Markiplier x Reader | The Promised Land

Chapter 14: Small Detour

It was quiet...

Too quiet.

Mark had his sniper rifle at the ready as he walked along with [Y/n]. They arrived at the highway within a half hour, making detours to stay safe in case Skull Breakers were in the area. But finally, they made it.

Mark couldn't help but feel vulnerable out in the open like this, having only broken down cars for cover. With the tall buildings in the distance both ahead and behind them, they were at risk for sharpshooters at nearly any given moment.

"The closer we get to Pasadena the more we'll have to be careful," Mark said in a low voice, "the Skull Breakers could already be on our trail for all we know."

Despite feeling relieved that they both had left Glendale, Mark still felt pale and restless. He knew what the Skull Breakers were able to do, and they weren't a force to be reckoned with unless absolutely necessary.

Even though he hadn't shared it with [Y/n], he would've rather not have killed the Skull Breakers who tried to ambush them in that old building. The images were still fresh in his head. He didn't like killing, and the fact [Y/n] had to step in and help made him curse himself for making them go through that. He should've been smarter about the situation. But how could he have predicted they would rush them both like that?

His own first kill came to mind when he remembered the look on [Y/n]'s face when they dropped his sniper rifle. His reaction wasn't much different when he made his own first kill, and it wasn't that different of a situation.

He had been with Sean, his friend and mentor at the time. They were holed up and trapped. Skull Breakers raided their location and swarmed in from all directions like a mass of zombies. Sean had a mini machine gun and was taking them out by the dozens, hollering and hooting like a madman. Mark remembered distinctly the woman who had crawled through the back of the bunker with a knife. He even remembered everything about her, from her grey eyes all the way to the smallest freckle on her forehead, hiding behind her short blond hair.

Mark, at the time was told to just sit back and stay out of firing range. They hadn't expected to get ambushed like they had, and Sean tried to take the initiative just like Mark had back in Glendale. It only just occurred to Mark that it was only his second day on the field at the time.

Mark shouted to Sean in fear and surprise when the lady lunged at him, and he grabbed for his pistol and shot her right through the head, but not before she had clutched his throat and sunk her knife deep into his chest, cutting far into his collarbone. He shivered at how close to death he had been, and if it hadn't been for Sean's first aid skills, he would've surely died.

His deep thoughts were interrupted by distant gunfire. Based on the volume he easily guessed it to be about a mile and a half away. [Y/n] stopped in their tracks and he reassured them, "It's alright, it's a ways away. Let's just hope those gunshots were friendly."

They both continued on, the distant gunfire still going on.

It continued for about twenty more minutes before it finally died out. After a few seconds, there was one final shot before going quiet altogether. Mark had a sudden uneasy feeling about this whole situation, but he had to tell himself that it was safer to be on the move than to be like sitting ducks. He didn't share his uneasiness with [Y/n], but he could tell they weren't that eager to keep going either. They both had no choice, unless they took a detour, going around and entering Pasadena on the south side.

Mark stopped, he wanted to see [Y/n]'s opinion on this. They looked at him expectantly when he stopped. He gathered his thoughts, "We have two options [N/n]." He squatted down behind a group of cars, they copied him. He took a deep breath to steady himself, "We can either enter Pasadena straight from the highway we are on, or cross southward from here and enter from the southern side."

[Y/n] thought for a moment, "Well, if we continue this way, it's the most direct and would take the least amount of time to reach your contacts." Mark nodded, and they continued, "However, if the Skull Breakers know we left Glendale, they could be waiting for us. If we go through the south entrance, odds are they won't catch us and we'll lose their trail."

Mark nodded thoughtfully, but he wanted to see... to test them. When silence hung over them both, he spoke up, "It's your call [N/n]."

"Stop calling me that," they said, smirking, "But why me? I'm not the one in charge here-"

"I'm not in charge either," Mark said, "Think of me as your friendly guide to safety. How we get there is up to you right now. I'll make the next big decision okay?"

[Y/n] frowned at him, but then nodded, "Alright, we will take the detour to enter from the south."

"Smart move [N/n]," Mark stood up and began to walk, "It's good you chose that, because I was going to go that way anyways."

"Hey!" [Y/n] said as Mark picked up the pace to run from them as they came at him with their hand, "Thought you said I had a say!"

Mark laughed, "And I did, didn't I? We are doing as you say!" He ducked when [Y/n] passionately tried to bap the side of his head and he raced off the highway, climbing a shallow, grassy hill. He was heading towards a road off of the highway marked "Colorado Boulevard." This road would lead them towards Garvanza, a small town just outside of South Pasadena.

When [Y/n] caught up with him, he was surprised to see a smile on their face and a little more color in their skin. He couldn't help but smile either, they looked so genuinely happy for that brief moment. That moment didn't last however, as their expression changed the moment he started smiling. They sighed, looking serious again. They looked the boulevard up and down, "Is this what's gonna give us the detour?"

Mark nodded, "At least most of it. Once we get to Garvanza we'll head directly east and we should arrive in South Pasadena by this evening."

Silently, Mark stepped onto the road and they both began walking once again. This time it was quieter than before. The birds weren't even chirping nor the bugs buzzing around. It was just dead, eerie silence as they began to walk.