Dark Nights; Hidden Frights || Find the Markers x Flicker

6|| Gullible Trust

Night 3-Night 4

"Wild...?" Forbidden muttered. He held Wild Marker's hand, squeezing it harder.

"Yes, Forbidden?" Wild responded, his voice low yet gentle.

"I— I'm worried..."

"About what?"

"A-about this night... What'll happen if s-someone dies, and it's one of us?" The entire room was dark now.

Wild Marker smiled, and he hoped Forbidden could see it. "Don't worry, Forbid! We'll last this entire game together. And that's a promise."

Forbidden pulled Wild into a sudden hug. "Th- thanks, Wild..." he whispered happily.

Wild accepted his "brother's" embrace. "You're welcome— AGH!" his light-hearted reply was interrupted by his own grunt of pain. He felt blood trickle slightly from his mouth.

"Was that just Wild?!" he heard someone ask.

"It's a shame you won't be able to see your promise through," Forbidden whispered maliciously.

Wild Marker breathed heavily. "Wh— What...?" he mumbled. He felt something being removed from his back. He fell to the ground, utterly dazed.

"Can't you see? Or are you too blind?" Forbidden asked. "I stabbed you, you idiot!" That's when it hit him. Forbidden, his own "brother," the one who he took care of and loved, had literally backstabbed him.

"H- How could you..." Those words escaped from Wild's mouth, and they were his last. He let out a heavy, shaking breath, and died.

Forbidden smiled, and dragged Wild's limp body to the fridge in the kitchen. He had about three-ish minutes until the lights turned on — enough time to shove Wild's body on top of the fridge. He dropped the knife near him, making him look like he killed himself.

"I'm... alive again?!" Purple's voice exclaimed from the dark. "How the..."

"I revived you, Purple," Foliage answered. "I'm the savior."

Forbidden quietly ran back to his spot near the wooden dining table. 3... 2... 1. The lights flickered back on. It was time for Forbidden to act out his plan. Hopefully it would cover him up.

"W- Wild?!" Forbidden exclaimed worriedly. He looked up at the top of the fridge, straight at Wild Marker's body, and started to fake-cry.

Foliage immediately ran over to comfort him. "Shhh... It's all right. It'll be all right..." they muttered.

Surprisingly, Forbidden had managed to make Dark Markery feel pity for him. "Sorry, Forbidden," he said. "There's nothing we can do... anymore..."

This was working out perfectly! "I... I k- know..." he mumbled, embracing Foliage tightly. "H- He said that we'd g- get through this to- together..."

Foliage flashed a gentle smile. "I know it hurts, Forbidden. You could stay by me if you'd like...!" they offered.

"I... I'd like th- that." Forbidden held Foliage's hand and walked with them... until Zen stopped them.

"Hang on, Foliage," they said. "I'm not usually the one who makes accusations, but there's something about Forbidden that I don't believe."

"Huh?" Foliage asked. "What do you mean?" They still held onto Forbidden's hand, but loosened their grip slightly.

"Doesn't it make sense that Forbidden killed Wild? He was the closest to him — in physical and relationship terms," Zen explained.

Peppermint thought for a moment. "It does make sense..." he mumbled. "But I don't think he'd be the type of person to do that."

"He might, though," Purple intersected. "Think about it: he could use his innocence to cover up for his crime, couldn't he?"

Zen nodded. "That's right," they said. "I'm sorry, Forbidden, but everyone has some very fair reasons."

Shoot. This wasn't supposed to be happening. The others were supposed to be with them, not against them! "Y- You're not s-s- saying..." Forbidden muttered.

"I'm afraid I am..." Zen replied. "Again, I'm sorry, but it has to be done."

"Oh my gosh... That's so heart-rending..." the PA voice exclaimed. "Just kidding! ...Slightly. Anyways, does everyone agree on Forbidden?"

Forbidden looked around worriedly as most Markers raised their hands. Again, this wasn't supposed to happen. Again, they were supposed to be on his side.

"Huh. All right then," the voice stated. "Sorry, Forbidden, but at least you'll be able to see your brother again!"

Forbidden smiled at the thought. He should apologize if he sees him. He wiped his fake tears, although some of them seemed real. "Y- Yeah... Yeah, y- you're right!" he exclaimed sentimentally.

"All right... I just need to find the button... Aha!" The voice seemed to struggle. "Bye, Forbidden!"

Being honest, becoming a ghost all that suddenly wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. At least he "died" without any pain... Unlike Wild.

Forbidden's journal dropped to the floor, and Zen picked it up, eager to avenge Serenity. "Let's see here... His writing is somewhat messy, but I think I can decipher it..."

"Let me see," Mint offered. "I've had my own share of messy handwriting phases in the past." He took the notebook from Zen and started reading. He winced once he finished, closed it, then opened it and continued reading.

"So?" Peppermint asked Mint. "What does it say?"

Mint closed the notebook — this time it was official. "Oooookay... So — umm... Basically, Forbidden was an Assassin. He could only kill one person, and he planned for it to be Wild all this time."

"Ohhhhh snap!" the PA voice rang.

"I am feeling some immense regret right now," Zen said, looking to the side guiltily. "If he could only kill one time — and Wild was his kill — he's kind of harmless now."

"You should be. Anyways... Before I flicker the lights again, how do you guys feel about this... situation so far? Can't have my guests feeling uncomfortable." The PA voice paused. "That... probably wasn't the best thing to say." The lights flickered as soon as it ended its sentence.

Candy Cane sighed. "This is nerve-wracking..." he mumbled, which caught Peppermint by surprise. He'd never seen his brother doubt anything before.

"I probably shouldn't say this," Peppermint said, "but we'll get through this, all right?" He was trying to give his words no meaning, but everyone knew what would happen next.

The lights flickered; the lights shut down. Everyone knew this game well enough to know what would occur now.

Therefore, everyone waited. And waited. And waited. But nothing happened. No sounds whatsoever.

"Excuse me, but why isn't anything happening?" Mint asked.

"Nobody's dying, I guess..." Dark Markery replied.

"As relieving as it might be," Foliage began, "it's somewhat unsettling that no one is dead yet."

"I know," Purple said, sighing. "It's like a moment of silence — but the creepy factor was amped up to a ten."

Everyone was silent for the rest of the time the lights were off.