Anti didn't know what else to do. 

All this hurt he was feeling. All this pain and agony.

He didn't care what Infect said, if it was an order or not, he needed to tell the others anyway.

It had started to rain pretty heavily and he shivered from the cold but he didn't care.

And there he was now, in front of their door. Looking absolutely pathetic. Drenched and cold. Barely a thought in his head besides what happened all too recently.

The image of Sam being crushed and wiped off on him was searing.

He couldn't move anymore.

But luckily, Marvin opened the door, "Hey, what you doing back here so soon? You find the book alr-" he stopped, just now noticing Anti's stature and the look in his eyes, "Wh . .. what happened?"

Anti couldn't say anything. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell him that Sam was . . . .

A breathe left his body but he couldn't speak. Instead, he swallowed and moved past Marvin into the house.

Marvin was beyond confused, "Uh . ..  Anti? Something bad happened. I can tell but you have to-"

Jackie finally came into the foyer, "Hey! Anti, I didn't think you'd-" he stopped, too, seeing the look in Anti's eyes. Something wasn't right.

Anti started to shake again, remembering over and over what just transpired.

He had to get into a more open room. He pushed past the both of them and found the couch in the living room, laying down on his side and holding himself. Everything was spinning and his head hurt. He closed his eyes to make the spinning stop but every time he tried, he kept seeing Infect crushing Sam in his fist like a giant gusher.

He didn't even notice Jameson feeling his forehead and Henrik trying to talk to him.

"This is fucked up" Marvin muttered to Jackie, "We shouldn't have sent him back. What did that guy do to him?"

Jackie tensed, "I . . . I don't know. Never . . seen him like this. . . .where's Chase?"

Marvin shrugged, "He got a weird call from Stacey. The line just cut off and he couldn't get ahold of her again. He went to check and see if everything was alright at her place"

"Okay . . ." Jackie nodded, still focused on the small glitch on their couch shaking, "Henrik! You know what's wrong with him?"

The doctor rolled his eyes, "For fooks sake, Jackie, he is in shock. Is that not clear enough to you?"

"But why?"

"He vill not talk, so how vould I know?!"

"Easy there." Marvin sighed, "Anti  . . " he went closer to the couch and slowly sat next to him, opposite of Jameson, "Hey there. . .Why don't you come with me for a moment, huh? We can get you cleaned up and relaxed. Hm?"

"Vhat IS this stuff on him, anyway?" Henrik asked more so to himself , picking at the strange dried up green gunk on his shirt.

Suddenly, Anti shook even more and cried out, flinching away from the doctor and Jameson into the corner of the couch. He made himself smaller by pulling his knees to his chest, hugging himself.

"Anti, what happened!?" Jackie tried to speak to him, "Just talk to us!"

But he just broke down again, starting to cry in his knees.

None of the Septics here knew what to do at all. Anti had never cried before. Anti didn't cry! Just a couple of days ago, he was his normal sassy and rude self, not giving a shit about anything or anyone. What caused this?!

A few minutes later, Jameson left the room and made some tea. He poured plenty of creamer and sugar in it especially for Anti and still hot, he handed it to him gently.

Anti could smell cinnamon and guessed it was a chai spice tea. It smelled nice. He took it without a word and sipped. He looked pathetic, honestly. The complete opposite of the man he usually was.

Jameson didn't mind, though. He knew he could get answers out of him this way. It was his specialty.

He sighed carefully to him and the others just watched, keeping out of it.

Anti rubbed his shirt, being careful not to quite touch the corpse.

But finally he uttered something.

And then they all collectively wished they hadn't asked.

"He killed him . . . . . .  he killed Sam" tears welled up in his eyes again  and he covered his face. He couldn't bare the thought anymore of any of them seeing him like this. He felt horrible.

It was all his fault.

Henrik stared at the green mess on Anti's shirt, "And zhis . . . . . zhis is-" he didn't finish. He knew the answer.

Marvin couldn't take it anymore though. He hated knowing but he had to know HOW.

Without wasting anymore time, Marvin shoved past Jameson and cupped Anti's cheeks, forcing his way into the glitch's head.

But it didn't last long and the magician suddenly found himself gasping for air, falling backwards, all of his own and Anti's emotions pummeling him.

Marvin stared at Anti. He never knew he could FEEL like this. It was so much. Maybe he didn't even know himself. Maybe it had just been all locked away. . .for too long, it seemed.

"Holy fuck" Marvin groaned, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't afford to be sad right now, though.

"Marv?" Jackie asked carefully, "What'd you see? What is it? I mean . .  what else was there?"

The others moved their pained gazes to Marvin, equally as intrigued as they were processing their grief.

The magician shuddered, himself, remembering seeing Infect's hardened eyes like neon steel. Cold and heartless. Far beyond what Anti was ever capable of. No mercy and no restraints.

"He's a monster . . ..  Infect . . . he's like nothing we've ever seen before." he stared at Anti who refused to look at him, " . . . . we really need to find that book  . . and fast."

Henrik sighed, looked back from Marvin to Anti, "First thing's first . . . . we need level heads to thing ahead"

"R-right" Jackie agreed and shakily let out a breathe. He had to bottle up all his pain and own anger for now, "M-marvin . . . go with Anti to get him cleaned up. Give him some new clothes. We'll take a breather and then think of a plan when we're all calm . . or .. . calmer .. . . .okay?"

Marvin was in the bathroom with Anti, having handed him one of Jackie's casual outfits, ". . . . .we uh . . ..we should throw these clothes out or . .. burn them or something-"

"NO" Anti onto his dirty shirt. He stared at it, Sam's blood staining it, " . . . .. "

'It's all my fault' it kept ringing in his ears, 'All because I wanted to kill these guys. . . . I made Infect with Marvin's book . . . and everything's gone to hell'

He picked of a piece of Sam's tail on the shirt that was stuck to it, "We  could. . . couldn't you bring him back?"

The magician sighed and shook his head, putting his hand on Anti's shoulder, "I. . . I can't, Anti. I may be an amazing magician . . . but I can't bring the dead back to life."

Anti's shoulders fell, his whole body dropping a little. There really was no way to . . .

When he looked back up, he saw tears streaming down Marvin's cheeks. It was like looking in a mirror.

Marvin noticed him watching him and breathed out hard, "Come here"

Anti certainly wasn't expecting Marvin to hug him. The action was pretty foreign to him in giving and receiving. . . .  but this was sort of nice.

Giving into his emotions, Anti hugged him back.

He felt all of his pain seep into Marvin. It was like they . .. shared the grief and the burden of it. It was overwhelming but also at the same time it was . . .  comforting. Just the tea Jameson gave him. Marvin pet his hair and Anti felt himself relax slowly.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT SON OF A BITCH!?"

Anti glitched out of Marvin's hold and they both listened in on what was happening downstairs. Jackie's voice could be heard trying to calm Chase down.

Apparently he had just gotten back from Stacey's.

"Chase, what the hell!? Calm down! What's going on?"

"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL HIM, THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"CHASE, WAIT! STOP!"

"ANTI!!!"

Marvin and Anti looked at each other but saw the same confusion.

But suddenly Anti realized he might just know what Chase was rampaging throughout the house.

Marvin saw this and brought it up, "Anti . . . . do you know why Chase wants to hurt you?"

"No . . . ..  no, he couldn't have . . . . n-no. . . . " 

Marvin slowly reached his hand back onto Anti's cheek and delved in a small bit.

But it was just one moment he needed and he cursed to himself.

"Anti . .. ." Marvin shuddered, " . . oh shit"