Number 7

Words could not describe the feeling of absolute loneliness which Larry felt right now.

"What... did you just say?"

The head which hung before him opened it's eyes, and the girl looked to him with a grin as the tears continued to drop from her face.

"I am so glad... that this is happening to you. Truly... truly... to the one who has done this... I owe them everything."

As if blades were being stabbed into his heart, the words of the girl penetrated Larry.

They thrust themselves into him, forcing him to come to terms with an unbearable reality.

"That's... that's a lie, isn't it?"

The man begun to shake as he tried to sit up, however he was unable to in his injury.

"You... you're just saying that, aren't you? You... you must be scared, right? That monster... hahaha... just like the antihero Ashley whose words fried the minds of those who she spoke to… or like the antihero Samantha who could manipulate the minds of any she gazed upon… she is forcing you into saying such things, right? You... you must be speaking out of a desire to survive."

Putting his butchered hand to his forehead as he held himself with tears coming to his own eyes, the man begun to laugh with a pained expression.

"Hahaha... that's right... but that means that your love is not enough.... it isn't enough!! You need to do better than that, Genevieve!! You can't just give into that monster like that!! You have to be willing to suffer any pain for the person you truly love!! For without any pain, the love which you hold for another has no substance!! If you do not-"

"I am not being manipulated as you think I am."

The bodiless head cut off the man as he spoke with madness in his tone, silencing him as he looked to her with widened eyes.

"I have never... and will never... love you."

With a grand smile, the bodiless girl glanced up to the one who held her.

"I do not know who you are... but I thank you. Can you grant me one final wish?"

It was at that moment that the head was thrown across the room, splattering into a pile of flesh and blood as it hit the wall at an immense velocity.

"UGH!!"

The girl let out a scream as she barely opened her eyes, breathing heavily.

"You... are not trying to help me?"

The decapitated head looked up to Number One with surprise and confusion.

"You... you monster... ung!!"

Larry shouted out in pain as he watched the scene, yet the monstrous woman merely walked over to the head which was now on the ground, bloodied and battered.

Stepping on the head of the girl, the creature looked down on her with a wicked grin.

[I have no intention of granting a wish to a human. However... if what I wish to do happens to benefit a human... then I suppose that much is alright. Therefore... if you wish to witness this man's demise...]

Picking the head up by the hair, Number 1 looked Genevieve straight in the eyes.

[I would suggest that you don't make any demands of me.]

However even as Number 1 threatened the woman with such brutal methods, her threats were merely met with a peaceful smile.

"How wonderful..."

[No. That's not how this is supposed to go.]

"You.... are truly a wonderful person."

It was then that the head was thrown again, this time straight at the man who was spread out on the floor.

"UGH!!"

As the head hit him in the stomach hard enough to cause him to spit up blood, the man held the braided girl as he looked down at her with terror.

"Gen..."

"How wonderful it is... that a HERO finally arrived to save us all."

The words which the girl spoke and the ever so peaceful tone with which she spoke them were enough to inspire fear into the man as he held the bodiless head.

"By destroying everything."

[You know... I don't care anymore. Sure, lady. Whatever you say.]

It was then that Number 1 grinned as she bobbed her body back and forth, undoing her hair as it fell to the ground.

[Fine then. If it means destroying everything... I'll be your HERO.]

----

[Let's see... how to deal with you... ah, I think I know.]

Grabbing the man who had been ruthlessly flayed by his throat, the madwoman whose flesh was rotten and whose eyes were blackened looked to him with a putrid smile.

[I think I will try to recreate... one of THAT MAN'S experiments.]

The man trembled in fear, shivering as tears came to his eyes, yet as he looked around the room he found no salvation.

Standing in the corner, the zombie who he had fought just earlier merely watched with his arms crossed, having taken a serious expression.

"H.... help..."

Barely even able to hold out his hand towards the man, a pathetic display overcame him as he dropped the head of his student, which rolled to the side.

"Please... help.... me..."

At this point the man was on the verge of bawling, too terrified to even keep the excessive anger which he held just moments before.

Then, he felt his neck as it was yanked up.

[Human... do you believe he could help you even if he wanted to? Or perhaps... you were talking to the other one?]

It was then that Larry was thrown to the ground, causing all his open wounds to explode in pain.

"AGH!!! Please!! Help me!!!"

The man shouted as he shrieked in pathetic manner, looking to the man who he had killed with his own two hands for assistance.

However it was at that moment that the man let out a sigh.

Then, stepping forward, he walked in front of the monster who had taken control of Sylvia - looking down on the man with thinned eyes.

"You want me to help you?"

"PLEASE!! I... I'll do anything!! Just... just stop this monster!!"

"Anything... you say?"

"ANYTHING!!!"

It was then that a grin overcame Marcus as he stood above the hopeless man.

"I'm sure that's exactly what your students said to you. Am I wrong, girl?"

Larry almost choked on the blood in his mouth as the zombified man made such a realistic yet cold statement, looking towards the disembodied head for an answer.

'Genevieve...'

'Don't....'

'Don't... don't answer!!'

'Don't answer him!!!'

"Yes. That is right."

"I see. Is that right? Hahaha... well then, there you have it."

Spreading his arms as he shrugged his shoulders, the man closed his eyes with a smirk.

"There is nothing I can do about it then. I have no intention of becoming a middle man in this negotiation."

It was at that moment that the head of the zombified man exploded in a rain of blood and guts.

[Have you finished, human?]

The zombified body dropped to the ground as Marcus was instantly slaughtered without warning, and this caused Larry to shrink back with raspy breathing as he watched such a merciless and seemingly meaningless slaughter.

"Wha... why..."

[Why... you ask?]

"Was that man... not.... your comrade?"

Larry looked up to one with terror in his eyes, unable to comprehend how such a being could slaughter someone without any form of hesitation like that.

Even to a man who had tortured and murdered, such indifference was unthinkable.

For he had spent his entire life pursuing a rotten version of love.

And the opposite of love is not hate.

It is indifference.

[My comrade? Listen up, human. That man was a human.]

"Why... for what reason... could you possibly... have-"

[For what reason did I kill him? Ah... to explain it in terms that you can understand... yes, I suppose that's the one. Heh... I truly do resemble her, don't I?]

[Just like the being of terror who came to be known as the Archduchess of Calamity, there is only one reason why I would kill someone.]

"Reason.... what... what is the reason?"

With a horrifying grin, the girl stepped on the back of the man as her hand shifted shape into the form of a cheese grater.

[What else could it be? Even if it was only for a moment, he stepped in front of me as if he had the power to do anything.]

Then, pressing the grater to the mans face, the woman's hair begun to trickle with energy as she laughed in demented manner.

[Hehehe.... keh keh heh.... well, if I explain it in more simple terms...]

The cold metallic substance pressed on the man, and he reeled in horror as he realized that such a sharpened tool was about to shave off his very skin.

[He pissed me off.]

Thus, Marcus died.

For the sixth time.

----

'How many times... has it been now?'

The darkness of the abyss between life and death was becoming a regular sight to Marcus.

'I didn't even realize... no... there wasn't even an opportunity to realize.'

It was an instant.

Barely even a moment and he was dead.

He didn't even recall the pain of death, it was so quick.

'I suppose... this one is my mistake. After all... I didn't realize that Number 1 had such a quick temper. Perhaps... I became too accustomed to things.'

As if he was closing his eyes, if Marcus could he would have smiled at that moment.

However, he had no body to do such a thing.

'Isn't that right, 7?'

[That is correct. You worked with us against a common enemy, and because of that you forgot your position relative to us, human. However... you are progressing quite well as a host. And for that... I will continue to mold you.]

'Mold... me?'

What was he being molded into?

Why was this creature trying to mold him?

These questions fluttered through the mind of Marcus, however it was then that the creature who had taken over his mind spoke.

[I will continue to mold you.]

[Until you become a person which I can use to take over this world.]

----

Screams.

Endless, horrifying screams.

This was the only thing that Amy could hear as she watched patiently, twiddling her feet as she sat on a pile of heads.

"AGHHHHH!!!!"

"Hey, Number 1?"

[Yes? I'm in the middle of something here.]

"I'm bored."

[Ok. I'll finish up then.]

Number 1 was currently in the process of shredding the man's face as if it were a block of cheese.

"Oh... I have an idea..."

Jumping off the pile of heads and landing with a light 'hup!', the girl smiled playfully as she skipped over to the headless woman who was watching with a tired yet satisfied expression.

Picking up the head, Amy looked the girl in the eyes with a joyful smile.

"Are you having fun, miss?"

"I... am."

With a weak voice, the girl known as Genevieve responded in the affirmative.

"That man... he took everything from us... he deceived us... he made us think that he was a wonderful person... and then he trapped us in his own little world... for as long as we stayed alive."

Closing her eyes, the braided girl looked over to the man as he was brutally tortured.

"Death... would have been a salvation. Yet we were granted no such luxury."

With a light nod, the young girl held up the head.

"I see."

Then, grabbing the knife from the cloth which was wrapped around her stomach, Amy pressed it to the forehead of the girl.

"Then... you don't want to play with me?"

"I've seen everything I need to see. I can die in peace now."

"I see."

Stab.

It was swift.

A knife straight through the brain, which had already been turned to mush due to the rotting nature of the woman.

And with that, the eyes of the girl became dead.

The color completely left her face, and with a gentle smile the braided girl died.

Pulling the knife out of the head, Amy then walked over to the pile of heads as she held it before her.

Then, throwing it onto the bottom of the pile, the girl smiled.

And with this, she jumped to sit on that pile of heads, resting her feet on the very head of the woman who she had just slaughtered.

Putting her hands behind her back as she hummed to herself, the girl looked to the ceiling as she giggled.

"Hmm hmm hmm... hehe... Number 1, has that man DIED yet?"

[Ah, it looks like he's on the verge. After all, the screaming has stopped. Although... that's only because I grated his vocal chords as well.]

"I see. So he's still alive?"

[Barely.]

As the woman let go of the man, who had been so brutally mutilated that his form as a human was no more, the man fell forward to the ground - unable to even move in response.

[Ah... he just died.]

Stepping forward to speak, the man who wore a bloodied suit looked down on the lump of flesh with his darkened eyes.

"Is that so? How do you know, Number 7?", Amy asked.

[Isn't that obvious? I invaded his mind at one point. And if even a single one of my cells is inside of him, then I am a part of him. However... I have no intention to revive this one.]

Holding out his hand, a lump of flesh exited the ear of the man, sliding over and rejoining itself with the hand of Marcus before taking a human form again.

[Eh? Number 7... you...]

The blackened eyes of Number 1 widened in horror as she looked to Number 7.

Stumbling back with fear in her expression, she looked to him with trembling hands.

[You... were inside him... the entire time?]

[Oh, that? Worry not about such a trivial matter.]

[But you... I...]

Grabbing her head, Number 1 looked down with an expression which she had never before taken.

Guilt.

[I did all that.... and you experienced-]

[Do you think that such a pathetic amount of suffering is enough to even make me flinch?]

Looking up, Number 1 saw something which shook her heart.

The man was grinning.

He was grinning with such confidence as he walked towards the woman, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

[Do not fret about such trivial matters. Suffering is not something which we are prone to any longer. After all... after a certain point, we became used to it. Did we not?]

[But... even so....]

Taking hold of her chin, Number 7 looked Number 1 directly into her eyes with a smirk.

[Trivial. To think that such a thing could make even such a demented man fall to such a pathetic state... is laughable.]

And then, he laughed.

[Heh.]

Closing his eyes with a smirk, the man turned around as he folded his arms behind his back.

[Heh... heh.... how truly pathetically weak humans are. This world is nothing like we were taught. Do you not agree?]

[I...]

Her expression twisting from worry to relief, Number 1 looked up to see that her actions had not caused any damage.

[Agree.]

[Now then... I suppose it is time that we give these bodies back. After all... our hosts have much to learn and much to do. Ah, allow me to ask first. What is your opinion on the other humans?]

Glancing over at the woman, Number 7 looked to her with a grin as she put a finger to her lips.

[The other humans, eh? You mean the weakling who couldn't do shit... ah, that's all of them. Well, the weak boy who couldn't even stand up for himself and relied on a little girl to save him, and the girl who was taken in by this pathetic excuse for a lifeform... I have no opinion on them.]

[Based on your words just now it would seem that your opinion is readily clear. Would you not say so?]

[Huh?]

[Nevermind. Let us return to the minds of these fools. We will have to wait until we can find a hint as to the whereabouts of any of our other comrades. Ah, and as far as the girl is considered... I believe that Number 5 would suit her quite well. Do you not agree?]

[Ah, yeah. She'd love the human sack of flesh.]

[Excellent. Though... I am concerned that she would make it into her plaything. Please make sure to keep her in check. After all, you have taken a liking to the child, correct?]

[Mm... I guess. But don't you think that she would make things all the more fun?]

[Haha.... you are truly always seeking chaos, in whatever form. Very well. However, since the main bodies are still in that place, we would have to return in order to find her. And as of right now... we know little to nothing about this world. Therefore... we should make it our priority to find out as much as we can.]

[Yeah... I guess that's right.]

With a nod, the two came to an agreement.

And then, smiling in a wicked manner, they interlocked both hands with one another as they stared each other into their madness filled eyes.

[Then the only thing left to do is to allow these humans to do as they please... and to continue using their suffering in order to gain information on this world... and the HUMANS who inhabit it.]