Music played from the stereo. The warm Californian wind came in through the open window, playing with Evan's hair. The black car sped down the highway followed by a similar black sports car. Evan didn't know where he was going but he didn't want to be in the city. He didn't want to be near any Glitches.
"How could a Glitch do that? Hide it's identity? Is that even possible?"
"The air gets all...crackly when Glitches are around. It'd be hard to hide that."
"You said that they were getting smarter."
His friends' worried voices still echoed in his ears. No one had slept well, watching the city through their windows as if they were waiting for this powerful Glitch to bring it all down around them with one quick explosion.
"It's not Evan."
"He could be playing the part well, Jon."
"It's not Evan."
Evan was playing a part. He was playing the role of the Evan they all wanted him to be. He had convinced himself that he was that Evan so much, that he remembered things he knew he shouldn't be able to. He had memories of things he had never done. He remembered an axe and blood and he remembered drugs and sunsets on the beach. He had never done those things but the Evan they wanted him to be did.
Evan pulled over the sports car. He came to a stop on the dusty side of the highway, the engine still rumbling. He struggled to breathe, suddenly feeling sick as he thought about the memories of things that he had never done before.
"Evan?" Jonathan looked at him with concern as the other car that had been following them with Tyler and Lui inside pulled over in front of them. "What's wrong?" Evan didn't answer. Instead he got out of the car and fell to his knees as he threw up onto the dirt. The flash images of blood and his friends' smiles wouldn't stop. He had never felt so sick, so disgusted with this person he was supposed to be. He threw up everything that had been in his stomach, leaving him weak and shaky.
"Feeling a bit rough, Ev?"
"Let him be, Tyler."
"Are you nervous about something, Ev?"
"I said let him be!"
Jonathan pushed Tyler aggressively. Evan tried to will himself to stop feeling so sick. Tyler was starting to disbelieve him. He didn't want a repeat of what happened in the maze. The pain was something that he never wanted to feel ever again.
"Don't fucking push me."
"Then leave Evan alone! He's been stressed out lately! You know that!"
"Are you defending a Glitch?"
"He isn't a Glitch! How many fucking times do we have to tell you?"
Jonathan pushed Tyler again. Evan wanted to stop them. He wanted to tell Tyler that he wasn't a Glitch, that he was the Evan that he wanted him to be. He leaned his hand against the side of the car, pushing himself back to his feet shakily. Cars sped past them on the highway which only made Evan feel dizzy as he turned to his friends.
"Till I fucking believe it!"
"I thought you did believe him! He comes back fine just like you and me!"
"Comes back, eh?"
"G-guys…" Evan stammered, his head throbbing. Everything was too loud.
"Does he come back like this?"
Tyler suddenly shoved Jonathan with more force than Evan thought he had in him. Jonathan stumbled backwards onto the road, into oncoming traffic. The sound of a horn defended Evan who could only watch as Jonathan was hit by a speeding car. He hit the glass windshield that cracked under him and rolled over the top before landing with a sickening thud on the road, the other cars coming to a stop suddenly. Blood oozed onto the hot, sun warmed pavement. Evan had never felt so sick.
The water had become pink with blood. Bits of dirt and flesh floated in the lukewarm water that filled the bowl. Evan sat beside Jonathan on the bed, cleaning the blood from his head.
"The fuck is wrong with you?"
"He knows better than to fucking shove me around."
Evan tried not to think about what had happened but there was nothing else to think about. The sound of bone cracking had echoed in Evan's ears as Lui had punched Tyler hard across the face, blood splattering from his nose to the dusty path. Evan faintly remembered wondering if Lui would defend him or not. He didn't have time to ask though for he had turned and stumbled towards Jonathan. He knew he'd be okay but the sight of blood and bruises darker than dark almost made him wail with grief. Evan had forced himself to pull Jonathan's limp body back into his car and forced himself to drive back to the apartment, leaving Tyler and Lui to fight among themselves.
Now he sat beside Jonathan and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Waited for him to come back. He couldn't do this without him. Jonathan and Brock fought for him. Tyler would destroy him if Jonathan was gone forever.
Evan closed his eyes, still feeling sick and exhausted. He wanted to sleep safely and soundly. He leaned his head against Jonathan chest, listening for a heartbeat or waiting to feel his chest rise when air filled his lungs but there was nothing.
"How can you live like this? How can you live with them? You must love all of us...but we never treat you with love. Why do you love us, Jon?" Evan whispered. He didn't get an answer. "Please come back to me. I can't live like this…"
"Yes you can…" Air filled Jonathan's lungs as his chest rose and his eyes fluttered open. He sat up, looking at Evan who leaned his head against his chest that was no longer bruised and broken. "You can't despair."
"We just push each other around and hope we don't push too hard! Luke is right...we don't aren't doing anything good with our existence." Evan closed his eyes, wishing to be back in his office chair with nothing to worry about but his next video.
"You said that exact same thing before." Jonathan said quietly. Evan looked up at him, fighting the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "You sound so much like Brian did before he...he...I couldn't let you keep saying those things. I couldn't let you believe those things. I told you that we do the things we do because we have freedom. We have no limitations. I love you now, in this moment because in the next moment, you could become a Glitch and I won't love you then. We are enjoying our existence and everything this world has to offer before it's all taken away. Yes, it does turn us into Glitches faster but we have a good life. That's what I told you. Then you went out with Tyler and Marcel and came back a different person after your fall...You can't despair." He pulled Evan closer. Evan felt Jonathan's tears fall onto his shoulder.
"I won't…" For the first time, Evan felt safe. Exhaustion was catching up to him and all he wanted was to sleep. Jonathan held onto him tightly with no sign of letting go.
So he fell asleep.
Music could be heard from the club blocks away. It poured out of the doors with laughter and shouting. Neon lights flashed and drinks swirled in people's hands as they moved through the club.
Evan had been to clubs before but there was something about this one that made it all overwhelming to him. The air felt electric, the way it felt when Glitches were around. It seemed to make the club goers louder and eager to drink and dance. He sat beside Brock and Lui, his strong drink held tight in his hand. They sat on a row of purple couches on a raised platform where other club goers lounged and talked with their friends, new and old. From where Evan sat, he could see over the whole club. He couldn't count how many people were there, dancing and drinking and having a good time like it was the last night of their lives.
"Funny seeing you guys here. I thought you would be out running each other over with your Lamborghinis or something." Luke said as he walked up to them, Sydney following with a pink drink in her hand. She gave a small smile to Evan.
"Fuck off, Luke." Lui said before Tyler could snap. "We're just having a good time like everyone else." Luke glanced at Sydney with a knowing look.
"Luke no...Not tonight."
"Have you guys heard about what goes on downstairs?"
"No...What?"
"The guys downstairs capture Glitches. They don't destroy them. They just bring them to this club and then people pay them to fight and destroy the Glitches they catch. Of course there is betting too. They put tiny little punks against big bloody Glitches sometimes. It's quite a show." Luke smiled. "If you are interested."
Evan glanced at the others, hoping that they wouldn't like the idea. Luke was trying to challenge them, trying to get them hurt.
"Why not...We aren't doing anything better." Tyler said, taking Luke's challenge. Evan felt sick again and downed his drink.
"Come on, Tyler. He's gonna make us fight a Glitch. We can't do that!"
"Yes we can. We've fought each other and that's pretty close to the real fucking thing."
"Listen to me! If you want this to be some other way to test Evan to make sure that it's really him, it won't work! Evan is Evan. Even I believe him."
Evan was grateful for Lui and how neutral he had been this whole time. He hoped it would be enough to sway Tyler.
"Don't be such a bitch, Lui." Tyler got up, following Luke through the crowded club. The others had no choice but to follow. When one of them wanted to do something, the others always followed. It had always been that way. Evan stayed close to Brock and Jonathan who gave him reassuring smiles. He had to believe that they wouldn't let anything happen to him. The music pounded in his ears and his head throbbed.
Luke nodded to a tall man standing by a black painted door that opened onto a set of rickety wooden stairs. More noise than Evan had ever heard in his life overwhelmed him. Music, shouting and screaming made his head throb in agony. He swore that he could even hear the sound of hearts beating and the heavy breaths of someone in distress. He could hear a chainlink fence rattling aggressively, the sound of blood dripping and a Glitch screaming.
Through the crowd, Evan could see a fighting ring on a raised platform surrounded by a bloody chain link fence. People of all kinds surrounded the fence, yelling and screaming, grabbing at the fence and shaking it. Inside the ring, a Glitch shrieked as it laid on the blood covered floor. A young man covered in blood egged on the cheering crowd before turning and continued to beat the Glitch which shrieked and tried to claw at the man. Evan felt sick, turning to go back upstairs but Daithi grabbed him and spun him back around. Blood dripped from the ring.
The crowd cheered suddenly as the Glitch stopped screaming, laying destroyed on the ring floor in a mangled mess. The young man got back to his feet, a victorious look on his face. He left the ring, splattering blood onto the watchers who seemed to enjoy that just as much as watching it. Evan felt sick, looking at Brock with wide eyes.
"B-Brock...I can't watch…"
"Who will be our next fighter? Who will it be?!" A loud voice called out. The crowd seemed to push at each other, wanting their friend to do it next or those who wanted to do it shifted nervously. A strong hand suddenly grabbed the back of Evan's jacket, pulling him forwards towards the bloody ring.
"Tyler stop!"
"No don't do this!"
"Leave him alone!"
Tyler threw Evan down onto the bloody floor as he opened the gate. Blood splashed around him like he had just been thrown into a pool. He spat blood out of his mouth, looking up as the destroyed Glitch was dragged from the ring to make room for a new looked back at Tyler and his friends as the gate slammed shut before he could get to his feet. He scrambled to his feet, already soaked in blood. He grabbed at the fence, tears streaming down his face.
"Get me out! Get me out! Jonathan! Brock! Help me! Get me out!" Evan screamed, shaking the fence. No one moved to open the gate, only laughed and cheered more. He could see people placing bets, laughing at Evan who continued scream and cry. "Get me out! Please!"
The cheering got louder and the feeling of electricity ran through him. Evan fought the urge not to be sick again as he turned slowly. A tall Glitch staggered into the ring, it's glitching eye empty of life.
The Glitch was missing half of it's head.
Blood dripped from it's broken skull, bits of flesh occasionally falling to the floor. The Glitch stopped in the middle of the ring and stared at Evan who stared back with wide eyes. The crowd cheered, waiting impatiently for the Glitch to rip Evan apart. The Glitch didn't lunge forward like the others had done. It just simple stared.
Evan could hardly breathe.
"Destroy that Glitch!" Tyler was suddenly on the other side of the fence. "You destroy that Glitch or I'm gonna destroy you." The Glitch suddenly lunged, wanting to attack Tyler on the other side of the fence. Evan ducked out of the way, falling to the blood soaked floor. The Glitch stopped when it saw the fence and looked down at Evan, it's glitching eye widening. Evan realised that like Arlan, the Glitch wasn't going to attack him but it had to if he was going to get out of this nightmare. He got to his feet, struggling to breathe from the fear. He took a deep breath before hitting the Glitch, flesh squishing under his fist and blood splattering onto his face. The Glitch screamed, turning suddenly to Evan and screamed again as if he had betrayed the Glitch. "Destroy that fucking Glitch!"
"Pinch yourself and you'll wake up." Evan remembered the words crackling through his headphones. He reached for his left wrist, pinching himself as hard as he could. He wished for the cheering to stop and wished for the feeling of blood soaking through his clothes to stop.
Nothing stopped. It only got louder.
The Glitch lunged at Evan, furious and screaming. He fell back onto the bloody floor, struggling to get the Glitch off. He screamed in pain as it's sharp nails dug into his wrist and cut it open, his hot blood spilling onto the already bloody floor.
"Stop it! That thing is going to Glitch him!"
"Get him out! Please!"
"Destroy that fucking Glitch, Evan!"
"I can't do this…" Evan stammered, struggling under the Glitch that continued to claw at him and scream in his ears. He couldn't hear anything but screaming. "I can't do this…" He could play a challenging video game and outsmart his friends. He could push himself to stay up all night to make the best video. He could not fight a monster for his life. But another part of him, the one with memories of neon lights and blood, could. Something seemed to take over Evan. He rolled, forcing the Glitch to the bloody floor.
He didn't feel in control of his movements.
He hit the Glitch repeatedly, blood splattering onto the floor, fence and his face. The Glitch screamed, trying to get to Evan off. He hit the Glitch again, feeling bone shatter in the Glitch's skull. He grabbed a handful of the Glitch's flesh and pulled, throwing the handful of brain and flesh onto the floor. The Glitch screamed again in agony. Evan got to his feet and brought his right foot down on the Glitch's skull with all his weight, over and over. He stomped on the Glitch's head until there was nothing left but flesh and bits of bones. The Glitch stopped screaming but the crowd continued. They cheered for Evan as he stumbled back, suddenly feeling back in control of himself. A feeling of sickness washed over him and he fought the urge to throw up, disgusted by what he had just done.
The gate opened but Evan was hardly aware of it. Blood dripped down his face and soaked through his clothes. Hands were on him, pulling him out of the ring and back into the crowd.
"That's my boy!"
"Come on, Ev! Imma buy you a drink!"
Evan forced a smile, wiping blood off his face and nodded, dimly aware of the world around him as he was lead back up the stairs and into the bright, neon world of the club.
Cigarette smoke floated through the cool night air. Music and voices could be heard from outside the club. Daithi and Marcel leaned against the wall, watching the neon lights flicker and buzz. They had been shocked to see Evan go from screaming and crying, begging to be let out of the cage to stomping on the Glitch's head till there was nothing left. He had seemed dazed as they brought him back into the club, celebrating his win. He didn't speak unless spoken to, his eyes clouded over. He looked pale and sick. He wanted air but Tyler wouldn't let him leave his side. Daithi and Marcel had left to have a smoke. They stood in silence, both of them wanting to ask the other if they thought that Evan was a Glitch but couldn't find the words.
The sudden sound of tyres screeching caught their attention. A black BMW sped around the corner, the back end hitting a pole in a small explosion of sparks. It came to a sudden stop near Daithi and Marcel who watched the young, drunk driver get out of the car and stumble into the club. Gasoline dripped from the broken pipe.
"Have you ever thought about how disturbing our existence is?" Daithi asked as Marcel took a drag from his cigarette.
"Of course I have...Every day since Brian jumped."
"That wasn't your fault."
"It was our fault. We pushed him too hard... I hope that we haven't pushed Evan too hard."
"We haven't. Evan is Evan...You saw what he did to that Glitch."
"I know that." Marcel threw his cigarette still burning to the gasoline soaked pavement.
"We aren't going to become Glitches any time soon so don't worry abo-"
The sudden explosion ripped through the parking lot and into the building, blowing out windows and set fire to everything in it's path.