“Well, 11, it’s good to meet you. Hi, 6.”
I nod; my brows pinched in confusion. She's actually... nice?
10 nods once and keeps walking down the hallway.
“Bye-bye!” 6 waves at her retreating back. She looks at me, a long sigh escaping her lips. “You’re so pretty. I like you, 11. I want to marry you!”
She claps a hand over her mouth dramatically. I can’t help but grin. Her insanity is a bit amusing. When she sees my reaction, a brilliant smile lights up her face. “11 and me...gonna be family... getting married... la-la-la...” she sings.
I'm so amused by her antics, I don’t see a huge shadow approaching. I feel him before I see him. Oh fuck. This must be 9. He’s twice the size of Synn, for fuck’s sake. Synn... God. My heart aches painfully. I blink rapidly, trying to shove that way back inside my brain.
9 towers over me, glaring with an unhinged smirk on his face. Without a single word, he grabs my hand, and... sniffs it. I yank my hand back, stepping back several steps.
He grunts, moving towards me again. “Taste,” he rasps out, grabbing my fucking arm again. He licks it slowly, moaning low in his throat.
“Nope, don’t even think about it, Cannibal Cocksucker!” I force his hand off me, backing up. “Let’s go, 6,” I say firmly, without taking my eyes off 9.
She grabs up my hand, and we walk the opposite direction. I look around, nothing but empty cells on either side. At first, I don’t see anything other than cells, then 6 pulls me through an entry I didn’t notice. It looks like a common area of some kind. There are a few chairs scattered around, and a couple of small tables. I sit down with 6 at a table. She starts to hum, and I tune her out, going back over the fights I’ve seen in my mind. I need to remember the moves I saw. Hopefully it will help me from not getting killed when it’s my turn.
I'm back in my cell, contemplating everything. Why am I such a strong bitch? I want to break—but my stubborn mind won’t allow it. I would love nothing more than to retreat inside of a paradise in my brain.
A female yell interrupts my thoughts, taking me to the front of my cell. I look through the bars to see an unfamiliar girl streak through the cell block. She’s completely naked and fairly tall, but with petite features. A redhead, complete with freckles sprinkled across her pert nose. She's young—possibly a teenager, maybe twenty-one at best.
Her head turns towards me as she goes by, aiming a huge smile at me. I grab the bars, whispering frantically. “Go, go! Find a staircase, check around the corner!”
She listens, speeding onward. I hear loud footsteps coming around the corner, all four masks careening around it. They see her immediately. Demon roars, breaking into a run.
“You!” he yells, catching up to her with zero effort. He grabs her around the waist, carrying her back to the other masks. He plops her onto the floor, and they all four restrain her.
“Attention everyone!” Demon says loudly. I can hear murmurs from the other patients around me. The girl struggles, cursing them all out.
“I want you to pay close attention to what happens if you try to escape.” Demon turns back to the girl, pulling out a large knife.
My brow knits in confusion. I tried to get away, and nothing happened to me.
Demon raises the knife, plunging it down. It goes straight through her throat, sticking out the other side. She gurgles andchokes, frantically pawing at her neck. The masks let go of her and she crumples to the floor. A large pool of blood collects underneath her.
Before it can grow larger, the masks pick her up and carry her off. Skull comes back into view, carrying a mop and bucket. He makes quick work of cleaning up the blood, and leaves.
I sink back heavily onto my mattress. I'm a bit shocked, but not really surprised. I'm still so numb, the horror doesn’t hit me like it should. Shaking my head, I lay back and close my eyes. Hopefully sleep can take me far away from here.
Bryan
I'm shaking as I’m led down the hall, presumably to patient 9’s cell. While I was being collected, I heard a bonging sound. I asked the mask what it was and he just muttered, “Free time is over.”
I don’t know what that is, nor do I have any idea what’s in store, but it likely includes a beating—at minimum.
We stop, Skull jangling keys to open the cell in front of me. “Patient 9! We have a visitor for you.”
I hear a deep grunt, and someone steps forward further into the light. Oh My God. This guy is well over six feet, built like a tank. His head is shaved bald, and he has tattoos covering his face and neck—practically every inch of skin.
His eyes are dead and cold. He just glances at me, tips his head back, and laughs. And keeps laughing. I step backward, only to be pushed forward by Skull, who shoves me all the way inside, locking the door behind me.
The giant doesn’t speak, just stalks forward tilting his head. He lifts a massive arm, poking me with an extended finger. He just... pokes me, all over.
“Do you have any body fat? I don’t like bones,” he casually tosses out there. He reaches up and strokes my hair. “Soft,” he grunts. He then leans in close, sniffing the side of my neck. “Fresh meat.”
What the hell? He surely can’t mean...
