Under Pressure - Septiplier

Chapter One

Mark hops out of the car, laughing happily as he chases after his brother, slipping through the open gate and hopping over the edge of the playground. The mulch crunches under his feet as laughter rings through the air- shouts of joy and happiness as children play on the playground. The sun shines down and gently warms the boy's skin as he pants softly, stopping in the central area where a group of kids, ages ranging from around five to ten, are gathering. He glances back, seeing his mother sitting on a nearby bench a bit away from the playground, watching absentmindedly.

"Let's play tag!" a girl around nine exclaims, hands on her hips decisively. Some kids agree, and some whine lightly, shaking their heads.

"No, I wanna play hide and go seek!" a boy, a little younger, says. Several more kids pipe up after the single dissent, and a huge debate starts up, no one listening, yet everyone talking. Mark stands quietly, wide eyes looking around the circle in shock at the volume level. He was the youngest, having only recently turned five. Therefore, he stands in the front of the ring so he can see, but now it feels like a trap, the loud voices and heated discussion beginning to overwhelm him.

"Guys! Stop it! Why don't we just... compromise?" Tom speaks out, yelling over everyone to be heard. All the kids quiet down, looking over at the eldest for his piece of wisdom. Mark lets out a quiet breath, shoulders relaxing as he gives his older brother a tiny smile of thanks. Tom sees it, glad he can help his little brother, who has always been shy and sensitive.

"Whaddya mean?" the first girl asks, crossing her arms and tilting her head in askance.

"Well, like... tag and hide and go seek. Both. So... someone starts out as the seeker, and everyone else goes and hides. Then, they search around, and whenever they find someone, they try to tag them. They run around, and if they escape, they hide again. If they can't, they become another seeker. Then, it just goes on and on, until only one person's left," Tom explains to the now thoughtful group of kids. A few of them shuffle, kicking up the mulch and drawing in it with their toes as they think. A lot of them nod in agreement, and Tom's idea is approved.

"Last person sitting is it!" a boy shouts, and everyone scrambles to fall to the ground. Mark has it easy, being the smallest there, and he giggles at Tom's confused expression.

"You're it, Tommy," he giggles teasingly, playing with a few pieces of mulch absentmindedly. The other kids laugh in agreement, and Tom playfully glowers at them all. The group slowly stands up after making sure Tom knows he's it, and they set the counting time. Thirty seconds.

"Alright, y'all better go hide. It's gonna be a short game," Tom says with a smirk, teasing them before their dissents raise up. "He better keeps his eyes closed," "he better count with Mississippi's in-between," "he ain't gonna find me!"

"One Mississippi!" Tom yells, cutting them off and beginning to count with his eyes tightly closed. The kids all scream and laugh, turning and sprinting off, playfully pushing each other. Mark runs with them, sneakily slipping under one of the playground platforms. No one else would be able to fit, and he wiggles under, looking up through the small holes in the platform. Mark pushes mulch up along the edge, hiding behind the tiny wall he quickly makes. He works on slowing down his tired, adrenaline-filled breaths, eyes shining brightly with excitement as he slows his breathing. The small holes give him just enough sight to kind of know what's going on, and he knows for sure, no one is going to think to look beneath such a small platform.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Tom calls, and Mark hears the nearby crunching of mulch as Tom slowly walks in his direction. The slow, measured steps are the movements of a hunter, searching for his prey. Mark holds his breath, heart hammering in his chest as he freezes, knowing the slightest sound could give him away.