DISCONT | Scorched Earth P1 [Creepypasta]

Ch13 - Friend.

Tim made me a hot cup of hot chocolate using ingredients he had brought with him - extra marshmallows, probably having noticed how much sugar I had put into my coffee. He even grabbed a blanket so I could bundle myself up, which helped to stop the shaking. 

"...What made you come anyway?" I let out as I took a sip, enjoying the marshmallow sweetness.

"Well, I tried calling you a few times and you didn't pick up. I was a little worried - since you are all alone up here - and thought I would come by with some snacks in case you needed cheering up," he explained to me. I nodded, his explanation making perfect sense to me.

"Oh..." I let out. "But... aren't you alone too?" I mumbled. I was thankful when he didn't seem to take offense to the comment, as I realized after saying it that it may have seemed insensitive.

He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. "No, I live with a bunch of... well, I guess they're roommates, but we are all pretty close friends ," he said in a reminiscent voice. It seemed like he got along well with them, as he spoke of them as though he remembered them fondly.

"...Can you tell me a bit about them?"

"Well, first of all, there's Brian. He is like a sibling to me. There's Ben, he enjoys gaming but he's very competitive. There's Jeff, he has bipolar disorder so he he is usually either grumpy as hell or weirdly cheerful..." He continued to name the other members of his household, giving brief descriptions of each one. It sounded like the household was primarily men, but there were some women as well. 

There was silent for a bit after that, and when I didn't speak, he did. "I should probably get back. The others weren't expecting me to be gone for quite this long, and I sort of have work tonight," he explained to me. I didn't think to ask him what work he did as a living.

I bit my lip. "Please don't go," I pleaded. I didn't want to be left alone, not after what had happened. 

He sighed, his expression shifting into becoming apologetic. "I really can't stay tonight, I'm sorry. I'll give you Brian's phone number though - if anything happens, you can call him and he'll come by, okay?"

I hesitated. "But I don't even know where my phone is..."

"Oh, it was on the kitchen bench. I'll go grab it for you. I noticed it earlier," he said with a smile. I nodded, thanking him as he passed it to me. The battery was dead, but I figured I would put it on charge once I went to the bedroom. "Stay safe, okay?" He hummed as he begun to walk to the door, and I nodded. "Oh, and your door was unlocked earlier. Make sure you lock it once I go."