Slenderverse One-shots

Can't Escape the Past ⊗ MH

Post MH where Jay and Tim both survive and start trying to have a normal life

More dust clouded the air as he sat another box down and opened the cardboard flaps to place more items inside. Closing it again, he picked up the box- the tapes within shuffling around as he jostled it- and carried it to the back of the attic. A huff of air escaped the scrawny man as he sat it down, hopefully never to be disturbed again unless the contents were going to be destroyed. Jay couldn't bring himself to do it as much as Tim had tried convincing him to, it just wasn't something he was letting it go permanently just yet.

Tiredly, he climbed out of the attic and headed to bed. Sorting through boxes, packing and unpacking to make sure every tape, every camera, and anything else that could be related back to Marble Hornets was compiled together, had been a whole day's project. His eyes read the time on the clock sitting on the nightstand by the bed. Jay hazily processed that it was a whole new day... and that Tim should've been back by now. Thinking about it, he figured it was weird he didn't hear the man come home. His heart began beating faster in his chest. This wasn't right. Things like this weren't supposed to happen anymore. They'd put all that behind them when Alex died.

He turned to go search the house, half hoping Tim might've passed out on the couch or something. However, he found himself falling back instead, a wave of distortion and nausea hitting him. Through the darkness of the room and his blurring vision he made out a tall figure with a pale face before everything faded out.

His body felt strange as he shuffled in the cold to sit up. Blinking, Jay looked around, taking in the snow covered street. The orangey glow of street lights hazily reflected off the snow mounds and his breath billowed out in a cloud around him much like the dust in the attic. This didn't feel real. Yes, there was snow out but this wasn't his street. There weren't footsteps anywhere around him to suggest he'd walked out here. It was hard to think back on it. His mind felt sluggish and the more he tried the harder it got to distinguish between what had happened after he left the attic and upon getting here.

"Is this a dream?" He stood up, unnerved by the silence. "No... no... I saw that Thing... It was in the room, right? Tim... where was Tim? Did it take him? ...Was it really there?"

He stumbled before grabbing hold of the nearest street light, clutching the pole like his life depended on it. Jay was getting frantic, going back into a familiar state of panic as he tried to decipher anything that would confirm if this was real or not. The cold air, the freezing metal under his hands certainly felt real. The puffs of air whenever he breathed looked real but... the strange glow of the lights, slightly unfocused, and the muffled sounds of his movements... It couldn't be real.

"You're not getting away this time, Jay." His blood froze as he heard the male's voice.

"No... No it... it can't be him. Not him. No... This can't be real. He's dead. I saw him die. I don't want to remember that. I don't want to turn around. I can't. I can't." His panic was rising, his chest feeling constricted as the memories swirled around his head. Surely if this were a nightmare he would've woken up by now- that or Tim would have woken him up. "But Tim wasn't there."

The click of a gun's safety being turned off made his flight response kick in. Jay bolted, stumbling slightly as his tired body tried to keep up with his racing mind. The deep snow wasn't helping either. It seemed to pull him down, drag him back the faster he tried to go. Multiple times he nearly tripped, each time expecting a gunshot to ring out and a bullet to pierce his flesh. He still hadn't looked back. Adrenaline was rushing through him, telling him to just keep going, that eventually he'd find safety.

Jay took as many corners and backstreets as he could, hoping to lose Alex and praying that he didn't make a wrong turn. But the houses were thinning out and with it the roads and places he could use to hide. He turned another corner, tripping over a hidden chunk of ice and crashing face first into a snowbank. The numbing cold easily seeped through his clothes despite his jacket. It was nothing compared to the cold that shot through him as he rolled onto his back and looked up at Alex.

The man didn't even seem out of breath as he stood over Jay. The glow of the lights lining the street seemed to form a fiery halo around the silhouetted figure. His brain couldn't process that this was actually happening. It couldn't be. How was that possible? Alex was dead.

All Jay could do was stare feebly up at him. There was nowhere left to run and even if he tried, he'd be dead before he could even stand. "...Alex?"

There was no response. The gun pointed down at him didn't even waver. Jay trembled. He didn't want to die. Not like this. Certainly not when he and Tim were finally getting their lives back together. He had to do something.

He jerked to the side, rolling slightly before scrambling to his feet. As expected, a gunshot rang out. The noise was unbelievably loud after the muted sounds from before. Jay felt himself collapse to the ground as the world seemed to shift beneath his feet. This was it. He was going to die who knew where cold and alone. What would Tim think? Would the man assume he'd just left?

"No. I had no reason to. He'd look for me..." Jay wasn't certain he wanted to be found if that was the case. At least if his body was missing Tim might be able to believe he was alive somewhere.

Just like less than a minute ago, he sat up. This time, relief hit him as he saw his home before him while Alex was nowhere in sight. Jay stood, taking a moment to assess that he had, in fact, not been shot before stumbling inside. Thankfully, the door was unlocked and he was able to walk in- he'd question why it was unlocked later on. He trudged through the house, aware the place looked a little trashed but unable to process or think much on the matter. The terror that had gripped him only increased the exhaustion he felt as the adrenaline quickly wore off.

Dazily, he noticed the kitchen light on and made his way to the room; his body swayed with each step as he tried to stay conscious. This still didn't feel normal. But there was Tim, sitting at the table working on something he couldn't see. Jay could feel tears welling up in his eyes despite trying to keep himself together.

Tim turned towards him, his expression blank aside from a flash of annoyance. This look- the fact it was Tim's masked state in control- went right over Jay's head as he sat in Tim's lap. His arms drooped around the man's broad shoulders; he was too numb to feel the man tense beneath him let alone realize the danger he'd put himself in. At this point, his mind was too fatigued to think despite how much he wanted to tell Tim about what had happened. He'd barely rested his face in the crook of Tim's neck before passing out.

Masky slowly wrapped his arms around the thin man fast asleep on him. He hated being disturbed while in the middle of making a replacement mask- and very much contemplated the idea of shoving Jay off and onto the floor. Instead, he opted to pick Jay up and carry the man to their room. It had only taken one look to realize something bad had nearly happened. The guy was as pale as a sheet, not to mention he was freezing. Masky gave a gruff scoff as he stared down at Jay. The man certainly had a way of attracting trouble. How he could just pass out like this was beyond the masked figure- even if it was an ungodly hour in the morning by now.

Guess he'd just have to make sure he was protected in case whatever had caused this came back. His mask could wait. For now, he was content to lay on his side next to Jay and watch for anything that might show up to hurt the poor man. The poor clingy man. Masky attempted to pry Jay off but each time the man's hands found their way back and clenched his shirt tightly like his life depended on it. He let out a breath and gave up, sacrificing one of his arms for Jay to hold onto. It was going to be a long night... not that Jay or Tim would remember it when they woke up.