(Mark's POV.)
What the Hell happened this time? This is such a vague paracosm, an illusion almost. I remember nothing expect the mannequin's expressionless blank face. I don't even recall passing out either… Please let all of this be a dream instead, because if this is real; I know I'm not getting out of this in once piece.
My head still lies empty without hearing his voice, I want to open my eyes and take a look at my surroundings; but I'm terrified about what I might see if I do.
~ Quit being a baby, ~
Apparently I spoke too soon.
I release a deep sigh, I knew he wouldn't randomly disappear for no reason; all though I wish he would sometimes.
"Oh great, you're back." My voice comes out hoarse and scratchy; I should try to find something to drink around here, if I can.
Okay, get over this fear you have of seeing someone jump in your face Mark; you're getting nowhere if you're just lying down on this stiff bed.
I open my eyes slowly, my vision blurs a tiny bit but it eventually goes back to normal once again; revealing a dirty hospital room with everything in a total chaos. Comfy chairs ripped apart, equipment toppled over, the walls are cracked and some of them have holes, dried bloodstains covering the walls, and bloody handprints that appear to be dragged off to the side with the smell of fresh, decaying flesh lingering through the musky, damp air. Glancing down quickly I notice I still have everything I had with me still here, what the Hell did those things do to me?
My hands seem to look fine, I don't feel any different than I was before they caught me; so what was the point of that…? Nothing seems to make sense to me right now; I've played a lot of games that started off like this, so maybe I can at least use that to my advantage…
There's got to be a way out of here, where did those bastards walk off to?
I have no time to waste, they could return at any minute. Quickly I hop out of the blood stained hospital bed, it looks dry so it's definitely not my blood. Reaching down to pick up the notebook that's beside my pillow only to have it burn my fingers once again.
"Really!? Why can't you warn me?" I growl, holding my hand in pain as the book does its thing; flipping to a new page to reveal some kind of half-assed, vague hint like it always does.
Only the mindset of a weakling will continue to dwell these endless halls.
"Yeah, yeah…. That's it? Anything else that could be possibly more useful than this, like perhaps a map? I'd really like one… " I don't get a response. It was worth a shot anyways.
I just pick up the notebook and clench it tightly without any more questions; I'm clearly not going to get any answers from this thing anyways. Whatever the Hell that means it probably isn't something that's going to be pleasant, or maybe I could find other people in here, which I'm beginning to doubt.
The light flickers in the hallway outside of the room, I have a very bad feeling about this; but I don't have a choice anymore. I check my phone once again, the red question marks are still there, but the screen is looking less pixelated than it was before.
That's a good thing, right?
I don't even know anymore, all I need to do is focus on leaving this; whatever the Hell you want to call it.
~ Don't get lost. ~
"You're just as helpful as the book…" I mutter to myself, taking in a deep breath; glancing around the room once again. It's oddly quiet in here; I don't hear anyone; or anything for that matter. Am I all alone? And is that even considered a good thing?
My feet echo a little bit as I walk slowly towards the entrance into the hallway; the door's been ripped off and is against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway, the lights flicker wildly, wires seem to be sticking out from every direction from the ceiling, while the blood thickens along the walls and the floor. There are no signs of life anywhere, and if there was life at one point in here; there sure as Hell isn't any left.
~ Are you afraid? ~
"Psh, no."
Down at the end of the dark, disgusting hallway, one of the heavy security doors slam shut causing the already crumbling building to shake, and a little bit of debris rain from the ceiling above my head. Something's in here; I'm not alone.
"I change my mind…" I began whimpering a little bit in the process. The fear strikes me immensely; its one thing ending up all alone in a place like this, but when doors are randomly closing… What else is going to happen?
The voice laughs a deep, demonic laugh like he always does when he's amused. Sometimes I wonder if this is his doing.
~ You'll be surprised. ~
My body tells me not to walk towards the door that was recently shut at the end of the hallway, but there's no other option to walk to besides other hospital rooms which quite honestly I don't want to even consider checking out.
The lights dim instead of flickering, the power will soon be going out and I'll be screwed I just know it. My footsteps slightly echo against the disgusting floor while I make my way slowly towards the heavy metal doors. I can feel the fear eating at me, consuming me to the point where I feel like I should have never left that room despite the danger I could feel lurking inside.
Would I ever get home again? Wade and Bob must be freaking out that I'm not responding back, and Becca; I should have replied to her when I had the chance… How many times will I admit that I did wrong to her?
Just as I approach the metal door, I hear the agonizing screams of someone familiar; they grow louder and louder and more intense behind this door. Maybe that's why whoever shut the door did it so I couldn't listen…
I tense up automatically, my fingers clench the notebook tightly hoping that it would speak up and explain what the Hell's going on right now.
Why can't I put a face to that voice? I know it from somewhere; I'm positive.
Pressing my free hand against the door, I slowly take a few deep breaths. I know I'm not going to like what I'm about to see on the other side of this door; but if I want to make it out alive again and get back to the people who need me, I need to at least die trying.
~ Well? What are you waiting for you miserable, dense cretin. ~
"You're really mean, you know that?"
~ Open the door. ~
I sigh again, every bad thought runs through my mind more than once. I couldn't bear the thought of watching those I know die in front of me. But I have to move on, for the sake of my own survival.
The door moves with some force, less than I assumed I would need considering it's a huge door. Revealing a long, fresh blood trail that turns into one of the rooms on the far left. The screams can be heard more clearly, breaking down my options to only two people that I know who sound like that.
~ Are you prepared? ~
"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm not!"
~ You poor, poor child… ~
Ignoring him, I quietly take small steps towards the room. The screaming is unbearable and the desperate pleads escalate to bloodcurdling howls.
"Please! Please I'll tell you!" The frightened voice gasps for breath after the pain seems to have stopped; my eyes widen greatly,
I can't believe it's him…
He appears to be in a bit of a bind; strapped to one of those hospital beds wearing a dirty white gown coated in blood, his blood. His messy light brown hair is also matted down with what appears to be his own blood as well, being tortured by two unspeakable creatures who I refuse to utter the word of what they are, standing beside him on each side.
Zombified mannequins… Why do you exist…?
"Yamimash…?" I whisper quietly, not loud enough to be heard, but loud enough to let it settle in to my own confused mind.
~Aaron suffered a terrible fate, and you were supposed to be in his place first. You should feel blessed. ~
This can't be real by this point. I know this must be a figment of my imagination; of his imagination, I would never wish harm on anyone that I know, so why is this happening? What the Hell is going on here?
Aaron's voice quivers, whimpering a tiny bit while an impatient foot taps against the floor in the room that I'm peeking inside of.
"I'm waiting." It growls, a menacing, mysterious dark voice sends shivers down my spine with just those two words alone. A dark energy festers around him at the floor, showing that his true powers are still waiting to be revealed.
He doesn't look familiar, who is he?
Whoever it was must've blended in with the dark background considering I didn't see him before at all. A tall, dark silhouette of what appears to be a man with waist-length black stringy hair and a dark, jagged cloak, I can't even get a look at his face because he has his back turned towards me, with a few zombified mannequins standing by holding tools that I don't even want to look at, followed by syringes filled with some weird looking dark substance.
"H-his n-name is Mark… M-Markiplier…" Aaron's vague voice barely has the strength to finish his sentence; he then begins to cough up blood, an excessive amount of blood while one of the zombified mannequins injects him again with the dark stuff.
~ Don't look. ~
"You've done well Aaron; you've served your purpose." The dark energy circles around the man with a cloudy, wispy-like haze that covers him whole; instantly vanishing into thin air without leaving a trace behind to prove that he was standing in this very room.
I can't even peel my eyes away from Aaron, huddled down to the floor peering over the corner into the room I watch as he struggles against the reaction from the dark liquid. The bloodcurdling screams start up again, along with his violent coughing. This time the blood starts pouring from not only his mouth, but his eyes and nose as well. Trying not to choke he continues to scream in agony while the zombified mannequins cackle almost, and begin to dissolve into the floor, leaving a pile of melted flesh, bone and a sickly scent that floats around the disgusting room.
I have to try something…
Instantly, I stand up, hurrying into the room beside Aaron as his bloody eyes glance up at me with a sense of relief and happiness. I can smell his flesh burning from the inside out, trying to force out a small smile on top of all of the pain he's going through just for the sake of assuring me.
~ You're a damn idiot. Get out of there. ~
"I-I'm…" He screams even louder one last time, not even getting a chance to finish his sentence. The flesh bubbles and melts away from his bones, deep inside the bed that he's lying on while his blood begins to fester all around; turning a dark blue colour and vaporizing into thin air. His remains lay still, nothing but a badly damaged skeleton with little bits of flesh, and a dirty white gown.
What did I just witness…?
I can't take my eyes off of the corpse that was once someone I've known, I never had a chance to meet him in person, and this was certainly not the way I had expected it to be. The stench is unbearable, it smells like melted everything in here mixed with death and rotting flesh. I should've looked away.
The book burns again, by now I'm getting used to it, so it doesn't bother me as much. I can't help but feel that Aaron's death was my fault…
I toss the notebook on one of the 'clean' parts of the bed; it flips open faster than it has before which is a bit strange.
He will not be the last to perish.
"Thank you for your wonderful, helpful words." The book gets offended, flashing a red ink smudge across the page and closing itself quickly. Burning with a heat so that way I can't pick it up and carry on with this twisted nightmare filled with horrors.
"Real mature; Mr. Book." I sigh, the notebook cools down a bit, enough for me to withstand holding onto it for now, unless it decides to throw another fit in protest.
~ Watch yourself, asshat. ~
I feel a strange presence lurking in the shadows around me, the light starts to flicker outside in the hallway; too bad that's the only light that's coming inside this dark room.
Eventually I'm going to have to start to move, I'm tempted to use my flashlight and search around but I'd be stupid if I started to waste the batteries.
I turn around, with my back facing Aaron's remains. Walking steadily towards the entrance where it's bright once again. Suddenly, arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me back into whoever; or whatever that has their grip on me, I don't even have time to react let alone think; causing fear to course through my veins, striking me with the incapacity to resist the attack.
~What did just I say? ~