The air was cold in Mandela County. Nothing felt out of place. Yet Jotaro Kujo felt some sort of... suspicion. The marine biologist felt like something was off. The mysterious disappearances, the suicide of Mark Heathcliff. All of this didn't make sense. The Speedwagon Foundation sent him here for what? To figure out some mysterious suicide? He just didn't understand.

Jotaro was in a hotel room. Wondering why this place was so... different from the other places he investigated. No stand users were reported. Almost all of the stand users were either dead or left here. But the question remained. Why did Mark shoot himself?

Jotaro remembered the time he met Mark. It was a Sunday. And Jotaro sat down near a pizza place where Mark worked. They had a conversation about annoying people and then became friends.

Jotaro sighed, the memories flowing back to him like Noah's flood. He sat on the bed, pondering about what could happen. He has heard about creatures who kill humans and take their identities. They were called alternates. And these God-forsaken creatures were everywhere. But Jotaro didn't believe it.

"This... can't be!" Jotaro said the files and papers of all these unexplained murders and suicides on his bed were showing him a new type of anguish in a way. "Why must these cases exist?"

Jotaro clenched his fist and sighed. He looked around the room. He felt so... alone. He lost too many people. The memories flooded back. The friends he lost, the suffering DIO caused, everything was just... coming back. Jotaro lay down on the bed. His mind pondered why... Why did he lose so many people? Mark joined the ranks of Iggy and Kakyoin as well as many others in Dead Friends.

Jotaro tried to sleep. He tried to get some rest. But something caught his eye.

Jotaro carefully rummaged through the pile of papers and files. Until he found something that haunted him.

"What... the hell?" Jotaro stated.

Jotaro pulled out an envelope. It was yellow, and its smell of old paper polluted Jotaro's nose. But there was a thing... that terrified Jotaro.

The envelope was sent to Jotaro... By none other than Mark Heathcliff.

Jotaro narrowed his eyes. He was shaking a little bit. Mark... sent him a letter? Since when? Jotaro's mind was racing with endless possibilities. Could this be the explanation for everything? The murders, the suicides, the alternates. Could this explain everything? Jotaro thought.

"Well..." Jotaro whispered, "Should I open it?"

Jotaro sat there for another minute. He then rubbed his eyes with his pointer finger and thumb. Took a deep breath, and sighed.

"Well, I might as well open it..." Jotaro said.

He took another deep breath. And slowly opened the envelope. It felt like an eternity for Jotaro when he did this. But he had to do this. He pulled the letter out of the envelope, unfolded it, and then stared at the letter for a second.

"Ok..." Jotaro said, a chill running down the stoic man's back. "Let's get this over with. For Mark!"

Jotaro began reading. Unfazed about the letter. He had a case to solve. He read the letter with a serious tone. The more he reads, the more concerned he gets.

Here's what the letter said...

'Dear Jotaro, I don't have enough time... But I have to tell you this. I'm currently in my house... there's something evil outside! It's not normal! It's speaking, but not in a normal way. It's acting strange and it won't leave me alone! I'm currently locked in my room! I called the police but they seem to be not coming! I NEED HELP! Please, hurry! Do anything, just get here! This thing is... torturing me mentally. And wants to physically hurt me! Please... do anything! Ever since I visited Cesar's house. It followed me home! Please do it! I BEG OF YOU DAMN IT! Please! - From Mark Heathcliff.'

This was shocking. Jotaro is a deer in headlights now. Wait... Cesar Torres was involved in this? Jotaro knew Cesar was Mark's friend but Cesar was missing. He had been missing around the same time as Mark's possible Alternate encounter. So how could Cesar be related to this!?

Wait... it all made sense now! Cesar's disappearance, Mark's suicide, everything else... All of this was connected! "Maybe..." Jotaro whispered to himself. "Just maybe... alternates are real! I wouldn't be surprised!"

Jotaro has dealt with paranormal crap before. He fought many stand users. He killed a vampire because some weird condition was killing his mom. Of course, Alternates were plausible if stands existed!

Then a ringing was heard. Jotaro automatically snatched the phone and put it near his ear.

"Hello? Who's calling me at 3 am?" Jotaro said.

"Uhh hey. I don't want to bother you." It... was Cesar Torres. "But can you do me a favor and go to Mark's house? He hasn't been answering my calls!"

Jotaro had an incredulous look in his eyes. "Cesar... Mark is dead. The police found out two days ago!"

Nothing was heard for a minute until a glitchy noise emerged. Jotaro sat there, analyzing whatever Cesar was dealing with on the other side of the phone. Until Cesar stated something bizarre.

"NOTHING IS WORTH T- Oh! Well, that's sa- Nothing is worth the risk! Nothing is worth the risk. NOTHING IS WORTH THE RISK."

Jotaro narrowed his eyes, his body shaking a little bit. He slowly put the phone down. He's sweating a bit. But he looked around and tilted his hat.

"Yare yare daze," Jotaro stated, his tone still shaky. But not enough to seem intimidated by anything. "What's with this town?"

Suddenly a knocking was heard at the door. A loud violent knocking. The type that an abusive parent would do. It didn't help that Cesar said, "Nothing is worth the risk." Was still emanating in the room. Jotaro was still unfazed until he heard who spoke.

"Let me in Jotaro! I have some ice cream for you-you-you! Come on Jotaro~!" The voice said. It sounded like Kakyoin...

But Kakyoin was dead!? How could he be alive? Jotaro thought. But some knowledge answered Jotaro's question: No, Kakyoin was not alive. He's been dead for almost a decade now. So this thing... is an alternate! Alternates are real! Alternates can mimic the voices of people.

"Wait... What?" Jotaro whispered in dread.

"Uh oh, Jotaro!" Cesar blurted out, "You gotta open-open-OPEN the door!"

Jotaro looked around the room. Before he snapped. He pulled out his stand, Star Platinum. He began boarding up the door with furniture. Chairs, beds, tables. Jotaro used everything in the room to board up the door. The alternate's knocking was louder and louder. And louder! The knocks were as loud as a gunshot. Jotaro shook a little bit. Cesar was still losing his Goddamn mind on the phone despite the phone being unplugged and closed. Jotaro gritted his teeth as he stood there. Putting his hands over his ears. The alternate and Cesar's mad ramblings were annoying. As well as creepy.

"Jot-Jota-Jotaro! I know-know you're in there! Let me come in-in-IN!" The creature screams out. Its voice glitches in several words in the sentence.

An hour passes, followed by two. Which eventually leads to a day. Jotaro sat on the floor. Bullets in his hands. He's gotten no sleep. Bags are visible under his eyes. Even when daylight emerges. The alternate is still outside. Torturing him. Cesar's still on that damn phone. Despite Jotaro smashing the f**cking thing into a trillion damn pieces. Cesar was still talking to him. Jotaro was surprised he kept his composure for this long. The alternate changed its voice in an attempt to get Jotaro to let it in. It used the voices of Polnareff and his grandfather Joseph Joestar. The damned thing even used the voice of Iggy. All because it wants in the room. And it wants to be in the room now!

Yet Jotaro stood there. He was sweating all over and was barely even flinching. He didn't break. He couldn't do it! He had to do it for Iggy, for Kakyoin..., for Mark! Jotaro wasn't going to let this thing win! But then the M.A.D came in. The information and the thoughts were too much!

Everyone DIO killed, a description of Mark's death in disturbing accurate detail. All of Jotaro's pain. It's like the damned thing knew Jotaro and everyone he was connected to ever since they were born. Jotaro gritted his teeth. He looked around to see if there was anything, anything to get his ass out of this.

"Aw... Jotaro! Trying to get away! How cute! Mark thought the same way!" Cesar stated, his voice dark. "We all know what happened to Mark though! Right?"

Jotaro felt an impulse to just burn the remains of the phone after what Cesar said. The M.A.D. was still assaulting his brain. Suicidal thoughts were emerging. But Jotaro still stood there. He was not letting himself join his fallen comrades. At least just yet.

But then Jotaro froze as he heard what the Alternate stated next.

"Come here Jotaro-ro-ro! Let me in.~" The voice that this alternate was copying. Was Mark.

Jotaro then snapped out of his trance. He grabbed a cup and chucked it at the door. It shatters the glass into a million pieces.

"GO AWAY!' Jotaro yelled out.

No response.

"Go away! Or I'll do it for you!" Jotaro stated with gritted teeth.

No response.

Jotaro sighs. The M.A.D was slowly affecting him. But he thought he could last longer. Maybe for another day. He knew he had to kill this thing. But he needed a little more time. Just a little more before he could kill this thing! Just a couple more days. He then could destroy this thing.

But the loud sound of wood breaking was heard.

"What?" Jotaro yelled out. "What the hell?"

Cesar simply laughed. "You should've let him in earlier, Jotaro!"

Jotaro gritted his teeth. He looked at the door. Eventually, the door broke.

And what Jotaro saw was a human silhouette. It looked tall and skinny. And no hair was seen on the creature. Its face had no facial features. Except for two big eyes with black pupils. The alternate showed its sharp, almost inhumanly long teeth. Which emerged into a twisted smile. It moved into the room with such a casual yet unnatural stride.

Jotaro growled. "You bastard!" He muttered to the creature.

The creature didn't say anything. It just stared at Jotaro with those large, unholy eyes. Silently observing the stand user. Jotaro stares daggers back into the alternate. Both are not moving. They're just staring Waiting for the other to strike...

Jotaro gritted his teeth harder. The creature's smile grew wider. Cesar was silent for once. Jotaro widens his eyes.

It seems quiet. Jotaro thought. Way too quiet.

Jotaro wasted no time. He quickly stopped time.

"STAR PLATINUM! THE WORLD!" Jotaro yelled.

The room was slowly consumed by that black & white color known as gray. Time itself was stopped. The first time since the clash with DIO. Star platinum appeared. He then started punching the creature several times. Jotaro didn't hold back. He was ending this! The stand continues pummeling the alternate. The sound of "ORA!" was the only thing in those few seconds of stopped time.

Jotaro sighed. It was time.

"Time resumes," Jotaro stated, the gray disappeared as soon as it showed up. Star Platinum remained visible.

"NOTHING IS WORTH THE RISK! NOTHING IS WORTH THE RISK! NOTHING-NOTHING IS RISK!~" The alternate yelled out! Its voice became more robotic as it spoke. "Nothing, nothing risk, err!"

The creature seems to not be affected. It looked like nothing even scratched the damn thing! Jotaro widens his eyes.

What? Jotaro thought. It didn't feel anything. H-how? Nothing usually doesn't take all those hits from Star Platinum and just casually ignores it!

Cesar finally spoke. "Lo-look! Jotaro found out the truth! Give up! You were a fool! You tried to resist! Don't you know how much people refused to wake up? Wake up Jotaro! Give up! You're fighting... for what? Because an organization you don't even like told you so! You're such a fool!"

Jotaro then found out something. Cesar... was an alternate now! The real Cesar was dead! Jotaro pushed the Alternate away and turned to the remains of the phone.

"SHUT UP!" Jotaro said. "How do you know that? You're just scum! You're a demon who stole an innocent man's identity so you can torture others for your sick pleasure! You're not Cesar! Cesar would've helped people! Not spread M.A.D to innocents!" Jotaro stated coldly. He then turned to the Alternate.

The creature was slowly approaching him. Its unnatural smile of sharp teeth and large eyes were a sickening match made in hell. Jotaro clenched his fist in response.

"Oh! You finally found out?" Cesar cackled. "It doesn't matter! We have you cornered! Your pathetic stand won't help you in this situation! You're like a high schooler trying to fight a vampire in the sky!"

"DON'T MENTION KAKYOIN'S NAME!" Jotaro yelled. He still didn't break eye contact with the alternate in front of him. Jotaro sent Star Platinum again. The stand punched the back of the creature's head. Caving it ace-first into the floor.

A loud unnatural graphic sound came. The alternate tried to get up. But Jotaro smashed its head in again. This led to a cycle of sorts. Every time the alternate tried to get up. Jotaro would make Star Platinum cave the creature's head in. Each time was more brutal and gory than before. After around a couple of hours. Jotaro stopped his assault.

He stood there. Leaning on a wall. The creature took a while. It slowly removed its head from the floor. The sound of the slow tearing of flesh echoed in the room as it got up. After a while. The thing got up. And it looked like it didn't even get hurt.

Jotaro clenched his fist again. It was harder than usual. What? Jotaro thought. How the hell did it just take all that punishment? I hit it like a trillion times and it... does not DIE!

Cesar chuckled. "Oh, Jotaro. You poor thing. Should I continue to speak!?"

Jotaro grunted in response. He decided to use Star Platinum to shoot the thing. He fired a few bullets. Puncturing the creature in several areas in the chest.

"Shut up! You're not Cesar!" Jotaro angrily said to Cesar, gritting his teeth. "Cesar was dead! He was always dead! You're an alternate! Just like the thing in the same room as me!"

Jotaro points at the thing. He paid his full attention to the alternate in front of him.

"I'm not even going to comment on that," Cesar stated bluntly. The mere thought of Jotaro calling Cesar out seemed to ruin his mood. "Nothing is worth the risk! Nothing is worth the risk. NOTHING-nothing risk!"

Jotaro scoffed, and his face turned a little sourer. The M.A.D affected him more.

Kill yourself was a thought that diffused into Jotaro's mind. Jotaro gritted his teeth more. The creature's mouth disappeared. Now... something changed. Jotaro couldn't place his finger around it. But he knew something was not the same.

Jotaro wasted no time. He opened fire at the creature. Star Platinum sent the bullets at the thing. It penetrated the creature in the middle of the chest. The creature tried to run at Jotaro with an unholy speed. Only for the thing's dash to be interrupted by the bullets. The bullets went through the creature like nothing!

Jotaro widens his eyes. The sweat came back to haunt his clothes. What? Jotaro thought. What the hell? It somehow... ignored the bullets? How? I tried to kill it so many times. Yet it just... doesn't die!?

Jotaro's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the creature yells out: "Uh oh! Bad decision Jotaro~!"

Jotaro just stood there as the creature ran towards him. It was even faster than before. It ran and grabbed Jotaro. It lifted Jotaro above him like a Baby or kid. Jotaro summoned Star Platinum in reply. The creature screamed bloody murder. The thing was about to punch Jotaro when Star Platinum extended his finger. Puncturing one of the eyes. The eye looked like a normal penetrated eye. But there wasn't any blood. It's just an injured eye with no gore. Jotaro raised an eyebrow. The alternate roared out in pain. It bellowed out in pain. The mouth of the creature appeared and it punched Jotaro.

The sound of his ribs cracking was absurdly loud. He grunted in pain. Star Platinum then started punching the creature multiple times. "ORA! ORA ORA ORA ORA!" The stand yelled out as it pummeled the alternate with a rage that rivals a hundred Mike Tysons. The creature yelled out and then did something unexpected. He threw Jotaro.

Jotaro yelled as he was chucked. Jotaro flew from one side of the room to the other. He went through a wall head-first. He broke the window and landed on the pavement. Jotaro just lay there... his forehead was bleeding. Crimson stained Jotaro's clothes as he slowly got up.

"What?" Jotaro grumbled. Before he could do anything else. He widened his eyes as he saw a man with fluffy brown hair and was wearing a gray hoodie. Jotaro widened his eyes and pointed at the man. His face was filled with surprise.

"M-Mark!? Is that you!?"

The man nodded. Something was off with him. He had some silver aura around him. The man had a bullet hole in his head. Jotaro's jaw dropped.

"Yes," Mark said. "How's it going Jotaro?"

Jotaro trembled a bit. His wounds didn't help him move. Mark pointed to his forehead with the bullet hole in it.

"You know what this is?"

"Yeah..." Jotaro replied. "That's a b-bullet hole!"

Jotaro didn't understand.

Why am I talking to a ghost? He thought. Am I on drugs? That must be it!

Jotaro simply never had experience talking to a literal spirit. The last time he even interacted with a spirit was three years ago.

"Why are you... even here?" Jotaro asked.

"It's a long story Jotaro. But I have to tell you something. I don't have much time.

Mark pointed towards the window.

"That alternate in your hotel room was the same one that killed me," Mark explained. His voice cracked when he mentioned his death.

Jotaro gasped. The alternate he fought. The same alternate that tortured him and hurt him. Was the same one that killed his friend.

"Then why did you come here?" Jotaro said. It took all of his wills to even say the sentence.

Jotaro never really thought that this was not real. Mark was dead! He can't be talking to him for this long at least... Right? Of course, this couldn't be real!

Mark just walked and put a hand on Jotaro's shoulder.

"I came here..." He paused for a second. "Because I wanted to tell you that you avenged me! You took a stand towards that... creature! You helped me! You're a hero Jotaro!"

Mark then walked over and hugged Jotaro. It was warm, comforting, and calming. Jotaro had a look of surprise. He then hugged Mark back. He... finally avenged his friend. He finally got closure. Then everything turned black. Jotaro was unconscious. The last thing he saw before fading to black. Was Mark... smiling and saying "You're the man Jotaro!"

Jotaro woke up in a hospital room. He lay down on a bed. A TV was near the ceiling, the walls were a plain dull white. It looked like the same old hospital room. Hell, even the depressing tone you usually feel was the same! Jotaro trembled yet again. Memories of last night flooded his brain. He couldn't believe it! It all seems like a dream. Yet it isn't. It all happened. Cesar's alternate, Mark's ghost, that other dangerous alternate! It all happened! And even though Jotaro has seen paranormal things before. Last night was something different... way too different!

He looked around to see a man, a police officer sitting on a chair. He was a fair-skinned guy with dyed blonde hair. As well as facial hair. The only remaining evidence the man even had brown hair was the roots. He was also a police officer in his uniform.

Jotaro stares at the man with confusion. The man stared back.

"Oh! Hello Mr. Kujo!" The man stated. "I'm Lieutenant Thacher Davis! I'm from the Mandela County Police Department. And I would like to speak to you about what happened last night."

Jotaro sat up. His upper back hurts a bit. He looked at Thacher with a rather neutral expression.

"Okay... what happened?"

"Well," Thacher replied. "Reports said you had a violent confrontation with an unknown individual. Which led to you being thrown out of one of the second-floor windows at the hotel. Can you tell us what happened last night?"

Jotaro sighs. He was still stoic as usual but last night made him on edge. He answered anyway.

"It's a long story," Jotaro replied. "You sure you want to hear it?"

Thacher nodded. "Yes! I would like to hear everything you did that night, Jotaro.'

But Jotaro was paying attention to Mark who was leaning on the corner of the room. Jotaro waved at Mark. Thatcher was confused... "Who are you waving at?" Thacher asked in a concerned tone.

Jotaro, ever since he got thrown out of the window. Was seeing and speaking to nothing. Mark was dead. And that ghost... only Jotaro saw it. Jotaro was... seeing nothing. Thatcher was just seeing Jotaro interacting with thin air. But to the marine biologist. It was just his old friend Mark visiting him...

The end.