US3 I

what has he done?

The loud droning of the beast boomed in his ears, an inescapable growl as he stared down into the neverending maw, filled with rows of sharp teeth. The horrid stench of rot permeated his nose, making him almost nauseous and disgusted. The hole itself seemed to be taken over completely, dirt and stone turned into fleshy, almost gore-like blood red walls that squished under his right hand. His left arm was weighed down by a familiar presence, and he looked down to see his face.

SMG3 looked absolutely terrified, and rightly so. His foot was dangling precariously from just Four's left hand, and even their superhuman powers couldn't save him at this moment. His dark purple hair was swallowed by the blackness of the hole, his hat coming loose. His crimson eyes that ironically matched the walls were wide open, an uncommon sight for an uncommonly fearful companion. His smug little smirk was nowhere to be found, instead a nervous frown etched upon his teeth as his fangs poked out from beneath his lips.

Four had to save him, no doubt about it. He rolled his shoulder, looking up and about to launch him up when he heard an odd buzzing that wasn't the groaning of the beast. He looked down to see the USB perched on his shoe, his grip subconsciously relaxing. Three gasped, and Four snapped to attention. gripping onto Three's boot with all of the strength he could muster. He gulped thickly, stealing glances at the USB even as he proclaimed his intent to get Three out of there.

Three had smiled at him then, his eyes softening even as his nervousness showed through. He trusted Four, believed in him. And Four had believed in himself as well, grinning down at Four, trying to hide the uneasiness before turning back up to the sky and readying his arm. He swung his arm just as the hole rumbled ominously, shocking Four out of his grip on the downswing. He turned down, watching as Three fell deeper and deeper, his form getting swallowed by the shadows.

Three's expression burned itself into Four's memory and wouldn't let him rest. The raw horror of wide eyes and a horrid screech as he fell, followed by the tears of acceptance and despair as the scream petered out, and his form slipped into the darkness, never to be seen again.

Four had choked out a sob, turning to the USB with such heartache. He and Three had poured themselves into it together. and now he was gone, and there was nothing that could ever bring him back.

The ghost of Three whispered in his ear, telling him that Four had killed him, that he would never be forgiven, that he would haunt Four until he died.

—

SMG4 woke up in a cold sweat, shooting up from his mattress as he looked around.

The RV was dark, but his laptop glowed in the darkness, the blue light giving him an odd sense of calm as he let out a hefty sigh and stood up. He rubbed at his eyes as he padded over to the screen, plopping himself onto one of the seats as he pulled the laptop closer to himself and observed.

He scrolled through memes, saving the funniest ones with an almost clinical expression, never changing unless he huffed out single chuckles under his breath at something humorous. He finally checked the time, not even feeling surprised as the clock read 2:47 am. He absentmindedly went back to scrolling through his feed, spending hours sifting through what he deemed to be the funniest to add to a new video.

He had begun to doze off slightly, adding new memes to his video timeline before slumping over in the seat, staring blankly at the screen. He was about to just shut off the laptop and go back to sleep when he heard a sound. His reflexes, slowed with sluggishness, only alerted him a few seconds after the sound had begun, making him irritated as the buzzing noise grew louder and louder in his mind.

He stood up then, realizing that the sound was coming from the bedside drawer. He quickly, clumsily, pulled it open and began throwing stuff around until he found the source of the noise; the USB. He blinked down at the glowing little stick.