Four Against One; Two Fight Three

Chapter 3

I struggled with the metal. Iron teeth dug into my fingers and shin. My hands stung, slipping from the pooling blood. I could barely see through my tears.

Ba bump

I let out a panicked yell

Ba bump. Ba bump

My heart hurt my ears. His leather boots stomped closer. Closer.

CRACK

My scream echoed in time with my breaking bones. The trap released me, only for it's owner to hold fast. After a moment of stillness, the Trapper dropped me onto the muddy ground. I tried to get up,futile as it was. My legs were a mangled mess. I felt my throat tighten. This couldn't be the end, could it? Being left behind, abandoned by the person I saved? Alone?

The heel of a boot splashed mud onto my face. I whimpered, convinced he'd finish me then and there.

Ba bump. Ba bump.

I opened one eye.

Ba bump.

He continued into the fog, where Samantha had run. As my heart left my ears, I felt only a shimmer of hope. My legs could barely move. I could crawl, but every motion sent a wave of agony through me. Every inch was covered in blood. I curled up next to a tree to try and get my bearings. That's when I realized.

My arm wasn't burning.

I tentatively called out. Barely a harsh whisper. I could only hope my instinct was right. After a moment, I heard a relieved, familiar voice.

"Ani? Keep talking!"

"And no one explodes?" I asked, hoping the humor would off set how gory I looked.

Mark's head appeared around the tree trunk. The brief relief on his face sent me into tears. A string of curses left him, and he knelt by my legs. The heat of the Entity's magic coursed between us. I held down bile as I felt my skin stitch back together. The bones snapped into place. Mark helped me to my feet and guided me away. There was agony in every step, accented by a small whimper from my throat. We sat in the shadows of the mine entrance, and he finished patching me up.

"The-- the other girl--"

He nodded solemnly. "They were opening the door when I came to find you. I don't know if he caught them."

"And-- and after I helped her--"

"Same with him," Mark growled. "But-- Just. Just breath. We'll be fine. We'll make it." He put his blood and dirt stained hands on my shoulders, waiting for me to look him in the eye before continuing. "I promise. We'll be okay."

"How can you promise that!?" I balked.

He dug into a pocket and pulled something out. A pitch black key. "I found this while getting that guy patched up."

My jaw fell open. "The trap door key?"

Mark nodded, then helped me to my feet. They still ached, still looked like hell, but I could move.

"Who knew rubbing in the woods was so helpful," I muttered. A smirk played at my face as Mark snickered. We fell into silence as we moved about the area. At times, our hearts lept to our ears, and we'd split to hide until the trapper left. I yelped a bit too loud at some point, only just able to keep Mark from stepping into the waiting jaws of a trap. When I pulled back on his shirt, he stumbled towards me. Both off balance, we fell back onto the ground.

"Good catch," he whispered.

"We should go," I urged. "Now."

We scrambled away as the heart beats started. Around a corner, Mark stopped me.

"Where is it usually?" he asked. I shrugged helplessly. He spat a quiet curse. "I feel like we've been all over."

"We could--"

"We are not splitting up."

I gave him a flat look. "We could try inside the mine."

He opened his mouth, then closed it, embarrassed. "Yeah, that works."

"Considering I almost bled out alone, no, I don't want to split up," I whispered, my voice somewhere between determined and terrified.

The conversation was left at that. We went into the mine, and I could tell something was wrong. The air felt tense.

Ba bump. Ba bump

I grabbed Mark's arm. He stopped, then shuddered. We looked at one another, then he peered around a corner. His expression when he retreated confirmed my worries.

"Door?"

He nodded. "And guarding." He put the key in my hand. I grabbed his arm.

"Oh, no you don't. We agreed not to split up!"

"Well what do you suggest?!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came through. I didn't know, but Mark – fucking 18 million subscribers Markiplier– wasn't about to risk his life for me.

"Make him loop. We find a trap and one of us screams."

"So... distraction," Mark said in a flat voice.

"And unseen. And together, but yes."

He sighed, then stood. "Fine, but you still take the key. I want you through the door first."

I thrust my hands towards him in disbelief, then let a sigh slump my whole body. "Fine."

He checked to make sure we hadn't alerted the Trapper with our crazy whispers, then we slid out of the mine. It didn't take long to find a ready trap. Mark looked at me and pointed to himself. I pouted.

"Professional screamer," he scoffed, then held up a hand, all fingers raised.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

When Mark screamed in pain, I was given a clear reminder that he had become quite the actor. My heart beat in my ears. We tore across the ground, leaping into the mine shack. The Trapper let out a frustrated yell. I saw the trapdoor. My heart pounded. My fingers fumbled with the lock and key. Wood burst behind us. The door flew open. Mark let out a panicked yell. Without thinking, I turned and pounced onto the Trapper. He dropped his prey, trying to pull me off. Mark got a grip first, dragging me away. The Trapper's eye glared at me from behind the mask as Mark jumped.

Together, we descended into the darkness.

And landed. Mark set me down and collapsed. The dark mist surrounded us. Just us. It was utterly silent. When I groaned, the sound fell dead.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," he muttered between breaths. "Holy hell, what did you do?"

I shrugged. My hands pulsed in pain. The jaw of the mask had added to my wounds. "They left us to die, huh?"

"Don't dwell on it," Mark urged. "We made it. All four of us got out alive." He hesitated. "We get to hang out? What the hell is going on?"

Pawns played well.

A moment's rest.

For a later life.

And a later test.

"Rhyming, now?" I droned. "Probably would have been better from the start."

"Aw, don't be like that. I bet it worked really hard for that poem," Mark teased. We stared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. A shimmer lit up ahead of us. Grey tendrils tapped the ground, an irate customer waiting for service. We both fell silent.

Time to recover.

Time to life.

Time for loved ones.

Time for two.

The mist cleared. I stared at the sun drenched window of my room. All of the injuries, all of the fear, crashed into me, all at once. A shudder ran down my spine.

I collapsed to the floor and cried.