Chapter 17

The man emerged from the bushes, brushing off the leaves that were on his white dress shirt. He grumbled to himself as he cleared off his outfit. I watched as he looked at me, meeting me with red tinted eyes. I stood there, my head trying to wrap around who was in front of me. He gave another sigh as he waved his hands apart. The area around us suddenly became lighter, I could actually see as the shadows pulled away from us. I looked up at him, he approached me until we were only a foot apart from one another.

"Finally," he groaned in slight annoyance. "You have a bad habit of not staying in one place for very long."

I didn't say anything for a long time, just looked up at Dark. I couldn't believe it, it was really him! It felt too good to be true. I wanted to believe it but… "I-is it really you?"

Darkiplier raised a brow at me. "Of course it's me. Who else do you know that can manipulate the shadows and wear a suit such as myself?" He gestured to his white dress shirt, black pants and tie as well as shoes. "Anyways, you are lucky I picked up your scent when I did. It was not easy and I had a lot of-" I didn't even let him finish as I embraced him in a hug. My arms wrapped around his frame as I held him tightly. I knew it was sudden, but I was so happy he was here with me. I was so glad that I wasn't alone now, and that I had regained some hope of getting back home. He stiffened at the contact, but I didn't care. "W-what are you doing?"

I held him tighter, embracing him as I tried to hold back tears. I didn't respond to his question, I just brought him closer to myself. I let some tears fall out of my eyes, I didn't care anymore if I appeared weak. Dark gaved a groan as I was still hugging him for what felt like over a minute. "Can you please get off of me now?" I looked up at him, the tears spilling down my cheeks at that point. He noticed this and I saw his red eyes growing wide. "Great, did I say something to offend you?"

I shook my head as I slowly pulled away and sighed. "S-sorry…" I sniffled again as I rubbed my hand on my face to wipe the water from my skin. "I'm just glad you… I mean I thought…" I sighed and just smiled lightly. "I have a lot of questions." It was all I could say before I would bombard him with many conversations.

"Heh," He gave a slight laugh. "I'll bet."

I looked up at him, seeing him in the light of the night, at least what little it provided for us. "How did you find me? How long was I gone? D-do you know what happened?" I knew it was a lot to ask, this was Darkiplier we were talking about, but so much has happened and I just wanted to know what had been going on since I had been kidnapped.

Dark sighed in annoyance, I wasn't surprised. But I was taken aback that he actually answered the questions I had. "I'll tell you while we head back. For now, how are you?"

"Physically… or mentally?" I asked, not sure what he was asking of me.

He rolled his eyes and looked over my body, using the light to take a closer look at the scraps and dirt spots on my skin. "Does it hurt?" He actually seemed concerned with that line.

I looked up at him and shook my head. "Just some scratches. Not the worst pain I've felt while I was being held captive. Though to be fair, most of it was in the mind scape." He looked at me with that raised brow again. I rubbed the back of my neck and shrugged. "I'll fill you in on everything else. For now… can we just go back home?"

"First, we should get out of these woods. And we best do it before moon high." Dark instructed, his eyes glaring at the sky and seeing what little light came through the leaves. I looked up myself, noticing the light shining through the leaves now. I must have been so focused on myself and the mess I was in, because instead of white light coming through and surrounding us, it was a crimson color. I was reminded of that night, the one where I lost my parents. A blood moon was in the sky as that Scavenger was about and we crossed paths with it. I shuddered, being reminded of that memory and what I lost that night. I looked over at Dark, but he quickly grabbed my arm and started walking off. I only gasped as he led me further into the woods. I didn't protest, I let him lead me. I just wanted to get out of that nightmare induced forest.

We walked for a couple of meters before he loosened his grip on my wrist, but he still held me close to him. He grunted as he looked around, being the eyes. I didn't know how he was able to see in the dark with little red moonlight. Then again, since he was a master of shadows and darkness, it was probably just an ability he had. We walked together, through the trees in silence for a while. I allowed him to drag me along, no complaints if it meant we could head home faster. I did feel somewhat comforted knowing that I had someone by my side again. At least not being alone gave me confidence and I wasn't so scared about the environment now. I may not have been able to take care of any wild animal that tried to come my way, but Dark could. Hopefully his power would be enough for us to survive that maze. I hoped that we would have been able to get out of there in time before Anti showed up. I knew if he were to appear before us, it would end very badly.

When we had been walking for a few yards, I figured now was the best time to start asking questions. Dark slowed down in his pace, his grip on me was not as tight. I took in a deep breath and began to ask my many questions. "So… how long did it take you to find me? I-I mean… what happened after I was…?"

He didn't look at me, not that I didn't want to see his serious face. Dark wasn't exactly a friendly guy, so I wasn't offended. I just wanted him to talk, to give me some answers. I was surprised with how straightforward he was. "I got back to your house a little before the sun rose," he started his explanation. I was all ears, eager to hear what had happened on his end. "I thought I sensed a lead of another creature nearby, so I went to investigate. However, the trail was cold and I believed it to have been a dead end, so I started heading home as the moon was setting. I entered through your backyard, which is where I normally tend to come out of and in whenever I leave. Just as I walked up your deck to head through the patio door, that was when I noticed it…"

"The broken glass?" I asked as he trailed off. Dark turned around, looking at me. He stopped in his tracks as did I. I released my hand on his grip, rubbing my wrist and explaining myself. "I saw that demon coming in through the patio door. He broke the glass door, probably the screen as well." I muttered.

"It certainly was a mess," Dark stated. "Don't worry, I fixed it up for you." I looked up at him as he said that. He smiled at me with those cunning eyes. "I figured you wouldn't want to tell your sisters about the deck door being broken, since it would cause them to worry about you and money. It was just a small taste of my power, nothing too serious. Consider it my way of rent payment."

He said that all cocky like, as if he expected me to thank him. Though I did, he did save me a lot of words and awkward exchange between me and Kris. "Oh… thanks…" that was all I could say.

Dark shrugged. "Yes, well, I knew that if I kept it that way, you would have told your sister and she would have come over to the house. Which meant I would have to hide from her, and I do despise it when I am forced to leave the house. Not to mention she probably wouldn't have left for quite a while, and I didn't want to share the complex with her. So, it would be one less thing for you to worry about." So that was the real reason. Dark did hate it whenever my family came to visit me, which was pretty frequent but started to get less and less essensive as the months passed. At the same time, I wasn't mad. At least it was one less problem for me to take care of when I got back home.

"So then… you were able to pick up my scent as you stated?" I asked, still being dragged away by Dark himself.

"Of course, we've been roommates for the past month now. So naturally it was easy to locate your smell, even though we are halfway across the planet."

As soon as he said that, I forced my feet to be planted in the ground. Dark tried to keep me going, but I wouldn't move. My head was burning with so many unanswered questions. I had to know them, right there and now. "Where. Are. We?" I said word for word. I wasn't budging until I had gotten my explanations. My eyes were fixated on Dark, as he stared at me with those black sockets of his. I saw how red his pupils were, like that of blood. I didn't want to focus on that memory, I was more concerned with what was present and my current surroundings. We stared at one another, in a heavy silence. I never gave Dark the silent treatment, he gave that to me. I stood my ground, something I picked up from my mother. She always told me that if anyone treated you badly, do not be afraid to show them a thing or two. She never really clarified because sometimes I would just out right verbally bully them or even physically attack. I knew better than to do any of those tactics on such an entity. So I went with the third option; a demanding yet stern feature.

I felt the pressure on my hand being removed, looking at Dark as he let out a frustrated sigh. I couldn't blame the pain he was in, but I was a factor in this mess as well. He straightened out his outfit and looked at me to further elaborate on the answer he was trying to give me. "We are in Ballycumber, Ireland."

If my eyes could have gone any wider, they would have. Ireland? Europe? We were practically almost four thousand miles from my home state in America. I suppose I wasn't too surprised, now that I thought about it. The cabin was familiar as it came flooding to me at that moment. Those cabins were the ones that Sean lived in before he moved to England. I found it a bit strange… for Anti to have captured me and brought me to the vast greenery of the Potato land rather than Great Britain when his host had been set up there. Then again, if I would have been taken to England, it would have been much easier for me to have gotten help and gotten back home. Though some people may have thought I was crazy to some degree. Even if they did believe me, I could only imagine how much negative publicity Sean would have gotten. I didn't want to drag him down in this mess, it wasn't his fault he got possessed by his alter ego. Come to think of it… if Anti was using those cabins as his base, what happened to Sean's family? I mentally shuddered as I tried not to answer that question. No doubt it would have gotten a very disturbing answer.

"Now, any more questions you want to ask?" Dark's voice held annoyance. He was not happy I was stalling us in our movement. I looked at the ground, trying to process this information. I muttered something to myself. Dark must have heard me muttering, because he leaned in closer. "What was that?" I looked back up at him, this time speaking what I had whispered.

"We're in Sean's homeland."

He seemed caught off guard from my response. He stared at me, raising a brow. "Who is Sean?"

"Jack," I explained. "Jacksepticeye, the YouTuber that Antisepticeye is possessing. The one that kidnapped me and brought me here."

He had that perplexed expression on his face as I informed him. After a few blinks, I could see his features twisting as he began to put the pieces together. "Ah yes, one of Mark's friends." He sounded so casual as he spoke, like it was just meeting up with a good friend. But I was aware that Anti and Dark were not close. And yet, something had to click because the more I thought about it, the more familiar this picture got.

"Do you know about Anti?"

"I only know what his fans know about him," Dark began to tell me.

"I mean… have you crossed paths with him before?" I demanded to know.

Dark scrunched up his face, he was getting more annoyed by the questions I kept spilling out. "Why are you so fascinated all of a sudden? He's just a halfling! He's no real threat."

"How do you know about that?"

Dark retalitted by trying to throw off the conversation. "Why all the questions?! I thought you were more interested in trying to get out of these woods. Unless you really don't value your life?" His last sentence had a pinch of mocking in it. I knew what he was trying to do though, and I wouldn't let him get to me that way.

My feet made me step closer to him, as I pressed my finger on his chest. "Look you Twilight reject, I have been through hell and back with that creature more times than I could count! His means of mental abuse were leagues above yours, and frankly, you don't scare me half as much as he did! I've seen what he was capable of, what he could have done to me." I pulled back my finger, having my arms crossed over my chest. However, I still glared at Dark as he glared at me. "I know there was a reason why he kidnapped me! I'm sure it has something to do with you, which means you do know Anti. So until you give me some answers, I will not be moving from this spot!" To prove my point, I stomped both my feet on the ground as a means to tell him I meant my word.

Darkiplier did not light up from my attitude. His harsh eyes staring right into my soul. I had grown somewhat accustomed to it, however it still sent chills up my back. "You are aware that I am much stronger, faster, and more agile than you are. I could easily pick you up and drag you back home."

I turned my head away from him, acting all proud. "Even if you did that, I will still be asking you those questions when we get home."

I heard him letting out a sigh of pure disbelief. For a moment, I believed I had won and he would have told me everything. Honestly, getting answers to some of my burning questions would help ease my mental state a bit. Especially with all the trauma I'd been through, I really needed it. Instead, I felt my legs being lifted off the ground and hauled up onto Dark's shoulder. My mouth let out a gasp as I felt my body shifting and being held by the ego himself. "H-hey! W-what gives?!" I tried looking over at Dark, but could only see the back of his head from the angle I was in.

"If you want to do this the hard way, it's on you." He told me as he began walking while carrying me.

"D-Dark!" I attempted to get out of his grasp, punching at his back and even kicking his front. His arms were stronger than I anticipated, because they kept my limbs down for me to barely even jiggle them. "This is not over!" I exclaimed.

"I'll explain everything to you when we get back to your house." He assured me while he walked. I felt like I was just a sack of potatoes that he was carrying from the market. I guess I should have expected he would be taking me home by force, but the situation I found myself in wasn't something I could have foreseen. Even though he was sure that we would be discussing more on the matter back at the house, I was certain he would brush it off until I would forget about it or just kept quiet.

"Darkiplier, I am serious!" My face grew hotter with embarrassment. Not from me being carried, but from me being treated as a child. Sure, I may not have acted rational in regards to getting the dark ego to come clean, however I could only take so much bull in one day. I'll admit, using the trauma from my mindscape experience wasn't an excuse I should have used. With so much happening around me and a lot of questions being unanswered, I just wanted to understand what was going on.

He grunted in annoyance, and I was pretty sure he was looking in my direction. "Do you really want to draw attention to us?"

"I'll keep drawing attention until you start coming clean." I argued with him.

"I'm not the one throwing a bratty attitude." He retorted.

"Oh, is that how you treat your host that has let you stay at her place, rent free, and give you a nice warm bed and hot food every night?" I defended myself, determined to win this conversation we were having.

A deep growl escaped his throat as he stopped walking. I turned my head, trying to get a good view of his face. I wanted to tell him off, to try and win this argument. My mouth was about to move, only for my ears to pick up something instead. I looked around, eyeing every tree that surrounded us. The woods began to grow even more red as the blood moon rose higher into the sky. Surely it must have been close to the highest peak as I looked around the woods. My ears were ringing with the sound of what seemed like a giggle. However, it was hard to tell because it was… slightly… distorted…

The moment I realized what I was hearing, my eyes went wide. I could feel my heart skipping a beat as I knew what that meant. "Shit…" I whispered.

Dark picked up his feet, running faster as he carried me. I didn't even try to protest anymore with him. Now the situation had gotten serious and much scarier. Even though I was kind of glad to have been carried, it was a bumpy ride on my part. Dark just ran through the forests, passing by many trees as he tried to stay ahead of that laughter that belonged to the demon I had gotten away from. The laughter kept growing more and more louder, despite how far we had gotten. I was certain that Anti was caught up to us, but I wasn't able to locate him through the black and red light and the shelter of the plants. I was surprised with how fast Darkiplier was running, despite having a huge weight on his shoulders. I kept my eyes peeled, wondering where Anti would pop out of. I worried how he was able to find me so fast. I left his cabin many hours ago and must have gotten a good distance between us. Then again, I was knocked out for a while after running from those animal noises. Guess he caught on I wasn't his guest anymore and caught up by locating my scent, as Dark called it.

I only saw a flash of green before I felt heat all over my body. An energy beam of that color had launched itself our way, causing Dark to trip over and releasing his hold on me. The two of us were stumbling down a large landscape, rolling through dirt and branches as we had been attacked. Once I landed on the ground, I let out a pained moan. At least this time I didn't become an unconscious mess, so that was slightly better I supposed. I was even able to get myself up without any pain coursing through my body. Once I was on my feet, my eyes began to scan for any signs of either Dark or Anti. I looked over to finally see black dress pants sticking out of some shrubbery. My feet hurried me over to the bushes, wanting to make sure Dark was alright. "Dark? Are you okay?" I called out to him. I was scared to even try and touch him, since I figured he would rather do it himself. I didn't even have to worry about that as he pushed himself up and out of the shrubs, standing over me while picking out twigs and leaves from his clothes and hair.

I stared up at him, noticing a few differences in his appearance. He stood as tall as ever over me, with his fancy outfit. It was hard to tell because of the red light, but I thought that his skin was a bit darker now. Not his usual gray color, but more tanned. His hair was in the usual flipped to the side style, but… producing from his forehead were strong red ram horns that curled backwards. I thought I was seeing things from the light of the moon and the head injury from the crash. The more I stared at him though, the longer he stayed in that form. Once he had picked out all of the leaves in his hair, he turned back to me. He must have noticed my reaction, because I saw him raise a brow towards me. "Why are you gaping like that now?"

I raised my finger, pointing directly at the horns that had seemed to have grown on his head. "D-did you always h-have those horns?" I was a bit lost for words as I tried to process what had happened to Dark and his appearance. He seemed confused about what I meant at first, as he followed my finger to try and look up at his forehead. He must have realized it himself as he sighed and looked back at me. He wasn't stunned by the horns at all, it was almost like he was expecting them? His red eyes looked around the rest of the scene, while his now pointed ears were twitching. I didn't even have time to react as he rushed over to me and picked me up. He was so fast, I couldn't even blink before I was in his arms and we were running further into the woods. I could only cling onto Dark's shirt as he sped down the trees and deeper into the roots of the forest.

I felt like I had gotten whiplash for how long and far we had ran. By the time it was over, I had to adjust myself as Dark set me back on my feet. I stumbled a bit but was able to get my footing. I looked back at him, making sure he still had those horns on his head. He did, but he didn't seem to care. His eyes scanned the new area we were in, as if he was looking for something. I was still a bit disoriented by everything that had just happened. Eventually, he rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. "Looks like we lost him, but he's sure to be on our trail soon." Dark turned back over to where I stood. His arms rested on his sides while his eyes glared at me. "Now, may we please focus on getting back to your residence? It will be easier to defend you if we have the home field advantage."

He was making sense, and I did listen to him. I had so many questions, but I also knew that my safety and physical health had to come first before my mental state could settle. I knew that even if we did survive, chances are he wouldn't even answer my questions when we got back. I would have been fine with that, after all it wouldn't have been anything new to me. But seeing Dark in that form with his horns, those red eyes and even the black and white outfit. My memory recalled back when I went into the forest near my house. I looked over that old and run down mansion that was now in shambles and pieces. It had been torn down by a force of green and red. I had one burning question, just one that needed to be answered. I gulped down all the fears I had and looked up at him. "You were the ones that were fighting in that mansion, weren't you?"

I actually didn't expect such a reaction from Dark. His eyes went wide as mine had recently, blinking a few times to process what I just said. I saw how puzzled his face was, as if he was trying to understand what I said and what I meant by it. We kept our eyes locked on one another for a while, waiting for the other to talk. "You saw?" he asked me. I was a bit caught off by his question, I will admit. However, he seemed to have figured out what I meant.

"I saw you… at the mansion. Remember?" I took a step forward, keeping my gaze on him.

Dark shrugged, "I thought I smelt something else, but I was too focused on the fighting."

"You were fighting Anti, weren't you?" I asked another question, stepping towards him.

Dark glared at me, he was still just as eager to want to keep this convention to himself. Then again, his eyes shimmered just as curious as his face started to rest. Guess he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere so long as I was asking the questions. His arms crossed over his chest as he looked at me. "How much did you see?"

I was a bit surprised that he was the one asking me something, though it seemed only fair. I recapped everything that happened. I started by how I found that mansion and I was using it for a project for one of my classes. The night I was getting the final drawings, I heard noises coming from the room so I hid under the bed. By the time whatever was inside the room was out, I took the opportunity to run out. I did admit to seeing two figures of green and red fighting each other. However, the first chance I got I had to run away. Dark listened to me, and when I was done he took a moment to process everything.

"So that explains why you came to me and saved me…" Dark noted.

"Technically, I only went back to get my phone and my drawing. I didn't expect to see you… but things happened I guess." I shrugged.

"Fair," Dark agreed. "Perhaps that is how he got your scent and how he was able to find you."

Hearing him say that made sense. "Guess, I should have been better at not leaving any trails…" I felt a bit guilty, as if it was my fault that he showed up to my house because of the scent I left behind.

Dark, unchartistacly, waved his hand at me. "Don't feel bad, not like you knew what was going on. Besides, I was sure that battle we had left him just as damaged as I was. I'm surprised he didn't take much longer to heal… especially with him being a halfling."

"Halfling?" I raised a brow. "Like what, he's a half demon?"

Dark nodded. "Well, we aren't demons, but I suppose in your day and age we are." He looked back up at his horns for a moment before looking back at me. "I could smell his blood and it was nothing like mine."

"In type or in species?" I suddenly asked. Dark raised a brow my way, even he seemed aware my question was a bit redundant.

"Let's just say I can sense he was not as powerful as I am. And I am sure he is either hiding his true power or he only had half a real potential power. And since he went all out when we last fought, I am sure it is the latter."

I wasn't going to question him too much on the halfling part, mostly because it sounded way too confusing when he first mentioned it. Still, a burning question did have to leave my mouth. "Why were you two fighting that night?"

Dark took a step back, as if that question was pretty sensitive. However, I held down my stare. This had to be answered, I needed to figure out the reason. I was aware that canonical, Anti and Dark were never on the best of terms and tended to threaten each other. Of course, many fans shipped them nonetheless, but for the most part they saw one another as an enemy. Was it just their competitive nature against one another that led to such a battle? Or could it have been something more? It seemed that Dark was losing his patience with me, and yet his exterior remained pretty calm for someone with such a temper as him. He opened his mouth, and it was a lot of information in regards to that night.

"I found that manion while I was traveling to different countries. I had been with Mark for quite a while, and the longer he kept me by his side, the more powerful I grew. Eventually, I had the ability to take over his body and to use it to navitage what was going on around me. It was strange at first, having to get used to the new mechanics you humans tend to use for your everyday lives. I'll spare you the unnecessary details about my misadventures, just know that I had grown a bit tired of wandering and found refuge at that mansion. I decided to stay there for a short amount of time to regain my strength. When I had woken up, it was due to feeling the sense of another."

I blinked as he mentioned that it was sensing the presence of someone else that awoke him from his slumber. I wondered if it was me, so I pointed to myself and looked up at him with a curious expression. "Don't believe so," Dark stated. "The one I sensed was Anti. Though, I did feel as if someone else was in the same room as me." He looked me over, examining my whole body. "I didn't pay much attention to it though since it didn't appear as a threat. But when I felt Anti's power, I knew that would be a pain to deal with. So, I ended up going out of the room and saw him, on the balcony of the stairwell. We ended up fighting one another to the point that we were gravely injured. I was damaged so much, I had to force the body to shut down so I could focus all my energy into healing the wounds."

"And… that was when I showed up." I realized, piecing the timeline together.

Dark gave a nod my way. "I am grateful you did bring me into your house. Sure, it was an inconvenience that you took my property. However, you did end up healing my more fatal wounds so I guess it evens out."

"And not to mention you chased away a Scavenger and you also ended up being my roommate." I added. Dark gave an amused chuckle to what I said. Once again, something I didn't expect to come from him. When his laughter died down, he looked back over at me. "So, did Anti really attack you because he hated you?"

"I wouldn't say he 'hated' me persay," Dark looked up to the sky, staring at the crimson moon. "He did mention something though." There was a bit of a pause as he gazed up at the red sea above us. "He said that he wanted me to hand over The Crown."

I was slightly baffled by the title. "The… Crown?" I repeated. "What is that?"

"I don't know… it sounds familiar I will admit, but I do not know about it. I'm sure it isn't a title though, since he kept referring to it as an object." Dark explained.

"Whatever it is, it must be really important if he wanted it. But why would he think you would have it?"

Dark shrugged. "Not sure, he probably asked everyone that he met that question. But if he kidnapped you to get to me, either he is asking for a fight to settle the score, or he's that desperate for The Crown."

Anti really must have been distraught if he was doing whatever he could to get this Crown. Kidnapping me just to lure out Dark, which would explain why he never just outright killed me even though he had the chance. He didn't even bother to wipe away any trails he left behind during my abduction, almost as if he wanted Dark to find him. Did he really believe that Dark had this object he so desired that he would use any trick to get to him? Whatever this Crown was, clearly it must hold some sort of power or status if someone would be willing to do whatever it took just to get it.

"And… how do I know that you don't actually have this Crown, but you aren't aware of it?" I had to ask him.

Dark raised his brows at me as if he couldn't believe I would ask such a question. But I did. He chuckled once again as a smirk played across his lips. "I'm fairly certain that if I did have this Crown, I would be aware of it since it seems to hold some form of power, according to that wannabe. Not to mention if I did have it, I wouldn't be wasting my time with you."

Hearing him say that actually made me feel a cold sweat run up my back. "D-does that mean you would have killed me?" I stuttered at my question. Would he have actually ended my life right then and there after getting back his ring if he had the power? Just the thought of my corpse lying in that coat closet back at the event with my sisters gave me more than enough reason to enjoy my life, no matter how imperfect it was.

"If I wanted to kill you, you would have already been dead." Dark told me, not reassuring me at first. Then he went on. "But then again, I wouldn't waste my power on a human anyways, so I suppose you would have been safe." He lost his smirk as he grew serious once again. "And I do not have this Crown, I want to remind you. Now, if that is all of the questions you want to waste our time with, I suggest we start heading out so we can get ahead of the other. We still have a lot of ground to cover before we can get you home."

I did have more questions, far more than I could even say. However, I did have some of my curiosity satisfied, and that would be enough for now. Dark was right, I wasted our time with my inquiry. Anti was clearly close by and if we had any chance of getting back, I had to stop my interrogation and let Dark lead us back home. Even though I was still curious about how we were going to get back to Minnesota when we were in Ireland, I figured we would cross that bridge when we got to it. The ego walked up to me and held out his hand in front of me. He was actually waiting for me this time, no force or struggle, he wanted me to know I was ready. Sure, it wasn't like he fully trusted me, but maybe it was a sure sign that he was beginning to understand the situation I was in. Frankly, I was starting to understand him as well. With a nod, I raised up my hand and laid it on his palm. He didn't make any changes in his facial expressions nor did he give me any sign that he was set, all he did was grip my hand and he started walking with me. Sure he was the one in front of me, but at least we were travelling in sync rather than him just carrying me. In my eyes, that was progress.

We probably weren't even halfway into the woods yet, and it was hard to tell how much more miles we had to go before reaching some form of civilization. All I knew was that as long as Dark was with me, I felt somewhat better. I only hoped we could somehow make it back to my home state before daybreak. The sooner I was home, the less worried my sisters would have been. At the very least, the blinding red light from the moon helped guide us. For a while, as we were going through the many trees, all seemed peaceful at first. That was until I began to hear slight laughter coming from somewhere within the branches. Dark must have heard it as well because he stopped and looked around. I also paused, staying as close to him as I could. I recognized that laughter, and knew that the source couldn't have been too far.

The ego of Markiplier snarled, revealing thick fangs in his teeth. His eyes narrowed as the slits in his corneas were so thin, they reminded me of a cat. "So much for staying ahead and giving us some time." He adjusted his feet and raised up his free arm, showing off clawed like fingertips. I felt my legs shaking as my mind knew that a fight was about to go down. This time, I would be seeing it up close.