Number 7

"Hahaha... I apologize for my dogs. They seem a bit too fond of their master, don't you think?"

"Ah, I know such a feeling all too well. Sometimes the loyalty which those cretins underneath me display is almost sickening. Yet... I suppose it only further shows their own inability to survive without a man leading them. Or a woman, in your case."

Victor and Yelena walked down the halls, which soon became lit by neon lighting that gave the laboratory a futuristic feel.

"Do you wish to go straight to the chambers where the experiments are being held? I could offer you a meal or something else first, if you please."

"I would like to see the experiments before anything. But perhaps later I could see what delicacies you have on a desolate island such as this?"

"Even the most remote place will become a paradise if the people living there are important enough, Madame Admiral."

With a smirk, the scientist’s eyes seemed to light up as he spoke.

“And I just so happen to be extremely important.”

“You have an acute sense of humor, Doctor.”, the woman responded as she brushed aside her lengthy black hair.

The two walked down these halls without missing a single opportunity to gloat towards one another, yet suddenly they heard the slow footsteps of another approaching them from down the hall.

"Hm? What is this? Someone coming this way... that shouldn't be correct. The guards and the scientists should all be at their posts, working. Hold up just a moment, Madame. Would you mind if I took a slight detour to see what fool is shirking their duties?"

"By all means, Doctor."

The two stopped in their tracks as their voices became those of whispers, and soon enough a man appeared before them in the hallway.

His long black hair seemed to cover his face, just barely allowing two exhausted eyes to peek through.

The man wore a lab coat in an unprofessional manner, with his sleeves clearly far too long for his arms.

"Oh. Victor. Looks like you brought a woman this time? But as unfortunate as it is, it looks like right now isn't exactly the time to be on a date. We're having an emergency lockdown right now."

The man spoke without a shred of concern in his voice, lazily spouting off the details of the situation as if he was reading them off a script.

With a tinge of irritation, the white haired scientist stepped forward as veins began to form on his forehead, speaking out in a haughty manner.

"Conrad. Do not overstep your bounds. You are the Vice Commander, have you forgotten? To refer to me and the lady in such a rude manner... how truly disrespectful of authority. For your information, this is Madame Yelena Slausenricht, the Admiral of the Navy."

With a lazy bow, the long hair of the man fell along with his droopy sleeves as he casually performed an action which should have been respectful yet was anything but.

"Ah, forgive me Madame. I never realized that I was in the presence of such great figures. I am Conrad Steinhart, Vice Commander of the Research and Development Military Branch. At your service."

"Haha... another interesting man seems to have appeared. Research fanatics are certainly full of surprises.", Yelena responded with a giggle.

"Sure, I suppose that's one way of saying it. Anyways. Did you not hear what I said, Victor? We're in a lockdown right now. Code Red. Number Seven seems to have gained his own will and is now acting freely."

"Eh?"

As the man known as Conrad said such a thing, the eyes of Victor seemed to widen as his hand twitched just once.

Bringing his face close to Conrad, his expression wrinkled with disgust as he spoke.

"What do you mean by that, Vice Commander?"

"Just as I said. In the most recent experiment, Seven killed the scientist who was working on him. This is quite a dangerous situation, you know. How long do you think he's intended to rebel like this? Has he spread this rebellion to the other experiments? We don't even know that much. We've locked them all away from each other and from society, but who knows if such chambers will truly contain them."

"This...."

With shock in his voice, the man walked forward with a blank expression, completely at a loss.

"Please excuse me, Madame Admiral. It would seem that we should schedule your visit for... another time."

"Ah... how disappointing. However, I understand, Doctor. Truly... the creatures below us can never seem to live up to expectation."

"Conrad. Guide her out of the facility. Once you have ensured her safety, return here. It would seem that I have work to do."

"Victor, what do you plan on doing? You should know better than anyone else how dangerous those things could be if they escape. Are you going to detonate this facility?"

As Conrad asked this, the man shot back, glaring him in the eyes with a deadly expression.

"And lose dozens of years of research... over a few failed experiments?"

'Ah... here he goes again.'

"Conrad... Do you understand how much blood, sweat, and tears were put into producing the specimens which we have in those chambers today?"

"Yep. I was here the entire time."

"Then you should know well that merely destroying them is not an option."

Shrugging his shoulders, Conrad merely turned away as he began to walk.

"So what do you plan on doing then, COMMANDER?"

With a smirk, the Doctor turned around as well as the two both walked farther from one another.

"What else? Even if we have to perform experiments remotely... I have prepared for such things. The experiments will continue. And because Seven dared to lay a hand on a human... they will become far more brutal than anything he has experienced before. I will show him once and for all... that defying humanity was the greatest mistake he ever made."

With this, the white haired man walked off, a smile plastering his expression.

'Yes... yes... hahaha... oh, Seven. You fool. I treated you so well, and yet this is how you repay me? No more will I pamper you. No longer will I allow you even a single moment of relaxation. You will endure harsher experiments day and night until you are ground into dust - and then you will be disposed of... alone. No more will you see the other experiments, no more will you be given even the nights to sleep. And you will no longer be able to enter the human world. That privilege will instead be given to another. However, until then... I will milk you for every bit of knowledge that I can.'

With this sadistic determination, the man known as Victor Lichtenburg made his decision.

Despite the inhumane treatment which he had granted his specimens, it was on this day that he ceased providing them any and every comfort.

Unable to even work on them while physically present, the experiments would be worked on from a distance, with robotic machines performing the work instead of the scientists who once could so easily enter the chambers.

Years upon years of cruel experimentation passed, and the experiments were molded from people with monstrous abilities into true monsters.

And on one particular day, years later, these monsters would bring about the end of the world.

This is the Story of a group of men and women who would become monsters.

This is the story of a man who created these monsters.

And this is the story of how the two faced one another in a rotten world that was desolate of hope.

This is the story of Experiment Number Seven.

----

[June 21st, 2038 1:16 AM]

[The present day]

The man with slicked back hair and glasses sat with a calm expression, his smile reeking of arrogance.

His suit was perfectly ironed, as if the calamity and aura of rot which surrounded him was nothing more than a fairy tale.

[I am experiment Number 2 of the Human Calamity Project.]

Laying this statement before the six humans who sat at the dirty picnic table with him, he stood up as he looked to the sky with a nostalgic expression.

[I have seen many disturbing things inside and outside of this body. But even after seeing the disgusting nature of the humans who inhabit this world... I suppose I find them interesting enough to toy around with. And I am not so foolish as to think that there is no such thing as a GOOD human. It is simply that... evil is something which humans find natural. But this makes them all the more intriguing, no?]

Speaking as if he were some sort of noble, the man gracefully walked with his back to the four as he gazed towards the starry sky.

[Just how evil are humans? Just how far must one be pushed to perform evil actions? What even does the word evil mean? Is this something which we can define? Is it something which can be measured? Surely not, yet even so... I would like to. And what better world to do so than one which has been completely ruined in the first place?]

"Hahaha... I see."

With a chortle, Marcus stood up from his own seat, walking before the man with a smile.

Crossing his arms, the black haired salaryman whose suit had been ripped and torn, laced in blood and flesh, stood before a man whose arrogance held no bounds.

As Marcus stood before this man, every vein in his body jittered with fear.

The energy which the creature in the form of a man gave off was so great that every bone in his body felt as if it had softened into a gelatinous form.

Yet even so, despite the overwhelming terror which he felt, Marcus spoke.

"So essentially... you want to play with people's lives?"

[Heh.]

Closing his eyes, the man gave off a light chuckle as he reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out an antique pocket watch as he opened one eye to glance at it.

[Why yes. I suppose that is how a human would see it. I wish to... yes, I suppose that would be about right. I wish to experiment on them.]

"Experiment Number 2... an experiment yourself.... a HUMAN experiment at that, and yet despite all the horrors you may have experienced, you want to experiment on humans?"

[Ah... you seem to have mistaken my words. It is true that the body which I originated from was once a human. Yes... that is true. It is even true that I apparently had memories of a human life before the experiments - memories which I no longer have, might I add. But let me ask you this. After being tormented day after day, played with like a toy, ripped apart limb from limb inside and out, going through every cruel experiment which could ever be conceived of, do you think that it would be possible for someone to remain a HUMAN after such a thing?]

Slicking his hair back with his hand, the man closed his eyes as he let out a condescending laugh, chuckling just once as he spoke in a smooth tone.

[Heh... fool. If you consider the seven of us to be human, then I suppose humans must be even more terrible than I could have imagined.]

As the man spoke, Marcus felt it again.

That icy gaze which penetrated his heart, freezing him in place.

Even breathing was impossible, the gaze of the man was so deep.

[After all... what else could we be but monsters?]

Then, walking up to Marcus, Number Two approached him with a smile.

[Perhaps if I searched hard enough, I would find a human known as a saint. Someone so kind and compassionate that they would be willing to give even their life or suffer great pains in order to help others. These are people that I have heard about over and over throughout the stories and lore in which I have looked into. Yet how funny...]

The man approached Marcus, placing his hand onto the grimy suit jacket which he wore.

[In the numerous years that I have spent in this human realm... never have I met such a person.]

Squish.

The hand which the man pressed to the chest of Marcus penetrated straight through, and lines of blood dripped down the shirt of the man.

Looking down in horror, Marcus merely watched as his eyes slowly widened.

'This...'

And then, it hit.

The pain.

It was excruciating.

Unbearable.

Something which Marcus had never before experienced, even after having been eaten alive.

[Never before have I found a human who was truly willing to give not only their life... but to endure ANYTHING for the sake of another. Yet this... should be obvious. Is it not?]

As Marcus fell to his knees in Agony, Number Two immediately followed his motions, catching the man and allowing Marcus to lean on him even while Number two gripped his very heart inside his hand.

[Never should a human be expected to give their life for another, much less to suffer for their sake. Self interest is what SHOULD be a default setting. People should do what is best for themselves, regardless of what happens to others. Sometimes feelings of guilt may impact their decisions in this sense, but performing actions to reduce those filthy feelings is also in their interest. And yet... somehow humans still pass such a thing off as being 'a moral person'. I find such a thing to be... laughable.]

And then, stepping back, the man ripped the heart from the body of Marcus.

The stringy veins were torn as the creature in the form of a man lifted up the heart, looking at it with a delighted expression of pure intrigue, his lips curling upward in a devious manner as he looked to the beating organ which dripped with blood.

Thud.

The body of Marcus fell to the ground as the other six watched, widening their eyes as they all watched the man be slaughtered before them without so much as a warning.

"Why...."

Whispering this weakly, Sylvia reached her hand forward as she looked to the now heartless body of the man, of which blood began to pool around.

And as she whispered this, tears formed in her eyes.

They dripped down her face, forcing the woman to recognize that there was another feeling besides terror in her heart.

Distress.

Drip.

The tears dripped down the side of her face, splattering onto her jeans as she held out that hand, unable to do anything to stop the man who turned back, holding up the heart with interest.

[A human heart... How beautiful. Though I suppose this man was no longer inside the body of a human... Yet such a thing is of no concern. This organ is one which is often representative of the concept of LOVE. Yet.. how funny.]

Throwing the heart onto the table, it landed before the woman as she looked down on it with a gulp.

Then, he disappeared.

[How ugly it is in comparison to the beautiful images you humans hold of it.]

From behind her, the man spoke as if he had teleported.

Slowly, Sylvia turned her head to look.

And then, meeting the eyes of the man, his vast grin beamed down on her.

[Whatever could be the matter, human? Perhaps you would like to go with him? If so... then maybe you could help me to understand a bit better. What the human heart is supposed to represent.]

The man then placed his cold hand on the back of the woman.

She could feel it through the many gaps in her shirt, created from the various attacks which she had endured already.

[A slight push, and your flesh will no longer be in the way. I could steal your heart with such ease that it would not even be worth speaking of. Yet all of that... depends on the next few words to come out of your mouth. Let me know, woman. Do you wish to be with him?]

"I..."

Shivering, the woman slowly turned back to face the heart which had been placed before her.

Then, placing her pale hand onto the heart, she closed her eyes as she bit her lip, allowing the tears to flow without reserve.

"Don't want to see him die like this... ever again...."

[You did not answer my question. However... hm... very well. I suppose I will rephrase it then, to test your dedication to such a statement. I am quite interested, after all.]

Another instant.

The man who stood behind Sylvia seemed to teleport so that he was now sitting in front of her, folding his hands with a smile after pushing up his glasses.

[Put forth your hand.]

"Eh?"

Slowly, the woman subconsciously placed her hand forward.

'What am I doing?'

'What is this man doing?'

'Why is this man...'

Then, she felt her hand be grabbed.

[If we do not include my daughter and myself, there are a total of FIVE people here. Two young boys, a young undead girl, the man who I just killed, and yourself. Not including yourself, that makes four. I will offer you a deal, woman.]

Slowly, the man took the pale index finger of the woman between his own index and thumb, gripping it as he looked her into the eyes.

[I will guarantee you your safety from this point out. Never, after this experiment, will I ever lay harm to you.]

'Why is he saying this?'

'What is he going to do to me?'

Sylvia felt her mind rush with thoughts as she faced the man, and as she did so she remembered something.

'Ah.'

She recalled herself.

Sitting on that throne of heads.

Treating those people as if they were mere objects.

Acting as if she was some sort of undead queen.

'Is this... my punishment?'

'For forgetting about... all those people....'

'Just because I hated that man so much?'

[Is this my punishment... is what your expression says. However, I am not punishing you for anything. I am merely interested in your reaction. Now then... Here is my proposal. For each finger which you ALLOW me to take... I will guarantee you the safety of one person other than yourself. You shall choose who each finger will go for at each stage, and how many fingers I will be allowed to take. You will regenerate all your fingers back after this, so this is quite a generous offer if you look at it from such a logical standpoint. Yet... you would have to SUFFER in order to help those around you. Now let me ask you, woman. Are you willing to go through that just to assist the people beside you?]

Gripping the index finger of the woman, the man leaned forward as he gazed straight through her.

[Or are you willing to allow me to kill them to save yourself from temporary pain?]

"I..."

With a gulp, the woman looked beside her.

She saw the concerned expressions of everyone looking at her.

Not a single person there was not overcome with fear and horror.

Even Stella, who had trusted and been raised by this man, seemed to be filled with a great amount of conflict as she watched the scene unfold.

"I will..."

Looking at her own hand, Sylvia recalled the pain of being eaten alive.

She recalled the pain of her limbs being torn from her.

She hated it.

She never wanted to experience such a thing again.

Closing her eyes, the woman bit down hard enough to cause blood to drip from her mouth.

"I will... give all four.... take them quickly."

[That isn't how this works.]

Spitting these words out, Sylvia was met with the serious voice of the experiment, who cut her off without emotion.

[One by one. Painfully. Without mercy. You will suffer for them. Or you will choose not to suffer for their sake, and they will suffer instead. Now pick. Which person among them will this first finger go to?]

As the man coldly spoke these words, Sylvia found herself trembling.

The amount of fear instilled within her was enough to make her heart jump out of her throat.

The absolute power which this man held over her and everyone present was enough to make those CEO's in her previous life seem laughable.

"Shane. The first one is for Shane."

[A logical decision. You save the boy who not only has retained his humanity, but who will die for good if he is killed.]

"N-no!! Don't do such a thing for me!! I... I'll be fine on my own!! Miss Sylvia, you don't have to-"

Crack.

"AGH!!!"

The woman let out a shriek as the man bent her finger backwards before completely tearing it off, cutting off the boy who tried to stop such a thing from happening for his sake.

The woman grabbed her now bleeding hand, letting out a cry of pain as she held her hand in agony.

"Ngh!! Ugh!!"

The tears flowed, and she looked up to see the man fiddling with her finger as if he were flicking a pencil from one hand to the other.

[The boy has been saved. I shall not kill him. However... Now comes the real test.]

Grabbing the middle finger of the woman's bleeding hand, the man smiled as he ripped her hand from her own grip.

"S... stop... wait..."

Sylvia began to plead for mercy, however this plea was met with an intrigued smile.

[Stop?]

As he said this, the woman realized immediately what the man meant by this, to which her eyes widened.

"No... wait... don't... don't stop!! Take them all!!!", she shouted while biting back the pain.

[Oh?? Is that so!? Hahaha!!! You are a truly interesting human. Excellent.]

Gripping the middle finger, the man thinned his eyes as he looked at the crying woman with a grin.

[So? Who will this next finger be for?]

Closing her eyes, the woman bit back everything that tormented her.

She closed her eyes, wiping her tears with her free hand as she grimaced, biting down so hard that her teeth began to crack.

[Gordon, then Amy, then Marcus. Do them in that order.]

"Wait just a minute, ma'am!! Stop this!!"

"Dad!! How could you do this to the woman!?"

Gordon and Stella shouted out these things as Shane stood there staring with a blank expression, however they were cut off by another screech.

Crack.

"AGHH!!!!"

The woman bawled as yet another finger was torn from her hand, causing her to whip her head forward this time, banging it to the table to endure the pain.

"MMMPH!!!"

A muffled scream could be heard as she shouted, her black tied-back hair being the only thing which those surrounding her could see of her head as she suffered.

"DAD!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER!?!?"

Stella stood up now, rushing over to Sylvia with a concerned expression, however when her eyes met with the man she was only met with a confused expression.

[Since when have you cared about those around you, my daughter?]

"I! That! I..."

The girl looked down with guilt as she was met with such words, however she then felt her own wrist be grabbed.

By none other than the very woman whose head was on the table as she shivered in pain.

"Don't.", she grumbled, looking up with reddened eyes.

The veins of her eyes had burst, and now replacing the tears were blood.

And those eyes, which were now completely devoid of sadness or concern, looked straight into the thinned eyes of the experiment before her.

"Next.", she said without hesitation as she held up her hand, two fingers of which were now missing.

At this, the man pushed up his glasses with a grin.

[This... excellent.]

Crack.

This time, the woman didn't so much as bat an eye as her finger was torn from her.

The blood which poured out from her eyes increased, dripping as it landed on the table before her which was already laden in the crimson fluid.

"Next."

Crack.

"Next."

[Ah... but there isn't a next one, is there? You've sacrificed one finger for each person already.]

"I said... next."

[Hm? Perhaps I pushed you too far. Ah... forgive me, One. It seems in trying to mold your host I may have driven her to madness.]

"The thumb is for myself. Do you think I would be so easy on myself as to take my salvation for free when the others required such sacrifice?"

At the unhindered determination in the bloodied eyes of the woman, the suited man grinned with delight.

And then, he laughed.

[Heh.... hahaha.... heh heh heh.... oh... I see.]

Crack.

Ripping off the thumb of the woman, the man twiddled it between his fingers as he looked at it with delight.

[Truly... how excellent.]

Standing up, the man placed his hands in his pockets as he walked over to the body of the man who was on the ground before him.

Looking down with a grin, the man bent over and spoke into the ear of the man.

[Look at how wonderful of a woman you've found for yourself, host of Number Seven. Such a grand display of heroism... I've never seen anything so excellent in my life. Despite the pain... the suffering... everything. Behold that which she has done for you. Ah... but I suppose Number Seven is quite busy right now. After all... this death marks Number 7. Correct?]

Turning around, the man was faced with the five who watched him, however the determined expression of Sylvia was the thing that caught his eye.

Wiping the blood that streamed down her face, the woman's fingers slowly began to regenerate as she used her mangled fist to wipe the tears.

"What do you mean by that?", she asked in a cold tone.

[Oh… I suppose One has not yet revealed such things to you. Well... I suppose you will have to wait and hear from the man himself. However, worry not. I am certain that he will return to us... an improved man.]

Stepping forward, the man spread his arms as he spoke.

[After all... now that he has endured death Number 7... haha... the very concept of death will begin to change.]

Fixing his glasses once more, the man spoke in a nostalgic tone as if he was remembering something from his past.

[You will begin to wish that the agony of death is the ONLY thing which you have experienced.]

Then, with a chuckle, he looked to the ground with reminiscence.

[Yet such luxuries are for those who are limited to a single death.]

Thus, Marcus died.

And with this, the Number of deaths which this man had experienced came to a grand total.

Of SEVEN.