The white light buzzed constantly, sounding like a relentless mosquito in Evan's ears. He stood in the bathroom of the quiet apartment, his hands gripping the edge of the sink, his knuckles white and sore. He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, but it didn't matter. He was waiting.

"Why? Why? He's our friend!" Evan had screamed, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face as his shoulders heaved with sobs. Everyone had stared at him with wide eyes as if he was a monster, as if he was a Glitch.

"Evan...Evan stop this. Right now." Craig had seemed to suddenly appear in front of Evan, staring down at him with dark, angry eyes. Evan forced himself to breathe while he shook with sobs. He looked up at Craig, hardly able to recognize him as his friend. "You stop this right now, you fucking Glitch."

"Stop it!" Lui pushed Craig away from Evan. "Evan is Evan...Whatever this outburst is...There is a reason for it...Isn't there?" Lui had turned to Evan, his suspicion filled eyes demanding an explanation from him.

"I-I...I...I don't understand…" Evan had said, looking down at his spilled shake.

"You need to. Quick."

Now, Evan stared at his reflection in the smudged bathroom mirror. He wasn't sure how long this staring contest with himself would go on but he had to see. He had to see if his eyes were going to glitch like everyone thought they would. Once he had gotten back to the apartment, he locked himself in the bathroom, the only room he could trap himself in away from everyone else. It would be safer for them any way if he was the monster they thought he was.

Yet after what had felt like hours, Evan's eyes had not glitched. He did not turn into a monster. He crumbled to the cold, tiled floor, curling into a ball against the wall. Tears began to spill from his eyes as the feeling of being completely alone washed over him. He didn't know who those people were on the other side of the door. They wore his friend's faces but they were not them. They were violent, angry and cold. He remembered what Brock had said, his voice crackling through his headphones.

"Pinch yourself and you'll wake up." Evan pinched his arm, wishing with his whole being to wake up in his comfy chair with this horrible world locked behind a computer screen. He doubted that he would ever play that game again after this. Yet no matter how hard and how much he wished, nothing happened. He was still sitting on the floor of the cold white bathroom in an apartment that he was expected to call home. He pinched himself harder. He didn't stop when blood began to trickle down his arm to the white tile or when tears of pain fell down his face and ragged breaths racked his shoulders. He only stopped when he heard voices on the other side of the door.

"He's a Glitch, I'm telling you! We should break down the door and bash his head in while we have the chance. If we let this go on anymore he'll get monstr-"

"He isn't a Glitch. He is Evan. If he was a Glitch, he would have attacked us by now, smart or not."

"What about those things he said? They don't make sense, Jonathan! What does...k-kill mean?"

"I don't know. Please, just leave Evan alone...This will all make sense eventually…"

"You are just saying that because you care more about him, Jon."

"Don't say that, Craig."

"He's right, Jon."

"No! Leave him be! Tyler please!"

"We have to do something about him. If he is a Glitch...We have to get rid of him before he turns us into Glitches."

"So we go in there now and destroy him then. Easy."

"How can you say that? He's your friend! How could you talk about him like that?"

"That thing in there isn't my friend. Evan never cried at the sight of blood before. You know that isn't our Evan in there."

"Craig is right, Jon. This Evan is off...He could very well be a Glitch. We don't know for sure though if he is. We just can't go on not knowing. If one us turns into a Glitch because him…"

"That won't happen."

"How do you know?"

Evan stared at the white wall across from him, a feeling of sickness coming over him. He felt that if he left that room, if that door opened, he'd never live to make it back to his own world where his friends didn't feel the need to bash his skull in to feel safe again. Tears slipped down his cheeks slowly, falling onto his red and white jacket that he hadn't even bothered to take off. It was the only thing that felt real to him. On the floor where he had thrown it, his owl mask stared at him almost as intently as he had stared at his own reflecting, waiting for a glitch.

A knock at the door made Evan jump, looking up at it with wide, terror filled eyes. He curled his hands into fists, hoping that if he stayed silent, whoever was on the other side would leave him alone. A second knock echoed through the room, the loud noise upsetting to Evan who had become used to the constant buzz of the light.

"Evan?" Jonathan's soft voice said through the door. Evan felt relieved, but only a little bit. He didn't know if he had been convinced by the others to smash his head in on the tile floor or not. "Evan please let me in…"

Evan got to his feet slowly, stepping towards the door that he unlocked. He looked behind Jonathan to see if there were others there with baseball bats and guns but there was nothing behind him but an empty hallway. He stepped back, letting Jonathan in who closed the door behind him. Evan leaned against the wall before sliding back down it to the cold tiled floor. He didn't want to look at Jonathan, a part of him still unable to accept that Jonathan was really there, that he was really alive like nothing was wrong. Jonathan sat down beside him, his blue hood pulled up over his head. "Are you okay, Ev?" He asked, turning to look at his friend. Evan didn't say anything, hugging his knees as he stared at the cold, tiled floor and listened to the light buzzing. "The guys are scared...They've never seen you...break down like that before. They've never heard those words that you said before. They think that you aren't the person that you used to be anymore."

"Who do you think I am?" Evan asked after a moment, his eyes still on the tiled floor.

"I believe you, Evan. You are who you say you are. Evan. I'll make sure they don't hurt you." Jonathan said softly. Evan didn't want to tell him that he didn't believe him when he said that. Jonathan could do nothing to defend himself against Tyler and those who firmly believed that Evan was a monster despite what he said.

"I'm scared." Was all Evan said instead of what he truly felt.

"It's okay, Ev. We'll figure it out somehow. Maybe your head will heal and you'll be back to normal. Just...for your sake...Don't freak out when one of us gets hurt again." Jonathan laughed. "Brock told me all about it."

"It isn't funny." Evan whispered, barely loud enough for Jonathan to hear. Jonathan looked at Evan with confusion, not sure why he was making a big deal out of it. "I thought you were gone...That isn't funny."

"Oh...I-I...I'm sorry, Evan. I didn't know that that upset you so much. It never had before." Jonathan said quietly, looking away from Evan who had started to cry again, his tears falling onto red leather. "Please don't cry, Evan! I'm right here! Everything is fine! None of us are ever going to hurt you!" Jonathan pulled him into a warm hug, his blue hoodie feeling soft against Evan's tear stained cheek. "It's all okay. We love you."

Evan couldn't stop the sobs. Hearing those words and being able to hug someone who he thought he'd never be so physically close to before brought more tears to his eyes. A part of him, the part that feared for his life with every passing moment wanted to wake up. That part was okay with never being able to hug Delirious because it meant he wouldn't try to bash his skull into the wall till there was nothing left but flesh and pieces of bone.

Another part of him wanted to stay like this, in this jacket, on this cold floor with his faces pressed against that blue hoodie. All of his friends in one place, all of them happy and seeming to have not a care in the world. It was what he always wanted and now he had it. He couldn't let it go because he was scared. He was their Evan. Aggressive, violent and care-free. He could be that Evan. What is the difference between computer programmed blood and real blood?

Evan laid on the red couch, the warm blanket pulled around himself. The room wasn't as silent as Evan would hope it was. His friends were restless in their sleep, tossing and turning, signing and groaning as they stretched to get more comfortable. The city outside seemed just as restless, sirens wailing constantly and car horns and the occasional bang that sounded like fireworks echoing through the night. It was all too loud to let him sleep peacefully.

"It'd be easy to do it now. He's sleeping. Wouldn't even know what happened to him."

"No. Jonathan would know. We'll have to figure something else out."

"I can't sleep knowing that thing...that Glitch is right there. He could snap at any second."

"You are being a bit dramatic...But I understand. It makes me nervous too."

"We shouldn't talk so loud...Glitches hear everything."

Evan woke with his cheeks stained with tears, his eyes dry from crying himself silently to sleep. Jonathan lay asleep on the floor beside him, his hood falling over his face. Evan realised that he wasn't wearing his mask for once and the temptation to see what his friend really looked like made him forget about the pain of what he had overheard last night.

Reaching over the edge of the couch, he brushed the hood aside to see the soft features of his face. Evan smiled because they suited him perfectly. He leaned his head against his arm, looking down at Delirious who hadn't been there beside him when he had fallen asleep which meant he must have heard Evan's sobs and wanted to be close to him. Evan felt comforted by such an idea. Jonathan was right, they all loved him. His fear was over nothing.

"Get up everyone." Tyler's voice seemed to boom through the room, shattering the silence. His hands landed on Evan's back, shaking him as if to wake him up aggressively. "We're gonna play the Maze game today."

"M-Maze game?" Evan's eyes widened as he rolled over to look up at Tyler who smiled darkly, as if there was more to the game than what Evan thought it was. Evan took a deep breath as Tyler nodded. He had played this game before several times. He could do this. He had laughed when killing his friends in this game before. It wasn't scary. He would come back... Wouldn't he?

The maze looked exactly how Evan knew it from the game he knew as 'Murder Maze.' Of course his friends here just called it the 'Maze Game' which sounded more unsettling to Evan than the other name.

"Do we have to do this?" Evan asked, staying close to Brock and Jonathan.

"Just go with it...Tyler is doing this to test you. This game is brutal and cause you broke down over a tiny gunshot, Tyler wants to see if you are still really yourself. If not...He's gonna think you are a Glitch and nothing can stop Tyler when he's set on something." Brock explained quietly.

"Just stay with us and it'll be okay." Jonathan smiled. "And if you get hurt... Don't panic because you'll Come Back."

"What if I suffer? Like Tyler said before he shot you?" Evan asked, his nervous eyes on Tyler. "Wouldn't that make me into a Glitch?"

"It does. A Glitch's whole existence is about suffering. So if you are hurt and don't start the Come Back right away...You gotta speed up the process." Jonathan said, his serious gaze through his mask seeming to burn through Evan who nodded slowly with understanding.

"Jonathan! Why don't you be our first Chaser tonight?" Tyler suddenly said loudly from where he stood on the stairs that lead down the maze. In his hand was a large axe, its blade reflecting the neon lights from the buildings around them. Jonathan nodded, forcing a smile onto his face as he took the axe.

"This'll be fun." Daithi laughed as Jonathan moved away from the group, his smile falling once his back was turned. Evan felt vulnerable without Jonathan near him, finding himself moving even closer to Brock.

"As soon as the countdown starts, you have to run. Don't stop running, even if you lose me." Brock whispered.

"I know how to play this game." Evan said, though he wasn't sure who he was saying it to.

"Prove it to Tyler, not me. He is the one who doesn't believe you." Brock said, glancing to the other side of the stairs where Tyler, Craig, Daithi and Marcel stood, glancing occasionally at Evan and Brock. Lui stood in the middle of them, a nervous look on his face as if he could feel the tension between them.

"Are we all ready?" Jonathan laughed, the crazy tone in his voice sending chills through Evan.

"Ready." Evan called back, glancing at Tyler whose face remained expressionless.

"Ten…" Evan stumbled forward, a gentle push from Brock sent him down the stairs. He looked back over his shoulder as he began to run, finding himself stuck in the middle of Craig and Tyler. "Nine." Craig gave Evan a hard shove into the hedge, the hard branches digging into his skin. He fell back, realising that he was the last one in the group and struggling to keep up. "Eight." Evan stumbled down the path, Jonathan's voice becoming quieter the farther away he got. "Seven."

"Come on... Don't stop. We need to get away from the group. If one of them goes down, they'll come back as Chasers and we're screwed if we are near them." Brock said urgently, breaking away from the group. Evan followed him, his lungs already starting to heave for air.

"Six." Evan remembered how this game had made him nervous but in a way that he could laugh about it. It wasn't something that had made him fear for his life more with every passing second. "Five. Four."

"Come on, Ev!" Brock cried, running farther ahead. Evan was already starting to slow down as he turned the corner, suddenly losing Brock in the dark maze. His lungs burned for air, his owl mask making him feel like he was suffocating.

"Brock?"

"Three. Two."

"Brock! Where did you go?" Evan stumbled down the path, looking desperately for his friend, the only other person besides Jonathan that he could trust.

"One! Here I come!"

"Brock! Moo! Where are you?" Evan cried, his eyes welling up with fearful tears as he turned another corner, looking desperately for Brock. "B-Brock!" A sudden scream echoed through the maze followed by nervous laughter. Evan could hear running footsteps but they didn't come close to him.

The wet sound of a cough caught Evan's attention, the air suddenly feeling electric around him as he continued forward. The wet coughing sound continued, getting louder with every step he took. He turned a corner, hearing the sound of blood dripping onto the gravel. At the end of the dark dead end, a figure in a pink shirt and white shorts stood with his back to Evan, his shoulders shaking with every bloody cough. Evan could see blood pooling on the dusty path around the man.

"A-Are you okay?" Evan asked, taking a step towards him though everything in him told him to run. The man coughed again, spitting blood on to the path. The air around Evan crackled with electricity, a strange tension coming over him that made him freeze where he stood, unable to move as the man began to turn. "D-Droidd…." Evan's eyes widened, recognising Arlan's face. Then he saw his eyes glitch.

The Glitch was covered in blood that flowed from a deep wound on his shoulder and chest. Around his mouth was the blood that he had coughed up. The Glitch stared at Evan, his eyes glitching constantly like a broken screen. Evan couldn't move, couldn't stop the tears of fear falling from his eyes like the blood dripping from Arlan's wounds. The Glitch took a slow, unsteady step towards Evan, his bloodied hand reaching up for him. Evan tried to step back, to get away from the Glitch but he couldn't, stuck in one place as the Glitch got closer. Evan couldn't stop staring at his eyes, the way they seemed to pixelate and glitch suddenly. That was what everyone was waiting for his eyes to do. They expected him to be like this bloody monster, a shell of who had once been their friend. The Glitch continued to step forward, and as he got closer, the blood on his face making it difficult for Evan to recognize him as Arlan. The Glitch suddenly stopped right in front of Evan and coughed, it's dark blood splattering onto Evan's owl mask and jacket but he couldn't move to get it off. The Glitch didn't attack him, only stared at him with it's pupiless eyes. Somewhere in the maze, another scream echoed through the maze but there was no nervous laughter that followed this time.

"W-What happened to you, Arlan?" Evan whispered, taking all of his will to speak. The Glitch didn't answer him, only stared.

"Evan!" A hand suddenly curled around Evan's wrist, pulling him away from the Glitch who lunged suddenly and aggressively at Brock. Evan fell to the ground as the Glitch grabbed onto Brock with bloody hands, it's choking screams sounding deafening to Evan. Without thinking, he got up and grabbed the Glitch, pulling Arlan off Brock. He grabbed Brock's hand and they sprinted down the path, hearing the Glitch scream and give chase. "What were you doing? What were you thinking?"

"What were you thinking? It wouldn't have hurt you if you hadn't gotten close!" Evan cried.

"Why didn't it attack you?" Brock cried but Evan couldn't answer. A wail echoed through the maze that made Brock and Evan stop in their tracks. "Tyler…" The heartbroken wail came again, sending chills through Evan.

"He's Glitching!" Tyler screamed in agony. Evan started running again, turning the corner to see Tyler on the dusty path turned red with blood. In his arms was Craig, a wound similar to the Glitch's on his shoulder oozing blood. His eyes were open, and pixelating. Slowly,

not suddenly like Arlan's were. Tyler looked up at Evan with fury, tears streaming down his face. "He's Glitching!" Tyler screamed again, looking back down at Craig's eyes.

"Tyler…" Brock said softly, taking a step towards him. "We gotta leave him...Unless you want to destroy him." Silence filled the maze except for the occasional bloody cough from Arlan's Glitch that seemed to haunt the maze where Evan assumed that he became a Glitch in and had been left to lead a terrible existance.

"It's his fault." Tyler suddenly said, breaking the silence. Evan looked up to see Tyler's furious gaze burning through him, murder in his eyes.

"I didn't touch him. I was far away from him!" Evan cried as Tyler set Craig down on the bloody path. He got up, advancing slowly towards Evan who had never felt so scared in his life. He wished that Tyler had worn his pig mask so he wouldn't have been able to see the fury in his face but he had chosen to leave it. Evan struggled to breathe through his owl mask, the scent of rubber filling his lungs. "Plea-" Tyler hit Evan, the sound of breaking bone under Tyler's fist echoing in Evan's ears. He fell backwards to the dusty path, blood splattering against the inside of the mask and blurring his vision.

Tyler pinned Evan down to the path, ripping his mask off before hitting him again, his blood on his knuckles. Brock screamed at Tyler to stop, trying to pull him off Evan but Tyler pushed him off, against the hedge. Evan had never felt so much pain before, his struggle to fight back becoming weaker and weaker as Tyler hit him.

"It's your fault! It's your fault!" Tyler screamed. "You fucking Glitch! That's what you are! I'll fucking destroy you!"

"Tyler!" Jonathan's familiar voice rang in Evan's ears. Tyler looked up, getting off Evan as Jonathan ran towards them, his axe now bloody and held tight in his hands. Evan couldn't move, only lay in the dusty path as the wounds on his bruised face bled. "Tyler don't!" Jonathan yelled as Tyler made a grab for the axe, trying to pull it from his hands. Jonathan held on to it as tightly as he could but was no match against Tyler.

"T-Tyler...please…" Evan choked on his own blood, wondering if this was how Arlan felt, drowning in his own blood. Tyler ignored Jonathan and Brock's cries of protest as he raised the axe over his head. He brought it down with force on Evan.

A sickening sound of blood splattering, bone breaking and flesh ripping echoed through Evan's ears as darkness descended over him.