Number 7

Disclaimer: This chapter contains disturbing themes. The author does not support or encourage the topics or behaviors promoted within this chapter, and condemns all such behavior. It is for the purpose of literary exploration and realism that such dark themes have been included in this series.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Four seconds.

From the moment the door was shut to the moment the door was opened once more, a mere four seconds had passed.

Not a single gunshot was heard, for the self proclaimed "Janitor" had entered the kitchen without so much as a weapon.

And as he exited that door, his hand, straightened as if to form a blade with it, was drenched in blood.

"If I am correct, then the virus will only spread if the undead injure someone else - however mere contact with them will not spread the virus so long as there are no cuts for it to enter the bloodstream."

Whipping his hand to the side as the blood splattered onto the wall before him, the man walked forward with closed eyes and a calmness beyond belief.

"Though I will say... I am quite impressed. I thought that you all would be a group of complete amateurs, barely even able to hold a weapon... but it would appear that I underestimated you."

Holding up two fingers as he pinched them together in a mocking manner, the man grinned as all eyes focused on him with irritation.

"Slightly."

Opening his eyes as he gazed at the slain zombies around him, the man seemed to be taking inventory on the deaths.

"Well, I suppose the Stronvardian General would have some experience in combat, and the same for the Soviet Human Resource Officer. As for the others... well, I suppose your ability with knives is unprecedented - isn't it Dutchess Kristina?"

"You speak far too much for someone who doesn't speak much."

"Hahaha... quite scary indeed. I certainly wouldn't want to get on your bad side, though perhaps I already have. Well... I suppose all five of you are people who I wouldn't want to irritate."

Wiping his bloodied hand with a handkerchief that he removed from his coat pocket, the man's tone lowered as he continued.

"But the same goes for myself."

Looking around him, the man motioned to the kitchen.

"If you all wish, you are free to confirm the deaths of all undead within that kitchen to confirm my abilities, and that I am truly the one who killed all of the undead within this hotel. Of course, you are also free to confirm that all other rooms have been cleared - and if you are indeed able to find a single zombie that has been left alive in this facility, then I will admit to your victory. However, should you not find a single undead... then I will be sending you all to one of the four entrances to act as scouts."

----

'I can't believe it... that man is insane.'

General Jeremiah Rithargus.

This man, who had started from humble origins as a mere footsoldier, had risen to the top of the Stronvardian Military within his numerous years on the battlefield - particularly against the Soviet State of Joraten.

'In all the years that I've lived... I've seen cities destroyed.'

'I've seen nuclear bombs annihilate everything.'

'I've seen buildings collapse, and entire neighborhoods leveled.'

'I've seen fields upon fields of bodies - civilian and soldier alike.'

'But never... never... have I seen something like this.'

In every room, there were dozens - over a thousand total.

'These heads... they were cut off, not with a blade - but with a hand.'

So many that the floors were littered with bodies, to the point where one could barely find a tile that didn't contain a body.

'And he did all that... in the time we took to clear that one room?'

It was impossible.

It was absolutely ludicrous.

It was something that every instinct within him as a General refused to believe - for if such a man were to exist, then any and all strategy would go out the window.

'A human... weapon. That's what he is.'

As a General of the military, Jeremiah knew well that limiting the resources of the opponent was the first and last step in winning a war.

Whoever had better weapons, better vehicles, more ammunition, more food, more supplies - would always come out on top.

Yet this man had single handedly taken this entire notion and thrown it on its side.

With no weapons, with a single person, he had done a hundred times more than five armed people could do.

'No matter what the difference in skill and experience is... there is no amount of talent or experience that can create a difference this massive.'

Therefore, as he surveyed the situation, on his way to the Southern entrance which he had been assigned to guard and scout out, even this veteran began to quiver.

'He's a monster.'

Walking through the sea of corpses, the man finally reached the main lounge, which seemed to be even more heavily occupied by corpses.

Many people who were once drinking and having fun, playing board games or just having a chat with one another - these people were all spread around the floor, their flesh rotten and their teeth yellowed and decayed.

Their eyes bulged with disgusting veins, some of them infected with puss, either yellow or completely blood red in color.

The skin of almost every zombie was that of a pale blue, some a darker green - as if they had transformed into some form of goblins - and their expressions were no better.

Even if these people had been having fun at the time of transformation, there was only hatred, hunger, and despair in the eyes of the heads which had been decapitated, some ripped off and others sliced cleanly.

And as he found himself surrounded by these creatures, the General stopped in his tracks.

With a gulp, he found himself looking around from one zombie to another, before his eyes eventually landed on a particular young girl whose head had been left on its neck, her heart instead pierced cleanly through.

Slowly, the man shuffled over to the body, standing over it as he looked down upon it, sweat beading down his forehead.

"If you have intercourse with one of them, you are extremely likely to contract the virus - even if I did already slay them."

"YOU! I wouldn't... I wouldn't dare... such a thing... not with one of these monsters. Hah... haha..."

The man was startled, and he shouted out at the sudden voice of Yakov who had appeared behind him without so much as a sound.

"Are you truly sure about that? After all, they are not all that different from the corpses which you previously-"

"Enough about that. Enough. I don't... I don't want to hear anything else. I'm going to scout just as you told me to, so just let me do that without-"

"I was merely trying to give you a warning. After all, as disgusting and worthless as someone like you may be, you are still a General... and a great potential asset to our Leader."

As the man known as the General tried to change the subject, the gentleman stepped forward as he gazed forward with a saddened look in his eyes.

"It must be difficult to control yourself... to a man like you, a world like this must be as if you were surrounded by scantily clad women - tempting you with their bodies, yet you are unable to so much as express your own desires - for you will die if you do so."

And with a sigh, the gentleman closed his eyes as his tone became firm.

"Perhaps you have been unable to restrain your filthy impulses up to this point, but it would seem that the time has finally come for you to learn some self control, General."

Opening his eyes, the man then turned to gaze directly at the General - a fire lit in his expression as he spoke the next words with a fierce dedication.

"It is a trait that is all too rare. If only more men in this world could control their desires, then perhaps this very world would not have been ruined in the first place."

Turning to leave, the man walked off, his dress shoes clacking on the tiles beneath him as he weaved his way in and out of the undead on the ground without stumbling.

"I would encourage you to find such self control... before your addictions become the cause of your downfall."

----

"I would say that I wonder why we've been placed together, but I think I've already figured it out."

Two people, a man and a woman walked side by side as they headed towards the Western entrance of the hotel - where they had been assigned by Yakov to perform their duties as scouts.

"The fact of the matter is, we're both the weakest. A Stronvardian General and a Joraten Officer - both of whom have combat experience - should be able to handle one side on their own far better than a Senator and a Countess should be able to."

The man muttered these words with a sigh of acceptance - bitterness in his voice as he spoke the word "Weakest" as if he were spitting something rotten from his mouth.

"That would leave the Dutchess, wouldn't it? Ah... but I think Yakov gave us a bit of a hint as to her - don't you think?"

"Hm?"

The man looked to the woman with confusion as they stepped through the piles of undead, as if urging her to explain.

"Hah... you truly are completely clueless, aren't you? Just how you made it to the position of Senator is mind boggling... although perhaps the standards in Koravik truly are that low.", the woman stated in a haughty tone.

"Instead of insulting me, perhaps you should enlighten me.", the man replied in a sarcastic manner. "And I was low ranked among the Senators, so don't base your opinion of my nation based on me alone."

The two continued onwards, each gripping their respective weapons - a pistol for the woman and a small scale SMG for the man, as they took careful approach while watching the headless bodies of the undead for fear that they might spring up again.

"Well, you saw her skill with knives. It was as if she was some sort of assassin. But isn't that a bit strange for a woman who is supposed to be a noble of one of the Forgestarian Houses?"

As the Countess Mira stated this, the Senator's eyes widened at the sudden realization.

"Now that you mention it... that is quite strange. The other two were so skilled because they were in the military, but what about her? She is just like us, isn't she? Politicians who make laws and rule over others... so why would she have such a skill?"

"Don't compare yourself to me. But the answer is simple, isn't it? Think about the five nicknames that Yakov called us."

"Zoophile... that one is me, of course. Pedophile... Necrophile... Sadist... and Mutilator... ah!"

As if the pieces all fell together, the man shouted out in realization.

"She must be the mutilator then? If she is so good with knives, it must be because she enjoyed slicing people up? My goodness... that's horrifying..."

"As if you're one to talk."

"You can laugh all you want. You can tell me that I'm disgusting, but the fact of the matter is that animals won't betray me. They're loyal and weak... they don't plot or plan... they won't attack you if you dominate them properly... and they won't belittle you."

"You're making me gag here. Can you imagine? I'm supposed to be the Countess of the City State of Solaris, and here I am, listening to someone like you speak. However... I suppose to an extent... to a VERY DISTANT extent... I can understand."

"Oh? And why is that?"

The man looked over to the woman with an expression of shock, curious as to why she would say such a thing instead of rebuking him outright.

"I suppose I'll tell you which one I am."

"Why would you do that?"

Suspicion immediately entered the voice of the man as the woman offered such a thing.

"Doing something like that would only weaken your position. We're both politicians here, so I shouldn't need to explain to you how important keeping your weaknesses secret may be. Why would you give me leverage to use over you?"

"Hmm... it's a good question."

The woman put a finger to her lips in thought before a devilish smile seemed to overcome her - one which sent chills down the spine of the Senator.

"Perhaps because it will be more interesting this way?"

"You... you'd deliberately put yourself at a disadvantage just to make things more interesting?"

"Have you ever played a strategy game?"

This sudden question posed by the Countess caught the Senator off guard, to which he tilted his head in absolute confusion.

"When you're playing a strategy game... there are often decisions that seem so obvious that it would make you insane not to make them. When something that is clearly a trap presents itself, or when performing an action will clearly anger a faction that one cannot afford to anger, for example."

With a disturbing smile, the woman spoke in an unsettling manner.

"But all too often when I play those games, I tend to make the decisions that are filled with risk for no other reason but to see what will happen as a result."

"You're nuts. How have you survived while ruling a City State? If I were to do such a thing then I would have lost my spot as a Senator eons ago."

"I hate men, you know."

The woman continued to derive the conversation, spitting out whatever words she pleased - only serving to confuse the Senator even further.

"From a young age, my parents tried to sign me up to find a suitor. I was sent to live with some random old man that I didn't even know. He treated me like a prisoner, expecting me to serve him like a slave - and then he tried to fuck me. I was only 13 at the time. So you know what I did?"

At the sudden dark topic which the Countess brought up, the Senator found himself silenced as he listened in.

"I ran."

And as she stated this phrase, the man felt an emotion from the woman - the likes of which shook him to the very core.

"I ran... and I ran... and I ran. Time after time, my parents continued to set me up with all of those dirty old men... politicians, rulers of other City States, Military figures, people who would gain them power and prestige if I were to marry them. But I kept on running away, failing to satisfy them. Every time, our house would lose power - denounced by powerful figure after powerful figure because of my behavior."

With a smile, the woman looked to the sky as if satisfied.

"But I'm glad that my actions drove those filthy people to ruin."

With a snide chuckle, the woman laughed to herself as she seemed to recall her memories.

"They lost so many allies within Vorathia, and our City State became one of the weakest in the nation. All because of me! Serves them right, doesn't it? But they didn't give up. They started holding parties... fancy balls where I had to dress up in those girly garments. That was where I started meeting all these princes. I guess they realized I wasn't going to go with some old man, so they tried to find someone closer to my age."

As the woman said these things, her expression suddenly became sour.

"But even those princes were nothing more than horny boys who couldn't take their eyes off me."

Clenching her fists, the Countess seemed to gain a fire in her eyes as her words became laden with spite.

"They would glare at me like rabid dogs... it was disgusting just to be around them. I could feel myself being violated as they undressed me with their eyes, and not a single one of them ever showed any notion of LOVE in their glances."

With a mocking chuckle, the woman seemed to forget where she was as she ranted on, to which the man merely listened without a word.

"Oh, they said pretty words. They gave gifts, and would wrap them all up with nice bundles of lies - but I had already figured them out. I had seen too much to be deceived by such glares... because I became able to sense their lecherous desires."

"So what did you do?", the man pressed.

"I rejected every single one of them. I made enemy after enemy, until every noble and upper class ruler had come to hate me and my family. However it was at that point that my family finally decided to disown me."

With a careless shrug, the woman seemed to brush off the notion.

"I came to this nation penniless and abandoned, but it was at that time, while I was wandering the streets, that a poor boy offered me a meal."

As the woman said this, a slight smile showed itself - one which caught the Senator by surprise.

"It was nothing... just a piece of stale bread. But that was the first time in my life that anyone had ever looked at me without lust or greed in their eyes."

And at that moment, that kind smile became that of a wretched grin.

"So I consumed him."

As the woman said this, the man froze in his tracks, barely able to move as he awaited the next words of the Countess.

"However, unfortunately, the very innocence he had only lasted a while... eventually his eyes too became filled with that lustful grin. It was at that point that a mysterious disease had killed off all the members of my family. Perhaps it was some sort of assassination plot - maybe even by those enemies that I had made. The end result was that I - as the only person alive with the blood of the Solaris family, was to become the next Countess. So I returned to my home."

The woman started to laugh as she spoke, sinisterly chuckling as she recalled her past.

"At that point... I had been instilled with a desire. I wanted to experience the same thing again... to consume the innocence of another... to take it from them just as mine had been robbed from me... but also... I wanted to find one that would remain innocent - even after being corrupted."

With a sigh, the woman thinned her eyes as she looked to the ceiling with a disturbed smile.

"And I suppose that is what I am still searching for, even today."

"You just said a lot, but are you sure you should be telling me something like this?"

As the Senator made this comment, the woman stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as her face became flushed with embarrassment.

"Ah... ah... I... I said too much, didn't I?"

Holding her head in humiliation, the woman became undignified, her arrogance disappearing as she seemed to become a completely different person as if a switch had been flipped.

"I tend to be like this... I say all these things in the heat of the moment... I say things and do things then regret them later... ah... ah... ah... you wouldn't be willing to forget all of that, would you?"

The woman began to blubber, her demeanor becoming that of a young girl as the man watched with bewilderment - his own opinion of the woman degrading as he witnessed a clear lack of sanity.

"No no, of course you wouldn't be able to forget... well... I suppose that is what it is."

And suddenly, as if another switch was flipped, the woman rendered an air of acceptance.

"But you know, there is a reason, I think, why I told you these things."

Whispering this, the woman lazily glared over to the man, her eyes thinning as her tone became nasal.

"Because you're an animal fucker, maybe I was able to sense that you weren't interested in me... and I think that caused me to let loose. I am... quite a disheveled person, you know."

The woman said this last sentence with a snort, to which the Senator found himself all the more unable to comprehend her.

"I would like to open up all the time like this, but everything in my being tells me not to. Logic, reason, diplomacy... all of these things continuously bog me down from revealing anything about myself to the public."

Cracking her knuckles, the woman continued to walk forward, not waiting for the Senator to catch up as her eyes became filled with a chaotic madness.

"That is why I have been able to rule a City State… despite my disturbing nature."

Cracking her neck, the woman walked in a manner which was anything but ladylike, denying her very essence of nobility.

"Because I can flip my personality on and off as if it were a switch."

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