𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕟 ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕖𝕤, 𝕄𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕕 ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕤.

Radio Silence

"No, it's fine. Don't worry. What's up, are you alright?" Mark was already concerned. That...wasn't Cesar's voice. yes, it sounded like him but..something was off.

The alternate on the other end paused, trying to imagine how Cesar should sound in the scenario. All that came out, however, was a blank but slightly concerned tone. "Yeah. It's not me, it's my mom. She's knocked out cold and I have no idea why. I'm on my way to the ER but..could you do me a favor?" "Yeah, of course, what is it?"

3 smiled, its plan was going well, soon enough the human should fall for its plan just as it thought he would "Uh, I just need you to come over and turn on the cameras we have set up. You know, the ones we installed after we were robbed?" "Oh, yeah. Would you mind if I asked why?" Shit. Okay. 3 needed to make up an excuse. The alternate thought for a moment before it spoke again "Well she screamed really loud right before I found her on the ground- I...I just-"

Mark blinked, now there was some concern. But... that still didn't sound like his friend... "Well, do you have your doors and windows locked like the broadcast told us to do?" "Yeah that's the weird part. Maybe she saw something...? I don't...I don't know.." "...Alright, I mean, it shouldn't be too bad. I'm just gonna switch them on and get outta there though. You know how I feel about your house"

The alternate smiled. Hook, line, and sinker. The human had fallen for its trap so easily that it could've laughed. It didn't, of course. That would've made things far too obvious. It just needed one last thing "Yeah..that's fine. One last thing, try to get a good view of the back hallway"

Mark blinked. That confused him. Cesar had always said that the back hall felt off, yeah, but his ex friend straight up asking him to make sure he got a good view of it with the cameras felt off. Hell, this whole call had felt wrong. For all he knew, and for what his suspicions had lead him to believe, the man he was talking to was not Cesar. Who was it? He had no idea.

That's when the worst thought, the most horrid idea his brain had given him in weeks, hit him. What if it wasn't Cesar, but not in the way he'd been thinking, what if this was an alternate? What if it had killed Cesar and was mimicking him to lure Mark in. Oh god oh fuck nonono- this wasn't good- okay, okay, deep breaths. He finally spoke again, "Okay..."

Its grin widened. This was perfect. Soon enough 3 would have this human in its clutches "Thanks, I gotta go, I'm almost at the hospital, thank you" and then it hung up.
Mark knew that the voice on the other end wasn't that of the man who, just a month and a bit prior, had been his best friend. Cesar was an emotional guy, loud and passionate and excited about whatever new project or hobby he was working with. But whoever- No. Whatever. Was on the other end, sounded dead. Still, he felt like he had to help, and so he did.

He grabbed a gun, getting into his car and preparing to head to his friend's house. But then that paranoia struck him again. What if that was an alternate? What if he'd just been speaking to a monster. Cesar didn't sound like that, blank and dull, and if something had happened to his mother Cesar would have sounded much more panicky, scared for his mother's life, scared for his own.

But that thing sounded more than blank, it sounded cold, uncaring towards Cesar's mom. This was a trap, and Mark knew it, in the very far reaches of his mind he knew he was headed towards his death. But honestly, he didn't mind anymore. Cesar was, as far as he knew, probably dead. Gone forever. There's a difference between losing a friend and knowing they still exist, still have a life to live, and losing someone who was a friend permanently. Death and a breakup between friends are entirely different things. Never fully getting to say goodbye hurts worse than anything else, and Mark knew that.

Cesar was probably dead, and that thought made tears well up in Mark's eyes as he drove. "Fucking dammit- Cesar I'm- I'm sorry- fucking hell I-" he sighed "Well, if worst comes to worst I get to see you again- Wait, nevermind- probably not. I uh..I'm probably going to hell, to be honest. Hey, maybe you'll get to come torture me yourself" he laughed at his own bad 'joke', sighing towards the end of the forced sound.

The closer he got to Cesar's house, the more his paranoia worsened, the more fear grew in the pit of his stomach. He hated that feeling. Mark gripped the steering wheel tighter as he drove, knuckles going white from his agressive hold on the wheel. He stopped crying, setting his expression into a flat and serious one as the house came into view. He pulled into the driveway, parking the car and getting out, making the risky decision to leave it running in case he needed to get out fast.

He grabbed his gun from the middle console and shut the car door, making sure he had turned off his headlights so nobody would think twice and steal his car, and he walked inside. 'Cesar' had lied, he knew, the door was unlocked. No matter the situation he always locked his front door. If his mom had just fainted and everything else was normal, he still would have locked the door. This one detail was enough to put Mark on high alert. Fuck him- he fucking knew this was a bad idea.

Mark quickly went around and switched on all the cameras...and then he smelled something awful. It smelled like rot and decay and..and blood. Mark didn't want to know what it was, for all he knew it'd only confirm his suspicions. He walked to the back hallway, angling the camera to be able to see all of it and turning it on. He glanced around, making sure nothing was there with him....and then he heard it laugh. It was such a quiet sound that had he not been on high alert he wouldn't have heard it and it made him jolt.

He stood stiff and upright, gun ready in his hand, and goosebumps forming on his skin from the rippling waves of cold, sheer terror. Mark suddenly felt like the shadows were surrounding him, many cold hands reaching out to grab him and pull him to somewhere he did not want to be. He snapped out of his fear freeze, firing off a single warning shot into the dark that didn't seem to hit anything at all, given the lack of the sound of an impact.

After that he looked around, now sure that something was closing in on him, and he ran. He ran so fast that his legs burned as his feet thudded on the floor and he knew he was outrunning something instead of someone. Why had he been running for so long? Had Cesar's house always been this big? No, no, it was just his mind screwing with him. He could see the doorway and he pushed himself harder than he already was. Suddenly, he burst out the door and into the cool night air, slamming it shut behind him.

The air outside was cooler than it would've been had it been daylight, yes, but it was still much warmer than the house that sat behind him, shut and closed. Mark dug into his pocket, looking for the extra house key Cesar had given him weeks ago. He pulled it out and locked the door as fast as he could, stumbling back to his car. He locked the car once he was inside, flicked on his headlights, and gunned it home. Peeling out of the driveway and practically speeding back to his own house.

When he got inside he slammed his door and locked it, checking every last door and window in the house to make sure it was locked. Everything was okay, sure he had just almost died but now he was home. He was home and alive and everything was okay. He had to be safe now, didn't he?