Falling Inside The Black

Part 18

Anti was surprised and wanted to grill Mark.  Force Mark to tell him what he was doing to him.  Yet, whatever Mark was doing... It made him feel calm.  Almost docile.  Mark leaned into him more to kiss the entire length of the scar across his neck and Anti shivered.  Why did it feel good?  His senses had always been dull to everything, except sharp pain.  Tilting his head back a little more, Anti forced himself to fill his lungs with air.  Mark finished trailing tender kisses along his scar, before his wet tongue slid out to teasingly trail its way back.  Anti couldn't stop the soft moan that let his throat.  Dark's tongue always dug into his neck to draw out blood... Were Mark's caressed his skin.  Tasting his flesh in a loving kind of way.  Anti rubbed Mark's chest, vaguely aware that his nails were growing out long and sharp.  At least, until Mark jerked back with a light gasp.  Anti followed Mark's gaze to his chest... where Anti noticed that one of his nails had sliced clean through the white shirt he was wearing.  A weight dropped into the pit of Anti's stomach as he carefully removed his hands off Mark.

Staring at his thick black claws, Anti sighed silently to himself.  This is why he was better off with Dark.  He was a monster... and the only people who could understand were other monsters.  Mark was just lucky that he hadn't electrocuted him.  Mark pulled at his shirt to reveal the wound and Anti's eyes quickly turned up from his hands to look.  Mark's tanned skin was smooth and normal looking... the wound was not.  The scratch should've been bleeding out a bright red.  Only it was shining a bright neon white instead.  Just like Sans had showed him was happening to his eyes!  Mark chuckled at Anti's surprised, rubbing his chest soothingly as he told him simply.  "What? Did you think I'd bleed? I'm a soul. Souls don't bleed. I'm practically made of pure life force".  Anti blinked in bewilderment.  Pure life force?  Was that why his eyes were glowing?  Was he feeding off Mark's life?  Mark reached out to touch his wrists and Anti recoiled from him.  Pulling his wrists away and asking tentatively.  "If you value you're life you shouldn't touch me. I'll probably drain you faster than Dark".  Mark stared back at him confused a moment, before letting out a pleasant chuckle.

Anti stared back emotionless.  He was being serious.  He didn't really care what happened to Mark personally... but something about Mark made him hesitant to end him.  Was Mark right?  Was the connection between Jack and him that powerful?  Dark didn't seem to feel that same connection with Mark.  Mark placed a hand on Anti's, smiling as he told him.  "You're not draining me, Anti. I'm sharing it with you. You feel empty and alone. You want to feel. It's all because you're soulless. A soul is made up of Wisdom, Strength, Friendship, and Love".  Mark leaned in closer to him to kiss his cheek, before whispering softly into his ear.  "You are Jack's Strength. You protect him... even if he doesn't know it. But a warrior can't rely on pain alone. Sans and Sam are the halves of Friendship you both need. Jack is Wisdom and Love... but you don't trust him".  Anti jerked his head away from Mark, bitterly snapping out.  "Don't twist this to be about HIM. You maybe right... but you have no idea what he has done to keep me in the shadows"!  Mark reached out to touch him again and Anti moved out of his reach.

Mark lowered his hand, choosing to tell Anti in that warm caring voice of his.  "You're right. I don't. But ask yourself this, Anti. What do you want from the world? Dark wants to rule over it and cover the world in the very Darkness you hate so much. What do you want"?  Anti glanced over at little Sans, who stared back at him like he wanted to know the answer too.  Even Chica had her head up... watching him with those soft eyes.  Anti clenched his fists, climbing quickly to his feet as he snapped out.  "I think it is time you left, Mark".  Anti quickly strolled down the hallway toward the spare bedroom.  He needed to blow off some steam and playing music always calmed him down.  When behind him, Mark yelled out to him heatedly.  "Anti, don't walk away from me! Why won't you listen to me"?  Anti lost control of his temper.  He just couldn't take it anymore!  Turning around to face Mark, he felt the temperature rise in the hallway.  Green sparks shot off him, scorching the walls as he slowly walked toward Mark.  His voice becoming loud and distorted as it burst from every speaker in the house.  "WHY WON'T 'YOU' LISTEN"?!

Mark started to back away down the hall as Anti kept walking toward him.  Anti raised his hands to drag his claws along the walls as he continued on angrily.  "I'M NOTHING LIKE JACK! I DON'T NEED HIM! I AM NOT AFRAID! I AM TO BE FEARED! ME! I'M THE BEAST! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL EVERYONE"!  Anti let out a distorted laugh that echoed in every speaker, before he told Mark loudly.  "Nowhere to run, Boyo! Come here right now! Come closer, Mark! You have to come closer, NOW! If you don't, The big monster will come and get you... He will come and get you... HE WILL COME AND GEEEEEEET YOUUUU! HAHAHAHA"!  Mark stared at him with soft eyes and stopped backing up at the end of the hall.  Anti continued to approach him as Mark suddenly told him calmly.  "I'm not afraid of you, Anti".  Anti stopped just before Mark, menacingly sneering out.  "You should be".  Anti clawed his nails a little higher up the walls causing the sparks coming off his body to became more violent and chaotic.  He was going to show Mark how angry he had made him!  The sparks ignited lines of flames along the walls like lighting a match, but Anti didn't care if the house went up in flames! 

Mark didn't seem to even flinch.  Even as the sparks started missing him by mere inches.  Instead, he raised his hand out while Anti was focused on charging and uttered softly aloud.  "Jack... I need your help. I can't get past his defenses".  Anti felt Sans switch the planes of his eyes, just in time to see Jack materialize behind Mark.  Mark quickly placed a hand to Anti's chest and before Anti could back away, Jack placed his hand inside Mark's!  Anti gasped in surprise as that same weird pulsing energy shot straight into his heart.  All the energy Anti had built up was sapped away in an single instant.  Dropping to his knees, Anti weakly grabbed their wrist.  They were doing something to him!  When Mark removed his hand, Anti collapsed back against the floor limply.  Standing over him, Anti heard Jack tell him in a soft pained voice.  "I'm sorry, Anti. I needed you to release Mark. We can't take you both on alone, but together we can overcome each others weaknesses to overpower you. We just needed more of your energy before going after Dark". 

Anti weakly closed his eyes, feeling more betrayed than ever. Used and abused.  Always a tool for someone else.  Listening to them leave, Anti opened his eyes again and felt a rage like he had never felt before.  Dark had been right.  He wouldn't make that mistake again.  When he recharged... he was going to enjoy watching the world burn.  Little Sans crept up into his palm and Anti stroked him with his thumb.  Soulless were they? Anti was Jack's strength?  Than he would be his destruction.  Who needed to feel?  Who needed a soul?  To Be Continued...