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Chapter 3

Eve turned around to see the best Mimic-Vessel costume she had ever seen. The popular Ghost Exterminators’ enemy was known for its hauntingly blank face, and the costume’s owner had opted for a light gray full-body suit that even covered his entire head.

“Oh, wow!” Eve gasped. “You look amazing.”

The man in the costume let out a throaty chuckle that made Eve blush. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said and leaned against the ledge next to her.

Eve couldn’t help herself. She continued eyeing the Mimic-Vessel costume. “Your fingers are so creepy!” She blurted.

She was met with another good-natured chuckle, and the man turned toward her. Even though the mask obstructed his face, she could tell that he was smiling.

“Check this out,” he twisted the long, grotesque prosthetic finger, and to Eve’s shock and delight, it popped right off. “They’re detachable.”

Any shyness that Eve usually felt when meeting new people had dissolved the instant she saw a character from her favorite game, and her excitement was growing by the minute.

“That must have taken forever to make!” She said admiringly.

“Something like that,” he said. “Your Miranda looks great, by the way. The dress is spot on.”

Eve was grateful for the lavender makeup covering her face as her blush deepened. There was something about his voice. It was warm and familiar, but she couldn’t be entirely sure of where she had heard it before.

“Thank you. It wasn’t too hard to figure out the pattern once I got started,” she said.

“Miranda isn’t a very common character. It’s nice to see her getting some love.”

“Neither is a Mimic-Vessel, although I’m not sure if I can say they deserve love. I always fall for their traps,” Eve said.

The man let out another laugh, a less reserved, more relaxed laugh. It gave Eve goosebumps.

“Mimic-Vessels aren’t that bad!” he teased. “You just have to know how to deal with them. If you trigger one of their traps, wait until the split second after they swipe at you with their fingers and then bust out your mirror to trap them. It’s easy.”

Eve recognized the same strategy that Mr. Cards used in his gameplay. It was, in fact, not that easy.

“We can agree to disagree,” she said, flashing him a quick smile.

The man pulled at the hem of his mask, trying to let some air in, and leaned more heavily against the ledge.

“I appreciate your dedication to the character, but your costume will still look good if you need to take your mask off for a little while,” Eve pointed out.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly. “I kind of snuck away from my friends to come see this panel, so I’d rather remain incognito anyway,” he admitted.

Eve thought of Eric somewhere at the convention with Misty attached to his side. “I’m kind of hiding from someone too.” She said quietly.

“Okay, then it’s settled. We’ll hide here together,” the man said.

Eve found herself smiling again. She snuck another look at the man sitting next to her. He was the perfect depiction of a Mimic-Vessel aside from one obvious flaw: the Mimic-Vessels were thin and wiry, but her new companion had muscles bulging beneath the form-fitting bodysuit. Her pulse quickened, and she quickly tried to dislodge the image of the man's rippling abs from her mind.

“So, what other games do you like to play?” She asked, changing the subject.

Before she knew it, an hour had flown by. The two had done nothing but talk effortlessly about their favorite games, share theories, discuss the lore behind Ghost Exterminators, and reminisce about games from their childhood.

“I can’t believe I haven’t asked you yet, but what’s your name?” she asked.

“Ma…uh… Max,” he replied.

“I’m Eve.” She briefly wondered if she should shake his hand, and then immediately felt stupid.

Don’t be weird, Eve.

She wondered if she could ask for his i********: or add him on f*******:. Maybe they could go to another panel together this weekend. She began to feel hopeful. The weekend was already looking up.

Eve turned to get her phone out of her purse, and when she looked back, Max had slumped down against the wall.

“Max?!” She cried out in shock. Her phone clattered to the ground. Gingerly, she reached out and shook Max’s shoulder. “Max? Can you hear me?” When she withdrew her hand, she found it was damp with sweat. Max had been burning up inside his suit for the last hour and hadn’t said a word about it.

Why didn’t he take his mask off?

“Hold on, Max, I’ll get you some help.” She reached down to the edge of his mask and began to lift it to let him get some air, but the motion seemed to register with Max, and he sluggishly pushed her hand away.

“No… No, you can’t,” he said groggily.

Eve abandoned the mask for a moment to call out. “Help! I need some help over here! He’s fainting!” Her cry had attracted the attention of the people passing by, and a small crowd began to form around the two of them. Max slid from the wall and landed heavily against Eve. His body radiated heat, and his weight pressed fully against her.

“Someone get the paramedics!”

From against her shoulder, Max mumbled something that Eve barely made out above the chaos.

“It’s alright, folks, I’ll be right back to the stream after I take a quick break.”

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. Suddenly, two paramedics burst through the crowd, holding a stretcher.

“Get him out of this crowd,” Eve said, a theory forming in her mind.

“Did he hit his head?” One of the paramedics asked, ignoring her. The other paramedic reached to lift off Max’s mask.

Eve’s hand shot out, and she grabbed the man’s wrist before she knew what she was doing. “No!” She whispered. “He didn’t, and get him out of here before you take his mask off.” She couldn’t believe what she was doing, but if she was right, she might be preventing a riot.

The paramedic looked at her as if she had grown a second head. “Lady, are you insane? This man needs medical treatment.”

Eve covered the base of the mask with her hand. She knew she recognized Max’s voice. She recognized his strategies and theories, but she refused to believe it was true because he had been talking to her. Just a regular girl dressed as Miranda Ghoul, who got dumped by her boyfriend in her own hotel room.

“Please,” she begged the paramedic. “Even the hallway would be better. Just not here.”

The paramedic eyed her suspiciously. “Fine, but you’re staying here.”

Relieved, Eve took a step back as they loaded Max onto the stretcher and carried him away. As they entered the hallway, the double doors swung violently behind them, and Eve caught a glimpse of the paramedic lifting off Max’s mask. Several people who had been walking through the hallway stopped and pointed. One took out their phone.

Eve had been right.

She caught sight of the signature golden curls, and for half a second, she wondered if his eyes had locked onto hers, but the doors swung shut before she could give it another thought.

Max had never existed.

The paramedics were carrying away Matthew Cardhart.