The air felt heavy. Tension forced words to be choked on and swallowed, never to be said. Fear sparked sudden movements. Anger led to side eyed glares, nervous glances and brewing hatred.
Anyone could be the Glitch. Anyone could be watching and waiting for the perfect time to reveal themselves as a monster.
Everyone was watching and waiting to see who would snap first under the pressure.
Luke and Sydney would patrol the apartment, watching everyone for any sign that would give away the Glitch. They couldn't trust those who had once been their friends and separated themselves from each other. Tyler claimed the bedroom, wrapping himself in blankets and refused to listen to Luke when he yelled at him for locking the bedroom door.
Daithi and Lui stayed close, sitting on the floor in the kitchen but distanced themselves.
Their trust was fading faster with every passing moment.
Lui would glare venomously at whoever stepped by him to get something to eat till they were gone. Daithi huddled into a ball in the corner, silent and watching.
Jonathan sat on the couch, trying to avoid the glares from Daithi and Lui or from Tyler when he emerged to get a beer only to disappear again down the hallway. He pulled his hood up and curled into a ball on the couch.
He wanted to be out of this apartment.
He wanted everything to go back to normal. What Evan had said had shaken him. He tried to believe him and the crazy things he had said. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something about Evan had become distorted.
Much like the Glitch.
He shook his head, angry at himself for having such thoughts. He was Evan, not the Evan he thought he was but still him.
Jonathan wondered if he could make this Evan into the one in his memory.
His gaze wandered to where Evan was outside on the balcony, sitting on one of the wicker chairs watching the rain. Evan floated between the balcony and the couch. He said that he just wanted air when he would get up and push open the sliding door but he wanted more than that. He couldn't stop thinking about how he had fallen into this world. Maybe the way out of it would be to fall out of it. He just had to work up the courage to do it.
Evan sat on the lounge chair, his arms wrapped around his legs as he watched the rain. The cold air sent chills through him but he was grateful for it. The cold was better than that warm, stuffy apartment. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting out here, listening to the overwhelmingly loud city.
The sirens. The cars. The rain. The occasional gun shot. The Glitches. The sound of voices, laughing, shouting, screaming.
A tap on the glass startled Evan, snapping him out of his trance. He turned to see Sydney standing by the sliding glass, her hair so blonde it looked purple in the neon glow. She gave Evan a small smile.
"Luke wants to talk to all of you...You should come in." Evan nodded and got to his feet, following her inside. "How are your hands doing?" She motioned towards the gauze that tightly wrapped around his burnt hands. He shrugged.
"They still sting. The cold air feels nice." Evan explained, sitting down across from Jonathan as the other reluctantly entered the room. They spread out, not wanting to be close to anyone.
Anyone could be the Glitch.
"There is one common factor in all Glitches that we have learned. I'm sure you know of it too. Glitches hear everything. Most of them can't see because a major head wound is the leading cause of Glitching. Also, we think that the glitching in their eyes also blinds them. So they have developed incredible hearing. You are all going to be honest when I ask you what you hear." Luke said darkly as he looked around the room at all of the boys.
"And if we aren't?" Daithi asked. Luke didn't answer. He didn't have to. Tension filled the room. Evan struggled to breathe. He had to remain calm if he wanted to survive this.
"What do you hear, Daithi?" Luke asked, staring down at Daithi.
"Nothing. Just the occasional siren from outside." Daithi shrugged. Luke nodded, stepping past him towards Lui.
"What do you hear, Lui?"
"I hear the city. Cars and stuff." Lui said, keeping his gaze on Luke. Luke moved on.
"What do you hear Tyler?"
"Like Lui said…Just the city."
"What do you hear, Jonathan?"
"The city and the rain."
"What do you hear, Evan?" Evan looked up at Luke with wide eyes.
He could hear everything. The sirens. The helicopters. The Glitches. People talking. The rain. Every heartbeat in the room. Ever since he had woken up in this strange neon world, Evan had heard everything.
Every secret conversation around him.
Every panicked breath.
Every pained sigh.
Every shriek from a Glitch. He heard it all.
"Nothing." He said, staring up at Luke. He prayed that he wouldn't see the slight nervous tremor of his hands under the gauze or hear how fast his heart was beating. Luke slowly turned to face the room. Evan couldn't breathe.
"One of you is lying."
"It's Evan! I know he fucking hears everything! I've seen him once, suddenly turning as if he heard something but no one heard anything! He hears everything! He listens to us talk about him!" Lui cried. "He's faking it because he knows what we wanna do to him."
"Shut up! Stop saying all these stupid fucking lies, Lui! You weren't angry at him before! Why now?" Jonathan snapped, getting to his feet to stare darkly at Lui.
"Because we have lost too many friends since all of this shit started with him. We are all going to Glitch! This world is going to end! Destroyed! All thanks to him." Lui snarled. "You've never really cared about us, have you Evan?"
"I do care!"
"Really? Cause all you have ever done was use us! You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for us! You fucking laughed at us when we got hurt and Came Back. You have been using us since the day Anthony found you suffering and look at what you did to him!"
"Shut the fuck up, Lui!" Tyler suddenly seemed tense at the mention of Anthony, his hands curling tightly into fists. Evan struggled to keep up. He didn't remember Panda being in this world. He had never seen him. Probably because he had Glitched long ago. He couldn't think of what to say for anything could be the wrong thing that would get him destroyed.
"I'm right, Tyler! You fucking know it! It's just like what he did to Arlan! Evan has Glitched so many of our friends! And now, he is a Glitch that is torturing us because that is what he has always loved to do! I bet he's trying not to laugh right now, aren't you, Evan?" Lui yelled.
"Are you sure you hear nothing, Lui?" Evan said, looking up at Lui with dark eyes. If he couldn't think of an answer to something he couldn't remember, then he would drag Lui down with him. Lui was taken aback by the question. "Are you sure you aren't lying?" Evan asked, standing up slowly. "You said that I had overheard all of your conversations but how do you know that? Maybe it was you who overheard everyone's conversations."
"It wasn't! I'm not the Glitch!" Lui cried as everyone stared at him with the same questioning glances they had once gave Evan.
"Has anyone ever checked your eyes?" Evan demanded, taking a step towards Lui who shrunk back, suddenly no longer supported. He was terrified.
"No…"
"Then allow me." Evan suddenly grabbed Lui around the neck, his hands tightening as he brought Lui to the floor. He pinned him down by the throat, staring darkly into his eyes as he leaned forward. "If keep trying to bring me down…I'm going to throw you over the balcony just like Tyler did to me. Then we'll see who the Glitch is." Evan wasn't sure why those words came out of his mouth. He felt powerful. A dark electric energy rippled through the room and put everyone on edge. Lui stared back up at Evan with terrified wide eyes, struggling for air. "Do you understand?" His growling voice was only loud enough for Lui to hear. Lui nodded frantically.
Evan let go and got to his feet, suddenly feeling dizzy. He leaned against the couch, suddenly feeling sick and disgusted by what he had just done. In his normal world, Evan knew he never would have hurt Lui like that.
This wasn't a normal world and he wasn't normal.
Daithi knelt down beside Lui as he coughed and breathed heavily, still shaking with fear. Evan turned to the Glitch Hunters who were still in shock by what Evan had done and the electric energy that had surged through the room. "H-He's fine."
The neon purple glow filled the dark room. No a single star could be seen in the orange hazy sky. The Glitches swarmed the street below, attacking any living soul who was unfortunate enough to find themselves there. The occasional scream of pain and shriek from a Glitch would echo up to the apartment, breaking the usual sound of the neon lights buzzing.
Evan sat on the floor by the large windows, leaning his head against the cool glass. It had finally stopped raining but clouds still lingered on the horizon, a warning of a coming storm. He couldn't stop thinking about the violence that had overcome him. When he had grabbed Lui's throat with enough force to turn him into a Glitch, he hadn't thought twice about it. Something in him had enjoyed the violence and wanted more. It had felt animalistic. It had felt like he had sharp claws and teeth and craved the taste of blood. It had felt like he was a monster.
The soft sound of voices drifted down the hall, their words catching Evan's attention. He was sick of listening to the harsh noises of the city around him.
"That wasn't our Evan that did that."
"I think Evan is the Glitch. He has changed his identity since that fall, hasn't he? This Glitch is hiding its identity behind something else. It's very possible that to protect itself it purposefully took away some, if not all, of it's memory. You were there when Evan came too after the fall...I heard you were the one that threw him over the railing. How bad was his head wound?"
"I didn't mean to glitch him, Luke!"
"How bad was his head wound?"
"...He should have Glitched. There was so much blood. Marcel thought that for sure...he would Glitch. I tried to stay hopeful but not anymore."
"Did you Glitch Craig?"
"No. Jonathan did it. I don't know if Evan was close to them when it happened."
"We will deal with Evan in the morning. We'll have to wound him...Shoot him...Either he will Glitch as a result of being being so close to the result or he will reveal himself as the Glitch we are searching for. Either way, he'll be destroyed tomorrow."
"Good. I can't stand looking at him anymore."
Evan felt sick. He had to get out.
He had to get out.
He had to get out.
GET OUT.
Forcing himself to think clearly and breathe, he got to his feet, stumbling towards the couch where Jonathan slept. He placed a gentle hand on Jonathan's shoulder, waking him from his deep slumber.
"Ev...What is it? What's wrong?" Jonathan sat up, fighting back a yawn.
"Shh…" Evan glanced nervously at the hallway where he had heard Luke and Tyler. "They are going to destroy me tomorrow morning...I have to get out of here!" Jonathan's eyes widened, looking nervously at the hallway. He should have asked Evan there how he knew but he didn't. Instead he nodded, throwing back the blanket and grabbed Evan's hand. They tiptoed towards the front door, pulling on their masks and jackets along the way. Evan stopped to tie up his shoes despite Jonathan's urgency.
"We'll get your car and we're gonna step on the gas and not stop till we're far away. I know of a place we can go. No one will find us...Do you remember it, Ev? Only you and I know of it." Jonathan whispered, his eyes on the hallway. Evan looked up at him, images of a bright warm sun, shattered glass on sparkling cement, a bright blue swimming pool and palm trees flashing through his mind. "Well...The other Evan and I only know about it." Jonathan corrected himself. Evan stood up once his shoes were tied and hugged Jonathan. He was surprised, not sure of what to do for a moment.
"I'm so happy that you believe me...But I'm sorry for making you go through of all this. " There were tears in Evan's eyes that fell down his cheeks under his owl mask.
Jonathan didn't nod. He didn't confirm that he believed him.
"Come on. Let's get out of here." Jonathan said, moving away from Evan. He slid the lock back, the sound echoing through the silent apartment.
"Hey!" Luke's voice suddenly yelled.
"Run!" Jonathan threw open the door and bolted down the hallway. Evan followed, slamming the door just in time on Luke. Jonathan pushed open the door to the stairs, the harsh white light hurting Evan's eyes. They sprinted down the stairs, hearing Luke yelling after them. A sudden gunshot rang through the air, echoing painfully in Evan's ears.
The bullet ricocheted off the railing next to him and hit the cement wall. "Fucking Christ!" Jonathan looked back up the stairs to Luke but didn't stop. "Come on, Evan!" Jonathan vaulted over the railing to the stairs below, his arms flailing out as if to propel himself farther through the air. Evan forced himself to do the same, his gauze covered hands slipping on the smooth metal. He stumbled, slamming into the cement wall. He grit his teeth in pain but forced himself to keep going. Adrenaline coursed through him, forcing him to run faster.
Another gunshot rang through the staircase.
Evan's breath suddenly caught in his throat as pain exploded through his right shoulder.
Blood splattered onto the cement.
He stopped, his hand shaking as he pressed it to his shoulder and came away bloody. "Evan!" Jonathan's scream hurt his ears. Arms suddenly wrapped around his throat, the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed to his temple. He struggled against Luke who held on tightly, his grip choking the air from his lungs.
"I knew it! I knew it all along! You are the fucking Glitch!" Luke snarled. "You think you're smart, eh? You're lucky? Not any fucking more." His hand tightened on the gun. Jonathan stood on the landing below, looking up at Luke with wide eyes. Evan closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Electricity surged through the hallway as Evan threw himself forward. Luke was thrown over Evan and hit the cement stairs in front of Jonathan suddenly with a sickening cracking sound. He screamed in pain as he tried to roll, looking up at Evan with wide eyes as he stepped down towards him, a dark look in his eyes. He grabbed Luke under the arms and pulled him up aggressively. He slammed Luke's head against the cement wall, another crack echoing through the staircase. He slammed his head against the wall again, feeling blood drip onto the gauze that covered his burned hands. Evan didn't think twice, grabbing Luke's collar and threw him over the railing to the staircase below.
He didn't get up. Blood dripped down the stairs.
"Evan…" Jonathan stammered. Evan fell against the wall fighting the urge to be sick. Jonathan was suddenly there, hoisting him back up. He pulled his arm around his neck, the other around Evan's waist as he helped him down the stairs. "It's okay...It's okay. It's what you had to do…He would have destroyed you." Evan wasn't sure who Jonathan was trying to comfort. They moved past Luke's body, avoiding the blood that covered the stairs. They didn't notice his eyes glitch. They reached the bottom of the stairs, pushing the door open to the lobby. As Jonathan hurried towards the door that lead to the garage, Evan noticed the lights on the elevator.
"Jon...Someone is coming down."
"Don't stop!" Jonathan cried, pulling Evan towards the door. He pushed it open, both of them stumbling into the white, polished garage. Evan fumbled to find his keys as they hurried towards his sports car.
A sudden gunshot rang through the air, sparks flying off Tyler's car beside them. They turned to see Sydney at the door, her hair so blonde it looked as white the room. Her hands held onto her gun tightly, her eyes wide. Evan couldn't tell if she was scared or angry.
"Stop! Right there! Don't move!" They froze, turning to look at her slowly.
"Sydney...I-I'm not the Glitch! No one believes me and they are going to destroy me tomorrow...I have to get out!" Evan tried to reason with her. She shook her head, her grip tightening on the gun.
"I don't believe you. You are the Glitch. You want to destroy us all." She didn't sound as confident as she wanted to be.
"Please...Just let me go. I won't ever come back." Evan pleaded.
"No matter where you go there will be Glitch Hunters. Besides...you want to be the Evan that you destroyed. You'll come back here." Evan took a step towards her, trying to show her that he wouldn't hurt her. "Don't come near me!" Evan held his hand out towards her, the other reaching to take his mask off.
"I'm Evan...The Evan you know. I haven't destroyed him. I know you, Sydney. Beautiful, funny, sweet Sydney. Let me go and I won't come back. I promise. I won't ever hurt you or anyone else." Evan let the mask fall to the floor.
"You're not the Evan I know. There is something... Different about you. Something wrong." She shook her head. Evan stepped closer to her, the yellow eyes of the owl mask watching him as intently as she did. She took a step back, finding herself against the white wall. She held the gun tightly, aiming at Evan. He wasn't sure if she could actually do it...If she could actually pull the trigger and destroy him. He took another step towards her.
"Plea-"
The gunshot rang through the garage. It echoed painfully in Evan's ears as he stumbled backwards. He was faintly aware of Jonathan yelling his name. He pressed his hands to his chest, the gauze soaked with his blood. He fell to his knees, staring up at Sydney with a heartbroken gaze. The floor rushed up to meet him. He hit his head off the cold polished floor and the world spun around him.
The world started to blur and fade around him.
Blood pooled on the white polished floor.