"You ready?" Colby breathed out as he set up the camera and made sure that Sam was in frame.

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess", Sam gave a faint nod before lowering his eyes to his lap, nervously rubbing his palms on his aching thighs.

"Alright and... it's recording", Colby announced as he came around and took a seat beside his companion, looking to Sam with a smile of encouragement before returning his attention to the lens of the camera.

"Hey guys, it's Sam and Colby", he spoke in a soft voice, very opposite to the behavior he usually broadcasted.

"And I think- We thought it would be a good idea to... tell you or explain to you why we've just kinda... vanished off the face of the earth the past few weeks", he started and Sam finally looked up, knowing it was now his turn to speak.

"We'll give you the short of it, we were recording just another exploration video at this abandoned hospital in the middle of nowhere, nothing new", he suddenly felt his hands start to shake but he tried to ignore it.

"It was going fine until things started to go... haywire I guess? Unfortunately we will not be showing you the footage of that night... at least not yet because we have decided to hand it in to some professionals and we also... need to come to terms with what... we... saw..." Sam's voice was betraying him and soon almost his entire body was shaking, indicating the start of a possible panic attack.

Colby took charge and placed a hand over Sam's thigh in order to relax him.

"This was no... Joke or prank video. This was seriously... Messed up stuff we saw, it wound us in the hospital for a while, me still recovering from a concussion, a few broken ribs which are still healing and a punctured kidney. Sam here, nearly broken his legs in this place. This is not a joke. Like Sam said, we are not putting up the footage until further notice besides, we aren't even sure we will ever release the video to the public", Colby took Sam's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"We're... Trying to get better. As of now I don't know when we'll be uploading so for now, consider us on a break. This wasn't going to be a long video, just a video to tell you we are... not dead since we thought you deserved that much", Colby noticed that Sam wasn't improving and he was just shaking like a leaf.

"I hope you can understand and accept our decision, I'm sorry we can't tell you all of the details until later. But for now, this is going to be a small goodbye and hopefully we'll be back soon", he waved the camera off and went to put it off.

Sam covered his face with his palms and started sobbing, flinching when he felt Colby envelope his arms around him.

"They... They'll think we were joking? Won't they?" Sam whimpered as Colby held him close to his own body.

"It doesn't matter what they think Sam. What matters is that we know the truth".

"What if... They think we're crazy? What if the officials watch back on the footage and ring us into an actual mental hospital? C-Colby they could take me away from you! I-I don't kn-know what I'd do if they took you away from me!" Sam was in hysterics and Colby shook his head, taking Sam's shoulders and forcing him to look into his eyes.

"They won't Sam, I won't let them even if they tried".

"Y-You're just saying that!" Sam accuses and tried to wither from Colby's hands, inching further away on the couch.

"What? Why would you think that?" Colby shook his head.

"You think I'm crazy too don't you? All I do is cry and scream and cling to you. You must get so tired of me taking away your sleep", Sam shook his head wildly as these thoughts swarmed his mind, eating away at him like a corrosive virus.

"Sam that is not true".

"You're lying! You're going to leave me! You're going to let them take me away so you can be on your own again! Without a pest like me burdening you and forcing you to take care of me! You're going to forget me and-"

"Stop it Sam! That's not true! I care about you Sam! I would never abandon you!" Colby snapped at him sternly but Sam was having none of it, once he started these thoughts, the more they festered and his anxiety grew.

"It is! You say that now but what about in an hour? Or in a day? You could suddenly realize how much having me around is causing an obstacle for you. Stopping you from wanting to be near me! You don't know what you'll do in the future!"

"Sam please! You're my best friend! I love you so much and I will continue to love you until the end of time! We've stuck together through everything! This is not going to change that whatsoever! You'll get better! I'll make sure you do!" Colby tried to pull him into a hug but this caused Sam to scream out.

"Liar! Liar!"

"I am not lying to you!" Colby snapped and Sam shoved him off, climbing to his feet and trying to leave Colby's room but he seemed to have forgotten the pitiful state of his legs because his knees quickly buckled inwards and he collapsed on the floor in a heap.

This further upset him.

"Useless! Pathetic! I can't even fucking walk on my own! I'm such a pathetic person! So dependent so stupid! If it weren't for my stupidity at that place, we'd be fine! I wouldn't be so obsessed with being near you and you wouldn't have to deal with how useless I have become!" He wailed as he punched the floor in anguish.

"Sam-"

"I might as well kill myself and get it done with!"

"Hey! Sam shut the fuck up and don't you dare say that! Don't you dare! I worry for you so much and you know how heartbroken I would be if I lost you!? You selfish child! I care about you and no matter how much you claim I do not, will not change that I care for you! If you kill yourself I swear to god Sam I will follow shortly after", Colby kneeled beside him and Sam laughed coldly.

"You say that but-"

He was cut off when Colby's hands roughly grabbed his face and forced him forward so that their lips met in the middle.

Sam blinked through the tears, still digesting what exactly was happening.

Colby pulled away and opened his eyes to meet Sam's shocked ones.

"I will never stop caring".

________