Number 7

Sirens blared, and the blue and red lights filled the vision of Bradley as he awoke.

Numerous voices could be heard. Some people were talking, some were crying. Concern was evident in the voices of every person present.

"So that man fell from the bridge... possibly in an attempted suicide... the woman in that car was distracted by the falling body which smashed through her windshield, causing her to veer off course... a number of collisions proceeded afterwards... her engine exploded, leading to two deaths... seven injured... and now we have this situation."

Ever so calmly, an officer wrote on his notepad as Bradley slowly raised his head to witness the situation.

The cars blocked the highway completely, creating a traffic jam the likes of which Bradley had never witnessed.

Hundreds of cars were stacked behind the barricade of destroyed vehicles from the collision.

Smoke and ash covered the area, and as he looked up Bradley witnessed the car which he had fallen onto - only to see that the woman in its front seat was completely charred.

Her entire body was nothing more than an overcooked piece of charcoal, as if she had been burned alive.

The fires had been put out at this point, however they were far too late.

Another vehicle appeared to have been involved in the explosion, inside which was a man whose head was covered in blood with shards of glass straight through his brain.

This particular man appeared to have not been wearing his seatbelt at the time of the collision, and was flung forward into his windshield, killing him on impact.

A number of other victims were limping around, some of them injured and others only slightly fazed. Firetrucks and emergency rescue personnel covered the scene, and one of them seemed to be shouting out orders as they pried one man's car open for him to escape.

And as Bradley stood up, his body feeling strangely refreshed - it dawned upon him that all of this was his doing.

"Ah..."

"EH!?"

As he stood up, the officer who was taking notes looked behind him with horror, jumping back at the sight of the man.

"How are you... how are you still alive!?", he shouted.

However this surprise was short lived.

Rushing forth as his expression turned from shock to anger, the man approached Bradley with intense irritation.

"You... how could you do something like this? Look at all these people!! Do you understand what you've done!? If you were going to kill yourself, then you should have done it in a place that nobody would have gotten hurt!!! But now that you've gone and done this…”

Trembling with rage, the officer spoke in a quivering tone.

“Two people have died in your place."

Grabbing the throat of Bradley, the officer seemed to be fuming with anger - completely changed from his calm demeanor from just moments before.

Perhaps it was because before, there was no culprit for him to release his anger upon.

"How are you going to make up for this?"

It was as the man asked this question that Bradley fell limp.

Looking at the two people who were dead because of him, he could not bear his sin.

'What have I done?'

Tears filled his eyes, and they streamed down his face, however the cop still remained.

"Did you not hear me? How are you going to make up for this?"

"There's... no way I can make up for it."

Whispering these words, Bradley spoke to the man, however this confession was met with an opportunistic tone.

"Now now... don't say things like that. You killed two people, and injured many more. You... even if your suit is ruined now, it looks pretty expensive. You seem like someone who can't afford to be caught up in a situation like this. Therefore... I suppose I would be willing to put a price on those two lives for you."

With a sly tone, the officer made Bradley an offer.

And as soon as he heard this, the expression of Bradley went from remorseful to vengeful in an instant.

"What did you just say?"

Standing up, the red haired man grabbed the throat of the officer, lifting him into the air.

"UGH! AGH! ECK!"

The man began to choke, however when he was met with the deadly eyes of the red haired man, even that choking seemed to cease - for the terror which was inspired within him at that moment was enough to stop his very breath.

"Did you just tell me that you would put a price on their lives?"

At that moment, something changed in the hand of Bradley.

His fingers became sharp like blades, and they pierced straight into the neck of the man, completely crushing his throat.

The man spit blood as he thrashed and struggled.

Blood sprayed all over the man, however with an unremorseful expression he dropped the officer to the ground with a splatter.

"If you want to put a price on the lives I've taken... then I'll go ahead and take you up on the offer. But there’s just one problem."

Flicking the blood off his hand which had returned to normal, the man turned around with madness in his eyes, the anger overflowing within him as he kept a perfectly calm yet insane expression.

"Yours is worthless."

----

[Are you sure that was alright? You killed that man. From what I know, killing in your society will cause most humans to gang up on you. Though that doesn't always seem to be the case. Some people are allowed to kill. Why is that?]

Bradley found himself in a dark corner within an underground sewage tunnel, hiding himself away in this filthy place as he waited for things on the surface to cool down.

[Ah, but that's why you're in this place, isn't it? I've never seen anything like this before, since no humans come here. I always wondered where those holes in the ground led.]

"Are you going to explain to me what's going on now?"

The woman seemed to prattle on, however Bradley was in no mood to match her lighthearted demeanor.

[Ah... I guess I did promise that, didn't I? Very well. Ask away. I'll answer what I can.]

"Who are you? No... what are you?"

[If you're asking for a name, I don't have one. But if you're asking for what I am, then I can answer that much. I am an experiment. Experiment Number Three, to be exact.]

"An experiment? What does that even mean? Well... that doesn't matter for now. Why... why am I still alive?"

This was the question that truly burned within Bradley.

Nothing made sense.

He had thrown himself off that bridge.

He had ended up killing two people in the process, and lived to witness those results - but why had he lived in the first place?

[Well it isn't any fun if I just tell you... tch... well, fine. The reason is because I've invaded your body and made you into my host. As a result of this, you've become a part of me. Is that simple enough?]

The woman spoke in such a straightforward manner, saying things as if they were obvious - however Bradley merely shook his head in shock.

"That doesn't explain anything. What does being a part of you have to do with my death? What does that have to do with those spikes that came out of my hand and killed that police officer? What does that have to do with the fact that I survived that fall?]

[Alright, alright. I see where you're at. Listen up. My cells can regenerate, and I can't die. Well... to say I can't die wouldn't exactly be accurate. Rather... I cannot be killed through physical means.]

"Hah? What is that supposed to mean? Is there any other way to kill someone than physically?"

[Death is something of the soul, not the body. And if a rule were enacted that brought about my death, then it would certainly kill me.]

Bradley was left to linger on this statement, wondering what it could possibly mean.

"A rule?"

[Oh... that's right. I guess you humans don't know anything about the rules, do you? I guess we were the only ones who were reawakened... where to start then? Hm...]

The woman seemed to be in thought for a moment before she posed a question to the man.

[Do you know what gravity is?]

"Why wouldn't I know what gravity is? Do you take me for an idiot?"

[I don't know what knowledge humans have and don't have. At any rate, gravity is a law that states that all objects will be attracted to one another in proportion to their mass. This attraction is also inversely proportional to their distance. But enough of the fancy words. My point is this - everything in this universe is subject to gravity. Right?]

"That's correct.", Bradley said with a sigh, wondering what this creature was getting at.

[This is a law... or more particularly... a rule which has been accepted as truth, because we experience it in all circumstances. When we drop an object, no matter what the object is, it falls downward towards the center of Clarica. But what if, all of a sudden, such a rule were to be broken?]

"Hm... I suppose something would fly upwards, or maybe it would merely float in the air when it was dropped?", Bradley speculated.

[Indeed. There are a lot of possibilities of what would happen. And each of these possibilities in of themselves would mean that some new rule is in place to govern the behavior of that particular object. So let me get to my real point here. Due to a certain reason, I happen to have control over a particular rule.]

"Hahaha... is that so? Are you going to make me float in the air, perhaps?"

With a slight chuckle, Bradley found the ramblings of the creature to be ludicrous.

But even so, the fact that such a creature existed in the first place meant that something strange was at play.

"Or maybe... you're going to revive me from the dead?"

As he uttered this statement, the eyes of the man widened as he realized it himself.

Perhaps a rule of this universe had already been broken.

[Ah, revive isn't my rule. The reason why I could revive you was due to purely scientific means. When I talk about breaking rules... I'm talking about something which defies science.]

"So magic?"

[You might call it that... but I wouldn't say that is quite correct either. Rather... I suppose it would be a redetermination of reality. Or at least... that is the term that I feel would be best able to explain it.]

"I see."

[You're accepting these things with a strange speed. Perhaps revival from death was enough proof for you to believe anything.]

With a light laugh, the voice continued on with its lecture.

[But... I suppose I haven't shown you my ability at all. Or at least, you haven't actually witnessed the effects of my ability yet. So... I'll explain a few things to you. First, stand up.]

At the order of the woman, Bradley stood up.

Looking around, he seemed to be analyzing his surroundings even now.

"What now?"

[Go outside.]

"I might be caught by the police if I do that."

[That won't be a concern.]

"How can I trust you?"

At the irrational demands of the creature, Bradley spit out this statement with disgust evident in his tone.

"I couldn't even trust a human, and yet you expect me to trust a talking piece of flesh that's invaded my mind?"

[I think it's the other way around, Bradley. Humans deceive one another, they lie to one another because they benefit from doing so. However, think about my situation for a moment. I am a parasite, a piece of flesh that can take a host yet is nothing more than an uglier version of a slime without one. To put it simply, it would typically be very difficult for me to encounter a human who would accept me or even converse with me. Yet I found you, and determined that with your experiences, that you would be most likely to work with me.]

"Why is that?"

[Because you hate humanity, don't you?]

The woman spoke these words, cutting off any response of the man.

[Heh... I may not be human, but I can read a person pretty well, you know. I wonder why that is?]

With a sly tone that was filled with sinister intent, the woman spoke in a manner as if she understood everything about him.

[I know that you've lost all your trust for everyone around you... and that is why you hold no concern for anyone anymore.]

His mind overtaken with the words of the woman, Bradley could do nothing more than listen as she whispered into his brain.

[And in that hatred for this world... I am just like you.]

And as she said this, Bradley felt a trembling from within him unlike anything he had ever experienced.

[So what do you say?]

And then, the thing within him offered a proposal.

[Do you want to destroy the things that we hate together?]

"Only if you give me a guarantee."

However - he could not trust this thing.

Therefore with a smile, he made this proposition instead, negotiating with this monster without shame.

"If you can prove that you won't betray me with some sort of guarantee, then I'll work with you."

[Haha... you really are smart, aren't you? But a guarantee... hmm... that's quite difficult, you know. I don't really have any weaknesses I can share. Ah! Wait, I suppose there's that.]

"What is it?"

[You see... I have a main body. The me that you have seen is actually just a grouping of cells that escaped from that body. Therefore if I die, my consciousness will return to that body.]

"Hah? I thought you said you couldn't die."

[As I said, such a thing cannot happen by physical means, but if a rule brings about my death then I will ultimately return to that place. Well, at any rate, listen up. If I inject myself into your brain, then I will mold completely with you. I will be unable to leave your body, and you will be unable to get rid of me. You will become my host eternally, and everything that you feel, I will feel.]

"As I said, how can I trust anything you say? Even if you claim such a thing, you could be lying. Not to mention that something like that seems dangerous."

[It means that I'll overtake your consciousness when you die.]

"That... doesn't benefit me at all, does it?"

[Oh, but it does. Heh... let me put this into perspective for you, Bradley. By merging into one with me, you will gain my powers. Due to the strange nature of my cells, I can control my form at will. I can move and fight with perception, speed, and strength that no human could possibly hope to achieve. And by instilling my cells throughout you, I can share some of that power. You will gain power, and in the odd case that you die - I will emerge to take revenge for your sake.]

It was at that instant that the hand of the man began to deform itself - eventually taking the form of a woman's head.

Her hair was red and long, slightly messy and she had a crooked smile as she bore her white teeth.

She looked at Bradley with her pitch black eyes, the pupils of which were the color of blood.

[For that is the rule I control.]

And taking a form as if she was a sock puppet on the hand of the man, she spoke with fanaticism in her voice.

[Revenge.]

"What you're saying... I somewhat understand. But the fact of the matter is, how do I know you'll follow what we agree on? How do I know anything you're saying is true? How do I know you're not just trying to get me to agree to something-"

[Do you think I need your permission to do anything?]

From the man's hand, the woman's body seemed to form, becoming all the more human as time passed.

Arms formed, at which she crossed them with a sour expression.

Bradley merely watched this with a strange horror as he gulped, staring down the woman all the while.

[What do I gain by getting you to agree with me? Nothing. I am trying to get you to agree because I don't have any ill intentions. If I wanted your body to use it for myself, I could take it easily - but I have no intention of doing so. With that being said... I'll let you think about things. But for now... why don't you try attacking that rat over there?]

The woman then pointed in a direction, at which Bradley looked over to see three enormous rats.

They were at least the size of moles, if not bigger, and they were approaching quickly.

Bradley quickly took up a fighting pose, the former delinquent in him taking control as he entered battle mode.

'Shit... I hate fighting animals... they always rely on biting and scratching, so even if I fight flawlessly I always get injured...'

This was what Bradley thought as the rats seemed to rush forward at him.

One jumped, at which the man slammed it with his foot, sending it flying into the water with a slash.

Yet another lunged forward at almost the same time, this one grabbing hold of his foot as it took a bite.

"Shit... get off of me..."

In that instant, the hand which previously took the form of a woman returned to a hand, which Bradley slammed into the creature as it let out a whelp.

The next one however had been waiting for this chance, jumping as soon as the other was attacked - aiming right for the arm of the man.

"Heh... do you think that a couple of bites will kill me?"

As it chomped down on his forearm, Bradley looked the creature in the eyes as he gripped it with his other hand.

And then, he choked it.

The creature began to scream and whelp, letting go of his arm with haste - however Bradley did not let go of the struggling thing.

Instead, he gripped its throat all the tighter.

[All three attacked you. Therefore... take your revenge, Bradley.]

It was in that moment that Bradley felt a rush unlike anything he had experienced before.

His hand felt an unnatural amount of strength, his eyes a strange perception as if he could see every movement of the creatures.

Smash!

And with that strength, he crushed the head of the thing in one grasp - moving with haste as he slammed his foot onto the head of the next.

Blood splattered and guts sprayed, bits of a skull being crushed underneath him as the creature let out its final cry.

And at this, emerging from the water to attack the back of the man was the final one - however as if he had eyes on the back of his head, the man slammed his fist into this one - with such power that its innards exploded on contact.

"EEEEEE!!!!"

The creature let out a horrifying screech as it was sent back into the water, blood spraying from its mouth.

And with this, everything halted.

His sudden increase in perception, speed, and power had ceased.

"What was that? Was that you sharing your power with me?"

[Oh... not exactly. That wasn't my physical power, no.]

"Hm? Just now you said that you would increase my strength, speed, and perception. Didn't all of those things happen just now?"

[Those things were merely incidental. What I did just now was I set a condition - that your revenge would be achieved on those creatures that harmed you. The increase in strength was merely... one method of achieving this revenge.]

With a smirk, the woman then appeared once more on the hand of the man, confidently presenting herself as she spoke in a cheeky manner.

[After all, that is the rule which I have control over. When someone has been harmed... I can guarantee that they will succeed in taking their revenge.]

----

"So? What is your goal?"

Bradley found himself walking through the sewers as he probed the creature for information - or should he say the woman?

It was definitely feminine, so without a doubt it was a female - though it was certainly not human.

[Well... that's the thing. See, I was experimented upon by a certain man. I was born in a lab, and due to some events recently I escaped and found myself in the human world. But there's the issue. Humans... you people tend to be very harsh towards something like me.]

The woman's tone lowered for just a moment as a tinge of fear seemed to creep into her voice.

[I was chased... attacked... and called a monster.]

And then, with a slight laugh, the woman spoke with bitterness in her tone.

[But I suppose that's what I am, right?]

Pausing for a moment, the woman puckered her cheeks before continuing.

[Yet you... you were broken. You were distraught. You were so far gone to the point that you didn't react to me in the same way that any normal human would. And perhaps that was the reason why I was attracted to you.]

"That doesn't explain anything. Doesn't that mean that you were following me in the first place? How long have you been stalking me?"

Even as the woman seemed to become emotional for a moment, Bradley didn't bend to such a plea.

After all, he had done so before - and that ended up in betrayal.

[Stalking... eh? I guess that can be added onto my list of sins. Let's see... well, I saw you driving around in your fancy car on the day you arrived in this Town. At that time I followed you because I sensed a similarity between you and that man... there was an aura of arrogance in you, and I wanted to take out my anger on you.]

With a slight bit of remorse in her tone, the woman - or the creature - explained herself.

[However I never found the chance. I watched you work and work, and then when I saw you on that day you saved the woman - I lost all will to mess with you anymore. However you could also say on that day that I grew curious about you. Why would you be so disgusted with the things around you that don't impact you? Why would you go out of your way to help that woman? Especially being so adamant about not getting any reward, it didn't make any sense to me. So I watched to find out.]

"And? You found out that I fell right into her trap because I trusted her.", Bradley spit.

[That much is true. But I also witnessed a change in you, Bradley. And as I watched that change... I wondered what would happen if I were to show myself. So I pondered and pondered, however in the end I gave up.]

"Hm? You gave up?"

[Well yes. I gave up on revealing myself to you, but I decided instead that perhaps if I continued following you that I would find someone that I could reveal myself to.]

"Why did you give up?"

With confusion in his tone, Bradley asked this question, however the next statement of the creature made it obvious.

[Obviously, because you were occupied with a woman.]

Raising an eyebrow at the strange statement of the woman, Bradley found himself unable to comprehend her, yet even so she continued.

[One thing that I've noticed in this world is that human women tend to be very jealous of one another. They like to compete to great extents, and they like to monopolize the attention of whatever man they lay their eyes upon. So I gave up on you, and was looking for someone else to act as my host. I needed someone who was completely isolated from everyone else so that I could work my way into their life without any issues.]

With the next statement, Number Three spoke with a smug tone.

[But then shit hit the fan, and everything in your life went wrong.]

"So you're telling me that if everything had gone well that you would have moved on and found another human to host?"

[Exactly. But everything did go wrong. Perhaps if I were superstitious, I would call it fate. But I don't believe in such things.]

As he continued to walk through the dank sewers, Bradley became silent in thought.

He continued walking for a few moments, considering everything that had happened up until this point.

"But you still haven't told me what your goal is."

[As of right now... I don't exactly have one. I do hate the man who created me, but taking revenge on him... that doesn't seem realistic. He is the one who created me in the first place, after all.]

"So you're saying that if he created a monster like you, that he can create another?"

[Oh, he already has. After all, I said it, didn't I? I was experiment Number Three.]

"Then how many experiments were there?"

[Seven. There were seven experiments. But I think you're missing something here, Bradley. Even though there were Seven experiments... there were an immeasurable number of unnumbered trials.]

"Eh? Seven named... and many more? So you're telling me that there are more of you out in the world?"

[Oh, no. Only the Seven of us were able to survive. The rest are all dead… or in a state equivalent to death.]

"I see. So you want revenge on that man, but it isn't something you can do - or maybe it isn't something you can do on your own."

[Ah, it's true that I want revenge on that man, but that isn't my actual goal. You see... I hated that man for raising me in the way he did, but once I got out into the human world, I started to realize things about humanity that I never knew before. Through my interactions with humans... and even from the things I witnessed when I was watching you, I think my goal has become a bit clearer.]

At that moment, the woman once more formed from the hand of the man, looking him into the eyes.

And as he looked down upon her, Bradley found a sinister yet pure resolve unlike anything he had known in his entire life.

[I wish to destroy those arrogant humans who like to exert power over others.]

And then, the next words of the woman were enough to force Bradley to stop in his tracks.

[Will you be my Host... and wield my power for this purpose?]

"If that truly is your goal... then I have no complaints."

And at this, the man smirked - the expression of a businessman overcoming him as he reached into his pocket to whip out a cell phone.

“I only have one question.”

Pulling up a map of the area, the man immediately located himself, as well as a number of places around him.

"Who's our first client?"