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The mountain's heat radiated off both of them.
A ring of cacti and a small fire surrounded them on a brutal day. The desert sand glowed below them. This was it. Grian knew the day was coming but thought he would die before this. Not in a battle rink with his best friend. One person had to win.
The way they got here is bittersweet, mostly bitter. Scar turned on him. Then turned on BDubs to save Grian.
Then they went on a strange ride in the pond, with both getting soaked because of Scar's stupid antics.
"Let's row back home," Scar announced to a shocked Grian. They had already been in the pond. Moments before, Grian was going to kill.
He betrayed them. After everything, Grian didn't have the heart to do it.
Especially not in a patch of water near a hill.
Scar had set up a boat and swiftly hopped in. He called Grian to get in, making little grabby hands at him.
Grian reluctantly climbed into the boat. He dealt with so many of Scar's jokes and antics. How did he not expect this was coming?
Scar started rowing, whistling a happy tune as well.
Grian was looking around at some flowers when he realized-
"Scar, this is a pond..." He bluntly stated.
Scar looked around, then at Grian.
"Oops!" He shrugged and flipped over the boat with a laugh.
Grian yelped "Scar you idiot!"
Scar howled with laughter as Grian got some water out of his ear.
They ended up walking the desert in silence. Hand and hand, they climbed up the mountain.
They're clothes dried quickly in the immense heat of the sun.
All of that led up to where they are now.
Sweating on a sand mountain, rocks prickling on their feet. Belongings were thrown away.
Eyes fixed on each other cautiously.
They wanted to finish this on their home. On monopoly mountain. A place that was full of mischief and friendship. Grian couldn't believe it. In the final with his best friend. He had made it, but one of them wouldn't make it out alive. He felt Scar didn't process it at first, either. They did a little boat ride before coming up here as well.
It all felt surreal. Grian prayed it wasn't real.
He hoped all this was a nightmare, a stupid dream of many weeks.
Death is terrifying.
Death is a voice in Grian's head, like a little white bunny waiting to strike.
He hears something that brings him back to the present.
A voice? Death? Maybe it's Scar.
No, it's much worse.
Ghostly voices of their dead friends.
In the memories they made, Scott and Jimmy were the only "friends."
They chanted “blood” and “fight.”
This was a fate much worse than death.
Grian was staring into the wine-red eyes of Scar. So much lay behind those chaos-filled eyes.
Grian could get lost in them for hours if it could get him out of doing this.
Secretly he knew he would win. It hurt even more.
Winning, but at what cost?
He hugged Scar tightly, getting noise out of him from the sudden movement.
He wished Scar would pull a classic trick and get the upper hand. Scar would win the battle and be the winner of it all.
Grian wasn't going to lose purposely, though. It would hurt him even more for this battle to be stretched out. He can't let Scar think he won fairly. Grian would sacrifice himself for Scar anytime, he already has so much during this death game, but this situation was different.
In every possible universe, he would win this fight.
Grian tried to keep his cool as he let go of Scar, not to show fear or sadness in his and Scar's last memories.
Scar gave Grian a knowing smile before walking back
The voices counted down.
"3,"
Grain wasn't ready.
"2,"
Please let him wake up in a soft bed.
"1,"
Let this not be real. Please make it so they can both get out alive.
"Fight"
Grian hesitated, waiting for Scar to make the first move. Scar remained still. They waited for a couple more seconds.
Grian couldn't handle the wait. He didn't want this, but dragging it out would be brutal.
He swung at Scar.
He got the first hit and immediately regretted it. The punch from his bare fist hit Scar hard.
Grian almost went to scars aid. He almost went to ask if he was ok.
Almost.
Scar looked up from the sandy floor at Pizza's grave.
He chuckled and took a step towards Grian.
Scar playfully hit back, not taking it seriously like he always did.
It was real this time, and he still took it as a joke.
Everything was still a joke. Why does it never feel real?
He was the first red life, took it as a joke. Scar wanted to take a monopoly and painfully failed; he took it as a joke. Scar got a llama and fought ruthlessly for it, and it was all still a joke. Now here he was. Swinging playfully at someone who always had his side was a joke.
A few more hits were put in, mainly from Grian. It hurt him to see a man he once killed as a "joke" now faced against him for real.
He saw Scar flinch on every hit he gave back to Grian.
Maybe it wasn't a joke.
Scar swings again, and it hits Grian hard.
“I’m getting you good, aren’t I?” Scar laughed.
Another swing. This time from Grian
“I don’t think so,” Grian solumley said back, tears forming in his eyes.
More punches were thrown weakly.
Grian punched him on the nose, knocking Scar back.
Scar was hit into the fire and yelped. He was trying to get it out when he hit one of the cacti.
Grian's instinct was to help him. Scar saw it and pushed Grian back.
"Don't," He stated harshly.
Grian could only watch in horror.
"Scar...Scar, no." Grian's voice was cracked.
Still, he didn't shed a single tear. He won't be weak in a time like this.
"Oh gosh, it burns so bad" Scar's tears finally fell. He smiles at Grian, hunched over.
Scar wiped some blood from his nose and swung weakly at Grian.
Grian dogged it swiftly and got to a steep part of the sand.
He punched Scar in his bare chest.
This one hurt more than the others. This one knocked Scar down onto the now-red sand.
Grian's eyes widened with fear. Forget his promise to himself not to show any sign of fear, but that didn't matter now
He drops to the floor, a rock hitting his knee hard. He didn't care.
Grian picks up Scar in his arms. He wanted to show Scar he cared.
This stupid death game had done this. Every dead person flashed in front of his eyes, their red eyes filled with bloodlust.
His crimson eyes filled with sorrow.
Grian cries into Scar while Scar bleeds out quickly.
Scar gives him an apologetic look. Then widens his arms, waiting for Grian to hit him.
Finish him. Take him out.
"I'm so sorry Scar."
The voices were daunting. They were screaming for blood.
"I'm sorry too!" Scar beamed at Grian.
Scar was happy for Grian.
"Finish him!" The voices pestered. They were ringing in his ears.
“Grian, I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorr-”
Grian punched Scar for the last time. Ending the battle.
The last words of Scar were an apology.
Grian can't believe what he's done
"Scar no… No! I’m sorry, Scar. I…” Grian cries into the corpse of Scar. His best friend. The corpse was smiling—content with the end brought upon him.
He took Scar in his arms, laying there for a minute. On a mountain, he called home with a friend once so happy.
The death game wasn't over yet.
He took a moment to look back at all the moments they shared, Pizza the lama, The house that looked like Grian's face, Scar's second death, The triple kill, Stealing Big B's cookie, cuddling in their shared bed they barely used, taking down Ren and his army, Scar trying to sell a coffin to the members of the krassel, running through cacti, running into cacti, strengthening their friendship, building, fighting, laughing, crying, and Grian killing Scar with a creeper. The thing that started it all.
The reason they're here.
The reason they were the finalists.
The reason..
The reason Scar is dead now.
Grian was responsible for all of Scar's deaths. Scar was accountable for all of Grian's deaths.
How poetic.
You live with who you die with.
Grian hopes they will be together in another universe, laughing again, not in this stupid death game.
Grian’s blood-stained sweater shined in the light.
He stood up from Scar, giving him one last hug. He tightened the straps on his wings.
He knew what he had to do.
The edge of the mountain called to him.
Death was ready to take him.
And he was ready to be taken.
Grian took a breath.
His legs grow weak.
He jumped.
It was finally over.
Death had his way.