Chapter Text
“Ō͢p̣̀eṅ̩ y̩̑ó͙ur e̗͡yes~”
Chase slowly stirred awake and looked around the dark and barren concrete room, then back up at the single spotlight shining down on him. He squinted a bit before blinking a few times. Chase was covered in what seemed to be scars, all over his body. Some were more red around the edges than others, some larger, some were tiny. For some odd reason, the scars weren't healing and were raised in the skin in a peculiar way.
Anti was standing before him, knife in hand and a smug sharp toothed grin on his face. Chase glanced down at the ground to avoid the demon’s green and black eyes as they stared at him and awaited a response. He slowly looked at the chains holding him there, the ones he had stopped trying to pull on a while ago. He was sat upon a chair, his arms chained down in front of him. They kept him there with a chain that went to the floor. He'd occasionally try to run when Anti unlocked them to reach more of his arm, but that never worked. All of his attempts had been futile, and now he was losing hope. It made him start to question how long he had really been down there. A week maybe? Weeks? It felt like a month, but it very well could have been a very long few days in this windowless concrete block.
“Yo͖̎ú͙ kno̬̓w th̹̎at̥̚’s ǹ̬o͎͡t̤́ wh̜͂ā̰ẗ̨ I m̲̂ĕ͎anṯ͆.”
Chase shot him a glare, but his burst of confidence was short lived, “My eyes are open… w-what else do you want-“
Anti immediately kneeled down and grabbed Chase’s arm forcefully, tugging it towards him. Chase winced as he was pressing down on one of the scars on his forearm, and it seemed that all of his “scars” tensed at the action. The demon then tugged at the skin around the scar with his thumb. He pressed into the seam of a scar with his sharp nails, and grinned as it was forced open.
Inside laid an eye, one that was desperately trying to close itself shut again. Anti only pressed harder against the eyelid, causing the eye to start watering. At that, Anti pulled his hand away and stood up, looking down upon Chase.
“Y̋ͅou m̲̓ig̒͟ht as ẘ̮e͚̐ll a̛͕c̜̕c͖͊è̫pt th̙̏em̨̾.̼́ T̞͒hi͎̕s...͍͊ is n̘͑ö͇thing ÿ̡́o̦̎ur̭̾ l̺̇iț̍tl͈̿e̝̒ mag̝͞i̙̾c͕͂i̗͡an can g̝͊eţ̃ r͍͆id of.͛͜” He said with a chuckle, “Th̪̋ey’̦͆re a̗̾l̡̃l ỷ̖ŏ͉ù̝rs͢͝~”
“N-no they’re not… th-they’ll find… something… something to get rid of them...”
“D̠͘ený̺ i͖͂t̤͛ al̹̑l̖͆ y̧͡o̺̓u want̢̊,̫̍ but̟̆ i̱̓t̲̾’s th͛͟e̮̍ trut̙͋ḥ̐.” He tapped the blade of his knife with his nails, “Y̽͟ȍ̮ṵ͊’͚̔re͛͟ s̨̔t̯̃ǘ͚ck like͓͌ t͍̀his, a͖͛n̳͒ḋ̰ th͈͌e m͕͠ȍ̝me̺͗ǹ͉t I m̖̓a̫̅k̳͡e an̘̏othe͖͡r̥͑ cu̲͆t̩̽, yŏ̞ü͖’ll̟̓ ha̘͡v̱͒e̝͘ a̜̚not̺̑ĥ̝er. H̜͑o̲̓w e̕͢x͔͊c͓̿it̙͘ḯ̧ng...͓͘ â͚nd don’t̺͑ g̢̐et me st͓́á̢ŗ͛t̲̂ed͕̔ o͎̚n̨͐ w̻̓h̛͟e̙͆n̺̚ th̬́è͚ o̫̾t̬̾h̼̑e̝͝rs s̮̓ee̫͞ you̱̿.” He let out another echoed giggle as he let his hands fall back down to his sides, “Ṭ́h̒͜ey̠͘ w̓ͅo̾͟u̬͋l̜̍d n͆ͅe̛̫vè͚r loǫ̔k̬̚ a̤̕t͖̍ you the͑ͅ sa̻̍m̞͐e..̹̂.̡̾ a̮̓n̯̈́d wi̝͊t̍ͅh ä̦ll͓̔ ẏ̦ou̳͌r ey̦͠e̜̅s̜̍, neith͎͝e̤͛r w̮̍ou̺͘ld yo͐͢u.̏͟” His laughter became louder as Chase stared at him with worry that he might carve more into his skin.
It truly didn't seem like Chase could get out of here, and with Anti’s points, he was starting to think maybe he didn't want to. How would the others treat him if they found out..? It could have been weeks or only days since he's seen them, but he was already doubting how much he actually remembered of them.
“So Ĩ̹’̰͠l̤̅l à̞sḳ͡ onè͟ mo̲̓r̜̃ḛ̀ time̗̒.̯̉.͕̐. op͙̈e̖̽ņ̕ y̱̌our ĕ̮ẙ̦es b̥̓e̖͑f̗̊o̦͂rẹ̐ I car͑͢v̡͝e a̽ͅ n͎̔ě͎w o̩̾ne i͇̊nť͖ȏ̲ ÿ͎our̻̕ s̥͗câ̤lp.͕͋”
Chase hesitated, but after a moment, the tens of scars littered across his arms, neck, and face slowly opened up to show an array of different eyes. The largest eye being one across his neck, which was bright red in color. The rest being browns, blues, greys, greens, hazels, or even the one purple eye on the back of his hand. They all stared up at Anti, watching the smile on his face become wider at the sight of them all. Though almost as soon as they opened, they all immediately shut again. Chase squirmed uncomfortably at the feeling of them all moving at once, but he’d rather only have to deal with the numerous eyes he had now than any new ones.
“Ť̖e͕͐lḷ̐ mȅ͕ C͔͛h͉̋a̪͒se̲͊.̭͞.̖͒.̨͡ wọ̒uld y̼͐ǫ͞u rather be stuc̟͛k wi̖̊ṯ̀h͇̏ t̢̽h̫̓e̙̿ mǫ̏ns̞͘t̖̑e̺̅r,̬̏ or st̰̓u̦͛ck as̭̉ a m͍̾onsẗ̤er͟͝?” Anti twirled his knife around in his hand with a grin and a cackle. It was almost as if he were saying this was just too easy. He then walked around Chase, staring down at him.
“Ỵ̒ou kn͈̆ow͎͌ how̦̑ t͍͞ẖ͑e̦͘ ó͎ther̻͛s w̻̚o̹̊ul̮̕d͕́ rea̱̾ct... tḫ̒ey̮͠'d̗͡ ś̤ee̫̔ y͚̋ơ̭u a̪͋s̻͛ å̗ fre̬̓aḵ̃.”
“N-no they wouldn't…”
“T̹̿ḧ̨́ḛ̀y coul͎̒d̲̅n't st̀͜and thë͇́ sigh̲͞t͓͂ ô̪f y̜͡ou͓͋.”
“Stop…” Chase whimpered, closing his eyes. He just wanted a break… just one day, he wanted a break from this.
“Thé̤ẏ̹'̜̾d t̡̑hr̟͌ǫ̃w̭̚ ỵ̇o̱͐u o͈̅u̩͊t̩͂.̖͛.. or e͚͠v̮̋ę̇n b͈͒ette͖͘r̜͝,͇̅ k̫͋ee̠̕p̼̋ y͍͗ou aro̖͌u͖̓nd s̜̍o ẗ̝́hey c͍͝ą̑n t̰͗r̫̀ý͟ t̹̑ö̹́ get r̜͛id͈̊ of̣̆ th̺͛em. T̀͢r̠͌y̋͜ ṱ̈́ǫ͋ heal y̞͞ou up̫͐ beca̧͝ṵ̾s̮̅e of͚͆ hő̭w fr̝͞eak̗̈́i̙̅s̜̈́h̬̾ y͎̿ò͔u̳͗ l͕͑oó̖k̨͑.͕͆ Then wh̫͌e̮̓n t̑͟h̞́èͅy f̧̏í̳nd o̝̒u̼͡t tḣ͎ę̑y ca̛̳n͔̄'̪̕t ge͈̾t rȋ͕d̺͞ ö̼f̯͊ t͂͜h͍̾ȩ͋m?͟͠ W̽͟ell...̩͊ ṱ́hey wo̤̾uḽ̐d͚͌n't͜͡ thr̡͡o̱̔w yŏͅu ou̺̾t̺̎ ẗ̡́h̺͑ḙ̍n̦̅,̱̓ no͉͛..̹̔. th̜̽ey̗̒'d j̟͗u̲͛s̝̀t s̹̃ta͖̎r̠͞e at͕͑ yoû̱. L͎͒ook at̳̎ ẙ͔o͓͠ú̠ w̭̃it̨̍ḧ̩ p̞͝í̳ty… â̺nd d͖͋ḯ̬sgu͓̍st.”
“They wouldn’t… t-they wouldn’t…” Chase said quietly, looking down at the ground again, “You're wrong… they'd never…”
He wished he could remember the others enough to say for sure… he tried to remember how optimistic they were. How they acted, but all he kept thinking about was his own views and opinions. He hated his new, freakish appearance. The growing array of eyes scattered all over his arms and chest. He hated how it made him feel when they moved, he hated how they looked when they were all open. If the others didn't throw him out if they ever found him, he'd throw himself out to spare them the horrific sight.
“D̳͌o̖͊n̟̎’t b͇̀e̯͐ á̜ h̙͂yp̳̑ocŕ̙i͖̓te͔͑, Ch͕͊ȧ̹se. You̻̓ knǒ̫w y̞̾ọ̋u l̠̎o̲̚ó̩k͕̑ lik͖̎e â̢ f̖̉ŕ̹e͇͞aḱ͇ sh̛̳ō̰w̬̆.̘͐” Anti let out a menacing chuckle.
“It's all your fault… this is all your fault…” Chase said quietly, trying to keep himself from crying.
“Wel͌͜l n̨̒ow,̖̓ if t͒͢heý͙ d̜̀on̯̓'̜̅t̢͒ acce̟͡p̠̔t ý̨oū̟ l̀͢ik͉̿e͇͑ t̨͝hi̥̇s͘͟ t̼̒hen̒͢ ț̅hey ṉ̈́e͉̎ve̦͐r ȁ͜cceṗ̢t̢̄ed you̦͆ i̖̐ņ͊ the̘͊ f̞̆irsṯ͘ pl̻̒ã̫ce.̏ͅ” Anti said with a hum, turning away and walking back out.
“İ͓’͓̕ll̰͗ b͖͞e ba͕̋ck̹̊ soo̱̾n.” He said in a more serious tone before slamming the door shut behind him, causing Chase to flinch as the sound echoed through the room.
Chase closed his eyes as he was left alone. He sat in silence and after a moment, tears began falling down his face. He always hated crying before, but now it felt far worse as the many, many closed eyes started to weep with him. The disturbing feeling of tears coming from his arms and chest only made him want to cry more.