"𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕔𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪."

The Phone Call

Mark checked the lock of his front door for the thirteenth time, letting out a shaky sigh. Still locked. Still safe. The broadcast had put him on edge, reminded him of things that he thought he could put behind.

The man in the corner was tall. Too tall. Why was he in his house? Did mommy invite him in? Was that why daddy forgot to check under his bed? He didn't hear the man come in, though. The child tilted his head, confused.

"Hello? Mister?"

There was no answer, nothing that even signified that the man had heard. Suddenly, Mark felt a wave of drowsiness fall upon him, stumbling from his spot on top of the stairs. It wouldn't hurt to just... Fall... Asleep...

Alternates. That's what the broadcast called them. What he'd seen all those years ago, on that scary, sleepless night. He wasn't crazy, like his therapist kept insisting he was. Like Cesar thought he was, with that pitying, concerned look he gave the other when he thought Mark wasn't looking.

Which is why he found himself double checking all his locks, a loaded shotgun at his side. These creatures were dangerous, he needed to be prepared if one of them tried to break in. He'd be ready this time around.

And then the phone started to ring.

He looked at its direction, still, processing. It was so alien, such a familiar noise in a decidedly unfamiliar situation. By the second ring, he'd snapped out of it, propping the shutgun against his couch and making his way to the landline. Mark picked up the phone, pressing it against his ear.

"Hey, it's Cesar. I hope it's not too late."

Mark couldn't help but smile, relieved. Of course it was Cesar. Who else would it have been? Though, it didn't take long for that smile to be wiped off his face, brows furrowing. Was his friend alright? He never called this late, especially not now that he'd started college. Frankly, it was a miracle if Mark heard from him any time after noon nowadays.

"No it's fine, don't worry. What's up, are you alright?"

This was going perfectly. Its next victim had picked up, and from what 3 could tell, he had no idea anything was wrong. Now, all it needed to do was get him over here. It almost didn't realize that Mark had asked it something, too busy thinking of its plan to do so. All it needed to do was fake being Cesar convincingly enough, and keep the human calm.

"Yeah, it's not me. It's my mom. She's knocked out cold and I have no idea why."

His... Mom? What happened to Cesar's mom? Mark could feel his anxiety starting to rise again, his stomach filling with dread. Was his mom hurt? What had knocked her out? Was she sick? He was prepared for the alternates, but Cesar probably hadn't been. Hell, it might not even be an alternate related incident, and his mom might have just gotten ill from overworking herself. But, before he could speak, ask him what had happened to his mom and shed more light on the situation, Cesar had started up again.

"I'm on my way to the ER, but, could you do me a favor?"

A favor. So, it wasn't just to tell him, then. If he wanted Mark to stay on the phone, he'd be fine with that. Besides, he needed to hear someone's voice too, preferably not one from some actor on the TV. The voice of someone he cared about. He took in a breath, trying to calm himself down somewhat. Cesar probably needed someone there for him right now, and Mark couldn't do that if he was too busy being paranoid and nervous.

"Yeah, of course. What is it?"

Hook, line, and sinker. The creature posing as Cesar smiled maliciously, already imagining how much fun it was going to be to see the betrayal in Mark's face, the unshed tears in his eyes as it took his life. Maybe he'd scream, too. It was fun when they screamed. Now, what was a good excuse for him to come over? The alternate looked around the room, silent, before its eyes landed on a lens. The cameras. It was a good thing Cesar almost always forgot to turn them on, the human had always thought nothing bad could happen to him in his own home. So stupid.

"Uh, I just need you to come over and turn on the cameras we have set up. You know, the ones we installed after we were robbed?"

It was then, while listening to Cesar given him his request, that Mark noticed something was off. His friend's voice was usually passionate, filled with life. Now, he sounded... Monotone. Dead. He couldn't go over to his best friend's house in good conscience, not when he sounded so wrong. Besides, he didn't like the idea of Cesar spending the night alone after the broadcast, not after his mom had mysteriously passed out of all things. They're be safe if they were together.

"How about you come over to my house instead, after you drop your mom off at the ER? You sound like you need it."

...What? That was... Unexpected. Shit, this was actually an issue. It couldn't refuse, because it knew exactly how stubborn Mark was. And, if he didn't turn the cameras on, it wouldn't have a place to hide in. The human was too unpredictable for it to try and kill him up front. Its mouth curled into a frown, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. Wait. If it kept on pretending to be Cesar, then Mark would lower his guard at some point.

Problem solved. It'd stay at Mark's house for the night, wait for him to fall asleep, and then it'd kill him. It lacked the elegance of its original plan, and there was the chance that it wouldn't even get to hear Mark scream, but it was the only solution that it could currently think of.

"Alright. I'm at the ER now, so I'll have to hang up. See you in an hour, Mark."