Who Killed Markiplier?

Chapter 7

"What would you like to know?" You stepped outside with your chin up high and confidence in your voice. You couldn't let the Colonel know you found him slightly intimidating.

He raised one eyebrow and followed you out the door. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you and the mayor know each other, right?"

"Yes, I've known him for most of my life."

"He's a good man, that one. We've been friends for as long as I can remember." Damien made friends easily, it was one of his best qualities. "There was a time when I could have said the same about Mark, but..." He glanced over at you as if remembering your conversation from earlier. "Well, best not to speak ill of the dead. I mean, I'm sure I'm not the first to say our host had a great deal of enemies as of late."

"What do you mean?" The detective had told you about the threats Mark had been receiving. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who knew.

"I might suspect that the people who worked for him might have reason to stab him in the back. God knows he's a tough son of a bitch to work for," the Colonel growled. He looked angry and unfocused, like he was reliving a bad memory. Before you could ask questions, however, the look disappeared from his face and he smiled. "Ah, anyway, I think I've bothered you for long enough. I'll let you get back to your... investigating. We'll speak again soon!" He turned and began to walk away.

"Hey! Why do you hate Mark? Damien told me you two had fought. What happened?"

He froze, but didn't turn around. "That's not my place to say, and it's really none of your business." He then left before you could say anything else.

You stood dumbfounded, mulling over the new information. Something had happened between Mark and Will. You were determined to find out eventually. And of course, it appeared Mark wasn't the only one to be suspicious of the staff.

"Colonel?" called a voice, startling you. Damien stepped around the corner, clutching his cane. "Damn, I thought I heard him." For a second he looked disappointed, but his face lit up slightly when he saw you. "But no matter! Would you care to accompany me? There's something I've been meaning to discuss with you."

"Of course, Damien!" You linked your arm with his and the two of you began walking. "What do you need?"

"Well, I know you've been assisting our detective with his investigation. I've always known him to be a good man, but he's been acting different lately. I just can't put my finger on it. I also have to bring some concerns of mine to the forefront." He suddenly began to speak very quickly, like he was afraid you wouldn't listen or believe him. "If we look at this situation logically, we can only assume that the killer was with us last night. And while I would stake my life on the innocence of the Colonel or yourself, can we really say the same about the detective? Or worse yet, mayhaps our counting skills aren't as good as we assume them to be. Mayhaps... in the shadows of this manor, unseen to any of us, lay hidden a murderer." Lightening struck just as he finished.

Suddenly, the sound of smashing glass rang out. You and Damien locked eyes before taking off in the direction the house. Muffled yelling could be heard as you got closer. Just as you were about to round the corner, someone crashed into you.

"Shit!" you shouted as you hit the ground. Your elbow hit first, and it exploded with pain. You looked to see who you ran into.

It was a man who appeared to be in his late 20s. He was wearing a blue button down shirt and khaki pants. He held a reporter's microphone and was followed closely by a similarly dressed man carrying a camera. They looked like they could be brothers.

The man groaned and picked himself up off the ground before holding out his hand. You took it thinking he was offering to help you up. Instead, he just shook and let go, then turned to Damien and did the same. Poor Damien had no clue how to react.

"Hi, I'm Jim, pleasure to meet you. That's Jim," he said, pointing to the camera man, who waved. They were both out of breath. "We're here to report on the death of-"

"Hey!" You heard the detective shout from inside.  "Who the hell are you?"

"Do you have anything to say on the matter?" Jim stuck the microphone in your face.

"Uh..."

"This is a crime scene!" The detective sounded closer.

"Thank you for your input. Have a nice day!" Jim said before him and Jim took off running again. Moments later, Abe rounded the corner, almost tripping over you.

"You better hope I never find you, or I'll lock you up myself!" he screamed in the direction of the Jims. He put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

Damien knelt down beside you. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He sounded worried.

"I'm okay." You looked at your elbow to see that it was bleeding. "Thank you for being concerned, though." He noticed the blood and shook his head.

"Here, let's get you inside." He helped you up. "I'll find you some bandages-"

"Really, I think I'm okay. It's just a scrape. Nothing I can't handle." You still had the handkerchief the Colonel had given you earlier when you had cut your hand on the glass. You pressed it to your elbow. Damien looked slightly embarrassed, so you gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "But again, thank you for worrying about me." He blushed and you could see him trying not to smile. You didn't want to give yourself the chance to overthink that, so you turned to the detective. "So, who were they?"

"Ah, nobody. They were just some reporter assholes I found sneaking around the house." He had calmed down and was breathing evenly again. He only looked slightly irritated that he hadn't been able to catch them.

"Do you think they had something to do with all of this?" you asked.

"Nah. They don't seem the type. I doubt they're smart enough to carry out something as big as this." He shook his head. "They're idiots for coming here. We still have a killer on the loose. They really shouldn't be getting involved."

You nodded. "Well, let's hope they don't turn up again. We have enough trouble as is."

Abe hummed in agreement, then said, "I should be getting back to work. We can talk later and discuss what we've found. Good luck, partner." He winked and walked back inside.

"I still don't think we can trust him," said Damien once the detective was out of earshot. You didn't respond. "Anyway, I'm glad you're okay. Now, what was I saying?"

"Something about a killer hiding in the shadows?"

"Ah. Actually, I think it would be good to take a break from that kind of talk. It gets rather overwhelming."

You nodded. "I'm exhausted." You hadn't realized it until you said it. Almost immediately, a wave of fatigue washed over you and you sat down on a nearby loveseat. It had been a truly overwhelming day and you still couldn't make sense of anything that was happening. What frustrated you most was your missing memories of last night. You couldn't remember anything from the party. Damien sat next to you, setting his cane across his lap. You put your head on his shoulder. "What are we going to do?" you asked, suddenly feeling overcome with emotion.

"We're going to sit here and look at the colors of the leaves and we're going to listen to the birds and we're going to exist. Right now, it's the best we can do." He put an arm around you. You missed spending time with your friend. He had been so busy since he became the mayor. Even with everything happening, you were grateful for this moment of calm. You felt tears escape your eyes and you sniffed. "Hey, there's no need for that. We're going to be okay, I'll make sure of it."

For the first time all day, you felt safe.

[I love it when you guys leave comments]