Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. This is the first weekend I've had open in weeks. This chapter might be a little short but I promise that once the band season is over I'll be updating more often. I hope that you're enjoying the series so far. Thank you all so much for your patience and support. :)
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Crying in the pouring rain is pretty much the most cliche movie moment I've seen in my life. I never thought it would happen to me, however. I felt so stupid just sitting there on the curb, sobbing and shaking with snot dribbling from my nose. But it did feel better to get it all out after letting all of my fear and anger just kind of fester. After a few minutes, my pulse slowed and I stood shakily. My bare feet were numb and my pajamas were soaked. I climbed the stairs back up to my apartment, dripping and sniffling pitifully. My door was still unlocked, and I opened it with a heavy sigh.
I froze.
A man stood in the entryway of my kitchen. We stared at each other, silently. He had a sandwich in his hands, and a bit of salami hanging out of his mouth. His eyes, dark as the night sky, were wide.
"Mark?" I whispered. Our clothes dripped almost in sync, the droplets of water pattering on the floor.
He quickly swallowed. "Don't scream," he said, his voice just as deep as I remembered. "Please."
I grabbed the baseball bat that I'd left by the couch. "You've got two seconds to explain what the hell you're doing in my apartment," I hissed, keeping my voice low so I wouldn't wake my neighbors.
Mark grimaced. "Two seconds isn't nearly long enough."
"Well then, give me a summary. And it better be a damn good one, or I'm going to have you arrested for breaking and entering." I raised the bat threateningly.
"I didn't break in, though," Mark said. "I just came through the window." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.
"The window was locked."
"I got it open. I'm not stupid." Mark's mouth pressed into a thin line. "You're a lot more hostile in real life."
I gave him a kind of sarcastic shrug. "Well, I've been a lot more alert since I found out that I was being freaking watched. Now what the hell are you doing here?"
"Plans have changed," Mark said quickly. "I have the upper hand, but if we don't act fast, we won't be able to stop them."
"By 'them', who do you mean?"
"The SCP Foundation. They contain and document a vast number of strange objects and creatures." Mark paused. "Maybe you'd like to sit down?"
I glanced down at the couch, then back up at Mark. I lowered the bat. "I'm alright. Keep going."
"Well, you see ,the problem with the foundation is that they've got too much power. They have the ability to dominate the world or destroy it if need be." Mark took another bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. "Now, I made it seem like I was going to just come right out and leak their database online. But I wasn't. Not the entire thing, at least. I have every file - even the most high level security ones - downloaded onto a personal file. Our job is to get that file to someone who has the power to keep the SCP Foundation in check. Does that make sense?"
"I guess," I said slowly. "But I still don't understand why I'm involved."
"Neither do I," Mark admitted.
I stopped. "Wait...you don't know?"
"No."
"You didn't think to use your weird hacker skills to see if they had a file on me?"
Mark frowned. "Of course I looked. The file had already been removed from the system."
"It was removed?" I narrowed my eyes. "How is that possible? Isn't it impossible to completely delete a file from the internet? Like, it has to be there somewhere. This makes no effing sense." I ran my hands over my face. "I'm sorry. I'm cold, and I'm tired, and I'm wet."
Mark nodded and shifted his weight nervously. "If you want to get changed, I can keep watch." A beat passed, and Mark's face flushed. "I mean, I'll watch for any of the foundation's agents. Not, y'know...anything else."
"Uh huh." I sighed. "Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, I guess. I'm going to take a shower and change into something drier. Please don't destroy the place." He nodded vigorously and I slumped into the bathroom.
As the hot water poured down my body in thick rivets, I thought about the man that waiting outside. I could hear him rifling through the cabinets and fridge. He was, somehow, the same man I'd been seeing in my dreams. He was impossible. He couldn't be real. I kept thinking that as I shut the water off, toweled dry, and put on fresh pajamas. HecantberealHecantberealHecannotbereal. The water seemed to wash away some of the tension, however, and I entered the living room calmly. Mark had finished his sandwich, and it appeared that he'd also powered through a banana, two cups of yogurt, and half of my tortilla chips.
The poor bastard was passed out the couch, a can of Pepsi abandoned on the coffee table. He was spooning one of the decorative pillows, snoring lightly. His clothes were soaking the fabric of the couch, but I didn't wake him. He must've been having a pretty rough day to have scarfed down all of that food, I was still exhausted anyway.
Maybe he eats when he's stressed, I thought, and I cracked a smile. I started to tidy up bit, sweeping up crumbs and throwing out trash. As I returned to my bedroom, I grabbed the bat again and laid in on the opposite side of my bed. I had no idea if anyone had been watching me sleep before I started sleepwalking. Had they seen me almost get hit by a truck? How the hell did Mark get into my head to warn me anyway? My head throbbed, and I yawned so hard my jaw creaked. I collapsed onto the mattress.
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I open my eyes. I'm still lying on my back, and I can see the endless ceiling stretching before me. "Mark."
"I'm here." He helps me sit up. The room is still devoid of any other life; the blinding white walls make my head hurt. "Are you okay?"
"Aside from the fact that the last time this happened, I ended up walking into traffic?" I glare at him. "I'm just peachy keen."
He has the good idea to look away. "I'm sorry."
"That's all fine and dandy, but I'd like to know just how you think 'we' are going to solve this problem." I fold my arms.
Mark winces. It looks like he's trying hard to concentrate on something. His eyes glaze over. "They've backed off," he says after a moment. "Their cameras are offline."
He pauses, and I jump in. "Okay. So...what does that mean?"
"They're waiting."
"For what?"
"I don't know."
"Okay, for the guy who initially warned me about these people, there seems to be some pretty big gaps in your knowledge."
Mark exhales sharply from his nose. "I'm still trying to decode some of the files. It'll take a while."
"Do you need to use my computer?"
"No, no, they'll be monitoring it. I mean, I'm sure that they already know where I am, but I don't really feel like broadcasting my location. It's okay, I've got it under control." Mark shivers and hugs himself.
I don't believe a single word he says. Something in my chest stirs, warm and new. Instead of being annoyed, I'm amused; it's like when Jack tells stupid jokes to make me smile when I'm angry. It's a comforting feeling, and I'm beginning to feel that, somehow, I know this man. "You're cold," I say.
"A bit," he admits, and he hugs his knees and curls up tightly.
"I'll try to find you some dry clothes in the morning," I tell him, and he smiles gently. We sit for a while in heavy silence. "How is any of this possible?" I ask.
Mark's brow furrows. "How is what possible?"
"All of this." I gesture around. "I've never seen it before. What is this place? Why was I dreaming of that painting? The painting that kills people who look at it? And you..." I hesitate. Mark is staring at me, hard. His gaze is dark and intense and there's something in his expression that I can't put my finger on. It looks like shame. "Do I...? I mean, have we ever...?"
"Everything is going to be okay, Y/N." Mark's voice is soft. "Trust me. And trust that I will protect you until the moment I can't."
"When will that be?" I whisper.
Mark looks like he's going to answer, but then he decides against it for some reason and just stares up at the opening above us. "This world is filled with so many strange, wondrous things. But to this day, I believe that humans are the strangest and most wonderful of them all." The comment is odd, but I never get a chance to reply. Time, I've realized, moves differently inside this room. A short conversation can last for hours. I'm waking up.
And I need to call Jack.
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Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and the next update will be out ASAP! :)
Love and hugs,
LMA <3