"You've gone on like this for too long, Anti"

"What?"

It's been a few weeks now since their return to him.

"Too long. When you know the answer is right in front of you."

"What do you mean?" Anti was back in the attic.

Looking out the window, he could see the front yard.

"You know what I mean. You just don't want to believe it"

Anti turned towards the voice only to blink.

And suddenly he was outside in the front yard looking up at the attic from below.

"You know what happened. The truth . . .. "

Anti turned again towards the source.

His doppelganger was sitting on a small dirt mound in the front yard. A shovel laying across his lap.

"Eventually you'll have to see"

Anti was about ready to curse him out when he stopped.

His breathing hitched.

His heart nearly stopped.

A hand was poking out of the dirt behind the other version of himself.

A hand . . . . . with a ring band on it.

Anti's breathing suddenly became labored, thinking about what could have happened. Who was this person?! Why was he seeing him all of a sudden? What in the hell was he talking about!?

"I . . . .I-"

The doppelganger looked so understanding, though. So unlike him. It couldn't have been exactly himself, right?

"I'm your conscious, Anti." he spoke, "And it's time . . you need. . . . . to see the truth"

Anti fell back on the grass underneath him, covering his mouth. He shut his eyes, trying to believe he was elsewhere.

"You've buried it so deep in your head, Anti . . . . . it's time to dig it out and you know it"

Once Anti opened his eyes again, he was on the couch in the living room.

Marvin was there along with Jameson looking at him strangely.

"Wh-what?"

Marvin shrugged, "Nothing, man . . . it's just . . Geez. You must have had one hell of a nightmare"

Jameson dug in his pocket to pull out a hanky, handing it to Anti, 'You panicked in your sleep and were bleeding'

"Oh" Anti took the hanky graciously and pat his neck with it, "Sorry . . . you might never be able to get these stains out"

Jameson just shrugged, 'That's fine! You can keep it, anyway old chap!'

"Thought with the stitching you did, it'd keep you from bleeding so much" Marvin asked.

"Not always" Anti kept pressure on his neck with the hanky, " . . . Where the others at?"

"Well since it's the afternoon . . you slept here all night and morning by the way like a ROCK. . . uh . . Jackie is working out in the garage, Chase is up in his room chilling and Henrik is in his clinic reading some medical books or whatever"

"And you guys are .. . .?"

"Well watching you, of course!" Marvin snorted as if it were obvious, "You were quite the show to watch while sleeping. James and I had bets on it if it were a nightmare or a sex dream. Which was it?"

Anti wasn't even surprised really, "Nightmare"

"Dammit!"

Jameson held his hand out, 'Pay up'

Anti shrugged, "Whatever . . . I'll be up in the attic if you need me" he went to get up.

He kept dreaming about the attic and the front yard. Maybe if he went up there again, something would come to him? What was WITH his nightmares? What truth was he supposed to be searching for?

Marvin looked panicked though and stopped him, grabbing at his arm, "W-wait! I thought . .do you wanna hang out today? We never hang out, just the two of us, really"

"Uh . . . because the last time we tried 'hanging out', you made me your guinea pig with your weird experimental potions. No thank you"

"Well we could just watch a movie!"

Jameson nodded vigorously, 'What about one of those horror films you love so much?'

"You don't like horror, James" Anti pointed out.

Something weird was happening here. Were they trying to keep him away from the attic for some reason?

No, it was just a coincidence, right?

"I'll watch a scary movie with you!" Chase popped in. He must have come downstairs having heard them talking . . .

"Sorry, it's just . . . I have some stuff up there I wanted to bring down to my room. It'll just be a quick little trip up there"

"I'll help you!" Jackie appeared.

"I thought . .. thought you were working out?"

"What, a guy can take a break, right?" he grinned, "I'll come help you bring some stuff down"

Henrik popped in the room, "He NEEDS to take a break anyvay. Let him help you, Anti. Vill help everyone if you did. Or you could help me in my lab vith dissecting small animals for Marvin's potions" he chuckled lightly.

Something really was weird here, though.

Jackie wasn't wearing his gym attire. He was in a hoodie and jeans. Which meant. . .

He wasn't working out.

And Henrik never let him in his lab unless to stitch his neck up.

Either someone was lying to him or he was just being too critical of them.

"Uh . . okay. Jackie can help me."

Weird things like that have been going on lately for the last couple weeks. Things not adding up. Too often enough, what they say being quickly contradicted.

As if a story was being unwritten.

Anti made his way to the attic ladder with Jackie right behind him. He felt a little uneasy being alone with Jackie like this but he trusted him. You could always trust the hero, right?

Anti was questioning everything a lot lately but as he made his way up to the attic, Jackie clapped his hands, "So! Where's this box you wanted to bring down?"

Anti itched the back of his neck, "Oh, I don't know. Thought I'd just look a bit. You really don't have to help, Jackie."

"Nonsense. What were you looking for?"

"I . . . just some things. Of mine"

"Like what?"

"I . . I don't know! Just things!"

"Hey, you wanna play a game with me in a bit? After we find your stuff, we could go out back and see who's got the better aim?"

Anti snorted, "Aim with what? Henrik told us we couldn't spare anymore. Remember the last time?"

"So we went a little far and almost killed each other! Big deal!" Jackie chuckled, "What the good doc doesn't know won't hurt him?"

"And usually you wouldn't keep secrets from anyone" Anti shrugged, "You want me out of this attic just as bad as the others."

"That's not-"

"Tell me I'm wrong. Don't lie to me, Jackie"

Jackie's eye twitched, "Which . . . which is it? Tell you you're wrong or don't lie to you?"

"Fooking knew it" Anti rounded on him in his sudden anger, a familiar itch crawling up his back wanting blood.

"WHAT THE FOOK IS GOING ON!? HUH?! YOU ALL HAVE BEEN ACTING SUPER WEIRD SINCE YOU CAME BACK! WHAT HAPPENED WHILE YOU LEFT THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT!? HUH!?"

"Easy there, sparks" Jackie just laughed at him, "Hehehehe. . . .you know the answer to that already"

"Wh .. . what?" Anti suddenly realized how cramped it was up there.

Jackie usually wasn't a big threat.

But right now, Anti would admit he was very uneasy now.

It was just him and Jackie. If Jackie wanted, he could take him down up here without anyone knowing-

"Are you ready?"

"Am I . . ." the surrealism hit him.

Just like when he was confronted by his doppelganger. . .

"You know, I should be the one screaming and yelling at you, Anti" Jackie suddenly glared at him, his eyes full of hate and disgust.

Now this was the Jackie he knew.

Anti swallowed and took a step back, "Wh-what?"

The hero took a step forward, "For you to bury it so deep down. It's almost comical, really. You're so fucking SELFISH!" He slammed his fist into the wall next to him, breaking it and cracking through the wood.

Anti stepped back, "I don't . .I don't understand. Jackie what-"

"You look out that window and tell me you don't remember what you did. You have such a good view from up here!"

Anti didn't want to look.

"I .. . . no. I'm not ready! I don't wanna know-"

"LOOK!"

Jackie forced himself over him, grabbing his face in his hand and turned his face to look out the window, "LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID, YOU SICK PIECE OF SHIT!"

Jackie had him in a hold. He couldn't get away from him.

Anti looked down at the front yard. . . . . . .

He couldn't even feel the tears falling down his face. . .

Nor the blood down his neck and chest.

He felt like he couldn't even breathe.

Jackie growled in his ear, "It's about time . . . finally . . to see the truth for what it is"

The hero let him go but Anti couldn't move.

The view really was perfect from up there to see it clear as day.