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Chapter 22 - Blank's Revenge

Ethan held Jesse close, his heart pounding faster than a jackhammer.

"I... I had no idea," he gasped. "It- it wasn't you-"

"I know, I know," Jesse assured him, returning the hug. "It wasn't your fault. But I need to ask you-"

"What?" Ethan stepped back. Before Jesse could say another word, a dark figure materialized out of thin air just behind him. Another Ethan- but with eyes of black.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," Blank growled maliciously. Ethan leapt toward Jesse, turning to face the monster.

"Leave Jesse out of this," Ethan snapped. "This is between you an-"

But Ethan's eyes glossed over, turned the same dark void as Blank's, and he crumpled to the ground like a rag doll.

Jesse gasped, reaching out to catch him too late. She knelt beside Ethan, checking his pulse frantically. Finding it, she sighed with relief. But the calm didn't last long.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, fingers curling around the cold handle of the baseball bat as she met Blank's burning eyes.

"Me? Nothing. I'm operating as intended. It's your boyfriend who seems to be having a problem," the figure said, a snarl creeping into his expression. It was a grimace that didn't suit Ethan's face. "I really was hoping he'd kill you without interference."

"You can't even touch me without him, can you?" Jesse smiled cynically. "You're just a floating glitch without a host system."

As if on cue, Ethan's eyes snapped open, darker than a starless sky. His hand shot up, seizing Jesse's throat. With the other hand, he wrenched the baseball hat from her hand before he stood, lifting Jesse up to her feet.

"You know, you're absolutely right," Blank said through Ethan's lips, his voice void of emotion. "I do need a host system. It's a good thing I have one."

"Y-you'll never infect anyone o-other than Ethan," Jesse spluttered desperately, clawing at Blank's icy hand to no avail. She kicked frantically, only to have her leg blocked. "N-nobody's stupid enough to t-t-trust you."

"Ethan was," Blank shrugged with a small smile.

Jesse's eyes bulged. "Wh- wh-"

"I had to infect him somehow," Blank sneered, as if this was obvious. His grip on Jesse's throat tightened slightly. "I didn't just jump into his brain."

"How- how-?"

Blank paused for a moment, fishing the knife out of his pocket. He examined its blade in the dim light. "You know, I think I will tell you," he mused, tracing its dangerous edge across Jesse's jawline. Jesse shuddered and gritted her teeth as Blank lowered the knife and continued, "I'm a liar, Jesse." His voice was low and poisonous, and his voice rattled mechanically with every syllable. "I was just a measly little file on a flashdrive when I first met Ethan. But I gained his friendship, even helped him edit and make videos, earned his trust... it took a while, but I was patient."

Blank's face split into a wide grin- a rare smile for the iconically emotionless BlankGameplays. "I'm very patient."

Jesse gulped, trying once more to writhe out of Blank's grip. But she was stuck. Blank continued as if he hadn't noticed her escape attempt. "So when he finally, completely trusted me one day, well, I convinced him to download me into his brain."

"Th-th-that's impossible," Jesse gurgled.

"There are more impossible things than me on this planet, Jesse Grayson," Blank replied smoothly, his voice going cold again. "It was simple. Ethan can't live in a computer like I can, but downloading his mind was simple... I have a few tricks up my sleeve. So I installed my programming into his mind's file, and here I am. I'm still on that computer, you know. I've got a backup file."

Jesse's seemed to freeze in her chest. Of course he had to have a backup file. "How did y-you even meet Eth-than?"

"That's the best part- I don't know," Blank squinted at her, satisfaction burning in his eyes. "I never saw outside of that flashdrive until the day Ethan plugged it into his computer."

Jesse grasped at Blank's hand again, trying to escape. Blank just sighed. He flipped the knife around in his fingers lazily.

"I don't take joy in doing this, Jesse," he breathed, lips an inch from her face. Jesse closed her eyes, bracing herself as she struggled for breath. All the world seemed to stand still for a moment... but the knife never fell. "What...?!"

Jesse opened her eyes. Blue lights were flashing through the boarded-up warehouse windows, and the sound of sirens wailed in the distance.

"Took long enough," Jesse gasped, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. It was a burner phone, one she'd purchased after ditching her old one with her laptop in the airport. The last call on the phone had been to 911. "You really should keep a closer eye on the tech around you," she added, dropping the cell to the floor. Blank froze, speechless. "If you kill me, Ethan gets arrested," she hissed. "I don't think you want that."

"No?" Blank growled, turning back to Jesse. "Try me."

Pain shot through Jesse's stomach like a bolt of lightning. She screamed, grabbing frantically for the knife, but Blank withdrew it with a cold sneer. Dark, thick blood was suddenly pouring down her shirt- her knees hit the concrete and she fell to the ground with a thud.