No Strings Attached - Sanders Sides

Part Seventeen - Patton

"Where do you think you're going?!" Remus roared from the imagination's entrance. Fear sewed my shoes to the ground as I just watched Remus charge at me. Logan took action for me, grabbing my arms and helping me run. I was panting the whole time we ran. We followed Roman, seeing as he knew the imagination best.

He was trying to lead us to his kingdom, but it was clear that now Remus was in here too, things were falling apart. It began to rain, giant clouds and lightening strikes looming all around us. The ground shook violently every time the bolts of light came down. They came closer and closer to us as Remus ran at us, mace ready and death in his eyes.

Roman fell back, wanting to protect us. He presented his sword, going to attack Remus. His mace clashed against his brother's sword, making me jump. Logan grabbed my shoulders and slowly started pulling me backwards. I was hesitant. I didn't want to leave Roman.

The brothers kept fighting, both loosing their stamina overtime. Remus tried to take a swing at Roman's leg but he dodged just in time. Instead, the prince took his sword directly into Remus' arm. The green brother screamed out, dropping his mace as reaction. "You're going to pay for that!"

Remus charged at his brother, grabbing his neck and holding it tight. Roman scratched and kicked, failing to dislodge himself for the iron grip of Remus. Logan and I took action. Logan went over to Roman, trying to help and pull him back. I took a different approach.

I grabbed the sword loosely dangling from Roman's fingers. I stood next to Remus, holding the sword as if it were a baseball bat. "Sorry, Remus." I mumbled. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see the action I already committed to. As the sword lowered, Remus yelled out again.

When I opened my eyes, Roman gasped out. Remus had let him go, leaving him to collapse into Logan's arms. Remus fell to his knees, Roman's sword lodged in his thigh. He threw it out, tossing it behind him so nobody could get it without passing him. He grabbed his mace, laughing while slowing bleeding from his two wounds.

"You three are idiots for trying to stop Deceit. Knowing him, he probably killed Anxiety already. He wants you to go over there. He'll kill you, fools. You stand no chance. NONE OF YOU!" He laughed.

The thought that Anxiety could be dead right now hurt my heart. I hope Remus was lying. Anxiety has already been through so much. I never should've talked with him. He wouldn't be in so much pain if I hadn't.

Suddenly, a rain of pink fuzz started to come from sky. Panic shot through me. Thomas had taken his sleeping medication and was slowly drifting off.  Roman, Logan, and I swapped glances. We had to get out of here.

Logan and I were the first to dash away, but Roman stuttered. He was looking at Remus, debating whether or not to hep him. Obviously Remus couldn't run, but would it be cruel to leave him here? Roman summoned a roll of gauze, tossing it at his brother's chest. "Take care, Remus." Roman said for running off with us.

Fuzz kept falling off our shirts, but we flicked it off as soon as it came on. When we made it to the other side, we stopped. Logan put his hand to the black wall in front of us. When he did, his hand phased right through it. It was no wall, but a barrier.

I turned back to Remus, seeing him collapse to his side in a deep sleep from his position on his knees. We phased through the wall, gasping at the sight before us. There stood a crumbling apart house. A black wood house with cracked chimney and chipping paint. All the windows were boarded and each tree was dead. Everything about the house read scary. I was shaking just looking at it.

Logan nudged my shoulder, gaining my attention to point at the tunnel next to the house. Suddenly, I knew where I was. This was the unknown. Where we first formed. How come we never knew Deceit and Remus crafted a house right outside of the unknown.

"They've been living back here? For almost 26 years?" Roman asked, running his hand through his hair.

"The house is clearly unkempt. It can't be safe for living in." Logan spat.

"And Anxiety is inside it right now!" I reminded them. They nodded, taking small yet determined steps towards the door. We walked up the porch, Logan's leg going through one of the steps. Once Roman and I pulled him out, we watched Roman take a second to kick down the door.

The smell from the house burst out the door, running up our noses. I gagged at the scent. Garbage, sex, and blood. Not to mention, everything in the house was in worse condition than the house itself. The TV was cracked, the couch was bursting open, and many floor boards were missing.

We walked inside further, despite me not wanting to go further. I knew I had to. For Anxiety.

Logan and I wandered more into the kitchen. He started investigating cabinets while I looked at their dining table. On top of it was a pot of some sort of bright green mush. There was some sort of carcass floating in it. Is this what Anxiety has been eating?

"Guys!" Roman hollered from the living room. Logan and I rushed over, seeing Roman holding up a blanket, his eyes glued to the couch. We went to see what had captured his eyes. Upon seeing it, I stopped dead in my tracks.

There Anxiety laid, his black jacket and shirt torn to shreds, while his black pants were worn at the knees, revealing his bloody skin. His veins were black and seemed to be moving. He was skinny as a twig. His skin was so pale and the bags under his eyes said so much on their own.

His chest was having a hard time continuing the steady up and down pattern. He was peacefully asleep. All I could think was, why didn't we come sooner?

"I also found a completely drenched glove in the corner." Roman said, pointing to it.

"Drenched?" Logan repeated, walking over to it. With the tip of his nails, he picked it up, giving it a sniff from a far. "That would explain the chloroform in the cabinet."

"Chloroform!" Roman and I shouted back.

"By the looks of it, he's been out for about an hour. Obviously, Deceit did this to him." Concluded Logan.

"Well, let's get him out of here. Now!" I said. The two agreed. Roman bent down, trying to scoop him up in his arms. We all grew still when subtle noises came from his mouth.

Little by little, Anxiety opened his eyes. They read confusion as they danced between, Roman, Logan, and then, myself. "Patton?" He groggily asked. Tears fled to my eyes.

"Yes, kiddo. It's really me." I confirmed, wiping my eyes. He grew panicked, fighting his way out of Roman's arms. He winced when he fell back on the couch, his veins pumping the black ooze further into him.

"Y-You need to leave. H-H-He'll come for you. He'll h-hurt you!" Anxiety cried. Moving seemed to hurt him. This was odd to me.

"What do you mean?" Logan asked. That's when we heard a dark and scary laugh. We fore, turning to the stairs where the noise was coming from. There stood Deceit, smile wide and eyes glowing with rage.

"Welcoming the house guests, are we, Anxiety?"