Key:
(F/N) = Friend Name
(Y/N) = Your Name
(Y/S) = Your State
It hurt. You were in full blown anxiety attack: chest hurting, heart pounding hard, sweating uncontrollably, and you were blind with panic. That voice. Who did that belong to? And why could you only hear it? For now you laid in the tent, backpack still on your back. It wasn't easy to calm yourself especially after a peculiar event. Usually it was a horror movie that (F/N) managed to drag you to. Those terrified you and you tried to explain to your friend that you get attacks from those. Theaters were the worst out of all the horror experiences. The loud noise, the big events on the huge screen, and surrounded by a huge crowd of people who trapped you in your seat and you are nowhere near an exit.
Feeling your anxiety heighten, you curled into a ball and tightly closed your eyes. This was probably your anxiety visions again. Although there was no such thing as anxiety visions. You definitely hoped you weren't crazy. It would not be good at all it'd make you feel worse about your life. You took in breaths at a rapid pace; you tried to take in deep breaths. It hurt from your pounding heart and chest pains but you pursued it, trying your best. You were happy you were in a cold area so your body didn't overheat.
The wind softly died to a light breeze and it was relaxing. You probably fell asleep after a while. It was hard to tell when you had your eyes shut the whole time. You woke up to somebody entering the tent. Your eyes snapped open and you heaved yourself upwards, conking your head against Mark's.
"Ow!" Mark covered his forehead with a mittened hand and rubbed at the head-butt. You mimicked him as well, misjudging where the sounds of his footsteps were. You shouldn't have panicked since it was you, (F/N) and Mark on this trip. Everybody was too scared to do something like this.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to do that."
"Nah it's okay." Mark laughed, sitting next to you. He was obviously close, his arm brushing against yours. You shouldn't have been affected by a simple position but there was heat in your cheeks and you glanced to the other side of the tent trying to ignore him. You didn't want to ignore him but this was your friend who wanted to win him over. You at least respected her enough to let her try winning Markiplier over.
(F/N) came in shortly, brushing some soft snow off onto the ground.
"Geez (Y/N), what was that all about? You suddenly take off; screaming about some kind of voice." Did you scream about the voice? It was hard to remember. You definitely hope you weren't crazy.
Markiplier frowned at (F/N) before looking at you.
"This sounds like Kholat all over again."
"Isn't that the horror game you played with the Russian wilderness with demons and such?"
Your heart started pounding hard again when Mark nodded, grabbing the map, compass, and journal on the floor of the tent. It was a relief you didn't destroy it with the snow that had clung onto you with the blizzard and melting in the tent. He paged through the journal first, snapped it shut, and passed it to (F/N) before grabbing the map and cursing. Looking at you two, he muttered, "I don't know how but the events of the video game are somehow bleeding into this reality."
"Maybe the developers did a lucky guess on the events and now we're in some kind of weird dimension comparison?" You were awkward with the sentence, not knowing how to really explain your thoughts. (F/N) chuckled softly.
"As if! That sounds ridiculous! There is no way we could be in that game!"
"Think about it though," Mark started, taking a quick peek outside before withdrawing back inside, "the beginning of the game you go through a village and through a creepy forest right?" You nod. That was true and your friend didn't really want to watch Kholat but you actually watched the series trying to get over your fear of horror games. It didn't exactly work but Mark and his commentary helped a lot. "Well the next thing was you fell down a hole and a voice is talking to you the whole time. Maybe we," Mark gestured to himself and your friend, making you nervously gulp down your fear, "were talking so much that we didn't hear the voice but (Y/N) did. The next thing is we come to a tent and the first event happens."
"What's the first event?" (F/N) watched only the beginning of Kholat but she stopped after Mark dropped into the hole. You muttered, "Some kind of stone formation picking up and dropping along with a comet."
"Which is triggered by picking up a journal page."
Your friend looked at the journal she was presently holding and paged through it.
"So do we leave right away? Or rest until we feel ready to backpack again?"
"Let's try and figure out a route before then. I don't want to run in unprepared." He laid the map out onto the cool ground and Mark bent over, looking at the possible routes. Your friend joined him, chatting with him and laughing. You wish you could have the guts to do so but the anxiety wall kind of blocked the interaction.
Mark turned to you, beaming a soft smile at you.
"You can join in. I don't bite." You felt ease settle over you and you joined into the planning, Mark mapping out general areas of safe tents. He made a route in the order of the coordinates.
"There might be some detours, depending on the severity of the situations at present." Mark resounded, tucking the map into his backpack along with the compass. He and your friend didn't notice that the compass was spinning its needle rapidly. You all got up and Mark blocked the way, turning to you and your friend.
"The most important advice is to stick together. Don't separate because that's how you get yourselves killed in horror video games and horror movies. Alright?"
He seemed serious yet a little playful at that statement. You understood perfectly, hoping to God you don't get spooked enough to run off. That would be a death sentence. You and your friend looked to one another before turning to the Youtuber and nodding. Like the gentleman he was, Mark held open the tent flap for the both of you. (F/N) went out first, putting on her bravest face. You were second out and Mark followed.
Have you ever tried to hold onto your humanity?
There it was again, the voice!
When others convinced you of being no more than a subject, an object, which they can bend to their will.
You quaked in your boots, the voice a little bit louder now that there was no blizzard. Your friend and Mark were spinning their heads trying to identify the voice. Looks like they could hear it too.
When they told you that you are a monster that deserves punishment.
Those words. They seem to strike something deep within you. It was strange to hear that and mean something to you. Were you really a monster?
And you could really not remember your sins.
That didn't strike anything. Mark was contemplating a thought in his head hard enough for it to reflect. He must've realized what happened next because he grabbed your friend and you towards the tent before spinning back to the wilderness and putting his arms up to prevent you and your friend from passing.
When they took away your loved ones leaving you to rot in the dark.
This was getting extremely creepy. Your friend might not get creeped out easily but you were definitely not up for this! You must've made a noise since Mark turned his head and gave you a smile. It wasn't much reassurance especially with the crunching of snow coming towards you.
The problem is that in their darkness you have never been alone.
Orange footprints appeared in the snow, they passed your tent and went down the hill towards the stones covered in snow. Those were the pillars of death and where the first page was sitting, waiting to be picked up. Mark slowly let his arms down and your friend ran over, clinging to his arm.
"What was that?" She whispered, trying to sound scared. If only she was a little bit quieter with her voice. She would've accomplished it. Mark smiled and looked at the footsteps.
"Our first objective."
Mark and your friend walked towards the set of glowing orange footprints. There was something behind you. It was a presence. Slowly, you turned to find an apparition in gold. No physical details yet a solid outline of a hiker backpacking across the Russian wilderness. You stood there frozen for a couple minutes looking at him and him looking back at you. He raised his hand in greeting before disappearing into golden dust, being carried off by the wind.
"(Y/N)! Come on we don't have time to stare at nothing!" You looked to find Mark and (F/N) already half way down the mountain. You looked back wondering if the apparition will come back. No such luck. You turned and ran towards your friend and Mark, wondering if that was a friendly ghost or a possible enemy.
Mark had his flashlight out, letting it roam over the landscape. Your friend stopped as you caught up.
"Hey (Y/N) can you carry this journal? I'm afraid I might lose it if I keep it with me."
"Yeah sure." You took it from her hands, happy to be holding something important. It was a weird feeling but a pleasant one none the less. You continued downwards constantly looking over the landscape for any glowing demons. You reached the pillars to find a deep pit that glowed a bright red. Indeed inside was a page. Before you could go in (since you knew your friend was going to volunteer you to grab the page because of the journal,) Mark actually ran in and grabbed it like a kid.
"This is a summary about a man who overlooked the investigation and found the bodies in weird conditions." He exclaimed, climbing out of the deep pit and giving you the journal page. With deft precision, you tucked the page securely into the journal and closed it. You put the journal away in your jacket for safe keeping.
The earth shook and there were symbols carved onto the pillars that protected the pit. Whispers in a foreign tongue whisked through the air as the four pillars rose high into the air. Your friend was immensely interested, staying rooted to the spot. You knew what happened next and it was going to be an instant death sentence if you didn't get the hell out of there!
"Come on (F/N)! We got to get out of here!" You implored, grabbing her jacket sleeve and pulled with all your might. (F/N) didn't pay any notice, she didn't even budge!
"Please we have to go! We'll die here!"
"No we won't! Stop being a baby and watch, it won't hurt us!" She snapped, not even looking at you. You tried your best at persuading her to leave along with physically pulling her out of the pit. You noticed how high the pillars got and you were frozen with fear. This was it.
You weren't going to make it out of here. You had spent too much time trying to convince (F/N) to get her out than to save yourself. You had to try and get out at least. With heavy lead in your throat, you dashed out of the deep pit. The whispers stopped and huge shadows descended onto you.
This was it.
The end of-
An arm looped around your waist and you went flying forward with another body, feeling the stone pillars descend on the pit and the comet smash into the pit. The force of the pillars sent you tumbling down into the snow before you rolled into a boulder. Skull connecting to boulder rattled your skull again. You were completely disoriented with your surroundings. A yell, a cry sounded through the air, desperate.
"(Y/N)!? (Y/N)!?" You left your head fall to the left where there stood the gold backpacker again and Mark was rushing towards you. It felt surreal. Everything did. He crouched in front of you, wiping something liquidly off your head. Was that a tender touch? You couldn't tell.
You shoo your head and stood, trying to ignore everything that happened especially with your friend. The golden figure dashed off. Mark grabbed your hand, having you chase after the golden figure.
"He's a guide of some sort." You felt yourself shift back into reality, feeling the pain, and feeling fatigued. You were huffing and puffing until Mark stopped, huffing and puffing as well.
"We-need to follow him."
"I know that."
I have chosen you both.
"Not again." You groaned, collapsing in the snow bank. The chill was helping you calm down and Mark looked wildly around again.
You two are remarkable. Just like me.
That got you back on your feet. You definitely want to run back home at this point. Mark started off in a new direction, beckoning to join you as well. You followed him silently, feeling the words the mysterious voice sink into your mind.
But you are losing your minds, my friends.
"Tell me something I don't know." You bitterly mutter, adjusting the bag on your back. Markiplier looked to you with a questioning gaze. You didn't meet his in fear your facial expression will give away that you felt torn up inside from the death of your friend, your fear, anxiety, and a maelstrom of various emotions coming out of this experience.
You're both slipping slowly into the abyss and there is no one to give you a hand.
And at the bottom, I am the only one waiting for you.
That definitely freaked you out. Who was waiting for you? Or more importantly what? Will it be an alien? Demon? Spirit? The worst scenarios danced a jig in your mind.
You hiked at least a few miles of landscape, having to whip out your flashlight when it seriously got dark in the mountains. The light beamed off various rock formations as silence was the temporary guest until, "You okay?"
"Huh?" You flashed the light at Markiplier and he flashed his light up ahead.
"I'm asking if you're okay. I mean your friend died and now we are stuck in some horror game dimension thingy. Actually, better question: how are you holding up?"
"Terribly. I am not built for this."
"Weren't expecting a horror game like scenario?"
"Yup."
Soon after trekking through various caves and a couple of hills, you arrived at a frozen lake. And guess who was waiting for you there?
The golden hiker.
The scenery got more sinister. Across the frozen lake was a bunch of torches leading the way out of this hellhole. You and Mark crossed the lake carefully, trying not to slip and fall. You should've known that was coming and use the ice skating technique. It wasn't triggered until you reach the golden apparition that you thought of it.
"I totally could've ice skated over here."
"Well so could I but hey at least we didn't get stabbed in the butt by the butt stabber."
"But I thought he was a real person."
"Um…it's his cousin that's made of ice that could've butt stabbed us." He chuckled. You couldn't help but chuckle too. It was nice. At least you weren't alone. Mark was here and he made you feel happy.
You know, at the beginning I wanted to make things right.
"Well why didn't you?" Mark asked aloud. There was no answer as the monologue continued.
I believed God itself touched me.
You found a rope bridge leading from the frozen lake to the other side of a cliff. You slid towards the bridge, yet keeping in step with Mark so you two didn't get separated.
That I have received a chance, a compensation for the evil that was brought upon me.
Then I understood that it is not God, or good or restitution.
You both crossed without incident, looking at the makeshift path up the mountain.
Just a tool of revenge.
"Why don't you pep up and ooh! Look at the lovely bone sculpture things!" You let a tiny giggle escape you as you trailed behind the Youtuber. He giggled at his own joke and as you reached the top, the voice said, Are you coming to me?
"I don't know you!" Mark yelled in a joking matter. It got a mix reaction from yu. A gasp of horror and a gaggle of laughter. A weird noise that Mark raised his eyebrow at you.
"What the fuck was that?"
"Sorry," you apologized quickly, "I was scared at the comment the voice made but your reply made me laugh." You thought he'd be angry with you, instead Mark laughed and held out his hand for you.
"Nah don't worry about me so much. I like people. I don't hate them, especially you. You're too cute to be mad at." Your cheeks flushed red at that comment.
The Youtuber Markiplier thinks a girl with social problems is cute? You kind of relaxed at the thought and reply, continuing on.
You crossed a tree over a cliff and found the golden figure. An avalanche of boulders happened as the figure disappeared. You didn't cross and waited. The boulders will stop in a minute anyways. Mark did the same except this time, he talked to you about your life.
"Since I figure you know a lot about me via me over Youtube. Tell me about yourself."
"Well I grew up in (Y/S) and I'm just you know the average loner really. Don't have much friends and my escape is the internet."
"I can see that." You both crossed finding yourself in a cave. The compass pointed east and west. There was a high pitched whisper in the air. You and Mark froze in your tracks.
HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
You are not alone in this cave.
Sorry about the delay you guys. I've been having mental, physical, and work issues lately. I made it up to you guys by writing this six page chapter. Have a nice day! Signing off: The Sunflower Seed
