== Chapter 8: At the Bottom of Everything
One year in the future, exactly, since the day you first met Jade Harley, you are getting off of work and are taking Jade out to a Japanese steakhouse for your one-year anniversary. True, there's another week and a half until the official one-year, but you guess it's close enough; plus, Jade will be on vacation to her Grandpa's island next week, so she won't be here for it. You walk out of the store and notice Dave leaning against your car. Since the events one year ago, you have gotten well acquainted with all of Jade's friends. He's leaning against the hood, just like he had done soon after you and Jade had gotten together.
== [Flashback] Mike: Meet Dave.
Your name is Mike, and you just got off work and are going to go hang with your new girlfriend again, because what else are you going to do on an open Thursday night? You walk out to see a pale guy with blonde hair and shades leaning against your car, wearing a red t-shirt, jeans, and black Converse. Without him even introducing himself, you know for a fact this has to be Dave. As you walk up to him, he greets you with a simple "sup?"
"Sup to you, bro, what you doin' leanin' on Jorge?" you ask him, and he lazily stands up.
"Sorry, dude. I… just wanted to say... thanks. Thanks for puttin' in a word for me with Jade," he says monotonously, but you think you hear the slightest bit of nervousness in his pauses. He is sticking out his hand for you to shake. You take it without skipping a beat and reply, "Don't worry about it, dude. You know, it's funny, I used to not believe in second chances. I've changed a lot in five years, I guess."
"Yeah, people do change. Look, I know this is probably weird for you, and it is for me too. And I really feel… awful about what I did. I really wish I didn't ever do it, that I still had her," he began saying, and even though you were both wearing sunglasses, your eyes had definitely met as he started saying this, he continued, "Don't worry dude, I'm not going to ask you to not date her, first of all because I wouldn't want to do that to Jade, and second because I can tell you're a lot like me. You wouldn't agree to it."
"I'd probably punch you in the face, to be honest," you say to him, and then you shrug and add, "You know, dude, a couple weeks ago when I saw Jade bawling her eyes out over here, I thought you were just the biggest douche in the world. And you know what? I was right. But you're a bit of an honest douche, and you honestly are gaining my respect." You hold up a fist for a fist-bump, which he gives you and nods, expression unchanging, and noticing he didn't have a car of his own, offered to give him a ride home. He accepts it, and you spend the ride home listening to and discussing techno…
== Mike: Greet your bro.
You walk up to Dave, and greet him with a fist-bump, and he looks at you with that expressionless face, but you've begun to learn to read it. You know there's something about it that isn't right. "What's up, dude?" you ask him.
"I've been tryin' to get a hold of Egbert. Him and Rose have both disappeared, man, and Pesterchum is messin' up or something, look," he says, holding out his iPhone, and you look and see chat windows with both, messages from Dave, and a simple error message: - ERROR! ghostlyTrickster [GT] does not exist! - - ERROR! tentacleTherapist [TT] does not exist! -
"Okay, that's really weird. Is it happening with anyone else?" you ask him, handing him back the phone and he nods and lists off a few names. The only people he seems to be able to contact without issue is Dirk, you, and Jade. You frown a bit and ask him where his Bro is at, and he replies that he should be getting home in the next five minutes. You tell him to get in the car, and as you both turn to the car, you see a wall of darkness in the distance.
"Is that a storm? That looks like it could raise some hell," Dave says monotonously beside you and you nod, but you can't shake the feeling that something about that storm isn't natural. You get in the car and you and Dave drive to his apartment to meet Dirk. Dirk's car is in his usual parking spot when you get there, so you head up to the apartment. When you get in, the sight you see there makes your eyes widen and Dave next to you can only say "no…"
Dirk is lying on the floor of the apartment, pointy anime shades smashed, his own blade sticking out of his chest. His cap even seems to have found its way off of his head, and Dave carefully replaces it to its rightful place. You look around and see what seem to be black and orange feathers scattered around the apartment, and in a corner there seems to be bright orange blood, which is certainly strange. Dave stands up from kneeling by his brother and you can tell it takes all he can possibly take to not totally melt down where he stands. You walk over to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and Dirk starts sputtering at your feet.
"Take it easy, Bro, we're here, we're gonna get you help," you say, kneeling down next to him, and he shakes his head, and you ask him, "who did this to you?"
"Some… douchebag dog thing… comes in here… lookin for blood, man… Dave… you were this… orange bird thing… helped me fight him…" he said between panting breaths. You can tell he doesn't have long, if he has anything, but you are shocked to see that he is literally fading away right in front of you. The two of you watch helplessly as Dirk Strider leaves this world completely, body and soul.
"Dave. We should go. Whatever did this to your Bro could come back. Let's go get Jade and we'll figure out what's happening, alright?" you say as you start leading Dave towards the door, and you turn around to get one last look at the apartment before you leave. You look and see that wall of darkness creeping into the room. You've seen it following in the distance the whole way here, and it's gaining on you.
== Jade: Figure out what's happening.
You can't figure out what's happening because nothing really is. You're just browsing the internet waiting for when it's time for Mike to come pick you up for your date tonight. Mike's going to take you to a Japanese steak house, which is always a bunch of fun. The first time you went was when you met Mike's sister and her boyfriend, and the four of you went to one and had a blast. Mike should be off work by now, so you should probably start getting ready, so you exit your browser but stay signed into Pesterchum.
You decide that you might as well shower to be as fresh as possible, and you spend a few minutes just enjoying the warm water running over you. Soon after you step back into your room, you hear your computer ping. Dave is messaging you, and the number of messages he's sending must mean it's pretty urgent.
- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 18:22 -
TG: jade
TG: please tell me youre there
TG: oh god please
TG: throw me a bone here harley
TG: mike and i are on our way
TG: please tell me he hasnt gotten you too
TG: jade
TG: jade
GG: dave, im here! what are you talking about?
TG: jade
TG: jade someone
TG: something
TG: killed bro
GG: what?
TG: and john and rose are nowhere to be found
TG: or the others, they all come up as do not exist
You frown a bit and try opening conversations with a few of them: - ERROR! ghostlyTrickster [GT] does not exist! -, - ERROR! cuttlefishCuller [CC] does not exist! -, - ERROR! adiosToreador does not exist! -. Dirk's handle comes up the same way as well, which makes you start panicking. You try one more handle and hold your breath a little: - zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] has absconded, but you can leave him a pester for later. - You breathe a sigh of relief that at least Mike is still around.
GG: okay
GG: i had to try
GG: no one is there besides you and mike
GG: dave?
GG: dave please tell me youre not going to disappear too!
TG: oh god
TG: harley
TG: harley i know ive been a crappy boyfriend over the past years
TG: but no matter what happens
TG: and no irony either
TG: i
TG: wow this is kinda hard how do you do it all the time
- ERROR! turntechGodhead [TG] no longer exists! -
You scream at your computer and tears start rolling down your face, because somewhere in your mind you know that this isn't some trick. There really is something going on, and people are disappearing. You decide that since he's on his way, you'll wait for Mike to come, because you're just sure he's going to make it here without disappearing…
== Mike: Drive like a Jamaican
If there's ever a time for you to put your experience driving in Jamaica to work, it's now. You drive sixty miles per hour down roads that probably shouldn't be driven faster than twenty-five. You just watched Dave disappear before your eyes, his iPhone being the only thing left behind. You log into Pesterchum, and see Jade is still online, which is good, but she's idle. She may be a bit freaked out about Dave, since you're pretty sure his handle says he doesn't exist.
You take a moment to check on your friends.
- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] began pestering zealotTrombonist [ZT] -
ZP: bro
ZP: dude come on man answer me
ZT: what do you want, dude? I was about to open up minecraft man. Want to join me?
ZP: what? No! I've got a date in a few hours, or maybe, if theres anyone left in this universe to freakin serve me dude.
ZP: everyone's disappearing. Have you tried pestering your brother or anyone?
ZT: Dude Jake's right here, man, he's fine.
ZP: Have you tried pestering anyone ELSE?
ZT: No….
ZP: Try it.
ZT: okay, hold on.
- zealotTrombonist [ZT] is now an idle chum! -
ZT: okay, I believe you.
ZT: I tried your cousin, nothing.
ZT: Rob? Nothing
ZT: Amy I was talking to…
ZP: oh. Dude, I am so sorry.
ZT: Yeah. So… what happens when it says that?
ZP: They… disappear. Completely.
ZT: well thats just…
ZP: I know.
ZT: Emily's gone too.
ZP: Kinda figured.
ZP: …
ZP: bro?
ZT: Jake…
ZT: he just disappeared. I think I'm next dude.
ZP: Bro talk to me
ZT: I just want to say, before everything's done, that you were an awesome best bro, even if you are a bit of a douche sometimes.
ZP: thanks dude…
ZT: Maybe ill see Amy where Im goin?
ZP: I think maybe you will.
ZT: that's good
ZT: I think im going now… see ya later
ZP: oh…
- zealotTrombonist [ZT] no longer exists! -
ZP: later…
ZP: …
ZP: rest in peace, brother.
You are pissed now. You just lost your best bro in the whole universe, and you are pissed. You open up a chat with your sister, and you see that -ERROR! neuroticAuthor [NA] does not exist! -. Even more pissed, you open a chat with her boyfriend: - ERROR! historicalBias [HB] does not exist! -. You yell in your rage and throw the iPhone out the window. You watch as it skips and breaks over the pavement behind you, and it clicks in your head. You realize what's happening, as if the universe has granted you knowledge at its end. You slow down as you turn onto Jade's street and pull into her driveway. You figure if these are your last moments alive, you might as well spend them with her.
Your name is Jade Harley, and you are running out to meet your boyfriend as he pulls into your driveway. You hug him and he holds you close, and you look at him and say, "What's going on?"
"Let's go inside, I'll explain there." He says, taking your hand and leading you back inside. He walks into the living room and sits down on the couch and you sit next to him, and he still hasn't let go of you, as if he's afraid that you'll disappear if he does.
"I was pissed before I turned on your street. Dave's gone, Dirk's gone, your bro… James. Everyone's gone." He started, his voice firm and at the same time shaking as he's trying not to cry, "but I think this place is enlightening me at the end. Meditation paying off, I guess. This world… this universe… it's ripping apart at the seams. Look out the window." You look behind you out the window, and instead of the street that usually sits in front of your house, there is a great dark abyss, and you can see down below a green blur, and there's something down there, but you can't tell what.
"What you're looking into is a rift in space and time. Sounds like something out of Doctor Who, but that's what it is. It's a tear in the fabric of this reality. Down there is another version of you. Well, it actually is you." he says, and you look at him and can't help but just say, "What?"
"I know. Have you ever had dreams? Dreams of a game you've never played, of things you've never done? Ever dreamed you accidentally killed Dave, or died yourself but came back? How you could shrink planets and make things bigger? Transport people from place to place? That's another life for you. Just like how I dream about falling in that void there. You get to go back to your golden ship. I get to fall for eternity," he begins explaining.
"I still don't understand," you tell him. You're having a hard time comprehending what's going on here. Or maybe you just don't want to, you think, as tears start forming in your eyes. He wipes the tears away as they fall down your face, and he continues, "Where you're travelling through on that ship is a world between worlds, where anything is possible. I was alive on your earth, and that gaming party we went to? That was the last thing I had done before we off and died. When Sburb killed us all. But my mind hung around, in the Furthest Ring, and when you passed by in your sleep once, our minds touched. Apparently, I have a rather strong mind, and of course yours is too, since you're a player of the Game. Our minds together created this universe for us, and we lived it out. It was going to continue until we found each other. Now that we have, it's starting to collapse. I've really been feeling it since day one, with these dreams. Dreams of falling. We don't have that long left, I'm sure."
"So what do we do?" you ask him, and he looks at you with a solemn smile on his face. He says quietly, "What would you like to do? I'd just like to spend my last moments with the girl I love."
"Then that's what we'll do," you say, and lean forward to kiss him. As you do, you feel yourself start to slip away, and you pull away to get one last look at him, because you can't forget him. You lock eyes for one moment and he's about to say something, and then…
== Jade: Wake up
Your name is Jade Harley. You are a god-tier Witch of Space, and for the past three years you have been travelling to reach the post-Scratch session. Your brother just aroused you from your sleep, because you've almost reached the other side. You excitedly get up, because this means you finally get to meet your penpal! And you get to see Rose and Dave again, and meet the trolls, and finally win this game! But despite all your excitement, you can't help but feel a little sad for what you're leaving behind, even though you can't remember what it is. You look back at the blankness behind you one last time and shed a single tear, and then look forward, full of strength and ready for the challenges that await you.
End.
The title of this chapter, At the Bottom of Everything, is a song by Bright Eyes, and is a song sung by a man in his last moments on a crashing plane. Rather fitting, considering the contents of the chapter.
Yeah, so this is the end! I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me on this. This is the first fanfiction I've ever actually attempted that I have completely known the idea for when I sat down to write it. I'm honestly not much of a writer at all, so I'm really happy with how this turned out. Not too bad for something you dream after reading all of Homestuck in a couple weeks. But seriously, this has been awesome, and you all are awesome too.
- Mike, AKA zenmasterPhysicist [ZP]