Anti was intrigued with the proposition. Now here was something he could get behind.

"Alright  . . . .  I guess we could. Nightfall. How 'bout it?"

The copy snorted, "Why wait? There's plenty of victims out and about now. Let's go."

Anti raised his brow but shrugged, "Fine. Whatever. Sam! Stay here and do something like I told ya! Ya hear!?"

There was a small chirp coming from the other room and Anti hummed, "Come on, then."

The copy walked by Anti's side and only then did he notice a distinct difference between them. This copy seemed far more excited about killing than he did. And don't get him wrong, Anti had his fair share of murdering sprees but lately they haven't been as thrilling for him.

'Something is way off about this one' Anti thought to himself, 'The way Sam behaves around him, the way this guy talks and looks at things, the way he moves . . .  it's like he's a copy of how I USED to be'

Anti liked to believe he hadn't changed at all since coming into the world but here was the living proof walking right next to him.

And it was fucking frightening.

"We are different, you know"

Anti flinched and just halted as did his copy. It snorted and his eyes glimmered at him like a predator, "What? That's what you were thinking, right? Staring at me like that like I'm some kind of freak?" he chuckled, "I'm surprised in you, honestly but perhaps with some blood on our hands, you'll come to see our . . . similarities"

With that, the copy walked off without him and Anti watched him, his shock still not having been processed.

'It's like he can read my mind. He knows exactly what I'm thinking just by looking at me.'

Swallowing down his nerves, Anti took off after him, though.

'Stop being so fucking weak. He might just kill you and call himself the damn  original if he wants. Don't let your guard down even for a second!'

He caught up to the copy and they wandered into a nearby park, glitching into a tree out of sight.

They were almost too close for comfort but Anti held himself. He wouldn't let this thing get to him.

"There we go" the copy pulled him out of his thoughts and pointed to a small family playing together. The parents pushing their son on the swing and laughing.

Anti grimaced with a snort, "Too obvious. Too many, too. One of them would be bound to scream and alert other people. Might even film it, too"

"So what? Never bothered us before"

"So what?" Anti had the upper hand in intelligence now he thought, "If we killed people in broad daylight and they filmed it and somehow Jackie or one of the other Septics saw it, then your little plan of making them let their guard down around us gets shot right out the window, dumbass"

The copy just hummed but seemed to agree with him.

Anti nodded to a couple other victims, "Over there. A couple off by themselves all lovey dovey not even paying attention to the world around them. Let's off them"

"No"

Anti growled at him, not understanding, "No? And why the fuck not?"

"Because it's too easy and we're not here for easy" the copy turned around for another vantage point and suddenly gripped Anti's cheeks, forcing him to look where he was seeing, "Over there at the see-saw . . . . a mother and daughter. . . . fucking perfect, I'd say"

Anti stared at the mother and child and his whole body shuddered. He shoved the copy off of him, slapping his hand away, "And how the fuck is that any different from MY victims?"

The copy grinned, "We can glitch them to our place, torture and kill the child in front of the mother and relish in her agonizing pain and horror, have a little more . .. fun with her and THEN kill her. It'll feel so much sweeter that way than two full grown adults"

Anti didn't like this. Yeah he was fine with murder but hurting or killing a kid? . . . he didn't like the thought of that, actually.

No matter how he looked at it, all he could see were his own nieces and nephews. Yeah he was a monster but he couldn't help this imagery.

"N . . .no"

Silence.

Anti could feel that his copy was trying to boil his insides with his glare alone and it nearly felt like it was working.

"no?" he laughed outwardly, disturbing the birds in the tree and grinned dangerously at Anti, "Seriously? Are you THAT cowardly now, you'd pale at the thought of killing a kid?! It's the kid, isn't it!? Fucking little piss-ant bitch!"

Anti suddenly at his knife on the copy but then again . . .the copy also had his own knife at Anti's neck. They were both ready and willing to each other right here and now but something told Anti that the copy might just win if it came down to a fight between them.

Even now, he could see an almost demonic glint in its eyes. Insanity rippling through him. 

The terrifying notion that this thing would kill even himself to get off on the high of death.

Or better yet . ..  Anti.

But as quickly as it happened, the copy lightly shoved Anti's knife  away from him and put his own away with an amused smirk, "Forget the bloodlust . . . .  I'm past it for now . . . I'm fucking hungry. How about some food?"

'What the absolute fuck?' 

Anti realized just then that perhaps he DIDN'T have a good read on this copy's emotions and desires. He thought he'd snap but now he was complaining about hunger? Putting his knife away?

No, something was still up. This whole thing was supposed to be a test on Anti and something told him, he might have failed.

When they got home, Sam was all too happy to see Anti, recognizing which one he was now right away and cuddling into his neck. For once, Anti welcomed the affection and looked around curiously, "Hey . . .you actually cleaned the place up a little. . . . . Thanks, Sam"

The eyeball hissed and stayed close.

Anti avoided eye contact with his copy but he knew he was watching him. It unnerved him just how deep he could get under his skin.

"Order in some fucking food.  . . .pizza" 

Anti didn't like how he ordered him around but it did give him a chance to get away from him. He just nodded and walked off to his bedroom with Sam, leaving his copy in the living room to do as he pleased.

He shut the door behind him and moved Sam from his neck, "Sam . . . . maybe it's time you left back to the other Septic egos"

The eyeball seemed distraught suddenly and hissed and whimpered but Anti shook his head.

"You understand, don't you? This copy . . . He's seriously a lot more fucked up than I am. I don't trust him in the slightest and that's why you should just get the fuck out now. And take the book with you"

But Sam just glared at him, opening his eye-mouth, showing his teeth in disapproval.

Anti growled at him, "Sam, now's not the time for this. Stop being so fooking stupid and fooking LEAVE, you damn ungrateful, dumbass little shite!"

Sam whimpered and lowered himself to the floor, looking terribly sad all of a sudden.

Anti scoffed, "I don't have time for this. Just leave and protect yourself. You know this copy already hates you. Now go . . WITH the book. Here, I'll get it"

He hid it from his copy earlier today under his mattress, thinking it was a pretty good spot. He never hid anything, why would he there of all places?

But as he lifted the mattress, Anti's breathe left his body.

The book wasn't there.

'Fuck . . . he might be more calculating than I thought' he looked to Sam.

"Sam . . . please tell me YOU hid the book elsewhere"

The eyeball just shook itself sideways, though.

"Well  . . . . this day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

'But I know he has it, then, at least. What for, I'm not sure but it doesn't matter. I'll get it back. The food might just distract him enough.'

After ordering, Anti left the bedroom with Sam on his shoulder.

His copy was sitting in the chair watching TV but Anti knew better. He wasn't just watching TV. He was watching Anti, too.

But Anti could be just as coy and he leaned himself on the dining table in the kitchen, looking at his phone.

'I don't see the book out in the open anywhere. He must have hidden it only he knows where. Maybe in a closet or in a loose floorboard. I'll have Sam look for it when I can get this asshole out again . .  if I ever get the chance.'

The air was tense and shaky but twenty minutes later, there was a knock on their door and Anti went to go get it but his copy beat him to it.

The copy smirked, "Don't worry yourself . . .. I got it"

Anti should have seen that glint in his eyes. That shine of something familiar in his features. But it was too late.

He opened the door and the delivery boy was there with a couple of pizzas in his hands.

"Hi! Delivery for  . . . Andy? Two p-"

Suddenly the copy lunged for the boy, glitching and forcing him inside the room before slamming the door shut, "Hello BOY . . .. you were a minute late . . you know what that means!?" he started to laugh and giggle and his eyes glowed bright like a wolf getting ready for the kill.

Anti was startled by this sudden bloodlust but he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. He shook himself out of it and shoved his copy, "Hey what the fook you trying to do?! I thought we were trying not to get caught! You kill this little fuck and the police or Jackie will definitely find out it was us and where we live!"

The copy glared at him, "You honestly think I give a fuck about laying low?"

"Plea-please! Help me! I don't wanna die! I didn't do anything!" the boy begged but Anti already knew it was useless.

Anti could just watch as his copy dragged his knife down the teen's throat and chest, drawing blood and making him choke on it. The boy twitched and coughed up blood all over the floor. He couldn't even scream as the copy shoved him to the floor, watching the light leave his eyes like some sort of sick show finale.

There was so much blood. Anti would never have done it like this even if he HAD chosen to kill the boy.

What shocked him the most was the copy's inhumane bloodlust, the crazed glee on his face, his laugh . . .  wasn't HE like that not too long ago? But then why did it feel so wrong right now, seeing this?

The copy calmed down and licked the blood off his knife, "Mmmm . . .  he had a little spice to him . . . ." he stood up not phased in the slightest and opened up one of the boxes of pizza, "Ooo! Meat galore!" he glanced at Anti and winked before turning around with his pizza to the TV, flopping into the chair, "You don't mind cleaning that mess up, do you?"

" . . . what?"

The copy chuckled and looked back at him, "Consider it a warning. . . . don't fuck with me. Don't argue with me . . . . don't hide things from me.  . . . or that could be you on the floor . .  okay?"

His heart was pounding. This wasn't right. None of it was. 

'That's it. I have to find that book. Maybe there's a reversal spell to this shit or something. There has to be. And meanwhile . . .' he shakily pet Sam, letting him curl his tail around his finger, 'I gotta keep this little fucker safe, too. I've already learned this copy does whatever he pleases and he hates Sam. I'll keep him away from him, we'll go forth with this plan and I'll try and cooperate with this freak in the meantime. And then when he's distracted, I'll get the book and figure out a spell to get rid of him . . . he's more than over-stayed his welcome'

But might be easier said than done.

The copy sat back and was still licking the blood on his knife in between intervals of eating his pizza like it was some sort of wine to him, "Oh, by the way . . . I've figured out a name you may call me instead of just being the copy of you'"

Anti waited for him to continue and the copy looked like a frenzied shark, ready to hunt and kill again.

"Call me Infect . . . . because that's what I'm about to do to this whole fucking town!!! hehehHEHEHehehe̸h̵H̴A̷H̴A̸h̷a̷h̶a̶H̴A̶H̵A̵H̵A̴H̷!̷!̴!̵"̶

He didn't WANT to think even to himself that he might need help.

But he DID think it.

How to pronounce 'Infect'  as a name in your head: "IN-fect". With the emphasis on the IN.

I came up with this name because I didn't just want to call him Septic. But I still wanted to do a play on the opposite of OUR Anti's name, Antisepticeye (Antiseptic means a disinfectant so naturally I wanted it to be the opposite for this copy dude). :)