Showtime (A Sanscest Story)

The Next Victim

"So who was that Fresh guy?" Cross asked, tipping his head. Ink sighed and felt upset. He crossed his arms. He didn't seem to like talking about it and for a moment, Cross almost took back his question. Before he could, Ink answered.

"Fresh is a parasite. He feeds on other's SOULs. The body you saw was not his. He came here for a new one because it was dying. Fresh kind of... appeared... a bit ago. He avoids Nightmare and he's the only ticket to breaking your contract besides death. But usually, the people he chooses wish they were dead instead."

Cross felt uneasy. He looked down. He kind of regret asking. He rubbed the back of his neck and thanked Ink for the information. Ink seemed surprised before giving a weak smile. "Welcome." He said, shrugging.

Cross chuckled. "I'm gonna head back to the Ringmaster and see if he needs anything else." Cross said, turning. He heard Ink wish him a worried good luck and left the tent.

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Reaper watched, slightly disturbed, as the skeleton pinned to the ground shrieked and begged for mercy. Fresh had taken off his shades. "Chillax, brah, this won't hurt a bit." He insisted. Reaper had led Fresh right to a new host. Reaper turned away as the purple tentacles began to stretch out of Fresh's eye, towards the other's eyesocket.

He hated Fresh. He hated him, but Fresh's time wasn't up and he had to keep living. As long as he didn't touch or interact with Geno, Reaper would provide him with a host. He gripped his scythe as the skeleton's screams became garbled before they cut off completely.

Soon, he heard the old body dusting and turned, summoning the old, dried-out SOUL to him before breaking it in half. It disappeared into the air and he focused on the skeleton that appeared dead or asleep on the ground. He jumped as the eyes opened, revealing an upside-down heart in one.

A grin spread across the skeleton's face and Fresh sat up, stretching the new body. "That is SO MUCH BETTER, BRAH!" He said, laughing. He stood up and turned to Reaper, scooping up his shades. "Thanks, my deathly dude." Reaper gave a nod and quickly disappeared, wanting to be around Fresh as little as possible.

He reappeared in the Medical Tent. He HATED Fresh. The damn thing killed monsters before their time and it pissed him off to no end. But he was protecting Geno. He heard the curtain open behind him. "Reaper?" Geno's voice was quiet and uncertain. Reaper sighed and turned to him, opening an arm.

"Is it done?" Geno asked, approaching him and allowing Reaper to wrap an arm around his shoulders. Reaper gave a quiet nod, having dropped his scythe to hold his head in his hand. Geno was quiet. "Good." He stared at Reaper, seeming dismayed.

Reaper knew that Geno could tell how much Fresh stressed him out, so the other wasn't being stubborn or standoffish right then. Reaper appreciated it. Geno hesitantly pressed into Reaper's side, and Reaper glanced at him. Geno had closed his eye and leaned his head against the other's shoulder.

Reaper felt a small bit of warmth in his usually cold chest as he watched him. He closed his eyes and accepted the silent comfort without a word.

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Cross was halfway back across the circus when he felt coldness. He froze up and paused as Nightmare passed along the path far in front of him. Cross was carrying a bucket of old, dirty water from the Animal Tent, about to go dump it. He'd been asked by Blue, who'd caught him. He furrowed his brow. Where was the Ringmaster going? He stopped himself from calling out and quietly resigned himself to following awkwardly behind.

He stopped as he realized they were leaving the circus. Nightmare was heading up into the woods. Cross paused again, feeling like he was doing something he wasn't supposed to. He quietly noted that, despite being out of his tent, Nightmare was not carrying his whip.

He glanced back and forth between Nightmare and the Ringmaster's Tent. Should he just wait back at the tent for Nightmare to return? Should he go and rest at the New Tent? Or... He knew this one was the worst idea. Should he follow Nightmare and find out where he was going?

After a brief, heated debate with himself, he chose the third option. He took a step forward and that nagging voice in the back of his head spoke up again. "Yeah, that's just like you, isn't it? Always poking your head into other peoples' business, huh, partner?"

He didn't like the way it called him partner and he didn't like the way it sounded like his dead sibling. He suppressed it again and followed after Nightmare quickly, almost having lost the darker skeleton in the trees. He managed to move almost silently with the bucket.

As he followed, he realized the trees were growing closer and eerie. He recognized this part of the woods. Nightmare was headed to that abandoned tent. What had everyone called it? The Final Tent? Cross was baffled. What could Nightmare possibly want with it?

Before he knew it, he could sense fear and slight numbness of grief. It wasn't from Nightmare though. Cross froze up. He recognized that aura. The emotions he felt were from Killer.