Better Off Without Me

Chapter 1: Emotionally mixed

A new showdown event was about to start, everyone was talking to their friends in groups of 3 to 4 to see which team comp could win, except Poco. He was looking for Mortis, Colt and Bull were already a team and weren't excepting anymore people, but they made an exception for both Mortis and Poco.

"Mortis! Where are you?!" Poco shouted.

As he waited for a response, he paced back and forth to calm himself from this rising worry in him.
On the other hand, Mortis was somewhere, alone. He was in some bushes by a wall.

"Poco's going to be worried sick if he finds something out... Thank goodness he doesn't know atleast." Mortis thought.

Mortis sighed. He hugged his knees and put his head on his arms that were resting on his knees.

"Being alone feels quite nice. No loud noises, no insults... Atleast this is the only place no one can find me..." Mortis said to himself.

Mortis starts to think of something back in the past, when he and Poco were both children, and started to cry slightly. It wasn't a good memory either. Poco was getting bullied by others in the school, Mortis stood up for Poco, but that didn't help, neither did telling the teacher. When Mortis got home, his parents were out of the house, so he went to the kitchen to grab a knife. Since Mortis was wearing short sleeves, he started to cut himself. He thought that maybe if he cut himself, Poco wouldn't grow up depressed and sad. It did work, but now that memory still haunts him, aswell as the numerous amounts of scars on both his own arms. More and more often, Mortis would wear long sleeve shirts to hide the cuts and scars on his arms.

About an hour later, the new event was here! Feast or famine. Everyone had their group, except Poco's team was missing one person. Mortis.

"Mortis! C'mon! We can't start without you!" Poco shouted, hoping Mortis would answer.

Mortis was already on his way back to everyone else. It took a while, but he made it back.

"Oh thank god! Where were you?" Poco asked as he hugged Mortis.

"Oh, I was on a walk." Mortis lied, but convincing it was.

" Well hurry back next time, we can't start without you." Bull said.

"I'll try next time." Mortis said.

As all the brawlers started the match, everyone saw a plethora of boxes! So many, in fact, that if someone were to go middle for their team, they'd be set up to win!
As the match started, Bull went mid as Poco ran around for other boxes, Colt made sure people stayed away from Bull, and Mortis went into a nearby bush. Mortis didn't really feel like brawling, but he knew the others would be happy if he did.

About a few minutes later, all the teams were alive! The posion clouds slowly crept in.

"Mortis! C'mon!" Bull shouted to get Mortis's attention.

Mortis got up and went to where Bull was. Something seemed off about Mortis, he isn't as.. Well... Happy to brawl as usual.
Bull noticed, but he didn't say anything. His team was in a good position, a lot of power cubes, map control, and it looked like they're going to win.

As the poison clouds crept in, the middle was the only thing left to everyone without taking damage.
Mortis looked at the poison clouds. He was thinking of doing something. This far into the match, teammates will not revive if killed.

"Should I? It'll cost my team winning...No! I can't! I can't let my team lose!" Mortis thought.

Poco kept everyone away from his team members, due to map control he has, while Bull tried to kill other teams. Colt was getting shots of of people, but not enough to kill them. Mortis wasn't doing anything. With all the power he has, Mortis didn't do anything.

After what seemed like seconds, their team won! Poco, Colt, and Bull celebrated, as to it wasn't often their team won.

"Heh... They seem so happy. Maybe I'm the problem to us losing so much... They're better off without me... I didn't do anything that match. Am- Am I the problem...?" Mortis thought.

Mortis seemed to be dull, tired, depressed, and not willing to do anything. Walking away, Mortis looked back at the three, seeing them smile and celebrate a victory, it made him feel worse inside. He didn't even do one thing and his team won!

"I guess you guys are better off without me in your team." Mortis quietly said, tears start to run down his face.

Mortis started to run as fast as he could, he was going back to the spot no one knows about.
Soon, Poco realized Mortis wasn't with them.

"Where did Mortis go?" Poco asked.

Bull and Colt looked around.

"Good question." Colt said as he started to search for Mortis.

Poco and Bull started searching for Mortis while everyone else did another match.

Mortis was crying out his eyes in his secret spot. Just to think that he was the reason his team loses and rarely ever wins.

"Your team won without you, your the reason they lose so often!"

"You're not needed! They'll be better off without you!"

Voices in his head got louder and louder.

"Shut up! Shut up! I know!!" Mortis cried out.

It was becoming late and Mortis and no where to be found. Poco was intoxicated by stress and worry.

"He has to be around here somewhere!" Poco said with a worried tone.

They didn't know they were near Mortis.
Mortis had a small blade with him. He rolled his sleeves up and started to cut his skin open with it. Blood dripped out of the cuts. The voices in his head got louder and louder, but then shut up.

"Where are you Mortis?!" Poco shouted.

Mortis jumped a bit. He put the small blade in his pocket and rolled his sleeves down. As the droplets of blood ran down his arms, the blood left a small, dark red stain on his sleeves.

"Mortis, please, if you can hear me, say something!" Poco shouted.

There wasn't any response. Poco started crying.

"Colt, try to cheer Poco up, I'll search the bushes." Bull said.

"Ok, fine." Colt said.

Bull started looking in the bushes for Mortis. Colt tried his best to cheer up Poco, who was crying a lot.
Mortis crawled from bush to bush, trying to stay hidden from them. He doesn't want them to see the blood seeping through his clothes.

In the middle of the night, at around 1 in the morning, Bull found Mortis. Since it was dark, he didn't notice the blood on Mortis's sleeves. Mortis was also asleep, so Bull picked Mortis up and started making his way home.
At home, Poco couldn't sleep, Colt was sleeping already.

"What if Mortis doesn't come back? What if Mortis is hurt? What if Mortis is- No! Bull will find him! I know it!" Poco thought.

Poco, laying in his bed, stared up at the ceiling. Many thoughts raced through his head, but all Poco hoped for was that Mortis would be found and ok.

It was around 3 in the morning when Bull got home. He went to Mortis's room. As he put Mortis on his bed, Bull noticed the blood stains.

"Maybe he.. No Mortis is always happy-ish, he wouldn't do such a thing." Bull thought as he went to his room to sleep.