i don't have a title for this yet (mark x cesar)

Vol. 6

Mark POV

Cesar falls asleep the minute I get him settled into Sarah's room. I shut the door quietly, and head back to my room. I look at the clock and it's only 10:09 p.m., so I lock the door and decide to write in my notebook a bit. Eventually, my eyes start to close, but something...no.. someone talks to me outside of my room. It's...Cesar.

"Mark?" he calls. "Yeah? Give me a second.." I say as I head towards the door. I go to the lock and I'm about to turn it until I hear the static. It goes away as quickly as it comes, and Cesar speaks again. "I have a gift for you-you-you." The static comes back and goes. His voice is quiet, and more confident, but I can tell it isn't his. "What? How did you even.." I falter. There's a shadow under the door, and I can tell it isn't human.

"I have a prese-e-e-e-e-e-nt!" There's static in between each of his pauses. I back away from the door so quickly I lose my balance. It's not Cesar. I crawl to the edge of my nightstand and reach in the drawer for my handgun, but I remember I left it on the table in the living room. God damn it! I think to myself. Of course this had to be one of the moments where you make these stupid mistakes!

Instead of breaking down, I try to compose myself. It isn't working, but I like to pretend that it's actually doing something. He's knocking on the door, like he did earlier. "Mark, ple-e-ase. It's me. Open the-e-e-e-e doo-o-or. I need you." He says, less confident than he sounded about 20 seconds ago. He sounded like he did when he was breaking down.

Part of me wanted to open the door and comfort him, but the other part was saying, No. It's an alternate. You'll kill yourself before you know what's happening. This is where I start to panic. I'm dead. It doesn't matter whether I choose to open the door or not, I'm dead.

"Ma-a-rk! Open the do-o-or!" It's more urgent and his voice is breaking. With static, or with "tears", I can't tell. "No! I..I can't!" I yell at whatever is behind my door, hoping and praying it would go away. Refrain from any kind of communication or contact with the threat. The T.H.I.N.K principle had said. Shit. I fucked it up again. Now the thing won't leave me alone. "Stay calm and just breathe." I silently whisper to myself. It's closer now.

"Just leave me alone!" I yell again, knowing damn well it won't do anything. I could be stuck in here for a day, maybe three. How long has it been? It can't have been that long. My thoughts are burned to ashes when I see it's 2:02 a.m. I'm about to start crying. No one will come for me. Cesar. Cesar.

I immediately jolt up. Cesar doesn't know. He'll be dead. God damn it! God fucking damn it! This is where I start crying. He's going to be dead, and it's going to be all my fault.

"MA-ARK!" It yells again. It's voice is full of pain, and this time I move towards the door. My mind is numb. I can't tell what's real and what's not. I turn the knob and I'm about to open the door. I don't care whether I live or die. If I live, I'm living with the guilt of letting Cesar die. If I die, at least let it be knowing I died with Cesar.

The door has a small crack open, and I'm about to swing it open. I'm trying to get it done quickly. If I'm going to die, let me be first, if it hasn't already gotten Cesar.

*BANG BANG BANG*

I stumble and crawl backwards to the side of my nightstand. The alternate, who had just looked like a dead ringer for Cesar, has just dropped to the ground, and dissipated. I'm sitting in the shock of the moment, and the feeling only worsens.

Cesar, the real one, shaking and crying, holding my handgun. He drops onto his knees, and drops the gun too. The disbelief is highly visible on his face. I don't think he was anymore used to what just happened than I was. I've had practice with a gun. I've gone to a shooting range and practiced before. I know damn well Cesar hasn't held a weapon other than a knife, and even then, it was to cook.

His face is blank. His eyes are numb, though they have tears flowing from them. I haphazardly get up and go to him, but before I can do anything he says, "Stop. Not right now. Not....not yet." He gets up, and slowly drags himself over to the bathroom, and closes the door softly.

What's gotten into him?

(AAAAAAAUGH IM OBSESSING OVER THIS CHAPTER GSJDJFJFJIFKF

-cesar :) )