Jay couldn't believe his eyes as they dart back and forth, going from one side of the screen to the next, taking in the words.

His iconic red eyes grew impossibly wide as he reread the email multiple times. He squints and moves closer to the screen as if doing so will make what he's reading become real.

Jay stared at his screen as the email loaded. He saw Sam's and Colby's names meshed in the subject. He took a step backward as the words came into focus on the email.

He shook his head in disbelief. Sam and Colby had just asked him to collaborate with them on their YouTube channel! Two of his favorite YouTubers! Hardly able to contain his excitement, Jay wrote a reply, not wanting to seem overeager. Soon enough he got a response back with all the important details about when and where they would meet up.

Jay paced back and forth in his room, his mind racing with ideas for the collaboration. He had always admired Sam and Colby's adventurous spirit and their ability to capture the attention of millions of viewers with their thrilling videos.

He spent the next few days preparing for the meeting,

considering his contribution to their collaboration. Finally, the day arrived and Jay nervously made his way to the meeting spot, his heart beating fast with anticipation.

As he approached, he could see Sam and Colby waiting for him, their cameras already set up and ready to go. They greeted him warmly and quickly got down to business, discussing the details of the video.

As they began filming, Jay couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline. He was finally living out his dream, collaborating with two of his favorite YouTubers. They explored abandoned buildings, climbed rooftops, and even went bungee jumping, all while capturing the excitement on camera.

The small LED lights of their flashlights only barely broke through the darkness inside the warehouse. Sam and Colby were clad in black clothing and kitted out with cameras and portable recording equipment. Jay didn't get the all-black memo and was wearing a dusty orange shirt, black pants, and a grey jacket.

The three of them had been walking through the abandoned machinery for a while now. They were talking to each other and the camera, discussing what they had discovered so far about the building. As they spoke, they directed the small light attached to their camera toward the junkyard of machinery that sat around them like a dinosaur graveyard.

"It's dark in here," says Sam as she looks around with her flashlight, "I can't see a thing."

Everyone is still and silent, staring into the darkness. Their eyes slowly adjust to the lack of light, but nothing is revealed. Sam is holding her breath, eyes wide staring into the darkness. Jay is holding the camera slightly out in front of himself, peering through the camera lens like a periscope. Colby hands his flashlight to Sam and begins rummaging around in his bag looking for something. He Pulls out some of the ghost-hunting equipment they brought. They pulled out and set up two flashlights and a rem pod.

Once the equipment was set, Colby looked at the camera with a smirk on his face. "Alright, let's see if we can find some ghosts in this spooky old warehouse," he said, his voice filled with excitement.

Jay couldn't help but feel his heart racing as they started to explore the warehouse with their ghost-hunting equipment. As they walked through the abandoned machinery, the rem pod started to beep erratically, making Jay's hair stand on end. Sam and Colby started to ask questions into the darkness.

"Is there anyone here with us?" Sam asked, his voice echoing through the empty warehouse.

The rem pod beeped again, louder this time, and Jay couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. As they continued exploring, they heard strange noises coming from the shadows, and their flashlights caught glimpses of movement in the corners of their eyes.

Suddenly, the rem pod started to beep even faster

Jay felt pain flood his stomach. He tried his best not to react, for the video and his new friends' sake, but he couldn't help the slight wince and the hand that shot up to his abdomen. It didn't go unnoticed as Colby looks at him with a concerned look "Jay, are you alright?" Colby asked, turning his attention away from the ghost-hunting equipment.

Jay shook his head, trying to push past the pain and discomfort. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, his voice strained.

But as they continued exploring, the pain persisted, growing worse with each passing minute. Jay tried to hide it, not wanting to ruin the collaboration, but soon it became too much to bear.

"I'm sorry, guys," he said, his voice shaking. "I think I need to sit down for a minute."

Sam and Colby immediately stopped what they were doing, their concern evident on their faces. Jay sat down on a nearby crate, his head in his hands as he tried to catch his breath.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, his voice soft yet urgent.

Jay took a deep breath, trying to push past the pain. "I don't know," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sam and Colby were silent for a moment.

"Maybe you should go back to the hotel," said Colby, his voice laced with worry.

"No!" Jay said a little too loud. "I mean, no," he says quieter. "Just give me a few minutes, I don't want to ruin the video."

Sam and Colby nodded, but their eyes told him they were not convinced. Jay sat for a few more moments before the pain subsided enough for him to stand. He got up slowly, waiting to see if his legs would hold him. Once he was confident he could continue he let the others know.

Sam and Colby walk over. "Jay, we were talking" Sam starts "and we think that maybe we should finish filming the video, and then you can rest in the hotel."

Jay thinks for a moment, "That's a good idea." he says, taking a deep breath.

"But" Colby starts "If you start feeling any worse you need to let us know. We can always film the rest of the video later; okay?"

Jay nods. "Okay, I will."

They finish the video; Sam and Colby keep a closer eye on Jay than he'd like. They pack everything up and start heading back to the hotel.

The drive back is uneventful, and everyone is a little relieved. After they check into the hotel, Sam and Colby make sure that Jay gets into his room before they head to theirs.

As soon as Jay is inside, he starts to strip off his clothes; but before he can even get his shirt fully off he feels a twist in his stomach and tastes a metallic tinge in his mouth. He rushes to the bathroom and empties the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

After he's finished, he rinses his mouth and brushes his teeth before sitting on the edge of his bed and burying his head in his hands. He debates on telling Sam or Colby but he thinks it might just worry them. He'll tell them if it gets worse, he reasons.

With another twist of his stomach, he's back in the bathroom. This time he just stays in there. Tears slide down his cheeks, he hates being sick like this. He was fine before the warehouse. As he wipes his mouth he sees something that makes him freeze. Red. On his hand. And more on the toilet seat.

He suddenly feels cold all over and his heart rate picks up.

It's blood.

He's bleeding.

"Fuck," he mumbles to himself. He quickly stands giving home a head rush that he really didn't need at that moment. he scrambles for his phone on the bed and tries to call Sam, Colby, someone, but before he can he has to rush back into the bathroom. These are starting to hurt, he thinks. He lifts his phone in a shaking hand. There are some red flecks on it. He dials the first number in his recent calls list.

He hears Colby's voice through the speaker "Hey, buddy, how's the rest of the night going?" Colby says cheerfully.

"Colby" Jay chokes out slightly weak.

"Jay? Buddy, what's wrong?"

"It got worse." Is all he can get out before he feels the now familiar twist again. He has no time to grab the toilet before his mouth is full of the taste of iron.

"Jay!" Colby's voice is frantic, and Sam is frantically asking questions that Jay can't hear over the ringing in his ears.

He can't take it anymore; his vision starts to fade.

"Help"

As the world around him goes dark, he hears the door to his room swing open.

And then there is nothing.

Jay's eyes shot open. He was laying in bed, his heart was pounding, and he was drenched in sweat. His eyes dart around the room, he didn't recognize anything. Where the fuck was he?

The walls were a sterile white, there was a light pull on his arm as he tried to shield his eyes from the overly aggressive white lights. A hospital, he reasoned.

The door creaked open and a nurse entered the room, she had kind eyes and a soothing voice.

"Hello, Mr. Fletcher," she said softly. "My name is Nurse Gomez, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good." He croaked out "Maybe a bit thirsty." he tried to lighten the mood.

"Of course," Nurse Gomez replied with a small smile.

She walked over to a counter and picked up a glass of water with a straw. She handed it to him, and he gratefully took a sip.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fletcher, I don't mean to be rude but we need to know exactly what happened."

"You don't know?" He asked, confused.

"Not exactly," Nurse Gomez replied, her expression soft.

"I was with a couple of friends; we were exploring an abandoned warehouse and my stomach started hurting, so I sat down to rest, but then it got worse and then, and then I was here."

Nurse Gomez nodded. "Well, you were admitted last night by, I'm assuming, your friends. The doctor will be in to speak to you shortly. For now, do you need anything?"

"I'm fine for now, thank you."

"I'll come back in a bit to check on you. If you need anything just press the button," she said, gesturing to the light pull on his arm.

She left the room and he was alone with his thoughts. Thought back to last night. He thought about Sam and Colby. "Poor guys," he mumbled to himself. They probably thought he was dying. He had to apologize when he got the chance. As he was lost in thought he almost missed the knock on the door just before it opened.

A tall man walked into the room. He had dark brown hair that was neatly combed back, and he was wearing a white coat. "Good morning, Mr. Fletcher," he said in a smooth and soothing voice.

"Good morning," Jay said, sitting up a bit in the bed.

"I'm Dr. Green, I'm the attending physician for your case. I've reviewed your medical records and your blood tests and I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

"Sure, no problem," Jay replied.

"I'd like to start by asking what you remember from last night."

Jay took a moment to collect his thoughts. "I was with my friends, Sam and Colby, we were exploring an abandoned warehouse," he started, then he paused, "But then my stomach started to hurt, so I sat down and when we got back to our hotel it got worse, I threw up, and I woke up here."

Dr. Green nodded as he took notes on his clipboard. "Anything else?"

"No, sir."

"Okay, so, I'm going to go over the tests we ran on you," he started as he pulled up a chart on his laptop.

"As you are probably aware, you were admitted to the ER with severe stomach pain and vomiting blood. We were able to figure out that it was a stomach ulcer. we had to run a series of tests. Your ulcer is quite large."

Jay nodded along, trying to take it all in.

"We will keep an eye on it but for now we have you on an antibiotic."

"Will I need surgery?"

"There should be no need for surgery but if it has not gotten any better in a few weeks I recommend coming back for us to recheck it."

"Okay."

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"No, thank you, Dr. Green."

"Okay, then you are cleared for discharge. I will tell your friends and get the nurse to help you out. Please take it easy for at least the next week and try not to eat any irritating or spicy food for a while."

Jay nodded, and the doctor left the room. A nurse came in shortly after to give him his clothes and get him into a wheelchair.

"Alright, Mr. Fletcher, I'm just going to remove this," she said as she started to take out his IV. "and we are good to go!"

"Thanks, Ms. Lopez."

"Anytime, Mr. Fletcher. Let's go see your friends." The nurse smiled as they left the room. "They were so worried about you, stayed here all day waiting for you and constantly asking about you."

"Aw, they were?" Jay asked as they headed toward the hospital's entrance.

"Yes, Mr. Fletcher. They really seem to care about you."

Jay just smiled in silent appreciation.