not a magical forcefield. It gives a little before snapping back. As he stumbles away, he notices a cut on his face. And then he notices the near-invisible string hanging across the narrow street, side to side like some sort of spider web.

Some of his blood stains a strand red.

Magnificent shouts out as he hits the string and when he sees the blood on his hand he staggers back. “What… what is this?!” He yells out in anger and tries to burn the string with green fire.

The string burns easily. But it was never really meant to stop him. Only keep him busy for long enough. He is standing under a lamp post. The light goes out.

Magnificent yells and then whips around, holding a flame out and trying to sound threatening, "W-Who's there?!"

He’s looking in the wrong place. By the time he thinks to look up, it’s too late. Something brushes against his arm. When he finally does look up he can’t even see much, as it’s hiding behind the shattered lamp. There are spiral eyes that stare at him, and jointed wooden hands that reach for him, and then—

Freeze.

In the last two worlds, he found himself under someone else’s control. When JJ managed to put his strings on him, and when the King commanded him. And though that control was strong, maybe he would have struggled out of both of those trances if given enough time.

This is different. It is a crushing weight where the others were merely heavy. There is no way out of this.

Magnificent stiffens and he gasps as his body and mind are completely stolen by the entity pursuing him. He can't fight. He can't even scream.

His own voice speaks. “You weren’t supposed to see me. But you were getting off track. Did you not understand the request? That man was not wearing a red hood, why did you speak to him?” A pause. The thing on the street lamp shifts, joints twisting. “It is not on this island. This town has a ferry to the next. Check there. Do you understand?” Though he cannot use his voice, he somehow knows it will hear him if he tries to answer.

Magnificent wants to fight but he shudders as he hears his voice speak without his say-so. He can't- how could he have been so stupid?

He tries to tell the thing, "Y-Yes."

"Good," his voice says.

And much like when he was in the forest, he feels something loosen. Less like a tight grip, more like unzipping a tight jacket. He can move and talk and do whatever he wishes once again. But he can feel that sensation of control waiting. Resting against his skin.

Magnificent gasps again as the control is lifted, but he feels uneasy and cold. Like the puppeteer has only put down the control bar for a second. And he hates it. How was he supposed to know the thing he's hunting wasn't here? He growls and bares his teeth then stumbles forward to find the ferry. It's pretty clear what he's supposed to do now...

As he makes his way there, the strange man's words drift through his mind. What was it? "If you go far enough maybe you can escape"? Something like that...

Go far enough.... he needs to find his cub. They need to get out of this universe as soon as possible..

-----------

It's definitely night by the time Chase and his new companion make their way into the city, but the presence of street lights does a lot to make it bright in a way that Chase probably wouldn't have appreciated without the last universe. Right now the two of them are in a suburb area, but it can't be that far from somewhere more urban. Cars pass by on the road every minute or two. Jack looks uneasy, but he's not going to leave Chase behind.

Chase isn't looking much better- especially cuz they're walking. He feels like he's about to burst out of his skin, but he's trying to stay calm. Even though his instincts are trying to go crazy. Something is really really wrong here... and he's so worried about Alt. And even Mag-

"Do you know where your brother would go if he was on his own?" Jack asks quietly. "If not... public libraries always have free charging ports for phones. Sometimes they have cables, too. Or you could buy one if you have money. I don't."

"He'd... he'd be trying to find me," Bro admits, shrugging. "That's what he's done in every world before this..." He pats his utility belt and checks to see. "Um- I have money. Not a lot- and... man i should keep a cord in here-"

Jack laughs a little. "Sorry, that's not really that funny. I just--yeah, probably, you should carry one. Cords are pretty cheap, though. If we can find a petrol station or a convenience store they're probably selling them there." They walk for a little while more... and then a few drops of rain begin to fall from the sky.

Chase looks up at the sky and scowls, "Offff course- just our luck!"

Jack looks up as well and goes a bit pale. "Shiiiit. Okay, uh--maybe it'll stop soon, where can we--it's all fucking suburbs, of course it is. I need to get a tent somehow, for fuck's sake."

One of the houses nearby has a For Sale sign up. Jack looks at it and hesitates. Noticeably.

Chase blinks in confusion. "Hey like- rain sucks but... it's just rain. We gotta keep looking... If Alt has been alone then- one of those things might have him! I can't stop cuz of some rain..."

"Chase, I know, but--well, if you're from another universe and don't have that much money, I'm going to assume you don't have a place to stay?" Jack says tentatively. "So you don't have anywhere to... change clothes if they get wet and cold? Trust me when I say that wearing wet cold clothes is an easy way to get sick."

Chase hesitates and then looks at the rain, pulling his jacket closer around him. He hears his friends' voices in his head, reminding him to take care of himself. He can't help Alt if he's sick.

After another moment of hesitation, Jack hurries over to the house with the For Sale sign and starts trying the door.

Bro groans and then hurries after Jack, looking around for any sign of danger. Just in case...

Chase doesn't see anything of note. It's all pretty normal. But there is a car coming so they better hurry. Jack takes something out of his parka pocket--a swiss army knife. He unfolds a couple of the attachments and fumbles with the lock on the door until it clicks. "It's always easier than you think," he whispers, and pushes the door open.

"You know... probably not something I should know-I'm kinda a hero back home..." Chase mutters but- he can't let himself be alone right now. He follows closely after Jack.

"Oh that explains some things," Jack says as he steps into the living room. "I mean--you kinda have that personality, but also... Sangria likes fucking with people who are, uh 'good' the most. You know, like... moral. A 'hero' would be a perfect target."

"...bastard-" Chase mumbles as they head inside.

The house is unfurnished, lines in the carpet like it's been vacuumed or cleaned recently. There's the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the bathroom, and stairs leading up. The kitchen actually has a fridge in addition to the installed counters and cabinets. Maybe it's also built into the room.

Chase looks around and double checks some of the rooms. After he does he finds a wall and then settles against it, sighing and resting his arms on his knees.

Jack looks at him. He sits down across the room so they are facing each other. "This is a dumb question, but... you okay?"

Chase grips at his arms and grits his teeth, "... I'm losing my mind- I... I feel so s-stupid sitting here! But i... I hate that I'm actually scared... to go out there alone. And also cuz you're right- I can't let myself get sick looking for Alt I just... I always had an inkling of where he'd be in the last couple worlds. Or like- we'd find each other kinda quickly. But now I... I don't know- and ... it feels dangerous... there were stakes before but like... nothing felt like this." He laughs quietly and pulls at his hair, "My instincts are going crazy- My like.... h-hero senses- they don't usually steer me wrong... and that means something r-really really bad could be happening to him...!"

"...oh." Jack goes quiet, thoughtfully. "I'm... sorry. I... it looks like it's just a drizzle out there, maybe it won't last that long." He pauses. "It... sucks, yeah. I know. I don't... really know what to say, hah."

There's nothing he can say, really. Chase knows he's wasting time here. But even if he wasn't, could he really protect Alt against anything like this? He wasn't even able to protect him when Magnificent dragged him off in the first place. If he could do that, they wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. He's not really a good brother.

It's hard to breathe.

Chase feels tears coming into his eyes and he slaps a hand over his mouth as it suddenly feels hard to breathe- what- what was happening? Where were all these thoughts coming from?

"Oh shit. I-I wasn't that bad at comforting you, was I?" Jack sits up straight. Then, as he looks at Chase, his brows furrow. "Did something happen? Chase, do you feel alright?"

The thoughts are coming from his own head, of course. They're just louder now. But does it matter where they're coming from at all? Does it matter when they're true?

Chase is shaking, trying not to panic but his chest is so tight. "S-Something's... s-s-something's wrong...!" He gasps quietly. Yes he gets thoughts like this- all the time actually. But... not so loud. Not so harsh- not lately. He had been doing better...!

Jack scrambles to his feet and starts to hurry over, but stops halfway across the room. "Chase, behind you!"

Behind him? Behind him is just a wall.

Right?

Chase believes Jack more than his thoughts right now- He turns around.

A pair of hands grab his head, preventing it from turning entirely. One covers his mouth, while the other grabs his hair right above where--oh, that's not a good spot, is it?

Chase screams and tries to thrash his way out- until he feels the hand next to his scar.

Chase can see something gray out of the corner of his eyes, and his imagination can fill in the details of a face.

He freezes- Why... why does this remind him so much of Distorter?

"Hey!" Jack breaks into a run, lunging at the wall. Suddenly, the hands disappear. Jack slams against the plaster and looks down at Chase, visible eye so wide he can see the whites around the iris. "Okay. New plan. We get the fuck out of this house and risk hypothermia."

As the hands disappear Chase gasps for breath and pulls himself back up. He grabs Jack's arm and runs for the door. "A-Agreed!"

The door is locked.

Chase fumbles with the handle, "FUCK!" He then lets go of Jack and tries to ram himself against the door.

"It’s locked?! Shit!" Jack looks at the nearby windows and go for that while Chase tries the door. The latter rattles in its hinges, but even the strength of Bro Fantastic can't break it down--even though it should.

The windows are locked too. Jack tries using the handle of his swiss army knife as a pike of some sort to break the glass but it doesn't work. "Is there anything in here we could use?!"

"Bro I literally have super strength! S-Something is wrong here- I....!" Chase is trying so hard not to panic, now trying to kick at the door in desperation.

"You do?! Wait, when you said hero you meant like--"

"Yeah dude I'm a super hero!"

Jack shakes his head. "Okay, this isn't the time. There's always a way out. There's always a way out!" He grabs Chase and pulls him away from his (fruitless) efforts. "Maybe somewhere else in the house!"

Bro runs after Jack. He'd fly to find an exit but flying inside is generally not a good idea! He learned that back at the Stitched guys' apartment! He nods though and runs ahead, trying to look for an exit.

There are various windows throughout the house, but they're all locked and made of strangely sturdy glass. The upper floor of the house--with three empty rooms and a closet--is the same.

"There's always a way out, there's always a way out, there's always a way out," Jack keeps repeating, sounding more frantic with each repetition. "There's always a way out, there's always--is that blood?!"

There's a trapdoor in the ceiling of the upstairs hallway. A red liquid is dripping from around its seams. It's not blood. The smell is wrong... sharp. Intoxicating.

Chase skids to a stop in front of the trapdoor, holding a hand out to stop Jack. His eyes widen as he smells it. "... is that... w-whiskey?"

Jack stops to smell it as well. "Oh fuck, yeah, something like it." He covers his nose. "That's a really strong smell. The question is, do we go up there or avoid it as much as fucking possible? Going up there, bad for obvious reasons, but sometimes when you ignore this stuff it just gets worse to get your attention."

Bro pulls his jacket over his nose. God this... smells too familiar. Like one of his really bad nights. It makes him feel sick. "I-It's an attic though- there wouldn't be a way out there, right?"

"You never know..." Jack mutters.

"...if you think it'll get worse if we ignore it then... f-fuck it I guess." He really doesn't want to but- he braces himself then tries to open the trapdoor.

A splash of liquid pours out from the trapdoor as he opens it, followed soon by a fold-down ladder. The attic is dark. It sounds like... like someone is crying up there.

"... I really don't like that-" Chase whispers.

Jack nods slowly, thoughtfully. "I think... I have an idea," he says slowly. "It disappeared when I went for it. It could've just stayed there but it disappeared. Maybe... confrontation is good in this case." He grabs a rung of the ladder. "I know you're a hero so you're probably going to come up with me, but... I want you to know you don't have to."

Chase looks conflicted but he shakes his head. "I can't let you face whatever this is alone... that'd make me a really shitty hero." He tries to laugh, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "... I'll be right behind you."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that." Jack smiles gratefully. "...thank you." And he climbs on up, Chase right behind him.

The attic is pitch black and dusty. Parts of the floor are exposed insulation. On the ground are crinkly pieces of old papers. Jack picks one up and looks at it in the faint light coming from the open trapdoor. It's some sort of crude drawing. Done by a child? The crying is louder farther in.

Chase picks up one too and looks at it, "...why... why are these here...?" He whispers. He then swallows and shakily starts to go towards the crying.

"Who knows?" Jack mutters, and follows Chase into the darkness.

The sound gets louder as they get closer. Louder. Louder. Someone is sobbing their eyes out. Until, abruptly, they aren't.

Suddenly, Chase feels a presence behind him right before it grabs him--one hand on his shoulder, another on that same spot on his head. All at once memories come slamming into him, one after another, a highlight reel of the worst moments of his life, of his biggest mistakes and failures.

Chase freezes as he's grabbed in that same spot again and gasps as the memories flood. Tears fall rapidly down his face as he tries to shake all the memories off. Alt getting kidnapped- all the mistakes he made as a hero, driving Alt away to become Impulse- all the the people he endangered by being a hero..!

Isn't it terrible, Chase? Isn't it all so awful? Wouldn't it be easier if nobody had to deal with you?

It's almost too much-

No! No, it wouldn't!

But, then he feels that surge- that want to be better. To do better. His promise to never leave his brother alone again. His friends he'd always keep fighting for.

Chase pushes beyond the sudden memories and claws his way back to the current moment, to the fact that there is something solid behind him, with hands and a face, a strange combined smell of alcohol and old, dusty places coming from right behind him.

Isn't he a hero?!

He is!

He's a hero, god damn it! And he will not be pushed around!

He feels the solid force behind him and yells in determination, swiftly turning on his heel to try to deliver a punch right into the entity's face.

As he spins, he catches a glance of a gray face, streaked with dark tears--and then it's immediately blocked by his fist. Contact is made for a split second before the thing disappears into thin air, leaving him a bit off balance.

"Holy shit!" Jack gasps, and then laughs. "That was the most badass thing I've seen in a while! Amazing, Chase!"

Chase stumbles back, still holding out his fists like he'll need to keep punching. He then laughs and wipes at his face, "T-Thanks-! That was... that fucking sucked-!" He laughs a little more unhinged, his emotions pretty much everywhere.

"Yeah... looked like it." Jack's eye flashes with sympathy. "But at least you pulled it off."

The house shakes slightly. Not... a lot. But... worryingly so. Chase can hear whispers on the edge of his hearing, somewhere in between reality and his mind.

"For fuck's sake!" Even though it won't do anything, Jack pulls out the swiss army knife and flips open the blade. "Listen you little shit. I did not last nine months in a technological hellscape for you to kill me in a house! This guy's not even from here! So fucking let us go!" And the shaking and whispers stop. Jack blinks. "If I knew I could threaten it I would've tried that earlier..."

"... how the fuck did that work??" Chase whispers as he presses up close to Jack. Then, he shakes his head and grabs his hand to look around more- there had to be an exit still right. "F-Fuck it- let's go before it decides to try again!"

Wait--how did they not notice it before? There's a small round window in the far wall! Inspecting it reveals a latch; the whole thing swings outward into the rain.

Chase brightens up as he sees the window and pushes it open. He then quickly apologizes, "Sorry if this is weird!" And then picks up Jack in his arms before flying out into the rain.

"Whoa!" Jack is surprised--because of course he is, people don't fly here! He clings to Chase for security as they jump out. "O-okay then! Be careful!"

Outside it is indeed a drizzle, making the night darker. But the street lamps and light from windows is just enough for Chase to see.

Chase is quick to get them back down to the ground and then he sets Jack down gently. He grins at him and laughs, "Told ya I was a super hero~!"

"You did! Can't say I wasn't warned." Jack laughs. He takes a few steps, making sure that he's on solid ground, and holds tight to the strap of his duffel bag. "You know I used to be afraid of heights... but not anymore."

There's so much more to be scared of.

"A-anyway. We gotta get somewhere out of the rain. Ideally, somewhere public. There has to be some sort of petrol station nearby or something."

"Yeah right- we can try there... If you don't mind- I can get us there a little faster. But, I know its not the best feeling either," Chase laughs, rubbing the back of his head.

“No, no, i-it’s fine, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.” Jack grins, a bit nervous. Just be careful not to be seen, okay?”

"Yeah of course! I'll be quick- plus it's dark so we're less likely to be seen!" Chase scoops Jack back up and then shoots back into the air, quickly looking for a safer shelter from the rain.

It’s not long until they find a small area with a couple shops, some restaurants, and a gas station, all lit up with colored signs and white lights through the windows.

Chase tries to find a shadowed area and then lands him and Jack there, making sure the other man is set down gently again. He shakes the rain off and he sighs, "Okay- we got some options now! Still wanna do Petrol or- i think think there's food around here... we could get something warm to wait out the rest of the rain..."

"...food would be nice," Jack says hopefully. "But we should get you a charging cord first. So you can... do that while we eat."

"oh yeah! let's hop in and grab one!" Chase laughs and then heads towards the Petrol station.

Jack grins, a bit nervously, and follows Chase to the station. It's open, of course, and it does sell charging cords--as well as the plugs and portable batteries--for pretty cheap. They're probably not high quality but it doesn't need to be. Jack hovers near the doors while Chase takes care of buying those. He glances at the security camera hanging in the corner. These looks become more frequent the longer they're there but he doesn't say anything.

Chase remembers that Jack is trying to stay away from tech so he tries to be very fast- quickly grabbing the first cord he can find for his phone and paying for it right away. As soon as he has he hurries back to Jack and holds it up. "Got it! C'mon lets go get food!" He briefly glances at the security camera, just to check before leading Jack out.

"Great. Thanks." Jack smiles as the two of them leave.

There's nothing weird about the camera when Chase glances at it. But a bit after they leave, it swivels a bit, as if tracking them as they walk past the windows outside.

As for food, there a couple places. Nothing too nice, mostly various fast food places--but they are open and that's what matters. Chase can hear Jack's stomach grumble.

Chase chooses the closest one nearby that has coffee. He needs a pick me up, badly. He points to the one he picks with his thumb. "This one good with you?"

Jack nods. "Yeah. I hope they still sell coffee this late. It's been a while since I've had some good dirty bean water." The two of them head over.

Chase laughs, "That's what I was hoping to get too!" He eagerly takes them inside, the thought of coffee urging him forward.

The inside of the restaurant is warm and, importantly, dry. It smells like food and coffee. There are exactly two employees behind the counter, an older woman and a teenager who looks kind of sleepy. The place is empty except for those two--and Chase and Jack now.

"You go ahead and order," Jack says. "Get me a black coffee and whatever, anything will be good. I'll claim a spot."

"You got it~" Chase replies, going up to the counter. He smiles at the employees, "Hello! Can I get two orders of black coffee and um- two plates of fries? chips? I always forget what I'm supposed to call them!" He laughs.

It's chips here, but the teenage cashier understands what he means as she takes the order. "Just one minute," she says. "Here's your table number. We'll call it." She hands him a plastic card with the number two on it and then goes into the kitchen.

"Thanks!" Chase replies and takes the card and hurries back over to Jack.

Jack chose a table by the front windows, taking his duffel bag off and putting it on the chair next to him, leaving the ones on the other side of the table for Chase.

Bro looks around for an outlet and once he finds one he plugs in the charger and starts to recharge his phone. After that he sits down across from Jack and nervously taps his foot, watching his phone screen.

"Got us some chips-" He tells Jack idly.

"Great." Jack's expression brightens. "Food is good. Food is always good." He leans back in the chair. "Especially after a... fucking crisis, jeez. I did not expect to go right into that. I guess it's for sale because of the horrors." He laughs, a bit hysterically.

Chase laughs too, it feels better to laugh then to dwell on... whatever the hell that was. "Pft yeah. Probably... that thing was... so freaky." He shudders.

"It... kind of seemed to latch onto you," Jack says slowly. "Then again, they tend to avoid me after... what happened. So I guess you were the only available target."

"Yeah..." Chase mutters. "It... it's weird I... I almost felt like... like I... related to it... almost. That whiskey? .... I used to drink something that smelled just like that on my bad nights." He grips at his phone a bit harder.

Then, he blinks up at Jack. "Oh right... you said in the house- and... when we met. What... I mean you don't have to tell me if it's too much since we did just meet but... what happened to you...? What's the thing that targeted you?"

“I… I-I never learned what it’s called,” Jack says quietly. “I used to go online a lot, for my job. One day… I thought it was one of those weird creepypasta videos, you know, ‘ooo this thing happened totally for real,’ but… then things started happening. I started blacking out. Having bad dreams. Weird static on all my devices a-and messages and… I realized it was real. So I tried leaving home to see if that would work but… it just followed me. Hunted me down. And took me to this weird… pocket dimension, I guess.” He pauses.

The only word for his expression is haunted.

“I don’t want… to talk about what happened while in there. But there’s always a way out. I found it. And I’ve been.., like this since.” He pauses. “I wonder… if there’s some silent rule between them not to mess with me. Sometimes it seems like it.”

Chase listens with mounting horror. “Dude I… that’s- that’s awful… and you- you were trapped in that place for 9 months?” He shakes his head, “I… I get it. You don’t have to say anything more just… I’m so sorry, Jack..,”

Jack takes a shaky breath. "Thanks." He wipes at his eye. "It... means a lot to hear it. I-I do think I got one of the worse ones."

“Sounds like it…” Bro mutters. He shakes his head some more before going to check on his phone. Surely it had some battery by now, right?

Just as he checks, the phone buzzes as it turns on. As he examines it, he sees... a couple missed calls from Alt. They went to voice mail while it was off.

Chase stiffens and hurries to click on the oldest one, sitting up straighter in his seat.

Everything sounds muffled. Footsteps, a squeaking sound like old hinges, a clatter of metal. Heavy breathing, sobs catching. Then a loud commotion. Alt yells--then screams. “NO! NO LET ME GO! STOP IT!” he cries.

Chase jerks away from the sound of screaming, his face losing all its color. “No- no no no!”

There's another voice there but Chase can't make out what it is over Alt's panicked breathing and the rustling of cloth. “HELP!! SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE!!”

And then, suddenly, it cuts off.

Chase hurries to listen to the next one- please please please be better- be okay please be okay…!

It is not better. It is worse. The message starts with screaming. Wordless, pained screaming. "HELP!" It's unmistakably Alt. "HELP! SOMEONE--CHASE! CHASE!" He shouts for his brother before devolving into sobs. Metal scrapes against something. A stranger laughs.

And then it stops.

Jack leans forward. He can hear the screams on the phone from here.

Terrified panicked tears are in Chase’s eyes as he listens. He holds a shaky hand over his mouth, looking like he’s gonna be sick. He looks at Jack with wide eyes. “S-something- something got- A-Alt…!”

He’s afraid to see if there’s any more messages- but he shakily does. What else can he do?

There is one last message. This one starts with sobbing, heart-wrenching cries. "No! NO PLEASE!" Alt shouts.

A different voice says something--"Nicht bewegen"--and Alt starts screaming again. His voice sounds hoarse and raw. The message stops mid-shriek.

Hilariously enough, this is when the fast food employees say their food is ready. Well, not hilarious. Just absurd. And terrible.

Chase lets the phone fall limply from his hand, tears falling down his face as he stares numbly ahead, unable to take anything in. “G-German-“ He breathes, hardly able to get his voice to work, “There was… German- I know what that sounds like but- w-who?!”

Jack goes pale. "Fuck." He grabs his duffel bag, slinging it around his shoulder again. "Okay, so, these things are worldwide, including Germany, i-in fact there are a lot there. But, from what I'm hearing, I-I think I know which one that was. Do you think you can afford the fare to get there? I-I mean, it'll be a couple train rides and a ferry, but--We could probably sneak on if we had to--"

Chase is still kinda staring out, having difficulty processing all of this. But, slowly he nods and pushes himself up. “y-yeah yeah I… I can. I have enough- h-hero money, you know?” He tries to laugh, but it sounds hollow.

"Okay. Good. I thiiiink I remember where the train station is. They're bound to run a night train at some point. We need to get to the coast for the ferry."

Chase unplugs the charger and stuffs it in his pocket then his phone.

Jack stands up. He runs over and gets their food, bringing it back and practically thrusting the fries and coffee at Chase. "We need energy but we can eat on the way if we have to."

Chase numbly takes the food and nods. “okay… okay…” He breathes, trying not to break down. “we- we gotta go-“

"Don't panic," Jack stresses. "Panic is just going to make the journey worse. I'm not going to tell you not to worry, but don't panic." He takes his own portion of the food. "Now let's go save your brother."

Chase nods and that fire of determination comes back into his eyes. He takes another shaky breath and grips his phone tight in his pocket. “Yeah. Let’s go”

-----------

There's a brief respite when Alt is able to fall into a shallow, fitful sleep. It's not long. Not long at all. But it is a sort of escape.

He's awoken by a pain in his neck. Another injection. Notarzt is not taking any chances that he'll glitch away. Whatever this formula is, it keeps him tired and weak.

Alt whimpers as that now too familiar pain wakes him up. He blearily tries to move again but his limbs are too heavy. Everything is a dizzying blur, mixed with flare ups of pain.

"Hallo," Notarzt says. "Lass uns weitermachen."

At some point, he lost his jacket. No, he didn't lose it. He can see it on a heap on the floor by that rusted sink, right by his ruined shirt. His phone is sticking out of its pocket but it's too far to reach, with his hands or his magic. Not that he can even try, with the injection and the restraints. It's like it's mocking him with how close it is.

Alt’s eyes wander to his ruined shirt and his jacket. His eyes land on his phone and he slurs out quietly, making a grabbing motion with his trapped hand even if he can’t reach. “…Chase…chase…”

Notarzt notices the movement and tilts its head, looking thoughtful. It disappears out of sight for a moment and then returns with some sort of… metal clamps? It slides one onto Alt’s arm just above the wrist restraint and tightens it until Alt can feel its sharp edges digging into his skin. There’s no blood but there could be at any moment. But that’s not all. There are three other clamps, and Notarzt attaches them at regular intervals along Alt’s arm, ending with two on the forearm and two on the upper arm.

Alt stiffens as the clamp is put on and he shifts his eyes to try to look at what’s happening. “Wha… wha’re doin’?” He slurs, panic coming back into his hoarse voice.

Instead of answering, Notarzt takes out a length of metal filament, thin as string. It ties one end to a loop on the clamp near Alt’s wrist, then feeds it through similar loops on the others, connecting them all. It ties the other end to a small metal tool with a hook on the end—and stabs the hook into Alt’s chest just below the collarbone.

Alt screams and thrashes in his binds, “F-Fuck!”

Notarzt laughs and pulls out another syringe—where the fuck does it keep getting those?! They just pop out of nowhere! But this one is slightly different. The liquid inside is green instead of clear or red like it usually is. It injects Alt in the other arm.

Alt grits his teeth against the syringe and pants, trying to glare at Notarzt. But he’s so tired…

It takes a minute for this to take effect. And when it does—it’s strange. Alt feels his magic stir, like it does when he’s getting ready to blast someone with electricity. But he can’t control it. He can’t even glitch properly.

Alt jerks when he feels the power rise and an instinctual noise of pained surprise escapes his lips. What was happening?? How is it accessing his magic??

The power just keeps rising and rising until it suddenly concentrates on the spot where the hook is.

An electric shock centered on that. The metal filament shivers, transmitting the electricity—it’s all along his arm now, muscles spasming in response.

Alt can’t help but scream again, trying to pull away from the arm that’s spasming.

It’s not over yet. Notarzt picks up a long thin blade and slices down the seam of Alt’s jeans on the other side as the clamped arm. Then it grabs—oh no, it’s more clamps. It puts them along his leg in the same manner, including linking them with the string with the hook on the end. Then it stabs this hook into Alt’s stomach just above the hem of his jeans. The effect is instant this time—the power rushes to that hook as well and soon his leg is being shocked too.

Tear are streaming down his face as Alt tries to jerk away from the part of his body that feels on fire. His voice is already cracking from the screams. His other hand digs more rivets into the table as it tries to claw into it. His eyes flash bright green, crackling energy around him. But, it's all being used against him. "S-Stop..!" He tries to wail but his voice jolts and spasms alongside his muscles and he just lays back and sobs and screams- hoping this will end soon.

Notarzt leans over the table, not reacting much to Alt’s screams. It simply stands there, drinking it in.

Three minutes. It lasts three minutes, and then, slowly, his power starts to fizzle out. The pain fades, leaving behind a shadow of itself, and his muscles finally relax.

Alt fully slumps to the table, head lolling as far as it can in the restraints. He gasps and pants, breath coming out ragged and pained. His eyelids flutter and his eyes roll around in dazed pain. He whimpers and tries to find Notarzt. "...wh...wha'did you d-do...?" he croaks.

“Es ist zu kompliziert, es dir zu erklären.” Notarzt shrugs, a human motion that looks out of place when made by it. “Oder vielleicht will ich es einfach nicht.”

Alt's head is swimming- trying to see if he recognizes any of the doctor's words. He doesn't... he wishes Henny was here. But, then, Notarzt would be hurting him too. He chokes on a quiet sob, missing his friends more than ever. Missing glitches- the kids... Oliver... what if he dies here? What if he never sees them again?

It turns away, walking—not to the trays of tools, but to the sink. Even though it should have been too rusted to use, water comes out anyway. Notarzt returns with a… surprisingly normal-looking glass of water. “Normalerweise würde ich das nicht tun...” it says, and reaches out to undo the restraint on Alt’s neck.

Alt quiets as he hears the sink running. He looks confused up at Notarzt and wary, looking between him and the glass as the restraint is removed. Against his better judgment, he feels himself relaxing without that pressure on his scar.

"Trink das." Notarzt lowers the glass to his face, propping one hand behind Alt's head to push him up.

Alt is so thirsty he doesn't even question it, he eagerly drinks the water, closing his eyes to try to focus on not choking.

If Alt wonders that there might be a trick, there isn't. It's just water.

Notarzt makes sure he finishes it before going back to the sink and putting the glass back. "„Nichts Dauerhaftes“ schränkt meine Möglichkeiten wirklich ein..." it mutters, running a single gloved hand along the tools.

Alt falls back to the table, hungrily drinking in air after he's done. He weakly look around the room, his eyes landing on his phone again. Notarzt used his magic against him... but maybe he has some back...? He weakly tries to open his hand, seeing if he can summon his phone to him at all.

At first, nothing happens. But then--then there's a tiny glitch on the screen. The phone shifts slightly, moving out of the pocket.

Notarzt doesn't notice, it's too busy messing with the tools.

Alt's eyes widen and he smiles a bit. Then, he tries to move it more, gritting his teeth and putting as much energy as he can into it. If.. if he can call Chase... he might be able to glitch out of here...! ...if he can find a way to glitch that is...

The phone moves a bit more, falling out of the pocket and onto the clump of fabric that used to be his shirt. Slowly, inch by inch, it moves across the floor, dragging the shirt with it, thankfully muffling the movement. Until suddenly it skids across the floor and gently hits the side of the table.

Alt is straining- sweating as he tries to make the phone respond to him. He freezes as the phone clangs against the table. He holds his breath.

Notarzt stiffens and glances back, but turns back around when it’s satisfied Alt isn’t escaping.

When Notarzt turns back around, he opens up his hand more and tries to get the phone to fly into it. He might not have the strength though…

…

……

Yes! It barely makes it, but he’s got it by his fingertips.

Alt’s heart soars as he scrambles to get a better grip on the phone. Please don’t drop it- please…. He tries to maneuver it so he can unlock it- if he can… he’s memorized the motions needed to call Chase. The only question was… would he be able to glitch away? He hasn’t been able to glitch at all with all the chemicals Notarzt has been pumping into him.

Slowly, painfully slowly, he calls the right number. The other end picks up immediately—and for just a couple seconds he can hear Chase’s panicked voice.

Alt laughs breathlessly as he hears Chase’s voice, “C-Chase!” He desperately tries to glitch-

SKREEEEEKEEKEEKEEKEEKEE— An awful static noise comes from the speaker.

For a split second, Alt thinks he can hear a voice in it.

Notarzt whirls around immediately. “Nein!” it shrieks.

Alt shouts out in surprise and panic and his grip on the phone loosens as he cringes away from the sound.

Notarzt rushes forward. In an instant it snatches Alt’s phone away, stabs a blade through the meaty part of Alt’s hand between the thumb and forefinger, and throws the phone out through the ajar double doors.

Alt screams as his hand is stabbed and then shouts as the phone is thrown away.

“Was haben Sie getan?!” It shouts at Alt. “Was haben Sie getan?!?!” It sounds angry—but, is that… panic beneath the anger?

Alt glares angrily at Notarzt but seeing the doctor’s expression, he loses his bravado. He shrinks back, eyes wide. “I-I… I don’t know…!”

Notarzt screams wordlessly. It grabs the blade in Alt’s hand and pushes it further, driving it into the table beneath.

Alt’s back arches painfully as the blade is pushed further into his hand. He sobs out, “m’sorry! M’sorry!!”

Then it spins around and leaves the room, doors swinging closed behind it.

Alt can’t even bring himself to look at the doctor rushing away, just shutting his eyes and breaking down. He was so close.., so close!! What… what stopped him?

And.. why did it seem to scare Notarzt?

…Why does he feel like he’s being watched?