Final Hour (NateWantsToBattle & MatPat)

14

One slow day has passed. I don't even understand why this day is so slow.

Walking down the street, I can see Nate following me slowly, with a hoodie and a pair of sunglasses.

Still no one knows he's alive.

As we were walking, I notice Nate slowing down a little.

"You tired?" I ask.

"No."

With a sigh, I keep walking. There's nothing here.. No food.. Nothing.. Burbank is empty.. Which is weird considering this place is normally full of life. Maybe staying in Glendale was better. It's not as gloomy in Glendale..

"Santa Clarita." Nate suddenly said to me.

"What?" I turn to him, confused.

"You think Glendale is safer, it isn't. It's gone. There is no Glendale anymore. If we're hiding in any place other than Burbank, make it Santa Clarita." He explained.

How.. How did he..

"What about --"

"Lancaster's gone." He shook his head. "We only have Burbank and Santa Clarita."

Taking a deep breath, I keep walking with Nate following me.

He's acting strange. Really strange. This morning, he wouldn't wake up. After that, he predicted someone was following and I think he's right. Now, he's reading my mind.

But we kept walking, turning down one of the streets, cutting into the forest. The quickest way to Nate's house.

But as we walked, I suddenly feel someone presence. Not Nate's though.. Someone else's.

Turning around, I see Nate staring at a tree. His head was slightly tilted to the left.

"Nate?" I ask quietly, slowly walking to him.

"Don't be afraid, I am not going to hurt you." He suddenly said, looking down. "You have nothing to fear."

"Nate?"

"Do you know what it's like?" He asked, turning to me.

"What it's like to feel empty? To be soulless? To not feel any pain? To only feel numb?"

He was scaring me. He didn't have his sunglasses on, but his hood was up.

"Nate? Nate what's wrong?"

"I'm just empty inside.. A shell. Maybe. I'm nothing."

I just didn't say anything. I'm legit scared of him right now. What the hell is wrong with him?

"I can understand why people do the things they do. Why people say one thing, but do the complete opposite. They break your trust."

I continued to look around. So glad no one is here. I remain silent, closing my eyes. I feel something, I can feel a presence. But it's lingering.. Doing nothing.

"See, I don't want to hurt you, MatPat," -- "but I need to hide now. I can't be free... They won't stop haunting me.. I'm broken inside... I ask myself why people do things. Why they kill, why they make everyone's lives a living hell. Then I thought about it.. Some people kill to feel whole inside. To feel happy inside."

Nothing else was said after that.

"Nate, what's the matter? Snap out of it!"

He showed no emotion. But after a minute, his eyes glowed with anger. The black and purple around it's eyes, seem to burn into me.

"I watched our world, burn Matthew! I watched them take everything we care about. I saw what they did. Now I'm trapped. I'm haunted. I can't hide. They'll find me... They'll find us.."

"Nate!" I suddenly raise my voice.

He froze, staring behind me. He only blinked once, before shaking his head. Another moment of silence fell between us, before he suddenly collapsed to the ground.

I stand there for a moment, watching him push himself up. That's when I went to him, helping him up, as he grasped his head.

"What just happened?" He asked, sitting on the log in the forest.

"I actually don't know." I say silently, helping him up.

"You lost your mind. Started mumbling things, then you collapsed."

He looked at me for a moment, before looking around us. He's hesitated, before sighing. "Let's go. Before we're found and killed." He said, grabbing my arm, pulling me out of the forest.