Trigger warning

/Anxiety's p.o.v./

I blinked awake I don't even know how much later. My throat was still dry, and I could still feel where the tears soaked into my cheeks. I looked around where I was. It was dark... almost pure black. I sat up noticing I was lying a a dark brick floor. I was in quite a large room... at least I think I was... it was so dark I couldn't see the walls, just the small area around me. I felt slightly weak, like I couldn't stand.

"So you're finally awake." Depression said walking out of the darkness and looking down at me. "I'm not surprised you fainted. It's pretty difficult getting into this dark place of Thomas' mind for the first time."

"W-why did you bring me here?" I asked. "Wh-why can't I leave?"

"You're gonna need a lot more power than you currently have to teleport anywhere, let alone out of here." He replied. "I took me years to build enough energy to appear in and out of this place..."

"Where is this?" I asked feeling like the room alone had some sort of aura that made me shake slightly in fear.

"Horrible isn't it?" He asked with a chuckle, but didn't seem amused, his expression remained flat. "This is the place I was born, and where I've been, rotting alone. This is where Thomas' brain stores anything it considers too bad, scary, or... depressing."

"You live here?" I asked in surprise.

"You get used to the dark and loneliness..." he trailed off walking to the other side of me. "Actually its more like you embrace it... you can never truly get used to something like this..."

"But... how were you born... we all come from something... how could something so big happen to create you without any of us knowing?" I asked him.

He looked at me with a slight glare.

"Hahahah look at him!" A sound of a child's voice sounded from behind me.

I turned around to see and image playing out before me. It was... Thomas... he was a kid. He sat at his seat with other grade schoolers surrounding him.

"See see Kelly I told you he looked funny just look at him!" A little girl pointed at him.

"You're right..." who I assumed was Kelly said looking disgusted.

"He looks like an ugly cartoon character!" A little boy yelled making the whole group of them laugh.

Thomas sunk down in his seat sadly obviously holding back tears.

The scene changed.

"You are such a freak!" A pre teenage girl screeched at a same aged Thomas who sat on the ground of a middle school hallway in front of her.

"I-I-I'm so sorry Kelly." Thomas apologized.

"I can't believe out of everyone from my old elementary school the one who went to the same middle school is a complete dork like you! The last thing in need is some fatass running into me in the hallway, and making me late to lunch!"

"Kelly chill." I boy approached the scene. He brushed past her and helped Thomas up. "It was just an accident."

"Whatever just keep that freak away from me!" She huffed before stomping off in the direction of the cafeteria.

The boy shook his head before looking back to Thomas. "Sorry about that she's always been a drama queen."

Thomas just continue to look down.

I remember this... I was born around the the time Thomas was in middle school... the fear of finding a way to fit in... though I admit I mostly stayed to myself back then. I didn't pay much attention to Thomas and what was happening. He was mostly calm, but I remember this moment distinctly. The name she called us... fatass... this is what started me and Thomas on our body issues... it took years to get over...

"Hey, are you okay?" The boy asked as the scene continued to play.

"Huh?" Thomas suddenly smiled. "Oh yeah I'm fine!"

The boy smiled back. "I'm Joel by the way."

"Thomas." Thomas introduced shaking his hand.

Joel..? Oh yeah... I remember him too... in the beginning Thomas and him were friends. Thomas was never popular, but he had Joel. In fact Joel was one of the only people at school who was ever nice to him. It helped me a lot having Him around to make Thomas feel less insecure. They'd be together all the time. Secretly talking about which male celebrity was their favorite... Thomas developed a crush on him and then...

As if reading my mind the scene changed again to when Thomas was in his freshman year.

He walked up to Joel by his locker with a box of chocolates. "Happy Valentine's Day Joel." Thomas smiled holding out the box to him.

Joel just glance at the box. "What is this?"

"Well we are both alone this Valentine's Day, and you're my best friend, so I just thought maybe we could be each other's valentine." Thomas blushed slightly.

"Um..." Joel looked around as a few people stared. He suddenly laughed a little nervously. "Ha ha good one Thomas, funny joke."

"What?" Thomas asked. "Joel you know me enough to know I'm not joking..."

"Seriously?" Joel asked glaring at Thomas. More people noticed what was happening and were watching intently. "Thomas no. Get away from me freak, I'm not some fagot!" He yelled before walking away.

The group around stifled laughter a few more people muttering slang words to him, but Thomas just stood there holding the box of chocolates in slight shock. He didn't even care that time. He cried then and there...

His first broken heart.

After that all of us became a little in active. Me, Logan, Roman, even Patton. Thomas had lost Joel, and we didn't know what to do. Any of us... not even Thomas. We never thought we'd be in such a situation.... we all just kind of shut down... Thomas just lived out the next year and a half empty.... numb to emotion. Until...

The scene changed.

"Hey look babe it's the fatass!" An older Kelly laughed as she walked by Thomas.

Joel was beside her holding an arm around her waist as they walked down the hall with their group of friends.

"Haha yeah dude can you believe this little fag tried to ask you out at one time." A bigger jock laughed.

"Ha yeah... what a freak." Joel played along.

Thomas didn't say a word he just tried to walk away, his books held to his chest, and his head hung low. Emotionless as ever...

"Where you going faggot?" Another jock stopped him grabbing his arm roughly.

"Hey let's teach him to not leave when we're taking to him." The last jock spoke up with a chuckle and an evil smile.

"Good idea." The other returned his smile slamming Thomas back against the lockers. The three jocks then surrounded him and started to beat him.

Thomas looked Joel to be met with pity filled eyes, but no help.

Everyone around just laughed chanting out nicknames.

"Fatass!"

"Fagot!"

"Freak!"

I had to look away as the merciless beating continued. "S-stop I don't want to see anymore..." I told Depression. I saw this once, I didn't need it again.

"No." Depression said simply. "You need to see this next part."

I looked back after the beating was over and the group went to class. Thomas sat there alone for a while shaking in pain. Then he slowly stood up and left out the main doors. He went all the way home... it was the first day he skipped school ever... when he got home and unlocked the door to let himself in he closed the door and dropped his bag, and ran upstairs. He went into the bathroom closing the door. He didn't turn the light on and just slowly looked in the mirror. I could hear his thoughts ringing in his head to this day.

"Fatass."
"Freak."
"Fagot."
Laughter
"Fatass."
"Freak."
"Fagot."
More laughter.
Those three words repeating over and over, and their laughter. Their laughter towards him.

Thomas clenched the sides of the sink and suddenly burst into tears, the loud sobs echoing through the bathroom.

That's when Thomas' numbness stopped. It stoped that day and was replace with... I suddenly widened my eyes as the scene faded. "Depression..." I looked back at him. "That's when you were born..."

"That is what they created, what the world created..." Depression gritted through his teeth. He was looking to the floor shaking. He slowly took his jacket off and looked up to me tears streaming down his face. "THIS is what they created!"

His arms were covered in cuts. Like mine, but deeper... and they were littered everywhere. Every part of the skin on both his arms was mutilated, some of them fresh.

"Depression..." My heart hurt for him. "B-but I don't understand... that was so long ago, Thomas got away from those people. He's happy now...."

"But what they said stayed, what they did stayed, I stayed!" Depression shouted. "We all stayed here, maybe ignored and alone, but always right here in the dark!"

"You implied before that you weren't always like this. You didn't always want to make people suffer... so why..?" I asked him.

"Why?" He asked seeming angry. "BECAUSE NO ONE EVER HELPED ME!" He screamed his tears still flowing. "I was alone! I felt like that everyday! I was terrified! I felt like I was dying every single day, but the worst part is I wasn't!!! I was still alive! Alive and alone in the darkness! And NOBODY HELPED!!!"

"But how could we help?" I asked desperately. "We didn't know you were here."

"I don't care! Don't make excuses!!!" He sucked in a breath. "I'm DONE with excuses!!! I just want EVERYONE to suffer like I did!!!"

"But that won't help anything." I told him.

He froze. "You think I don't know that..." he muttered. "Nothing can help me now... which is why I chose you." He looked back at me his eyes crazed. "I broke you down to take your power... then I'll move on to the others.... I'll be the only one left. So Thomas can't forget me ever again.... I'll make him kill himself... so he can finally kill me too...."

"No!" I yelled trying to stand, but I couldn't. Tears ran down my face. He can't hurt the others... he can't take Thomas...

"It's too late... no one will stop me now." Depression kneeled down to me. He reached out and grabbed me. "No one can help me now..."

Suddenly I felt the worst pain I'd ever felt. Both physical and emotional. It was like what happened in the kitchen, but ten times worse.

I screamed in pain, and the last thing I thought was just a prayer... that Roman... Logan... Patton... anyone would stop him.

Hey guys, so um yeah... another angsty chapter. Oh no, Depression's true plans are revealed! The plot thickens... will they stop him? Vote and comment, bye!
~Hannah😋