PewDieCry : Experience - Book 02

Book 02

Copyrighted 2014 © Ricky Nathan XII

Co-Writer : ERW XII

Edited by Rick Anderson

Chapter 11

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

“Cry!” I yelled in horror as the strangers fist collided with his masked face. A dreadful sound filled the room. Cry stumbled back in shock and the black haired man shook his hand. He’d obviously underestimated how hard Cry’s mask was and ended up hurting himself in the process. 

“Shaun! Knock it off!” the two woman with him yelled and grabbed onto him, stopping him from hitting Cry again as he stood, bent over and holding his face. Before I knew it I was right beside him.

“Cry? Oh my God... you’re bleeding!” I said almost too quickly for anyone to understand. I could see blood dripping out from under his mask. I was surprised his mask hadn’t broken in half. I reached out to him and gently rubbed his back as he leant forward, slipping his hand beneath his mask to try and find where the blood was coming from.

“I’m okay,” he muttered, sensing my panic. I glared over at the man named Shaun who stood staring at Cry, his face expressionless.

“What did you do that for?!” I yelled at him. How could someone do this to Cry? Cry was harmless! He wouldn’t hurt a fly.

 I stalked over to Shaun and shoved his shoulders hard, hatred burnt in my eyes. He was a considerable amount taller than me and stared me down, his eyebrows raised and a small smirk on his face, daring me to fight him. I shoved him again in anger but he just sighed and shook his head before walking away from me. 

“Pewd’s,” Cry called to me. “Get over here,” he ordered. I watched Shaun walk off with the rest of Team Y. He wasn’t worth my time... he’d probably beat me up anyway.

“What happened?” I asked Cry. He stood up straight, fixing his mask back into place.

“Nothing. Let’s just go,” he mumbled and left the room. I stood there for a moment, shocked by what had just happened.  Cry had only been gone for a moment. What the hell was going on?! I rushed after him, flinging the door open and running down the stairs outside. I could see him walking past the rest of our group, holding up his hand and ignoring their questions.

“What happened?” Russ asked me. I looked over at Cry who disappeared into the trees, walking quickly towards the house. He obviously wanted to be alone.

“This guy from the other team just punched him!” I told everyone. They all seemed as surprised by this as I was.

“That fucker!” Scott yelled.

“Where did he go?” Russ asked. His hands balled into fists and he craned his neck, looking for Shaun.

“It’s no use going after them,” I told him. “It’ll only make things worse.”

“Why’d he do it?” Red asked.

“Cry wouldn’t say,” I answered honestly. I remembered the blood I’d seen dripping from underneath his mask. “Come on. I think Cry’s hurt,” I told them.

We all rushed back to the house as quickly as we could. Russ was the first to enter. He slammed the door open and began calling Cry’s name. 

“He’s probably upstairs,” Scott told him and rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I wasn’t far behind and although I was worried about Cry, I was warmed to see how much everyone cared for him.

“Cry?” Russ called and banged on his bedroom door. I glanced between Russ and Scott who exchanged a worried glance. From inside the room faint shuffling could be heard. Russ tired the door handle only to find he’d locked it.

“Cry?” I called gently. The shuffling froze from inside. What that a good thing or a bad thing? “Are you alright bro?” I asked and waited for an answer.

“Yeah I’m fine,” Cry replied a short while after. Scott let out a relieved sigh.

“Then let us in yeah?” he coaxed.

“I can’t,” Cry told us. It sounded like he was in the bathroom. The running water from a tap could be heard.

“Why not?” Russ asked.

“I don’t have my mask on. Go downstairs, I’ll be down in a second,” he replied. I hated how casual his tone was. He was hurt and I wanted to help. I didn’t want to leave him.

~Cry’s P.O.V~

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and gazed at my face. The punch had caused my usual pale skin to burn bright pink around my right eye and my nose. That Shaun guy had one hell of a punch and he’d also managed to knock the contact out of my eye. I guess he did me a favor in a way. My eye was defiantly going to swell later and it would hurt if I still had the contact in. Unfortunately this meant I have to wear my glasses, which is pretty difficult with the mask on. They were perched on my bare face now though, as I inspected the damage.

It was my nose that had been bleeding. It was sore as hell but it wasn’t broken. Thankfully the mask had actually worked as some kind of protection from the worst of the impact even though the edge of it had dug into the side of my face, leaving a throbbing red mark. Ah well, I’ll survive.

I cleaned up my nose and washed the little blood away from my face then grabbed my mask and tried to find a way to fit my glasses on top of it. Jesus, this is going to look ridiculous.

“Cry?” I heard Pewd’s call my name from in the hall. I thought they’d left earlier when I told them I’d be down in a second. Looking at the clock in my room, I noticed that was ten minutes ago.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” I called to him.

“It’s only me Cry. Can’t I come in?” he asked. He voice was soft and soothing. I glanced at my reflection. I didn’t want him to feel sorry for me. I deserved that punch. “Please,” he added and I couldn’t refuse.

I walked over to the door and unlocked it but walked away, leaving him to open it himself. As he made his way into my room I disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door. I pulled the mask off and put on my glasses so my vision wasn’t so blurry.

“Cry,” Pewd’s moaned and came over to the bathroom door. “I came here so I could see you. If I wanted to talk to you through a door then I’d have stayed in the hall,” he said. I found myself smiling at his words. I pulled my glasses back off and fasten my mask tightly to my face.

“Happy?” I asked him as I opened the bathroom door.

“Very.” he gave me a blurry grin then fell down onto my bed, making himself comfy. “What’s up?” he asked when I didn’t reply.

“Everything’s a bit of a blur,” I admitted. He looked up at me with those clear blue eyes of his. With my lack of vision they seemed to stand out even more.

“I know right. What a day. First there’s the whole desert thing, the bandits, the sandstorm then we get back and you go and get yourself punched in the face,” he cried. “All that in a couple of hours. I think calling it ‘a bit of a blur’ is an understatement.”

I laughed at him and shook my head.

“No. Pewd’s. I mean everything is literally blurry. I lost my contact earlier and I don’t have any spares,” I laughed at him. Pewd’s mouth fell open and I swear I could see his cheek growing pink from embarrassment but that may have just been my sight playing tricks on me.

“Oh...don’t you have glasses?” he asked me after a moment’s recovery.

“Yes but I also have a mask, remember.” I pointed at my face and fell down next to him on the bed, crossed my legs and leaned against the wall.

“You know...you could take it off,” he suggested cautiously. I just stared at him, a clouded memory of his fingers running along the edge of my mask flashed before my eyes.

“I can’t do that,” I answered and shook my head.

“Why not? You don’t have to hide from us Cry. Come on, just take it off now, when it’s just me and you and then you can see if you want to keep it off,” he advised and shuffled closer to me. I pressed my back further against the wall. Pewd’s noticed my sudden flinch but I couldn’t make out his expression. Everything was too blurry.

“Ah come on Cry. What harm could it do? I’m not going to judge you if that’s what you’re worried about. I don’t care what you look like,” he continued, trying to convince me but there was no way I was taking the

mask off. It was my condition! They’ll probably throw me out if I did. Plus...I don’t want Pewd’s to see my face.

“Look. Sit still,” he told me as he sat up so he was kneeling beside me. My whole body froze, not quiet believing what was happening. He stretched his hands out, reaching for the knot at the back of my head.

“Pewd’s,” I whispered softly and put my hands up to stop him.

“No Cry. Come on, it won’t be so bad. Trust me,” he assured then gave me a warm smile. I could feel his fingers brush through my hair now, searching for the knot. He was so close to me, his face was so close to mine. My suddenly shallow breath and quickening heartbeat was making it hard to concentrate. Why did he have to try and unmask me?!  Why’d he have to run his fingers through my hair so slowly? Why’d he have to stare down at me with those eyes...?

In a burst of panic I reached out, grabbing his arms and shoving them away. He fell backwards in surprise.

“No! Pewd’s! Stop it!” I jumped off the bed, already regretting how harsh my voice had sounded. The horrible sketch of the two of us sparked in my mind, the picture I'd seen on that note paper, and guilt washed over me. Looking down at him I realized that my vision was too blurry to make out his expression. I wish I could see it... I guess I know how he feels when he can’t see mine.  Oh God...

“Jeez Cry. Calm down bro,” Pewd’s began then added a teasing remark.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“I’m sorry friend,” I apologized and went back over to him.

“Don’t worry about it Cry,” he chuckled...

Chapter 12

~Cry’s P.O.V~

I shut down my Skype after speaking to Nathan and my Mum for the past hour. I told them all about what happened yesterday, winning the simulation and the party we’d all had last night. Obviously I missed out the whole ‘getting punched in the face’ part and the part about my feelings for Pewd’s but they don’t need to know that. Nathan had been ecstatic, asking me a million questions about the simulation and even asking if he’d be allowed to visit. I made a mental note to ask Paul if he’d be allowed but something told me that wouldn’t be possible. On the other hand, my Mum had scolded me for not calling them sooner. I told her how busy I’d been and she soon calmed down. She asked me the usual questions she saved for when I was away from home: “Are you eating? Are you feeling ill? Is everyone being nice? Have you made any friends?” Just the normal motherly worries that I find unnecessary but answer anyway.

Luckily Anna had managed to get me some more contacts this morning. Pewd’s and I had gone down to the main building and requested some yesterday after the incident with my mask, which had been long forgotten... Thank God.

“Hey Cry! You want to play ‘TV Show Kings’ with me and Ken?” Pewd’s called up the stairs to my room. I remember the game-show type game as one Nathan and I used to play.

“Yeah. Sounds good,” I replied and grabbed my mask. I’d taken it off during the Skype call, both because I didn’t need to wear it and because I really didn’t want to have to explain the ‘condition’ I have to follow. My Mum would only get worried, finding it odd that I have to follow a condition like this one.

“Alright girls, let’s do this,” I said in my most feminine voice. Considering all our characters were female I thought it was fitting.

After a few minutes of gaming Ken and I were left laughing at Pewd’s as he doubled over, tears streaming down his face from hysterical laughter.

“Fucking Brian,” I laughed, pointing towards the extra character in our game. Pewd’s just laughed even harder, dropping his controller and holding his stomach.

“No... M-my stomach hurts,” he gasped and wiped the tears from his eyes. Once he’d calmed down we actually managed to start the game but it didn’t last long. Soon Pewd’s was lying on the sofa, weak from laughing at me stand up dramatically and fling my controller to the side so I could ‘spin the wheel’ in the game.

“S-stop,” he wept, rubbing his eyes. He tried to stand up but fell back down, left crippled from hysterics.

I pulled him to his feet and he just about managed to spin the wheel but ended up losing most of his money. Our hysteria soon attracted the attention of Russ, Scott and Red and they came to sit around the living room, laughing at us playing the game.

“That’s bullshit,” Pewd’s complained when I got to swap my money with Ken’s, who was winning. I shoved him gently, laughing at his complaints.

“At least you’re not as bad a Brian,” I chuckled. Pewd’s looked over at me and stuck his tongue out. The action had distracted me enough to miss answering the next question.. Dammit Pewd’s.

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

I lay on the couch, weak from all the laughing I’d been doing earlier during our game of TV Show King. Oh God, those guys were hilarious. I was currently in the middle of a mental debate on whether or not I should take a nap. Of course, my brain got tired and my eyes closed. I guess it was decided then.

I was just about to doze off when I heard a static noise coming from my neck. Opening my eyes slowly I looked down to see the noise was coming from the headphones Anna had given me. How strange. My head was still thick with sleep so I only managed to pull them over my ears before closing my eyes and listen to the static which continued for the next few minutes.

“Ellos PewDie,” a thick French accent spoke over the static. My eyes flew open in surprise and I jolted upright, holding the headphones to me ears. “Ahh so you hear me then?” the voice chuckled. It was defiantly male.

“W-who are you?” I asked.

“Well my friend. I am Stephano. You’re personal...  helper,” the voice replied.

“Stephano? What’s going on?” I demanded.

“Whoa Whoa PewDie. Do not get angry at me. I am here to help you,” Stephano said calmly. The static on the other end began to die down, leaving the French man’s voice crisp and clear.

“Huh?” I sighed, confused about what the hell was going on.

“This is your condition is it not? To wear the headphones?” he asked me.

“Erm... yeah. I suppose.”

“You suppose!?” he questioned.

“No. I know it is.”

“Good. Stephano does not like people ‘supposing’ things,” he informed me.

“Where are you?” I asked. “And how can you hear me?”

“That is for me to know and you to just accept,” he chuckled. I rolled my eyes and let go of the headphone, sitting back down on the sofa I looked around to make sure no one would see me talking to myself.

“What’s all this about?” I asked him.

“I told you didn’t I. Jeez PewDie, you must listen more. I told you. I’m here to help you,” he explained, his voice growing frustrated.

“Help me with what?”

“With the competition,” he replied casually.

“Wait... Isn’t that cheating?” I asked him. That’s the last thing I want to do.

“Nobody’s saying you can’t share the information I give you with other people,” he explained. “And don’t worry about the other team. They have their own conditions to help them along. You have me,” he told me.

“Are you going to be talking down my ear all the time?” I asked him and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Have I been talking down your ear all the time?” he asked me.

“No,” I sighed.

“Then I won’t be, will I,” he replied.

“Okay but you better not get annoying,” I warned him.

“Huh? Pewd’s who ya talking to?” I heard Cry ask me as he walked into the kitchen to grab a cookie. I quickly pulled the headphones down so they hung around my neck. I could faintly hear the French man laughing.

“Oh nobody,” I lied and smiled at him.

“So that’s Cry,” I heard Stephano mutter. “I must say, he has a nice ass.”

“Stephano!” I shouted in shock and clung to my headphones.

“Huh?” Cry asked again around a mouthful of cookie. He looked over at me.

“Who’s Stephano?” he asked me.

“Erm nobody. Just ignore me,” I told him and waved my hand at him. He nodded slowly before walking back outside with the others. As he walked out I couldn’t stop my eyes falling to his backside. I got to admit, Stephano wasn’t wrong.

“Don’t stare PewDie,” Stephano scolded me.

“What? You just said it was nice yourself!” I complained.

“Shhh. That’s not important. Now listen, there’s something I need to tell you...”

~Cry’s P.O.V~

I peered over Scott’s shoulder yet again so I could see Pewd’s through the kitchen window. He was sitting on the sofa with his headphones over his ears... talking to himself. Craning my neck further I saw him fling his arms in the air, eyes wide and his mouth moving fast as if he was shouting. Maybe he’s on the phone? Talking to family? I knew instantly that it wasn’t true for his phone was on the kitchen windowsill. I could see it from here. Maybe he did this often? Talk to himself. I guess he could do stranger things... but this... this looked like he was having a full-on conversation with someone. I’d see him with his eye wide in shock one minute then laughing the next.

My eyes fell onto the wireless headphones he had over his ears. He never has them over his ears...there always around his neck. There is bound to be a reasonable explanation for this. Pewd’s wasn’t crazy...at least not ‘mental-illness’ crazy.

“Hey Cry! Scott!” Russ called in a hushed voice from beside the pool. I reluctantly turned from Pewd’s to see him grinning mischievously, eyebrows raised as if hinting towards something. He nodded his head towards Ken and Red who lay napping on the deckchairs then beckoned us over.

“I say we give them a little surprise,” he chuckled and held up three buckets. A wide grin spread across my face.

“That, my friend, sounds like a brilliant idea,” I told him and took a bucket from him.

“Pure genius,” Scott laughed and took his. Quietly we filled out buckets then tiptoed towards our sleeping friends.

“On the count of three?” I whispered. Russ and Scott shared an excited glance then nodded in agreement.

“One...Two...THREE!” I yelled and all three of us dropped the water onto Ken and Red. We jumped back suddenly when the both of them shot up screaming. Bursting into hysterics, Russ, Scott and I ran away from them as they realized that had happened.

“You monsters!” Red yelled but we could all see the smile on her face.

“Oh, you’ll regret this!” Ken warned before running over to us. I dropped the bucket and quickly ran to the other end of the pool. Russ and Scott followed, laughing loudly as Ken and Red chased after us. The thrill of being chased began to swell inside of me. I felt like a little kid again.

“Ah!” I heard Russ yell and when I looked back I saw Red grabbing him and pushing him into the pool. He fell with a large splash but managed to pull Red in with him. Scott and I burst into another round of hysterics and continued to run clumsily away from Ken.

A moment later I felt a hand grabbing my arm and shove me to the side. Quickly sucking in as much air as I could I began to tumbling down. I tried to regain my balance at the last minute but it only caused me to fall faster into the pool. Water surrounded me as I sank deeper before pushing my feet up off the pools floor and gliding up. On the way back up I reached for my mask, making sure it was still intact and suddenly thankful that it was made of thick ceramic.

As soon as my head was above water I was met with everyone’s laughter as Ken jumped into the pool after pushing Scott in too. Only then did I realize that although everyone else was in their swimwear, I was fully clothed.

“Ah man!” Russ chuckled, realizing I was fully dressed too. I just laughed and shook my head, telling him that I didn’t care then began to swim over to the edge. It was hard to pull myself out the pool considering my jeans had absorbed so much water, adding a considerable amount of weight.

“What happened here?” I heard Pewd’s asking in surprise when he saw us all. I looked over at him as I stood up, water dripping off me and my clothes clinging to my body. I grabbed my jeans and tried to pull them up higher as they hung precariously on my hips from the weight. I couldn’t help but notice his headphones were around his neck again.

“Pewd’s!” I called happily and spread my arms open. “Come here friend! Give us a hug!” I teased and began trudging over to him.

“NO!” he yelled and began backing away but he walked straight into the kitchen counter. I grabbed onto him, pulling him tightly against my soaking wet body. “Urhg! Cry!” he moaned, trying to push me away but I just shook my head rapidly, causing droplets to sprinkle from my hair and fall all over him.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t resist,” I chuckled then pulled away. I couldn’t hold back my laughter when I saw the front of his clothes was soaked through. The look suited him..

Chapter 13

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

1am... It was time. I rolled out of bed and grabbed the bag I’d left by my door earlier. It had everything I need in it. Everything I need for revenge.

Tip toeing around the house I managed to make my way to the front door silently. It was pretty dark outside... really dark. I hesitated for a moment before leaving the comfort of the house. I was breaking the rules doing this. I could get thrown out the competition for this. But Stephano had told me to and he’d been given to me by Anna so it wasn’t really my fault.

I ran into the cover of the trees surrounding the house and was just about my make my way to the ‘place’ when a thought struck me. What if this was a test? What if Anna had told Stephano to tell me to do this when she was really just trying to see if I’d break the rules...? Pewd’s that’s stupid.. I told myself and began walking again. That seemed like an unnecessary waste of time.

“Stephano?” I whispered and glanced around the vast darkness. It was so creepy out here at night. It reminded me of Slender Man. As soon as the thought entered my head I regretted it. I began to hear footsteps behind me but when I spun around all I could see were trees. It’s just my imagination, just my mind playing tricks on me.

“Ah ellos PewDie,” the comforting French voice called from my headphones. At least I wasn’t totally alone out here now.

“So where do I go?” I asked him. My voice shook a little and I hoped he hadn’t notice. He’d make fun of me for sure.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m still by the house,” I replied and turned back to see a faint light from one of the bedrooms. No one would be able to see me from behind these trees. None of them will even notice I’m gone.

“Stay near the path but make sure you keep hidden. You don’t want Anna finding out you’ve left the house,” he warned.

“Alright then,” I said. The gentle static from the headphones cut off after that. Stephano was gone.

I pulled them down around my neck so I could hear what was around me. I remained in the woodland but kept close enough to see the path. The sound of my feet crunching along the grass didn’t sound half as creepy as my shallow breathing. It was as if my eyes had a life of their own. They wouldn’t stop darting around frantically and I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was behind me, watching me. I was beginning to regret this.

Soon I came up to the main building. Many of the lights on the bottom floors were switched off but those on the top were still burning bright. I guess this place never really shuts down.

“Shit,” I mumbled, almost tripping over a stick. Damn sticks!

I scurried passed, clutching the bag and searching for the path which led to the other team’s house.

Shaun would get what he deserved for hitting Cry.

Once I found the path I hurried down it, shadowed by the trees and occasionally looking behind me to make sure Slendy wasn’t there. I couldn’t wait to get back inside, back into the warm comfort of the house, back to my bed.

The house began to come into view. It was more or less an exact copy of ours. Just like Stephano had said, all the lights were off. But that wasn’t because they were sleeping. Stephano told me that every night Team Y like to sneak out their house and go down to a clearing not too far away. Of course, Anna and Paul don’t know about this. If they did there would be trouble.

I looked down at the contents of my bag. Would this work? It had to. I was doing this for Cry. He isn’t going to do anything himself about the incident so it’s up to me to sort things out. This is just a bit of fun. Just a joke. Just a way of telling them that nobody messes with my friend and gets away with it.

Nobody..

~Cry’s P.O.V~

I peered over my windowsill, not really believing what I was seeing. Was that...Pewd’s outside? Is he a complete idiot? He’ll get thrown out the competition if he’s caught out this late! I blinked rapidly to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Nope, that was defiantly Pewd’s scurrying into the trees. I sighed heavily, knowing I wasn’t going to be able to ignore this.

I turned back to Russ and Scott who were sitting on bed, searching through a box for a good movie to watch tonight. They were bickering mindlessly over two films.

“Cry! What do you think?” Russ asked me and flashed the cases in front of my eyes. I didn’t really pay much attention to them.

“Never mind that. Look,” I told them and pointed out the window. They climbed over the bed and looked at what I was pointing at. They just managed to catch Pewd’s before he disappeared into the trees.

“Huh? Is that Pewd’s?” Scott asked in disbelief. I nodded slowly then jumped up, grabbing for my coat. “What are you doing?” They both asked as I pulled my jacket on.

“Going after him.”

“Are you crazy?! What if you get caught?” Russ pointed out and jumped off my bed. I just shrugged my shoulder and headed for the door.

“Cry!” he called after me as I made my way down the stairs. I had to catch up with Pewd’s before he totally disappeared.

“Listen man...” Scott began but I spun around and shook my head.

“I can’t just leave him guys. He’s been acting really strange today...,” I told them but as I spoke I notice them both share a look.

“What?” I asked them, suddenly suspicious.

“Nothing it’s just... it’s pretty obvious you have a thing for the guy,” Scott admitted then folded his arms. I was taken aback for a moment, dazzled by his ‘straight-to-the-point attitude and how accurate he was. Was it really that obvious?

“Scott...” Russ sighed.

“What? It’s true isn’t it Cry,” he said and looked straight at me. I suddenly felt as if I was on trial, being judged for some kind of crime. This wasn’t a crime! This was none of their business... but they were my friends now. Could I lie to them?

“Don’t be stupid,” I muttered. I guess I could.

“Are you seriously going to deny it? You like Pewd’s. You’ve got a thing for him,” Scott went on. I was still stunned by how blunt he was being, so confident that he was right. I couldn’t really blame him though. I don’t even know why I was trying to deny it.

“I’ve got to find Pewd’s,” I told them, then began pulling my shoes on.

“Listen man, I’m not saying you do, but if you did like Pewd’s then that’s fine with us. Right Scott?” Russ said then nudged him.

“Of course it’s fine,” Scott laughed as if it were obvious. “There’s nothing wrong with it Cry.”

“I know that,” I told them honestly and stood up straight. “I’ll talk to you when I get back,” I told them and pulled the front door open.

“Okay then. Just don’t get caught,” Scott called after me. I think he said something else but he was cut off when the door shut behind me.

God, where did all that come from? One minute we’re discussing what film to watch then their interrogating me about my feeling for Pewd’s. I

didn’t know whether to be happy or worried that they already know me so well. Those guys... Dammit I should be mad at them but I’m really not. Not in the slightest.

I searched the trees for Pewd’s but there was no sign of him. I could be here for hours. I have no idea how far this woodland stretches for. In the end I decided to stick to the path. I’d go up to the main building and if I still hadn’t found him I’d have to turn back. Something told me I should probably stay away from the main building, considering that’s where I was most likely going to get caught but something else told me that Pewd’s would be heading in that direction. What was he even doing? Why was he going out in the dark alone? It didn’t sound like him at all...

The main building began to come into sight and I ducked into the trees to avoid being seen. No way was I getting kicked out of the competition. No way was I going to let Pewd’s get kicked out either. This whole thing meant too much to me now.

“Shit,” I heard someone muttering ahead of me. I looked up and scanned the area before finding the Swede stumbling over a stick. I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. I’ve come to notice that Pewd’s was a very clumsy individual.

He looked back at the stick, giving it a death stare before hurrying over to a small path at the other side of the main building. Now I’d found him I had no choice but to follow. I was too curious.

I ended up followed him all the way up the path leading to the other teams house. He didn’t stop there though, he carried on walking, getting deeper and deeper into the trees before I began to see a small light ahead. Luckily he hadn’t noticed me yet. I probably should have stopped him as soon as I found him but I wanted to know what he was playing at and I doubt he’d tell me if I made him abandon this ‘mission’ of his.

As I got closer to the light I began to hear voices. They were chatting and laughing, relaxed and happy and unaware of us hiding in the trees around them. What an eerie thought... I’d noticed Pewd’s glancing around him frantically the whole way here. He was obviously uncomfortable. To be honest I was a little on edge out here too. I mean, I’d managed to follow Pewd’s the whole way here without being seen. Who’s to say someone wasn’t following me?

“Okay. Let’s go this,” I heard Pewd’s mumbled. He dropped the bag he’d been carrying and started rummaging through it. I remained hidden behind a tree but instead of watching Pewd’s I found myself looking over at the group cuddled around a small fire ahead of us. They sat in a small clearing. Four people I recognized from yesterday. Shaun, Harry, Amz and Louise. Team Y.

Louise sat on a small log with a guitar across her knee. She played a tune half heartedly whilst laughing at the others. Shaun sat, cross legged, poking the fire with a stick with a smile on his face. He didn’t say anything but it was clear he was happy. Harry was sitting with his back against a tree trunk and Amz lay with her head on his lap. I noticed him playing with her long brown hair and she giggled up at him. It seemed odd... seeing them like this. Maybe they weren’t so bad after all. Yet, as soon as the thought entered my mind so did the realization of what Pewd’s was about to do.

“Pewd’s,” I called softly to him. He shot up in surprise, falling back against a tree and clutching onto his shirt.

“Jesus Cry! You scared me,” he sighed and stood up straight. I stepped out from behind the tree and shook my head at him.

“What are you doing Pewd’s?” I asked.

“I... I was just...”

“You shouldn’t be doing this,” I told him. He looked up at me with wide blue eyes.

“Well you weren’t going to do anything about it,” he mumbled.

“You think this is what I want?” I asked angrily and flung my arm towards the clearing. “You think I want ‘revenge’ for what happened?”

“I don’t want them to think they can do stuff like that. He punched you Cry! For no good reason...”

“You don’t even know what happened Pewd’s,” I told him.

“That’s only because you wouldn’t tell me,” he pointed out and crossed his arms. I just shook my head and sighed deeply. I should have seen this coming.

“Well this isn’t what I want. So can we go back to the house before we get caught?” I snapped and grabbed the bag on the floor.

“Cry! No,” he protested as I began walking away from him. Thankfully he rushed after me, trying to swipe the bag out of my grasp.

“What were you going to do anyway?” I asked him and opened up the bag. My brows rose when I searched through its contents. Inside lay a large stuffed doll, some thick rope and a can of spray paint.

“Shit Pewd!” I hissed and glanced over at him.

“I was just going to give them a little scare,” he assured me. I could just picture him now, hanging the doll from a tree and writing some crude message near it. I had to admire his creativity and I would have found it amusing if it wasn’t for how utterly stupid he was being.

“Have you completely lost your mind?” I asked him and shoved the bag back into his grasp. I stalked ahead of him while he trailed behind like a scolded puppy. I could hear him dragging his feet along the floor and it took every ounce of my will power not to turn back and wrap my arms around him. I was supposed to be mad at him! Mad at him for thinking I’d want to resort to such trivial acts, such childish behavior. And while a small part of me was mad, really mad...most of me just wanted to turn around and tell him everything was okay. That we’d go back to the house and forget about the whole thing.

“Don’t be mad Cry,” he finally said when our house came into view. He quickened his pace so he would walk beside me. I could see him staring up at me from the corner of my eye.

“Listen friend, I deserved that punch. I started the whole thing. It was my fault and I’m not just saying that, it really was. They were just minding their own business and I blamed them for something. Gosh, I’m not even sure it was them who did it,” I admitted. “So, it was my fault. Can we just forget about it now?” I asked and looked down at him.

“... Okay,” he replied with a smile.

“Good. I’m still a little mad though,” I teased and nudged him slightly. He glanced up at me.

“Oh yeah? Maybe I can fix that...” he trailed off and suddenly stopped. I stopped too and looked back at him.

“Pewd?” I questioned before noticing an unfamiliar glint in his eyes. What was...? Why was he...? Pewd dropped the bag to the floor, holding my gaze intently as he stepped closer. I physically lost the ability to move. I was frozen. Even my thoughts froze.

His hand reached to my shoulder before snaking around my neck slowly, anticipating my reaction. I could feel his fingers knotting into my hair as he bought my face a little closer to his. When I didn’t pull away he bought his other hand up, tracing his finger along the edge of my mask.

“Cry?” he whispered. My mouth fell open to reply but no sound came out. I couldn’t seem to find the words I was looking for. What was a supposed to say?

“Can I maybe just lift it up a little?” he asked in a shaky voice.

Could he?

Should he?

My hands managed to somehow find their way to him. Before I knew it I was grabbing onto his shirt, pulling him closer to me. He didn’t resist but instead pushed his body against mine and there was no way I could ignore how good it felt.

“I guess breaking one more rule won’t hurt,” I murmured deeply. He gave me a sly smile in response then hooked a finger under the thick ceramic, slowly pushing it up. My breath began to hitch, growing short and frequent.

The anticipation was killing me.

“Guys! You’re finally back!” Russ called somewhere in the distance. Instantly I jumped from Pewd’s only to find he’d already pushed his way from my grasp. My hand shot up to my mask but luckily Pewd’s hadn’t managed to push it far, it had barely uncovered my chin.

What the hell had just happened?!

“Come on then before you get caught,” Russ coaxed as he held the front door open for us. Caught? Caught doing what? Had he seen?

From the look on his face it didn’t look like he’d noticed anything. I glanced at Pewd’s to picked up the bag and clutched it to his chest like it was a life raft but I didn’t miss the small smile which danced on his lips. Had he wanted that as much as I had?

“You two okay?” Russ asked when neither of us moved.

“Oh yeah...” I answered. “Just fine.”

I hurried into the house, followed closely by Pewd’s but my head was a mess of jumbled thoughts.

God I wish Russ had been a few moments later.

Chapter 14

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

“Turn it off,” I cried and curled further into the sofa.

“No way!  This is where it gets good,” Scott laughed and turned the TV louder. I let out yet another fearful cry as the main character in the film began screaming. She was defiantly going to die... Oh God...  EW that’s gross! I wrapped my arms around my face as the girl got ripped in half. Over this girls heart-retching screams I heard Cry chuckling beside me.

“Shut up Cry,” I muttered and shoved him. He’d been teasing me the whole way through this film for getting so scared.

“Ah come on Pewd,” he whispered to avoid ruining the movie for anyone else. I kept my head buried in my arms, even when I felt him jab my side.

“Knock it off,” I complained and turned away from him. I glance back up at the TV screen for a moment before turning away screaming again. I hate scary movies! Why had I even agreed to watch this?! 

“Ah don’t be such a wimp Pewd,” Cry teased. I could feel him shifting closer to me so used it as an opportunity to kick him away. No way was I letting him get any closer to me after what almost happened outside. I don’t think I can trust myself not to jump him. I was still frustrated over Russ interrupting us. Why was I letting myself get so worked up over this?

“I said knock it off,” I warned but glanced up at him. It didn’t help though, not with that mask he’s intent on wearing all the time.

I was so close! So close!

“Yes, so close,” I heard Stephano faintly taunting me from the headphones which hung around my neck. Cry had shifted so close to me again that I was surprised he couldn’t hear the French man’s voice.

“Come on Pewd,” Cry whispered and wrapped his arm around me. I let myself get pulled into his hold, finally giving in and leaning against him.

Nobody in the room seemed bothered by us. They didn’t even seem to notice. I was thankful for that and the fact that the room was dark, hiding the blush that was threatening to give me away.

“It’s not that scary,” Cry chuckled into my ear.

“Hmm it’s scary enough having that freaking mask all up in my grill,” I smirked and tapped the ceramic with my fingertips. It was so cold. It never failed to shock me. He flinched away but only slightly. Maybe I was making progress?

“Don’t you like it?” he asked mockingly. I just narrowed my eyes at him.

“Oh yeah. I fucking love it, “I replied sarcastically then rested my head against his shoulder. Cry was right about one thing though. The film wasn’t that scary anymore, not now I had the sound of Cry’s breath hitting the inside of his mask to focus on. In fact, I didn’t really take much notice of the film at all after that. The sound of his breathing, the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders, the feeling of his shirt against my cheek; it was all like some strange lullaby. Before I knew it I began to feel my head growing fuzzy, my thoughts beginning to jumble into one another and I was soon fast asleep.

“Open this fucking door!”

“I know you’re in there!”

“Stop ignoring us! Open the door!”

Huh? Who the hell was that? My eyes flickered open, blinking rapidly as they tried to adjust to the morning light shining in through the windows. Something shifted beneath me.

“Urgh,” a deep sleep voice groaned and tried to turn over but I was in their way. I frowned and looked down to find Cry lying beneath me, his arms hanging limply around my body as I lay on top of him. Huh? What the...?

“If you don’t open this door I’ll smash a window!” an angry voice yelled from outside.

“Shhh,” Cry moaned and stuffed his head into one of the pillows on the sofa. We must have fallen asleep watching that film last night. I knelt up sleepily, not even realizing that I was straddling Cry, my knees at either side of his hips, and looked out at the people yelling outside. There were four in total. Was that Team Y?

“Pewd?” Cry asked groggily when he looked up at me. God, his voice was deep in the morning... “Are   you trying to get me excited or something?” he teased and tried to sit up but only ended up pressing himself against me in the process... right there. An unexpected jolt ran straight through me, causing me to gasp and throw myself off the sofa, landing on the soft creamy rug that covered the floor. Cry laughed at me darkly before turning his attention to the loud banging coming from the door.

“Who the hell is that?” he asked me whilst getting up. He came over and held out his hand. After a moment’s hesitation I took it, trying not to think about how my stomach was churning with subtle hunger.

But not for food... I feared this longing was only going to increase as time went on.

“Open. The. Door!” a female voice yelled.

“Okay! Okay! I’m coming. Calm yourselves,” Cry called to them and went to answer the door. Russ and Scott came bounding down the stairs then, complaining about the noise. Cry swung the door open then paused.

“Oh...hi,” he said casually.

With a loud groan a messy haired Louise came barging into the house. Her blonde hair was sticking up at all angles, her face was pale and unmade and she was still in her pajamas. The same could be said for all the rest of them who filed in after her.

“Sure! Come in!” I called to them sarcastically.

“What do you think this is?” the small brunette named Amz asked and stalked over to me. She shoved a large stuffed doll towards me and shook it violently. A thick rope was tied around its neck. My eyes widened when I realized what it was.... No.... Impossible! 

“I...I...”  I tried to speak but didn’t know what to say. My eyes held onto the hollow face if the doll, the exact same doll I’d been carrying around last night. The exact same doll I’d ‘planned’ to scare them with.

“Did you do this?” she asked me in a high pitched shriek. Her eyes were just as wide as mine, her soft pink pajamas and bunny rabbit slippers didn’t make her look threatening at all. I don’t think she was trying to be threatening either. She just seemed scared. 

“No... I didn’t,” I answered honestly.

“Look. There’s been some misunderstanding,” Cry told them and walked over to Amz. He took the doll from her gently and tossed it to the side. “Sit down and we’ll talk about this. Like adults,” he added. Amz turned back and glanced from Louise to Harry. Harry nodded and came to sit next to her but Louise just shook her head and folded her arms.

“Who else could it be? You guys are the only others here!” she accused.

“Whoa... what’s going on?” I looked behind Louise to see Red and Ken rushing down the stairs. Red looked the blonde up and down before raising a brow.

“Who are you?” Louise asked.

“I should be asking you that. What are you doing here?” Red asked, matching her stance.

“It seems you sick people thought it would be funny to hang this doll up right outside our house,” Louise told her and pointed towards the doll. Red glanced at me. The whole house knew about the prank I’d been planning last night but they also knew I hadn’t done it.

“I don’t know who you think you are but we had nothing to do with this,” Red told her. Louise took a step forward, her eyes blazing.

“Cat fight,” I heard Scott whisper to Russ. Russ just rolled his eyes and went over to the girls.

“Hey, calm down okay?” he told them and gently pushed Red away. Shaun, who’d been standing next to Louise grabbed onto her arm and shook his head at her.

“Do you want... something to drink?” I asked them all. Everyone in the room turned to stare at me for a moment. “Seriously?” Harry asked and tilted his head to the side. “You think giving us a drink is going to make this better?” he added.

“Hey man, lay off,” Cry told him. “I don’t know how that stupid doll got outside your house but we certainly didn’t put it there so either sit down and have a drink or leave.” 

“Well I know I have nothing more to say to these people,” Louise told them. Shaun nodded in response. “And I don’t want this ending up like last time,” she added and glanced at Cry.

“Then let’s just leave,” Amz told her. She and Harry stood up and headed for the door.

“I’m sorry...” we all turned to look at Ken who’d stood silently till now. “I know that it must have been awful to wake up to that thing but we didn’t do it. Honestly we didn’t.”

Team Y didn’t respond, instead they just walked out, leaving us all trying to figure out how the hell that doll had gotten to their house.

~Cry’s P.O.V~

“We were all together last night. None of us could have done it,” I said as we all gathered around the bar in the kitchen.  I glanced at Pewd who was sitting on the kitchen counter, eating his cereal slowly. He didn’t go back out last night did he? I’m sure he’d fallen to sleep before I had but... I can’t really remember.

“Well I haven’t even been to sleep yet. Scott and I have been playing Left for Dead since that movie finished,” Russ told me whilst searching through the fridge for some juice.

“I’ve been asleep,” Red admitted.

“Same here,” Ken said and picked up an apple from the fruit bowl. Anyone of them could be lying. All I’m certain of it that it wasn’t me.

“Then who was it?” I asked them all. My eyes fell on Pewd again. He was being unusually quiet. God, I hated myself for even thinking it could have been him but he was acting so odd lately, first talking to himself and now this.

“This is some good cereal,” he mumbled when the room lapsed into silence.

“Pewd?” I asked cautiously. He looked up from his bowl and glanced around the room.

“Yeah?” I shifted awkwardly as his gaze fell on me. Was I seriously going to accuse him?

“Did you do it?” I finally asked. Everyone in the room looked at him. They were all thinking the same thing. It had been his idea after all. I watched as Pewd dropped his spoon, causing a high pitched clatter to slice through the silence. His eyes, still dull and sleepy from the rude awakening, widened as his brows knitted together.

“Cry,” he finally spoke but it sounded more like a broken sigh. When I didn’t answer he jumped off the counter and discarded his half eaten breakfast. He walked over to me, staring up into the eyes of my mask. “You told me not to,” was all he said before pushing his way past everyone else and disappearing up to his room.

“Wait up!” Ken called and followed after him. My eyes closed as I sighed loudly and dropped my head into my hands, leaning my elbows on the table. 

Well this was a mess.

Chapter 15

~Cry’s P.O.V~

It was actually pretty chilly today which was odd considering how hot it had been these past few days. After sitting in the living room for an hour, waiting for Pewd to come back down I’d decided to go for a walk. It didn’t look like he was returning anytime soon so I may as well get some fresh air and clear my head. Plus it was my turn to take our laundry down to the main building so I could get it out of the way.   

This whole situation was a little fucked up. If none of us had put that doll there then that means someone came into our house last night and took it. I mean, we’d left the bag right next to the sofa! Jesus, whoever it was must have seen Pewd and I asleep on the couch. They’d have been so close to us, practically breathing down our necks. The thought alone was unsettling.

Surely that couldn’t happen though. This whole area was secure. The complex was surrounded with security guards and built with the latest security systems. Paul had even bragged about how safe this place is at one point. So I highly doubt someone was able to break in. Unless... I pushed the thought out of my head straight away. No way was I going down that road.   

Considering I had no hands due to this massive washing basket in my grasp, I luckily managed to shove myself into the glass door, causing it to swing open easily.  For once, the heating was on inside the main building and it warmed me instantly. The laundry room was on the first floor so I made my way over to the stairs, giving the slightly familiar face at the reception desk a nod.  I can’t remember the receptionist’s name, only that she was the one who took my details off me when I needed some more contacts.

As I made my way down the narrow corridor I kept thinking about the look on Pewd face when I’d accused him. He couldn’t blame me for thinking it was him though... could he? It had been his idea in the first place! He’d have done it himself if I hadn’t stopped him! But I did stop him and he didn’t do it. I knew that...so why had I asked?

“Haha stop it!” I heard a girl laughing from inside the laundry room. I stopped suddenly and leaned against the wall, peering through the crack in the door. Inside stood Harry and Amz. They were dressed now and filling up one of the washing machines together.

“I swear Shaun goes through socks like their candy bars,” Harry chuckled and threw another sock at her. Amz quickly threw it off and gave him a glare.

“Stop it,” she warned playfully. “Hey Haz?” she asked a little while later.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think Shaun’s ever going to talk?” I frowned at her question and pressed myself harder against the wall. I didn’t want them seeing me.

“I don’t know,” he replied whilst throwing the last of the clothes inside.

“I hope he does soon. Why do you think he never speaks?” she asked him and turned the machine on. Harry shrugged and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“Don’t think too much about it babe. Maybe he just doesn’t want to.”

“Hmm I guess. God, I’ll tell you one thing though. Louise needs to calm down,” she told him.

“Haha yeah I know,” Harry laughed before ducking down and planting a kiss on her forehead. She blushed deeply and turned away.

“Maybe we shouldn’t leave the house tonight Haz,” she murmured.

“How come?”

“I just...I just don’t want anything else to happen. Plus we shouldn’t be breaking the rules. It was Max and Stan’s idea anyway and they... they’re gone now,” she explained. “Why doesn’t anyone else find it strange that we didn’t even get to say goodbye to them? That they just... disappeared. The last time we saw them they were running away from that sandstorm. Why does nobody else find that odd?” she began to rant, her voice getting more frantic and panicked. 

“Hey, come on. It’s the rules of the competition. Anna told us that so don’t get upset,” he coaxed gently. His hand brushed against her cheek before tilting her head up to face him. “We’ll stay in the house tonight. We can play a game or something,” he told her then pecked her lips softly.

I looked away, not wanting to intrude on their moment. So, Shaun never talks huh? I wasn’t too surprised; I’d never heard him utter a word. What did get me thinking was the fact that Team Y hadn’t been able to see their teammates again after they’d lost. Surely they’d be able to say goodbye?

My eyes fell onto the washing basket I held. Well, I’m going to have to go in there eventually... Nudging the door open with my foot I shuffled into the room, trying not to look at the two of them but I could feel their eyes burning into my back as I filled the empty washing machine up.

“Hey...Cry isn’t it?” Harry spoke. I turned to them, seeing they hadn’t stepped away from each other at all. He still held Amz and she gave me a small smile.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“About earlier... and the other day...” he began.

“Don’t worry about it,” I told them both. The saying itself reminded me of Pewd. How many times has he said that to me? About a million.

Both Harry and Amz gave me a slight nod before heading for the door.

“Even so. We’re sorry Cry. If you guys say you didn’t do it then I’ll believe you,” Amz turned back and told me.

“Well I’m sorry for the other day too. For accusing you,” I replied. She smiled up at me before taking Harry’s hand and disappearing through the door. Although I still wasn’t too sure about Shaun and Louise I’m almost certain that Amz and Harry are alright. They seem nice, like the sort of people I could actually be friends with if we were under different circumstances.

I stuffed the remaining clothes into the machine and switched it on. Swinging the washing basket limply in my hand I rushed down the stairs. I’ll pick the clothes up later, there’s no use sitting there alone for an hour.

 I only really knew one thing; I had to fix things with Pewd. He’s been nothing but nice to me since we met and I’ve... I’ve not been a very good friend... let alone anything else! I should have trusted him.  I should never have doubted him.

I was just about the leave the building when something caught my eye. The tall vending machine in the reception area, filled with drinks and chocolate gave me an idea.

~Pewd’s P.O.V*~

My laptop was practically burning my legs as I lay on bed with it across my lap. It was defiantly over heating. Closing down the Amnesia Custom Story I’d been playing, I switched the laptop off and pushed it to the side. I hadn’t been that into the game anyway. I was still replaying Cry’s words in my head.

‘Did you do it?’

‘Did you do it?’

‘Did you do it?’

How can he accuse me so easily? I was with him all night! He knew I was! He told me he didn’t want me to be childish about stuff, so I wasn’t. I did what he said. I did exactly what he wanted and left it, forgot about it yet I’m still the first person he points the finger at. Sure it was my idea...well Stephano’s really but still, it may have been my idea but Cry stopped me. He walked with me all the way back. He took the bag off me and I promised him I’d forget. I promised him I wouldn’t do it and he’d believed me, he’d believed me last night anyway.

I was suddenly dragged out of my thoughts by a loud knocking on my door. I shuffled off my bed and went over to it. Grabbing the handle I hesitated for a moment. What if it was Cry? Did I want to speak with him? It didn’t matter if I wanted to or not, I opened the door anyway.

“Hey friend.” Speak of the devil. Cry stood outside my door, one hand behind his back and the other gave me a small wave.

“Hi,” I replied and glanced down at the floor. Silence took over for a moment before Cry spoke.

“I’ve got you something,” he told me. I glimpsed up at him and raised a bow.

“Yeah?” I asked. He nodded quickly then pulled his hand out from behind his back. Holding it up to me I saw a chocolate bar between his fingers. Not just any chocolate bar but the one I’d seen in the vending machine back in the main building. I must have gone on for half an hour about how much I loved it. I used to always eat them when I was a kid.

“Is this the right one?” he asked worriedly when I didn’t say anything.

“Yes,” I said and took the chocolate from his hand. “This doesn’t make things better though,” I added and leaned against the frame of my door.

“Yeah I know,” he sighed. I rolled the candy around in my hand. Dammit, this actually made things a little better. “Pewd?”

“Hmm?” I looked back up at him.

“I’m sorry... about before,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry about it Cry,” I smiled up at him.

~Cry’s P.O.V~

“Don’t worry about it Cry,” he smiled, glancing up at me with those soft blue eyes. I returned his smile although he couldn’t see it. I was just glad I’d been forgiven so easily. That one saying, those five little words where all that needed to be said to ease my worried mind. 

Great, now he’s said it a million and one times.

Chapter 16

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

The rest of the week flew by with little interruptions. The most drama we had was when Scott and Ken accidentally broke a window after arguing over whom could knock a pineapple the furthest using only a golf club. I’m not going to lie... I sat and watched them do it. I watched as Ken swung the club back, taking great caution in his aim then swung it at the speed of light. I watched as the pineapple launched into the air, gliding straight into the kitchen window which shattered in a second. I even completely ignored it and joined Ken in his triumphant cheers until Red and Cry rushed out the house and asked us what the hell we were doing.

I glanced up from the breakfast pots that I was washing and smiled at the memory. The window was fixed now, after a great deal of hassle off Paul who kept telling us that the only thing he’d warned us not to do was break anything. Ken had taken the blame straight away but, like always the rest of us had stuck up for him. Luckily our sense of ‘team spirit’ had left Paul admiring us and the broken window was soon fixed and forgotten.

“You should clean up more often. The domestic look suits you,” a deep voice whispered into my ear. I jumped at the sudden surprise, sending bubbles flying all over the place.

“Don’t scare me like that!” I whined and jerked my foot back, kicking him square in the knee.

“Ouch!” he yelped and grabbed his knee. “Well someone’s feeling feisty,” he added darkly.

“Shut up Cry,” I mumbled and focused back on the dishes. I’ve come to notice lately that Cry is what you’d call a ‘tease.’ He’s constantly flirting with me, constantly teasing me, constantly making me think he’s going to make a move but then pulling back at the last minute. Quite frankly; I’ve had enough of his silly little games. I don’t think he realises... this may be a joke to him but it’s not for me. I actually want it. I actually want him.

“Hmm I think I know how we can put that feistiness to good use,” he practically hummed into my ear. I gulped, trying to imagine what he meant. It was actually pretty easy to imagine.

“Erm...  how?” I asked once I’d found my voice. My eyes flickered over to him. The muscles in my stomach began to twist and knot as I waited for his reply.

“Well we’ve got the simulation today haven’t we? I’m pretty sure we can find some use for it there,” he answered casually.

Well Pewd, you should have seen that coming: the voice inside my head began to taunt over and over again. I glared up at him. He knew exactly what he was doing. I was certain of it.

“Why are you such a tease Cry?” I asked through clenched teeth. To my surprise he didn’t freeze up like he usually did when I pointed out what he was doing. This time he just shrugged his shoulder and walked to the other side of the kitchen.

“You know Pewd, you can always make the first move,” he said nonchalantly and pulled a glass out the cupboard. Had he forgotten about the other night? The night I clearly made a move outside in the dark! I stood still, staring at him. My hands had long forgotten about the washing up and my mind was spinning. Spinning with the possibilities his words could bring.

Right that’s it!

I’m going to just do it. I’m going to just walk over to him, pull that stupid mask off and show him what ‘making a move’ really is. I’m going to do it. Right now. I am...

And I would have...honestly, if the others hadn’t just entered the room, chatting about the simulation which was going to start in two hours, all blissfully unaware of the chaos that was going on inside my mind.

Instead I turned back to the sink and continued to wash.

“I didn’t think so,” Cry muttered and sipped his orange juice. A sly grin began to form on my lips when I realized something. Something I should have seen ages ago.

“That’s exactly what you want isn’t it Cry? For me to make a move.” I glanced over at him. He held his mask with one hand, pulling it outwards slightly so he could drink but holding it in exactly the right place to keep his face hidden. “Well ‘friend’ if that’s the game you want to play then sure, I’ll play it.”

“Oh Pewd,” he sighed deeply then placed his glass down and made his way back over to me.

“What’s wrong? Excited already?” I teased, tilting my head to the side and narrowing my eyes at him.

“Hmm very much so,” he whispered. The soapy plate slipped from my grasp and splashed back into the water. Another waft of bubbles flew into the air but this time soapy water was sent with it. It landed all over the front of my shirt. A curse escaped from my lips and I stepped back only to walk right into Cry. His chest against my back. From the corner of my eye I could see his hand reaching up to my neck.

“You’ve got a little something...” he trailed off and pressed his thumb against my skin. I stood perfectly still, too afraid to move in case he decided against the act. The pressure on my neck was subtle but enough to send shivers down my spine. Painfully slowly he ran his thumb along my flesh, wiping away the droplets of water and bubbles. I could feel the tip of his nail digging into me faintly.

“There we go,” he whispered and stepped back, leaving me breathless. 

“I hate you,” I muttered and pushed him away.

“Haha of course you do Pewd,” he laughed then walked off, sipping his orange juice as if nothing had happened.

~Cry’s P.O.V~

We followed Paul down the long familiar corridor leading to our simulation room. It seemed like Paul was our teams ‘mentor’ whilst Anna was the other teams. I was pretty glad I didn’t see much of her anymore. She always seemed a little odd.

“Hurry up!” Paul called to me when he noticed I’d fallen behind. Pushing my thoughts away I rushed into the simulation room where my friends were waiting.

“Well then guys. Are you ready for round 2?” Paul asked us and clapped his hands excitedly. My friends all began nodding in response. I’ve been looking forward to it myself and now that I was already familiar with how the simulations worked the thought of them didn’t seem so daunting, so unknown. I hadn’t known what to except last week but at least now I have a vague idea.

“Great!” Paul cheered. “Today you have a completely new simulation. A new environment and new rules. During this round you’ll not only be working against Team Y but also against each other,” he explained...

Wait... What?! 

“Huh?” Russ interrupted, displaying the shock that all of us were feeling.

“There are eight gems hidden throughout this simulation... but ten contestants left. Your job is to find these gems. The two contestants left without one will be eliminated,” Paul told us and completely ignored our expressions.

“Whoa... wait a second,” Pewd began.

“You expect us to work against each other?” I asked, finished his sentence. Even thought the answer was pretty obvious.

“We can’t do that,” Ken blurted and looked around at us all.

“I’m afraid there’s no changing it. The simulations were prepared months in advance. It’s all part of the game. You either play or you leave the competition,” he explained.

Leaving wasn’t really an option for any of us. We all had our reasons for being here, for applying in the first place. Paul took our silence as an agreement to play so gave us all a quick nod then left the room.

A loud sigh escaped my lips and I shifted uncomfortably.

I don’t think I can... I don’t think I’m capable... These are my friends! They’re some of the closest friends I’ve ever had and the thought of working against them... it made me feel sick. Not to mention Pewd...No, I couldn’t even think about it. He’d relied on me so much during the last simulation. Would he be okay on his own? I couldn’t leave him!  Defiantly not after this morning... We had our own little ‘game’ to play and there was no way I was letting him leave the competition and get out of this one.

“Guys?” I heard Red speak and looked over at her. She clung onto Russ’ hand as if her life depended on it. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn’t the only one here with someone special to lose.

“We can do this. There’s eight gems and only six of us. We’ll work together and make sure we all find one,” she said with such determination that the rest of us had no choice but to believe her.

“Yeah, none of us have to leave,” Pewd agreed enthusiastically. I noticed his eyes glimpse over to me for a moment and it caused a hidden smile to dance across my lips.

They were right. We could do this. Together.

“Awh guys! Come here,” Ken cried and pulled us all into a tight hug. The room filled with laughter and we were still hugging when the room went black and the Anna’s voice boomed over the speaker, announcing the start of the simulation. It was pretty amusing to think of how much we’d panicked when this happened last week.

“We’ll stay in touch right?” Scott asked. “If, God forbid, one of us doesn’t make it.”

“Of course we will!” Red smiled up at him. “But that won’t happen.”

“Yeah friend. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I laughed and patted his back.

The timer on the wall was nearly up now. In five seconds I’d be somewhere totally different and even though a little part of me was on edge it didn’t stop my building excitement. The thrill of a new game, especially a game simulation, was enough to cause any gamer to forget about their worries and ignore the warning sirens clearly going off inside their head. But even though I ignored them they were still there. They were always there. 

The timer flickered to zero and the room was covered in darkness. Now was the time. It was starting. I could feel the room changing around me, creating a totally new adventure but I also had to keep telling myself that nothing bad could actually happen to us. That this was only a game.

 Maybe Pewd had been right. Maybe I was paranoid after all.

                    

A horrible ringing was echoing around me. Through closed eyes I tried to find the source, tried to stop it, but I couldn’t move. My body felt like lead. I couldn’t even open my eyes. I was stuck...trapped in this frozen state with only that heart wrenching echo to confirm I was, at least partly conscience.  Where was it coming from? An alarm? Or is it someone crying? Someone screaming?

My head was too clouded to make it out. All I knew was that it hurt. It hurt my head to listen but I had no way of stopping it. Maybe if I called out to someone? Asked them to stop? Maybe if I begged them to?

Oh God, I was getting desperate. I tried to call out to someone. Anyone. But my mouth wouldn’t move. It was as limp and frozen as they rest of me.

Darkness was closing in now. Quickly. Resisting at first I managed to cling onto one thought; Pewd. Was Pewd safe or was he going through this too? I focused on that thought, repeating it over and over until the words jumbled and I forgot what I was trying to say. Maybe if I justgave in to the darkness this noise will stop. Wait... that noise.... was that.... Pewd? Was that Pewd screaming? That horrible sound that wouldn’t leave me alone, I swear it was him. No, it can’t be. My delusional mind is playing tricks on me. I can’t take it anymore. It needs to stop. The darkness will take it away, I’m sure.  I should give in. Maybe if I just...

Maybe if I just gave in?

Gave in to what?

Maybe if I....

I’d lost my trail of thought again. Where was I? What was I trying to do?

What was that noise?

Chapter 17

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

My eyes flickered open but shut just as quickly when they were met with bright sunlight. Huh? Where was I? Sitting up straight I looked around at my surroundings. There were a few trees in front of me, scattered lazily along partly dried out grass. But behind me... I turned, only to come face to face with a tall stone wall. Grabbing onto the jagged stones I pulled myself up and peered over at it. It seemed like this wall belonged to some sort of castle.

Ah, the simulations! hat’s where I am!

Now I remember. How had I even forgotten?

“Hello?” I called out. Where had everyone gone? I thought we entered the simulations together. We had last time anyway. So why was I alone? I guess we were working against each other this time. We’ve probably just been dropped off at different points inside the game. Yeah, that’s it. That’s got to be it. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine.

I began making my way along the wall, following it and trying to search for an entrance. Small rectangular windows covered the walls, getting lost in the old grey stone. I stretched onto my tiptoes and tried to look through them but all I could see was darkness. The gems are most likely inside there, inside this huge, dark stone building. Oh God, I’m never going to find one. Maybe I should try looking for my friends first? Red said we can all work together, help each other out so maybe their already looking for me.

Turning a corner I came face to face with a large wooden door. It hung slightly ajar and the lock was clearly broken. Upon further inspection I discovered that whoever had broken in at been in a rush. The lock seemed to have been hammered off and lay crushed and barley recognizable in a small dirty puddle. Two large muddy handprints remained on the dark wood, showing where it had been shoved open. So, at least one person was inside. Hopefully it was one of my friends. Maybe it was Cry? Although I was growing worried due to his absence I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of him hammering the door open, covered in mud and losing patience with the thing.

I slipped in through the door and followed the large corridor behind it. This clearly wasn’t the main entrance but it was a way in nonetheless. A cold draft bounced from wall to wall, making a quiet whistling sound. Hmmm, this place was pretty creepy. I’m not sure I like it here.

Why did these simulations have to be so eerie? It really is just like a game. Why couldn’t they put us into a nice game? Like... Just Dance or something? Something tells me that wasn’t going to happen. These simulations are just going to get worse and worse. Or better and better, depending how you look at it. There must be some intense technology behind all this though. I lifted my hand to the wall and brushed my fingers against the cold stone. It felt so real.

A loud clatter erupted from ahead of me. It seemed like it was coming from behind the large door at the end of the corridor. Leaving the wall, I walked towards it and pushed it open slightly. A dark figure was walking across the room, a large hammer swinging in his grasp.

“No...No,” another figure was mumbling over and over. I craned my neck to see further into the large room. It seemed like an entrance hall. A large spiral staircase stood proudly at the far end of the room and a huge bolted door at the front, worn out tapestry hung from the ceiling, giving the castle a defiant medieval feel.

Turning my attention to the two figures and I was shocked to see that I recognized them. I was sure the man with the hammer was one of the bandits we’d run into in the desert. It wasn’t the tall man who’d tried to kill Ken but another, dark skinned man who now wore long dark robes. Their clothing much change according to their environment just like character in a game. But, to my horror I knew who the other figure was instantly. She was cowering under the staircase, her red hair seemed windswept as if she’d been running and she was breathing heavily. Her short pants vibrated around the room and made the man chuckle darkly.

“Well, where are your friends this time?” he asked her then tossed the hammer threateningly from one hand to the other. I braced myself against the door and searched for something I could use to distract him. Red was in trouble. I had to help her.

“You could just leave her and find the gem,” Stephano suggested. I clutched onto the headphones which hung around my neck. The familiar static was bubbling from them.

“No way,” I whispered. “I thought you were on our side anyway.”

“No, I’m on your side PewDie,” he corrected. I just shook my head and looked back over at Red. The man was advancing on her and it was clear she had nowhere to run.

“Hey, come on. Just leave me alone yeah?” she wheezed and raised her hands. She let out a cry when the hammer slammed into the wall beside her. Her knees buckled and she clung onto herself, trying to protect her body from the hit that was clearly coming next.

“Hey!” I yelled and shoved the door open. The man instantly turned to see me standing before him, totally clueless of where I was going with this. I hadn’t really thought past getting his attention. A wide smile spread across his lips and he walked over to me. Glancing at Red I sent her a pleading look that said ‘Go.’ She scrambled to her feet and began silently making her way to the stairs.

“You,” the man hissed. His dark bottomless eyes narrowed as he scrutinized me. I stood still, trying not to look at Red too much in case he noticed. “The man with the rock. Where’s your rock now huh?” he taunted.

He’s not real Pewd. He’s just a bunch of pixels. You’re not going to

let a bunch of pixels get the better of you are you? No you’re not. You

can do this.

“Not such a clever boy anymore are you,” he snarled and swung the hammer in my direction. Quickly falling to the ground I managed to dodge it but only just. I jumped clumsily to my feet and began sprinting towards the stair case.

“Pewd!” Red yelled and beckoned me to hurry. She was already half way up but began rushing back down to get me.

“No! Just go,” I told her. Of course, she took no notice.

“Bastard!” a voice boomed from behind me. Before I could react something pounced onto me, tackling me to the ground.

My body crashed against the hard stone floor, knocking the air out of me. It felt as if my head had been split into two as it crashed against the first step of the stairs. I hadn’t realized I’d been that close.

The man fell down onto my back, holding me in place and pushing me against the floor.

In my sudden dazed state I wasn’t fast enough to dodge the next blow. In fact, I hadn’t even noticed it was coming until I felt it. The fiery hot sensations shooting through my body like a bullet. The horrible pain which focused on one specific part of my body, crushing it... breaking it. I could feel my bones snapping as the hammer slammed down on my hand. My body jerked violently at the blow but, just as quickly turned limp and useless.

I let out a scream.

I couldn’t help it.

I couldn’t stop it.

The pain was just too much. Too much of a shock to my system. The pained noise which left my lips seemed to travel around the whole castle, jumping from wall to wall, from room to room and out through the windows. But it wasn’t only my screams that could be heard, another higher pitched one was going off. It mingled with mine and soon I couldn’t tell which one belonged to me. Or if I was still making any

noise at all.

Just when the pain was beginning to ease I felt the hammer come down again but this time on my elbow. It was as if he was planning to crush me bit by bit. Make me suffer.

“Don’t. Fuck. With. Us!” the man kept yelling over and over but in the end I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t make out his words. The pain searing though my arm was blinding, leaving me dizzy and disorientated.

“Get off him!” I heard a distant voice shriek. A sequence of clatters, bangs and crashes followed and the heavy weight that was once present on my back disappeared. Was he gone? Was it over?

I managed to slowly push myself up with my good arm, rolling over panting and breathless. I was surprised I could even move. The room spun around me and every sound was muffled. I could feel my eyes beginning to roll but I tried to clutch onto conciseness. I needed to get out of here.

“Pewd!” a voice was yelling at me but all I could see was a clouded figure in front of my eyes. Between my banging head and my throbbing arm I couldn’t really focus on much else. Something was hitting my face, slapping it over and over. For a moment my eyes focused and I saw Red kneeling over me. She grabbed onto my good arm and pulled me up.

“W-where... the... the man... where is he?” I managed to ask but I wasn’t sure if it made sense or not. Was I even speaking English?

“He’s gone. Come on, we’ve got to go,” she pleaded and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. I could feel her fingers digging into my waist as she tried desperately to help me up the stairs. Fighting against the threatening darkness which invaded my mind was hard, almost impossible but I managed to keep my eyes open. I managed to clumsily walk up the stairs. I don’t know how but I did.

“Come on!” Red yelled at me now. Shouting down my ear. “You can pass out later!”

Her yelling actually helped, it was clearing my head. Making me focus on something other than the pain. Shocking the weakness out of my head. I lifted my limp head and looked at her. Her usually bright and enthusiastic eyes were damp and dull. Strangled breaths left her mouth and she sniffled loudly. Was she crying? As I looked closer I found that she was, tears were streaming down her pale face and she was trembling violently. I don’t know whether that was due to the scene she’d just witnessed or the weight she was carrying.

“Don’t... cry,” I said in a strained voice. Cry... where the hell was he?

“Shhh. Come on. One more step to go,” she coaxed through tears. I’d always liked Red. She was a good friend, almost like a sister. She’d always been so nice to everyone and I didn’t want her to suffer too. I wished she’d just left me when I told her too.

I concentrated back on my feet, making them follow hers as I climbed over the last step. Once we were up she began half dragging me down the corridor but I wasn’t as reliant on her anymore. My head was still pounding from the blow but I could string a sentence together. I could walk...mostly... with a little help. 

“Where are we going?” I asked her as she struggled to open the door Kira blocking our path.

“I’m going to find you a gem. We’re getting you out of here Pewd. I

 promise.” ..

Chapter 18

*Cry’s P.O.V*

A loud groan filled the space around me and it took me a minute before I realized that I was the cause of it. For a few moments I lay still, trying to recall what had happened. I wasn’t too sure where I was or what I was doing. All I knew is that something had happened. Something bad... something I should remember but when I tried all I was met with was darkness and the faint memory of a horrible noise. One that was now clearly gone.

Rolling onto my side I opened my eyes slowly, afraid of what I might find. But, to my relief all I could see was stone. Stone walls, stone floors, stone ceilings. The room was cold and the wind passed through a small widow on the wall. This window was also the only source of light I had. My eyes focused on  a small door ahead of me. It stood wide open, leading into a corridor.

‘Oh God, I was getting desperate...’ The thought swirled around my head, looping and spinning and turning but providing no answers. What the hell had happened  to me?

I sat up slowly, feeling my back ache from the hard cold ground. How long have I been here? In this... church? Castle? What the...?  A faint memory of strangled screams and cries began to come back to me. Is that what had woken me? No... That had been awhile ago. Something else must have caused me to stir.

 Rubbing the back of my neck I climbed to my feet, gripping onto the wall beside me for support. My legs felt a little unsteady and my head was throbbing slightly. Had I hit it on something? I ran my fingers through my hair but I couldn’t find any blood. There was a tender spot behind me left ear though. Had I been hit with something? As I prodded the sore skin curiously, something caught my eye. Just ahead of me, next to the door was a small wooden cabinet with something on one of the shelves. Forgetting about my headache I went over to inspect what was inside. Pulling the glass case open I reached inside, pulling out a black case with a DVD inside. A small message was written on the front of it in white marker:

‘Dear Cry.’

Enjoy’

What was this?

I quickly pocketed the DVD, knowing I had no choice but to watch it when this simulation was over. Did I even want to watch it? Maybe I should just break it now? Just snap it in half and throw it away. Of course... I couldn’t do that. I was way too curious. 

As I walked over to the door a loud voice came over a speaker, filling the building with static. “Contestants! There are four gems left!” the speaker announced then cut off suddenly. Jesus, how long have I been out? There are only four gems left? I better get looking. 

I made my way quickly through the corridor, pushing open door after door and searching inside every room I came across but I couldn’t find a gem anywhere. I wondered who’s already found the others. What were the chances that it was Pewd?

 The thought of him seemed to remind me of something. That noise I’d heard before...had it been Pewd? Had I thought it was him? Oh God, I don’t know. Why can’t I remember? The mere possibility that it could have been him shot fear straight through me. If that had been him that I’d heard then... then what could have possibly happened to him? I need to find him. I need to make sure he’s alright and confirm that it was all in my imagination. At this moment, his safety was more important to me than finding any stupid gems.

It’s just a game Cry I kept repeating to myself. It helped calm my nerves but it didn’t lessen my worry. With each minute that passed I began to panic more and more. In the end I resorted to shouting out his name, calling him over and over and hoping he heard me. Maybe he’s not even here.... maybe he found a gem.

I stumbled slightly as I ran down the hall. Turning back to see what had almost tripped me I found a forgotten metal pipe laying on the floor. It rolled over to me, still keeping the momentum from the knock of my foot. This could actually come in handy. I picked it up, inspecting the long pipe for a second before returning to my search.

I was left wondering the halls of this castle, searching through every room I came across, every corner and every dark shadow. I even resorted to wondering outside and looking there for him but my searching came to no avail. Pewd was nowhere to be found. This could only be a good thing right? It must mean he’s gone, that he’s out of this simulation...right?

That was what I’d convinced myself anyway. Until I stumbled upon a side entrance to the castle, leading down a corridor I’d never been through and out into the entrance hall that I’d yet to discover.

Letting out a shaky breath I took in the scene before me. Something had defiantly gone down here. A large dark skinned man lay unconscious on the floor. He must have been one of the bandits because every so often he would glitch and shift places. Torn tapestry hung loosely around his neck showing that someone must have strangled him and a large hammed lay discarded beside him. I ignored them both, more interested in the small pool of blood I saw dripping from the first step.

“Oh Jesus... please no,” I said out loud and began running up the stairs. Seeing an open door ahead of me I rushed through. For a while I followed the trail of open doors and smears of blood, my head too clouded with panic to notice much else. I hardly even noticed the announcement, informing us that only three gems were left. But I didn’t care about that. I cared about...

Oh God.

I stopped dead in my tracks, not sure whether to be relieved or horrified at what I was seeing.

No please not him.

Should I be relieved that I’d finally found him or horrified over the state in which he was in?

 I remained frozen to the spot as I gazed through the half open door in front of me. Pewd sat inside, slouched weakly against a wall, his head resting back, eyes closed and his arm sprawled out beside him. It was hard to miss the arm... the sickly purple colour made me feel ill but that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst part was how it stuck out, twisted into an angle that should be impossible to accomplish. My eyes trailed over his body, taking in, not only his arm but also the partly dried blood which had run down from his forehead and along his neck. Looking closer I could see it had mattered parts of his hair and stained one of his ears.

“Pewd?” I managed to say. The injured man opened his eyes slowly to search for whoever was calling him. At least he wasn’t unconscious. When he saw me I knew instantly, his eyes lit up and a feeble smile formed on his lips.

“Hey bro,” he called back in a raspy voice.

“Huh? Who ya talking to?” another familiar voice asked. Looking around the corner I saw Red kneeling over a chest, searching through it. She noticed me right away.

“Cry!” she yelled and ran over to me, dropping whatever she held in her hands and hugging me tightly. “Are you okay?” she asked once she’d pulled away.

“I’m fine,” I replied and looked over at Pewd. “What happened?”

“One of the bandits, they attacked him. I managed to get him off but it was too late. He smashed his arm with a hammer... and he hit his head on the stairs,” she began then leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I’m worried Cry, he’s... I think he hit his head pretty bad.”

“Urgh.” I turned quickly to see Pewd struggling to stand.

“What are you doing? Sit down,” I told him and hurried over. The pipe slipped from my grasp and I left it behind me.

“No bro... I’m good,” he grinned. He spoke as if he were drunk, slurring his words slightly and it was clear that his eyes weren’t really focusing on much. As soon as I reached him I lifted my hand towards him but stopped. I didn’t know what to do with them. Did I want to hug him? Sit him back down?  Or maybe shake him and yell at him for letting himself get into this state... Okay, maybe the last one wasn’t such a good idea. But that wasn’t the only problem. I didn’t even know where I could touch him without hurting him even more.

Pewd began talking again but he didn’t make any sense anymore. He was speaking drivel.

“Pewd,” I said softly and took a hold of his good arm. “Shhh, don’t say anything,” I whispered and lifted his arm around my shoulder. Once it was balanced around me I pulled him into a careful hug. His body slumped against mine, his knees buckling beneath him, causing me to hold onto him tighter.

“Cry...” he whispered.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. This is just a game remember? It’s just a game...” I began but I was beginning to think it was more for my sake than his. “Come on. Let’s sit you back down.”

I carefully brought him down to the ground, praying his fingers from my shirt and setting his good arm down beside him. He flinched slightly as his head rested against the wall. Red was right, he must have taken a pretty bad fall.

“You’re too clumsy friend,” I smiled at him and wiped his damp eyes with me thumb.

“I was attacked,” he whispered as if it were a secret.

“I know, I know. You’re safe now though.”

“Are you... going to take care of me Cry?” he asked with a small smirk. I was amazed that he’d managed to cling onto his humor of all things.

“Fuck that noise! You got yourself into this mess,” I joked and brushed his hair from his eyes. His shoulder lifted slightly as he let out a soft chuckle. He’d be fine. We just needed to get him out of here.

“Hey!” I yelled and stood up straight. Walking into the middle of the room I waved my arms about and looked up at the ceiling. “Anna? Paul. I know you’re watching!” I shouted.

“Cry... What are you...?” Red began to ask but I cut her off.

“Pewd needs to leave. I know you can see this... Hey! Don’t ignore me!” I stood silent for a moment, hoping I’d get some sort of reply but one never came.

“Quit yelling,” I heard Pewd complain from behind me. “Do you not think we’ve already tried that?” he added shakily and shifted, lifting his head up to look at me.

“The only way out is if he finds a gem. Anna and Paul aren’t going to help us,” Red said.

“I’m sure they would if they could.” I turned to Pewd, his faith in them still hadn’t faltered. Maybe he was right though. Maybe Anna and Paul really couldn’t help us.

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

* * *

“Can we stop?” I moaned and loosened my grip on Cry’s shoulder. I began sinking to the ground slowly. Maybe he’d listen to me this time.

“Oh no you don’t,” Cry warned, grabbing my waist and pulling my back up to my feet. I let out a groan and had no choice but to continue walking down the long dusty corridor. The room spun slightly around me, causing me to stumble over Cry’s feet over and over again. He didn’t seem to mind though; he’d just ignore it and hold me up, helping me walk. More like making me walk against my will.

“I just want to go sleep somewhere,” I complained and dropped me head down onto his shoulder.

I heard him sigh heavily but my ears were still ringing slightly from when I’d bashed my head. Glancing down at my battered arm I felt as if I were going to hurl. It had turned an awful dark purple shade over time and I’d lost all movement in it. Not that I’d want to move it anyway...that would hurt like a bitch.

“At least he’s talking now. That’s a good sign right?” Red asked from my other side.

“I guess,” Cry answered. “I think I preferred him when he was quiet.”

“Hey...” I lifted my head up and frowned. His small childish giggle echoed around the hall, letting me know that he was only joking.

I was glad he was here. Glad he was with me again. I doubt Red could have carried me much longer through this endless castle and with him, I felt safer. Cry really was just like my hero, always finding me when I’m in trouble which seems to be most of the time. He doesn’t see me as a burden does he? God, I hope not.

“No...” I heard Red gasp. I turned to look at her and found she was staring, wide-eyed and speechless up at a tall statue in the middle of the room ahead of us. I tried to focus on what she was looking at but in the end gave up, resting me head back onto Cry’s shoulder. I was so tired... maybe I could just sleep here? 

“What is it?” Cry asked and shifted me slightly so I didn’t have I twist my neck so much.

“Look... Look! Oh my God. We found it! We found one!” Red suddenly shot off, sprinting off ahead and beckoning us to follow her.

“Ohhh....I see it. Pewd look!” Cry cheered and nudged my head. I blinked a couple of times but my vision was getting clouded again. The painful headache was beginning to take over my mind once more, pounding violently and the light only made it worse. So I shut my eyes, trying to lessen the sting. It worked... mostly...the only problem was that I found it difficult to open them again. My lids were heavy and it felt as if they’d been sown shut.

“Pewd?” a distant voice was calling me but I was somewhere else by now, somewhere covered in darkness. Before I knew what was happening the floor had slipped from beneath me. I’d wanted to rest for so long...ever since the accident. Was it time for me to finally sleep...?

* * *

“Dammit Pewd! Wake up!”

“Cry? What’s happened?”

“He just fucking passed out!”

“Huh? Wake him up!”

“Seriously? That’s what I’m trying to do!”

“Well, try harder! Slap him or something!”

“What? Red, are you crazy? I’m not going to slap him!”

“Fine! Then I will.”

Suddenly a scolding hot sensation smacked into my face, scraping along my check. It sent such a shock to my system that I was jolted awake and was sent shooting up in any random direction. I gasped quickly, my eyes flying open and darting around the room in panic. What the...? Had I...? Where they...? Huh?

I began rubbing my head gently, feeling a sharp sting across my forehead. Why wasn’t this pain going away? Why didn’t they just let me sleep? I’m so tired.

“Pewd?” Red spoke softly from behind me. I turned only to be met with her stunned expression and Cry’s expressionless mask.

“Crazy woman,” I muttered and rubbed my aching cheek. I was injured enough without her adding to the list. But although I’d meant what I’d said it didn’t stop her from letting out a shaky laugh in relief. Her arms wrapped around me and she hugged me gently.

“I’m sorry Pewd. But you’re awake! That’s good. That’s really good. Don’t scare us like that again,” she began saying and rubbed my back. When she pulled away I noticed tears spilling down her cheeks again.

“Now you’ve got to take the gem and I’ve got to find Russ. I’ve got to make sure he’s okay too.” She wiped her eyes quickly and composed herself.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I smiled up at her, suddenly showered with guilt for calling her crazy.

“Russ is fine. He’s... he’s probably already out of here.”

“Yeah... yeah...” She nodded and turned to get the gem for me. I looked over Cry’s shoulder and noticed the gem sitting in the hands of a woman carved from marble in the center of the room. How had I not noticed it before? The statue stood tall and Red had to pull a chair over to reach it.

“You okay?” Cry asked me warily.

“Yeah. This would have been... pretty fun if I hadn’t gone and got myself attacked,” I whispered. To my delight my words earned me a small laugh from the man I lo... from the man I... I don’t know. From Cry. I twisted myself around, laying my back against the wall and facing him.

“We’ve always got the next simulation,” he joked and patted my knee.

“Ha yeah... Cry...you better get yourself out of here too,” I warned and closed my eyes for a second to suppress another round of dizziness which threatened to overtake me again. “If you...if you get yourself eliminated...I’ll hunt you down and I’ll... I’ll slap you so hard,” I warned. He chuckled softly beside me and moved a little closer.

“Pewd? Open your eyes,” he ordered. I could hear the worry in his voice so obeyed immediately.

“Don’t worry bro... I’m fine now,” I lied and gave him a small smile.

“I’ve got it!” Red yelled and came bounding over to us. In her hand lay the gem, wrapped in a dirty old rag. “Here, take it. As soon as you touch it you’ll leave the simulation.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled and reached for it but before my finger touched the bright, glistening stone I gave my friends a smile. “Promise me I’ll see you both back in the simulation room,” I demanded but my voice was too weak to sound half as serious as I wanted to.

“Promise,” Red smiled.

“Yeah I promise Pewd,” Cry laughed and rested his hand across his heart. God, I sure hope he’s right. With that I grabbed onto the stone. The simulation ended almost instantly, as soon as my fingers brushed against the gem I felt the castle slipping away and reality begin to return.

The last thing I head was the loud boom of the speaker. “Contestants! Only two gems remain!”

Chapter 19

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

I glanced back up at the clock on the wall. I’d been out of the simulation for only ten minutes but it felt like an hour. Letting out a low sigh I looked back at the two of my friends who had made it out of the simulation before me. Ken and Russ sat at the opposite end of the corridor in silence. We were all too worried for the others to celebrate our ‘victories.’ So instead we didn’t say much to each other. We just remained, slouched against the walls of the corridor, staring at the door to the simulation room and all wishing one of our friends would come walking out of there but the minutes only stretched on and on, never giving us what we wanted.

“Are you feeling okay?” Ken asked me, finally breaking the silence.

“I’m fine,” I replied. And it was true. I was perfectly fine. I was as good as new, totally fixed, and I have been ever since I left the simulation.

The first thing I noticed when I returned to reality was that the pain crippling my body had vanished, my arm was no longer bruised and broken but it’s usually pasty white color and my head was fine, only a slight headache remained but I think that’s from the trauma more than anything. I guess it really is just a game after all and the injuries, just as real as those inflicting them. But it makes me think; was it all just in my head? I doubt I could have conjured up that amount of pain through imagination only. Plus, it had been just as real for Cry and Red as it was for me. No, my injuries were very real... they were in the simulation anyway.

“How do you think the others are doing?” I asked quietly.

“They’re fine,” Russ answered with a nod. They were both very aware of what had happened to me inside that game. I hadn’t had to tell them; the fact that Paul and Anna had come rushing to me when I arrived back was enough to show them something bad had happened. Paul had told me that they would have taken me out straight away but it was too expensive, too expensive to take someone out of the simulation before it ended. Once they’d left I was showered with questions from Ken and Russ and I answered them all, running them through exactly what had happened. I don’t think they could quite believe it at first... I was still shocked myself. 

“Yeah...,” I murmured but trailed off when the truth we all knew came back into my mind.

Three of our friends were left in that simulation, Cry, Red and Scott along with someone from the other team but...only two gems remained. Only two had the chance of continuing. We’d undoubtedly lose someone by he end of this round and that is what was causing this silence. That was what caused a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I should have told Cry to take the gem. What if he doesn’t make it out now? It’ll be all my fault, all my fault that he would have lost his chance to win this competition, all my fault that I’d have to go on without him.

I don’t want that. This would all mean nothing without him.

~Cry’s P.O.V~

“You got it?” I called whilst struggling to keep my balance.

“No... Lift me a little higher,” Red replied. I tried to look up at her but all I could see what her red hair falling forwards as she tried to stretch for the gem stuck in the doorframe.

“I can’t lift you any higher Red,” I pointed out as I held onto her legs and tried to push her up a little more. She sat on my shoulders and was reaching up towards her ticket out of here.

“We’ll have to just turn back and find something to stand on,” she sighed and lowered her hands.

“Hell no! What if we come back and someone’s taken it?” I said. She seemed consider this for a moment before reaching up again to try and get the stone.

“Try standing on my shoulder,” I suggested.

“What? You’ll drop me!” she cried.

“I haven’t dropped you yet have I. Just hold onto something and stand up. It’ll be fine,” I encouraged and shifted her.

After awhile of her struggling, cursing and finally managing to stand up I was left, holding onto her ankles as she stood on my shoulder and watching her pull herself towards the gem.

“There we go,” I smiled.

“I can reach it!” she yelled triumphantly but then looked down at me.

“Cry...are you sure? If you want it, you can have it. I’ll find another one and...”

“Red, don’t be silly. Just take the darn thing. Plus I doubt I’ll be able to get you down without throwing you off,” I laughed.

Not only that but I owe you. I owe you for saving Pewd and looking after him when I wasn’t there. I only thought the last part, not being able to find the words to tell her how grateful I was.

“What if Russ is still here?” she asked me quietly.

“Just go Red, before I drop you,” I muttered.

“Erm...okay then. Thank you and... I’m sorry Cry,” she whispered before grabbing the gem. I opened my mouth to tell her that she had nothing to be sorry about but before I could even take a breath she was gone. She just completely vanished, leaving me alone in this huge castle with no idea where I should even start looking.      

“Contestants! Only one gem left! You better get your game on!” the announcement rumbled around the vast empty spaces, reaching the three of us who were left here. There’s a one in three chance I’ll make it out, a one in three chance that I’ll see Pewd again.

I hope he’s okay. I hope he’s with a doctor or something. I may be alone in here but at least I know he’s out of this place. At least I have that much to go on.

~Pewd’s P.O.V~

My heart practically skipped a beat when the simulation room door swung open. I held my breath, hoping and praying it was him... that he’d made it out so I could put my troubled mind to rest.

“Red!” I heard Russ yell as he scrambled to his feet.

All I could do was sit there and watch as he ran over to her, grabbing her and holding her tightly. I should be happy to see her, I know I should but all I felt deflated. It’s was like running downstairs on your birthday only to find out everyone had forgotten. There was now only one gem left... one gem and three people.

I know Cry. I know what he’s like. If it ends up being him against Scott then... he’ll give up. I can see it now. It doesn’t matter how much he wants to stay, he’d never screw his friends over. That’s something I both loved and hated about the man. His stupid loyalty... but maybe he’ll make an exception this time. He promised me he’d be back. 

“Pewd!” Red smiled at me warmly and came bounding over. Her eyes searched my body for the injuries but she found none. “You’re okay,” she laughed and hugged me. Considering my arm was no longer broken I managed to hug her back for the first time in awhile. I began thanking her over and over for everything she’d done for me, telling her how much a appreciated everything she did. Perhaps the reason I was thanking her so much was because of the guilt I was feeling. The ever nearing guilt of how I’d reacted when I’d seen her... disappointment.

“Hey shhh. I know you would have done the same for me.” She smiled up at me before turning to Ken and hugging him too.

You’re an asshole Pewd. She helped you and this is what you do. You should be happy she’s here. Forget about Cry. Just for one second forget about him! Red’s here, she’s your friend. You owe it to her that you even got out of that simulation... I closed my eyes tightly, willing my brain to just shut up for a moment.

Cry helped me too! I owe him too! I argued back although it was no use. I still felt like an asshole.

~Cry’s P.O.V~

My feet were growing heavy now, my body growing tired from the day’s events. This must be the forth never ending spiral staircase I’ve climbed in the past half an hour and thankfully it was the last. This castle only had four turrets, thank God and as I climbed up the final one I glanced out the small window which looked out over miles and miles of thick forest. The sun was setting slowly, turning the sky orange and pink. This place was actually kind of beautiful. It’s a pain in the ass and I want to get the fuck out of here but it’s still beautiful.

I had a good feeling about this place though. I’m positive it’s the only place left that I haven’t torn apart in a desperate search for the final gem. If it wasn’t here...if I got to the top of this never ending tower to find nothing, I think I’ll just collapse onto the floor and go to sleep.  I don’t think I can stand walking around the entirety of this castle again. The thought itself made me frustrated so, in a bid to calm myself down I began humming quietly.

Finally I came to the large wooden door that marked the top of the turret. Turning the large circular handle I shoved it open and was met with a sudden gust of wind. Everything had looked so calm out of the window but actually being out here was a whole different story. There was a strong wind which blew around the tower, causing my hair to blow all over the place. But even though my hair was covering my eyes I still noticed the bright glow of the large red gem which lay on the floor in front of me.

“I knew it!” I yelled at the top of my voice. My arms flung out into the air and I began spinning and jumping around in pure joy. “I fucking new it! Fuck you, stupid simulation! I kicked your ass! You thought you could beat me? Hell no!” My whole body began to shake as a mix of relieved and delighted laughter erupted from my lips.

“Woo!” I shouted and began scrambling over to it. So this is what victory felt like? Sweet! I knelt in front of the gem, grinning stupidly at it like it was candy and I was a small child.

“Cry! Cry, are you up there?” a distant voice was calling. Everything seemed to stop then. I held onto my breath and froze. No... SHIT!

“Cry! It’s me! Scott!” the voice continued and I could tell it was getting closer and close. My eyes remained glued to the gem though. All I had to do was touch it, just one little brush of my figures and I’ll be out of here. I’ll be back with Pewd. I reached out slowly, my heart hammering against my chest and my mind suddenly getting filled with desperate protests, begging me not to do it, telling me that I’ll only hate myself for it. But it was so tempting... too tempting...

“Cry! Wait up!” he was close now, probably near the door. I had a matter of seconds, only a few moments to make my decision. My decision...

Scott or Pewd?

Him or me?   

Shit, I hate decisions! No I can’t do this. I can’t betray Scott. I’ll wait till he gets here and we’ll talk about this. But I could so easily just touch the gem. I found it first anyway. I haven’t cheated! I’ve had my fair share of shit today.

“Hey Cry? C-Cry?” Scott said carefully. I glanced up and saw him standing in the doorway, his hands slowly reaching up. “Whoa man... that a gem you got there?” he asked. I noticed the way his eyes darted to the stone...he looked at it the same way I did.

“...I...I found it first Scott,” I murmured, my hand hovering over the stone protectively.

“No...,” he whispered and slowly made his way over to me.

“Stop!” I snapped and he froze suddenly. Cry give him the gem...give it to him! Give the gem to Scott! Do it! Do it now! My head was screaming at me and deep down I knew it was right but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t step away. Scott began shaking his head rapidly, his eyes wide and pleading.

“Don’t do this Cry,” he whispered but I cut him off.

“You want me to give it up? To just hand it over to you? Why should I? I don’t want to leave either,” I told him harshly.

“Listen, I’ve been through shit today...”

“Me too! You have no idea!” I yelled but instantly regretted it.

“Don’t make me leave Cry. I can’t leave. Everything I have is here, in this competition. With you guys.” He was trying to convince me, I could see it. He was only thinking of was himself! But then again...so was I.

“Scott... you know... you know how I feel about... about stuff,” I muttered under my breath, a small part of me hoped he hadn’t even heard me. Was I seriously doing this? This wasn’t like me at all but... I can’t leave. Pewd needs me. At least I think he needs me... I need him anyway.

“Huh? Is this about Pewd?” Scott asked, raising his eyebrows in shock.

“You’re going to screw me over because of him?”

“I’m not screwing you over. If anything you’re the one screwing me over,” I pointed out. Silence fell over us then and I couldn’t stop myself from inching closer to the gem.

Don’t do it Cry. You know what’ll happen. You won’t be happy. Just give it to him. Let him have it and at least you’ll leave the competition as a decent human being. Don’t let this change you. Don’t let your need for Pewd change you.

“Okay... you can have it,” Scott interrupted my thoughts, running his fingers through his hair. “Just come here and say goodbye man,” he added. No...How could I just leave him here? Now he wants me to leave I don’t want to go. He’ll hate me for sure if I take it. He’s only saying those words, he doesn’t mean them. Even though I knew all this was true I had no choice but to push the thoughts away.

Did Scott know too? Did he remember what I told them? This would be the last time he saw me. Until the simulation was over anyway.  I remember what Amz had been speaking about it in the laundry room... how they never got to say goodbye to their friends. They just left. I’d made sure to tell everyone about that, so they weren’t surprised if it happened. Good job I did...

“Scott...” I whispered, amazed by his sudden change in character. He was going to let me have it? Was he really going to give this up?

I climbed to my feet and rushed over to him, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you friend,” I said softly as I clung onto him. He hugged me back and from beneath my mask I closed my eyes tightly. I couldn’t begin to comprehend why he was making this sacrifice for me. Such a big sacrifice that I’d clearly shown I wasn’t willing to make for him. I was lost in thought, stunned by his generosity but then I felt his hands grab onto my torso tightly. His fingers dug into my skin harshly and it was my natural reaction to try and shove him away.

“W-what are you...?” I managed to gasp as I tried to wriggle from his grasp.

“I’m sorry Cry...but I can’t just give up,” he whispered then, before I could really react, he shoved me aside. I stumbled back, almost toppling over the small banister surrounding the turrets open roof. My arms began to flail, desperately trying to grab onto anything to stop me from falling to my death. In that one split second I felt the reality of what just happened come crushing down on me.

How had I been so stupid?! So stupid to think that he’d actually let me win this.  

Luckily, as I fell back, I managed to grab onto the banister and pulled myself up. My head was spinning from the shock. We were high up here. Glancing over the banister I saw that it was a long way to fall.

No! No! Get that fucking gem Cry! Forget what you said before! Get the hell out of here! Finally my conscience was on my side!

 I pushed myself towards Scott, grabbing onto his shirt and hauling him away from the gem just moments before he reached for the stone. I’d gotten there just in time though. He stumbled backwards, falling onto his back and rolling to the side. I didn’t even look back at him. I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face. So I didn’t see him scramble towards me and grab my ankles, yanking me down with him.

“Scott!” I yelled, falling to the floor and trying to kick him from me but it didn’t work. He climbed over me, pinning me down to the ground. I shoved and pushed and kicked but he didn’t move. All he did was try and hit me over and over but I raised my hands, blocking his hits from my face. After a moment he stopped and raised his fist, angling it perfectly with my face.

“Stop this! This is ridiculous,” I told him, keeping my arms up to cover my masked face. He looked down at me, his eyes were wide with either fear or anger, he’d broken out into a cold sweat which ran down his forehead and his fist shook violently as he readied it for the impact. “Scott! We’re friends! Friends don’t do this to each other...”

“You’d do it to me!” he yelled. It seemed like it wasn’t even Scott’s voice any longer. It shook too much. That’s when I realized...he wasn’t angry at all...he was terrified and ashamed of what he was doing.

“I wouldn’t. You know I wouldn’t,” I spoke softly and reached out towards him. Maybe if I just calmed him down he’d get the hell of me.

“I...we...Cry...” he whispered brokenly before dropping his fist and covering his face with his hands. I watched as his shoulders began to shake and tears began streaming down his face. “I’m sorry,” he cried and shoved himself off me.

“Scott...” I sat up and began to make my way over to him, to comfort him and tell him everything was alright. I couldn’t stand seeing him like this. He was always so happy, so easy going but now...now this simulation had reduced him to tears and broken sobs. “I don’t blame you,” I told him but he just shook his head and pushed himself against the banister.

“Just go Cry,” he wept, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve but the tears he’s caught were replaced with new ones just as quickly.

“No...I...” my voice faltered slightly.

“Get the fuck away from me!” he yelled and curled up, turning from me and burying his head in it hands.

With that I knew. I knew I had to do it now or I’d never manage it. I made my way to the gem and grasped it tightly, not looking back at the broken man behind me. I just wanted all this to be over. I just wanted to get back, get back and see my precious Pewd’s again. Maybe seeing his face will make everything better. I’m sure it will. I’m sure it’ll help me forget about how much of an absolute scumbag I felt.

I told you you’d feel like this my mind began repeating over and over.

“I’m sorry Scott."

End of Book 02

Copyrighted 2014 © Ricky Nathan XII

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