Markiplier x Reader | The Promised Land

Chapter 11: Where You Lead, I Will Follow

You woke up just before the sun came up. You had only slept a few hours, but you felt wide awake. Yesterday still haunted you. The bloody scene, you holding the rifle, it was something you won't forget anytime soon.

You turned the lantern off with a soft click, thankful that the batteries didn't die, and put it in your backpack. You looked over, expecting Mark to be awake, but from the look of his slumped figure, and the unmoving mass of Chica laying next to him, he was sound asleep. You almost felt pity for him. He must've finally passed out from exhaustion, considering he hadn't slept at all since you met him. Who knows how long he has gone without a good night's sleep.

You stretched your legs and winced. They were extremely sore from yesterday's running. Your arm still hurt like the devil, but you noticed that sometime during the night, Mark had changed your bandage. You also noticed that he had taken his rifle away.

He still didn't trust you.

You frowned as you sat there, staring at him for a long moment. You sighed quietly and looked down at your own companion. She was awake now, looking at you with her patient eyes.

Looking into her eyes, you remembered seeing the moon last night. Mark had been awake still when it peeked out of the grey cover, and he took the time to wake you up and show you... You smiled a little, but the feeling subsided as you refilled your thoughts with today's plans.

After a moment of testing your legs, you stood up and put your pack on. You tested how much noise you could make before waking Mark up, and then you approached him slowly. You reached over and gently took your knife and pistol from his belt and boot, then proceeded to ever so carefully take your metal bat from his pack. Then you slowly walked out of the room. Before you started going downstairs, you felt a soft bump on the back of your leg. You turned around and Chica was standing there, looking at you.

Chica... you hadn't realized she was watching you the whole time. Why hadn't she growled? You sighed, hoping this would've been easier, but [P/n] only made it more difficult when she approached Chica, happily booping her on the nose.

You whispered to Chica, "Sorry girl, we have to go..." Chica tilted her head at you and started wagging her tail slightly. You shook your head, trying to fight back all the emotions that threatened to spill over, "We have to leave." You turned to start walking down the stairs but you stopped. You turned back around and Chica was still watching. You leaned over and tried to smile, "Take good care of Mark for me. Won't you?"

Without another word or turning to look back, you slowly headed downstairs, hoping you'd get far enough away that Mark wouldn't bother looking for you.

When you got to the bottom floor, you stared at the place where you both were sitting while he changed your shoulder's bandage just yesterday, and how you two were actually talking gently to each other.

It was also the place where you both fought the day before yesterday. Well... where you fought. You frowned, you'd treated him like shit, and only when he "threatened" to leave did you half-apologize... you still couldn't figure out why you apologized. Was it only because he had your stuff?

Why did he even bother? Why did he have to have so much patience? Not trust you but remain with you? Why didn't he just end your suffering from the moment he found you lying unconscious in that building in Atwater? Why did he try so hard to protect you from those Skull Breakers?

You started walking to escape your thoughts and busy your mind with something else. To where you were walking, you didn't know nor did you care. You just knew that you needed to step out of Mark's life so that he would stop trying to help you and get himself hurt. He was already sacrificing everything he had for you, and not only did it confuse you, it made you feel ashamed... Ashamed because you didn't have anything to give him in return.

You walked for about an hour before your knees finally gave out from underneath you. You fell to the ground, just as Mark had fallen yesterday, except you fell onto grass.

Grass?

You looked up to see you had wandered off of the road and into a yard. You sighed and took off your backpack. You rolled over onto your back and stared up at the grey sky, there were the tiniest patches of blue today.

[P/n] came over and gently licked your face. You giggled and stroked her gently. She curled up next to you, resting her head on your chest, watching you with gleaming, proud eyes. You closed your eyes. If Mark found you, maybe he'll think you died and will leave you be... or maybe he won't find you at all... wherever you were.

*     *     *

Mark shot his eyes open the moment his body allowed it. About halfway through the night his mind went completely blank and he actually slept, but the rest of the night was awful. The nightmares still haunted him.

He sat there for a moment staring at the wall across the room, then he looked over to where [Y/n] was and then blinked. He stared at the empty space before him, trying to register that they were gone. He didn't feel nearly as exhausted as yesterday, but he certainly felt the exhaustion at the edge of his consciousness, slowing his thought processes.

He slowly stood, using the wall for support. He knew his body needed more rest when his knees, especially his right one, screamed at him when he stood up, but [Y/n] was all that was on his mind. He had made a vow and he wasn't about to break that. He grabbed his pack and strapped his sniper rifle onto his back, noticing the metal bat, pistol, and knife were missing. He carefully headed downstairs, trying not to fall.

Once he made it outside, he glanced around. They were nowhere to be found. He couldn't see anything from where he was at other than buildings and the main road. He looked back and forth, took a deep breath, and began walking.