Number 7

"Are you going to let your sister protect you from everything?"

"Or are you going to kill the monsters who attack her?"

----

Shane felt as if his brain was melting.

Every ounce of his being wanted to crawl into a hole.

Before him, this monster had wrapped up his sister in her tentacles, holding her up and swinging her about like a plaything.

And yet, even this was not what tormented Shane.

What he was truly scared of... was his own sister.

"Hahaha! It's fun being up here like this! Brother, you should come too!"

She was laughing.

She was smiling.

"What's wrong, brother? Are you scared of heights? It's so much fun!!"

She was... happy.

Her mind had completely snapped.

She had gained the ability to kill.

And in doing so, she had lost something.

The ability to fear.

Perhaps she had been so overwhelmed that her mind simply couldn't handle it, and thus she came into this state.

And there was no turning back.

For Shane's little sister had killed a man.

Even if he was still alive, the fact remained that she sliced his artery, slaying him on the spot, causing him to die for just a few moments before he was revived.

Right now, in that moment of bliss, Amy did not even realize what she had done.

Not a single thought of whether it was wrong or right had even crossed her mind.

She had become a murderer.

Yet even if Amy were to mysteriously return to her normal, innocent self...

Then she would never be able to live with what she had done.

"I... do I have to become like that too?"

Shane was scared.

Terrified.

"Haha! That's right, little human! How about this?"

The figure then wrapped the tentacles around the leg of the girl, swinging her about and throwing her into the air before catching her again.

"Ahaha!! Don't surprise me like that!"

It was madness.

Pure, unbridled, madness.

As he watched his sister so happily giggling, tears came to the eyes of Shane as he gripped the skewer tightly.

"I... just have to kill you, right?"

Stepping forward, the monster in the flesh of a human looked to him with a wicked grin.

"That's right. Hey meat sack, I think your kin would like to join us finally."

"Ah, really? Brother, do you want to come up and play too?"

His head lowered and eyes darkened, Shane slowly approached the creature while brandishing the weapon.

"If it is just killing a monster like you... then even I can do that much."

And then, he thrusted the skewer forth, directly into the chest of the woman.

The crimson fluid leaked from her chest as the boy pulled the blade out, and the woman grinned as she looked at him.

He raised his face, revealing a tearful expression, clear drops of water pooling in his eyes.

"But I'll never be able to get my sister back. And that... is what I can't accept."

"Brother, why are you crying? Number 1 was just having fun with me."

Holding in his words, the boy did not say anything more.

She was lost.

There was no point in explaining.

He merely walked off, and slowly the creature unwrapped it's tentacles around the girl, lightly placing her down.

Then once all the tentacles retracted into her body, the dark sclera became whitened once more, and the woman fell backwards, a hole in her chest.

"Blergh!"

She spit up blood as she fell on her back, and the body became cold once more.

She landed with the cracking of many bones, and her face carried a dulled expression - one devoid of emotion.

Thus, Sylvia died.

For the second time.

----

Sylvia awoke from death, and immediately was filled with the memories of what had happened.

Including the pain of being stabbed.

It was enough to make her writhe in pain as she jolted up, grabbing her heart as she panted heavily.

'I... am alive. Again.'

Again.

She had died not once now, but twice.

And even after the first death, the second was no easier.

The pain of being stabbed in the heart, as momentary as it was, pulsated through her mind, playing back over and over in her head as she gathered herself.

"Are you alright?"

Sitting on a couch before her were three people.

The man who spoke had black hair which was slicked up, and he wore a torn and dirtied suit with a bloodied tie.

Sitting next to him with a guilty expression was the young boy, who averted his eyes from Sylvia - unable to even face her.

And looking at Sylvia with an excited expression as she kicked her legs back and forth was a young girl.

Her bright blue eyes seemed to shine as she gazed at Sylvia, blissfully unaware of the dangerous situation she was in.

"You're awake, miss! I'm glad. After all... if you didn't wake up again, it would have been quite lonely... though I did like playing with Number 1, but she went to sleep as well."

These words drove a stake into the heart of Sylvia, who tried to gather her scrambled thoughts.

'She took over.'

'The girl... has gone mad.'

'And the boy... killed her.'

'Therefore... he killed me.'

Realizing what had happened, Sylvia slowly stood up, holding her chest.

It had healed completely.

Her heart had been stabbed clean through.

Her neck had cracked as she fell backwards, and her brain inside her head must have been shaken on the impact.

Yet even so, she felt... fine.

Not a scratch was on her.

The only proof of her injury was the undead flesh which made up her being.

Her breathing calmed.

'I am alive. I am alive again.'

Sylvia tried to reassure herself, however another thought then popped up in her mind.

'Am I truly alive?'

Looking at her undead hands, this was a question which made her stop in her tracks, once more afraid.

'What... have I become?'

However, on seeing the guilty expression of the child, Sylvia ceased these thoughts.

'Ah... it would be best if I comforted him.'

"You don't have to feel bad about killing me. After all... it wasn't me who you killed. Right?"

"That..."

The boy refused to look Sylvia in the eyes, furrowing his brows as he looked to the side with self hatred.

"I... am sorry. I shouldn't... have killed you."

"I was the one who asked you to do it."

As Sylvia said this, the boy looked up to her with shock.

"But even so!"

"No buts. You now understand two things. The first... what it means to kill. And the second..."

Holding up her hand, Sylvia made a fist, holding it closely to her heart.

"What it means to hate someone.... enough to want to kill them."

"I don't hate you at all, miss."

"But you hate the one inside me. No?"

With deadly serious expression, Sylvia cut off the boy any option of argument.

"And if you hate the one inside me, then you hate enough to kill. Therefore... redirect that hatred."

Pointing to the outside, Sylvia stepped forward, causing the boy to look up to her with concern.

"If you hate those monsters enough to kill... then kill. Kill them and kill them and kill them, until there are no more. However if you are bitten, then unlike me, you will not stay alive. Instead, you will become one of them. So let me ask you this."

Grabbing the boy by his cheeks, Sylvia forced him to look her in the eyes.

"You can go out there and take revenge for your sister all you want. You can even kill Marcus, who prompted your sister to become like that. Or you can kill me, or the thing inside me, or whoever else. But if you go out there and recklessly swing around your blade with the intention of destroying those monsters... then you should be careful not to become one yourself."

How Sylvia could say such a thing, she did not know.

For she herself was beyond terrified.

Terrified that she would become a monster.

Yet even so, she said this, not backing down as the boy looked to her with surprise.

And then, he nodded.

"I... see."

Then, taking the hand of his sister, he looked into her eyes.

The girl smiled, looking at her brother with madness.

"Are you alright, brother? You were crying so much earlier."

"I... will protect you."

The girl tilted her head in confusion, unsure as to why the boy would say such a thing.

And then, he hugged her.

He gripped her tightly, and refused to let go of her.

"I will protect you."

The girl was unsure how to react at first, but then she slowly brought her arms around the boy, hugging him back.

"Brother, you don't need to say such a thing. I already know that. But that is why... I must protect you too."

And then, with a smile, she thinned her eyes with a sudden bout of sadism.

"And if someone makes you cry... then shouldn't I slaughter them?"

Just as he felt warmth in his heart, the words of the girl shattered everything that he had hoped for.

The glimmering light seemed to fade away as his sister spoke cruel words which he never could have imagined her saying.

"Tell me brother, who was it that made you cry?"

Backing away in shock, the boy held an expression of fear.

Yet soon, that expression took another form, and he looked to her with furious determination.

"The monsters."

Gripping his weapon, the boy turned to look towards the outside.

Walking over as he turned from the girl, Shane spoke with a deadly resolve.

"The monsters... are the ones who made me cry."

"I see."

With a cheerful smile, the girl responded in a manner that carried such vibrant innocence.

Yet hidden within that innocence, was madness.

"Then I suppose I should kill the monsters."

----

Was what he had done right?

Wrong?

Both?

Neither?

Marcus didn't know.

However, he knew one thing.

These children would not have survived, had something gone wrong.

And with two monsters inside of him and Sylvia, everything could go wrong.

Therefore, he bit his lip, grinded his teeth, and put on a smile.

"Have you finished? If so, then we should form a plan to escape this place.", Marcus asked as he motioned to the outside.

'I take it that I cannot rely on you to escape from here. Therefore... I suppose I will instead rely on those around me.’, Marcus thought.

[That's what you're doing here? You knew that you couldn't trust me, and you have no idea whether you'll be able to survive... so you decided to use those children instead?]

A pang of guilt thrust itself into the heart of Marcus as Number 7 voiced his actions.

[Marcus... maybe you are the monster here.]

'What of it?'

With a quick reply, Marcus used his own thoughts to communicate with the creature.

'You were the one who forced me to become like this in the first place.'

----

"You two are important. I would like to hope that you two are now able to defend yourself should something go wrong, however the fact of the matter is that myself and Sylvia can get bitten without repercussions, if we ignore the pain.”, Marcus said with a sigh. “Therefore, we will act as diversions, drawing the attention of as many zombies as possible.”

“While we do so, you two will see if you can find a working vehicle. The roads are completely cluttered, however the sidewalks are likely free of obstructions for the most part... if we ignore the occasional off course vehicle. So, even if it isn't perfect... we should be able to make some sort of getaway."

The four had gathered by the front door of the lounge, and were currently looking out the glass windows to scout out the area.

"There is a traffic light just up ahead. At the time of the cataclysm, the light must have been red, given that almost no vehicles in that area seem to be demolished. Only the ones which were in motion, which then rear ended into the back line of those who were stopped."

The chance that the vehicles had deteriorated over time was likely.

It had been 6 months since the cataclysm had actually occurred.

Based on the combined information of the group, Marcus had determined that for one reason or another, everyone had fallen asleep - and woken up - at the same time.

This did not include the zombies, of course.

However, this did seem to include Marcus and Sylvia, despite the fact that their minds had been invaded by these parasitic creatures.

Marcus deduced that this was because even though his cells had one way or another merged with the parasite, that he was still "human", in the most liberal sense of the word.

Once he died the first time, this was the trigger behind the release of the disease, in order to "Save" his life, and prevent him from truly dying.

Whether this inability to die was a blessing or a curse, it was reality.

Marcus was a businessman.

Sylvia was a businesswoman.

They were people who would use anything they could to their advantage.

And so they had decided to use it.

Even if there were monsters living within them, even if they were terrified as to what they would become - or even what they already had become, this much would not stop them.

Even if they still suffered from the torment of having been killed, and multiple times at that, even if the pain seemed to still replay itself in their minds, they would not give in.

For as painful as it was, it ended.

Yet their lives would not end.

And because of this, unless they resolved themselves and became strong enough to survive without being killed, then the pain would never end.

"You two are to find a vehicle. Preferably, find one which is unlocked. However if they are all locked, find one in which the window has been broken. You WILL have to kill the driver. Can I rely on you to do that?"

Speaking to the children, Marcus looked them in the eyes one final time before they headed out, to which he was met with a couple of nods.

"I... can do it,'' Shane said.

"Yep!", Amy replied with an energetic smile.

On seeing these two children, Marcus had no opportunity to wonder if what he had done was wrong.

It was necessary.

That was all he knew.

He told himself this over and over.

Just as when he worked himself to death, he did so because it was necessary.

Everything he had ever done, he had done it because it was necessary.

'It merely happens to be the case that in this wretched world... I have to take greater measures in order to get by. However, compared with the life I was living before...'

Recalling his previous life, the constant irritation and stress, and the fear of survival, Marcus smiled lightly as he chuckled to himself.

'I honestly can't say which one is worse.'

Opening the door, the four filed out of the apartment building.

The two adults stood in front, one with a spear and the other with two knives - one made from sharpened flesh.

And behind them were two children - the boy carrying a skewer and the girl with a knife.

Stepping forward, the group immediately caught the attention of the zombies around them.

"Gr?"

"Rag?"

"Ruug?"

Dozens of zombies lined the street. Some were only the upper torsos, crawling around on the ground with their entrails dragging behind them.

The majority however, were fully functional.

Spreading his arms, Marcus shouted out to gather the attention of all.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I come to you today with a lovely offer. Step right up, step right up!! For this is a one time, limited edition deal which you can only receive right now!."

The two children seemed to duck away behind some landscaping as Marcus and Sylvia stepped forward, to which the woman continued the man's speech.

"If you're searching for brains to consume, then you're in for quite the treat! Our brains just so happen to contain a special ingredient which you will find in no human."

The two carried themselves with pride, flaunting their own skills as salespeople with false confidence and deceptive advertisement.

And then, in unison, they spoke.

"If you miss out on this offer... then you will never get another chance in your lives."