Infected

Stopping Him

*Slight trigger warning for this chapter. Nothing happens, but it is discussed. Read with caution.*

You dash through the halls in an attempt to find a way to the roof. Your heart is pounding so fast that you almost don't see a security room. You turn off course a little, just to check the cameras and make sure Mark is still where Sean had said he was.

Miraculously, there was no one else in the room, so you were able to check the cameras without someone looking over your shoulder. You check the feed displaying the roof. Mark is sitting on the edge. At least, it looks like Mark. You're not even sure if it's him.

You turn to leave the room, when something occurs to you. If the viruses see you talking to him, they'll know something's wrong. You quickly fiddle with the controls, and figure out how to disable the caamera feed. Satisfied, yet still worried, you rush out of the room. You hope that you'll make it to Mark before it's too late.

The staircase seems endless. Your feet ache at you race to the top. Why doesn't Void own any flat shoes? Sweat is beginning to bead on your forehead. Your heart pounds aand your hands shake as you push open the door to the roof.

The sky has changed from dark blue, to red. Over the horizon, you see a gathering of trees, and a single house. You wonder who owns it, but as you step onto the roof, you're only focused on one thing. Mark is sitting on the ledge of the roof.

"Mark?" You call out.

He turns his head, maybe a centimeter toward you. You are unable to see his face. "So you've come," he finally says.

"Um, yeah," you let out a nervous giggle. Growing serious, you continue, "Mark, what are you doing?"

"It doesn't matter," he says in voice so low, you can barely hear it. "Not now. You shouldn't be concerned."

You cross your arms against the cold and slowly make your way over to him. "One of my closest friends is sitting dangerously close to the edge of a building, and seems a little more than depressed. I think I have every reason to be concerned."

He turns toward you, so that you can see the side of his face now, but he won't look at you. "I just--" Mark closes his eyes and takes a breath.

"Mark," you say, taking another small step closer. "What's going on?"

Mark looks you dead in the eyes now and finally spills it. "If I jump off of this ledge now, I will die. But so will Dark and--and Wilford--and the Host. And anyone else who is an alter ego of mine!"

You step back. You can feel the horror in your eyes. The cold ripping through you is nothing compared to the shock you're feeling.  You sputter for something to say. "Mark, you can't--"

"Yes, I can," he says firmly. He gets up from the ledge and starts walking to you now. "Listen to me, (y/n). I've been dealing with this for years now, trying to figure out how I'm gonna stop these guys, or how I can protect everyone else in my life. I've already let everyone down, so I might as well do the only thing that I know will stop them."

Tears sparkle in your eyes. You want to speak, but there are so many words that you can't spit out any. Mark sees this and put his hands on your shoulders.

"If I can get rid of just a few of them, that might make things easier for the rest of you," Mark states. "Other than Anti, my alter egos are the most dangerous. I think you need to trust me right now."

"What about your subscribers?" You ask. He has more than 19 million. "What about all the people who look up to you?"

Mark bites his bottom lip and takes his hands away. He turns and slowly begins to walk to the edge again. "Everyone needs to grow up at some point."

Your eyes widen. "How can you say that?!" You cry. "What about all the people you've inspired? All the people who were able to use your videos to distract themselves from the pain of the real world?"

Mark covers his eyes with his hand. You can tell he's trying to hold back his own tears, as he says, "I've changed for the worst, so looking up to me is a mistake. They can find someone else to help them. Someone better."

"Can they? Can they really?" You ask carefully. "What about your mom? And your brother?"

Mark lets out a sob and sits on the ledge. Fearing the worst, you continue yelling, "What about your production team? Tyler? Ethan and Kathryn? What about Amy? And Chica? No one else can be you in their lives!" You lower your voice.

"No one else can be you."

Mark looks over the edge for a long time. You don't even have to see his face to know that he is crying hard. You slowly and carefully walk over to him. Hoping you don't make things worse, you put your hand on his back. All of the sudden, Mark isn't on the ledge anymore.

He is hugging you. Both of you sob into each other's shoulders. You stay there for a long time, suddenly feeling vulnerable and small. But as you and Mark slowly re-enter the castle, you're relieved. You know things will be hard, but nothing would be as hard as losing a friend like him.