Chapter Text
Marcy slowly opens her eyes as sunlight creeps its way into her room. She sits up and her head pounds as she winces from the pain. 'Guess i drank to much last night huh' She thought to herself as she started to get out of bed. She looked over at her alarm clock and realized it was 7am. "Damn I'm up early" She said as she fumbled out of bed.
Marcy lived in a small apartment by herself. It pretty barren except for the corner where she had her laptop for drawing and a few guitars hanging on the wall above it. She had an electric guitar and two acoustic guitars. After high-school Marcy took up becoming an artist rather than going to college, her parents not very happy about this, but Marcy didn't care. She learned to play the guitar, and would sometimes perform at her local bars for money, but her main job was drawing for her web-comic. The comic has been gaining some traction recently giving her a small bit of disposable income she mostly wasted on booze and cigarettes.
Once in the kitchen Marcy made her usual hangover cure. She sent it down the hatch and then went back to her room to grab her phone. She opened it and saw the date. "Anne's 23rd birthday is in a month." She says to herself with a slight frown. Marcy wasn't the best at keeping contact and after high school basically cut herself off from them. It had been awhile since she had talked to the two of them, 2 years to be exact. She started having delusions of them and how much they hated her for dragging them to Amphibia. Marcy would even sometimes have sleep terrors involving both Sasha and Anne. Marcy is forced to watch as her body is controlled by the core while it tortures Sasha and Anne. She will struggle and scream but its almost as if it will never wake her up and shes forced to watch the ones she loves most tortured by her own hands. Marcy was prescribed anti-psychotics for the delusions and antidepressants for the night terrors, but she mostly just drinks herself to sleep at night.
Marcy threw on her comfy clothes and grabbed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter putting them in her pocket. Marcy lived on the 2nd floor of her apartment complex and had a very small balcony that could barely fit 3 people on it, not like she ever had that much company anyways. She stepped out onto the balcony and pulled out a cigarette. Marcy placed it on her lips and cupped her hand around the end as she lit the cigarette. She took a long drag as the smoke coated her lungs. Marcy held it for a second and then exhaled as she flicked some of the ash off the end of her cigarette.
Suddenly Marcy jumped as she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her pocket as she looked at her phone the caller id was unknown. Marcy took another drag of her cigarette before answering the call. "Hello? Marcy?" said a familiar voice. "This is she." Marcy answered as she held the drag on her cigarette. "Marcy! it's me Sash its been awhile!" Sasha says excited to hear Marcy's voice. Realizing Sasha's voice Marcy was taken aback as she started coughing having held in the smoke for too long. "You okay Mars?" Sasha asked as Marcy struggled to catch her breath. "Y-yeah I'm fine Sash. I-I just swallowed something down the wrong pipe" Mary lied trying to conceal her coughs. "But yeah its been awhile, whats up Sash?" Marcy asked as she took another drag. "Oh, I was wondering if you would want surprise Anne for her birthday by flying out here and staying for a week." Sasha asked. Marcy blew out the smoke as a weird feeling filled her chest, a mixture of happiness and anxiety. "I don't know, ill have to see if I'm free." Marcy lied, knowing she would be free, with a bit of sadness in her voice. "C'mon Mars, we haven't all been together in years, it would be a perfect surprise!" Sasha pushed as Marcy smiled a bit. "Alright, I'll make it work." Marcy as Sasha replied "Yes!" Excitedly.
Marcy heard a bit of noise in the background and Sasha replied "Sorry Anne." Marcy was a bit confused as Sasha walked outside, as to not disturb Anne. Marcy flicked some of the ash off the butt of her cigarette and asked "You guys live together?". "Oh yeah, after college we both went our separate ways for awhile but just last month moved in together, we were able to rent a house close to Anne's parents house so that was nice." Sasha mentioned shocking Marcy. "A house?!" Marcy yelled. "You guys are actual adults!" Marcy joked hearing a slight laugh from Sasha. "Yeah things have been going pretty good for us. How about you?" Sasha asked as Marcy put her cigarette out. "Uhhh..." Marcy trailed off thinking of how she spends most of her time drawing, practicing music, or getting blackout drunk. "...It's alright, I've been able to afford a small one bedroom apartment, with some money from my web-comic." Mary answered stepping back inside. "That's awesome Mars!" Sasha yelled making Marcy blush a bit.
Marcy smiled slightly, replying "Thanks Sash." She walked over to her laptop to turn getting ready to get some work done. Marcy walked back into the kitchen getting a glass of water and sitting down. "But anyways should i look for a hotel to stay in for the week?" Marcy asked as she sipped on her water. "No you can stay with us for the week, it should be fine." Sasha answered. "Great." Marcy said with a mixture of emotions. "Can you try and get here the day before her birthday?" Sasha asked. "We're setting up a big get together planned on her birthday and we could use some extra hands setting it up." Sasha asked. "For sure." Marcy answered taking another sip of her water. "Oh, also i know I'm asking a lot but i was wondering if i might be able to commission some artwork from you as a birthday gift for her." Sasha asked. "I'll do it for free Sash, don't worry about payment." Marcy responded finishing her water and putting her glass in the sink. "No way Mars, I'm already asking for you to fly out for a week and asking you to help set up the big party, I can't ask you to also make some art for a gift and not pay you." Sasha said as Marcy sat down at her desk booting up her drawing program. "Think of it as repayment for ghosting you guys." Marcy said with sadness in her voice. "It's not just your fault, me or Anne could have kept in contact but all of us just went our own ways." Sasha said in a more serious tone than she's had so far. "It doesn't matter Sash, i draw for a living, i have a lot of free time i promise I'll be fine doing one piece without getting paid." Marcy said, "Do you have anything in mind for what you want me to draw?" She added trying to change the subject.
Marcy and Sasha spent about thirty minutes shooting ideas for what the piece should detail. Eventually Sasha said she had to go get ready for work, and they said their goodbye's. When Marcy hung up she had a weird mixture of emotions wash over her. It had been so long since she had even talked to one of them and now she was planning to fly out and visit them for a week. She sighed and walked to her kitchen to make some breakfast. Pulling out the carton of eggs and a few vegetables, making an omelet. She plated it with some sriracha and walked back over to her laptop putting on some music.
After eating her food Marcy spent the day working on the coloring for her chapter this week. Once she finished doing that she started to working on the piece Sasha and her decided on as she periodically would take a quick break to grab a drink or to step out and smoke. Marcy was able to finish the line work for the piece and stood up stretching, as she looked at the time. It was 7pm Marcy then went to her mini fridge next to her bed to grab a drink. She opened it to see nothing but a water bottle with a note saying "Drink me dumb-ass." left on it. Marcy groaned realizing she was out of alcohol. Marcy closed the door and walked over to her desk grabbing her wallet and keys before saving her work on her laptop and leaving her apartment.
Marcy lit a cigarette as she walked down the stairs of her apartment and headed to her car. Once she got to her car she hopped in and cranked the key as she let out a drag from her cigarette. Marcy turned the volume on her radio up as she connected her phone to the aux cord, pulling out heading to her favorite bar. Marcy drove fast, playing her music loud as she took drags from her cigarette, flicking it out the window once she was done with it. As she pulled into the bar she parked it looking at the small bar, she become a regular of. A place called hole in the wall, not the most original name, but it did fit the place more than the owners would like to admit. She walked in seeing her favorite bartender working the counter tonight.
"Bout time you showed up." said the bartender as Marcy laughed and pulled up a seat at the counter. The bartenders name was Domino, shes just a few years older than Marcy and has been working as a bartender during the summer. She has short black hair with white highlights, and normally wears jeans and a cheesy slasher film graphic tee. "Hows the shift going?" Marcy asked as she looked around seeing mostly just the regulars in the bar. The bar was mostly filled with people her age, people in their early to late 20's. Some bands would perform here, that's how Marcy found this place she found a flyer for a local band performing at the bar and decided to stop by.
"Slow. You want the usual?" Domino asked as Marcy nodded. Domino turned around grabbing the bottle of fireball off the wall, and pouring it straight into a whiskey glass. Domino filled the glass to the brim and slid it down to Marcy. Marcy smiled as she raised her glass, and sent it all down in one gulp. She set the glass down as the taste of cinnamon whiskey covered her pallet and the warm feeling filled her chest. "I don't get how you can do that." Domino said with a laugh as Marcy smiled staring at her glass. "It tastes good." She replied as Domino poured her another glass. "It tastes like cinnamon mixed with shit whiskey. There are way better whiskey's than that." Domino said putting up the glass. "We can agree to disagree." Marcy said picking up the glass. "Sip this one or I'm not going to give you another." Domino said putting the bottle back on the shelf. "Boooooo." Marcy said taking a sip of her drink before looking at the small microphone and stool, where she performs for extra cash. "Think i can set up a few performances? Gonna be flying out to California for a week next month and I'm gonna need the cash." Marcy asked domino as she was refilling another customers glass. "You're gonna have to talk to Alex about that." Domino replied walking back over to Marcy. "Well when will he be back in?" Marcy replied taking another sip of her drink. "When he's back in." Domino replied, followed by more booo's from Marcy.
"So hows the love life recently?" Domino asked Marcy. She laughed, as a slight blush crossed her face. "I'm a lone sparrow." Marcy said starting to feel the affects of downing an entire glass in a few seconds. "C'mon Marcy you're telling me that you spend all you're time getting drunk alone?" Domino said cleaning a glass. "Yes i am" Marcy said slurring her words as she finished her second glass of fireball. "That's a boring life Marcy Wu." Domino said taking the glass from her.
"Give me another glass!" Marcy demanded as Domino walked away. "You just downed 2 glasses of fireball in about a span of 5 minutes, if you're getting anything from me its a glass of water. I'm NOT cleaning you're puke again." Domino said handing a customer a beer. "That was one time..." Marcy said resting her head on the counter. "My faces is starting to feel all warm and fuzzy." Marcy said quietly as the door to the bar opened. Walking in was Alex, an older man, in his late 40's, the manager of the establishment. "She drink too fast again?" Alex asked as he walked behind the counter. "Yep, drank an entire glass the moment she sat down." Domino answered. "Drunkard." Alex said as Marcy laughed lightly. "I'm your favorite Drunkard though...." She said sitting up. "Mr. Alex, can i set up some performances" Marcy asked watching him check the register. "You need cash?" He asked her as domino said walking past him to care for a patron "She's going out of town next month. Something about visiting some friends in Cali". "That..." Marcy said as Alex walked over to Marcy. "Yeah i can set it up, you visiting those friends you always talk about when you get black out drunk?" He asked her. "Hey i don't alwaysh bring them up." Marcy retorted slurring her words a bit. "You do." both Alex, and Domino said in unison. "Something about going to another dimension with them." Domino said as she set a glass of water in front of Marcy. "IT HAPPENED THOUGH LOOK IT UP!" Marcy yelled as she slammed her hand on the counter spilling a bit of the water.
"Yeah yeah frogvasion was just some movie that was being filmed that got scrapped." Domino said wiping up the spilled water. "If you're gonna yell like that in front of my patrons I'm gonna only serve you Natty lights from here on out." Alex said. "You wouldn't." Marcy said thanking Domino for cleaning up the water spill. Marcy downed the glass of water as Alex said "Wanna test me?" followed by an "ooooooohhhh" from Domino. "You're both stupid." Marcy said as she stood up laughing a bit. "If you aren't going to serve me anymore fireball I'm just gonna go buy some more and drink in my apartment all by myself." She said pointing at Alex. "Well you better call an uber then." Domino said, "Domino expressed to me she's not gonna clean you're puke again and I'm not doing it either." Alex said shrugging his shoulders while Domino laughed. "It. was. one. time." Marcy said. "Just let me know when you want me to perform, you got my number." Marcy said walking towards the exit. "If you get pulled over tell 'em you ordered from the bar down the street" Alex said as she walked out the door. "Gotcha" Marcy said as she walked out laughing.
Marcy stumbled through the parking lot going to her car. "I'm the best driver ever." She said to herself as she unlocked her car and hopped in. She cranked the car and pulled out the parking lot heading to a liquor place next to her apartment. This wasn't her first time driving tipsy and it most likely wouldn't be her last. She pulled into the liquor shop picking up more fireball and a few seltzers to stock the mini fridge before heading back to her apartment. When she got back she parked her car and carried her drinks up the stairs as she fumbled the keys to her apartment. Once inside she kicked her shoes off and put the seltzers in the mini fridge next to her bed and cracking open the bottle of fireball she just took a big swig from the bottle, not even grabbing a glass to sip it. Marcy turned on her phone playing a random album in her library as she took swigs from the bottle just drunkenly singing to whatever song played, until the night became a blur.
One moment she was drinking her fireball next she was just floating in the darkness. "NoNoNoNoNoNoNo" Marcy said as she watched from Darcy's perspective. She was forced to watch as Darcy slashed Sasha's back leaving her on the floor. Darcy's maniacal laughter sounded like fingernails on scratching a chalkboard to Marcy. She wanted to cover her ears, close her eyes, and just wake up but she was forced to watch as a different turn of events played out. Darcy tortured Sasha, making slow strategical cuts in places that wouldn't kill Sasha, as Sasha begged for Marcy to break out of it between screams of agony. "Its not real." Marcy repeated over and over again as Darcy started to hack off Sasha's arm while her cries for help landed on deaf ears. Darcy's laughter continued as the light faded from Sasha's eyes, tears and blood covered her face. Everything went pitch dark as Marcy sat in the void tears flowing down her cheeks. "W̸͌͘ͅe̴̢̛͎͝ ̷̟̕w̵̻̜͊i̴̻͛l̴̼͆l̷͜͠ ̵̦͍̀͝g̴͛͜a̴̭̻͐̑î̵̥̙n̵̹̿̆ͅ ̷̬̾c̸̭̓ȍ̷͔n̶̛͕̦̐t̸͕̀ṛ̵̪͌͒ȯ̵͙̘̒l̴̯̟̈́ ̸̯͝͠ȁ̴̢̡̈́ǵ̵̬̦à̷̳i̶͖̜͑͌n̶͎͌!" A loud warbled group of voices yelled.
Mary shot out of bed, tears flowing down her face as her head pounded. She winced feeling her stomach turn fumbling out of bed running to the trash can vomiting into it, and sitting there breathing heavily. Her head was pounding as she hung her head over the trashcan. She groaned once she felt like it was all out of her system she got up and took a handful of Tylenol dry as she looked to her clock. 6am. Marcy groaned again and went back to her bed before crashing into her bed and looking up at her desk seeing a water bottle with a note on it. "Drink me dumb-ass"