Jay unfolded the care worn photograph for the hundredth time that day, rereading the words he knew by heart just to make sure they hadn't changed when he wasn't looking. 'I have him' and '79 South Creek Road'. The message was the same as before, and just as clear to Jay as it had been when he and Tim had found it in the attic. Alex was here, in the dilapidated house before him, but whether he was here against his will or not was something Jay was unsure of. Taking a deep breath, Jay folded the care-worn photo of Amy back up, the paper nearly folding itself. It was obvious that it had been unfolded and refolded many times, kept in wallets and pockets. The photo had meant something to Alex. Jay stuffed it into his jacket pocket, alongside his car keys. Grabbing the camera from the passengers seat, Jay opened his car door, sliding out into the nippy air of mid-October. The amounting dead leaves between Jay and the door to the house meant that his approach would not be a silent one. It was likely that anyone inside the house would already know that Jay was there. There was not much to mistake the sound of an approaching car for this far into the woods. And with no neighbors in sight, it was unlikely the sound of a car door being shut would be misconstrued.
Jay almost found himself waiting for Tim to take the lead, like he usually did. But Tim wasn't there, not this time. Jay had no idea where Tim was, really. He had not seen nor spoken to him for nearly a month, although not for lack of trying on Tim's part. But Jay was not in the mood to talk to him, not after the confrontation over the tape. That tape was the reason he was here in the first place. The crooked numbers on the houses peeling siding identified it as the correct address, per the notes instruction. The abandoned air of the home certainly fit with the theme of things, Jay thought, taking a cautionary step forward. Several light leaps later, he found himself on the concrete walkway to the house, overgrown with dying weeds. There were three squat concrete steps leading to the narrow porch. The door was ajar slightly. With the tips of his fingers, Jay pushed the door open slightly, the rusty hinging leaving no doubt that his presence in the home was known. The front door opened up to an almost empty living room, the wooden floors warped with neglect and dirt. There was a threadbare couch, pushed carelessly to one corner of the room, a thick coat of dust visible from Jay's position in the doorway. Nobody had lived here for quite some time, that much was apparent.
Inside the house, the light of the setting six o'clock sun made the house dim and gloomy, and Jay found himself missing his flashlight. Advancing a few steps further into the home, the floorboards creaking treacherously beneath his feet, Jay was able to make out three doorways branching off from the living room. One appeared to be a kitchen, the other a hallway, and the third a basement. Deciding to leave the basement alone for the time being, Jay advanced to the kitchen, peeking in through the doorway. It was empty of living beings, its counters covered in assorted clutter that one would expect to accumulate in an abandoned house. A simple, cheap looking wooden table was pushed against the walls, along with three chairs. Retreating back from the kitchen, Jay set off down the hall, hardly daring to breathe. The camera was poised in his right hand, recording everything quietly. The bathroom was the first room Jay encountered on his left, although upon first glance, Jay could see that it was empty. Continuing on, Jay crept up to the cluster of what appeared to be bedrooms at the end of the hallway. Carefully, Jay pushed open the door that, he assumed, would lead to the master bedroom.
Alex sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, his left hand handcuffed to an old fashioned radiator. He did not look up at Jay when he entered, instead staring ahead at the opposite wall. The room was bare, aside from a single water bottle on the window sill, half full, and Alex. "I knew I would find you here." Jay spat contemptuously, his words cutting through the silent room. Alex's eyes flicked over Jay's face, dull and confused. Jay was tempted to pull out the picture of Amy, taunt him with it. But something stopped him from doing it. Perhaps it was the gaunt look in the other mans face. Alex was more unkempt than Jay had ever seen him before. The stubble on his cheeks was bordering an actual, scruffy beard. His eyes were sunken and his cheekbones pronounced. The cotton t-shirt he was wearing hung loosely in places it hadn't before, the fabric itself stained with mud and what appeared to be blood. Bruises in various stages of healing were smattered across Alex's visible skin, yellowing and sickly looking. His left wrist was raw and swollen from the handcuffs. "Who brought you here?" Jay asked, his tone a bit softer than before. Alex did not seem to hear him. Advancing a step closer, Jay tried the question again. Alex's eyes drifted back up lazily to Jay's face, but he remained silent. Searching for words, Jay shifted the camera to his left hand. "The hooded man." Alex said after a few moments of silence. That much Jay had guessed. It looked like Alex was being given food and water, albeit inadequate amounts, whenever the hooded man visited. "Where's Tim?" Alex whispered, jarring Jay out of his own thoughts. His voice was flat and toneless. "I left him." Jay said stiffly, anger flaring up again. "I left him after I watched a tape he was hiding from me. A tape of you killing Jessica." Jay choked out the last words, his emotions betraying him. Had he spoken those words aloud before? He didn't think so. He hadn't had anyone to speak to since he had seen the video. Saying it aloud made it seem so much more final, real. Alex's expression did not change at this. He simply looked up at Jay with those dull eyes, passive and mute once more. "You killed her. And said it was my fault!" Jay shouted, taking several more steps towards Alex until he was looming over the bound man. Alex did not flinch at his sudden approach, instead looking up at Jay with mild interest.
"Why?" Jay shouted, his voice breaking with emotion. Alex shifted slightly, the handcuff on his left arm rattling against the radiator. Where had Hoody found handcuffs? That was something Jay would have been interested in had the circumstances been different. Instead, Jay was concerned with making Alex answer him, answer for his actions. Jay kneeled down, putting himself at Alex's eye level. "You killed her." he stated somberly, searching the other man's eyes for any sort of emotion. "Yes." Alex replied, his tone still flat and not at all what a person confessing to murder should have sounded like in Jay's opinion. "Why?" he asked again, desperation creeping into his voice. The nagging voice in the back of Jay's mind told him it was because he had gotten her involved. It was his own fault. "Why did you kill her?!" Jay shouted again, grabbing the other man's shoulders and digging his nails into the them a little more than necessary. Alex watched Jay with an almost bored expression, the hint of a smile on his face. Still, he said nothing. Before Jay had really realized it, his fingers had crept up to circle around Alex's throat. "Please. Please tell me." Jay begged, his fingers tightening their grip. A look of surprise flitted across Alex's face for the briefest of moments, only to be replaced by a mask of dull indifference. Involuntarily, perhaps, Jay's fingers tightened further still. Alex's eyes searched Jay's face, and he was clearly having trouble breathing now. Pinned against the wall, Alex's free hand pawed meekly at Jay's arms. "Why, Alex?" Jay whispered, tears welling in his eyes. Why any of this? Jay could feel his former best friends pulse beating wildly under his fingertips. Alex was fighting now, as much as he could. It was obvious that weeks of malnutrition had taken their toll on him. Months of it, perhaps. When was the last time he had eaten an actual meal? Jay wouldn't have been able to answer that question for himself.
Alex's eyes never left Jay's as his struggling grew weaker and weaker. There was no question in them, asking Jay why he was doing this. Nor was there any fear. Rather, Jay found a look of acceptance in Alex's blowout pupils, like this was what he had wanted to happen all along. Then, quite suddenly, there was nothing there. Jay no longer felt a pulse under his fingers. Relinquishing his grip, he shifted backwards, away from Alex's body. No longer supported by Jay's hands, Alex's head lolled to the side, resting against the radiator. His eyes were still open. Jay wondered what emotion he should be feeling. What emotion was appropriate to feel after killing your estranged best friend? Shame? Fear? Relief? Jay only felt tired.
He appeared silently in the corner of the room, just visible out of the corner of Jay's eye. Every voice that should have screamed at Jay to run was eerily quiet. Instead, Jay felt more compelled to walk towards the Operator. It seemed important. The faceless figure was looking directly at him now, commanding him to stand. Jay did so, happy to have someone else direct him for a little while. Doing it himself only lead to death, that was clear to him now. Jessica, and now Alex. Perhaps this was a fair trade. The Operator had controlled Alex, and now that Alex was gone, Jay would take his place. Certain that this was it, Jay stepped forward, vaguely aware that he had been moving the whole time. Thoughts were becoming more difficult to form now, and Jay founds himself struggling awkwardly to control his own legs. After several moments Jay stopped trying to move on his own, allowing himself to be moved. That was when Jay noticed that he could not hear anything. Or, perhaps, everything had gone silent. Jay opened his eyes, only to be greeted with more absolute darkness. 79 South Creek Road was far behind now. Jay was not particularly concerned with where he was. Wherever it was seemed safer than what he had just left. For the first time in months, Jay felt calm, moving silently through the dark.