Memories (Who Killed Markiplier-Detective)

When the Past Finds You

    The car ride to the next town was quiet. Abe seemed to be in deep thought and you decided it was best to let him be. You kept to yourself, staring out the window. Every now and then Abe would glance at you, the thought of what you were thinking about crossing his mind. You seemed tense, and you were. You were frightened about what would happen when you found Benjamin. Your finger drummed on the seat as you watched the scenery fly past. With one hand on the wheel, Abe reached out to grab your hand. You glanced at him in surprise but his warm smile made you relax.
"Calm down, sweetheart. Ain't nothing bad gonna happen to you while I'm here." He assured you with a squeeze. You gave a smile.
"Thanks, Abe...I just...don't know what's gonna happen." You gave a sigh. He simply shrugged.
"No telling. But if anything does happen, you'll be right next to me. So, don't worry." He glanced at you for a second, brown eyes flashing with childish happiness. You just chuckled and looked back out the window.

   The town was similar to your own. The buildings seemed shorter, though. Abe parked on the side of the road and the two of you perched yourselves on the sidewalk. Abe glanced at his notepad before looking up at the office building in front of you. He stuffed the notepad into his coat pocket and jerked his head, his signal for you to follow. So you did. You followed him into the building and up the elevator and to the office. Abe was already ready with his badge by the time he swung the door open.
"Detective Abe Lincoln. I need to interview your assistant." He announced as the businessman stood. The man's face was already red with annoyance at being interrupted.
"For what reason?" Was his only question.
"Because I have reason to believe he's involved in a missing persons case." Abe shot back. The man glanced to his left, where a confused Benjamin stood. The man gave an annoyed wave and sat down. You followed Benjamin and Abe into the hallway.
"Ma'am, I hadn't expected to see you again." Benjamin's throat cleared as he turned to you.
"I wasn't aware we had met previously before the theater. But as Abe tells me we have a history. A dark one." Your arms crossed over your chest. His eyebrow arched.
"Unaware? I find it difficult to believe you forgot what happened, ma'am." He said as he glanced at Abe.
"Yeah. Amnesia. Listen. We want to know what's going on. Do you have any information at all about Damien? Or...whatever it is inhabiting his body?" You questioned, voice and face turning into a more pleading look. Benjamin glanced between you two with a sigh before looking dead at you.
"Listen, all I know is that he's trying to find you. He thinks you're in danger and he's the one to save you. From him. Mark. He's convinced of it. He found me a few months ago. Back at the theater. That's why I changed my job. As far as I know, he knows you're in that city. And he's not going to stop till he has his hands on you." Benjamin launched into an explanation, genuine worry on his face. You stared at him for a moment, a thoughtful look on your face.
"Now hold up just one damn minute. What do you mean by all that? He thinks she's in danger?" Abe narrowed his eyes, taking a step forward. Your hand shot out to hold him back.
"Abe. Can you go to the car? I'll talk to him." You asked, starting at Benjamin with a dry throat. Abe gave you a shocked look but you never took your eyes off the taller man.
"But-"
"Abe. Now."
   With the sharpness of your voice, Abe flinched back. He gave a heavy sigh but headed for the elevator. Once he was safely out of ear range, you set your hands on your hips and heaved a sigh. Benjamin hadn't taken his eyes off you, a worried look covering his face. Your eyes studied him.
"What did you mean I'm in danger?" You asked with an even voice.
"He thinks Mark is trying to destroy you again. He blames Mark for everything that happened to you. So he wants to take you away from him. He thinks it's the best way to protect you." Benjamin explained, making a hopeless hand gesture. Your arms wrapped around yourself, worry overtaking your mind.
"Benjamin, I...," You stopped to close your eyes and sigh, "Thank you, Benjamin. I appreciate your help in this matter. I won't forget it."
You moved, walking around him. You jumped when his hand shot out to grab your arm.
"(Y/N), wait. What are you going to do now? Where are you going to go?" Benjamin gave you a look of genuine worry. You managed a smile, hoping to calm him.
"I'll be alright, Benjamin. I have Abe. As long as I'm with him I'm sure I'll be fine. He promised to protect me." You explained. His worried face didn't relax any.
"(Y/N)...I don't know. I don't think Abe will be enough. Damien has gotten pretty powerful." He tried to explain.
"Whoever that is it is NOT Damien. I may not have my memories from before but from what I've found Damien was a good man. Not whatever that is," you stopped your rant to take a shaky breath, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. I understand. You two were pretty close back at the manor. I should've thought more about my word choice. But look, I'd like to leave you my number. I'd feel better having you check in everyday. I'd feel horrible if I let you walk out those doors without doing anything for you. Just in case something, god forbid, happens to Abe and you need someone else." Benjamin hurried to scribble his number on a scrap of paper he found on the table nearby. You gave a small smile.
"Thank you, Benjamin. I appreciate this. I really do. It's nice knowing I have people who care about my safety so much." You thanked him. He gave you a small smile in return.
"Of course, (Y/N). You were always kind to me. I'd never forgive myself if I let something bad happen to you." He explained, his voice soft. You set your hand on his upper arm, managing a thankful smile.
"I don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you. I'll message you when I'm home again." You have him a nod and headed for the elevator.
"(Y/N)!"
You stopped and turned back to him curiously.
"Please be careful..." he asked, his eyes pleading. You simply smiled and let the elevator doors close. You weren't about to promise him something you weren't sure you could keep. You wanted to get to the bottom of this no matter what. The elevator doors opened, revealing Abe pacing a hole in the floor.
"Abe, come on." You spoke as you passed him. He jogged to catch up.
"What happened? What did he say?" He questioned.
"He just told me that this man thinks taking me away from everyone is protecting me. He...cares...I guess." You gave a shrug as you yanked open the car door. Abe shut it again, making your head snap to look at him in surprise.
"No one is taking you away...alright? He's not gonna lay a hand on you. Do I make myself clear?" His voice was low. Warning. You watched him for a long moment.
"You do. Believe me. Can we please go home now?" You asked, your voice smaller.
   He scanned your eyes for a moment before reaching up. He tucked some wild hair behind your ear, letting his hand rest on your cheek. He nodded slowly before letting his hand drop. He rounded the car to sit in the driver's seat. You lowered yourself into the passenger seat, your cheeks still aflame from the strange show of affection. Abe started the car and merged onto the road and you began your trip home. You pulled out your phone, glancing at the scrap of paper with neatly drawn numbers on it. You typed in the number and sent off a text informing Benjamin you were on your way home. His response was swift.
'Good. Make sure you tell me when you're home and if anything happens on your trip. I'll be waiting.'
'Thank you. I'll make sure to keep you up to date.'
You rested your phone in your lap as you looked out the window. The passing scenery and gentle rocking of the car mixed with the faint music on the radio with Abe's humming eventually lulled you into a sleep. You wished you could say it was dreamless.
   The darkness crawled away so you found yourself in the foyer of a large manor. You glanced around the silence room as you rounded the table. You turned your head to the left and screamed, jumping back. The man who was only inches from your face looked vaguely familiar. He was taller than you, dressed in expedition gear. He had a mustache and spectacles decorated his eyes. His hands were clasped behind his back and his mouth curled up in an insane grin.
"Life needs a bit of madness. Eh, chap?" His low voice questioned. The sound of a gunshot rang in your ears and you found yourself at the top of the stairs, stumbling back with blood on your hands. The man was in front of you, glasses crooked and looking horrified. His hand reached for you but you fell over the bannister.
"It was an accident! I swear!" His voice seemed garbled as you flew towards the ground.
It went black for only a split second. When your vision steadied, you were outside overlooking the garden with a man dressed in a suit with slicked back hair stood before you.
"Damien...?" Your voice whimpered. You had the urge to dash forward and hug him but you seemed to be frozen in place. His smile was bright and full of life.
"Life is ours to choose, as I always say." His chipper voice was similar to music.
   The world seemed to glitch and before you was standing Damien. This time, his hair was disheveled and his eyes were darker, more dead. The bags under his eyes made him see tired. His skin was grayer and he looked simply angry. The aura around him seemed a mixture of red and blue. He stared you down before he sneered.
"Then how come I didn't get a choice?" He growled before swiping at you.
   You flinched and when he did. When you blinked your eyes open, not feeling his hand against your cheek. You were in front of a staircase this time. Not the one you fell from, though. On the steps a bit above you was a grinning Mark. He was dressed in a silk robe. He beamed at you, full of life and joy, and head his arms out. A air of friendship wafted off him and relaxed you.
"Life is for the living!" His happy voice rang. A bang caused the lights to go out. When they flicked back on, you had turned around and stared down at Mark's unmoving body on the floor of the living room. His eyes were pitch black.
"It's not fair, is it?" His low but shaky voice asked.
   The room went black and you blinked. You whirled around to find a small window of cracked light. You broke into a light jog until you reached the window. You examined it in confused curiosity. Through the cracked glass you saw the manor foyer. Whatever possessed Damien stared back at you. He cracked his neck before stalking off. You could hear the sound of the man in expedition gear yelling out for different people. You stumbled back, feeling light headed, before you fell. Before you hit the ground you jolted awake, still in the car. Abe jerked back, his hand outstretched as if to wake you.
"(Y/N)? Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm...I'm fine. Just a dream. Are we home?" You asked, looking out the window.
"Yeah. Yeah, we are. C'mon." He frowned but exited the car. You followed him out and into the apartment building. You did your best to fix your hair and blazer. You shot Benjamin a text to explain that you were home. The elevator ride was tense.
"What happened? In the dream." Abe asked, not looking at you. You were quiet for the longest time.
"Nothing. Just...saw Damien. And Mark. And some guy in expedition gear." You gave a shrug. He whirled on you now.
"The Colonel? Damien? Mark? What did they say? What happened?" He asked, eyes wide. You leaned away in surprise.
"They just...said some stuff about life. Colonel shot me, I guess. Damien turned into whatever possessed him. Mark died. I was stuck behind a mirror. It was just a dream." You shot back. He leaned back, seemingly upset.
"No...it wasn't. It was your repressed memories. The shooting, the possession, dying. Probably the mirror, too." He explained, looking back at the elevator door. You watched him for a second and then looked down. If that was part of what happened, maybe you really didn't want to remember. You followed him out to the apartment door. He flung it open, not realizing it was strange the door wasn't locked. He looked up and froze.
"Abe? What's wrong?" You asked as you squeezed past. You followed his eyes and froze, color draining from your face.
"Hello, (Y/N). Did you miss me? I missed you."
The man in the middle of the room was dark and disheveled. His grin was blood chilling and his eyes were dead.
"Damien..." your voice was small and full of fear. His grin only widened.
"Damien is taking a little nap."