Tearing his eyes away from Mark's torso, Sean mumbled out. "What will happen to us if we can't get out? What if we get buried alive...?" Mark snorted, straining out as he fussed with the lid. "There are plenty of people looking for us. Good or bad... We'll be found." Dropping his head down onto his arms, Sean groaned and whined out. "Mark, can you stop a minute. I... I can't breathe." Mark's restlessness was making his heart race until his breathing was shallow. Laying over him, Mark carefully wrapped his arms around him and purred into his ear. "Ok. I will snuggle with you." Sean rolled his eyes, mumbling out a bit muffled. "Mark... That's not..." Mark nibbled the point of his ear, making Sean blush. Hugging him tight, Mark exhaled out in a deep relaxing voice. "It's actually kind of cozy. Here we are. Snuggled up. Safe and hidden. No one knowing where we are." Peeking up at Mark, Sean smirked reluctantly as he said. "This is a turn on for you?" Bringing his lips closer to Sean's, Mark whispered to him warmly. "No. I just enjoy having you all to myself."

Pressing his lips to Mark's, Sean let himself get lost in the taste and smell of him. In that moment his racing heart slowed to keep in time with Mark's. Eventually, allowing it to slow back down to normal as Mark hummed softly in his ear. Sean caught himself dosing off with the help of Mark brushing his warm lips over his cheek. As much as he tried to resist it, Mark purred to him. "Go ahead. I'll stay up. I'll get us out. Rest." Sean shook his head, but his eyes were already closed. Sleep was just starting to pull him in, until a woman's muffled voice called out. "Damn it, Murphy! I told you they fucked with it!" Mark stilled and Sean opened his eyes. From a distance, a muffled older man's voice answered. "So, they did. Nothing we can do about that now. Help me get it up." Sean tensed, uttering out in a tiny voice. "Mark...?" Mark rubbed Sean's arm, telling him coolly. "Easy." The coffin jerked and gears squealed as it was pulled up slowly. The moment the coffin stopped moving, the woman's voice spoke casually. "Doesn't look damaged. Just scuffed a bit here and there."

Mark braced himself better as the coffin lid clicked and bounced a little. Outside, the older man's voice asked curiously. "How does the inside look?" The woman's voice was calm when she replied more clearly now. "Don't know. Let me-" The moment she lifted the lid, she gasped and froze in place. Mark's hand had shot out to grab her throat. While he couldn't hurt her, he could keep her from screaming or running away. The older man moved closer, raising a shovel as he stammered out in a panic. "Clare?" She raised a hand to stop him from advancing, before quickly telling them. "We don't have any gold or gear." Pulling her closer to the coffin, Mark told her in a stern tone. "We don't want any of that. Just let us go." The woman raised an eyebrow, mumbling to herself. "Us?" Sean eased up as her eyes met his. Taking in Sean's appearance, she breathed out slowly. "Oh... You're the one they were looking for." Slowly rising on all fours, Sean pleaded to her as he grabbed Mark's arm. "Please? We need help."

From somewhere outside the cemetery, a man called out to someone sternly. "Any sign of them?" Someone answered but it was too muffled to hear clearly. Clare glanced in the direction of the person, before quietly telling them. "Lay back down inside." Sean started to obey, but Mark tightened his grip, asking uneasily. "Why? So, you can lock us in?" Wincing, Clare straightened herself up and retorted bluntly. "You want my help or not?" Mark didn't move until Sean touched his hand, pleading hopefully. "Mark? We don't have a choice. We'll be caught either way." Releasing her, Mark sighed and quickly laid back down over Sean. Clare slammed the lid down and locked it quickly. Which made Mark tense, but Sean hugged his arm for comfort. Listening closely, they heard Clare and the old man talk about loading the coffin onto a cart. Transferring them onto the cart took time, but it was the trip across the graveyard that sucked. The ground was uneven and bumpy, causing them to hit their heads on the lid and sides.

Just when Sean thought he might start losing life over such rough treatment, the cart came to a stop. Outside, another voice piped up. "HEY! What are you doing?!" Clare's voice sharply retorted. "My job!" The other voice drew closer, grumbling sarcastically. "Your job? Bodies in the game vanish. What good is your job?" Clare's voice took on a dark tone as she scolded the person. "Empty or full. We give people peace of mind. A place to mourn loved ones lost to this game." Clare's voice rose in volume as she added heatedly. "And you, Jackass, are wasting my time! Look what has happened to this coffin! All because people like you only care about yourselves! Now I've got to fix this before my client shows up in an hour to bury little more than the memory of her boyfriend!" Sean bit his lip, practically feeling her anger through the coffin. While the other person cautiously stated out. "Open it. I wanna see inside it." Clare's voice broke in frustration as she fumed out. "You wanna...! Did you not just hear what I said, Boy?! It's fucking broken! I don't have time to sit here and explain to every jackass what I'm doing!"

The older man's voice finally chimed in calmly. "Dear, calm down. He's just a kid." Clare let out a bitter groan, before snapping aloud. "We've been stopped six times already! At this rate, I will have to break my client's heart AGAIN! NO!" Clare stomped away, brutally sneering out. "You wanna look inside? HUH?! Go on, Jackass! The hinge is broken, the latch is bent, and the lid is heavy. Lift it your fucking self! Go on! Waste more of my time just to show how empty it is!" There was a short silence before the person meekly replied. "Alright. Fine. Sorry to bother you." Clare huffed, snapping aloud. "You're sorry? Tell that to the poor girl you crazy fuckers ruined this for! And if even one more of you fuckers stops me again, I'll dig a hole and put you in it! GOT THAT?!" The cart began moving again across cobblestones and after a long silence, Clare softly whined out. "Ugh... I gave myself a headache..." The older man chuckled, replying innocently. "Was pretty convincing though. Poor guy was scared to death of ya."

The cart eventually stopped, and a door was bolted before Clare unlocked the lid. Pushing it open, Mark climbed out, asking nervously. "Where are we?" Clare gestured around, answering coolly. "Town mortuary. You'll be safe here for a few hours. They already raided us earlier." Stumbling out of the coffin, Sean bowed his head to her and gratefully stated. "Thank you. How can we repay you?" Clare huffed to herself, her eyes looking them over before answering. "Just... stay alive." Walking past them, she asked over her shoulder. "You boys hungry?" Sean was the only one to reply. Mark stood defensively; his eyes locked on the older man. Inching closer, the older man smiled upon telling them. "No need to worry. You are lucky to have found us." Sean opened his mouth, but Mark's guarded voice retorted. "Why is that?" The older man took a long slow breath, then answered with a heavy heart. "Because we don't have any fight left in us anymore. Not after... my grandson. Clare's son."

Sean carefully squeezed Mark's wrist, asking gently. "What happened to him?" The older man led them into the house, informing them openly. "Like you. He was a gamer. He went out to do a few odd quests. Never came back." Stopping by the fireplace, the older man sighed out in a broken voice. "Clare went out looking for him. Heard from a player that he'd been cornered. They chipped his life away slowly... So that they could take a piece of him as a trophy." The older man pointed to a jar on the mantle that was decorated with colorful flowers. Inside the jar was a small set of antlers. Sean couldn't help looking over the human old man. Prompting him to smirk out. "He chose the stagtaur race. Half human and half deer. Was his favorite mythical creature. He was fifteen." Sean swallowed hard, while Mark asked cautiously. "How did you get his antlers?" Before the older man could say, Clare answered lifelessly from the kitchen doorway. "I hunted the fuckers down and killed them myself. I don't regret it and I'll never forget how I did it. My son is not trophy..."

Sniffling, Clare turned away telling them in a strangled voice. "Come. Eat." Sean pulled Mark into the kitchen and sat down at her table. Just the smell of fresh cheese and honey glazed meat had Sean's stomach growling. Diving into the food, Sean let Mark ask Clare curiously. "Are they still looking for us?" Sitting down with a cup of coffee, she told them honestly. "A few. The others have moved out of the town to search the roads and woods." Mark accepted a coffee cup from the older man and slid it to Sean as he said coolly. "The skeleton guy? He still here?" Clare shrugged, telling him honestly. "I suppose so. Last I heard, he was in the tavern where they found you." Mark shifted uneasily, telling Sean quietly. "We can't stay long. If he uses a tracking ability... he could find us here." Swallowing, Sean blurted out. "Then we need to find a way out of town and back to Lulu." Mark's hand cupped Sean's wrist, telling him seriously. "No. If we go back to the house, we'll put her in danger."

Clare nodded, slipping in gently. "He's right. Your best bet will be to keep moving." Sean sat upright, telling her in a concerned tone. "We can't just abandon her." The older man shook his head, slipping in casually. "You wouldn't be. You can get a message to her if she is in your party." Tapping his fingers on the mug, Sean mumbled out to Mark. "So, what are saying? We leave where?" Mark avoided his eyes but replied carefully. "We press on. Next level. Next town. We keep moving until we lose them." Sean sighed to himself. He didn't like the idea of running away. Mark's fingers intertwined with his, reassuring him with his deep voice. "We'll come back after we lose him. But right now... he's after you and if he sees Lulu. He might target her too." Squeezing Mark's fingers, Sean reluctantly nodded. Clare moved away from the table to grab a paper on the counter. Sitting back down, she slid it to them and announced openly. "This came in our mail after the boss was defeated. It's a mini quest. Most will ignore it because it is vague on details."

Sean pulled it closer to read, while Clare whispered to him. "There is a carriage at the stable. If you can get there. You can get aboard it. You'll be safe as it takes you to the quest located in the next level. It's an overnight in a manor. Depending on how long it takes you to solve it. They could lose interest and move on." Reading over the paper, Sean then passed it to Mark, telling him. "It could work. Doesn't sound too dangerous. It's just a murder masquerade party." Mark brushed over the details, before asking Clare curiously. "Why are you helping us?" Clare smirked, telling him with distant eyes. "Because you're human. Because there is enough evil in the world that I don't feel like adding to it. Because I want this game to end, and I don't care who ends it. And maybe because... my son was a fan of yours. Markiplier." Mark smiled warmly for the first time in her presence, his voice softening when he said. "I'm sorry for being so... unapproachable." Clare smirked, chuckling out. "You don't have to tell me. I know what you're going through. As famous as you are. I imagine it will get worse for you and those you care about."

Her eyes drifted to Sean, causing Sean to look at Mark with puppy eyes. Mark rubbed his hand along Sean's chilled skin, before asking her hopefully. "Do you know a way that we can reach the stable safely?" Clare flashed her father a wicked smile, before answering excitedly. "I might know one way we can try. How good are you boys at... acting?" To Be Continued...