Number 7

Inside a room filled with a number of braindead girls covered in wounds, a man stood in the center.

Each of them were chained to the wall like slaves - and perhaps in a sense... they were.

"Now then... which one in this room loves me the most?"

As the man asked this question, each of the girls slowly raised their hands, not daring to speak out of turn.

"That is good... very good... perfect, even. It would seem that you all have learned much. After all... good students do not shout out the answer... but rather, they raise their hands."

With a grin, the man walked around the circle, making eye contact with one girl at a time.

"Now then... will you all prove it to me?"

"Yes, Mr. Pertan."

The girls all replied in unison, as if such a thing had been practiced.

Devoid of any sense of self, they had been thrown into the abyss of darkness.

"Then... answer me once again. What is the one and only way to prove that you hold true and unfailing love for another?"

The man continued walking before he came to a girl with long brown hair that made it's way down to her knees.

This girl's hair had not been pulled out or destroyed like many others, however her entire complexion was dry and her eyes were devoid of any expression.

Her hands were covered in blood and cuts, and her arms which were exposed were not free of such wounds.

"I am sick of seeing my precious students' faces become wounded... yet even so... it would appear that your face is the only part of you remaining. Therefore... I will accept such a sacrifice if it must be made. Gina, what is the answer to my question?"

Looking up weakly, the girl seemed to be taking deep raspy breaths as she tried to get her answer out.

"The only way to prove one's love... is by suffering for them."

With a smile, the man nodded as he pulled out a barbed whip.

"Excellent. And how much pain would you be willing to go through to prove that you love me more than the others?"

With a pained smile, the girl looked up to the man as he stretched the whip.

And then, a single tear fell from her eye.

"However much... you wish."

"Excellent. Did you hear that, students? If you want to beat her... then you will have to endure such suffering.... forever."

----

[I may be a monster.]

[A villain.]

[A fiend.]

His body having been taken over, the creature known as Number 7 led Larry down the stairway into the special classroom.

[I have killed 95% of the people on this earth, infecting them with a horrid disease.]

[I have caused more suffering in this world than any human being could possibly comprehend.]

[And yet... somehow... when I look at your memories... I feel as if I am somehow... a hero.]

[Heh.]

The monster laughed.

It mocked him as it walked forth, controlling the body of Larry like it was a mere puppet.

The fact that he was unable to move or speak for himself filled his mind with terror unlike anything he had ever before experienced.

And yet more terrifying than anything... was the fact that he had absolutely no idea what this creature was going to do with him.

'Let- let me go.... let me go... let me go!'

[Did you ever consider doing that to any of the humans you tormented? Ah ah... I hate humans... but even I feel sorry for them if they had to deal with someone like you.]

[Perhaps... this is how the Queen of Evil felt... as she destroyed the entire world.]

'Stop it...'

[Did you know? There was another part of the story. One that wasn't told.]

'Stop it!’

[The Queen of Evil, you know, actually began as a caring person.]

‘Enough!'

‘I’ve heard enough, monster!’

[She wanted to help others at first... yet it was only after being rejected... and rejected... and rejected... that she became a villain. And even then... she was only trying to do one... single... thing.]

'Your words... your words will not reach me... I will not listen to anything you have to say!'

[To destroy a certain man... who used his good looks... and his manipulative talents... to deceive the entire world. And do you know what the biggest lie to ever be told was?]

'I am not listening to a word you have to say, monster. Do with my body what you will, but-'

[The biggest lie ever told to anyone was 'I have come to save you.']

It was then that the two reached the bottom.

And on witnessing the scene before him, Larry Pertan felt the immense urge to throw up.

However he was not in control of his own body - therefore even this did not occur.

[Unfortunately for you... I may be a monster... but I am not a liar. Therefore, I will tell you the truth.]

Before Larry, sitting in a pile of heads as if it were a throne, was a woman.

Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, this woman's black hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head as she looked to Larry with a deceptive smile.

In her lap was a young girl, and she slowly stroked the head of this girl as she reclined within the pile of heads.

[We are not here to save anyone. But we are here... to destroy people like you.]

It was then that Larry’s sclera whitened once more, and he regained control of his body.

He managed to suppress the urge to throw up, and instead stood forward, approaching the girl with rage.

He balled his fists, which had regenerated from the temporary control which Number 7 had over him.

"Ah... so you are the owner of this lair, are you not?", the woman stated in a sinister manner as she twirled a strand of her hair with her finger.

"How... dare you..."

As Larry was approaching the woman, she ever so lightly placed the child down from the seat as she sat forward, putting her finger to her lips with a devious smile.

"How dare I? Hahaha... what ever could you be accusing me of? All we did... was slaughter all these people."

It was then that the man stopped in his place.

His eyes went wide, and his breathing became quick, his voice turning to a growl.

"My... precious students... my lovely girls.... you... murdered them."

Placing his hand to his forehead, the man looked down in madness.

"Just like the monster who slaughtered thousands upon thousands of innocent people, and assisted her brother in corrupting the children who they spared..."

Looking up to the woman, hatred had overtaken his mind as he spoke a name with disgust.

"Berith."

Standing up from the throne of heads, the woman walked forth in a swaying manner.

Then, from her side, she grabbed a spear - swinging it about as she approached the man.

"What a coincidence."

With a disturbing smile, the eyes of the woman filled with madness as she spoke in a condescending tone.

And for a moment, Larry met her eyes.

Even having been subject to the terror of having his very body taken over, Larry subconsciously knew that something was off as soon as he met the eyes of this woman.

She was deranged.

In her expression was enough madness to account for every last girl who he had slaughtered.

And the madness in those eyes were enough to freeze him with fear.

"My name is Berith as well."

As if the hatred and despair of all of his victims had been allotted into a single person, the woman spoke her name with a deranged tone.

"Sylvia... Ashley... Berith."

----

*Minutes before

[Number 7 and I exchanged a pair of cells when we were together.]

[Which means that we can exchange thoughts with one another.]

[Since we can read the minds of those we host, it means that he has experienced the memories of the man who did this.]

"The man... who did this... you say?"

Gritting her teeth as she looked around at the horrible scene of torture, Sylvia gripped her spear with anger.

"When did he inhabit the one who did this?"

[Hahaha... recently.]

"Are you telling me... that Marcus did this?"

[Why don't you see for yourself?]

It was at that moment that Sylvia was filled with memories.

The memories of Larry Pertan.

Memories of abuse.

Memories of torture.

Memories of using the government and the system to get out of any form of punishment.

Memories of stepping on people, hurting everyone in order to get what he wanted.

All these memories filled the mind of Sylvia in an instant, and it was enough that she wanted to scream.

She wanted to shout out in fear, for the disgust which she held as she witnessed such a man do such things... was immense.

"I.... will punish him."

Breathing heavily, Sylvia found herself genuflecting on the ground, barely even able to hold herself up after experiencing such horrid memories.

"Heh.... hahaha... I will... make him suffer."

[Now that's a good expression.]

[It seems that you're finally coming to understand... what it means to be my host.]

[Let's work together then, shall we?]

----

"Aaaaaagh!"

Unable to hold himself back, Larry shouted out as he rushed towards the insane woman.

He bore no weapon but his fists, yet even those he was confident enough in.

However in the moment that it took him to rush forth, a change occurred in the woman.

She whispered something, so quietly that Larry himself could not hear such a thing.

Yet on reading the lips of the woman, he could tell exactly what she said.

"Do as you please."

Bringing back his fist, the man aimed straight for the skull of the woman.

It flew forward at her head, aiming to crush her rotting brain in a single punch.

[How unfortunate for you.]

Caught.

Not with her hand.

Not with her finger.

With her mouth.

A mouth formed on the forehead of the woman, speaking those demented words as she bit into the fist of the man, which begun to bleed profusely.

And then, as the pain surged through his hand, he saw it.

Her eyes had become blackened.

"Agh!"

Larry tried to rip his hand out of the woman's mouth, yet her grip was unbreakable.

Her teeth seemed to grow longer and sharper, penetrating even further into the hand of the man as she refused to let go.

"You... you.... you monster.... another one! How dare you mess with me like this!"

Ripping his hand out by force, the man allowed multiple fingers to be torn straight off as he grabbed his bloodied fist with a pained expression.

"I'll... destroy you all.... you disgusting…” The madman took a deep, staggering breath, and growled. “Vile beings... you slaughtered my students... trampled on their precious lives that I took so much effort to save... do you even understand how much effort I put into them? How many countless hours I spent, teaching them day in and day out so that they could become-"

[Do you understand how little I give a shit?]

Speaking with the natural mouth and chewing the fingers with the other mouth, the woman approached Larry with a look of complete and utter condescendence.

"Just as the... Indeterminant... was faced with an undeniable evil... so great that even he was defeated... it would seem that I have come across... such evils in this world."

The man barely managed to get these words out as he heavily breathed, holding his hand as he squinted in agony.

[You certainly love calling those who go against you evil. But let me tell you something.]

In an instant, the man felt his throat cave in on itself as a tentacle was wrapped around it.

He screamed.

His body was lifted up, and then he felt the world spin around him as he was thrown to the wall.

The wall itself cracked under the immense pressure of the throw, and the man who was the subject of such a throw spit out a volley of blood as he slid down to the ground in immense pain.

"Stop..."

His voice begun to quiver, and as he gripped his hand he looked down to the ground with fear in his eyes.

"Stop..."

[Stop?]

"Stop!"

The man shouted out, grabbing his hair with his butchered hands as he furiously ruffled it in madness.

Then, he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching him.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

And soon enough, in the corner of his eyes, he saw the legs of the woman as she stood before him.

Looking up while shaking, the man trembled as his eyes twitched, terrified to even look the woman in the face.

And as he did so, he saw it.

She was smiling.

Her smile was so grand that it mocked his very existence.

[No.]

Flicking her two hands, her nails seemed to become as sharp as needles as she brought her hand to the neck of the man with a sadistic grin.

[Now then... I have a few questions for you. So why don't you answer me, human.]

Grabbing the man by the neck, the woman stuck her sharpened nails right into his flesh, picking him up as he was jolted up in the pain.

"Co... ugh... uck!!"

Forcing him to the wall, the woman brought her face close to his as she smiled, grinning at his torment.

[Question Number 1. Are you a human?]

The man's eyes widened as the creature asked such a thing, and as she removed her hand from his neck, two tentacles shot out to piece the man's shoulders, blasting straight through him and pinning him to the wall.

The man let out another groan of pain, however the woman only brought herself closer, a serious expression overtaking her.

[Did I say you could scream? Huh. Funny. I don't recall saying such a thing. I asked a question, human.]

Then, two more tentacles shot out, this time pinning the man's arms to the wall.

"Agh-!”

[And when I ask a question...]

Six more then shot right through the man's legs, piercing through the stone walls as they locked the man in place completely.

"Stop it, stop it STOP IT!!"

[I expect... an answer.]

"Yes! I am, I am human, I am, stop it!"

The man begun to shout out in madness, tears filling his eyes as he was no longer able to bear the pain.

[Hahaha... I see. Well, I knew that of course. After all...]

Spreading her arms, the woman motioned to the room around her.

[Only a human could come up with a place so... decrepit.]

Removing all the tentacles from the man, he fell down to the ground with holes filling his body.

"Ugh!"

Blood begun to flow from his vast wounds, covering the destroyed ground around him.

[Question Number 2. You claim that your students shed their blood and were covered in wounds and scars out of their love for you. However... did you ever once endure any pain for them? Do not answer.]

It was then that a tentacle formed, branching off into 9 different tentacles.

And on the end of each of them, a barbed tip grew.

[The answer is NO. Not once did you ever, EVER endure any suffering for them. You were the giver of pain, however they were the receivers. You were the loved, and they were the lovers. And yet... even that, you are wrong about. To love one another is to shed blood for them? Hahaha... how foolish.]

It was then that the woman brought down the whip on the man, tearing all nine of the barbs into his face and ripping up his skin.

"Agh!"

[After all... wouldn't that mean you are bleeding out of love for me?]

Whip!

Whip!

Whip!

The woman's eyes begun to curve with delight as she sneered, endlessly whipping the man as she ripped apart his flesh.

His screams filled the room, yet not a single soul stopped the woman from doing this.

There was only one other present, and this was Marcus - who patiently watched as such a horrible scene played out before him.

Whip!

Whip!

Whip!

[Hahaha... hahaha!! They loved you? They hated you! Do you seriously think that just because someone does as you say that they love you!? Are you a complete idiot?1]

As she derailed into inhumane laughter, the woman held her hand to her face, then peeking out with her single Navy blue eye, she looked upon the man.

[You know nothing.]

Then, walking over to the pile of heads, the woman held out her hand.

A tentacle grew forth, picking up the head of a certain zombified girl with black braided hair and glasses.

Her mouth was slightly agape, and her eyes were dead.

Her face was covered in scars and sliced up like a piece of meat.

Bringing the head closer to her, the tentacle begun to pump life into it.

Then, slowly, the head begun to mend itself.

It did not grow back it's body, but rather it blinked, looking around with a fearful expression.

"What... who are you?"

The bodiless girl looked up to Number 1 with fear, tears coming to her eyes as she looked around her, recognizing where she was.

"Are you... another one of... his... students?"

[Hahaha...]

With a laugh, Number 1 held the head out to show the girl what had become of Larry Pertan.

[Do I look like his student to you?]

"Wha-"

Breathing in a gasp, the girl's eyes went wide as she saw the man in such pain, not even able to scream any more.

He was covered in blood and mutilated beyond repair, and he looked up with a tearful expression.

"Gen... e... vieve..."

Whispering this statement, the man slowly lifted his butchered hand, holding it out to her.

Drip.

A tear fell from the head of the girl as she saw the man.

Drip. Drop. Drip.

The tears started, and they did not stop.

[Ah ah... you're crying, aren't you? Humans certainly are strange creatures. After all...]

Drip. Drip. Drop.

"Sniff... is... is this really true?", the decapitated head whispered. "Is it really you, Mr. Pertan?"

The girl seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion, to which the man merely smiled lightly even in his pain.

"Yes... it is me. Genevieve... you still love me. Don't you?"

Drop.

However, it was then that the dripping stopped.

And then, a grand smile overcame the face of the girl who was now nothing else than a zombified head.

"How could you think that I ever loved you in the first place? Ah... whoever you are, holding me... thank you. Now... I can die in peace. Hah... hahaha..."

Closing her eyes, the girl's tears continued to flow as she smiled in a horrible manner.

"I... can't believe it. Is this... is this reality? Or is this all a dream?"

As the girl made this statement, there was a strange sense of bliss in her voice.

[How strange it is... that you humans exhibit the same reaction, whether you are overwhelmed with joy... or filled with anguish.]