The Damage Has Been Done (Markiplier)

Chapter 26: Read It And Weep

"Alright, just keep going. He's needed. He's vital."

"We know, we're looking."

"They'll find him, Chloe," Tom said, turning to me as we kept walking.

As we walked down the streets, I could see the shadows of the people on the roofs jumping from building to building. I could hear the subtle thud their gear made as they landed on their next roof. After a few minutes, I heard Tom's radio go off, Devin's voice on the other side.

"Hey Tom!" Devin shouted.

"What's up?" Tom asked.

"Come up on the roof to your left. I think I found something you need to see."

"What is it?"

"Just head on up. Mark's bag and a letter is here. Titled 'To Who I Left Behind'. Get up here. Everyone should be here to see this." That's worrisome.

Everyone came to the building Devin had been standing on. In his hands, he held a few pieces of paper, with a solemn look on his face. Something was wrong. Something was super wrong. Tom ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, taking my hand and walking across the roof to where Devin stood. Everyone else followed, including the two new people I hadn't seen before. I heard their names were Nina and Jessica Collins. We were all absolutely silent as mice. Maybe even quieter. Tom took the paper from Devin's hands and started reading it aloud. Everyone listened in to hear.

"To the ones I left behind," Tom began. I knew if Mark would say he left us behind, he probably wasn't going to come back...

Tom read what Mark wrote to everyone, every word, every sentence, every paragraph, every letter. Mark wrote memories he had of everyone, including Tom. Mark's brother sounded as if he was going to cry when he read that Mark would tell their parents that Tom did his best to look out for him. Their parents are dead... Mark would be seeing them. He wrote about everyone. And when he got to writing about me, he apologized the most... He said he was going to take me in when this terrible thing was over... He would take care of me, so I would never have to be alone... I shattered into a million pieces after Tom finished reading. After hearing how Mark wanted Tom to kill his infected and how Mark practically hated himself. He was bit. And he never said anything because he was ashamed in himself for not preventing it.

I sat to the roof and cried when it was over, not being able to keep in my tears anymore. Mark was gone. We had to find his infected... And Tom... Tom had to kill him. I couldn't do that. I couldn't see that. I couldn't hear it. I couldn't imagine going on with knowing Mark was supposed to love and take care of me as if I was his own child when this craziness ended. I had hope. And it was taken away from me by the hands of an infected. I wasn't thinking selfishly, I was just going with the first things that came to mind. I didn't know what to do. I wanted this to be fake. I wanted to wake up as if this was a dream. I couldn't be losing the only person I had left. The only person who had trust in me and I trusted them. The only person that I considered family. That cared about me, that loved me like I was theirs. This can't be happening. It can't be... Mark was the only one I knew I could trust, because my Aunt Harley thought of him so highly and talked about him like he was one of the best people there is. Now one of the best people there was.

Stacy came over to me and hugged me. So did Wade and Molly. They told me they knew how much I needed Mark and how bad they felt for me. I didn't respond though. I couldn't stop crying long enough to answer them. Wade held me in a hug and told me that just because the letter was there and Mark wasn't, didn't mean Mark was gone. That there's a possibility that someone could've found him and helped him before it was too late. Wade promised we'd find him. I could say goodbye if he was infected, or kick his butt if he was alive, for scaring me.