Voices in My Head

Chapter Six

Anti and Mark silently climbed into the car, then stared at each other for a long minute. "If Dark didn't kill Amy, then who did?" Mark finally asked Anti.

A sound broke from the back of Anti's throat, as he chewed on the tip of his thumb. "Dark has many enemies, but I can only name a couple that is crazy enough to frame Dark." He spoke.

Mark swallowed heavily, deeply inhaling and expelling. "All we have to do now is figure out who they are and track them down," Mark said.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard," Anti replied sarcastically.

"We should head to Ego Inc. Maybe Wilford or Google will know something," Mark suggested, holding out his hands.

Anti let out a quiet groan as he tightened his grasp on the steering wheel; he despises the idea of someone being so ignorant as to frame his boyfriend. But he couldn't help but admire them. Whoever orchestrated this ruse is aware of Mark and Dark's enmity. Also, a small part of Anti suspected that even if they did identify the true culprit, it might not be enough to bring Dark back. There was a chance that Dark might stay this way until he died, whether by suicide or because the fans lost interest in him. Shaking the thought from his mind, Anti started his car and drove away from the parking lot towards Ego Inc.

The drive was short-lived, Mark was the first to exit the car. He walked to the porch before he noticed Anti wasn't behind him. "Hey, you, okay?" He questioned jogging back towards the car.

"Am I ever going to get him back?" Anti eventually wept and slammed his head against the driving wheel.

Mark sighed and rested his hand on Anti's back. "Pay attention, Anti. We'll always be family, no matter how much Dark and I disagree and butt heads. I should have listened to you the first time, but my emotions won out. If I know Dark as well as I think I do, he'll come back." He comforted him.

Anti wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, hiccupping softly for a few minutes before finally settling down. He took a few deep breaths, then followed Mark up onto the porch, hovering his hand a few inches above the door. Anti finally rapped hard against the door, taking a few steps backward. Seconds later the door slowly creaked open.

"Mark? Anti? What exactly are you doing here?" Wilford inquired, attempting to look beyond them.

"He's still in the hospital Will..." Mark informed him softly.

"Oh...Of course, stupid me." He responded swiftly with a chuckle. "Please come in," Wilford said as he pushed the door open further. Wilford slowed his pace and tossed his rifle on the table next to the door. Everything was the same as before as Anti and Mark followed Wilford to what used to be Dark's office. Mark eased himself into the chair, everything spotless as Dark would have preferred. Anti leaned against the doorframe; his arms folded tightly across his chest. "Oh...Of course, stupid me." He responded swiftly with a chuckle. "Please come in," Wilford said as he pushed the door open further. Wilford slowed his pace and tossed his rifle on the table next to the door. Everything was the same as before as Anti and Mark followed Wilford to what used to be Dark's office. Mark eased himself into the chair, everything spotless as Dark would have preferred. Anti leaned against the doorframe; his arms folded tightly across his chest.

Mark was the first to speak. "Listen, Will, we might have reason to believe Dark didn't do the crime he was admitted to."

"What are you on about? He was discovered by the cops over Amy's body." Wilford stated his case.

"He finally spoke to me; you cotton candy knucklehead!" Anti yelled as he pushed himself off the doorframe.

Wilford didn't seem fazed, he simply leaned back in his chair, and brought his fingers together. "And."

"He claimed he left her after attempting to stop the bleeding, whispering about how much he didn't want to let me down. He returned, and when he arrived, he stated that there was another person in the room." Mark went on to clarify.

"The boss didn't go insane?" A soft voice came from behind Anti, Anti jumped spinning around. Bim hugged the doorframe; his eyes were wide with a mixture of hope and fear.

Wilford sighed leaning forward, grabbing at his hair. "Bim, what have I told you about knocking?" Wilford questioned.

"I know, always knock on Dark's office door; he despises it when people burst in." Now, Will, answer my question! Is it true that the boss did not go insane? Bim asserted himself confidently.

Wilford opened his mouth to say something "We don't know, but we believe he was framed. But before we can be concerned about Dark, we must first figure out who did this to him." Mark stepped in.

Bim smiled widely, hopping from foot to foot. "I'll gather the family!" he chirped, speeding down the hallway.

"You shouldn't raise their hopes." Wilford sighed.

"You and Anti weren't the only two to lose someone, Wilford. They lost their leader." Mark answered.

Wilford rose and circled the desk. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so frigid. I miss him so badly because he always had the solutions. Dark would always keep us safe, whether from ourselves or the police officers. He never missed a beat when it came to cleaning up our messes. I only did one thing to repay him: I sent him away." Wilford wailed as he slid down the edge of the desk, his head buried in his legs.

"I'll tell you what I told Anti: if I know Dark as well as I do, I know he'll recover from this." Mark cooed as he kneeled next to Wilford.

"Yeah man, remember when Dark first experienced snow back at home? We took him down that big hill and he broke his wrist; he was so scared his dad would find out and he covered for us. Told his parents he lost his scarf." Anti chuckled, walking further into the room to kick Wilford's foot.

Wilford could not help but laugh at the memory, "He was grounded for a year afterward, that didn't stop him from sneaking out of his window to meet us though." Wilford responded, wiping his tears away. "He was such a prune back then wasn't he!?" Wilford added with a hearty chuckle.

"Yeah, he was...Just think Will, without us he would have turned out to be his father." Anti replied.

"I remember he got bronchitis after that, and he still wouldn't tell his father about us, even though his father threatened to kick him out," Wilford remarked softly.

"Dark was sick a lot as a kid?" Mark inquired, exchanging eyes with the two.

"Every time... He has had a weakened immune system from birth. His father and he never agreed on anything; his father wanted Dark to be king. Dark, on the other hand, was only interested in music and art." Anti responded.

"So, wait you're telling me before we made the deal Dark was a prince?" Mark asked while he glanced at the two egos.

"Back home, the Doom family was one of the primary demon clans in control of the realm, Dark didn't want to be a part of that; instead, he wanted to be an artist. Of course, his father objected and informed him he was a blemish on the family. He was accused of being overly sensitive." Anti elaborated.

"Everyone was scared of the Doom family..." Wilford muttered before Mark could answer.

"Why don't you guys tell me the story when we bring Dark home," Mark suggested standing.

"That's an excellent idea. First, we must track down and punish the cretin who is responsible." Anti agreed, moving in the same direction.