When the Lights Go Out: MAN OF MEDAN [The Dark Pictures Anthology]

iv. a flirty asshole

Seeing Conrad and Fliss flirt with each other gave me some kind of joy and a little discomfort but I still couldn't help but smile to myself like a fool. Conrad looked... happy. It was like seeing Ed be happy all over again. And yet on the other hand, it was a little hard to watch them flirting and it felt like Ed was cheating on Laura. And I hate it.

Fuck these mixed feelings. I always get like this and it's so hard to keep up with my emotions. Sighing, I focused on the peacefulness of the sea instead.

This isn't right, whatever this is I'm feeling towards this man. There's just no point in all this. Conrad isn't Ed, and I'll only keep hurting myself if I don't accept that any sooner. But I can't just ignore the ominous fact that he looks precisely as my brother. However, as much as I'm overjoyed, it pains me to see him after all these years again, like nothing happened, like his death didn't mean anything at all and the pain and anguish I felt that ensued from his passing was a complete nonsense. Conrad doesn't even know who I really am. He just thinks of me as Emma Lincoln, his sister's friend who hates him. This is all too much.

Maybe all of this is just a hallucination, I don't know. Maybe this is another thing my brain had come up with as some sort of coping mechanism. Sure, he's been gone for 6 years, but that doesn't change anything. He's always been here with me and I kid you not when I tell you that a day never passes that I don't think of him and that fateful day.

But if this is real, then... why? Why am I going through all this? Why am I seeing him again? Why now? I just can't seem to find any clue pointing to answers I seek for. But who knows what the Curator could do?

Nonetheless, it was utterly delightful seeing Ed's face again. And I'm still thankful for the Curator for letting me see him again, even for just a brief moment.

As I was staring into the sea, a speedboat appeared, and it looked like a group of people, maybe fishermen, were going to our direction. But something about them made me a little uneasy.

"Guys..." I called for the both of them. "You gotta see this."

These men were probably not bad people and I'm just panicking here for no reason but there's this weird feeling in my stomach again.

Conrad finally got up and walked closer to where Fliss and I were. "What's that about?"

"That is not the coast guard. So we're not under arrest." Fliss said, sounding relieved yet nervous. So she's feeling the same way I do about these men.

"But who are they?" I asked Fliss worriedly. They were getting closer and I felt like my knees were getting weaker that I couldn't stand properly.

"How should we handle this?" Conrad asked.

Fliss was getting more worried by the second. "This feels... off."

"I know..." I whispered.

"Just be quiet and don't say anything stupid, okay?" Fliss reminded Conrad, too afraid he'd do something to provoke these men. And I was also kinda scared of what Conrad will do to anger these men. He seems like a man that causes trouble everywhere.

The men were getting closer and I could practically hear my heart beating louder even though their speedboat's engine was loud as well.

"Hey, watch out!" Fliss called out.

They collided with the dive line and I can already tell that their boat had taken damage. I kinda felt bad for them but Julia and Alex were probably affected as well and who knows what had happened to the both of them down there.

Fliss was still worried about Julia and Alex and so she told the men to go away but as my suspicions were right, they demanded to be paid. I tried searching my pockets if I had money but there was nothing but emptiness. Right, I'm currently in my "Emma clothes" right now.