Darkness Devours

Part 8

Mark went to rub the tears from his eyes, stopping when he noticed Felix's blood on his hands.  Dark was right again... he had gotten control of his body back.  His hands began to shake uncontrollably and he jumped to his feet, running for the bathroom.  Plunging his hands under the faucet, he desperately tried to wash the blood off.  Swallowing down his grief, he glanced up into the mirror to see Dark leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.  Dark's voice was bitter when he told Mark.  "Stop crying, Jesus. So pathetic. It's just blood".  Mark whipped around screaming out angrily at him.  "It's not just blood! It's my friends blood"!  Dark's black eyes narrowed in on him as he shot back.  "Really? You call them friends? Matt and Ryan have one fight with you and threaten to leave. Felix only hangs around you to feed off your subscribers by claiming he's friends with the famous Markiplier. Ken... Well, you got me there. He just was in the wrong place at the wrong time".  Mark shook his head, turning back to the sink as he muttered numbly.  "You don't know what your talking about".  Noticing his mouth was coated in blood, Mark leaned down over the sick and tried to force himself to throw up.

Dark grabbed Mark's hair and yanked him away from the sick.  Letting Mark drop to the tile floor as he yelled out sharply.  "Look at yourself! What are you giving up? You've had your fun. Now it's my turn"!  Mark suddenly began to taste the warm coppery blood in his mouth and his heart sank.  He was finding that he kind of liked the taste... and that scared him.  What was happening to him?  Dark slowly lowered to his knees before him, his voice turning smug and honey-glazed.  "Oh? Do I sense a taste for blood? It's good isn't it. Makes you feel strong. Powerful".  Mark sat up, asking Dark seriously.  "What are you doing to me"?  Dark flashed a grin that quickly turned into a fanged grin, when he answered.  "Can't you feel me yet? I'm eating away at you from the inside".  Mark clutched his chest.  He didn't really believe he'd feel him there... but it did make his chest ache.  Dark firmly took Mark's jaw between his fingers, staring deep into his eyes as he whispered softly.  "The harder you resist. The faster you fall".  Mark swatted away Dark's hand and bolted from the bathroom.  He didn't know if this would work, but he had to try for Ken!  Racing down the steps, Mark flung open the door and ran for the gate.  Dark was tethered to him.  So, if he left the house, Dark would have to follow... right?  Mark grabbed the iron gate, rattling it in fury when he spotted the large chain keeping it closed. 

Mark took a step back to observe the fence and Dark formed next to him out of the dark shadows, asking clearly bored.  "What are you doing"?  Mark didn't bother looking at him as he replied.  "I'm taking you somewhere where you can't hurt anyone"!  Mark went to climb the thick ivy draped on the cement wall, when Dark threw him off and across the ground.  His voice rather calm as he told Mark.  "Why would you do that? Didn't you hear me before? I'll just feed on you".  Mark staggered to his feet, heading back to the wall as he snapped back.  "Better me, than them".  This time Dark shoved him up against the wall, pinning Mark's wrists to the cement wall as he wickedly whispered against his ear.  "Oh you think so? Let's see for ourselves, shall we"?  Mark closed his eyes, waiting for Dark to do his worst.  To save Ken and everyone else, there was nothing he couldn't endure to keep them safe.  Mark heard Dark growl behind him, but it was cut short by the soft buzzing of his phone.  A strike of fear hit Mark as Dark pulled the phone from his pocket.

Dark chuckled to himself, while looking at the phone and asking Mark coolly.  "Maybe I'm playing this game wrong. You're prepared to take any punishment I can think of... but is he"?  Dark turned the phone for him to see that it was Jack calling.  Mark took a deep calming breath, snapping back.  "You can't hurt him. He's not even in this country. He's far away from your reach".  Dark began to scroll through Mark's phone, as he answered distracted.  "That is only half true".  Mark blinked in confusion, finding that Dark had stepped away from him.  Turning around, Dark landed a blinding punch to his cheek that dropped Mark to his knees.  Shrugging, Dark told him bluntly.  "I know the switch is rough on you... but I need the body back to do this. Which means I have to cause your body great stress".  Mark rubbed his throbbing cheek, as Dark put the phone to his ear.  Mark could only watch as Dark talked eerily sweet into the phone.  "Whoa! Take a breath, Jack! I'm alright. Sorry, I couldn't let you in on the new script change. It was really fun. Where are you now? Are you still at the airport"?  Mark's heart skipped a beat.  If Jack was at an airport... did that mean he got so worried about him that he flew over?  Quickly standing up, Mark yelled out to the phone praying Jack would hear him.  "Jack! Don't! Stay away"!  Dark shot him a sarcastic look and casually told the phone.  "You arrive late tomorrow? That's great. I'll be there to pick you up. Get some rest, Jack. I love you too". 

Dark hung up the phone and chuckled loudly, asking Mark curiously.  "Did you think he could hear you? Why do you think I took the body? If I had called him the other way, you could have warned him. Now... the question remains. What do we do until Jack arrives"?  Mark whipped back around to climb the thick ivy on the wall again.  He wasn't going to let Ken suffer the same fate as the others!  Dark grabbed the scruff of Mark's neck tightly, whispering in a dark chocolate voice.  "You're worried about Ken? Ken escaped a while ago. Why do you think I went after Felix"?  Mark turned to look into Dark's solid black eyes.  With another fanged smile, Dark whispered softly.  "I let him escape. My new target is you".  To Be Continued...