The Project

Chapter Fifty-Two: I Am Eternal

"A mistake? I'm going to save everyone!"

"Everyone? What about yourself? What about your brothers? You can't guarantee our safety."

"And who's going to stop me?!"

The Doctor grinned. "So glad you asked. I am."

"You? You can't stop me. I have to help this place, don't you see? We'll all die if I don't." Anti said, trying to talk sense into the insane man.

"But you can't save us. You're just a demon — an insignificant life. Not even a life, only a husk."

Anti was infuriated, glitching in an out of existence with each word his naive brother spoke. "You don't know that! And I'm just as valuable as you are!"

"Tell me why then if you're so valuable." Henrik circled him, his hands clasped behind his back as he gave Anti a mocking sneer.

He followed the mad man with his eyes, "Tell you what?"

"Why you have self-destructive thoughts all the time, thinking no one can tell."

"I don't!" Anti swung at him with his fists, missing him by an inch as the doctor pulled away.

"Tell me then, do you love yourself?"

"..."

"I said, do you love yourself?"

"I don't have to answer this shit!" Antis glitching grew out of control until he couldn't see straight, his ears ringing with noise. "Stop asking me questions, dammit!"

Henrik was now behind him, Anti's eyes no longer able to track him as he kicked his legs out from under him. "See? You can't even see through your own glitching! How can you expect to save us?! You're pathetic!"

The demon was on his knees now, tears threatening to spill. "I can save you! All of you!" His voice cracked, and static filled the air. "I know I can..."

"No, you don't! For all you know, you could make everything worse than it already is! Just give up." The doctor spat, kicking him in the side and sending him flying to the other side of the room.

Anti could hear a few of his ribs crack, making it hard to breathe. He couldn't see, and he couldn't hear anything over his static. He was terrified as he pressed himself against the wall, reaching a hand out to feel around.

Henrik walked over to him, squatting down to his level. "You can't even save yourself, Anti." He didn't wait for a reply before grabbing the demon's leg and putting pressure on it, snapping the bone underneath.

Anti let out a scream; his breathing labored as it was, but he could do this. He knew he could. "You're wrong!"

"Am I? Then why aren't you doing anything? Why can't you see through your static and glitching? Why can you barely hear my voice through the noise?" Henrik went for his other leg, deciding to crush his ankle in his vice grip.

Anti kept his mouth shut, his chest heaving and the black tears finally flowing.

The doctor scowled, hoping for more of a fight as he picked the demon up, tossing him toward the middle of the room like a sack of flour. "PATHETIC! WEAK! I'LL KILL YOU JUST LIKE MARVIN!"

Anti's laughter rose above Henrik's words, above the static and above the wind and whirring before dying off, a grin plastered to his face. "You're wrong, brother." He chided bitterly.

He reached his hand out toward the portal, catching a glimpse of the way it glitched angrily.

Henrik glared at him, looking from his brother to the portal. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Anti ignored him, looking only toward the light of the portal as his hand disrupted its continuous light. His voice was clear as he spoke, feeling serene for once in his life. "For I... I am eternal."

"ANTI!"

The darkness surrounded them on all sides, all at once until there was nothing left.

-

"Sir? Hello, Sir?"

Sean opened his eyes, wondering how long he'd been standing in line, waiting for his coffee. "Oh! I'm so sorry." He chuckled, a light blush on his cheeks as he took the cup from her hands. "Must've dozed there!"

She laughed nodding. "I understand. But uh... I have a favor to ask. Your names, Sean, right? Jacksepticeye? My daughter's a big fan of yours, and I'd love it if you could sign this shirt for her?"

"I uh... I actually prefer Jack, but of course!" He grabbed the spare sharpie she had, signing the shirt in her hands. "Tell her; I said hello!"

"Of course! Thank you!"

Sean waved before exiting the coffee shop. "Have a nice day!"

On his way home, he couldn't fight the smile that formed on his face. So many people loved him. How? He didn't know. He was just a guy, recording videos for fun. That's what he loved, and he was so lucky to find that people liked it too.

Sean still felt sad on occasion, and when he did, he'd call up a friend to remind him that he was worth it. His fans never let him down either. They could always bring a pearly white smile to his face. He was lucky to have such caring people in his life.

And as for his family? He could never hear the end of their support. Every step of the way, they were there for him. Of course, the ground got shaky, but in the end, it was worth it.

All the blood, sweat, and tears he cried, all the hateful comments people made, it was worth it. And he kept going. He pushed forward like a champ.

Sean felt the sun on his skin, looking up at the cloudless sky and feeling at peace. He knew that everyone would have their differences, their fallouts, but in the end? They grew stronger for it, always fighting.

Every heartache, every bruise, every scar led him to this moment, and he found himself thinking. What if he'd never chosen to become a YouTuber?

Well, that's a future he never wanted to be a part of.