PAX: Living Nightmare

(A/N: I'll say right off the bat that I am probably going to be horrible at characterizing PewDiePie. He's proving a surprisingly difficult personality to capture. I haven't watched him or Cryaotic half as often as I've watched Markiplier and Yamimash, so their personalities will probably be off. I've only watched four or five of Cryaotic's playthroughs, and two or three of his collabs with PewDiePie, and that's the extent of my knowledge on him [His voice reminds me a lot of Izumo Kusanagi from K Project…] As for PewDiePie, I've watched a fair few of his videos, at least parts of them, but again, I'm having a really hard time characterizing him and haven't watched him much, so bear with me. If anyone knows or has tips on how to improve their characterizations, let me know.)

Enter Felix and Cry

He whose name shall not be spoken, aka Cryaotic, waited at the airport, leaning against a wall and watching the people arriving. He spotted a familiar figure and lit up. He smiled and headed towards said figure. "Hey Felix!" he called out.

Felix, aka PewDiePie, looked over. "Cry!" he called out, heading towards his friend. "You came this time around."

"Yeah, figure if I wear the mask I won't have to worry too much," Cry replied, pulling out the fanmade mask and putting it on. "Far as anyone knows I could just be a fan."

"You look like an idiot, Cry," Felix teased.

"F**k you, Felix. You're just jealous because I've got the mysterious thing going on for me," Cry replied, smirking. "Surprised you came all the way from Sweden," Cry said.

"The bros wanted it, min van (my friend). Anything for the bros," Felix replied, smirking.

"Oh always," Cry replied. "My fans were begging me to go too. Figured I'd avoided it for too long. Might as well have some fun. Again, far as anyone knows I'm just a Cryaotic fan."

"Thanks for picking me up from the airport, bro," Felix said.

"Did Marzia come?" Cry asked.

"Ja. On an earlier flight. I had some stuff to deal with," Felix replied.

"Let's get going," Cry said. Felix nodded.

YT

Everything was going great at PAX! It was quite an experience, actually… And then it happened. "There are so many fans here! I can't believe it," Felix said. "It feels so great to be here with other YouTubers and the bros."

"I know. It's better than I thought it would be," Cry agreed. "Look, they're about to show a demonstration over there."

"Let's go check it out," Felix said.

"For sure," Cry replied.

They started towards the screen. Before they were halfway across, things got bad. The screens began to act weird. Something was going wrong. "What the hell?" Felix asked, stopping.

"Probably just some technical difficulty," Cry said. He was proven wrong the next second when suddenly live stream images of Markiplier and Yamimash flashed onto the screens. Felix and Cry froze in shock, eyes widening. Immediately murmurs went through the crowds. Mark was screaming for help, trying to get out of a room. Aaron was limping through an area reminiscent of Amnesia, limping on an obviously injured leg.

"What the f**k?!" Felix exclaimed. Cry was gawking in shock. Whispers that it was just a publicity stunt began going through the room. There was laughter. Nervous laughter. They were trying to assure themselves it was all a setup… Except the organizers of PAX looked flustered and confused. Police around the area were suddenly paying more attention and calling things in. It soon became apparent no one knew what was happening, and the fear in Mark and Aaron's voices… Then the first monster attacked Aaron. There were very real screams of terror and confusion and pain. There was a very real struggle. There was very real damage done before Aaron slipped away. There was very real silence at PAX as it dawned on everyone there that this… this was not a gimmick.

YT

Screams went through the room as something caught up to Mark and tried to break his neck. They were echoed by more screams and sobs as they witnessed the person about to murder Mark fall to the ground dead, and saw a stunned and bleeding Aaron gawking down at the figure in horror.

"Oh god, oh god, oh my f***ing god!" Cry numbly exclaimed. The police were showing people out of the area as quickly as possible. It was known, now, that this thing was being live-streamed everywhere. Felix looked away from the screen quickly, pale. Cry was too stunned to do much. The next thing they knew they were being shown out. Not long after they were racing into Cry's hotel room.

"What the f**k was that?!" Felix asked in horror.

"I-I-I…" Cry stammered. But there was really nothing he could say to the incident. He took off his mask and wiped his face with a hand. "This is happening," he realized. "This is actually happening."

"How can you be so calm?!" Felix demanded. Of course he also knew that Cry, on occasion, was able to keep a fairly level head in the face of things that would have most panicking. Or he was beyond the point of panic. One of the two.

"I'm not! I just… it's all so… what… I… This is so wrong," Cry numbly said.

Felix looked deeply disturbed. "You ever had an obsessed fan, Cry?" he asked in a very grave tone that actually took Cry aback.

Cry looked curiously over at him. "Why?" he asked. Had Felix?

"Just a thought," Felix replied. Apparently he had, Cry reasoned. He wouldn't pry.

"You think an obsessed fan of theirs is behind it?" Cry asked.

"Not impossible, right?" Felix replied.

"See, this right here is why I try to keep my personal information private," Cry groaned.

"Don't rub it in, you bitch," Felix said with a worried smirk. At least it was an attempt to lighten the dark mood.

"Say it," Cry stated, smirking.

"You're internet smart, okay? You're internet smart! Apparently more than most," Felix said.

"Thank you! Someone sees it!" Cry said.

"Fangirls hate you for it," Felix teased dryly. He looked over at the computer in the room. "I wish there was something we could do…" he murmured.

"I wonder where they are," Cry remarked. "Not in Texas. They couldn't be… Unless it was in the more Eastern part of it."

"What's there?" Felix asked.

"A fair bit of forest," Cry answered.

Felix was quiet. "Then maybe they aren't as far away as it looks," he soon said.

"What if the police and whoever else is looking can't find them? What if they don't make it…?" Cry quietly asked. Felix could say nothing to this

YT

Felix was in his hotel room on the computer, trying to distract himself from what was happening to Mark and Aaron. Every so often he would go over to the live stream to see what was going on… and if they were still alive… To make it simple he felt helpless. Never honestly thought something like this would happen to people he knew. Was 'knew' the right term in English? Knew implied intimacy as in knew them in personal life and were friends beyond the online world with them. Or maybe it didn't. He wouldn't claim to understand all the complexities in the English language. It was a second language, after all, and half the time most native English speakers didn't get them either.

He was going through his social media sites quietly. Marzia came up behind him and hugged him, dropping a kiss on his forehead. He smirked. "You should come to bed," she said to him.

"In a minute," he replied, flicking yet again to the live-stream.

She looked curiously at it and cringed, looking away. "You can't do anything for them, but they'll be okay," she optimistically said.

Because it looked so much like they were doing okay, Felix dryly said to himself. He minimized the live-stream and sat back with a sigh, shaking his head. "I hate this," he said. "That's it, I hate this. This shouldn't be happening."

"Think positive," she teased.

"I am. I'm positive they're screwed," Felix answered.

"Felix…" she began, frowning.

"I'll be there in a minute," he repeated. She sighed. He was distressed by this, she knew. Very much so. Everyone was. Things like this didn't happen. They just didn't… Well, they shouldn't at least, but she guessed they did on occasion. This… When it hit so close to home it was something so completely different. She wished he wouldn't stress himself about it, though.

"Fine," she relented. He needed a moment alone. She headed back to bed.

YT

Felix opened up his facebook and started. A PM? Nothing was weird about PMs showing up in his inbox, of course, but this one… It was in his native tongue, and roughly translated it started with the cryptic words:

I know how you can reach Mark and Aaron.

Felix stared at the words a long moment, blinking. This… was not good. He should show it to the police. First thing in the morning he intended to… But could he wait that long…? He pursed his lips then wrote back:

Who is this?

He waited a minute. Then the reply:

A concerned fan.

Felix hesitated to reply. Finally, though, he wrote:

How can I reach them?

The answer:

I have a number you need to call. They will pick up. Good luck.

A number was soon sent. Felix's eyes widened. This was actually happening. What the hell was he getting involved in? He looked at the phone next to him. He hesitated to call it. The police should know. He didn't want to get sucked into this fiasco… Why the f**k would anyone be contacting him about them anyway? He only knew Mark via the occasional and rare collab, and he didn't recall ever doing a collab with Aaron. Oh he got a bad feeling about this. He shouldn't get involved, he shouldn't get involved, he shouldn't get involved…

Screw it, he was getting involved. He snatched the phone and quickly dialled the supplied number. F***ing curiosity. He held it to his ear and held his breath, waiting for someone to pick up.

"H-Hello?" a voice asked.

Felix's eyes shot open. That was Mark! "Mark, Aaron!" he exclaimed.

"Felix?!" Mark exclaimed.

"No way," Aaron said in disbelief.

YT

"Bros, what the f**k is going on?!" Felix immediately demanded in an urgent whisper, quickly rising and leaving the hotel room. He went down the hall. Cry was on this floor somewhere. He was probably awake anyway. He could freak out in his friend's room because he wouldn't be waking anyone there.

"Have you not been watching the live stream, man?" Aaron hissed in reply.

"On and off," Felix answered, knocking on Cry's door.

Cry opened up and started. "Felix, what…" he began. Felix pushed passed, shutting the door behind him and putting the phone on speaker.

"We found a baby," Mark deadpanned.

"A what?!" Felix exclaimed.

Cry's mouth was dropped. He shook out of the shock. "Is that…" he began.

"Mark and Aaron," Felix replied.

"How did you get a hold of them?!" Cry demanded.

"Is that Cry?" Mark asked in surprise.

"Ja," Felix replied, turning on Cry's computer and signing into his Facebook. He showed Cry the short private message thread. Cry read it over in disbelief.

"Now what is this s**t about a baby?" Felix asked.

"You guys are okay!" Cry exclaimed, only now starting to catch up to the fact this was actually happening and not just some weird ass dream.

"Goddammit, focus, Cry! Don't worry about it!" Felix shot with a smirk.

"It's a long story. Also not important right now. We're kind of sort of trying to survive," Aaron stated. He pulled out the note, looked it through, and said. "Felix, we need you to translate this note for us. It may be another clue for us as to how to get out of this nightmare. The first clue was a Swedish note that said 'Find the baby'. What's this one say? Slowly—and probably more than a little poorly—he began to read through it as best as he could given the words he didn't recognize or know how to say well.

"Notes in Swedish?" Cry asked, immediately on the alert. That didn't sound good.

Felix blinked blankly. Apparently he was taken aback too. He went over the note in his head, mentally correcting the errors made to words that would most likely have been what Aaron was trying to say, and translated in his head. His eyes slowly began to widen in horror. "Oh this is not good, bros," Felix numbly replied.

"Why? What's it say?" Mark asked.

Felix swallowed and looked worriedly over at Cry. Cry blinked. That look meant something was very, very wrong. Felix turned back to the phone conversation and answered, "It says, 'There are others. Find the prisoners before time is up.'"

"Damn," Cry whispered.

YT

"There… there are more…?" Aaron hoarsely asked.

"It doesn't say how many more, but it sure seems like there are," Felix answered.

"Not necessarily a surprise, given Amnesia: Justine has prisoners that are still alive in them that can be saved. To say nothing of the fact the 'monsters' in it are human," Cry remarked calmly.

"Thanks for reminding us, Cry," Mark groaned. This just got better and better. "Something isn't right about this whole thing. This can't be just some obsessed fan. Or if it is this can't be just about Yami and I. Ugh, what the f**k is going on here?!"

"Not in front of the baby, Mark!" Aaron protested.

"Yami, you're making the baby cry! Stop making the baby cry!" Mark shot.

"I ship Markimash," Cry joked at the remark, trying to lighten the mood.

"Like hell you do. You know you ship PewDieCry," Felix teased his friend.

"Now isn't the time for fanservice!" Aaron shot at them.

"There's always time for fanservice," Mark joked.

"Oh god we do sound like a married couple," Aaron groaned. "Oh god, what am I saying?" This was serious s**t!

"Ho yay just comes naturally to you two, doesn't it," Cry teased.

"Bite your tongue," Aaron replied, smirking. Fine. He could use a little light-heartedness. It was something of a relief to be joking with them like this, actually.

"Or bite something else. Oh!" Felix said.

"Oh! Oh! Not cool bro; oh not cool!" Mark teased, laughing.

"Okay, okay, we're done. Let's get serious again," Cry said.

YT

There was silence for a moment. "They're searching for you bros everywhere," Felix finally said.

"We're not even in damn Texas anymore," Aaron replied.

"You might be in the East of it," Cry pointed out.

"Why?" Aaron asked.

"Because the East of Texas has forests. Ugh, how did I not think of that?!" Mark exclaimed in realization.

"Too busy panicking and trying to stay alive, probably," Cry replied.

"You bros just stay cool as long as you can. As soon as I can I'll get the police, show them the message thread, and get them to call this number," Felix said.

"You can't, Felix. This cell is one of those one use things, and we're running out of the time that it has left on the battery as it is," Mark replied.

"This guy thought of everything," Cry grimly said.

"At least the police will have something," Felix answered. "They might know how to trick the guy into revealing something through the messages.

Just then there was a loud noise on Mark and Aaron's end. "Oh s**t, something's coming," Aaron hissed.

"We have to go," Mark said to Cry and Felix. "Thanks for the translation and… and we're sorry you're all going through this…"

"It'll be over soon," Cry assured. "You're getting out of this."

"We hope," Aaron said. "But if we don't…"

"I'll take good care of your fans, Markiplier," Felix said in a faux dark tone.

Mark laughed, grinning. "That's the spirit," he teased.

"Ooh, nice way to play off the rivalry fans are trying to create between you two," Aaron said.

"Rivalry make everything more interesting, everyone knows that," Felix joked, smirking.

"Why can't I be Mark's rival?" Aaron asked, grinning slightly.

"Because you and I are bum buddies, Yami," Mark replied playfully, grinning. "Bum buddies can't be rivals."

"Mark, I thought we agreed that never really happened," Aaron joked back.

"Bum buddies can be rivals too," Felix teased.

"No, fans can't twist that as much as they can twist a rival taking your bum buddy away," Cry teased, smiling.

"Peace out, bros," Felix said again, smile falling to a look of concern.

"Good luck, Pewds, Cry," Aaron muttered, looking suddenly miserable again. All at once he wasn't quite in a joking mood anymore.

Felix reluctantly hung up. At least for now. Something told him this wasn't the last he would be in contact with them. He turned to Cry. "We have to do something," he said.

"This is going to be stupid and end badly, isn't it?" Cry deadpanned. Felix smirked.