"Anti?"
Chase looked up to Dark pleadingly, "Hurry! Please help!" he pressed onto Anti's wound harder, trying his best to fix his mistake.
Dr. Iplier cut through the crowd and ran up to the two, "HENRIK! Inside, now!" he looked to Google, "Okay Google, go get tweezers or anything similar you can find. Ethan, will you help him? Jackie! You were just in the bathroom! Can you get any peroxide or alcohol?!"
Jackie didn't expect to come out of the bathroom to see this. He had heard the gunshot and screaming and rushed out as fast as he could but it had been too late.
"Y-yeah. I-I'll-" he bolted back into the bathroom while Google followed Ethan in a hurry.
Henrik ran in , as well and shouted in shock, "Dammit, Chase! Vhat have you done! Anti!"
That seemed to have sparked a few of the others out of their shock and Dark was the first to come running, shoving Chase away from his friend.
"Anti? Anti! Are you awake? Please don't be dead!" he pressed onto his wound instead, "Doctor!"
"I'm looking" Dr. Iplier put his hand on Anti's throat to check his pulse, "It's weak but he's barely there. We need to get that bullet out and stabilize him."
"You stabilize him and I'll do the rest" Dark growled, "Don't lose him, doc"
"I don't plan on it"
Sean was leaned over at Dark's side, brushing Anti's hair with his hand, "Hang on, Anti. Just hang on. We got you." he looked up at Chase who was looking quite panicked, "Why?"
Chase looked back up to Sean but didn't have an answer. He saw the way everyone looked at him.
This was his fault. He knew that. He fucked up. If Anti died, so would he and he knew that. Why did he pull the trigger!? He didn't WANT to do it!
Without thinking further, he just ran, bolting out of the apartment as fast as he could.
Marvin and Jameson looked like they wanted to go after him but Sean stopped them, "Marvin! I need you here! Can't you do something?!"
But the magician just shook his head, "I can't perform complicated healing spells, Sean . . .. . I'm sorry. I'm of no help here"
Jackie ran back in with a bottle of peroxide and handed it to one of the doctors, "Where's Chase?"
"Who cares about him!? Help Anti!" Dark felt his heart crumble. He couldn't lose him.
He barely registered Wilford behind him, his hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him.
Anti whimpered just barely in his unconscious state as Henrik poured some of the alcohol on the wound.
"It's okay, Anti." Sean was crying at this point, shivering in the adrenaline, "You'll be okay. I promise"
Google and Ethan rushed back in with a first aid kit and tweezers and Dr. Iplier sterilized the tools.
Mark held Amy close, only able to watch it all happen, seeing everyone in pain. Nothing he could do.
They all watched in horror as Henrik kept Anti restrained just in case and Dr. Iplier plunged the tweezers into the bullet hole. Anti's body jumped slightly but it was worrying just how little he moved. They were losing him.
"He is losing a lot of blood" Google stated, "Probability of survival is low"
"Shut up, Google!" Dark shouted, "He's not gonna die! Just get that fucking bullet out, now!"
"I'm trying!" Dr. Iplier shouted back, moving as calmly and professionally as he could.
Everyone was stuck in a few moments of silence until Dr. Iplier finally pulled the bullet out but he still looked somber.
"Dark . . . . Google's right. He's-"
"Shut up. Do you not remember what happened when Yan accidentally stabbed Wil?"
"I remember" Wil snorted, "Still hurt for a week"
"You can't do that with this sort of injury, Dark!" the doctor argued, "Wil wasn't in a life-threatening situation. Anti's . . ."
"Still alive! And I'll be damned that I let my brother go so easily! I won't let him die when I could have done something about it!" Dark pressed his hand over the wound, tears streaked down his face, "Damn glitch, you'll owe me big for this"
Suddenly the apartment went black as pitch and he growled, two separate auras seeping from his body and into Anti's wound. Dark looked like he'd faint already but he kept at his task.
Suddenly, Celine's image appeared next to him and even Mark looked ready to freak out. Wilford just stared at her, heartbroken.
"Damien says it's too late for him. But then again he was always so depressing. Let's prove him wrong, hm? You should be prepared to stay in bed yourself for a while after this, Dark."
Before anybody could say anything, she was gone and her red aura surrounded Anti, her seer magic doing all it could to heal Anti.
Nobody knew quite what to say or do, watching transfixed as the wound slowly healed over and Dark grew weaker and weaker, the darkness in the room fading to dim as sunlight reached back in.
Once he was healed, Dr. Iplier checked his pulse again, "It's better. Looks like you did it, Dark."
"He's already looking stronger" Henrik nodded.
Dark breathed heavily as his energy depleted and Celine's power seeped back inside of him, "G-good" he stared back down at Anti before suddenly fainting next to him.
Google scanned him, "My scans say he'll be fine. He just fainted from exhaustion."
Mark breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged Amy closer to him, "They. . . they're gonna be okay"
Sean brushed his hand through Anti's hair again and leaned over to gently hug him, leaving a brief kiss on his forehead, "Fooking hell, the stress you egos give me"
Jackie breathed out in relief as well but suddenly realized something, "So. . . where did Chase go? Did he do this?"
"He ran off" Marvin answered, nodding, "Probably thought we'd kill him or something."
"He's lucky that wasn't my first instinct" Wilford scoffed.
"Nor mine" Google agreed.
"He better pay for the stains on my carpet, that's all I gotta say" Ethan sighed, "That and. . . . he better get a damn good punishment. Anti didn't deserve this"
Jameson just shook his head.
"Sean . .. want me to go find him?" Jackie asked, "We don't want him trying to leave back to the UK"
His creator just nodded, "Yeah .. . go for it. Take him to the manor. We'll meet you there"
Jackie nodded and headed out.
Bim stared at the scene awkwardly but noticed something else, "Where's the Jims?"
No one had an answer though. Henrik sighed, "We should get Anti and Dark home. My guess is they won't wake up for a while and they both need their rest."
"You're right. Mark, Sean. You wanna-"
Marvin lifted his hands, making the two levitate in the air, "This, I can do. Let's get them in the car"
Chase just ran.
He ran as fast as he could. He didn't know where he was going and he didn't care.
Part of him wished he came across a cliff so he could jump it.
He didn't want this. He never wanted this.
What happened!?
'That voice' he thought to himself, 'I knew it wasn't . . . but it had to be me, right? Who else could it have been?! And why. . . My head feels so fuzzy'
Tears ran down his face. He barely registered it but felt them. He couldn't stop crying.
'And now Anti's gonna die because of. . ..it was my mistake! I fucked up. I should have known'
He made it more into town and ran into an alley to hide. He knew he was screwed. He fell onto the ground against a wall, sobbing to himself. The last look in Anti's eyes. The pure acceptance. As if he just knew it was going to happen and he was sort of okay with it. That he thought he deserved it. It wasn't right!
Chase suddenly threw up on the ground, still crying and just screamed to himself at what he had done, sick to his stomach.
'I should have known better. I should have talked to somebody. To Hen or even Jackie. I just thought I was tired though. I didn't know. I didn't know. They'd never believe me. Why would they!?'
On his way out running, he had grabbed his gun, taking it with him.
He had it in his hand. Safety off.
'Was I possessed? Is that what happened? Then who? Does it even still matter at this point!? I killed him!!'
He unconsciously put the gun to his head.
'There's no way Anti survived that. He's dead.' His heart broke but he knew that realistically, that would be the case with a gunshot to the chest.
'I deserve it' he thought to himself, 'If anyone deserves to die, it's me. Anti didn't deserve that. I killed him. I killed him. He's gone because of me. He never actually killed anyone before and here I. . . .. I'm worse than he ever was'
His finger touched on the trigger, ready to do it.
'I'll apologize in death. I'm so fucking sorry, Anti'
He was so close. Just one light touch and-
"Chase! Chase, where are you!?"
He should have just done it and gotten it over with.
Chase saw the shadow of someone outside the alley, "Chase?! That you!?"
Jackie started to come closer when he froze, seeing the gun to Chase's head.
"Get away from me! I deserve this! Go away!" Chase sobbed.
Jackie didn't know what to think, really. He thought Chase hated Anti. Now he was crying over him?
"Chase. . . .. put the gun down. Put the gun down and talk to me."
"No! Get away! I'll do it! I'll shoot!" Chase pressed the barrel harder to his own head, cringing at his own roughness.
"Why'd you do it, Chase? What happened? Things were going so well and-"
"I don't know!" Chase interrupted him, "I don't fucking know, Jackie! I don't know! The voices. ... they wouldn't shut up! And he. . .. . it hurt so much. I just wanted it all to stop! And I was so angry! I'm sorry!"
"Wait. . . voices?"
"I know I'm crazy! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it! I didn't want it! I didn't! I deserve this!"
"Chase wait! No you don't! Everything's fine! Anti's going to be okay!"
"Don't you lie to me, Jackie!" Chase suddenly stood up, the gun still pressed firmly to his head, "Anti's dead and it's all my fault! Just let me do this! Let me punish myself! I deserve this!"
"What voices are you talking about? And stop saying that! Dark healed Anti, Chase! Everything's going to be alright. Just put the gun down"
Chase blinked at him, confused, "Wh-what? H-he's. . . are you sure!?"
"Yes, Chase, I'm sure. I saw it for myself. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. Anti's alright. You didn't kill him."
Chase's breathing calmed down a tad and the gun hung a bit more loosely in his hand, "He's. . . . .okay?"
"He's okay" Jackie confirmed.
Slowly, Chase put down the gun, dropping it to the ground, "I. . . . I didn't really want to do it. Jackie, I . . ."
"Easy there" Jackie tried calming him a bit more, coming closer, "You said something about voices?"
When they pulled up to the manor, everyone was already outside, waiting on them. Mark had guessed that Host told them what had happened.
As soon as they got Anti and Dark out of the car, they all came rushing up asking questions but their words all jumbled together either crying or shouting.
"Alright, enough!" Mark yelled out over everyone, "Everything's okay now, guys. Anti's healed and Dark's just tired from helping him. They're going to be okay"
"Where's Chase!?" Yan yelled, brandishing their katana, "I'm gonna kill him!"
"Don't know" Sean shook his head, "He ran off but Jackie went to find him. When they come back, I'LL be the one to decide what happens to him. None of you"
They quieted down to murmurs and whispering, watching sadly as Marvin levitated them inside followed closely by the doctors.
"Let's take them to my office" Dr. Iplier suggested, "They can rest there and we'll be able to keep a better eye on them"
"Agreed" Henrik pat Marvin's shoulder, "Zhis way."
Eric swallowed, terrified by all the implications, "Why did Chase d-do it? I. . . I don't understand."
"Yeah" Yancy agreed, "Knew trick-shot hated him but to try an' kill 'im?"
"Not even the Host clearly understands. The Host says he has not been getting a good reading on him in quite a few days. It was an odd thing but he had chose not to think anything of it at the time."
"Coulda been good to warn us, pal" Wilford rolled his eyes, "That never happens to you unless-"
He stopped himself, looking unsure but it was as if a light bulb just went off.
"What, Wil?" Amy asked, "Unless what?"
Mark suddenly realized what Wil was thinking but before anyone could say anything else, Sean's phone rang.
He took it out, looking at the caller ID, "It's Jackie"
"Answer it!" Ethan stressed.
He clicked the accept key, "Hey Jackie. You find him?"
Jackie was saying something on the other end and Sean's eyes widened.
"Wait, really? What do you think?"
Everything tried listening intently but they couldn't make out the words.
"What? The Jims are there, too? They weren't at the apartment when we got back. What do you mean? I don't understand. Footage? A shadow? Are you sure?"
Mark's face paled, suddenly knowing exactly what had happened, "Sean . . ." he got his attention.
"Hold on, Jackie. What is it, Mark?"
Everyone waited for him to continue, the air hanging thick around them.
"Tell Jackie to bring Chase here and the Jims' here. I have an inkling what happened"
Wilford nodded and Host sighed at the realization as well.
"Seems Chase is more innocent in this than we thought."