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5

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Monday 13th November ~ 11:21am

Mark's POV:

"M-Mark, s-something's not-"

I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. I couldn't protect him.

Jack cried out.

"Ma- ARK-!"

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I sat bolt upright.

"Mr Fischbach!"

I exhaled, wiping my tear-stained face. I'd fallen asleep on the couch. It was just a dream.

A dream that left me deeply unnerved.

"Mr Fischbach, open the door!"

I dragged myself up off the couch, groggy as I headed to where there were fists pounding against my door. The racket drummed into my skull.

I didn't need anymore of a headache than I already had.

The front door swung open.

"Ah, Mark Fischbach is it?"

I squinted through the sunlight, making out the figure of burly police officer who was giving me a once over. He was pretending not to notice my disheveled appearance, and doing a bad job of it.

Sean entered my thoughts. "Is it Jack? Have you found him?!" I demanded.

The man shook his head. My heart sank.

"His family said you were a close friend of Mr McLoughlin's, so I'm going to have to take you to the police station for questioning."

I gulped.

Last time I'd been at the police station I'd left without a word, not to mention that I couldn't tell them about Jack's video call. Nobody could understand the fact that he might've been kidnapped by his alter ego.

They'd call me a liar. Crazy, even.

Accuse me of hiding something.

"Mr Fischbach?"

I blinked, the police officer shooting me a curious gaze. "If you don't come with me I will have to arrest you." He warned.

I was quick to shake my head.

"Sorry, sorry - I just woke up. If this helps Sean, of course I'll go."

I bit my lip, following the officer to his waiting police car. I had to lie to the police.

Jack was missing.

He could die.

How had my life gotten to this point?

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A long sigh escaped me.

The interviews had lasted that entire day, hours of officers checking and re-checking statements. They'd said it was because I was alone the whole night, but I didn't appreciate being accused.

I was also as starving as I was exhausted because of this, yet neither of those things mattered.

I could've spent that day searching for Jack.

I stopped walking beside an alleyway, resisting the urge to punch a wall.

"Fuck!"

Everything was wrong.

And I couldn't do anything about it.

I huffed, wracking my brain trying to think of where I could go. There had to be a lead I wasn't seeing.

Jack's life depended on it.

"No need to be so indignant, Mark."

I spun on my heel, a dark figure coming into my vision before knuckles collided with my jaw. I staggered, landing on the sidewalk with the air knocked out of me. My face throbbed.

"Dude, what the FRICK-!"

The stranger stepped forward as I rushed to pick myself up. I was still stunned over the random act of violence when his face caught my attention.

It was mine.

"Don't be so obscene."

My doppelgänger seized my arm, and then the world disappeared.

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