Whew! Sorry that took so long. Here it is!
/
/
Tim leaves Jay's camera behind. It had been damaged in the crash, but surprisingly was still usable. Well, somewhat. But even if it had been in perfectly good condition, Tim would still refuse to take it with. This is not the time to worry about where a camera was pointing. This is about getting Jay back. The only advantage the camera has is to warn him of when that creature is coming. And even then, his headaches and coughs start at about the same time the footage distorts, so there really is no use for it. All Tim ends up taking with him is a single water bottle and a new pocketknife and flashlight he buys on the way out of Becky's hometown.
The two and a half hours it takes for Tim to get to Rosswood Park are the worst he ever experiences. His mind keeps coming up with horribly vivid images of every scenario of what could be happening at that hospital. The man in the skeleton mask standing over Jay's mangled, bloody body; Jay, kidnapped once again by that creature, tortured in some dark place; Jay wearing a mask of his own, finally driven to insanity…
The scenarios relentlessly replay in his head for the entire duration of the drive. He is besides himself with frustration and panic, and feels completely powerless. He is forced to sit for hours, unable to do anything except push down on the gas pedal with his foot. He feels guilty, as though the simple act of driving isn't good enough. That he's failing Jay already by not getting there any faster.
So seeing that line of trees at the edge of Rosswood Park fills him with joy he never thought he'd feel upon coming to that cursed place. He parks the car and jumps out, not hesitating one second as he hurries across the grass into the trees. It's a while into the hike before he wonders if he had locked the car or not. He almost laughs at the suddenness of the random thought and quickly realizes that he doesn't care. As far as he knows, the only person that would mess with it is at the hospital with Jay. And it's not like the creature itself is about to show an interest in Becky's old Buick.
Though it does not rain, the sky remains gray and cloudy as Tim makes his way through the woods. And finally, at the edge of the park, the hospital wing looms before Tim. He can see no movement from the outside, though it's not like Tim is expecting the masked man to be waving a flag at him from the entrance. Trying to shake off the sudden feeling of apprehension creeping at the edges of his mind, Tim approaches the hospital and cautiously steps through the doorway.
His steps echo loudly on the dusty cement. He looks around the desolate hospital wing, but can see no sign of anyone having been there. Everything looks exactly like how it had been the last time he was here. When wasthe last time he was here? Looking back on everything that had happened over the past years, it all seems so muddled now.
"Hello?" he calls out. He knows whoever is here will hear him – which is exactly what he wants. So either Jay can answer him, or the masked man can find him. And he hopes that the masked man finds him. His hand hovers over the pocket that is holding his knife. "Jay? Buddy, can you hear me?" He turns left and starts walking down the hallway, peering into every open doorway he passes. "Jay?" Nothing but plaster and broken cement greet him at each door. Tim's senses are completely alert; eyes flickering about, ears straining to pick up any tiny amount of sound.
He turns and walks down a hallway just as empty as the last one he had just been in. He looks to the right and sees the small courtyard outside of the windows. It looks more overgrown and haphazard than ever before. It's almost impossible to see any patch of ground, and peering through the vines and dense brush to the other side of the courtyard is a hopeless cause. Scanning it quickly, he sees nothing of interest and continues on. For a few minutes his search turns up nothing useful.
He finds the message in the room Brian (or, the hooded man, as he had been then) had hidden that tape and had checked on when Tim and Jay had been stalking him. It's painted crudely on the wall, the letters messy and hastily written.
CHECK THE TUNNEL
The tunnel? Tim stares at the message in frustration. Why would you lead me all the way out here only to make me go to the tunnel? That's stupid and waste of time for both of us. He blinks and suddenly straightens. Unless…he wasn't talking about that tunnel. Tim's mind suddenly snaps back to the day Jay and him had been stalking Brian. Brian had led them to the maintenance tunnel entrance – the same tunnel Jay later found Tim's medical records in. Tim breaks into a run, his shoes skidding across the moldy tiles as he runs through the hospital wing. Outside, the sun is just starting to set, but it already seems so much later than that because of the clouds blocking most view of the sky. Tim breathes a sigh of relief at his decision to bring along a flashlight as well as his knife.
The entrance to the maintenance tunnel is empty of people or any sign of disturbance, though Tim is not surprised at that. Glancing around just in case, Tim quickly climbs over the side and grabs the ladder. He jumps to the dusty ground beneath and pulls out both his flashlight and knife as he turns around to face the tunnel.
"Jay?" he shouts into the darkness. His voice echoes back to him, bringing along no accompanying sounds. Tim flicks on his flashlight and points it in front of him; using the dim illumination, he walks into the tunnel.
The air is damp and warm in the tunnel. It feels like it's constricting around Tim, trying to choke the life from his lungs. It makes him panic slightly, with the dimness and closeness of the walls. But he forces down his fear and makes himself think of Jay. He moves the flashlight back and forth, searching every part of the tunnel for any clues as to where Jay could be.
"Jay?" he calls again. "Jay, come on! Say something!" The only responding noises are his footsteps grinding into the gravel, and the steady drip of a leaked water pipe somewhere further along. Something suddenly catches his eye and he swings his flashlight up to the right wall. His stomach drops at what is painted there.
The symbol. He takes a step forward, squinting at the paint the symbol is drawn in. It's red. His breathing becomes more rapid as he reaches out and touches the paint. It's dry, but there's no mistaking the shade of color the paint is. A deep red – much like blood.
Tim swallows. Please no. "Jay!" he spins away from the wall, and stops again. On the opposite wall is red writing.
YOU ARE TO BLAME
He runs down the tunnel a few feet to put the words behind him, only to find more on the right wall.
YOU LOST
On the left wall:
YOU CAUSED THIS
He keeps running. On the right wall:
HE IS LOST BECAUSE OF YOU
On the left:
LOOK AT
Right:
WHAT YOU'VE DONE
Left:
RETRIBUTION IS COMING
Right:
YOU DESERVE
Left:
EVERY PUNISHMENT
Right:
IT WILL GIVE
Left:
DID GIVE
Right:
TO JAY
"Stop! Stop!" he screams, sobs mixed in with the words. "Stop it! Where is he? Where's Jay? Where is he!"
The silence that follows his plea is suffocating.
Drip.
Drip.
Only the water seems to mind breaking it.
And then. It's so soft Tim almost misses it. A slight thud. It's distant, but Tim is sure a person made it. "Jay!" he shouts. "Answer me, bud!"
Another thud. Tim runs forward a few steps and sees a small tunnel branching off to the right. Tim immediately goes down it. "Jay!" he calls out every few steps or so, allowing enough time to fall in between the shouts for the person to answer. Not every pause is filled with a thud, but there are enough made that Tim is able to wind his way down the tunnel with enough confidence that he is going in the right direction. He close now. He turns sharply around the corner, and skids to a dead stop.
A few feet down the new tunnel, the outline of his body barely visible in the dim light, is Jay. He sitting on the ground awkwardly, his back stretched at an odd angle. It's easy to see why – Jay's wrists are tied to a pipe running down the tunnel. They hold his arms up to about the same height his neck is at. His forehead is resting against his hands, but as Tim's flashlight passes over his face his eyes tiredly open and look up at Tim.
"I knew I wasn't hallucinating your voice…" he murmurs. Jay's words are padded, as though he's speaking through a wad of cotton.
"Holy shit," Tim breathes. He drops to his knees in front of Jay, letting the flashlight roll to the floor. "Jay, holy shit." His gaze travels over Jay's bloody and bruised body. "What did he do to you?" Tim didn't think he could feel anymore hate for the man in the skeleton mask, but the rage burning inside of him is so intense that it's hard for him to focus for a moment.
Jay tries to say something, but the words come out gasping and wheezy. Tim immediately grabs the water bottle he had brought with and unscrews the cap. He holds it to Jay's lips, who drinks the water eagerly. He coughs once, spurting out some of the water, but manages to swallow the rest. Though from the look on his face it's clearly painful to do so. Tim can only imagine how ragged and dry Jay's throat is.
Jay's breathing is harsh as he leans heavily against his hands. "I can't believe you're here," Jay whispers. "I'm so scared, Tim…" His eyes never leave Tim's face, though tears have started to drip down his cheeks, leaving lines in the dirt smudged on his skin. "He left me with no light…I don't…" His voice cracks and melts into a sob. "I'm so sorry, Tim…I didn't mean any of it…"
"Hey," Tim says, his voice trembling. "Hey, it's okay, Jay. I got you. I got you. It's okay." Jay just nods, still staring at Tim with teary eyes. As though he's scared to look away, because who knows what could happen in that split second they lose eye contact.
Tim nods back at Jay, trying to look reassuring. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his knife; he swiftly brings it up to Jay's wrists, but pauses at seeing the state of Jay's hands.
Blood cakes every curve and ridge of the slim hands, the source easily spotted as the several cuts marring the pale skin. Jay's wrists are swollen and bruised around where the rope is cutting into them, one of the wrists also heavily covered in dry blood. Tim's chest tightens in anger as he gently saws away the rope. The rope falls to the ground, as does Jay's limp hands. Jay himself starts to pitch forward, but is caught by Tim. Tim lets his knife slip from his hands, ignoring it as he reaches forward and wraps his arms around Jay's body and pulls his friend into a fierce embrace.
"You scared the shit out of me, Jay…" Tim says, but any tone he could have been going for is completely lost by the state of his voice, which has been significantly weakened in his relief.
Jay does not reply; he shudders against Tim's body, and then begins to sob. Since he is too weak to raise his arms, Jay simply presses his face into the crook between Tim's shoulder and neck, allowing his body to be held upright by Tim. As Tim holds Jay, he feels tears of his own start to streak down his face. He clutches the frail form closer, squeezing his eyes shut briefly.
After a short while, Jay's sobs subside. He tries to pull away from Tim, but can barely move his arms. Tim helps Jay adjust so that he is still sitting on the ground, but leaning against the opposite wall of the tunnel without a pipe running down it. Jay cries out softly as Tim moves his legs, but doesn't say anything in response to Tim's questioning gaze. Tim gives Jay another drink of water and then kneels before his friend, taking the smaller hands in his.
"Jay," he says, studying the hands with concern. "What happened?"
"Cut myself with glass…" Jay's voice is still hoarse, and trembling from his crying, but he is able to form clearer words now. "Freed myself before…"
"But he caught you again?" Tim
"Yeah."
Tim's grip tightens ever so slightly on Jay's bloody hands; Jay winces and tries to pull them away.
"Sorry," Tim mutters.
"S'alright…"
"Jay, how long were you out of it?" Tim asks. He knows it's painful for Jay to speak, but he needs to know; Jay may have a serious concussion.
"Don't know…" Jay mumbles. "Was drugged…"
Tim has to let go of Jay's hands before he crushes them in anger. "Drugged?"
Jay nods dully. "It's wearing off now…I think…" He coughs violently, and cold fear creeps up on Tim. The coughing is very shot-lived though, and Jay's breathing eases into pained wheezes.
Tim is glancing about them nervously now. "Jay, can you walk? We should go."
Jay bites his lip. "I don't know. My leg…"
Tim glances down at Jay's legs, studying them thoroughly for the first time. Jay's left pant leg is soaked in blood. Tim's stomach churns uneasily as he pushes aside the torn fabric. Jay's leg is clumsily wrapped in a filthy bandage, also dyed a dark red with Jay's blood. It looks dry now, but there's so much of it that the nervousness in Tim's chest turns into full terror.
"We need to get you to a hospital, now," Tim says, horrified. "You've lost so much blood, and it's been hours since the wreck."
"I know," Jay whispers, and the fear in his voice makes Tim even more afraid. Jay blinks, frowning. "Head keeps spinning…"
Tim grasps Jay's left arm. "Come on, Jay, try and get up."
Jay grasps Tim's arm with his hand, wincing as he does so. But he holds on, and together they try to pull Jay to his feet.
The sound of a gun being cocked echoes loudly in the tunnel.
Tim and Jay freeze. Together, their heads snap to the entrance of the tunnel Tim has just come from. Standing there is the man wearing the skeleton mask. And he's holding a gun pointing straight at them.
Jay immediately starts sliding to the ground again, too weak from pain and fresh terror to hold himself up. Tim stays in his half-kneeling, half-standing position, keeping one hand on Jay's shoulder. The man simply watches them, holding the gun perfectly straight. Not one sound escapes him.
A moment of silence passes. "What do you want?" Tim finally asks. No response. "What do you want?" Tim repeats, fiercer this time.
The masked man's gun starts to shift slightly so it is no longer pointing at both of them, but focusing on Tim more. In that second Tim lunges forward, scooping up his knife from the ground and throwing himself at the masked man's legs. A gunshot goes off, but Tim feels no pain as he grabs the man around the legs, knocking both of them through the tunnel entrance into the larger tunnel. Tim swings up his knife, but his hand is knocked to the side by the man's.
"Tim!" Jay shouts from behind them.
Tim brings the knife down again, but his wrist is caught by the man's and held in mid-air. As Tim expected, the man is fairly strong; he is able to hold Tim's arm and knife away from him, though his arm shakes slightly at the effort. After a moment, Tim manages to free his other hand from beneath their two bodies. He immediately reaches for the man's mask, hoping that taking it off will shock the man into releasing Tim's arm holding the knife. The man realizes Tim's intentions and violently tries to throw Tim off of him. Tim starts to tumble over but lunges forward; his hand grasps the mask. The two fall to the side, and Tim's hand snaps away from the man's face, the mask in his grasp.
The man scrambles away from Tim in panic, snatching up his fallen gun as he springs to his feet. He swings his gun around and points it directly at Tim, who is still on the ground, the skeleton mask in his hand. Tim stares up at the man pointing a gun at him and his jaw drops. But it's Jay's voice from behind him that speaks first.
"Seth?"
Seth scowls, his eyes never leaving Tim's face.
Tim doesn't know what to say. What to do. "Seth?" he finally breathes in shock. "I…but…how?"
Seth gives a harsh laugh. "How what?" His voice is hoarse, as though it has not been used in a long time. It doesn't sound like Seth at all, and yet there's just enough to be recognized in it that one can tell that it is indeed Seth speaking. Or…what's left of him, anyway. "You mean, how did I not end up in that monster's hell, where Jay's been for almost three years?"
"But…we saw you get taken," Jay says. His voice is still horribly dry, but he sounds much more alert now, the shock having shaken him out of his hazed stupor somewhat. "On Alex's tape."
Tim tries to turn to glance back at Jay, but Seth jerks the gun in his direction. "Don't," he warns. Tim glares at Seth, but does not try to look back at Jay. Seth's eyes flicker to Jay for a moment before returning to Tim. "Oh, I did get taken by that thing," he says darkly. "Trust me. It decided to take me on a fun little 'fuck up this kid's head' trip. Fairly similar to the one Tim here experienced after you abandoned him in the tunnel, Jay. Remember that? How your betrayal and Tim's little acid trip from hell was captured all nice and pretty on camera for all of YouTube to see?"
"Shut up, Seth," Tim says viciously. "He didn't betray me. I told him to run –"
"I wouldn't tell a person pointing a gun at me to 'shut up' Tim," Seth says. "Then again, you weren't always the brightest one in the group. That was more Alex's area of expertise, using his brain. You two idiots though…"
"Yeah, and who's the one who got his neck all sliced up?" says Tim.
"I said he had the brains, I didn't say he could beat you in a fight."
"How'd you get out?" Jay suddenly asks. He sounds immensely curious, even a little scared maybe, and…jealous? Tim frowns at detecting that bit of tone.
Seth looks over at Jay for a split second. His gaze returns to Tim, and he stares at the man on the ground hard, though he's not exactly looking at Tim. It's more as if he's looking through Tim, or not even seeing him there. "I don't know," Seth finally admits. "Not exactly, anyway. But I did. Tim did too, didn't you Tim? You wouldn't happen to have an explanation, would you?"
Tim just stares at Seth in cold fury.
"Guess not. Well anyways, after I got out, I laid low. I kept an eye on the Marble Hornets YouTube channel though, watching while you animals shot and stabbed answers into all of your problems."
"And what have you been doing exactly?" Tim asks.
Seth ignores the comment. "I was able to keep a low profile for a long time. No one bothered me, and I didn't bother anyone. But then Alex got his neck sliced open and you left Alabama, Tim, taking your little protection pills with you. So that thing was left all alone without its main henchman and its favorite play toy. Sure, it could feed off of other little children here and there, no big deal –"
Tim starts to move forward, the look on his face furious, but Seth once again jerks the gun at him, and Tim is forced to stop.
"But it was pissed. It was furious that you got away and permanently damaged its favorite psycho to fuck with. It wanted its main source of food to be personal. And who was the closest thing it could find to you guys? Me. It found me no problem, and then feasted like it hadn't eaten in a hundred years. You think you know hell," Seth hisses. "You don't know anything. I only lasted eleven months; I couldn't take anymore after that. I had to get it to latch back onto you. Back onto the source.
"I searched for you for months. Oh, it was hard – you had covered your tracks good, I'll give you that. But eventually I found your dear mother, who had so sweetly abandoned you at that mental hospital when you were a kid –"
Tim's hands clench into fists. "You son of a bitch, I swear, if you had hurt her –"
"Get a hold of yourself, Tim. I'd have to be an idiot to hurt her; someone would notice for sure if she went missing. I was surprised though, even shedidn't know exactly where you were. That was fine. All I needed was your phone number. And after a lot of boring 'how was college with Tim' and 'I'd like to see Tim again' conversations, I got it."
"You," Jay suddenly says. "You were the one who got me out. You're the one you left me at the trial site!"
Seth smiles smugly, as though he can't help but be proud of himself. "Good job, Jay. Even if your memory has gone to shit, I guess your brain's somewhat improving on the deducing-ability level. I did get you out."
"How?" Tim asks sharply, his eyes narrowed in distrust. "And why? Why would you bother to help him?"
"For you, of course. I knew that to lure you back here, Tim, it'd have to be for something huge. Like one of your friends coming back from the dead. I have no idea where Brian is. Dead in a hole somewhere I guess. Alex is in the same place Jay was, but I've never seen him in my time there. He's really deep in there. He really pissed that thing off." Seth shrugs. "There was no way I could get him out – not that I was planning on it. Between Alex and Jay, the choice is obvious."
"How is it even possible to get to that place voluntarily? And even more impossible, getting out? And with another person?" Tim asks, the distrust obvious in his voice.
"It is possible." Seth says simply, looking down at Tim with prideful amusement. Tim's hand twitches at his side; he'd like nothing more than to punch that smug grin off of that face. Seth smirks. "Though it's not wise to do it in a…normal state. That's why I got that ridiculous mask. I think that somehow, our masked states make it possible for us to navigate through that hellhole less…detected. Less able to be influenced."
"My bullet wound though," says Jay.
"That…was complicated," Seth says. "You see, Tim, time in that monster's place is…different. It's slower than regular time, but then it's faster than regular time too. I don't know how to explain it; time doesn't exactly move in one set direction there. So things can repeat themselves over and over, or go through cycles. Like our buddy Jay here. It wasn't all the time, but sometime Jay's nightmares would heal him."
"What?" Tim asks sharply.
"The nightmares in that place are real, idiot. Everything you experience there is both physical and mental. Whatever is happening to you is reallyhappening to you. Not matter how absurd. And in some of Jay's nightmares, he'd heal, only so Alex could shoot him again. And again. And again." He glances over at Jay. "You sure you don't remember any of that Jay? Come on. I know you remember some of those nightmares you've been having back in the real world. You can lie to Tim all you want, but it's so painfully obvious."
Tim risks a glance back at Jay, and Seth doesn't stop him. Jay is glaring at Seth, but Tim can see the raw terror in his eyes. It unnerves Tim. Jay's breathing is ragged, and his jaw is clenched shut. He does not look at Tim – he is completely focused on Seth.
Seth grins and turns his gaze back to Tim. "So," he says, catching Tim's attention again. "I had to wait for Jay to go through a cycle that healed his wound. It would be a very temporary state, and I only could try once before that creature caught on. But did it. I got him out, and dropped him off at that stupid ghost story place for you to find him. But that thing quickly found out that Jay had gotten out. It didn't like that. So it came looking for its lost torture-toy. It found us a lot sooner than I had expected. I hid, but the creature didn't take Jay back. I think it was intrigued. It wanted to see what I was doing."
"So all of this, everything you've done, was just so that thing would take Tim instead of you?" Jay asks. Seth narrows his eyes at Jay, but the expression on his face is answer enough. "So why would you try and shoot us?" Jay continues. "That thing seems to prefer breathing victims over dead ones."
"Breathing yes, but not completely healthy. Haven't you noticed? It only takes people who are in an extreme weakened state. I don't think it's even able to take fully healthy or alive people into it's…world, or whatever. I'm not going to kill Tim, and a bullet – if put in the right place – won't do that. And then I'll finally be free of that wretched thing."
The nervousness is clear in Jay's eyes, but he gives a harsh laugh. "What a waste of time. You really think that thing is just going to let you go? That it's going to let you live out the rest of your life in peace?" Jay gives a rough cough. "You're marked, Seth. It's never going to let you go now."
"We'll see," Seth hisses. He starts to move the gun in Jay's direction.
"For a guy who so desperately wants both us and that creature off of his hands, you sure do like to talk a lot," Tim cuts in quickly, in an attempt to keep the gun trained on him instead of Jay. To his relief, Seth does pause, looking at Tim. Tim continues, his voice growing stronger with every word. "You're stepping into cliché-movie-villain territory here with all this monologuing. I mean, I understand wanting to explain a little bit of your evil plan to us, but this,this is going a bit overboard, don't you think?" Seth glares at Tim, and Tim smirks slightly. "Or is it because you're finally in the spotlight? After being shoved to the side by Alex all those years, being treated as nothing more than the kid who got Alex the next handful of tapes, you're finally in charge of the situation. And it doesn't matter who gets hurt, as long as you finally come out on top."
"Shut up." Seth's hand holding the gun is shaking in his rage. "Shut up." He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it. Then he cocks an eyebrow. "Fine. You don't want to talk anymore, Tim? Fine by me." Then he fires the gun.
Tim had been expecting that. He throws himself to the side before the last word leaves Seth's lips, and feels burning on the lower part of his left thigh as he hits the ground. Hissing in pain, he immediately scrambles to his feet and lunges at a shocked Seth. The two tumble to the ground and the gun flies from Seth's grip. But Seth knees Tim in the thigh where the bullet had grazed him and Tim cries out, his grip loosening for a second. It's enough for Seth to flip them over so he is straddling Tim and pinning him down. He snatches up Tim's knife lying in the dirt besides them and brings it down towards Tim's chest. Tim manages to catch Seth's hands and holds them, the knife hovering inches above his body. Both pairs of hands are shaking with the effort, and slowly Tim can feel the knife begin to descend.
A shot rings out. Seth's grip immediately slackens, and for a moment he's frozen. He looks down, and Tim follows his gaze to a bullet hole in Seth's upper abdomen. Blood begins to slowly seep from the wound, soaking the front of Seth's shirt. Seth gurgles a cough and blood spurts weakly from his lips. He begins to tip forward and Tim quickly scrambles out from beneath him. Jay is on his knees behind them, watching with wide eyes; the gun falls from his hand and clatters to the floor.
Tim still hates Seth. He hates him for how much he's hurt Jay over the past few days. And yet, he no longer wants to kill him. Seeing the broken man lying on the floor, choking on his own blood…it's like Alex all over again. Tim is staring, just staring. Numb to anything but the echo of his hate and the consequences of his selfish desires.
"Tim!" Jay's warning shout is quickly cut-off by a sudden coughing fit. Tim glances up at Jay sharply and immediately pain shoots through his head. He groans; his chest begins to tighten, and he starts to cough violently.
"Tim!" Jay gasps again, trying to crawl towards Tim. But his bad leg gives out beneath him and he collapses to the ground.
"Jay!" Tim crawls over to Jay. "Come on, Jay! Get up! Get up!" He tugs desperately at Jay. Jay's coughs shake his body violently to the point Tim is worried Jay might start throwing up. Jay tries to push himself up, but his wounded hands and leg refuse to comply. Grabbing the pipe running along the narrow tunnel, Tim pulls himself to his feet. Bent over from the coughing, he pulls Jay to his feet and slings his arm around his shoulder. Tim's vision is flickering between blackness and normal as his headache worsens. He's vaguely aware of a dull buzzing noise in the back of his mind. Tim starts dragging Jay further down the tunnel, away from the direction he had come from and away from the shuddering form of Seth.
"We should help him…" Jay manages to gasp out between coughs.
Tim knows they should. He knows it would be the right thing to do. So why is he pulling Jay away? Go back go back go back. Another wave of pain rips through Tim's head and he falls to his knees; Jay slips from his grasp and sinks to the ground. Then they feel it. Both snap their heads back towards the end of the tunnel where Seth is.
It is standing over Seth, staring down at the bleeding – but still alive – man. Then it tilts its head up to look directly at Tim and Jay.
Immediately, Tim pulls out his pill bottle. He doesn't even bother pressing two pills into Jay's bloody hands and instead shoves them into the man's mouth. Then he swallows two for himself. Holding the pill bottle in one hand, he grasps Jay's arm with the other. Don't you come over here. Don't you try and take him again.
The pain is increasing to an unbearable level. Both Tim and Jay cry out in agony and clutch their heads, stars flickering across their blackening vision.
Then all is silent.
Tim and Jay blink, staring at the ground from their bent positions. Slowly, they raise their heads.
They are alone in the tunnel. For a long moment the two stare, their mouths slightly open. They do not move, nor make any sound – are capable of making a sound.
"We…we let it take him…" Jay finally whispers in horror. "I can't believe we…I can't…I shot him…"
Tim sets his mouth in a grim line. He pushes down the guilt burning in his chest, his mind oddly clear now that the creature is gone. He turns to Jay and grasps his arm firmly. "Come on, Jay," he says, careful to balance his voice between gentle and firm. "We have to go. Now."
"Seth…"
"Sitting here isn't going to do anyone any good," Tim says. "We need to get out of here."
Jay does not look convinced in the slightest. But he nods and allows Tim to pull him to his feet. He's trembling, and barely able to walk. Much of his strength gone himself, Tim has a hard time dragging Jay back through the tunnel. They try to look anywhere but at the blood-soaked ground as they pass by the spot Seth had been laying seconds before. It's hard work, though both men try to help each other as much as possible, but slowly they make their way back to the entrance of the main tunnel.
/
/
NOTE: This is not the last chapter! I've got about one more to go. ;)
And I think I should touch on why Seth is totally competent and "himself" even though he was wearing his mask like 2 secs before he starts talking. Because the Operator never actually turned him into a "proxy" or whatever like Tim and Brian. Seth just donned a mask so he could do his stalking and what-not. He's more like Alex. His mind's been tortured and warped by the Operator, but he's still "himself"...to an extent. Like Alex was himself...to an extent. But Alex was able to talk, so Seth can too.
And I guess just wearing a mask is good enough to get into the Operator's world with a free card...? Well, according to Seth it is. :P