Sean still didn't really understand it. So far this was the longest and weirdest dream he's ever had! It felt so real!

Of course. . . he DID have a nagging feeling something was wrong. 

Things were moving too much like real life. Nothing at all like any of his other dreams.

'But it HAS to be a dream. . . doesn't it?' it was the only option besides being crazy, 'So many other guys here that look like me going on about different dimensions and an evil version that ALSO looks like us?'

He scratched at his scruff, "Man, it'd make for one hell of a story"

"What'd you say, man?" Chase heard him, sipping on some tea across from him in the kitchen.

Sean grinned, not bothered at all. . . or at least, he tried to seem like he wasn't bothered, "Nothing! Really just wondering when I'll make up is all. I got a lot to work on back in the real world."

Chase snorted, already kind of fed up with him, "Oh yeah? What YOU gotta do that's so important?"

Sean flinched a little at that but shook it off, "Oh . . . well, I'm a YouTuber! A lot of people depend on me for videos and such!"

Chase raised his brow at him. He was a YouTuber, too, but Sean was overreaching a bit, it seemed, "Depend on you? Dude, you talk as if everyone'll unsubscribe to you if you don't put out videos constantly. Surely they can survive a week at least without you?"

Sean blinked, a bit perturbed by Chase's words, "I  . . .I don't know. Right now I'm doing about two videos a day"

Chase spat out some tea, "TWO VIDEOS A DAY!?"

'Geez, now that's dedication! Is that what I needed to do to gain subscribers?' but looking on Sean's form more and how tired he looked, he changed his mind rather quickly, 'Nah, nothing's worth THAT much stress'

"Dude" Chase rolled his eyes at Sean, "You gotta relax. Two's just too many. You're gonna drive yourself into an early grave if you keep going like that. Trust me, if your fans are true, they'll stay with ya even if you do one video every OTHER day"

Sean stared at Chase. There was just an aura about him that seemed so familiar. He reminded him of his dad except . . . perhaps a bit more comforting?

"Hm . . . I guess I never thought about it like that before"

"Well try it" Chase scoffed, "Anyway. . . . I'm gonna go check on some of the others. Try not to get into any trouble. I think Jackie'd kill over if he caught you trying to jump off the roof again. You still can't fly, man."

Sean crossed his arms  with a bit of a huff, "It's MY dream. . . .Should be able to do what I want"

"Yeah well . . . ." Chase sighed, "Have you given it consideration that maybe it's not a dream? I mean I wish it was, too, but I also wish dragons were real. You don't always get what you want"

With that, Chase walked out of the room, leaving Sean to his own devices.

'It HAS to be a dream, though. And a dream within a dream since I went to sleep here "last night". .  what a phenomenon. And that Jackie guy only stopped me because my brain doesn't wanna wake up yet! Yeah . . . that's it'

But deep inside, he felt like maybe he knew the truth. And it terrified him.

Anti watched on the other side of the room as Henrik finally put another mini Pheno together but in THIS dimension. 

'Gotta hand it to him, he's one hell of a genius' he smirked.

It was only one day after they arrived and Henrik was flying through his previous experiments like it was a marathon.

Anti WAS concerned, though, for him. He hadn't slept the entire time he's been in this dimension.

And since Jackie was busy in the shadows watching Sean and Chase and Jameson couldn't do anything to help Henrik and Marvin was passed out in Henrik's chair, Anti decided he'd take over and help with what he could for the doctor.

But he needed a break.

"Hey Hen"

Henrik halted suddenly, hearing him, ". . . . . I don't like zhat nickname"

Anti smirked, "I know. I have other worse nicknames for ya, though. Henny, Dr. Frankenstein, German bas-"

"Okay, zhat is enough" Henrik stopped him with a small glare, "Vhat do you want?"

Anti crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, "I guess I have a question for ya. . . . did you . . . name your facility . . . after your daughter?"

Henrik stopped everything he was doing in that moment and stood tall, looking back at Anti, no expression on his face but his eyes said it all.

" . . . . . Iris. . . . ." Henrik looked away from him, "I had a feeling she existed here, too . . . . Tis a shame she never got to live. I . . .it pains me everyday and-"

"But she did" Anti stopped him, "She did here, at least. She was three years old before Antisepticeye came here. Haven't you been up to your old room?"

Henrik didn't know what to think, say or do, 'What? She . . . she LIVED? Here?' but the more she thought about it, the more it did make some sense. Jackie had told them that Anti never killed any of their loved ones so the previous versions of them had more time with them.

"I . . ." Henrik could feel a lump in his throat, "Iris . .  my iris . . ." he started to shake, "She . . . but now . . "

Anti stepped closer to him and pulled out a picture from his pocket, "Here. I'd been thinking since Jameson told me about the facility and the name. I got this picture from your room so you could see. So at least you could see what she looked like, you know?"

Henrik blinked and stomped closer to Anti, grabbing the picture out of his hands. His hands shook and he felt numb.

'There she is . . . my Iris. . . my Eva and Olivia' Henrik hadn't felt this much pain in so long since he was forced to watch them die by Antisepticeye's hands.

Anti frowned, watching sadly as tears streamed uncontrollably down Henrik's face.

'I've never seen him so broken' Anti thought to himself, 'They've all experienced so much pain. I just want to make it a little better before. . . . .'

Henrik breathed out shakily,  holding the picture to his chest. He looked up to Anti, "Vhat was she like? Please . . . tell me?"

Anti smiled softly. It was painful but it was the least he could do, "Olivia was always like Eva. . . . but Iris . . . she was just like you. Smart . . .  attentive. She cared about everyone and would never rest until she got her way"

Henrik choked down a sob and bit his lip.

Anti smiled, remembering her, "You know . . . you all told her and the other kids to stay away from me. But she was the first to come close to me. She had a big smile. . . and a big heart. She was her daddy's girl and-"

Henrik put a hand on Anti's shoulder, stopping him. The doctor looked him in the eyes, wiping his own on his sleeve with his other hand. They stared back at one another with a short mutual  understanding before Henrik smiled.

". . . . Thank you . . . . thank you, Anti"

Anti just smiled. This felt right. It felt a lot better to have helped him. He nodded.

Henrik shoved the picture into his pocket, "Vould you like to help me on zhe next phase?"

"Isn't that what you have Marvin for?"

"Let him sleep" they looked over at him, completely conked out in Henrik's chair.

Anti smirked again, "Thought you never liked anyone sitting in your chair, doc?"

"Yes, vell . . . " Henrik learned from last time, "Zhe last time, I didn't let Marvin in my chair, Antisepticeye had been in my computer watching us. Perhaps if I had let him, he vould have sensed zhe monster sooner."

Anti wondered if that really would have made a difference but he didn't voice it. It was nice to know that these versions were trying to do better with themselves.

Sean stared at himself in the mirror.

He had gotten out of Jackie's view and went to the bathroom. Somehow he knew Jackie had been watching him. It felt odd.

He felt . . . alone now, though. But it wasn't exactly peaceful.

'This dream . . . why won't it end?'

He jumped as there was a knock on  the door, "Hey man, is anyone in there?!"

Sean wasn't sure whose voice it was. They all nearly sounded the same except for the doctor. But he opened the door, coming face to face with Jackie.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't know anyone was waiting."

"It's alright." Jackie cleared this throat, "It's just been quite a while since I last saw you go in here. Just making sure you were alright if you had been in here all that time. You doing okay?"

Sean nodded, "Oh yeah . . .I'm doing totally fine!" he laughed it off.

Jackie squinted his eyes slightly at him, though. He could see right through him.

"You know . . . you don't have to hide from us. We're not gonna hurt you"

"I . . . . I know that! You're ME! We can't just hurt EACHOTHER!"

"It doesn't work like that  . . .but I guess you're right. Why don't you come on out?"

Sean wanted to argue but there was something about the hero that drew him in. 

Carefully, Sean followed Jackie into the living room, "Hey . . where's that Chase guy and JJ?"

"JJ?"

"You know . . the mute!" Sean piped up, "I just like the nickname is all. It's better than confusing the names with Jameson Jackson and Jackie, you know?"

"Sure, I guess." Jackie flopped on the couch, cracking his back with a stretch, "I think Jameson's in his room with those clocks he likes. And Chase might have went to his room, too, for now. It's comforting in our rooms. We see pictures in there of people we no longer have in our lives. But they had lived longer here. Happier."

Sean didn't understand it. But yet the pain was evident and obvious.

"This bad guy . . . he really hurt you all, didn't he? What was his name again?"

"Antisepticeye and yeah . . . he did"

"And Anti . . . is different from  Antisepticeye?"

"Yeah. Completely." Jackie chuckled. The longer he spent around the good version, the more it was absolutely clear how dissimilar he was from the killer one.

Sean scratched at his green hair, "So . . . what'd he do to all of ya? If I can ask?"

'Maybe if I get more of a story, I'll wake up and this'll all be over'

Jackie hummed and gave a small sigh, "I guess . .  I guess I could tell ya. Sure. But it's not a happy story"

Sean waited, listening intently.

Jackie didn't want to but it looked as thought he had no choice and no one was going to magically appear in the room to save him from explaining.

"Right. So . . . We all have precious people in our lives. We all had different families. I had my sister and nephew for instance. Sammie and Benny"

Sean gasped, "Sammie? I know that name. Sort of. I created a mascot for my channel and called it Sam!"

Jackie nodded, "In a way, we all have similar names in different parallels in our dimensions. Just like Chase's son was Jack and your channel name is Jacksepticeye. Right?"

Sean nodded, "I get it. So  . . . what happened?"

Jackie sighed again. It was painful every time.

"Antisepticeye . . . killed all of our families and people close to us. He tortured them just to hurt us. For my Sammie and Benny . . . he trapped them in Sammie's car when she was picking him up from school. He made the car catch on fire and burned them alive to crisp corpses"

Sean's heart was suddenly racing. It sounded so . . harsh. Awful.

"Whoa .  . that's . . . that's huge . . heavy. I'm sorry"

Jackie nodded, "I'm not the only one that was hurt, though. Chase's wife, Stacey and his son Jackie. He stabbed them to death. And Jameson's crush, he chopped her up to pieces and then attached strings to her limbs, playing with her like a puppet in front of him before cutting out his tongue. And then he possessed him, making him kill his friends and a crowd of innocent people that he was supposed to perform for"

Sean gaped at him, "Wh . .what?! That's insane!" 

'The hell is this? No way my brain would make up stuff like this. This stuff is too deep and freaking me out'

But still, Jackie continued, "Henrik . . the poor guy. Antisepticeye glitched his pregnant wife and little daughter into his old reactor, killing them in an instant. At least it was quick for them but still . . . gruesome and still all just as painful. And then Marvin . . . he didn't have any family but he did have a few friends and a boyfriend. Antisepticeye killed them. Marvin managed to bring his boyfriend back to life but . . . it was in vain. Antisepticeye just decapitated him right in front of him. He had to lose him all over again. . . . . We've all gone through the same pain. So we all gotta take the bastard down so he can't hurt any more of us. We can't allow him to go on to the next versions"

Sean didn't understand that last part but everything else . . .. . he was starting to think that maybe  . . . . maybe there was a chance he wasn't dreaming after all.

And that in itself was the true nightmare.

Marvin awoke with a start.

He still felt groggy but better than before.

He gawked around before realizing where he was sitting, "Oh . . sorry, doc. I didn't mean to steal your chair. I know you hate that."

Henrik was leaned over a machine with Anti next to him holding some wires together, "Tis no problem! You needed your rest! You've been vorking just as hard as me."

Anti glanced behind him at Marvin, "Have a good catnap?"

Marvin flipped him off, "Screw you, man." he sighed heavily but suddenly, something caught his attention.

"Hm . . . that doesn't feel good"

Anti and Henrik halted, "What?"

"Anti . . . how much time do you think we have still before Antisepticeye comes to?"

"My Henrik and I had figured on about a week. So we should have a few more days yet until he's strong again and comes after you"

"I . . . I don't know" Marvin took his crystal ball out from his cape and muttered something, "Hm . . . . He's . . . I think he might just be stronger than we all anticipated. Don't you feel it, Anti?"

Anti abandoned his work with Henrik and came closer to Marvin, peering into the crystal ball.

His eyes widened, "Shit . . .. no way"

"vHAT?" Henrik looked between them, "Vhat is going on? Is the time-frame shortening?"

Anti grit his teeth and swallowed, "It looks like . . . . It looks like he's recuperating faster than we thought. How didn't I feel it? I don't understand. . . . . Could it be because of his new power that I can't sense him that well? Maybe he's becoming something else so I can't sense him as an Antisepticeye?"

"I don't know" Marvin waved his hand over the crystal ball, "But whatever you guys are doing . . . do it faster."

"So how long do you think we have?" Chase asked.

They all decided to have a group meeting in the living room and even Sean was there, although, he was very lost.

Marvin groaned to himself, "I'd say maybe another day but probably not much longer"

"That little!?" Jackie gaped at them, "But Anti! You said before, we'd have a week!"

"I know" Anti curled in on himself, "I wasn't lying! It's just maybe my Henrik and I's calculations were a bit off! This Antisepticeye IS stronger than me, after all and always has been." he gasped suddenly, "The other eye! That has to be it!"

"Huh?" Chase wondered out loud, "Explain?"

The others were also just as curious.

Anti cleared his throat, "Well . . Antisepticeyes' usually have one green eye and one blue eye. We are all heterochromatic. Our green eye holds a lot of power. It's how we can glitch and do other things like that and move from one dimension to another so easily. We are created, not born so we have unique properties such as this."

"Alright, I guess I'm following" Marvin nodded, "It's like the power that's in my mask and the power that Jackie has, too"

"We all have it" Anti corrected, "It's just stronger in some of you than others. Like in your jumping rope example. Remember? One one end is me and then you, Jackie, Henrik, Jameson, Chase and then Sean. And then that other end of the rope is another version of ME and then it starts all over! What I'm trying to say, though, is that we all have that power. It just gets a little weaker down the line until you reach other version of me again. Is that clear enough?"

Chase leaned back on the couch, "I really need some edibles. My brain is killing me."

'So' Jameson signed, 'You're saying that since Antisepticeye took YOUR eye, too, he has even MORE power than all of us combined?'

Anti blinked. He didn't want to say it. He knew it'd come to this but he didn't want to SAY it.

So he just nodded.

"Ah Shit" Chase grit his teeth, "This is BULLSHIT! It's one fucking thing after another!"

Henrik huffed, "I vill NOT take zhat answer! My Pheno gun WILL  be stronger! Zhis time I am sure and zhis time, ve will be ready!"

Jackie was surprised by the doctor's certainty. He hoped he was right. But they wouldn't know until they tried.

"Hey uh. . . ." Marvin looked around, "Anyone know where Sean went off to?"

They looked around but flinched almost in unison as an angry clang hit from the kitchen in the other room.

Something metal hit the floor.

"Shit! Sean!" Jackie bolted from the couch and ran to the kitchen, the other right behind him.

When they reached the doorway, they all seemed to freeze.

Now this. . . this was definitely unexpected.

Sean shivered. He was panicking and crying, slowly sliding down to the floor where the knife had dropped.

Time seemed to still.

There was red everywhere.

Sean cried, his arms and knees close to his body as he finally slid all the way down to the floor.

The cuts were deep and gushing out blood. Too much too quickly.

"I   . .. . I JUST WANT THIS DREAM TO END!!" Sean shouted at them, "WHY WON'T IT END!?"

He couldn't stop shaking and tears clouded his vision, "IT'S TOO MUCH! TOO MUCH PAIN! TOO MUCH! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T DO THIS!" Sean's body shuddered violently, " I WANNA WAKE UP!"

Henrik rushed to his side ignoring his screams and just tried his best ot help him. Marvin searched for a potion that could perhaps help him. He had restocked on them, after all and was ready but not for this.

Sean screamed again and tried to even shoved them away from him.

"I WANNA WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" he hit himself. 

Anything was better than all of this being real.

"WAKE UP!!!"