Euphoria

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Back Against The Wall

Anti could barely keep his eyes open long enough to see his brother inject the third syringe into his veins, already shivering plenty to make the chair rattle and shift under his weight. His fingertips were numb, and he was frosty to the touch. If he were left in the snow for hours, he wouldn't be able to get any colder than he was now, his eyes glazed as droplets of sweat clouded his vision.

Dark's hostile gaze shifted from Anti's eyes to his lips, which were starting to turn blue as he removed the needle from under the demon's skin. "Wait, is this what an overdose looks like? I'm sorry, I'm not sure how Heroin works. I don't use it myself." There was an accusing fire in his deep blue eyes as a slow smirk spread across his face. "Oh, come on. That one was funny."

The atmosphere was foul enough to make them both want to heave, the stench of death hanging in the air as Chase's wife and kids continued to watch from their little nook in the corner, huddling closer for warmth and safety, but this time, Stacy had her kids behind her. "Let us go. Why are you doing this?" She said, attempting and failing to keep her voice steady. "Why do you want to... Absorb him? What does that even mean?"

The body of her ex-husband seemed to shift and jerk, his head tossing to the side to look at her. "Why? Oh, but Dear."

Stacy cringed at the way he said Chase's favorite pet name for her when they were together. She was starting to miss his comfort, the way he made her feel safe as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear at night before they'd go to bed and whisper those reassuring words to her. "Don't call me that."

"You hear that, Chase? After all this, she still doesn't love you. I was hoping kidnapping her could change her mind. Remember when we agreed on that?" Dark said, keeping his eyes trained on his meat suits beloved wife, his fingers wrapped around the arms to Anti's chair.

"What?"

"You heard me, Dear."

"No! He wouldn't do that. He would never put his kids in danger! Especially for me! Don't try to twist my trust, asshole." Stacy said, her arms shielding her children, heart pounding in her chest. "I know what my husband was. And it wasn't this. It wasn't you. You're a monster--a pretender. A worthless piece of--"

Dark soon stood from his crouch, briskly dragging his feet over to her, an intense fire in his eyes as he hauled her up by the neck, giving her trachea a good squeeze. "You think you know me? You don't know anything about me, girl. I could snap your neck in two seconds, and no one would miss you, pathetic excuse of a human being and a mother."

"No! Put her down!" Trey screamed, carefully setting his sister down and standing, shoving Dark with all his might. "I'll kill you if you touch her again!"

Dark stumbled back, losing his footing and falling onto his rear. He was surprised at first, but surprise quickly turned into rage as he got back up. "I don't think that was the best idea, son. Now you and your mother will die. Perhaps I'll kill the little one first. Make you watch as I crush her skull."

"Don't touch her!" Stacy said, standing in front of her daughter. "Please, Chase... I know you're in there. You wouldn't hurt her, would you? I know you wouldn't. You're her father... She needs you. I need you, Honey. Don't leave us." She said, resorting to a last-ditch effort, staring into her ex-husband's eyes.

Dark seemed to falter for a moment, his eyes filled with an urgency she'd never seen before. "I--"

Henrik growled, knife in hand, and pointing it at what he assumed to be his brother walking down the last few basement steps. "Get avay from zhem, psycho! I know vhat you've done!" He said, carefully walking toward Dark, his white lab coat still damp with blood and water.

Anti's head jerked to the side, watching his brother make the stupidest mistake he could've, his body racked with aches and pains, but he kept his mouth closed for fear of another injection.

"Do you know? Go on, enlighten me then. Tell me just what I've done." He said, the kindness that he showed only seconds ago fading from him rapidly, not startled in the least, his hands folded behind his back as he eyed the confused man in amusement.

The doctor gasped for air, his chest heaving, and his hair matted to his forehead. "I vas just trying to help you. You didn't have to kill Dr. Greene, damn it! I could've helped you get better."

Dark put his hands up in mock surrender, taking a step back for every step the doctor made. "Oh, come now. You don't really believe they could help me, do you? I'm a broken man, bro. I'm better off dead. So bring it. Go ahead. Kill me and get it over with."

Henrik didn't understand the kind of game he was playing at, deciding to take action and slice at the demon's arm. "If you truly believe zhat, zhen I have no choice. You're a danger to society."

It was in this moment that Anti realized the kind of trouble he was in, starting to rock back and forth in his chair, angrily tossing, trying not to make the attention divert to him just yet, needing to face his naive and impulsive brother.

Dark hissed, covering the deep cut with one hand, blood already leaking through his fingers and dripping down his arm, rhythmically hitting the floor. "Well, don't just play with your kill! End it, brother. End it so I can have sweet relief. I don't have all day!"

Something slammed to the ground, earning the whole floor's attention. Anti laid there, still tied to the chair, his dilated eyes swirling with dizziness before they landed on the doctor. He stared intently, slowly starting to shake his head, too weak to draw deep breaths or speak. It wasn't like Anti to cower from someone, but it seemed like that's what he was doing, his back pressed against the chair.

Henrik looked back to Dark, a puzzle piece seeming to click. This couldn't be his brother because Chase would never admit he was suicidal, especially in front of his kids, or let himself be killed when his children were still here. "Who are you...?" He said, blade still clutched in his hand.

"I am something most would fear. Someone that you haven't heard or seen from in a very long time." Dark said, advancing onto the doctor without a moment's hesitation and grabbing him by the arms. "Someone you really shouldn't have fucked with."