There was a loud rumbling he could vaguely hear in the distance. It didn't sound too far away. Like gears grinding or a factory working. It was pretty off-putting but then again, when were his dreams ever NOT nightmares anymore?

A voice could be heard in the distance. It sounded similar to his own but distorted. Screaming and shouting but not for help. It was like some demented roar.

But he was used to these noises by now.

All around him he could see a pitch darkness with one light over his head. Bloodied bodies laid around his feet dismembered, broken and unmoving. Blood pooled around his feet but he couldn't be bothered with it anymore. He used to fear this nightmare. He used to cry out in terror and scream but now it was normal to him.

He was used to these visuals by now.

He felt cold. A warm liquid running down his arms and chest. He nearly shivered at the feeling but it wasn't new. He looked down to see his own blood soaking his shirt and staining his skin. He was aware of a burning feeling along his throat like a large cut and multiple cuts up and down his arms. Perhaps that was where the blood came from? He didn't care.

He was used to the feeling.

He had a dull expression in his eyes and slowly the grinding gears and roaring turned to insane laughter. High pitched and wild like whoever it was was having the time of their life.

The man blinked and he woke up.

With a deep sigh, he groaned and looked over at his alarm clock that was blaring like crazy.

'Was that the noise of the gears?' he thought, 'Whatever'

Sitting up, the man yawned and stretched, 'Another worthless night of sleep. I need to talk to doc again about different sleeping meds'

Finally getting up, he stepped over the trash on his floor. Wrappers and beer cans from last night, all strewn about without care. Some half-empty cans even dripping out the leftover alcohol on the hardwood.

The room overall was a disaster but he'd try and fix that later. It was time to try to go to work.

He decided not to bother with a shower and instead, threw on some clothes from the floor that seemed clean and went to his kitchen for something to eat. Unfortunately the kitchen wasn't in any better shape than his bedroom, filthy and a mess but he didn't mind it. He opened his cupboards and fridge but only sighed, realizing he didn't really have anything.

'I should go to the store sometime' he thought.

He knew he probably wouldn't though.

Stepping into his shoes, he grabbed his keys and walked out the door, throwing on his cap as he did so.

As soon as he got into his car, he brushed off the crumbs that were on the seat. Before he could even turn the car on, though, his phone rang.

"Fuck" he fished it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. With another sigh, he answered.

"Yeah?"

"You sound tired mein friend. Did you sleep well?"

"No. Same results, bro. I think I need something better. Maybe a tranquilizer" he mildly joked.

"Not funny" his brother and doctor huffed on the other end, "Come to my office later today and I'll see vhat I can do."

"Thanks, man. If this don't work maybe I should try one of Marv's potions, eh?"

"Do not even think about it!" the doctor got pissed, "You do not know what that silly magician uses in those concoctions, Brody!"

"If it works, I don't care, Schneep." Chase argued with him, "I can't keep going like this."

There was silence on the other end before he finally sighed, "Very well. If zhis one doesn't work . . . you can go to Marvin."

"Thanks for the permission, mother" he deadpanned.

"Oh shut it. I vill talk to you later. I know you're probably busy"

"Yeah" Chase looked around outside realizing he looked like a creep doing nothing sitting in his car, "Busy. See ya dude"

Hanging up, he set the phone on the passenger seat, putting the keys in the ignition.

When he did, however, he was unprepared for his car alarm to go off!

'BEEP!' 'BEEP!' 'BEEP!'

Chase panicked and clicked a bunch of buttons on his car's remote until it finally turned off but for some reason, his radio stayed on. The car was off but the radio . . . was on? No one was talking and there was no music. It was just silence. . . . and static.

It reminded him somewhat of his nightmare. He was almost sucked in a daydream-like state listening to the weird static when he started hearing something else.

A voice?

He slowly turned up the volume trying to hear it.

The static was so loud but the voice was louder, too, even if it did almost seem just like a whisper. It said something. He listened intently until he heard something that sent shivers down his spine.

'I'm watching you'

Chase gulped and turned the volume off. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breathes.

'Easy there, Chase. It's nothing. Just a coincidence, man. That's all.' 

In his peripheral vision he swore he saw something behind him, though and he turned around suddenly to look in the back seats.

'Nothing. Fuck, I think I'm seeing things now, too. The fuck has Schneep been giving me?'

Shaking it off, he carefully turned the car back on and thankfully it started up without any problems. With deep breathe, he buckled up and drove out onto the street.

After a few minutes, the weird car problem was out of his memory and he blared some music to try and forget all his troubles, singing along to the lyrics every once and a while.

"And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45! Swimming through the ashes of another life! No real reason to accept the way things have changed! Staring down the barrel of a 45!" 

He wasn't particularly good at singing but he liked this song so he didn't care. That and he was in the safety of his car where no else could hear him. Or so he thought.

Once he got to the studio, finally, he clambered out, trying to make it look as if he was hurrying.

As he rushed inside the small building, a few of his coworkers looked at him oddly but Chase was beyond caring. He finally got to where he was going to his office but it wasn't what he wanted to see.

There were his things. All of it in a box on the desk. 

Biting his lip anxiously, he exited the office and knocked on his boss's door.

"Come in"

Chase opened the door and the two looked each other in the eye. The other man almost seemed regretful, "Mr. Brody. I assume you saw your office."

"I did. Come on, man. I've told you I'm on a new medication. It messes with my sleeping routine!"

"I can't do anything about that, Brody" his boss couldn't even look him in the eye, "This has not been the first time you've been late. Not only that but you come stinking of alcohol and body odor wearing dirty clothes. You haven't been sending me good work lately, either. I'm sorry, Brody. But I had to do it."

"Please just give me another chance. I swear I'll change!"

"I can't take that risk, Brody. I'm running a business here and I've given you SO many chances. Look, I like you, I really do. You had great potential. And I know you've had problems in your personal life but .  . . . well you know I'm sorry. I gave you all the time I could."

"Problems in my personal life?" he inquired.

"Well" his boss cleared his throat awkwardly, "The whole office knows your wife left you, Mr. Brody. You lost your kids. You've been bar diving. Your life is in shambles, is it not? Look I'm sorry. I truly am. I hope you can turn your life around soon. I'll pray for you"

Chase really wanted to pop him. He wanted nothing more than to go out to his car, pull out the gun that was in his glovebox and shoot the man right in the face. 

He imagined himself doing it.

But Chase wasn't like that. He closed his eyes and merely turned to walk out, "Go fook yourself, sir" he chided mockingly, leaving the office. 

He stomped out to go back to retrieve his own things, ignoring his old co-workers mumbling and whispering things about him.

He grabbed the box of things and left, not caring how many people stared or watched him go. Some gave him looks of pity. Others looked more pompous and condescending, glad he was gone.

Opening the door to his car, he shoved the box in on the passenger side and hopped in, slamming it shut behind him. He gripped the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles turned white and his breathing turned ragged, his blood pressure sky-rocketing.

A small voice in his head ushered him to open his glovebox. To go back in with his gun and give them something to laugh about. His vision starting going red.

'Do it. What's stopping you?'

He opened the glovebox and saw a few things inside. His insurance card, several napkins, his gun, his flask and a picture.

He slowly reached out but instead of grabbing the gun or flask, his hand found the picture, instead.

Taking it into his hand, he brought it to his vision and his breathing immediately calmed.

'My kids' he thought, 'I have to set a good example for them'

'Your bitch ex-wife has them now' the voice in his head laughed, 'They don't look up to you anymore. They look up to the other man she's with now'

'She wasn't cheating on me' he told himself, 'She wasn't. She wanted a divorce because my other job wasn't paying enough'

'Because you wanted to waste away on stupid vlogs no one watched'

Chase closed his eyes and buckled up his seat belt, driving off.

-88888888888888888888888888888-

A being in another dimension watched the human think to himself, arguing with himself on what he should and should not do.

It was interesting to say the least but he wished something else would happen.

He had been watching for a while now. Listening, watching and waiting. The last time he was out was when he possessed his creator but that wasn't for long. The magician was able to send him back too quickly.

He was even deeper in the static than before, trapped like a rabid dog.

So far he couldn't find a way out but found himself latched near Chase Brody, another ego his creator had made.

Made and forgotten just like him.

Just like all the others. The doctor, the magician. The 'hero' and the mute. He tried to go after the doctor but the German man was stronger than he gave him credit for and manged to buck him away unconsciously, not even realizing he was there.

He tried going after Jameson but that was useless. 

It took the being a while to come to the realization he couldn't possess another ego. 

He tried possessing other people and even a cat once but that didn't turn out well either. 

He was stuck.

However, this morning had been quite fun, he'll admit, messing with Chase's car like that and freaking him out. It had been the first time he had laughed in a while.

Anti was a bastard like that but he had to make some fun somehow! It got boring after so long alone in the static. All alone a vast void of nothing with no one to talk to. Of course he didn't mind ALL that much. He hated people. 

But he wanted to become corporeal. It was his only wish. 

Then the real fun could begin.