The most realistic game experience (Smosh fanfiction)

[[ch. 6]] The imposter

Ian's P.O.V.

A jerked awake with my heart pounding twice as much as it should, thinking I had a nightmare. But as I looked around, I realized I wasn't asleep. And I can't wake up from this. 

I was sitting on the ground of a small dark room. I tried to stand up, but my hands were tightly cuffed to the wall behind my back. I tried calling out Anthony's name, but there was tape over my mouth, and it wouldn't let out a sound.

Is that why I was so scared before? I guess so... and where the hell is Anthony? 

Suddenly, a candle I didn't know was next to me lit up and revealed a note pinned on the wall.

Congratulations on passing the quiz. It was easy wasn't it? Well, for that, I prepared something harder.
As you noticed, you're alone once again. Don't worry, Anthony is not hurt. Probably. He's right behind this wall, trying to find an exit. And he thinks that he is with you...

WHAT? How can he think he's with me?!!

...Anthony's quest is to find out it's not really you. It shouldn't be so hard, but if he doesn't notice change in 'your' behaviour and...one slight detail, he's going to continue to the next room with the imposter. As you know, you have to finish the game together, therefore if Anthony finds the exit before he finds out it's not really you, he can't return back and you're both doomed. If Anthony finds out, the wall between the two of you falls down and he unlocks the handcuffs with the key hanging above your head. Then you're free to continue to the next level. Good luck.

I felt my stomach twisting in nervosity. 

He knows me too well, there is no way he wouldn't figure out it's not me, right?
Right...?

All I can do  is... sit here and wait whether he actually can tell the difference. 

It hasn't been that long since I woke up, but I already felt miserable. It was agony to just wait and not be able to do anything at all.

Oh god. I hope it's over soon.

~~~~~

Long, silent minutes, maybe even hours passed by, and I was still sitting in the dark room lit only by the slowly burning candle.

I suddenly heard muffled voices through the wall. I couldn't pick out any words, but I knew for sure it was Anthony talking. 

He's okay! I am so glad!

Then I've heard another voice. Familiar. Way too familiar.
It was my voice. 

So there really is an imposter...

The voices were really quiet for the first few minutes, but the volume slowly escalated, and in the end, they were screaming at each other. I've missed a big part of the conversation, so I didn't know why they were arguing. I still wasn't able to understand all the words, but I could pick out some.

"...the hell? ....tell me? You can... help you!". It was definitely Anthony. This was followed by a light, muffled thud. "I...mad, but...like that! I am... feel better! I don't get ... being so-"

Then 'Ian' cut him off by yelling at him. I've heard his words very clearly. "Oh my god! Just shut the fuck up already!". Then another thud. This one was way louder. I am pretty sure that whatever was thrown, it landed on the other side of the wall in front of me. 

The fake Ian just kept yelling, and from time to time there was another thud against the wall.

I became really scared.

~~~~~

Anthony's P.O.V.

I was looking in fear at 'Ian'. He still yelled in my face. I didn't know what to do. I was relieved that my best friend isn't going crazy, yet at the same time, I feared for my own life, and was concerned about the real Ian. I felt nauseous, dizzy. 

I was gathering the courage to actually speak up. 

"You... you're not Ian! What did you do to Ian?", I mumbled almost inaudibly. 

He suddenly stopped and looked with his fake eyes deep into my soul. He smirked. 

"Congratulations", he said as he disappeared in a cloud of dust. I started caughing, which didn't help the way I felt at all. My knees failed me and I leaned with my entire weight on the wall behind me. 

I started losing all concept of what's going on. 

The wall behind me started falling apart and then down on the ground. I fell right with it. 

Why am I so tired? And dizzy...? Ugh. I want to sleep...

~~~~~

Ian's P.O.V.

The screaming from the other room stopped. I've heard caughing. Then... breaking, maybe? I saw the light from the other room through the joints between the bricks. The bricks started falling down. I quickly raised my knees above my head to protect myself, at least a bit. 

I've heard the bricks falling around me, burying the candle next to me along with the note. 

Then I've heard a groan. A familiar voice. And this time clearly. I put my legs down, wondering why didn't any of the bricks hit me, and finally saw him. There, among the broken bricks was lying my best friend. But he definitely wasn't fine. He couldn't get up and he kept caughing. And he was bleeding from his forehead.

I tried to scream through the tape,  which only let out litte bit of sound. 

He slowly lifted his injured head. "Ian! There you are!", he said in a quiet, raspy voice. I yelled through the tape again. He tried to stand up and clumsily walked towards me. He tore off the tape.

Aaah! It stings!

"Dude! Oh my god! Are you okay? You're bleeding!"

"... I am?", he asked, touching his forehead with his shaky fingers. When he reached the wound, he let out a hiss of pain and quickly pulled the hand away. Considering the fact he didn't even know he was bleeding, I found it pointless asking how it happened.

"Look, I am going to help you, but I need you to untie me first!"

"Oh... right. How?"

"There are keys hanging above ma head. You'll unlock the cuffs with it."

He reached for the keys and after he dropped them twice, he finally did what he was told to.

"There you go.", he said even more silently. My wrists were red and sore, but I didn't care. I wanted to help Anthony first.  

"Do you have any tissues left?"

He looked confused. "Uhh... yeah, why?", he asked as he handed me the almost full package of tissues.

I took one of the tissues and pressed it against Anthony' wound. "What are you- ouch!"

"Shut up, it'll help you."

"I know. Thanks man."

"Don't worry about it. And how 'bout you held the tissue yourself?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry.", he said as he pressed his own hand against it. 

We sat there for a while until Anthony started feeling better. When he had the color back in his face, the wound was no longer bleeding, and he no longer felt naseous, we continued towards our next quest.