Mark's POV

The words "Here They Lie" slowly grew brighter until it was difficult to see. "Alright," Ethan whispered, "no one do anything to draw attention to us."

"You don't think this blinding light is going to attract attention?!" Tyler whisper-screamed.

I heard Robert snicker quietly, "He just means don't freak out too much here in a second."

"Wait, why would we–"

Before I had the chance to ask my question, I was thrown forward. I braced myself to slam into the wall, but I didn't. Instead, I was sent flying forward, off of what seemed to be a cliff of some kind.

I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a loud scream as I fell into an abyss. My heart practically leaped out of my chest when I heard Ethan laughing from beside me.

"What's so funny?!" I demanded as I opened my eyes and found him laughing as we fell.

"I just never took you as the easily scared type," he chuckled out.

I looked away from him and stared at the black nothingness beneath me. "We seem to be falling to our death. Is this the entrance to the top floors?"

He looked over at me, smirking. "What do you think?"

"I think you're crazy and that we're both about to die."

"Rude, I'm not entirely crazy."

"Did you just confirm that we're falling to our death?!" I shouted.

"Mark!" Ethan yelled.

I looked at Ethan, but he just seemed to be enjoying the fall. "What?" I called.

He turned to face me, confused. "I didn't–"

"Mark!"

That's definitely Ethan.

I glanced up this time. Ethan looked up too. I was surprised to find another Ethan floating above me next to everyone else.

"Mark, who are you talking to?" Felix asked.

I glanced back beside me where Ethan had been to find that he wasn't there. Before I could ask what had happened, Robert explained, "You're already being messed with."

"None of you saw him?" I asked.

Cry shook his head. "No? Who were you talking to?"

I made eye contact with Ethan for a split second before turning back around. "Don't know. Is this the entrance, then?"

"Yeah," Tyler answered, "but I think there are more important things to discuss at the moment."

"Like what?" Ethan asked.

"What do you mean 'like what'?!" Tyler shouted. "Why did Mark get yanked through the entrance, while the rest of us had to jump through on our own?"

"Let's just focus on getting to the top floors for now, okay?" Ethan suggested.

"No, I'm interested in this as well," Cry commented. "Why did Mark get pulled through, and no on else? All of us could have been pulled through. That would have made more sense because then we'd all be distracted. It would have been harder to figure out what was happening, if we ever did."

"We'll figure this out later, alright?" Robert offered. "For right now, everyone please just focus on the problem at hand."

"I'm only asking because I'm curious," Felix began, "but Mark, what did the person say to you?"

I thought back for a moment before replying, "Not much. He just kind of laughed at me for screaming and said that he didn't take me to be the 'easily scared type.' He also said something about not being entirely crazy."

"He didn't do anything to make clear that he wasn't the real person?" Cry asked.

"Of course not," Ethan answered. "It's just like we told you. They're trying to trick you. They shouldn't stick out among anything else. It's supposed to seem like they've been searching for you or that they just happened to find you."

I looked back down in the direction I was falling in and gulped. "Does the black abyss seem to be getting lighter to anyone else, or just me?"

After receiving no reply, I looked back up toward everyone else. I only saw Felix, who was briskly glancing around looking for the rest of our friends.

"Felix, where the hell did everyone else go?!" I shouted as the blank area around us grew lighter.

His eyes widened as he saw me. "I have no idea! Everyone just disappeared! You think this was what Ethan meant when he said we would all get split up?"

We were surrounded by total white, now. I could just barely see Felix's outline. "Not sure!" I yelled.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I had a feeling I would reach the bottom of the cliff soon.

"Felix!" I shouted.

"Yeah?" he yelled back, sounding just as panicked as I felt.

"If we die, the half of a day that I can remember of you has been great!"

"Shut the hell up, Red Head!" Felix chuckled nervously.

"Are we giving each other nicknames moments before possible death?" I laughed.

"Yeah!" Felix continued chuckling. "Do your worst!"

"FiFi?" I choked out.

"Be creative!" he laughed.

I took a second to think before replying, "What about Rutabaga?"

Before Felix could say anything, I slammed into the ground.

Only, the ground wasn't solid.

It bent under my weight before launching me back into the air, similar to a trampoline. I opened my eyes and smiled widely. "We aren't dead!"

As I laughed and cheered, I forgot that Felix was falling from directly above me. He crashed onto my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and pulling me back down to the trampoline-like ground.

We slammed into the ground and bounced back up, not nearly as high as I had gone. After a minute or two, we were laying on the ground laughing until my sides hurt.

As we stood up moments later, Felix commented, "You know, if we had died, your last words would have been 'what about Rutabaga.'"

"Shut up!" I chuckled. "Your's would've been 'be creative.'"

"What's so bad about an inspiring quote like that?"

I laughed, "Oh come on! Like you never heard that song!"

Felix blinked, his smile widening. "What song?"

"What's your favorite idea?" I chuckled as I sang.

Felix mouthed 'oh' before continuing, "Mine is being creative!"

"How do you get the idea?"

"I just try to think creatively!" Felix finished, laughing lightly.

"Of all the things for the two of you to remember, I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that it's that," someone stated. I didn't recognize the person's voice at all, but it sounded like a teenager's.

Felix and I stopped laughing, but Felix turned to me, smiling even wider than before. "Random probably-trap-person is right! We remembered that damn song!"

"Of all the things," I chuckled quietly.

A different voice giggled, "Weird to think that random stuff like that comes back before the important people."

I exchanged a nervous glance with Felix. There was more than one person standing behind us and I was debating whether the right choice was to make a run for it in the direction we were facing or to turn around.

Felix nodded his head toward the people behind us. I sighed but nodded in agreement. With his fingers, he counted down.

Three.

Two.

One.

We both whipped around to face what I had guessed was two people. Instead, at least two thousand stood in front of us.

Felix shrieked and fell backward, but I stood our ground. "Who are you guys?"

A girl in front smiled excitedly. "As if you don't know!"

Felix sprung off the ground and screamed, "Explain yourselves!"

The girl, who looked about eighteen, didn't seem to have a problem answering to Felix's rude reply. She simply giggled again and answered, "We're your fans! It took a pretty long time to find you, but we finally did!"

A couple other people in the crowd laughed to themselves.

"As if people give a shit about us!" Felix retorted before whispering, "Don't forget this is a trap. We need to get out of here."

I smiled at the crowd of people in front of me. "Since you guys are our fans, you want to help us, right?"

The crowd of people cheered while a boy answered, "Of course!"

"Then can you guys do me one quick favor?"

Everyone in the crowd smiled brightly. "That's what we were sent for!"

Felix grabbed my sleeve. "They were sent by Katherine to bring us to her."

I smiled to Felix. "Perfect. That means they probably know where her office is."

I turned back to the crowd of mine and Felix's fans. "Can you tell me and Felix where Katherine's office is? Or maybe just point us in the right direction?"

"Sure!" a woman in her twenties replied. "But first, you have to answer us a question!"

I smiled and exchanged a glance with Felix. Katherine needs to step up her game.

"As you're our fans, of course we'll answer a question," Felix chuckled.

"Alright then," a young boy started, "why did you abandon us?"

Felix practically choked on air while I stared at the boy in shock. "What do you mean?" Felix asked.

"We wouldn't abandon a damn penny on the street, let alone you bunch of beautiful people!" I retorted defensively.

Ropes lowered themselves from above us and slowly tied themselves around everyone in the crowd's neck. A girl replied, "You left us to die."

A boy continued, "So now, you get to watch."

One by one, everyone standing in front of us was ripped away into the sky by a noose around their neck. Felix and I were left standing there, listening to their pitiful cries and watching blood drop in front of us.

A/N

You won't believe me, but I planned to do something that would have ripped whatever emotions you have left out of your body and stomped on them.

Idk. Kinda sorry, kinda not. I feel like this book's gonna start getting a lil' more intense.

For those of you who don't know, this is the song Felix and Mark started singing.

https://youtu.be/9C_HReR_McQ

Have fun with the nightmares this'll bring if you haven't already been traumatized by it!

Anyways, BUH-BYE BROTATOS!