Four Against One; Two Fight Three

Chapter 4

As promised, we were given time to recover. I had to come up with bullshit excuses for work as to why I looked like shit and seriously considered putting in my two weeks. It's just a shitty grocery store gig anyway.

When I wasn't at work, I lived in our bathtub. Every muscle cried out in pain, only soothed by hot water.

Mark was able to upload several videos, though I could see his act breaking at times. He focused on comedic games and admitted in a vlog it might be a bit before he returned to any scary ones.

I had just gotten ready for bed when we returned to the campfire. My hair was still wet, but the Entity had seen fit to change me into a leather jacket, plain tee, and loose jeans. Mark was a minute behind me.

In nothing but a towel.

I felt my face go beet red. It took longer then I wanted to cover my face.

"You couldn't have at least given me pants!?" Mark yelled to the mist.

"I thought you hated pants," I replied.

"Obviously,"Mark huffed. "But pants are bit of a requirement for-- Thank you!"

I chanced a peek through my fingers. He had been given a dull hoodie and jeans.

Still shirtless.

"This is a distraction, isn't it?" I muttered, staring at the fire.

"Let me zip up," he sighed, plopping down next to me.

"I gotta admit, the fact you and Amy are comfortable enough to do fan service is... Kind of amazing." I looked back at him once I heard the zipper.

He shrugged. "Why not? Just some shirtless footage."

"She filmed you showering!"

"And," he noted. "Only people who watch her videos get to see that one."

I didn't have a good response.

"Seriously, though, how have you been holding up?" he asked, voice dropping low.

I grimaced. "I'm alive. I've been living in the bathtub. My legs are going to be scarred for life."

"I'm sorry. I--"

I cut him off with an elbow. "Don't. You came back and got me up. I know you would have gotten me off the hook, too."

He shuddered. "I don't even want to know what that must feel like."

"I'm trying not to think about it."

We sat in silence for a moment.

Pawns shall play?

"Do we have a choice?" Mark growled. When I shifted uncomfortably, he shot me an apologetic glance.

Choice of life.

Choice of death.

"So, no," I murmured.

Life is a choice.

"And that was a complete sentence," Mark said. "I'm impressed."

Something about the Entity's comment made my gut turn. I shook it off as the tendrils wrapped around us. Metal grinded together outside,and I had a sinking feeling about our destination. The mist cleared. An orange haze surrounded me. Mark had been sent just a few feet away. The burnt smell of oil and heat nearly knocked me down.

"Bing bong," I whimpered and made my way to Mark. He had already reached the same conclusion.

"Let's hurry. Before he finds us."

"One of us should keep guard at generators. He distorts the air."

Mark nodded. "Think you can?"

"Promise."

We set out. The car graveyard loomed all around us.

We found the other two survivors before anything else. A boy and a girl, both in their teens, and scared out of their minds. Unlike us, this was their first experience in the Entity's realm. Just a glance,and I knew Mark intended to let them use the doors. We had the trapdoor once, we could have it again.

The four of us found a generator. I kept watch while Mark explained the Entity's powers for them. The pistons began to shift and move.

The scenery shimmered.

"Run!" I yelled, grabbing the girl by the arm. The ghostly bell sent shivers down my spine as my heart lept into my ears. My arm started to burn as Mark and the boy ran a different way. The Wraith followed me.

My companion tripped. She let out a terrified shriek as she fell. I got behind her, got her on her feet. A blade sliced through the air. From shoulder to shoulder, I bled, pain coursing through my body as I urged her on. She scrambled away. I took a different turn. The wraith kept up, his growling drawing ever closer.

The blade cut across my back. I screamed in pain as I toppled to the ground. For a brief moment, everything was still.

A gnarled hand picked me up. The wraith slung me over his shoulder and started to walk. I struggled against his iron grip. It didn't take long to reach our destination. He hoisted me over and onto a hook.

My pain echoed in the night, followed by that haunting bell. The wraith's form shimmered and disappeared, leaving me alone in the junkyard. I watched as the grass shifted out into the mist.

The pain was unbearable. All my weight hung from my shoulder, that pulsed with pain at every heartbeat. My arm burned, but it held no position. No indication if I was going to be rescued. At times, I thought I felt a draw of warmth. A pulse of a friendly step. A whisper of another. Then, the crackle of the Entity's form burned my ear. Tendrils of shadow danced just outside my vision, crawling up my prison. A claw started to materialize above me, twitching ever closer. Someone screamed in the night.

The Entity's power surged through me, daring me to challenge it. I caught its claw just inches from my face. Every ounce of strength I had left poured into keeping it at bay.

Someone broke through the black. The teenage boy stared at me,shocked at his own strength. The Entity retreated to nothing. As I was set on the ground, another scream echoed through the night. A familiar pain, a voice I had hoped I wouldn't hear. The boy cursed.

"Mark."

I ran. I wouldn't let it happen.

 Mark wasn't allowed to die.