Number 7

"Alex, you're acting strange. Why are you acting like someone is there?"

Backing away in fear, Anna looked to the man who seemed to be falling into madness.

"You can't hear the voice?"

"I CAN'T!!! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?!?"

"Nobody is losing their mind."

It was at that instant that a crash resounded through the room.

Dust seemed to pile up, and the two fell backwards from their positions as they looked to the table between them, which had been destroyed by the person who had fallen onto it from above.

A hole was in the ceiling, and wooden beams and sawdust had fallen from it.

And in the center of this chaos was a man with hair that was the crimson shade of blood.

He stood up, dusting off his suit as he looked back and forth, once to the woman, then to the man.

And with a horrifying grin, he spoke.

"After all, if you weren't fully sane... then I wouldn't be able to obtain my revenge."

----

"You... psychopath."

Alexander immediately repositioned himself, shielding the woman as he held his hand out in a protective manner.

"What the hell do you think you're doing on my property?", he asked while attempting to hide his clear irritation.

The ceiling was destroyed, the table ruined. The dinner which was once upon it had been spilled onto the ground, and in the center of this scene of chaos was none other than Bradley Vendetta.

"Or perhaps you didn't learn your lesson from the last time you tried to fight against me?"

Whipping out a cell phone, the man immediately began to make a call.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

As the phone rang, the red haired man merely watched with amusement, not saying a word as he patiently waited for his opponent to make his move.

'Shouldn't he be concerned about my movements? If I call the police, or even the security guards, he'll become far outnumbered.'

As the phone continued to ring, it was to no avail as it eventually cut off to an automated message.

"Hm... it would seem that the guards are certainly lazy tonight. No wonder they allowed someone like you to enter the premises... and through the roof, no less."

Closing his cell phone as he spoke, Alexander stood forward as he approached the red haired man.

"But I suppose that only means that I'll have to take care of you myself. After all, you've lost all sense of danger."

With a confident smirk, Alexander approached the man as he slowly shifted to battle mode, raising his fists.

"Otherwise you wouldn't have appeared before me like this."

"Did it ever occur to you that the guards aren't merely lazing about, but rather that they've been taken out?"

With such a provocation, the red haired man slid his hand through his chaotic hair, grinning all the while - however Alexander didn't give in to such a provocation.

"I considered it for a moment, but in the end I wrote it off as nothing more than a fable. While you may have somehow evaded them, they are highly skilled and wouldn't fall to a mere murderer. No matter how insane you have become, surely you still understand the recklessness of what you're doing here, no?"

As Alexander met eyes with his opponent, he spoke as if lecturing someone that perhaps he could have respected - had they not been posed against one another.

"Even you must know that showing yourself in such a high priority location will end in your arrest."

"I figured something out, you know."

With a chuckle, the red haired man closed his eyes - mocking the very words of the one he spoke with.

"Logic can only be applied when everything follows logic. But what if an external factor that completely defies logic is to be introduced?"

In that instant, the man known as Bradley exploded.

His very body blew up, pieces of flesh and a rain of blood layering itself on the two.

"AGH!!!"

"Oh... my goodness..."

The woman screamed as she was covered in the fluid, and the man merely stood there, his eyes widened in absolute horror.

'Was he hiding a bomb on him? But why... didn't I feel much of an impact?'

Questions flooded into the mind of the man as he was unable to process this situation.

'Was he trying to assassinate me... and failed spectacularly?'

Wiping the blood from his face, he gazed down upon the pile of flesh before him - that which was once a man.

'Did he give his life to take his revenge on me... and yet I am standing here without so much as a scratch?'

And in that instant, as he thought these things, the mound of flesh spoke - slowly molding itself as it took form once again.

"If logic is overwhelmed by a newfound rule... insanity will follow."

----

Every person in this world uses logic.

Even if this logic is flawed, or based on unjustifiable emotions, each person has their own perception of the world, and why things happen.

When faced with something that they cannot explain, one of two things happens.

The first - they deny such an event.

"You... how are you talking?"

They make excuses, claiming that the things before them could not possibly have happened.

"No... no. I must be hallucinating. Was there something strange in the food?"

"What... what is that!?!?"

As Alexander denied the reality before him, Anna shouted out - fear lacing her voice as she reeled back in terror.

"Quite rude, the two of you."

With a withered smile, the blob of flesh took form once more - eventually taking the contours of a man.

"Ah, perhaps you thought that I had died? Maybe you thought that I had a bomb hidden on me, and that I had failed in my assassination? That I had given my life for nothing?"

As he stood up, the man looked below him, his eyes eventually landing on the kitchen knife that Sheldon had been using to slice his steak.

And as he bent down to pick it up, the red haired man spoke with a sinister tone.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is only one person who I would give my life for. And if it is for her... then I will do so as many times as it takes."

In the very next moment, the space around Alexander seemed to shift.

Everything became dark, and it was as if he was disconnected from reality.

'Wha... where...'

"You're probably wondering where you are."

However even in this realm of darkness, the voice of the red haired man still spoke.

"This is... the transition."

And then, standing before him in the void, the man appeared.

Bradley Vendetta.

He stood calmly, though a smile was plastered on his wretched expression - one which made Alexander sick to his stomach.

Or was it this very world that he found himself in that made his very stomach curl?

"You see... I've gained a certain ability. The ability to ensure that revenge will be obtained. Therefore... right now we're traveling."

"Traveling? Where... were are we-"

"To a timeline in which my revenge IS obtained."

With this answer, the man then turned around, folding his hands behind his back as his steps echoed through that void.

"You've already wronged me so much that the Lady didn't even need a trigger."

----

Alexander opened his eyes.

Standing before him was that man.

'Was that... a hallucination?'

'A dream?'

'Something else completely?'

He was in the exact same position, the exact same situation as before - as if time had not passed at all.

Perhaps everything he had just seen was truly a work of his imagination.

"I've accomplished my goal."

As the man before him uttered these words, an indescribable emotion welled up within Alexander.

"What do you mean by that?"

Was it fear?

Anticipation?

Irritation?

Perhaps all of these things.

Yet in that next moment, Bradley made his way over to one of the seats - and while crossing one leg over another, he merely sat down at the head of the broken table.

And as he did this, Alexander closed his eyes, irritation welling up within him.

"So you're going to disrespect me like this in my own house?"

His fists boiling with rage, the man stormed over to Bradley, who merely smiled as he tied a napkin to his collar - mocking Alexander without a word.

"You're a much greater fool than I expected."

At that moment, Alexander bursted forward.

With a speed that was of a top class combatant, the fist of this businessman flew towards the face of Bradley.

And it landed.

Bradley was sent flying, blood spouting from his nose as it was crushed to pieces.

Yet the onslaught didn't stop here.

Jumping on top of the man, Alexander began an attack on the serial killer, laying his fists into the man with a cold expression as he battered him.

Soon enough his face was covered in blood and bruises, streaks of the fluid matching the color of his hair.

Yet all the while, the man didn't let out a single whimper.

"What is wrong with you?", Alexander whispered as he stood up, panting lightly.

Shrugging his shoulders, he walked back over to the woman, who had been watching the scene from afar.

"Sorry about that. I'll have the police take care of him. For now, let's leave this place and go somewhere more suitable."

With these words, Alexander beckoned to the woman, however it was in that instant that a voice erupted within his mind - shattering his very perception of everything.

[Revenge]

And in that moment, pain exploded.

It was all over his body, flaring within him as if he had been flayed alive.

"AGH!!!!"

The man fell to the ground, his limbs falling apart and his bones shattering in an instant - for reasons which he could not understand.

Cuts and bruises appeared all over the man's body at that same moment, and the screaming didn't halt as he writhed along the ground in torment.

"AGH!!! UGH!!! DOCTOR!!!! HOSPITAL!!!! TAKE ME THERE!!! NOW!!!"

He shouted out these words in his struggle, the beaten man behind him merely smiling with a chuckle.

"You made it worse for yourself. I guess this is what happens when a normal person faces a reawakened. Especially if you don't understand their ability."

What was happening?

Everything within him shouted out, his entire body aflame with pain as the man could do nothing more than shout out and cry in agony.

"UGH!!!"

"How pathetic."

And in that instant, the pain seemed to ease just enough for him to perceive the words of the blonde haired woman who now stood before him - arms crossed and a disgusted expression on her face.

"You tell me that you'll protect me... and even though he barely even touched you, this is the state you end up in?"

As if to spit on the man, the woman turned around with the flutter of her hair as she walked off with a haughty sigh.

"You're a failure of a man."

"Wait... UGH!!!"

Reaching out his hand to the woman, the man felt his heart crushed - perhaps the only part of him that was left intact.

Yet even so, it was now shattered.

And with this, the woman shut the door - leaving the man alone with the other.

"It's terrifying, isn't it? And yet you're probably wondering what's going on. Why things ended up this way, why she suddenly turned on you, why your entire body suddenly seems to have failed on you. But everything came about as a result of... a reawakening."

With a tired tone, Bradley spoke down to the man, who was currently laid on the floor - broken in his defeat which had come about so unexpectedly.

"There are certain abilities that have been released into the world... and I happen to have merged with one of their holders."

As the man brought himself just inches from the ears of his victim, Alexander was forced to listen to the chilling whispering of the red haired murderer.

"And these abilities allow the users to surpass the very laws of the universe."

Pulling back, the man stood up with a chuckle as he explained further.

"A mere human could never possibly hope to face a reawakened... and it is because you assumed that I was JUST a human, that you lost."

Placing his hands in his pockets, the man stood before Alexander, who looked up to witness an indescribable grin.

"However I am no longer merely human. I'm a host."

Raising his hand, the man put up three fingers - as if to emphasize the significance of such a number.

"Bradley Vendetta. Host Number Three. At your service."

----

"Huff... huff..."

The woman panted heavily as she ran through the halls, looking back with concern in her expression as she darted away.

'I have to get away from him. Hah... I left Alex behind, and he's the one who orchestrated everything, so Bradley should be focused on him... I... I was just a tool! That's right. I was just his tool. I was just doing my job. The job that he hired me to do. He was the one who planned everything, he was the one who should be taking responsibility.'

As she rushed off, the woman cracked a smile, deceiving herself as she shifted the blame onto the one above her.

[I think you're right about one thing.]

However as she ran, a malicious smile plastered on her expression, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

[Without a question, you are a tool.]

And this voice, that of a female which spoke with such high authority, shook the woman to the very core.

[And a useless one at that.]

"Who... who is that!?"

Turning around as she stopped in her tracks, the blonde woman shouted out in irritation.

[If you're looking for me, then I'm right here.]

With a polite laugh, the feminine voice seemed to mock Anna who continued to gaze around her without success.

[Inside your mind, that is.]

"Inside my mind... who the hell do you think you're messing with? Are you a servant here trying to play some prank? Or are you an ally of his? To think that a woman would actually ally with that loser... he lost his mind, you know. He was head over heels for me, and you should have seen how pathetic he looked when I destroyed him. So? Have you picked up my leftovers and tried to salvage something out of them!? HAH! You're even more pitiable than he is then."

[I will not deny that I am pitiable. There are many reasons why a human could pity me.]

At that moment, the voice of the woman became strangely peaceful - yet at the same time, ever so filled with bloodlust.

[However, that is not one of them.]

And these words chilled Anna to the very bones.

[Do you not think that there is something honorable in salvaging someone who has been destroyed?]

"You... hahaha.... you're just trying to justify your own failure. WELL!? Are you going to show yourself, or am I going to sit here all day waiting?"

The woman shouted out with impatience, growing tired of the haughty position which the one who hid from her had taken.

[Very well. If you truly wish to see my true form, then I suppose I will show you. However you should know and understand that this is merely a piece of me. For my core is currently with the man who I have selected as my... yes... I believe that would be the right term.]

With a strange pause, the woman put emphasis on the next term she used.

[My soulmate.]

In that instant, the woman placed her hand to her own chest as a burning sensation engulfed it.

And with a splatter of blood, her chest split into two as something erupted from within her.

"UGH!!!"

Falling to the ground as she hacked up a volley of blood, the woman began to puke as the red fluid flowed all around her - and as she looked in front of her, she realized it.

Emerging from her chest was a heart.

The heart molded itself, moving in a strange manner as it's form shifted - eventually taking the form of a woman.

And as her body took form, the woman, who was lathered in blood and pumping with life, looked down upon Anna with sharp eyes and a toothy grin.

She had short red hair, just above shoulder length, and her figure was slim and athletic.

And as Anna failed to breathe, she felt a hand enter her chest as the desire to breathe was removed from her.

'What... is this?'

The hand of the woman had shifted once more - and her need for oxygen disappeared momentarily.

However her mouth, still filled with blood as she continued to cough - could not say a word.

[How difficult. You've wronged my soulmate in ways unimaginable. You've hurt his heart, shattered it to pieces, however the way my ability works is not exactly compatible with this situation.]

The pain seemed to cease for an instant, as if Anna was being held on some strange form of life support that removed all pain momentarily - perhaps for the very purpose of allowing Anna the ability to listen.

[You see, I have gained the ability to set the universe on a path towards revenge. When someone is wronged, I create a fated event in which the person who has wronged someone will experience a pain similar in nature and greater in magnitude to that which the one they have harmed.]

The woman spoke of things which Anna could never possibly hope to comprehend, while performing actions that exceeded human comprehension - yet even in this, the woman seemed to hold an excessive sadness in her heart while she spoke.

[However in this particular case... Bradley was betrayed by someone who he loved. And because you are a selfish woman who cares for nobody but yourself... betrayal is something that you could never hope to experience.]

And with anger lacing her expression, the woman gripped the inside of Anna's chest - her eyes thinning with disgust as she looked upon the blonde haired woman with rejection.

[So it would appear that instead of experiencing betrayal... your heart will be shattered in another way.]

----

Pulling her hand out of the chest of Anna, the red haired woman grinned.

[Go on. Run.]

And with these words, she crossed her arms across her chest, motioning for Anna to flee with arrogance abounding in her expression.

And at this instant, something changed in Anna.

For as the woman looked down upon her, she realized something.

The one looking down upon her was not a woman.

It was a monster.

A pressure seemed to force her downwards as she was barely able to even breathe - as if the very presence of this woman was suffocating.

"What..."

With this single word, the woman shook her head as she forced herself up.

Yet she could not.

[Too weak to even do that?]

With the click of her tongue, the woman headed over as she leaned on one of the walls, merely glancing over at Anna with disinterest.

[I see.]

And at that moment, the door at the end of the hallway bursted open.

And the one running through it was none other than the man known as Alexander Meyer.

His limbs seemed to be in full function as he scrambled, tears in his eyes and his hair a reckless mess - his demeanor anything but that of a calm and collected strategist.

"Get away from me!!!!"

He shouted this as he ran down the hallway, however as he reached the woman he was stopped - by a tentacle.

Shooting out of the arm of the red haired woman like a grappling hook, it cut off the path of the scrambling man, forcing him to slowly turn his eyes to the woman as sweat beaded down his forehead.

"Who are you?", Alexander asked, his voice quivering with terror.

[Ah, me?]

The woman placed her free index finger to her lips with a chuckle, slowly retracting the tentacle as her other hand retook it's form.

"Who do you think she is?"

Yet before she could answer, a voice spoke out from directly behind Alexander.

And as if he had teleported, Alexander turned to see that Bradley was standing just inches from him.

[I'm experiment Number Three.], the woman stated, casually waltzing over to the red haired man as she placed her hands upon his shoulders - and with this action, her very body seemed to be absorbed into the neck of the man.

The woman disappeared from existence, her entire body merging with Bradley as his grin became all the more insane - and just one of his two eyes changed color.

The white of his left eye became black, and it’s pupil red - and at that moment two voices spoke in unison.

[And he's...]

"And she's..."

At the next moment, a web of tentacles shot out of the body of the man, engulfing the room as all exits were cut off.

However perhaps those exits were nothing more than an illusion in the first place.

["My soulmate."]

Then - shooting out from the walls, numerous of the tentacles wrapped themselves around the two, as if they were flies trapped within the web of a spider.

A horrible, demented pair of spiders.

[First, I will take your mouth... which you used to deceive.]

A thread shot out from the left index finger of the man as the woman spoke, and like a needle through thread, the mouth of the woman was sewn shut before she could so much as scream.

[Second, your face - and the very beauty which gathered the sympathy of any who gazed upon you.]

With hands that worked like those of a professional seamstress, the man crocheted a net of steel-like threads - the next instant which was wrapped around the face of the woman.

Tightening it with the tug of a string, blood began to flow as the threads made creases into the face of the woman - impressing a pattern upon her face.

[And third... your hands, with which you held the very person that you destroyed.]

And with this statement, the hands of the woman fell to the ground with the splatter of blood.

The woman muffled and shouted, however she could not even open her mouth to scream as she was mutilated in such a manner.

"Now for you."

Yet the man, who now spoke with his own voice, turned to Alexander - who had merely been watching with terror - too shaken to so much as dare to speak.

"Three."

[Yes?]

Walking as he now stood before the man, the red haired man grinned with pleasure in his expression - reaching for his suit pocket with his right hand.

And as he reached for his pocket, the man who was stuck in a cocoon of tentacles and flesh was filled with the terror of demise as he was left to wonder just what horrible tool the man would pull out.

"Will you marry me?"

Yet that which he pulled out was none other than a golden ring - a diamond within it's center that shined with brilliance.

And taking that ring with his right hand, he placed it upon the ring finger of his left as the woman spoke in response.

[Of course.]

"Then... let's begin the vows."

With this statement, as his voice seemed to shift back and forth between that of the man and the woman, seven tentacles erupted from the back of the man.

And as they fluttered around him, the man who was trapped within the cocoon of flesh trembled as he realized that the term serial killer could never possibly hope to describe the pure madness of the man before him.

"I take you.... Experiment Number Three of the Human Calamity Project... to be my unlawfully wedded wife."

As Bradley shot forth a tentacle which plunged into the side of the man, Alexander let out a howl as his kidney was ruptured from within.

[For better or for worse.]

A second, and then a third tentacle bursted through the human pincushion - one aimed for the right shoulder of the man, and the other aimed for the left calf.

"For rich or for poor."

And with a fourth, aimed straight at the lung of the man, blood erupted both from his wound and from his mouth as he continued to gurgle in pain.

[In sickness and in health.]

A fifth, and then a sixth - one to the left hand of the man, shooting through his palm as if only to cause pain, and the next through the very throat of the man as the two voices alternated between the vows.

"And even in death... never shall we part."

And with this final vow, the seventh slowly made it's way forth - stopping right before the heart of the man before it plunged itself into his chest - pumping him with a strange fluid as his eyes went wide in excruciating pain.

Veins wrote their way through the whites of the man's eyes as he merely watched, speechless due to his injured throat and almost motionless as he trembled from his restraints.

And then, from within, the body of the man seemed to fill up with a liquid as his skin became discolored - his entire body bloating up in a horrible manner.

The man seemed to struggle and shake, his body blowing up like a balloon as some sort of liquid filled him.

And then...

Pop!

Flesh and blood rained upon the red haired man, and all the while - a horrid smile drawing itself across his expression.

"I suppose now would be the time to kiss the bride, wouldn't it?"

[Hehe...]

As the man said this, his left side seemed to split off from his right - both halves completely independent as they filled themselves in, shifting their own form all the while.

And eventually, there stood a man and a woman.

Looking at the woman with a smile, the man took her hand, upon which was the ring which he had earlier placed, and he held the woman close as he gazed into her eyes.

And with this, they kissed.

Blood covered the two, and madness could not even hope to describe their mentalities.

However there was one thing which was certain.

These two were bonded to one another - unlike any other.

[I am your parasite.]

"And I am your host."

[And together... we will drain this very world of the corruption which it feeds upon.]