Chapter Text
“Wh-who are you? What do you want?!”
The young man backed into the corner stares at you with wide eyes, and you remain silent and still, in turn. The poor human, all afraid and vulnerable can only tremble as he awaits his violent fate inflicted by a malicious creature such as yourself.
You simply stare at him, furthering his fear. It fills you with glee knowing that he is but a tiny little creature at your mercy, whimpering pathetically. All lonely and scared, just a trapped little prey cowering in the corner.
“Get the hell out! Get out!!” He picks up a pillow and he throws it at you, but it only hits your stomach and falls to the ground in a pathetic heap of cotton.
Poor boy. Doesn’t know he’s going to die here in this pathetic little room of his. All alone with no one here to save him.
Your steps make no noise as you approach him, and he can’t even scream when terror grips his throat.
Well. And your hand, too, which is wrapped around the base of his neck, which lifts him and pins him to the wall.
“P-please…!”
So terrified. So sweet.
You tighten your grip a little, making him wheeze. It’s a pleasant noise to you. He’s clawing at your large hand, trying in vain to get you off of him.
“Wh-what… do you.. want?”
“I’m here to eat you. And kill you.” Your voice is like cold whispers sifting through a foggy forest. It’s eerie and chilling to the bone.
“E-eat me? Oh god!”
“Are you ready?”
“No! Please don’t!”
You open your mouth wide, a gaping maw with razor sharp teeth and a mouth big enough to chomp his entire head off in one bite. An endless abyss that strikes horror into his heart.
“No!! Wait, pleeeeaaassee!!”
He sounds so cute when he begs. Too bad he’s not crying.
Then, he goes limp in your arms. And instead of the fear he was emanating, it’s now replaced with something much less appealing. Acceptance.
Impossible.
You close your mouth and look at him for a moment, with confusion shocking you silent. His eyes are closed shut, but he’s still shaking in your grasp.
“Are you not afraid?” You ask him, though it sounds more like a statement.
He peeks one eye open at you.
“Um… not anymore…”
?!
You release him, making him crumple into a pathetic heap on the bed. He’s gasping for beloved air, rubbing at his bruised neck.
“Well, it’s not fun then.” You simply tower over his weak form, watching him closely. All he does, then, is look up at you.
…
…
…
“I’m just gonna go now,” you step back, looking to leave.
“W-wait!” The young man calls out.
?
“You… who are you?” He asks.
“Does it matter?”
“To me, yeah…”
Hmm. What a curious human.
“I have no name, but I don’t need one. Perhaps I’ll come back for you in the future, Mark…”
“Huh? H-how do you know my name?”
The final trace of you that he sees is a haunting grin, and then you finally dissipate into the shadows.
He blinks, wondering if it all really happened. Was it a dream? A hallucination?
The soreness on his neck says otherwise.
“Ugh… what was that…?” He rubs his temples. He falls back onto his bed, bouncing from the impact, and he stares up at the ceiling. Then, he looks at the corner of his room, where you were at. The darkness there sends a shiver up his spine.
“Guess I gotta get a nightlight…” he trails off, eventually falling asleep for the evening…
————
A little over a week has passed. Mark hasn’t stopped thinking about the encounter he had with an alternate… your tall and imposing form had shook him to his core, and those deep and serene eyes did anything but soothe him. They were much too unnatural. He dreads the day you’ll come back for him, whenever that may be… and so he lies awake at night, praying for God to watch over him and for you to be warded off, along with any other alternates that may appear.
There’s a curfew implemented in the county. All residents are to be inside no later than 6:00 PM sharp. Violators will either be fined or arrested— blah blah blah. He’s still got time before he has to make his way home. Right now, while walking through the forest, he knows he’s making a stupid choice by coming out here all alone— but even so, his common sense has been absent today.
Well. Fuck it. It’s been a while since he’s walked through here, and it’s one of his favorite trails. No one ever comes here, and it’s very scenic.
A rustling sound nearby catches his attention. He looks toward the source, waiting for someone to pop out… but there’s only a small rabbit that hops out of the bush. It looks at him a moment, then shakes its tail and scampers off. He sighs in relief.
“Aw… cute.”
“What’s cute?”
Mark jumps in surprise and whips around, and when his eyes land on you, terror courses through his veins.
“Y-you…”
“Me? I’m cute?”
“No!!”
You only stare down at him. His legs wobble a little, and he backs away… and before he even has a chance to get up and sprint away, you’re grabbing him by the collar of his sweatshirt and pinning his back to the closest tree. He wheezes from the impact.
“Don’t… please don’t hurt me…” he looks up into your eyes, wincing once eye contact is made. “I didn’t do anything wrong…!”
“Hmmm… I don’t know. I said I’d eat you. And then kill you. Remember?” Your thumb runs over his carotid artery, lightly pressing down.
“Yes! But don’t do it!”
“Why not?”
“I, I wanna liiiiive!”
He’s nearly on the verge of tears. It’s so cute.
“But you weren’t afraid the last time we met. Toward the end, at least.”
“I— I…you, I—“
“‘I, I, you, uh, I.’ What, pet? Speak. Spit it out.”
“I’m… I don’t know…”
You watch him stare at the leafy ground. Then, he goes slack in your grip. But he’s not dead. It’s like he’s just accepting what’s going to happen.
Yet again, his fear dissipates. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
“You’re really not afraid…?” You ask him calmly.
He looks up at you with wide eyes, shaking his head.
With a sigh, you let go of him. He topples to the ground, scrambling up to his feet before he backs off and looks at you.
“Hmm… I just want a bite out of you.” You say, grinning.
“No.” He sounds firm.
Oh? Now it seems like he’s standing up to you. How cute.
“Just a little nibble. Just a chunk of your flesh. That’s all. I’m hungry, Mark.”
He shivers from the dark tone in your voice.
“No. Leave me alone!” He shouts at you.
“Nooo. Come here.” You motion him toward you, but he doesn’t obey.
“Fuck off!”
Hmm. Now this really is a nice change of pace. A human who isn’t afraid of you? Very interesting.
Perhaps you can use this to your advantage.
“I see you don’t want to cooperate. Very well. In that case, I’ll withdraw from that plan of mine.”
“‘Plan’…?”
“To consume you and then kill you.”
He says nothing, only looks at his hands in confusion.
“God. This has to be a dream.” He mumbles to himself, burying his face in his palms.
“I’m created from the abyss, but I’m no dream.” You assure him.
He peeks through his fingers at you.
“So… what do you want now…?” Mark asks.
You purposely stay silent, just to see him grow uncomfortable. It works.
“Please stop staring like that.”
“Very well.” You instead decide to move beside him. “What are you doing all alone, in the middle of the forest? Are you looking to get killed?”
“No!”
“Then?”
“I just… wanted time to think about stuff. That’s all.”
“Your authorities have ordered citizens to remain in groups if possible. Have you any friends? Family?”
You usher him to walk beside you along the trail. He looks reluctant at first, glaring at you, but he sighs and gives in, clearly still on edge.
“I live by myself, as you’ve obviously seen,” he says with sass, referencing your previous intrusion. “I visit my family once in a while, but that’s rare. And my best friend is out of town for a couple of weeks.”
You wait for him to list anyone else. He doesn’t, though.
“…That’s it?” You ask him.
He seems a little somber, then.
“Aww, don’t look so sad. This is a good thing.”
A questioning look appears on his face.
“Why, if any other alternate had come across you… you’d have already perished at their hands, and they’d move onto your loved ones. If you had many, anyway. You’re quite lucky that I’m here with you. I’ve spared you. For now.”
Mark suddenly stops, and fully turns toward you. A flash of anger crosses his features.
“Then stop fucking with me! If you’re going to kill me, then just do it!”
You stop and you look at him. Then, you flash a face at him, making his eyes grow wide.
“I’m, I’m sorry—“ he trembles. You revert to your normal expression.
“Don’t be. I understand. Humans aren’t that intelligent. They don’t know their place.”
You reach out toward him, making him flinch violently, but instead of choking or hitting him, you merely pat his head, like a parent would do with their child. When you pull your hand away, he glares at you, but it ends up being more cute than anything. Especially with that little blush of his.
“Now… where does this trail lead to?” You ask him calmly as he grooms his hair back in place.
“Uh… To the lake. You have to kind of push aside some brush to get there properly, but it’s more of a recluse spot once you come out of the bushes.”
“And you just keep following this path?”
“Yeah.”
“Take us there.”
He looks downright insulted then.
“I’m not going anywhere with you! Fuck off!”
Why must humans always choose the hard way?
You pick up Mark and then throw him over your shoulder, careful not to manhandle him too hard. He yells in surprise, struggling in your hold while he kicks his legs out, and hits your back with his fists. As if it could make you let him go.
“Hehe, that kind of tickles!” You giggle from the sensation.
“LET ME GO! GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!! SOMEONE HELP ME!”
“Quiet down. No one is here to save you.”
“GO FUCK YOURSELF! YOU GODDAMN—“
You spank his butt in an attempt to get him to shut up. He yelps like a dog and reaches back to soothe his rear from your hit, letting out a small growl as he goes slack. Looks like it worked.
“Perv,” he comments lowly. You don’t know what that word means.
The trek down the trail is silent, save for the occasional grumble Mark makes. Your footsteps make no impact on the leaves underneath your feet, and aside from Mark’s quiet murmurs, there are birds chirping, and the sound of leaves rustling from the soft breeze.
It’s not too often that you venture out into nature like this. When you do, it’s mostly always dark out, and you were stalking mindless victims through the night. Not only that, but the environment was much different than this, when you’d enjoy nature back in those days…
“You’re almost there,” Mark comments curtly.
“Oh? You must come this way often.”
“Well… no, not really. I used to, back in high school.” Mark crosses his arms over your shoulders. “My friends and I would come out here to hang out after school sometimes.”
“And what did you and your little friends do here?”
“All kinds of stuff. Swam in the water, we’d drink the alcohol my friend would sneak from his parents, we’d smoke weed, play video games…”
“And where have those friends gone?”
“Well… they moved out of Mandela County, once the— you know. The alternate incidents started happening.”
His voice is full of melancholy.
“Hm. I see.”
Nothing else is said during the remainder of the walk, but once you reach a thick area of brush, you gently put Mark on his feet.
“Through there?” You point.
“Yeah.”
You wait for him to go through.
…
“Aren’t you going to show me?”
“What the— no! I led you here, now I’m going home!”
“Do I have to carry you again?”
“No!”
“Maybe cradle you in my arms?”
“No!!!”
You let out a soft chuckle.
“Humor me, darling. I just want to see it.”
He leans his weight from one foot to the other.
“Uh… I don’t know…”
“Are you afraid?”
“…yeah.”
“You’re afraid I’m going to hurt you?”
“…yes.”
“Tear you up into pieces?”
“Please don’t...”
“I don’t know… it’s getting kind of tempting…” you grin once you see his eyes widen in fear.
“Fine! I can show you the clearing. Just… don’t hurt me.”
You say nothing, but Mark leads you through the bushes and you follow behind, making sure to not be smacked in the face by branches. When you and Mark finally push through the bushes, you’re both found in the small clearing he was talking about. It’s a decent size, perfect for a small group of people with their own private area to enjoy. Most of the area has grass, but it fades into soft sand which is being lapped at by the water of the lake. The crystal blue water ripples and sparkles under the sun, which is nearly setting. And, to make it all better, there are little yellow flowers sprouting in the grass. It’s a scenic little spot, and very charming.
Mark looks at you. He weakly gestures to the area, with his lips pressed into a tight line.
“Here you go.” He says.
Wordlessly, you walk further into the clearing. Your eyes are taking in every little detail around you, leaving you in awe at the beauty.
Mark observes you silently. He watches as you go toward the edge of the lake, and you dip your foot in. The unexpected coolness of it shocks you and you withdraw in a flash. Mark has to hold back a giggle.
“Very… interesting.” You comment, looking around..
“What? The water?”
“Everything here, I suppose.”
“Have you not been outside before?”
“I have. Plenty of times. It’s just rare when it’s like this, when I’m not busy tormenting humans, I have time to look at my surroundings. It’s been a long time.”
He doesn’t say anything. Instead, he slowly makes his way over to you, keeping a good distance apart as he stands with you by the edge of the water, looking out toward the lake. He looks down for a moment, then stoops down to pick up something from the ground.
You watch in curiosity. There’s a rock of some sort in his hand, and he stands straight. Then, he throws the rock toward the water in a side-swipe, making the little stone skip along the water. Four times!
“Oh? How did you do that?” You ask him.
“Well… you just have to find a rock that’s kind of flat and smooth. Then you just,” he makes the same throwing motion he did earlier, “and it’ll hit the water a couple times. If you angle it just right, you might be able to get a long streak.”
“Interesting… a smooth, flat rock…” you want to try it too! With that in mind, you look around briefly and finally spot a stone near a bush that’s perfect for it. You move to it and pick it up before going back to the water’s edge.
“Jesus, that’s a big rock…” Mark says. The rock in your hand is nearly the size of his head. “I don’t think that’ll work.”
“I’ll make it work. Watch.”
“Pffft. Okay.” Mark shrugs and puts his hands in his sweater pockets.
Imitating his movement, you aim outward at the water, calculating the trajectory before you throw the rock—
It didn’t skip once. It immediately sank when it hit the water with a loud splash, but you threw it pretty damn far.
“Hahaha, I told you it wouldn’t work!” Mark laughs.
The first time you heard him make such a noise. It’s… surprisingly pleasant knowing you’re the one who caused it.
“Disappointing… I suppose I’ll have to use one of those smaller rocks you found…” you say. You find a small one, deeming it acceptable. You copy the same motions Mark showed you, and you throw it—
…
…
…
“Holy shit. It skipped like, 20 times?!” The young man looks astounded when you turn to him, and when he looks up at you, he sees a smug little grin on your face.
“Beat that.” You tease him.
“I can’t, there’s no way…” but then there’s a challenge in his eyes. “Maybe one day…”
“I look forward to it. You’ll have to practice sometime.”
Mark gives you a faint smile. To avoid spooking him, you don’t hold his gaze too long, so you wander around through the clearing a bit. A speckle of white fluttering down from the air catches your attention. A white butterfly. Its wings carry it down to one of those yellow flowers you noticed earlier, and as you crouch down to observe the insect, you can’t help but smile. It doesn’t seem bothered by your presence while its proboscis unfurls to lap at sweet nectar. Once it’s had its fill, the butterfly moves onto the next flower, and so on and so forth. Your attention turns back to those flowers.
“Hm… yellow poppies…” You reach down to pluck one of them out of the ground before standing up and turning to Mark, who’s sitting down on the grass, aimlessly pulling at it. You hold the stem between your fingers, curiously twisting the flower in front of your eyes.
“Yeah. They’re cute, huh?” He says.
“Yes, they are…” a distant memory comes back to you…
Without thinking, you take a chomp out of the flower, biting off everything from the receptacle and upwards. You wait a moment to let any potential flavor set in, but there’s nothing noticeable until you start chewing on what’s in your mouth. It’s a little mushy, but then there’s some soft crunch to it.
“What the… why did you do that?!” Mark asks In appallment.
The stem of the flower is flicked away by you and you’re swallowing the desecrated flower. When you make eye contact with Mark, you smile down at him,
“Because it’s cute. I just get the urge to eat cute things sometimes. You’re one of them.”
He squints, then processes your statement for a moment. Then, he’s getting a little pink in the cheeks before he clears his throat.
“W-well, those had poppyseeds in them.” He frowns, glancing away.
“I know that. Don’t most plants have seeds?”
“Yeah, but… those ones have opium. I think, or was it the red ones…?”
“Oh, yes, opium. There’s none in these flowers though. It’s the wrong genus of flower.”
He looks you up and down for a moment.
“Wait, what? Are you saying you can just— ‘detect’ chemicals or whatever?”
“Yes.”
“How did you learn that?”
You shake your head and laugh gently, then you sit near him.
“I didn’t learn it at all. It comes naturally.”
“Wow… is it just by tasting? Or if you touch something will you know?”
“Just by taste.”
“How long have you been able to do it?”
You think for a moment.
“As long as I’ve been ‘alive’, I suppose.”
“Really? Hm…” he goes quiet for a moment. “How old are you anyway?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe a little over a hundred years.”
“What?!”
“Why so surprised? Did you really think alternates were created only recently?”
“Ahh, no? I don’t know. I’ve just… never thought about it…”
“It’s alright, I understand. I know humans live very short lives, so the idea of a sentient being living for centuries is… unnerving. Especially when you all deem yourselves as the superior beings on this planet.”
“I guess…”
“How about you? How old are you?” You ask him softly.
“I’m twenty-two.”
“I see… just a young man, barely starting his life, hm?”
“Heh, yeah, that’s true.” Mark glances at his watch. “Mm. It’s getting late. I need to go home before curfew hits. It’s almost 5:30.”
“I’ll walk you home.”
“WHAT!”
“Come on. I’ll just walk you to the edge of the forest.” You stand up and offer your hand.
“Ugh… fine.” He accepts your hand and you help him to stand up.
With that, you both proceed in silence. Instead of looking on edge like he did earlier, Mark has a calmer, more contemplative demeanor. You have half a mind to tease him about it, but there’s no need to rush. You can break him apart piece by piece, starting from the inside, taking your time in how you destroy him. Eventually, you’ll be able to mold him into the being he’s meant to be. The metamorphosis will be slow, but it will be worth it in the end.
“Hey, what’s that smile for?” Mark shakes you out of your thoughts. You turn your head to him.
“Smiling?”
“Yeah. Like this.” He mimics your previous expression, and although you know yours must have been dark, Mark’s smile here looks happy and bright.
Well, maybe those stark differences are the same for you.
“Well. If you must know… I actually enjoyed your company today.” That’s the truth.
“…really?” He looks hopeful.
“Yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve shared company with a human like that. Something mundane and… happy. I’m glad to have shared it with you.” Just so you can use it against him later on.
Lucky for you, Mark looks like he’s fallen for those honeyed words.
“I… thanks. I still can’t believe this is really happening though. Hanging out with an alternate. Are all of you actually like this…?”
“Like what?”
“Like—“ he stops short briefly. “Like… there’s some humanity in you.”
Humanity? Humanity is nothing but filth that needs to be cleansed. No matter the age, humans will never realize they’re not even half the grace of God they believe themselves to be. For him to imply you have “humanity”…?
How insulting.
But, you need to play along.
“Believe it or not, Mark, not all of us are mindless killing machines.”
“Huh… I see.”
“But that doesn’t mean you should try to befriend every alternate you might come across in the future. Most of my kind are inane creatures with no thought process beyond ‘torment and kill’. And of course, be very cautious who you interact with. You know. Follow the advisory of your authorities and… all that jazz.”
Haha. You’ve always wanted to say ‘all that jazz’ before. Nice.
Mark stops in his tracks, then, making you halt as well. You turn to look at him, and then you see the mixture of emotions etched in his young face.
Or rather, most of all, you feel the emotions. Fear, confusion, sadness, guilt…
They are absolutely tantalizing.
“What ever is the matter?” You ask him calmly.
“I’m just… it’s… this makes no sense.”
“What doesn’t?”
He gestures to everything around him.
“All of it! Why Mandela County? Why this year? Why now?! I don’t understand. Why are you all killing people, what’s the point?”
Oh boy. Here comes the hysterics. Your favorite, actually.
You have to hold back from pouncing on him and ripping him apart right then and there. You have to keep a stoic demeanor and a stagnant posture because if you falter just a little, then it may alert Mark and things will go south very fast.
“I wish I had the answers for you, young one.” You’re almost licking your chops at this point when his watery eyes look into yours. “Unfortunately, I myself can’t provide them.”
“Why not?!”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Tell me how I wouldn’t understand!!”
“Mark… I need you to take a deep breath, okay? I know you’re scared, but you need to stay calm during all this as best as you can. The fear is what entices my kind. What lures them.”
“Oh god… are you enjoying how scared I am…?”
“Instinctually, yes. Thoughtfully, no. I am more than capable of controlling myself at times like this. Other alternates, however, have not even a lick of understanding of such a concept. As I said before, they can be mindless, and they put their bloodlust before anything else.”
He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even know how to respond. You want to reach out and pet his head a little, but you know he’ll only lash out.
“You’re almost out of the forest. Just a little more to go, and we can part ways.” You gently remind him. Mark resumes following you, deep in thought once more.
At the edge of the forest where you finally arrive, you turn to Mark and give him a smile.
“Now, run along, Bambi. Get home safe.”
He remains quiet for a moment.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be safe again.”
“…I’m afraid that’s how it is for everyone else in the county, Mark. You just have to push onwards. It is the only direction people can go.”
“Yeah. I guess… I’ve been going out less and less since this all started. I guess no one really knows who’s who these days…”
“That’s true.” You remark. “If you wish, I can follow you home and make sure you get there safely. If anything may attempt to intervene, I’ll ward it off. Once you get there, I’ll leave.”
“But… you’ll be seen.” He says.
“I won’t, don’t worry. I’ll be in what you humans call ‘purgatory’. It will be fine.”
“Hm… okay.”
“If you feel eyes on you, or a presence following you, it’s just me. Alright?”
Mark sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He agrees, nevertheless, and when he looks at you, he finds that you’re not there. At least not in plain sight.
Well. It’s getting late and he needs to get home.
He makes the trek onwards, doing his best not to look suspicious but also being skeptical of anyone around him. There’s pretty much no one outside, though. The occasional car driving by is the only indicator of life around here.
You’re following behind him, undetected by anything else. You can’t sense any other alternates around, thankfully, and the only humans around outside is the one you’re currently escorting home.
In silence, you take the time to think about the young man before you. Only 22, living by himself amidst the invasion of otherworldly beings hellbent on tormenting humans… a man with a small family he rarely sees, and a friend who lives far away… he has no pets and he doesn’t go out much anymore.
A very, very lonely boy.
“Here, kitty kitty,” Mark’s voice invades the silence. You look and watch how a small black cat is trotting up to him, meowing a sweet hello once she reaches him. The boy crouches down, offering his hand to the cat for her to smell, and then she sniffs it before nuzzling it fondly. Mark scritches her sweet little face and the cute thing seems to be in heaven as his other hand reaches down to stroke along her back. “Hehe, you’re so cute.”
“Mrow!” She says, curling around his hands.
You watch the scene in silence. Mark seems to be enamored by the little animal, he coos to her gently and makes sure to pet every spot that all cats love to have petted. She pulls away just to rub her body around his legs, and he stands up to let her do so.
“Sorry, I have to go now.” He says, slowly stepping forward.
“Meow!” She follows him a little.
“Go on home, kitty.” You say to her. She points her orange eyes at you, approaches, and allows you to pet her a moment before she scurries off elsewhere. Mark watches her leave and there’s a serene smile on his lips. He then continues on his way and you follow him.
When he reaches his small house, you escort him to the front steps, and he looks around. For you, or anyone else, you don’t know. In any case, you gently pat his hair and it makes him jump in surprise.
“Goodbye for now, Mark.” you say to him. Although he can’t see you, he still nods. He steps into his home, closes and locks the door, and you’re smiling to yourself on his steps.
Hm.
With that, you decide to go your own way. Maybe you’ll see him again. Who knows?
You allow yourself to fade from this reality, with the young man still on your mind.
Mark, on the other side of the door, rests with his back against it while his hand covers his face. It feels like his head is all fuzzy.
God. There’s no way this shit is happening. It can’t be real. Abso-fuckin-lutely insane.
He really doesn’t know what to do anymore. If this is all real, does this mean you’re both friends now? Fuck. He really doesn’t know. He really doesn’t… he’s scared and confused. What’s going on…?
Whatever.
He kicks his shoes off, hangs up his keys on the key rack, and then goes over to the small living room couch he has and collapses onto it. With a deep sigh, he closes his eyes.
When he sleeps, he dreams of yellow poppies floating on cold, crystal blue water…