Bloody

I got back just as the sun hit the horizon. I opened the door to the apartment and was greeted by the smell of Chinese. "Any luck?" Mark called from the couch, with a box of noodles in one hand and a fork in the other.

"Yeah, actually, I found where I think they are. But the place was crawling with guards, and I was too hungry and tired to take them on. I'll get something to eat, have some sleep, and come up with a plan to get at them out in the morning." I draped my jacket back over the chair with the knives still inside their rings, but retrieved my switch from the pocket.

"Where are they?"

"Small, grey building with three rooms," I replied, walking to the kitchen. "One room has a window, to high to really see anything in it. I heard Sean talking to someone. He sounded confused, but not scared. The other rooms had no windows at all."

"Well, what's the building?"

"Some Jehovah's Witnesses church. That's why it's so weird that there were any windows at all. I doubt Sean was taken there for conversion, though." I grabbed leftover lasagna from the fridge and put it in the microwave. "I don't know what they were talking about."

"Well, Anti stopped by."

"What?"

"He walked through the wall looking for you. He said he used your little trick to get out and was trying to find you. I told him you were looking for Jack, and he described a church where they were being kept. Jack's not even tied up, but he's locked in the room with nothing but a cot and an adjoining bathroom. Neither of them know what's going on, but hopefully Jack can find out."

"Why do you call him Jack?" I asked as I took my food out and grabbed a fork.

"Most of the world calls him Jack. Very few people actually call him Sean."

"Why? It's his real name."

"You know about his YouTube channel, right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"And on YouTube, his name is Jacksepticeye."

"That is a very weird name."

"A bit. It's a nickname his friends called him in school, so now everyone calls him that. Most just call him Jack for short, though."

"Of all names, Jack?"

"Yeah, his mom always called him that when he was younger. He's used to it."

"Well, he introduced himself to me as Sean, so that is what I shall call him."

"Okay."

We sat in silence for a few moments while I ate. Then I asked between mouthfuls, "Where did Anti come from?"

"What do you mean?"

"Alternates come from somewhere. Or rather, something. I came from Emily's friend, Kathy."

"How?"

"You can ask Sean for the whole sob story, but essentially, Kathy was an abusive, manipulative bitch who hurt Emily so much that Emily created me as a defense. Eventually, I decided to get rid of Kathy, so I pushed her off a building. What happened to Sean that created Anti?"

Mark was quiet for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. "A few years ago," he began, "before he started YouTube, Jack was mugged. I know it sounds stupid, but the guys really gave him a good beating. He had to be hospitalized. When I met him, Anti was quiet. He only really freaked out once while I knew Jack. We were trying to shoot each other with nerf guns and Jack was looking at someone on the sidewalk. I snuck up on him and Anti took over. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground with Jack crouched on my chest. It was only for a few seconds. Jack came back and apologized."

"The only times I've really protected Emily were when I killed Kathy, when Anti came, and when you pinned Emily against a wall."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know. Now go to bed."