STRANGULATE | Markicest

8 | THE OTHER SIDE

Ethan called Mark later that night after receiving his text. When Mark answered, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Oh, thank God—you're alive," he said.

    Mark rose a brow, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding his phone. "Did you think I was dead?"

    "You could have been," Ethan pointed out. "What if he saw you?"

    "I was hiding behind some trees," said Mark. "He glanced my way once but there was no way he could've known I was there."

    "So... when are you going to do it?" asked Ethan tentatively through the line, and Mark pressed his phone harder against his ear, trying to hear clearer.

    "Do what?"

    Ethan paused for a moment before saying again: "The Tear Stealer—"

    At the sound of his name, Eyes' screen pinged through the darkness. She jumped, pulling up their live feed. "Mr. Edward!" she called. "It's them."

    "...when are you going to kill him?" continued Ethan.

    A silence fell over the line, and Dark walked up to Eyes' desk, staring down at the screens with a tired yet intense gaze. His robes lazily fluttered at his feet.

    "I..." Mark paused, the sound of his car rumbling through the audio. "I don't know."

    "Have you changed your mind?" asked Ethan.

    "No," said Mark, letting out a laugh. Dark merely stared. "No, no, I'm still going to kill him."

    Eyes glanced over her shoulder at the Tear Stealer, whose gaze remained vacant, unable to read.

    "Seeing him today... I have a lot more to learn before I can go through with it."

    The line paused again, and Ethan lapsed into a serious tone. "I'm not telling you to not do it," he said, "but—you have to think about your options." He paused. "What if they catch you? What would you do then, Mark?"

    The Tear Stealer took a step closer to the screens, eager to hear his response. A pause came over the audio again, this time more tense.

    "They won't catch me," said Mark after a while, voice tight. "They never do."

    "But if they do," Ethan pressed on. "Look, I don't want to lose you, Mark, but I also don't want to stop you from going through with this. You just need to be smart about it. And—no—don't even start saying that killing the Tear Stealer is gonna be like another one of your celebrities."

    Dark's eyes fluttered at that, and Eyes turned to look up at him, her brows shot up.

    "Is he...?" she whispered.

    "I won't, I won't," huffed Mark. "I'll come up with something soon, though."

    Ethan chuckled at that. "Well, tell me before you try to kill him," he said. "I want to kill with you at least one more time before you disappear off the face of the earth."

    Mark laughed, and Eyes snapped her fingers in knowing at Ethan's statement. "Don't worry. We'll have plenty more victims before then. See ya soon, Ethan."

    "See ya."

With that, the call ended, leaving Eyes and the Tear Stealer staring at white static. A silence fell over them, and Dark looked down at Eyes.

    "If you hear them make any more plans concerning me or other Evolveds," he said, his voice a low, regal drawl, "tell me." Eyes nodded, and Dark tightened the silver clasp around his neck that kept his shawl in place. "It looks like I have to take a trip to the Other Side."