Prepare yourselves :)

After coming back home, Dark was still upset but he knew there was nothing he could really do to help his friend. He wanted so bad to rip Henrik's head off his body and chop up the rest of the Septic egos bodies into pieces with an ax (Celine's idea). . . . .

But he couldn't do that. Only in his head.

Mark would come after him otherwise and he didn't need that right now. Not with all he had going on and had planned.

He still had to find Actor and he knew Mark was hiding him somewhere but he didn't know where. But he'd find out.

Until then, he thought it'd be best to distract himself a little. Maybe it'd be good for him.

'I could try and see if Google could tell me anything or Bing. Or maybe I could get Wil just sane enough to see if he would have an idea. Or maybe Host could have something in mind? I could even try and go to Celine in the void. She was a seer. Maybe I'll ask her first'

Dark gently tapped his cane on the ground, closing his eyes, letting himself be dragged off into the void.

'I have to try something to help Anti. If I can't do anything then what kind of friend am I? That's what it means to be a friend, right? I'm not quite sure. . . . . still new to it all.'

When he reopened his eyes, he was at the cabin. He saw the fire lit up already and he smiled softly, 'If anyone will know what to do, it's her'

Anti sat in his bed, rubbing his legs just as Henrik had before. He didn't want the doctor touching him like that again so he just thought it best to do it himself. He could try and lie but he knew that'd be a bust. He was never too good with lying.

But it felt so weird to rub his legs. He couldn't . . feel anything. It was like rubbing separate limbs that didn't belong to him. Someone else's legs? At least Marvin was right before . . . he could still feel a . . . other different SORT of limb . . . . .

Marvin tried another dark spell on him today and it tickled but afterwards that feeling disappeared very quickly.

How disappointing.

But what was even more disappointing was how the other Septics were acting towards him now. They weren't mean per se but yet . . . they weren't too friendly, either.

Anti felt lately that maybe he had done something wrong but he pushed those thoughts away. He couldn't think like that! It wasn't his fault! He didn't do anything to them!

Jameson had been avoiding him along with Jackie. The hero stayed in the garage working out mostly or going out to stop a robbery every once in a while.

He stopped hanging out with Anti, not that the glitch could do anything with him he wanted to do.

And it seemed as if Marvin spent most of his time trying to find a good spell to heal him and Anti felt bad but also . . . . it wasn't his fault Marvin chose to stay up all the time researching and reading for a spell that may or may not exist. At least Basil was still affectionate and hung out with him.

Henrik was pretty much the same every once in a while checking in on him out of need that he felt he HAD to.

And Chase . . . .

Something was seriously off about Chase lately. After Dr. Iplier's visit a few days ago, he's just been so . . distant. He refused to look at Anti just like the first day he moved in there.

Every so often, Anti would catch Chase glaring at him.

Anti thought about taking Evelien up on her offer but pushed that aside.

He had to stay strong. He couldn't let them win.

Let. . . who win?

He still had nightmares about that darker version of himself. He showed him things he wished he could forget. Things that didn't happen and he wished the thoughts would just go away already!

Were they actually intrusive thoughts? Thoughts of revenge he wanted to partake on them after what they did to him? It would make sense . . . except . . . these nightmares were of the memories Sean says are fake.

Fake.

He hated it just as much as the others.

How could Sean do that to them? Chase was right that day he called Sean out in front of everyone. That was the reason he didn't want to move in with Sean. He cared about him. Sean was always so nice to him. Except . . . . he sort of resented him unconsciously.

'As you should'

The voice sounded like it appeared right next to him and Anti flinched, looking around him.

But no one was there.

"Who's there?"

No one answered.

'Am I just inherently insane?'

He hated to think so but he knew he wasn't too far off.

Anti looked over at his wheelchair that was next to his bed, 'Maybe I'm a little dehydrated . . . hearing things in my head. I do feel a little dizzy'

He reached over to bring the arm of the wheelchair close only for it to suddenly move.

Anti froze and watched as the chair slowly wheeled away from him. He moved away and sat up again on the bed, 'Something doesn't feel right'

"On the contrary"

The voice breathed on his ear and Anti whipped his head around to see his double plain as day staring him straight in the eye, grinning down on him like a tasty treat.

The shadow double suddenly gripped his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet and leaned over him. It was easy to win control and the double laughed sickly.

"This feels incredibly . . . RIGHT" he smiled wide and squeaked in a chuckle, using his other hand to hold Anti's above his head, "Poor thing . .. fucking dumbass . . . still don't realize. Too blind to see"

Anti muffled a shout at him and struggled valiantly but to no avail. This version of him was stronger. Plus he had his legs working.

This double didn't stop smiling, "What's that? OH! You're wondering what I'm talking about? Who I am? What am I doing? AHAHAHAHAAAHAHA! Stupid little bitch . . . . . I'm YOU! At least . . . the part of you he made you forget . . toss away. YOU can call me Septiceye, though. HA! Get it!? You're Anti and I'M Septiceye! ANTI-SEPTICEYE!" He bellowed out another laugh but Anti wasn't amused.

Once the double calmed down slightly, he bent down and licked Anti's cheek, "We taste the same, too. Tears just as salty and sweet. I remember shedding tears, too, until I preferred tasting blood"

A knife started floating around in the air around them and the creep glanced towards it, directing Anti's attention, "Pretty, isn't it? Don't you remember how gorgeous it is? To slice through flesh and lick off the blood? To stab through meat clean through. So perfect and beautiful. Should I remind you?"

Anti struggle again. He wished he could kick!

'Is this it!? Am I going to fucking die by this fucking freak!? Who the fuck IS this guy!?'

Septiceye suddenly had the knife in his hand he was using to hold Anti's hands and Anti was terrified when he let go but he still couldn't move his hands or wrists! Like the bastard was still holding him down somehow.

He leaned the knife down on Anti's throat, making all thoughts stop in his head.

"Oh~ . .. " he moaned and slowly started to frown, his mood changing rapidly, "How dare you forget this? The mark your precious creator 'best friend' put on you! It's A PART of you, Anti! You can't run from it! SO DON'T!"

Septiceye lashed the knife across Anti's throat, opening up his scar, making him bleed, "There we go! Let it flow! Fuck that magician's spell! AHAHAHAHAH!"

Anti started to choke on the blood in his throat but finally thought of a way to free himself of only a little, biting down hard on Septiceye's hand over his mouth.

"AH! You fucking cunt!" Septiceye slapped him across the face but Anti just screamed.

He didn't know what he was screaming FOR but he just screamed as loud as he could, hoping that somebody. . . ANYBODY would come to help him.

Septiceye gripped his jaw, effectively able to shut him up to only produce weak cries. The double snarled but the grin was back, creating a very scary look.

Anti was more afraid than he had ever been before as Septiceye shook his head at him and sighed.

"You really don't get it, Anti-"

The loud thudding of footsteps sounded nearby and suddenly Jackie broke open the door with Henrik behind him.

"Anti!? What's going on!? You hurt!?"

As if nothing had happened, Anti looked over to see the wheelchair right beside him. He wasn't bleeding and in fact there wasn't any blood at all. And Septiceye wasn't there.

But his voice echoed in his head, '-It's all in your head'

Anti's heart was pounding and tears were still streaming down his face. He shook violently and before he knew it, his neck started to bleed just as it used to before Marvin's spell and Henrik's stitches.

"Anti!" Marvin rushed over to him, "Jaysus, what happened?"

"Are you alright? We heard you scream" Jackie seemed concerned but not as worried as he probably should be for the glitch.

Anti couldn't speak, he was still trying to get over what just happened. It wasn't a dream. No, it was too lucid. It happened all too smoothly. But what could he tell them? They'd just think he was hallucinating or say it was a nightmare!

He thought about keeping it to himself.

"What the hell?" Marvin say something, though, "Anti . .. how'd you get this bruise on your face?"

Anti froze. Of course! The double had slapped him! It couldn't have been a nightmare or hallucination after all! Right!?

"S-something's here" Anti gulped and tensed as Marvin uttered a spell to stop and clean the blood from his fresh 'anxiety attack'.

Marvin narrowed his eyes at him, ". . . something's . . .here? What's here, Anti? No one's here with you but us"

Anti shook his head, "I don't know . . . I saw him, though. A . . A demon or something? A shadow .. thing? I don't know! But it looked just like me! He. . . .. I think . . I don't know! Maybe. . . maybe he was supposed to be me. . .. from our memories!"

Jackie froze, "Wh-what? Wait, what?! But that's impossible! Anti, I think you're just tired and-"

"IT WAS REAL!" Anti shouted, "IT WAS REAL AND IT WAS ON TOP OF ME AND LAUGHED IN MY FACE! IT SLASHED MY FUCKING THROAT OPEN, HIT ME AND TAUNTED ME! IT WAS FUCKING REAL, JACKIE!"

"OKAY, OKAY!" Jackie tried to calm him down, "But then . . where'd he go?"

". . . . I don't know . .. . I . ." now this is where he'd sound crazy, "I heard his voice a little bit ago back in my head?"

Jackie looked fed up there but Marvin still just stared at him. Curiously.

"Jackie. . . will you leave the room for a moment? Let me speak with Anti alone?"

"What? Why?"

"Just do it, Red!"

Jackie waved his arms up defensively but sighed heavily and walked out of the room, leaving Marvin and Anti alone.

The magician bit his lip but finally built up the courage to ask him.

"Did you see him any other time, Anti?"

"What?"

"Did you see him before tonight? Or hear him? Anything?"

Anti finally slowly nodded, "That night after Henrik poisoned me. . . . . and then again in my nightmares every night. . . and that day Dr. Iplier came. . . . I saw him in the corner of the room"

Marvin swallowed, "I .. . I heard a voice in my head the other day. I thought it was just my own thoughts . . talking to myself or whatever. I saw a shadow of something the other day, too in the living room but I just thought maybe I was seeing things."

Anti felt relieved. At least someone else knew he wasn't crazy, "So what do we do?"

But the magician shrugged, "I don't know. I don't even know what this thing is. Who know . . .maybe it really is nothing and we're both crazy"

Anti didn't think so. Or at least he hoped not.

Marvin shook his head, "You said he slashed your throat? But there wasn't any blood when Jackie and I came in here. You started bleeding AFTERWARDS"

"Marvin, no. Please don't-"

"Anti, please. I can't just assume what you saw was . . . . I think we need more proof"

"But you believed me a second ago! It fucking slapped me! I have a bruise on my face from it!"

"I don't know what I believe, Anti. . . ." Marvin sighed, "You could have accidentally done that to yourself in your sleep. . . Now I'm sorry but it's late. If you want, though, I can have Basil stay in here with you tonight? Or if you want, you can sleep downstairs on the couch if that makes you feel safer"

Anti stared at Marvin. It didn't make sense.

Just a moment ago, the magician believed every word he said.

And now . . .he was all too okay with brushing it aside like nothing as if Anti was just crazy.

But then again, it did all sound strange, he had to admit and he let Marvin leave his room, turning on the TV so he wouldn't feel alone and he'd have more light.

But he knew what he saw.

He knew what he felt.

It wasn't all just in his head. Something was very wrong.

He COULDN'T have just imagined all of that.