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One second Jay was on the cold, blood-soaked, and unforgiving concrete ground of the hospital followed up by the familiar scenery of Tim’s house, and the next he was in a white hospital bed accompanied by beeping monitors, IVs decorating his pale arms, and hospital staff speaking words that sounded less like speech and more like muddled nonsense. To say he was disoriented would be an understatement. Jay was already on somewhat alright terms with the idea of dying when the realization dawned upon him that no one would be able to save him from his dumb luck, yet as soon as Jay grew comfortable with the idea, he’d been rescued in the nick of time by a pair of strangers he didn’t even know who, for worse or less, had broken into the home. That’s how things went for Jay, though, with his constant streak of luck placed in odd faith. As his vision slowly adjusted to the hospital room, and as the two nurses that were checking his vitals left the room, Jay slowly sat up as a dull pain shot up through his right side. He could barely pull a thought together as all his senses blurred into one ugly blob. Amid the blurriness, though, a single name made itself apparent in his head. The more it repeated itself the more important it seemed.
Tim.
It’d repeat once again.
Tim.
It meant something- and when the meaning finally dawned upon the still-delirious Jay, his eyes would shoot wide open; Shit he left Tim behind didn’t he? How ironic it was of him, wasn’t it? Of course the first thing that Jay stirred awake, he thought of the very man he threw into harm's way. The memory was still fresh in Jay’s mind if not just as fresh as the stitched-up wound on his side was as well. As his thoughts became less scattered and more clear, Jay slowly began to recount what had happened. Had it happened days ago? Weeks? Jay couldn’t remember it all too clearly. What Jay did remember, however, was that he had been left for dead at the hands of Alex and how the bullet seared into his flesh. The name, even if unspoken, left a bitter taste in his mouth as he looked down at his bandaged side. To add salt to injury, too, Jay remembered having been brought to Tim’s home and left there to bleed out. By what exactly, be it Alex or The Operator, Jay was unsure- nor could he bring the thought to the forefront of his mind. The feeling of the ice-cold floor beneath him and the tender hold of Tim had made itself obvious to him, though- yet Jay paused at the latter of the thought. Jay remembered the brief moment in time as clearly as he did being shot. The words that Tim spoke were vague and unclear, yet the warmth that came off of Tim as he squeezed Jay in hopes that- maybe- with enough love Jay would come back to life, like how it did in fairytales or Disney movies; The big evil is defeated, love is found, and everyone gets to go home with their happy ending. Considering that Tim left him behind, however, and that his own apartment had long since been burned down years ago, there was no happy ending left for Jay or anyone involved in this mess for that matter. All there was left was the lingering touch of Tim’s calloused and bloodstained hands against his own accompanied by words that were most likely the last thing he’d ever hear from him- granted, that was if Jay didn’t find Tim in time. Even then, Jay could barely make out the words that Tim said and the lingering touch was nothing more than a distant memory. It was better than nothing, though.
Speaking of distant memory, as Jay’s hand ghosted above the newly-formed scar that decorated his side, it was only really then that he remembered he still had his phone on him- possibly. In hopes of his luck turning around for the better, Jay tried to check the pocket of his jeans- only to realize then that he was wearing a hospital gown, which bore a stark difference from the usually dirty and blood-stained clothes he was used to wearing so often. Lucky for Jay, however, a familiar black iPhone rested beside the hospital bed alongside a few other things such as his cap and his hoodie, albeit bloodstained. Reaching over to where his iPhone rested as his muscles ached and throbbed in pain, Jay managed to grab it before slumping back into the soft embrace of the hospital bed, iPhone in hand. Propping himself up to where he could sit upright, Jay carefully turned on his iPhone before going over to his contacts. It didn’t help that the screen was shattered to the point that reading anything on it was difficult at best, yet he could pick out a few words; One thing he noticed was that any texts that he had tried to send earlier had failed to send. Giving a soft frown to himself, Jay forfeited the idea of trying to text anyone (and in a stretch attempting to call anyone), before going for plan B; Go check the Youtube channel. Surely, there’d be something there waiting for them- and oh boy was there. Jay was immediately greeted by not one, not two- but almost six whole new entries and one seemingly final video from totheark, with all of them spanning over the course of several months. How long had he been out for? How long had it been? All Jay could really do at first was stare at the screen. He’d have to do something eventually, though, and he chose to press on Entry #81. Jay didn’t have the heart to watch Entry #80- not yet; Someday, but sure as hell not now. Besides, he needed to figure out what had happened while he was gone, or away, or hell maybe even in a coma. Jay didn’t even know, and maybe that's how things would stay; Jay had other things he needed to prioritize. With that kept in mind, Jay watched the screen and- with baited breath- looked on to what transpired before him.
It started off with, in some form of bitter irony, with footage of Tim. It gave way to the idea (and possibility) that most of the videos that were uploaded were from Tim of all people- and it made complete sense. Before Jay could think on it anymore, however, a familiar voice from the video made Jay snap back to reality. He’d continue to watch the video- before it ultimately acknowledged that he’d been following Tim. In hindsight it felt embarrassing to be called out, yet just like before Jay had no time to think on that either. All Jay could really do was look on, silently commentate to himself (and both ridicule himself for his stupid choices) as Tim, or assuming to be such, made more commentary. Every little sound and bang made Jay only continue to worry for Tim’s safety- even if there wasn’t anything Jay could actively do to help; The events in the video had already happened whether Jay liked it or not. Every little shift, grunt, and cough only made him worry even more, though. Maybe it was the thought that Jay couldn’t do anything to help that made him worry even more. It was the thought that Jay was stuck in a hospital room with no way to contact anyone or help anyone- and that despite that, Tim had been looking for him. Maybe Jay had gotten it all wrong, but dammit he really hoped that was the case. Not to mention, the words at the end of the video got to him; “I need to continue where Jay left off as best as I can.” He wasn’t really sure how to feel about that at first- honored at the fact that Tim cared that much, or to start crying at the sentence itself. He could mope on it later, though, as there were more entries to watch; Jay clicked on Entry #82 and watched it play out like the entry before.
Entry #82 started off with Tim yet again. Jay wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved at the familiar, comforting sight of Tim again or upset at himself for- well- so, so many things. The decision can wait, however, as his attention was immediately brought back as soon as Tim began to cough ever so slightly. It never really mattered if it was a quick cough or a signature cough that signaled the start of a coughing fit- Tim’s coughs always made Jay anxious for that one thing. Shuffling could be heard, then silence- and then footage from himself? Jay had to pause for a moment, even blinking a few times to make sure that the cracks on his phone screen weren’t blurring the words, before recognizing who was on the screen. It was himself. It was always weird seeing himself in videos. Jay was so used to being the one behind the camera, yet this was one of the few moments where he was on screen. Even if his memory was still rough, Jay remembered this. He remembered walking through the forest, he remembered the voice mail, and he remembered the words that left his mouth. Jay remembered the feeling of urgency- the feeling that Tim needed to know just exactly what he had found out.
“Rosswood is either beginning to shift around or I’m starting to lose it. Maybe it's both.”
Hearing his own voice emit from his phone felt like a cruel mockery of some sort. Not to mention, so did the audible pitifulness in his own wavering voice that Jay wasn’t aware of until just now. It didn’t help, either, that he heard his desperate apology- hoping that somehow, someway, that Tim would hear it. It looks like Tim did, though, in the end. It just wasn’t the way that Jay hoped. Sitting in silence as Jay witnessed his own coughing fit, he could feel heat begin to rise in his face. Was it something of shame? Of a bruised ego- of an ego that no longer really existed? Whatever the hell it was, it was causing tears to form in his eyes and a pit of shame to form in his stomach. Maybe it was from the fact that he’d only noticed the presence of The Operator right beside him just then, followed by the almost now trademark sounds of glitching and static. Just his luck too, the rest of it was corrupted- and Jay couldn’t remember what the rest of the video entailed. All he could do was sit there, take in what he had just watched, before reluctantly clicking on the next entry- which wasn’t even an entry at all. It was a video titled “Null.”
Jay didn’t try to make sense of it, he didn’t want to; He just wanted answers. Jay didn’t have the time nor patience to even make sense of the coded nonsense before him; Entry 83 then began to play much to Jay’s own chagrin. He needed to press forward, though; His own cowardice was what caused him to wind up here in the hospital. He couldn’t let that continue to be a problem. Immediately the video began with, yet again, Tim- and much to Jay’s own luck it was Tim seemingly in the middle of a coughing fit. If the pit in his stomach wasn’t obvious enough, it was blatantly screaming at him as Tim crawled up the stairs. Not to mention, Tim had stopped right in front of where he had sat once. Jay didn’t really remember why he did- but he just remembered he’d had, and that Tim had, for some reason beyond Jay, stopped to just look at the chair and out the window as if it meant something to him. Just then, too, it only really came upon Jay that this was Benedict Hall. This was where he had been shot. Tim wouldn’t look at the chair for much longer, though, nor would Jay have much more time to even so much as take in the fact as to where Tim was as he was already moving on. That, however, quickly turned to Tim’s coughing fit only worsening. All Jay could do was watch as Tim fell to the floor with a thud all the while mentally wishing that Tim would just get up- or that Jay could somehow help; The feeling of guilt only worsened as he heard a bang then followed by Tim calling out his name. At first he sounded hopeful. The second time he sounded scared. Scared wasn’t quite it, though. Maybe- wildly concerned, or terrified, or hopeless even, and Jay had a good idea as to why. The realization slowly set in for him as he sat there in temporary silence- and the realization came across with the same harshness as the bullet that pierced his skin; Tim had heard the gunshot. Still sitting there in stunned silence, Tim had succumbed to yet another coughing fit and Jay was simply forced to watch- all while now bearing the knowledge that Tim had heard everything. At this point, every little crackle of static that came from the video barely fazed Jay. He barely even registered that Hoodie had made an appearance on the video. The only thing that really brought him back around was the soft, barely audible whimpering of Tim.
“Why did you bring me here?” Tim said, at first barely a murmur. It was then followed by a much more enraged, “I don’t belong here- why did you bring me here?!”
By now the sinking feeling in Jay’s stomach had turned to that of anxious nausea. The worst, however, had yet to make itself known- until it did, of course. At first Tim had fallen to the ground with papers scribbled with familiar black sigils. It didn’t stand out to Jay at all. It stood out much less so than what was shown on the previous entries. What stood out, among everything else happening during the moment, was the painfully familiar sight of his own body displayed on the ground. He wasn’t really sure how to react to the sight, and much less so to the desperation in Tim’s voice as he repeated his name; He repeated it like Jay meant something to him. What was worse, though, Jay clearly remembered hearing Tim call out his name. It was a realization that made Jay partially numb, and partially begin to cry- as tears slowly began to fall down his face. The rest of the entry was an absolute smack to the face and (not to mention) an absolute punch to the gut; Hoodie, as far as Jay knew, was dead. Jay didn’t press play on the next entry- it simply continued on by itself. Like most of the entries it seemed, it started off with Tim and corrupted footage followed by an oddly sentimental statement.
“I’ll have to use Jay’s camera from now on.”
It wasn’t spoken out loud or anything, the words merely flashed across the screen, yet for some reason it helped lighten Jay’s disposition even if not by much. Eventually, the contents of a tape began to play out- it was footage from Alex’s auditions for Marble Hornets. Honestly, the fact that it was simply just that, audition footage, instead of anything more grim was something that Jay couldn’t help but be thankful for. The almost comical boringness of all the footage was something that Jay missed. He missed the comical nothingness that everyday college life brought. He missed the frustration from assignments, he missed the small talk, and he missed the simplicity and sweetness of everything. Hearing everyone talk- Alex, Brian, Tim, it filled Jay with a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. He couldn’t help but smile a little and give a soft laugh- even if it hurt to laugh due to how tender his side still was from the surgery. That was what dampened that bittersweet nostalgia Jay felt and what brought him back to the reality of his situation; The warm feeling of comfort was always a fleeting one in times like this. Suddenly, the chatter of all three felt less comforting and more like haunting reminders. The smile on Jay’s face vanished, and the footage was now that of what looked to be neighborhood scenery and more static. Another realization would dawn upon Jay as he looked at the footage in front of him. It was something simple yet also heartbreaking; Brian was Hoodie. Brian was dead. All Jay could do was stare at the screen as Entry #85 began to play.
It was just Tim doing his own thing, going about daily life with the same type of awkward peace and calm that Jay oh so dearly missed, especially with Tim. The longer it went on, there was something much more gloomy about it all. The sad almost faint banjo playing and the aimless flickering of a lighter turning on and off was what hinted Jay at such a conclusion. Tim began to talk to himself, though, and that safely confirmed the idea. Each word that Tim said only settled in more guilt and grief within Jay. He wanted to comfort Tim somehow. Jay wanted to tell him that it was all okay, it was going to be okay, that they’d somehow work this out together- and yet he couldn’t. All Jay could do throughout all of this was sit here helplessly in a hospital bed with a sinking feeling in his chest and tears continuing to trickle down his cheeks all while the monitors around him continued to beep away. The video, uncaring to Jay’s state of mind, simply continued to play on as Tim got into a car. It only seemed to continue to get worse from there, too. Alex would make an appearance, lighter fluid in both hands, as he poured it all around Tim’s house, coating the house and dooming it to burn if so much as a single match was lit; All Jay could do was watch and remind himself that everything had already happened and there was no changing that. Then Alex’s rant began.
“You’re the reason any of this happened! Everyone is gone- because of you!”
Each word, even if not aimed at Jay, stung. Then Alex spoke once again and these words stung much more than the last ones.
“You left Jay! You left Brian!”
A pause would be audible for a brief moment.
“Everything that is happening is your fault!”
It wasn’t. It wasn’t Tim’s fault at all- Jay knew that. He wanted to tell Tim that over and over again- it wasn’t - and yet Jay couldn’t. Jay couldn’t do anything no matter how much he wished he could. All Jay could do was watch as Tim’s house was set ablaze in one, big, ugly flame. The tears on his face finally ceased- yet was it from the dread that replaced the sadness that Jay felt? He wasn’t sure just yet. With that in mind, the second to final entry played; Entry #86.
It’d start off bland enough. There was grass, stairs, and black boots in-frame. It was mainly just Tim walking around, like many other entries before, before Tim himself would come into view of the camera. Jay wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved at the fact that Tim was alive or worry for what was to come. Eventually, Tim would surface and he’d find himself in a room equipped with a knife. That could not mean anything good and Jay knew that all too well by now. Jay watched on as Tim traversed with blatant caution in every move he made; Was he after someone? Was someone after him? All Jay knew was that Tim was armed, afraid, and possibly in pursuit of someone. It wouldn’t take much, however, to deduce that the someone in question was most likely Alex. For each and every corner that Tim turned, Jay held his breath and shared the same fear that he felt. Then there was a gunshot- one so loud that it made Jay jump- a gunshot that ruined any and all calm established. The gunshot was followed by another and then another before Tim fell down to the ground, groaning in pain- before being greeted by the sight of Alex, the sight of The Operator, and then all of that being cut off to a clearly injured Tim long since having left the building.
“Alex- Alex- ”
The words that left Tim’s mouth reeked of plighting and of fear; Jay would be afraid right by his side. For every gunshot fired, Jay cowered in fear and prayed that none of them hit Tim. The last person who deserved to die due to the mess he created was Tim. He couldn’t let him die due to his mistakes. There was nothing Jay could do, though, except watch as Tim ran away in pursuit of safety all while Alex taunted him. It only really clicked for Jay just then why Tim had the knife; He was going to kill Alex, wasn’t he? Considering that Tim was rapidly approaching Alex that was most likely the case. Before Jay knew it, Alex had been stabbed in the back. Groans of pain could be heard, same for gunshots, and sounds of struggling. By the end of all the chaos, the glitching, and the static- the bargaining and pleading from Tim- Alex was dead. Tim was covered in blood, coughing, but victorious in the end- even if it was an empty and hollow victory. Should Jay feel content that Alex was dead? Should he mourn over whatever the hell had just happened? No tears would form in his eyes even if the lump in his throat only continued to nearly choke Jay out. Jay’s expression didn’t morph into anything, especially not when Tim laid limp on the staircase. For a brief moment in time, everything was quiet for the first time in a long, long time; Entry 87# began to play on its own.
Hilariously, almost as if mocking Jay’s mourning, the whole entry pushed at the fact that Tim was alive. Somehow, someway, just like himself sitting in a hospital bed with a fairly decent pulse- Tim was alive. Should Jay have felt hopeful? Hurt? Guilty for what he’d caused? Whatever the word was, it didn’t fit. What Jay knew, however, was that once he got out of the hospital he needed to go find Tim. He needed to let Tim know that he was still here- that he was still alive. Not only was that one welcomed surprise, but who else would show up into the frame other than Jessica? As the two talked, two sentences stood out to Jay.
“You’re still carrying those around?” Jessica asked; What Tim gave as a reply made tears well up in Jay’s eyes once again.
“Yeah, well, this one’s Jays but he let me have it.”
Tim- held onto it? Jay fell silent as he slowly processes what Tim had just said. There wasn’t any reason for him to do so, and yet he did. He kept that stupid camera, after everything that happened to them both even. Jay would sit there and listen to the cover-ups that Tim had to say (and Jay wouldn’t put it against Tim- they were necessary ones to make). By the end of the entry, the final one of the bunch, Jay realized what he had to do. He needed to find Tim. Jay needed to know where Tim had gone- and just apologize for everything that had happened. Jay needed to apologize for the times that he wasn’t there, he needed to apologize for so, so much. However, as Jay sat the phone down to slowly take everything in, the two urban explorers that had found Jay entered the hospital room while having been accompanied by a nurse. Looks like mourning would have to wait for later, even if his eyes were still glossy, even if his throat was still tight.
“Mr. Merrick, there’s guests that want to see you.” The nurse spoke before adding on, “and I think you’d like to hear this. You’ll be discharged tomorrow. For now, before we can discuss more on that, I’ll need to check your vital signs.”