YouTuber OneShots

A Game of Chase

"Chase!" I scream at the man standing by the front door of my apartment. His chest heaves visibly but he doesn't answer. I run forward and grab his arm to pull him back into our apartment. He yanks away from me and begins to walk away. "Chase Brody you come here right this instant or--or we're done!"

He froze in his steps, turning on his heel to look at me. His seething gaze hurt me almost as much as if he'd punched me on the stomach, yet I managed to stand confidently and impassively, my arms crossed over my chest. My silk green dress ruffled beneath my arms. I had just gotten home from an engagement party for one of my coworkers when Jack called. "Stop Chase. There's something wrong with him." He had said.

I was confused but I listened to him nonetheless. I'd noticed how Chase's behavior had grown more and more concerning lately. His own brother was even worried to the point of calling me for help. Something was definitely up. He was always leaving during the day, coming back with dirt on his clothes or skin and always in his hair. When I tried to ask about his day, he yelled at me. He had never yelled at me before then. But one day, out of nowhere he came home sick. His eye hurt, he had a pounding headache, nausea, and dizziness. He'd stumbled into my arms, collapsing in exhaustion. At first, I thought he was just drunk and tired until I felt how hot his forehead was. He'd run a fever.

He was fine the next morning though. It was as if nothing had happened. I'd brushed it off as a small cold, ignoring how odd it seemed to me. The first day was alright. He was tense and irritable, demanding that I stay home from work to be with him. I obliged happily, calling into work to take a vacation day. He held me in his arms as we watched movies together the entire day, although he didn't seem to enjoy it. He was too focused on his own thoughts to pay much attention to anything.

Now he was towering over me, his chest heaving drastically. He wasn't well and I knew it. His eyes were bloodshot, one of them glowing a faint green, making me shiver whenever our eyes met. His veins were visible everywhere. In his temple, his throat, his arms. I was terrified for him, but I knew he wouldn't talk to me about any of it. He'd closed himself off from me after he got sick.

Unsure of myself, I tried to calm him down as best as I could. My hands slid up the sides of his arms and rested on either side of his neck, my thumbs stroking his jaw gently. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned as if my touch hurt him. It made my heart ache to see him in pain but something was wrong and I just wanted to help.

His hands shot up and grabbed mine, snapping them to my sides. "Don't touch me." He pushed me away from him, running his hands through his hair. It was a darker green than what I was used to seeing. It was almost as if he'd darkened it on purpose, just as he had darkened. I glared at him, opening my mouth to yell at him when-CRACK. I felt a stinging sensation beat across my cheek. Chase slapped me.

"Chase," My voice cracked as my breath hitched in my throat. Waves of disbelief, pain, and surprise course through me as I slowly bring my hand up to the stinging area on my face. I was stuggling to make sense of what had just happened. The man I loved had just slapped me across the face. No, this wasn't the man I loved. Chase would have never hurt me. Ever.

He ignored me and turned to leave. I was beyond tired of this new Chase. I wanted the old Chase back. The one that cuddled with me on the couch and watched Disney movies. The one that begged me to take a day off work to hang out with his kids. The one that wouldn't let me get hurt no matter what. I grabbed his collar and yanked hard. He stumbled backward, off balance, and I dragged him back into the apartment.

I kicked the door shut with my foot and led him to the living room where I threw him on the couch. He knew better than to move or destroy anything. This was my apartment and I wasn't going to let him step out of line when he was there anymore. I left for a second to grab my phone, returning to see Chase's eye had turned green. The entire sclera and iris were a luminous green, making his black pupils look huge. He looked like a character out of a horror movie. His eyelids and the area around his eyes were laced with thin black veins.

"C-Chase? Hun?" Panic broke through my angry facade. I had to do something so I shakily face-timed Jack. He answered quickly, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Y/N? What's up I was recording a--Wait, What happened? Why are you crying?" Jack's voice switched from annoyed to concerned and soft as he furrowed his eyebrows.

I flipped the camera around to show Chase, who was now pacing my living room, biting his nails. It was a bad habit that he'd had since before I'd met him but the way he did it now made me more worried than ever. "Jack, help. I don't know what to do."

"It's Anti. It's not Chase's fault he's acting this way. I've gotta go, Y/N. I'll be there as soon as I can. Text me and let me know what's going on until I get there." Jack ends the call rather abruptly, leaving me alone to deal with Chase, or rather, Anti. I set my phone down and walk up to Chase. He glares at me but continues to pace.

So I do something risky. I grab his hand and hold it tightly as if he would disappear. I couldn't let go of him. I refused to. He stopped pacing now and turned to stare at me. "Chase, this isn't you. You're better than this. You are a good person. I know you. Your kids, Chase. What would they think of you if they saw you? Chase, dear, this isn't you. This isn't the man I love."

Chase's face crumbled. His breathing slowed and his hand slowly came up to cup my cheek. I flinched slightly, my cheek still stinging from where he'd hit me. "Y/N... I'm so sorry. Oh god, I'm so sorry." His eyes fell to the red mark on my face. I saw tears well in his eyes as he looked over my frightened figure. He kept his free hand over his green eye, the other glistening brightly. The blackened area around his visible eye had begun to disappear, going back to the original pale color.

"Chase," I whispered cautiously. He shivered, a few tears slipping down his cheeks. "Come on, love. You're scared, I know. I'll get you some tea and we can watch a movie." He nodded at me and I guided him back to the couch. Just as I was about to leave to go make tea, he grabs my wrist and pulls me onto his lap.

"He's gone now. You got rid of him. You don't know how badly I wanted him to stop. I tried so hard that I made myself sick. He forced himself into my head. He wanted me to hurt my own brother. He wanted me to hurt Jack. He wanted me to hurt you. I couldn't do that." Chase explained, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"It wasn't you. I'm not mad. I just want you to be safe. I want the kids to be safe. Jack's going to come over and we'll work this all out. M'kay?" I mumble, pressing my face against his chest. The rhythmic beating of his heart makes this whole situation seem so much more survivable. He's human. He's strong. I believe in him.

"I love you, you know?" Chase whispered. "And we'll find a way to get through this together."

"I love you too, dear. Now let me get you your tea."