T W E L V E
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

When Jack was done, Dark straightened and smiled eerily at him. "Finally. Give me the backpack, just to double-check. Then we can go," he said, extending a hand expectantly. Jack bit back an irritated sigh as he passed Dark his bag. He had been half-tempted to sneak in an electronic, but he didn't dare in fear of the outcome.

As Dark rifled through his things, Jack looked around his room for possibly the last time. His heart ached. He didn't want to leave it all behind. And for what? Some pointless unknown reason. He'd probably die, too, either on the way to wherever Dark was taking them or a few days in to it all.

He suddenly missed everything, missed the way it was before. It was a weird feeling. Dark had only just arrived, everything had only just begun, and he was already longing for the past. The fear of never being able to do his outro again made his stomach twist. The fear of never seeing or talking to another fan again made his heart plummet. The fear of never helping people again made him want to actually throw up.

He had never considered himself as an extremely helpful person, but he knew his videos did help people. And that meant the whole world to him. The fact that he could change someone's whole day, whole life, influenced him so greatly it was astonishing. It made him happy, happy beyond the length words could describe, to know that he was stopping people from doing horrible things or providing others with strength.

So he let the thought of his fans provide him with strength. He would get through this, at least long enough to say goodbye properly to his community and tell them all how much they really meant to him.

He wasn't entirely bothered by the prospect of dying, either. Sure, it was frightening, but it would happen eventually, wouldn't it? Why not sooner than later? If he could fight it, he would, but if it was inevitable. . . Well, then, he couldn't do anything, could he?

All he had to do was stay strong. For his fans, who he considered family. For his friends. For his blood-related family. You will stay strong for them, he told himself sternly. You have to. You have to.

He repeated those words over and over again in his head. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Chanting things again and again, printing them into his brain to keep himself going. It worked, surprisingly.

As Dark returned his backpack, Jack took a deep breath. I will stay strong for them, and I will stay strong for myself.