No More Sorrow (Anthony) (SLIGHT graphics!)

[Waddle]

Evan was shocked into silence. So, yet another talisman out there. Except this one was his closest friend. He tried to say something, but found that his brain wasn't working right because he was simply so relieved. He had someone on his side. Someone he wouldn't have to aviod while walking in town. Someone to talk to about all this craziness. He thought about what he would say when Ant would come back from staring at himself dramatically in the mirror. Would have been a climatic moment if this was all just a movie. If this was all just a movie, things would be so much simpler. But it wasn't a movie, it was real. They could die, bleed, feel real pain and regret.

He stood from the bed and followed Ant, standing beside his friend and staring into the mirror as well. He glanced at Ant's reflection and saw what he hadn't really noticed before. Mainly a person who had lost it all. Then he looked at his own reflection. He was someone who had some of it. He had purple under his pale blue eyes, but that was just from working from 6a.m. till 10p.m. Otherwise, he looked fine. Such a difference between them, and yet they were pretty much the same.

"You're not insane. We're here, in this town. A lot of us are. Not sure how we all got here, but it's a full scale war a lot of the times. And it keeps getting worse, day by day," he trailed off. He didn't mean to make it sound as bad as he had, but it was pretty much the truth. He tried to change the subject a little. "I'm a coyote. What about you?"

[Anty]

Anthony looked over at Evan as he stepped in beside him. What he saw was someone with a much stronger will, someone who could support himself, and did. He began to cry. They weren't tears of joy, but they weren't tears of sadness, or of rage. But a mixture of all three: happy that he had found Evan, sad because what he had seen, and knew of, was a living wreck, a person who couldn't support himself if he had tried, and rage because he simply couldn't control every wrong thing that he had ever done.

Anthony hugged Evan. It wasn't a show of sexuality, but more like when you lose your best friend for years, often thinking them dead. "I'm not sure sometimes. About being sane, you know?" He laughed the shrill laugh of the hyenas again, it had become part of him, in a way. "War... ", he though back to the days of the army, he had enjoyed it back then. The thrill of it all, never knowing if you would survive to live another day. Maybe this one wouldn't be so bad either. "Hyena... note the demented laughing," he said, forcing a smile upon his gaunt face.

[Waddle]

He hugged his friend back, feeling his own tears sting his eyes. It was such a relief, one he had never felt before. And the fact that Ant, someone Evan had always looked up to in some ways, someone he had thought was so strong, was crying made him realize that sometimes Anthony wasn't like that. Like now. Ant wouldn't pick himself up off the floor. Evan was going to help him, but he wasn't going to pick Ant up by himself. He would try, without a doubt. Evan did need Ant as well. He had been alone in all this, and he hated being alone. It had nearly driven him crazy sometimes, but he knew he was better off not chasing after other Hunters and doing what he was told. He was a rouge, they had said. And he didn't like that.

He smiled back at his friend, and found that he could laugh. It was a little hihg pitched, and sounded more like a coyote's yipping than a man's laugh. He stopped. He'd never laughed like that. But then he couldn't hold back any more laughter. He laughed so hard he hand to put a hand on the sink to support himself. Joy, confusion, relief... He couldn't decide which was making him laugh harder.

[Anty]

Anthony waited as his friend laughed to himself, not really to himself, seeing how loud it was, more, by himself. Anthony didn't laugh, mainly because he didn't have anything to laugh about. But he did force another grim smile onto his face. He thought about pulling out a cigarette to keep himself entertained, then he had remembered Evan saying something about no smoking, so he decided against it. "No cigarettes here... Must be rough." Anthony knew he must quit sometime, but he couldn't by himself. But Evan was there for that, right?

"Dude, I gotta quit smoking. I can't, though... " He thought of all the wrong things he had done to himself, smoking was definitely near the top. He also knew he had to change the subject soon, he couldn't bare the want for another one. "You are a Hunter, aren't you?" He hoped Evan would say he was... Could they stand to be friends if they were on the opposing sides?

[Waddle]

Evan quieted himself as Anthony spoke. He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, it was hard a first, but it gets easier with time. At least, for me. We'll work on that." It hadn't been such a hard thing to slow his smoking down, but that was because he had never really been bad about smoking or drinking or any of that. He still smoked one every now and again, occasionally drinking, but he had found that life was a lot better without killing his brain and other organs. He hadn't tried to quit completely, because he doubted he could.

"Pretty much, yeah," he said, with a sly grin, trying to get Ant to smile for real. He seemed to down, depressed even. "I don't get into all this though, mainly because I don't want to hunt down Undecideds and try to convince them to be Hunters. Not enough time to." He shrugged. Leaning back against the sink, he crossed his arms across his chest. "Ain't much to being Hunter... Just cause a little ruckus every now and again to get under peoples' skins."

[Anty]

Anthony knew he was heading towards depression... again. But if one put themselves in his shoes, or rather, his place, they probably would be too. It was an easy way out for him, he couldn't explain it, maybe he liked others pity, maybe it was in vain, he was never sure. He bit his tongue, "Somehow I think it'll be a bit harder for me to quit. I think you've got a stronger will, and you're not as stupid." He was serious, maybe if he had gone to college he would have learned the dangers of smoking, he could have stopped himself before he had started.

He saw Evan smile. He knew Evan was trying to cheer him up, but Anthony didn't feel the need to put another fake smile on his face, he knew Evan could tell when Anthony was faking, and when he was depressed. When they had first met, Anthony had been depressed, wanting to kill himself, and now they meet again, and Anthony is depressed, feeling the need to disappear. Irony was definitely at work, and Anthony didn't like it. Irony was cruel, very cruel, he decided.

He knew he must have looked horrible, almost like a dead person, or at least one not wanting to live, sometimes he felt himself better dead, he knew others might miss him, but wouldn't it be better for them? They didn't have to worry over him and take care of him, wasn't that what they wanted? He looked away as he began to speak, focusing on the knob of the door, "I don't have a job. Maybe it'll be easier for me to become involved." He looked Evan in the eye, but his eyes slowly trailed back to the original place of the doorknob.

"Evan? do you know what it's like to live day after day as a burden?" He had finally gotten out how he had felt all these years. He was always being supported by someone, whether it was his foster parents, school teachers, mental institution workers, jail wardens, army people, and then when he had finally had his chance to show all of those people that he could handle life, he failed. And he failed hard. Now, here he was, trying to pick himself back up, but why? Just so he could fail again? What was the point of living if you can't?

[Waddle]

Evan looked away from Ant and started playing with his thumbs, a nervous habit he had fallen into, and focused on them as he thought. He didn't want to have to spend all his time trying to take care of someone else. It was the truth. But, wasn't that what friends were for? To try to help their friends when they needed it most? Maybe he was just being used. Maybe it was a trick of some kind. No, he told himself. Ant knew he was a burden, he just admited it. He was asking for help. Couldn't Evan give it to him? Easily. But how much help did Anthony need? Could evan pull him back out of depression, like he had last time? It had been hard, with college and all, but he had done it. Could he again, this time? What was so different? Why was he asking himself all these questions, even though he knew he was going to help Ant?

Talismans, he guessed. They were the only thing he could of that were different than last time. Or at least they were the biggest difference. Were they? He didn't know, and it was giving him a headache just thinking about it. He over-thought things all the time, and he was right then. He was going to stop over-thinking before he gave himself permantent brain damage.

"No," he said quietly, not looking at Ant. He opened his mouth to continue, found that he had nothing else to say, and just closed it.

[Anty]

Anthony nodded grimly. "I'll get a job tomorrow, and I'll try to find an apartment, that way, you can go on living your life the way it was." He nodded, though it didn't sound very hopeful, he would try to make something work. Yawning, he looked at his watch, well, where his watch should have been, though he had never owned a watch, "Getting late, near midnight?"

Anthony walked out of the bathroom, still yawning. He had forgotten about brushing his teeth, but he didn't really care. He carefully got into the bed. It was soft, or at least softer than the bed in his own apartment. He instantly fell asleep when his head hit the pillow. But he had fallen asleep with his eyes wide open, it was a trick he had learned in prison, he could keep a watch on all his prison mates while he slept. Anthony looked as if he was awake, unable to sleep, but he was indeed asleep.

He was dreaming again, he had returned to the dream of the hyenas. There was one word to describe it: violent. They were all laughing cruelly, tearing at dead things they had found. There was a large pile of bones beside him, all smelling of rot. "You're one of us," they all laughed, and their eyes seemed to flash. "Welcome to your new home!" They seemed to be sneering at him.

((OOC: I dunno if this is any good, I've no muse and it hardly makes sense to me!))

[Waddle]

((OOC: It's fine xD))

Evan didn't move as Anthony went back into the bedroom. He continued to stare at his thumbs until he heard no more movement. Looking up, he started in surprise as he saw Anthony's eyes, wide open, staring. But his breathing was deep and even, as if in sleep. Shaking his head, Evan retrieved the remains of the chicken. He nibbled the last bits of it while he went into the living room, shutting the bedroom door behind him softly. He tossed the plastic bowl into the trash, taking the bones to one of the chairs with him. He nibbled any meat remains from them, watching some late-night movie he had no clue about. He didn't realize he had started gnawing on the bones until the commercials came on. Shaking his head again, he tossed the bones over his shoulder and nodded with grim satisfaction as he heard them land neatly in the trash can.

Turning the TV on mute, he reclined in the chair and stared at the ceiling for several minutes. Then he took out his cell phone, set his alarm for 6a.m. He needed to be at work at 7. He would leave a note or something for Anthony, if he remembered to. Putting his phone on the table, he closed his eyes and tried to stop his racing mind. If he could just get some sleep, he could get up before Ant, and be gone before Ant ever woke up. He would have all day at work to think on this. If he could just stop his mind. Eventually, half an hour later, he slipped off into an uneasy sleep, dreaming about racing along a great prairie, running from everyone and everything he knew.

6:00 a.m.

Evan woke with a start as his phone began ringing. Reaching over, he stopped the alarm and got out of the chair. Stretching for a minute, he went to the kitchen, got a napkin and a pen, and wrote "Gone to work. Be back at 3. Don't destroy the place. -Evan"[/b] He put the napkin on the refrigerator, pinning it down with a magnet. He yawned again. Going into the bathroom silently, he brushed his teeth and combed his hair quickly. Going out, he changed into his uniform, slipped on his boots, and walked out the door, locking it behind him. Turning on his iPod, he listened to music as he walked to work.

[Anty]

Anthony woke, looking wildly around the room. He had no idea where he was. Then it all came back to him, he was at Evan's place. It must have been around 9 in the morning, but he wasn't sure, he had no watch. He yawned, thinking that he must be late for work, then he remembered he had no job. He got up, stretching.

Soon he found his way into the kitchen, realizing how hungry he actually was. He looked to the refrigerator to see a small note taped to it, Gone to work. Be back at 3. Don't destroy the place. -Evan Anthony shrugged, he would try his best to leave the place intact. He looked around to find a bowl and some Count Chocula. He looked in the fridge, finding a barely touched jug of milk. He smelled it, and it was obviously spoiled, so he put it back in the fridge, but instead he grabbed a bottle of beer. He walked to the couch, popping open his beer, he quickly ate the breakfast. He flipped through the TV channels most of the day, until he got bored and began to wonder around the small house. He was still in the striped pajamas Evan had given him last night, feeling no need to change, plus he had no other clothes, and he didn't feel like searching through Evan's things.

Anthony walked into the bedroom, feeling quite down and self pitiful. He sat down on the bed, staring at the bedside table. He spotted a small pill bottle sitting isolated from everything else. Curiosity more than anything else overtook him and he picked the bottle up, reading the label. Analgesic. Anthony wasn't a complete dotard, he knew that was some sort of a painkiller. "But why would he need painkillers?" he wondered aloud. Staring at the bottle, he figured this could solve all his problems, or rather, everyone's problems.

Anthony unscrewed the top, pouring approximately 20 pills into his open hand. But he set them back on the table, not because he had decided against the death of himself, but simply because he had forgotten a glass of water. Walking to the kitchen, he found a glass and filled it with water. Making it back to the bedside table, he stood beside it, almost hunched over it. He took one pill into his hand, then he popped it into his mouth. Putting the glass to his mouth, he swallowed the pill with the accompaniment of water. This is it, he thought to himself, closing his eyes. He took more pills: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. He stopped momentarily, he was beginning to feel dizzy. "Do I really want this?" Thinking the question over he decided, "Yes, it is too late to back out now." He popped another one into his mouth and swallowed it quickly. 8.

[Waddle]

Evan listened to his music as he walked back to his apartment. He wondered briefly at what Anthony might have done to the place. He was either sleeping, watching TV, or sleeping while watching TV. Evan had never believed that Ant would go find a job. He would probably be wallowing in his own depression. The dark thoughts disappeared as a good song came on, and he whistled as he walked, waving to his neighbors happily. They waved back, then went back to whatever they were doing. Mainly old people, because school was just then getting out, and most adults were still at work. He found his apartment and unlocked the door.

He checked the chairs and decided that Anthony was still asleep. He clicked the TV off, then stood, wondering if he should make sure Anthony was OK or just leave him be. Shrugging, he cracked open the bedroom door, and poked his head inside. His eyes went wide as he saw Anthony with his analgesic pills. He flung the door open with a shout and ran to his friend, grabbing the hand with the pills, knocking the glass of water out of Ant's other hand. Its contents spilled everywhere, soaking down one side of Evan's pant leg as he pulled Ant away from the bedside table. "ANT!" he shouted, putting a hand on each shoulder, "What do you think you're doing?! How many did you take?!"

[Anty]

Anthony turned his head quickly towards Evan. Water sloshed down his front, but he ignored it, there was still enough in the glass. "Oh, hello," he said, as if everything was normal. When he was younger, and trying to kill himself, no one could ever leave his side, never knowing what he would try next, but of course, Evan didn't know that. "Don't send me to the crazy place!" He referred to the mental institution as "The crazy place", it had been living hell. He felt the water slip from his hand. Slowly his limbs were going numb and it was hard for him to hold onto the pills currently in his hand. He let them slip to the ground. His vision was quickly starting to black out.

He quickly answered all the questions, "I was just taking some pills. I dunno how many. Where are you going?" His vision was starting to go black all together. "Why do you-", his question stopped mid-sentence as he fell to the ground. All the pain and weariness started to ease as his vision went black completely. He was not dead, of course, but simply unconscious. His breaths were short and hardly visible. He lay limp on the ground, he was sitting up, Evan still tightly gripping his wrists, his head bowed as if ashamed of ones self.

[Waddle]

Evan started to reply, but stopped as Ant's head slumped to his chest. He let go of one of his friend's wrists to lift his face up. Evan, shook his head, disgusted, and shoved Anthony none-too-gently on the bed. Anthony was dead. Or, at least Evan thought he looked dead. He couldn't see him breathing. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed 911 and quickly explained what had happened. The person said they would be on their way. Or something. Evan was in a haze of confusion as he picked up the glass Anthony had been using and went to refill it in the sink in the bathroom. Returning to Ant, Evan splashed the water on his friend's face in a feebly attempt to make him move. If only he would move...

"YOU CAN'T BE DEAD, YOU IDIOT!" Evan shouted. "You can't be... Not after so long..." Reaching over, he slapped Ant's wet face as hard as possible, waited a second, the slapped him again. The sound of ambulance sirens went off somewhere in the distance, but it seemed even farther away to Evan's ears. Nothing seemed real. He felt like he had one time when he rode the Starship something-or-other at some fair too many times. Distant, but not neasus. Just really confused and shocked.

Why hadn't he seen this coming? Why hadn't he stayed with his friend when he needed him the most? Because of a job at a place where they couldn't really afford to fire him? Or was it because he just wanted to be away from Ant? He remembered thinking he had all day to think things over, and yet, here. They'd backfired in a way he would never have expected. His best friend of all time had killed himself, and there was nothing Evan could do about it.

Paramedics burst into the room, pushing Evan aside in their haste to reach Anthony. They asked him questions he didn't listen to, and didn't reply to. Sumbling back into the bathroom, he turned away from the scene and stared at his reflection in the mirror. But, behind him, he could see the reflections of the paramedics and Anthony. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers tightly against them, hoping that when he opened them, none of this would have ever happened. But of course, nothing happened.

[Anty]

Anthony had woken up when the paramedics entered the room. He cracked his eyes open with some difficulty, the world was still spinning around him. He had faintly remembered being shoved onto the bed, but why was his face wet? And why was half of his face sore, as if somebody had smacked him? His eyes searched the room, but he didn't turn his head, but he could only see paramedics rushing around him. He lifted it slightly with a great struggle, but Evan was no where to be seen.

His head hit the mattress again and he closed his eyes, "I'm not dead yet," he told the paramedics or anyone else who was listening, but he doubted anyone heard him. Getting quite annoyed with everyone worrying over, he shoved them all out of the way, getting to his feet. His legs were wobbly and unstable. He took a step forward, but foot in the air, he fell face forward onto the ground. Then he fell into a steady sleep.

[Waddle]

Evan heard a new commotion and turned, coming out of the bathroom just as Anthony fell to the ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, held it for several seconds, then let it go. His brain was beginning to work again. Ant wasn't dead. Evan grabbed the arm of one of the paramedics and demanded, "Will he be OK?" "Yes, but we need to take him to a hospital to get him stable, and the probably to a mental institution or something." "No!" Evan shouted. The others were laying a stretcher on the ground and had just been about to put Anthony on it when he shouted. He hadn't meant to shout, but he was tired of madness. "I can take care of him," he told the paramedic he had first been talking to.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your friend needs to be somewhere in a safe enviro- Evan cut him off angrily. "No he doesn't! He needs his friend! That's why he got into this mess because I wasn't here!" The paramedic saw the look in his eye. Evan and the man had known each other from a distance for quite a while, but never found time to actually become friends. But the paramedic understood suddenly. He looked at his friends. "C'mon," he said to his fellow workers. "He'll be alright, I think." Darned right he will be, Evan thought, but didn't say. He was afraid that if he spoke, he would lose his last strand of temper with the paramedics. He didn't want to go off on people who were only trying to help.

They left the room and returned to their ambulance. Evan knelt down beside Anthony and lifted his friend, setting him back on the bed gently. Evan stared at Ant for several seconds, then turned away. He couldn't decided if he was more angry at himself or Anthony. No, he was mad at himself. It was his fault Anthony had gotten a hold of the pills. He should've been there. Sometimes the greatest harm can come from the best of intentions, I guess... He went to the dresser and sat on it, staring around the room from his new perch. A higher viewpoint didn't do anything to change how he felt, though. "You're an idiot, Evan," he said quietly, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes yet again. "The biggest idiot in the history of idiots. You try to do something good and it only bites you in the butt..."