(play song when you see ~~ it'll set the vibe)
Ethan's pov
"Shouldn't you be at work by now?" I asked as Mark sat down next to me me in the living room.
"Well, I had someone fill my place today. I thought..we could spend the day together?" Mark asked, a small smile on his lips.
"I like that idea. What'd you have in mind?" I asked him, turning towards him.
"I was thinking we could go camping."
I opened my mouth the say something, but Mark held a hand up.
"Before you say no– we could go camping in the backyard." Mark said, smirking.
"Okay, that's way better."
Mark chuckled at that, running a hand through his hair. "I'm glad you said yes because I already ordered the tent."
"You knew I was going to say yes, huh?" I questioned, a small smirk on my lips.
Mark blushed, laughing slightly.
"More like hoped, but I'm glad you did."
We sat there for a second just smiling like idiots.
"I'll set up the tent and you can get some stuff from upstairs, deal?" Mark said after a minute, standing up.
I agreed, going upstairs and into my room.
^^^ (~~)
"I set it up downstairs, but I want it to be a surprise so close your eyes." Mark said.
I obliged, closing my eyes.
Mark, unexpectedly walked behind me, cupping his hands over my eyes.
I felt my face heat up at the closeness. I've never been this close to him before. I could feel myself drowning in the tension. (And the scent of his cologne.)
Mark guided me outside. I enjoyed the cool air on my face as we stepped out.
"You ready?" He whispered, right by my ear. A shiver ran down my spine as my face got even more hot.
"Ye-yeah.."
He removed his hands from my eyes to my shoulders, watching my reaction.
He did all of this in two hours?!
It was so cool looking. The tent was huge and very comfy looking. There were some nice lights on the inside.
There was a little camp fire set up and everything.
"This looks.. amazing! You're literally magic." I exclaimed, looking around the place.
"It was nothing really..I kinda had all this stuff just laying around so," Mark said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
"I don't know what you're talking about. This looks so nice!"
Mark chuckled, his hands sliding halfway down my arms.
"I'm gonna go get the s'mores stuff. You wanna get the fire started?"
He went inside while I went up to the campfire set up and attempted to start a fire.
After a minute of trying I finally got a fire started.
The sun was setting, but it wasn't super cold since it was summer.
Mark came back out with stuff for s'mores.
We had short stools across from each other, assembling our s'mores.
"..so, what gave you the idea to do this with me?", I asked Mark after a minute of silence.
He glance up at me, a small smile smile evident on his lips.
"Well I.. I really like you and enjoy your company,"
My face reddened as I fidgeted with the stick I was using to roast my marshmallow.
"Mark.."
"Seriously, I think you're great and I'm glad you agreed to live with me. I can't think of a better roommate." Mark confided.
I couldn't help but smile at his words. I wasn't even sure how to respond to that without sounding completely obsessed with him.
"Wow.. I– that was probably the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say.."
Mark chuckled, removing his marshmallow from the fire and putting it between his graham crackers.
I did the same.
"That's because I haven't felt this way about anyone in a..very long time."
My brain went to the pictures I found in the room upstairs. I wonder if he felt this way about her.
"Me too.. honestly."
What was this, though?
It wasn't quite love, but it was certainly not just a crush.
What was this?
"Ethan, I–" Mark cut himself off, looking down at his hands.
"Yeah?"
".. nothing. Nevermind."
I exhaled dramatically, "whew, okay no more sappy stuff. You're gonna make me fall in love with you or something." I mumbled that last part, but Mark still heard it. He chuckled.
"Would that really be so bad?" He asked in a joking manner.
"Financially, yes. You make way more money than I do." I said playing into the scenario.
"Since when was that ever a bad thing?"
"What about if we get a divorce? I'll have nothing." I joked.
Mark laughed, "no, I'd leave you with a few things."
"The things you don't want." I said causing the both of us to laugh.
"..you right."
Mark and I continued to talk, making jokes while enjoying our s'mores, which were delicious by the way.
"Okay we should probably hit the hay. It's starting to get late." Mark said after a while.
"Yeah, I wanna see what the inside of that tent looks like."
Mark let me get in first, then got inside himself.
Instead of it being split, it was just one big sleeping set up, which I wasn't complaining about.
We got comfortable underneath all the blankets a d continued to talk until we eventually fell asleep.
^^^ (if you're song is still going stop it)
"Well, hello again."
My eyes opened to nothing but darkness. Cold, still, darkness.
I was sitting at a table. When I tried to get up, I couldn't. It was like I was glued to the chair.
I feel two cold hands on my shoulder, along with breathing on my neck.
"I enjoyed that little chat by the campfire," a voice echoed from behind me.
It sent chills down my spine. It sounded like Mark, but different.
I was in the void again.
I thought I dreamed that! Or made it up somehow–
"thought it was real.. romantic." The guy was suddenly in the other side of the table, leaning against it.
His skin was a grey color. His eyes were a bright shade of red that contrasted the dull colors of the rest of him.
He had on a white suit. The same white suit from the locked room in Mark's house.
"Feels refreshing to see a face other than my own." He said, scanning over me.
"Who-who are you?" I asked, voice shaking.
He smirked, his sharp teeth showing.
"I can be whoever you want me to be,"
He suddenly looked just like Mark. His skin went from grey to tan, eyes went from black to brown.
"Look, Ethan,"
He reappeared beside me as his normal self. The way he said my name made my skin crawl.
"I'm going to skip the small talk."
He suddenly appeared in a chair across from me. He leaned into the table, his face uncomfortably close mine.
"I want to make Mark suffer and the easiest way to do that," he smirked, "is through you."
What is he talking about?
"It's simple really. I can take you anywhere you wanna go..I can especially take you where you don't want to go."
I flinched at the threat, pressing my back against my chair.
So of this guy isn't Mark..who is this? Why does he look like Mark? What does Mark have to do with any of this?
"You have a lot of questions, but there's not enough time to give you the run down," he smiled at me, "plus, it's more fun to let you find out by yourself."
He stood up from his chair, placing his hands on either side of the table. "You can call me..Dark."
What..what is all of this? This has to be some sort of sick dream or something?
Dark's smirk dropped and a growl escaped his throat.
"You want to see a sick dream? I'll show you a sick dream." Dark growled, red eyes glowing.
My vision slowly started.. multiplying? At first it was just Dark and the table, but my vision began to see multiple until it was just black
My eyes opened again and I was in.. Mark's house?
Specifically in my room. In my bed.
Everything was dark. Darker than normal.
I threw the blankets off of me and stood up, grabbing the conveniently placed flashlight from my nightstand.
The air was freezing cold and still.
I opened the door to my room, wincing as it creaked. After what Dark said, I was on edge.
This had to have been a dream, because I wasn't in the tent.
I stepped out into the hallway, noticing the red light coming from Mark's room. The door was wide open. I could see Mark with his back turned towards me.
"..Mark?" I hesitantly called out. Who knew what Dark was capable of?
He slowly turned around and I gasped in shock. I nearly dropped my flashlight at the sight.
It looked like he'd been crying this black liquid. His eyes were black as well.
".. Ethan?" Mark choked out. I watched in horror as he coughed up a black blood like substance.
"Ẃ̸̧̛̲̰͍̦̚h̷̳͆a̴̧̝̦͎̐̉̕͠͝t̶̟͍̀͜͝'̸̛̜̩͍̈͊s̷̼̬͌ ̵̧̤̯̦͐̽͘ḩ̷̟͔͓̜̽͑ȧ̴̞̤ͅp̶͕͓̒p̵̞̫̀͋̐̌̋ḙ̶͇̈́̑̊͆n̸̯̖̭͎͂̀i̷͎͆̄͠n̵͍͎͕͐͆̌̒͝ͅḡ̵̭̘̳͓ ̸̜̖͜͠t̴͓̯̋͘ŏ̸̧̹̣ͅ ̷̠̗̳̲̀m̷̨̰̲͕̊̇̆e̸͖̬̱̹͋̅?̶̡̝̪̥̎̓͂͆͝"
I stepped backwards as Mark staggered towards me.
"I– I don't–" Mark sputtered, more black coming from his mouth.
He suddenly collapsed, coughing up the liquid.
I rushed to his side to help. This felt too real. I had to help him. I couldn't just stand there. This was Mark, dream or not.
I sat on my knees next to him, rubbing circles on his back to try and help.
A deep laughter sounded from Mark, startling me.
He quickly turned around from his hunched state and wrapped his hands around my throat.
The force of it sent me on my back. I yelped, my hands instantly going to his, trying to get them from my throat.
Mark straddled my stomach, squeezing harder.
I wheezed, trying to get some form of air in my lungs. Mark's black eyes stared into my soul, a smile on his face as he squeezed harder. His nails dug into the skin of my neck, adding to the pain and the panic.
I clawed at his hands, trying to get them off of me, but he was too strong.
I struggled under him, trying everything I could to get free from his grasp. I scratched at his arms, face, anything I could get my hands on, but he had no reaction. Tears began to form, blurring it vision.
I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the the tears roll down my cheeks.
My vision began to spot as I grew weaker from the lack of oxygen.
^^^
I sat up, gasping and wheezing as tears rolled down my cheeks.
I can't breathe.
I nearly screamed when I saw Mark awake next to me, concern plastered all over his face.
It was so dark in the tent, I could barely see.
I scrambled up, running out of the tent and into the house, rushing into the bathroom and locking the door.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There were bright red scratch marks on my neck. None of them were deep enough to really bleed, but some where deep enough for small beads of red to escape.
I couldn't focus on my neck because of the lack of air making it's way into my lungs.
I could still see those black eyes peering into my soul and that smile.
I sobbed, sliding down the wall and clutching my throat.
I can't breathe.
I grabbed at my throat, struggling to get an ounce of air in my lungs. I could still feel his hands on my throat.
I can't breathe.
Mark's pov
I slowly woke up, confused by the movement beside me.
I could hear this weird strained breathing next to me, causing me to roll over.
Ethan was clawing at his throat, thrashing around.
"Oh my God- Ethan!" I reached for his wrists, trying to keep him from hurting himself any more than he already did.
He started struggling against me, trying to get his hands free.
"Ethan! Ethan, wake up!"
It seemed to have no effect on him at all. He didn't even react.
How was he still asleep? Ethan never mentioned having night terrors..unless?
No, this can't be His doing.
He slowly stopped fighting me, relaxing his entire body. I hesitantly let go of wrist.
Ethan suddenly woke up, sitting up quickly. He gripping at his chest, struggling to breathe normally.
I stared at him in shock, but concern quickly made it's way onto my face when I noticed the tears on his face.
He looked genuinely scared at whatever had happened in his nightmare.
He jumped back went he saw me, scrambling out of the tent and running off.
I got up, hurrying after Ethan.
I approached the bathroom door, twisting the handle, but it was locked.
"Ethan? Ethan are you okay?"
I could hear muffled sobs from the other side of the door, making more more worried than I was was before.
My heart dropped as Ethan continued to sob, taking violent gasped in between.
"Go- go away!" Ethan managed out, crying right afterwards.
I didn't move, just sat down against the door so that he wasn't alone.
"Oh god- I can't- I can't breathe-" Ethan wheezed, coughing.
"Ethan, Ethan just breathe. Focus on my voice and breathe." I said, trying to make my voice as caring and as calm as possible.
"I can't– it won't–" Ethan coughed again.
"Ethan, I'm not going to come in there, but I'm going to help you, okay?"
I slip my hand under the door of the bathroom, stopping at the middle of my hand.
"Focus on how my hand feels, okay? Focus on my hand and breathe."
I felt Ethan put his hand on mine, listening to his breathing.
After a minute his breathing became steady. Shakey, but steady.
The door clicked opened and before I could process what was happening, Ethan was holding onto me, sniffling.
"Thank you," he whispered after a second.
"You're welcome."