"Dad-er... Dark...?" Eric peaked through the door.
"Come on in."
Anti turned to see a grief-stricken Eric edging into the room, and he set his confusion aside to run towards the child. "Eric? Eric, what's wrong? Sweetheart, why are you crying?" Dark came over as well, but had a look of understanding. He gently escorted Eric over to sit down. Anti sat next to the child, rubbing his hand comfortingly.
"I-I... The others sent m-me up here... Everyone was too... They-they couldn't... Break the news to you two..." Eric hiccupped.
Once again, Anti felt that dread.
But this time, he had a good feeling he was starting to understand. His mind seemed to stop himself from feeling- only allowing him to hear what came next blankly.
"We go-got a ca-call from... A call from Sean!" Eric burst into tears, sobbing and hiccupping his poor heart out.
Anti ran his fingers through Eric's hair in a comforting motion. Dark couldn't take it anymore and leaned down to engulf them both in a hug. A few silent tears of his own made their way down.
"I-I'M SORRY!" Eric clung onto Anti's shirt. "Shh..." Anti's voice cracked, but still- he felt nothing.
"I'm so sorry, Anti..."
"It's alright." Anti wasn't able to do anything but comfort him.
"Neither of you are at fault here... There's nothing to apologize for." Dark's voice soothed, rocking them both gently.
"He-he's dead..."
Anti stopped.
Stopped everything.
His eyes widened and he stared ahead.
It all clicked.
Henrik's note about investigating...
"He was killed."
Dark's outburst...
'It wasn't my fault...?'
But his brain wouldn't allow him to finish his thought process.
Wouldn't allow him to feel.
"No..."
"Shh... Anti, just breathe."
And that's all Anti could do.
Breathe.
Something Henrik would never be able to do again.
"I never..."
'I love you, child.'
'I never got to say it back...'
"..."
For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence.
Just trying to find comfort in each others company.
"Th-three... Three days." Eric mumbled.
"What?"
"Funeral."
The breath was knocked out of Anti.
It hit him like a brick.
All the emotions.
All the pain.
All the regret.
Henrik was dead.
Anti couldn't hold it in, he snapped.
He burst into tears, shaking and wailing, clinging to the two Ipliers like a lifeline.
'He's gone... Because of me.'
'I should've died. They should've killed me years ago.'
'It should've been me.'
YOU ARE READING
More Than One Way
FanfictionAnti doesn't know what's wrong with him. Whenever someone asks him why he did what he did, he can't answer- because he doesn't know. Whenever he thinks back to his days tormenting the others- they're... Blank. The memories are there, and he's sure h...
