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There are many interpretations of Hell, some of which become incomprehensible to mere mortal minds. Personal Hell. Eternal Hell. Physical Hell. This was Hell. In every sense of the phrase and forevermore.

The room must have been in one of the lower branches of the facility, the lowest in fact. The gathering point where all fresh meat was gathered to display for the veterans of this damned place. Greeneburg. A name only known to those most tortured and depraved souls. Urban legends had spawned over time of a place where insanity is brewed. Where people are taken off the streets and forced to endure the rest of their lives under constant observation and experimentation, never to see the light of the external world again.

But they were just that: stories. Right?

The room had dirt flooring and no windows, the area being enclosed by sandy brown bricks. A single wooden door separated the room’s occupants from the interior hallways, and the beginning of their escape. The ceiling lay low overhead with several carcasses of dead bugs plastered on its surface like old pieces of candy, and a salty dank smell reeked throughout the place.

There were three occupants in total inside: two fresh teenagers and one adult male. A predator and his daily meal. Things were supposed to run smoothly. Get the kids initiated, make a little threat here and there, maybe promise them some false hope and a ransom to their families that would never come.…but no. No, that one brat captured much earlier than all the rest just had to ruin the night’s entertainment. That swine. That lowlife. That bitch….oh well. And now Mister Screw Loose was running around in the facility doing god knew what…well so what?

The others, those who had been kidnapped this very night, were trapped in the room in more ways than one. As each of them would wake up one by one, they would find themselves in low darkness thanks to the power outage. That, and they were all tied up rather nicely. Ropes binded their legs, wrists, and ankles together, while a simple dirty cloth wedged between each of their pretty little lips silenced them.

From the corner, the third prisoner, a veteran just by his smell and appearance alone, began to scratch away at the ground with loosely shattered teeth. His skin was both ashen and blackened at once due to some unknown cause, and his torso found itself locked in a rather torn and aging straitjacket. His hair lay matted and sagging over his shoulder to one side and he gave a soft sighing sound with each creak of his heavy step. Each of his eyes had been gouged out with dried blood crusting down his cheeks, and he crawled around on the floor in vain, gradually getting closer to the bound children.

His voice was one of quiet endurance, the barest of whispers.

“Meat. I smell….food. Yes…fresh flesh with warm blood running in your bodies to sate my thirst and make me full and make me happy again. He comes. He comes for you and me and everyone….heheh, he comes."

The man paused suddenly, as if he saw or heard something the children could not, and then continued with his madness mantra.

"I can smell his handiwork…you all….tied up nice and…tight. Makes the sweat and the blood collect all over your squirming masses. Ahaha, he cares after all!"

The man's voice began to pick up into a keening wail, almost a scream of intense recognition.

"A gift for me! He knows how I like them to struggle! Thank you…oh blessed your black soul Jabberwocky! Ahahahaha!”

The man was foaming slightly at the mouth now, his presence gradually closing the distance between the two children….

Outside, the sound of metal clanging on metal resonated and reached into the ears of the children. The sound of prisoners escaping their Hell, not let loose to wander these halls freely....

Ah, but this tale is not played solely on only one front. Oh no…there are many stories to observe. The mad girl who caused this misguided calamity was currently being pursued by the huntress…a huntress employed by her very own dearly beloved. Yes, yes there they were now! Maybe the mad girl was aware of her stalker, and maybe she wasn't. Regardless, she was close enough to the other children…only a mere turn of the hallway….her steps rang out in the darkness like deep blood ringing in one’s ear.

Loud enough for the huntress to follow in silence and anticipation.

“Well now…this is a very interesting situation here, don’t you think? Hmm, how about you go ahead and greet our little sleepyheads!. Oh, and as for our power culprit…do be sure not to leave so many cuts on the body, ok? Just enough for me to still salvage the leftovers.”

Those had been the Jabberwocky's words to his precious Queen of Hearts…simple orders yes, but that was the simplicity of all things, no?

The slaughter had begun.

And where was the third child then? For indeed, there were three children who each had unique roles in this living nightmare. Not too far away from the others actually. In fact, they were being held in the room right next to the other children, although the location seemed to have drastically changed in appearances. Instead of a closed up dungeon much like the other children, this room looked more like an emergency room.

Cold blue tile lined the floor and walls while medical equipment was evidently scattered about on a small table that rested next to an operating table. Lashed to this table was none other than the missing White Rabbit. Long, black cables held them down over their limbs, eyes, and mouth to cut off all senses to the outside world. Everything but their perception of sound…unbeknownst to them, the room was pitch black with no present power running. Indeed, the only thing this poor child could possibly detect in the slightest was a low hitched breathing that seemed to become more rapid with each passing second.

It came directly above.

Chills.

The first thing that Yuki experienced as she regained consciousness was a dreadful chill up her spine, and that instinctive gut feeling that something was very wrong. As she slowly came to her senses, the next thing that registered with the bewildered girl was the pain. She attempted to move her hands to soothe the aching parts of her body, but she quickly discovered that she couldn't move her limbs. That's when she truly became alarmed.

Yuki's eyelids flew open in dread, feeling like an ice cold hand was squeezing her stomach. What was going on? Although her eyes took in the terrifying situation she was mercilessly thrust in, it seemed that her brain didn't quite follow. For a few moments, she simply stared in horror at the strange man and their ominous surroundings. It didn't immediately occur to her that she was in danger--not until she connected the dots a couple of seconds later.

Her limbs were all bound, she wasn't able to speak, there was a seemingly insane man in front of her, and the room looked like a dungeon. Instinctively Yuki recoiled as the man slowly advanced, doing her best to scoot back. A muffled whimper escaped her gagged lips as she looked wildly around, looking for any glimmer of hope that simply had to exist. That's when she realized that she wasn't alone, there were others as well. None of them seemed to be able to do anything though, they were all bound in a similar fashion.

With a muffled cry, Yuki began to writhe within her bindings, attempting to loosen them up. She succeeded in only rubbing her delicate skin raw. A gut wrenching cold feeling washed over her as she fixated her gaze onto the strange man, something telling her that she wouldn't make it out of this situation the same.

The youth regained his consciousness in the dingy, poorly lit room, though Kuro had remained silent as he lay bound on the ground. The ropes were tight on his wrists as he lay comfortably on his back, his ankles also bound. If he were to move about too much; no doubt they'd bite into his skin within minutes. At the same time, he was sure they'd come loose after a great deal of struggling. In a stroke of irony, he wasn't gagged, but at the same time he wasn't the sort to kick up a fuss in this sort of situation.

Just staring at the space above him blankly, the ceiling light wasn't the brightest it could be, though he didn't stare up at it. Without moving, he took a side glance of the others present, thinking quietly to himself. And...his heart quickened when he saw the strange looking man, clothes askew and his mannerisms...off. The man paced around, and Kuro took care to avoid staring right at him, like catching the man's eyes would earn him the prestigious reward of first murdered. Best not to think too hard on it. Thinking wasn't easy in an uncomfortably position on the ground, especially bound with the floor cold underneath him. Not a good cold, not like the cool side of a pillow.

Despite it being so quiet, aside from the breathing of whoever was pacing around the room, the one thing he could think…rather pathetically, twisted even…was that he was glad he wasn't alone. All of them, and Shou, could be about to be slaughtered like pigs, and he was just glad he wasn't alone. Part of his condemned him as sick, and the other part rationalised this as being lonely for so long…and maybe, both were right in their own ways, but it wouldn't matter now.

Kenshin's cold, silver, eyes studied the mad-man with an unfocused gaze. He wasn't...really...awake so much as aware. The cloth in his mouth made him sick to the stomach, and the bindings around his ankles and wrists left him feeling weaker than usual. He wasn't even thinking about escaping; he was thinking of death.

What if I die here tonight? he thought to himself, his head falling back against the wall he was seated against and making a 'thud' sound, his body going limp. Hm. Death. Now that's an interesting thought, almost like... Even his thoughts avoided the situation at hand, but this time even his detatched thoughts held a certain urgency, as if his mind couldn't comprehend his situation as quickly as his eyes could.

There was this man. This broken, dirty, clearly insane man. He was speaking. Kenshin wished he could hear what he said, but all he could hear was broken noise. He closed his eyes then, focusing on breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

...Note to self, never trust cherv- his thoughts were interrupted by the wailing scream of the man. Kenshin's gaze shot up, locking onto the now-frothing man's. He bit down subconsciously into the dirty rag in his mouth, before the sides of his mouth tried to twitch up in the ever-present strange smile he always bore...not that the gag really allowed for much facial expression. He could feel the smile though, and that was enough.

Frothing like a rabid animal. He thought calmly. Well, this fellow seems to most certainly be of interest...Chervotsky might want to meet him... He concluded, as always avoiding the topic at hand. He didn't even think to struggle, just stare at the man inching towards him with an unfocused gaze.

Even suffocated by the surround blackness, the atmosphere uncomfortably charged with a metallic residue of the storm just outside the crumbling walls of this godforsaken place, Kinzo Sanada hummed a cheery tune to himself as he pressed on forward, each step a rhythmic beat to his tuneless melody. The boy had his arms folded behind his back, his head tilting back-and- forth as if he was enjoying a pleasant stroll through a sunny meadow.

Nothing was further from the truth as the blackness expanded in front of him, a pressuring wave of unbreakable shadows. And yet, the boy easily navigated through the complex corridors that would have gotten someone lost even if they were blessed with the advantage of sight. It was miraculous that Kinzo had gotten turned around beforehand and had memorized most of the floor as he backtracked, trying to find his way towards the Sparky Cube to flip its switches. Inside his mind was a crisp map, so clear and focused that he could easily mark and calculate each step upon the mental apparition. The darkness meant nothing if his mind was alight. He had already determined that it will be another 378 steps before he reached his next destination.

As Kinzo instinctively rounded a corner, he paused midstep. The young man frowned, and if one could glance a light at his eyes right about now, they would notice a sharp intensity to his icy gaze. A gaze that signified urgency. Urgency was not an emotion that was familiar to Kinzo Sanada, and so the boy tilted his head curiously as he tried to process this newfound behavior.

He shrugged. He couldn't figure it out. All he knew was that if he didn't hurry along, Bloody would come along and ruin his fun. He couldn't let that happen - he still need to find the others first: Snowy, Birdu, Kitkat, Bunbun, and most importantly, Ally. Ally would would be the key to this, he knew.

With a smile, Kinzo Sanada began to walk again, a tuneless melody slipping from his lips as he paced along. "369, 368, 367...."

Somewhere else in this wonderful Hell was a girl dressed completely in red, strolling through the corridors of the building. The light was flickering, and each corner was filled with pure darkness. Scarlet, dressed in her red dress. A dress that was elegant, yet not a hazard in battle... or actually slaughtering, there never was any real battle after the drugs had been injected. The edge of the top was decorated with black feathers, the same black feathers that made up her boa. On her chest was also a beautiful red rose, so red that it seemed to have been dipped in fresh blood. Her other accessories included some rings, a fancy black necklace and a tiny red hat with a black cloth covering the left part of her forehead, and of course not to forget her black sleeves. In her hand was a giant hatchet. The edge of the brutal weapon was covered with blood, it wasn't fresh. The blood had become part of the appearance of the weapon.

“Well now…this is a very interesting situation here, don’t you think? Hmm, how about you go ahead and greet our little sleepyheads!. Oh, and as for our power culprit…do be sure not to leave so many cuts on the body, ok? Just enough for me to still salvage the leftovers.”

Yes, my lover.

Were the words that Scarlet and "he" had whispered in each others ears. She was still strolling through the immense building. She couldn't be far away now anymore, a mad person couldn't last this long. And he was as mad as they come. "Where are you little hatter?" Scarlet shouted with pleasure in her voice, her words echoing in the distance. Scarlet began humming a song, the sound would keep getting louder as she was approaching Kinzo. "I'm coming to kill you, and then the rest... one by one." she said and continued her lullaby.

The physically deformed man jolted with a start when he noticed that the tied up forms were indeed moving on their own. As he stared with his eyeless face down at the children, his expression one of blank recognition, a slow grin began to widen across his face, revealing the remains and shrapnels of his teeth.

“Look at you all...tied up and waiting for me! And you don't know why, or how, or when….you’re in Greeneburg! You're here because he wants you here! Ahaha, Greeneburg you tasty pieces of meat! Juicy and warm and crispy…Mine! I want you all to myself! Fuck the others; I’ll feast like a king tonight!”

Drool poured down the man’s chin and collected on his lower neck in small dirty bubbles. He would have continued staring the captured children down just like that had a loud crackling sound not intruded his thoughts. At once he backed away; whether he was whimpering in fear or crying in joy was beyond anyone’s guess.

“He comes…blessed me, he comes!”

The crackling eventually subsided into a rusty static until finally all was well again. That was when the voice spoke.

“….zz…z…wel…..Well, there we go! See, that didn’t take too long, did it? Ah, hello there everyone! Welcome to Greeneburg! Maybe you’ve heard of the place? Anyway, I’m the boss of this fine establishment. I, hope everyone’s had a good nap, yes?”

The voice behind the intercom sounded pleasant and disturbingly cheerful, and one could almost hear the casual grin being displayed. Another thing to note was how young it sounded as well, as if the progenitor of all this chaos was a teen much like the captured children.

“Jabberwocky! Jabberwocky!”

By now, the man had convulsed into a series of harsh laughter and choking, violently banging his head on the floor until blood pooled over where his eyes used to be. Likewise, the noises outside became more potent as well.

If one were to listen very closely, they would be treated to a number of different things. Most of them cursed his name, while others actually praised it. And still some broke down into a panicked hysteria. Of course, the man behind it all cared little for their expense. Why should he?

“Now, you all may be wondering the same thing. Or, at least, that's what you’re supposed to do…why, oh why did big bad Jabberwocky kidnap me like such a cruel person? Well for one thing, I’m actually a pretty cool guy. Don’t you hear them? The people love me!”

The mayhem outside only intensified in volume and duration.

“So why are you all here? Well…hmmm….I could tell you that this is all fake and these are just really, really, really good actors…but that’s false advertising and I have a honest image to keep. No, I think it’s best you not know. Don’t wanna cook your brains too much on day one. Oh! That reminds me: you’ve been a very naughty boy Mister Hatter. Bad dog, turning off the power like that. Guess it was smart of me to have just enough juice for the intercom, right? Hey, Chi-chan? I know you can hear me, so please be sure to keep one of them alive. Pretty please?”

The man apparently referred to the Queen of Hearts in such an affectionate manner; evidently, he was the only man alive who could possibly get away with doing such a thing.

“Well, I better sit back and wait for you all then! Because, surely, you all hate me for putting you all in this, right? Right? So why, you ask, am I even bothering you all in the first place? It’s actually, um….how do I put this….basically, you’re all fucked to begin with. Yeah, sounds about right…well, bye bye for now!”

And just like that, the intercom crackled back into dead silence. With it were the silenced noises of the crowd, no longer caught in the moment. Even the man in the cell was quiet, cowering pathetically in the fetal position. Unbeknownst to the children, most, if not all the prisoners had run off to hide in what little sanctuary they could scavenge.

For something else had accompanied the Jabberwocky’s statements. Something that everyone in the facility knew full well…a predator at work.

The hallways became filled with the soft melody of violin music.

She couldn't see anything.

Even with her eyes open wider than the Grand Canyon, Aika Saito couldn't see a bloody thing. Just infinite black. When it registered to her eyes that they weren't seeing anything besides absolute black, she tried to sit up straight. To find that she was strapped down! This was where the fear officially began setting in. All she knew was that she was on this table, strapped down and unable to see anything. Needless to say, for a fearful girl like Aika, it was quite the frightening experience. Last thing she remembered, she was walking home from school one evening, then suddenly, blackness. Fast-forward to now...whenever "now" was, and she found herself here, strapped down and blinded. And hearing a sound. Something above her. Sounded like breathing. If this wasn't a scenario she'd seen her father write a few times before...

Of course, experiencing anything from one of her father's books was bound to spook the girl. Her plan was to cry out for help...to find that her mouth, too, was held in place by these merciless cables. Now she was really freaking out, squirming and struggling in her bindings in an attempt to get free from the seeing nothing, the being strapped down, and whatever the hell was above her, breathing. This was not one of the ways she wanted to die!

“….zz…z…wel…..Well, there we go! See, that didn’t take too long, did it? Ah, hello there everyone! Welcome to Greeneburg! Maybe you’ve heard of the place? Anyway, I’m the boss of this fine establishment. I, hope everyone’s had a good nap, yes? Now, you all may be wondering the same thing. Or, at least, that's what you’re supposed to do…why, oh why did big bad Jabberwocky kidnap me like such a cruel person? Well for one thing, I’m actually a pretty cool guy. Don’t you hear them? The people love me! So why are you all here? Well…hmmm….I could tell you that this is all fake and these are just really, really, really good actors…but that’s false advertising and I have a honest image to keep. No, I think it’s best you not know. Don’t wanna cook your brains too much on day one. Oh! That reminds me: you’ve been a very naughty boy Mister Hatter. Bad dog, turning off the power like that. Guess it was smart of me to have just enough juice for the intercom, right? Hey, Chi-chan? I know you can hear me, so please be sure to keep one of them alive. Pretty please? Well, I better sit back and wait for you all then! Because, surely, you all hate me for putting you all in this, right? Right? So why, you ask, am I even bothering you all in the first place? It’s actually, um….how do I put this….basically, you’re all fucked to begin with. Yeah, sounds about right…well, bye bye for now!”

KEEP ONE OF THEM ALIVE!? FUCKED TO BEGIN WITH!? Now Aika was legitimately screaming under her cable bindings. Of course, she was muffled; nobody would have been able to hear her anyway. Struggling and screaming like a fly may have whilst trapped in an approaching spider's web. What was above her? Who was Chi-chan? How were they planning to kill Aika? Her mind was going a mile per second in bringing wild delusions on the twisted things that this Jabberwocky person could have been planning to do to her. And who was Mister Hatter? There was no power here? That could have accounted for Aika's inability to see anything. But at present, her biggest concerns were threefold.

How to escape these bindings?

What was above her?

When would it be her turn to be killed?

"50...49...48..." Kinzo counted out loud to himself, hopping with each decrease in number. His breathing was calm and controlled, not even bothering to flinch as a crackling static charged the building with a screech, followed by a loud, blaring voice that resonated deeply within the abyss of this Hell. It seemed like God had something to say to them, but the young man wasn't interested. Kinzo gave a little sigh as he hopped to his next step, aware that his huntress was near. Her haunting melody had interrupted his tuneless humming just moments ago.

"30...29...28..." According to his map, this particular hallway splits into three different directions. He paused momentarily at the tri-fork, cocking his head to the side as darkness brushed all around him. He could hear the sweetness of the violin from where he was standing, just directly ahead of the split path.

He turned around, taking a deep breathe. He blinked once, the first one in a whole hour, and then shouted.

"I win, Bloody! I found my prize first!" Kinzo grinned, raising his hand to high-five the shadows that stood next time him. With a gracious twirl, he set down the path that would lead him to his destination - twenty-eight steps back the way he came from.

"3...2...1...there." A silent creek as a door slowly swung open. "Hi, little Bunbun. Oh, I didn't know you have company with you."

Satoru Kenshin was cold. Ice. Not the usual emptiness he felt-- not the familiar detachment. This was ice. This man was insane, and Kenshin felt the emptiness within himself suddenly swell with this chilled frost. Fear, he supposed...Not something the boy experienced often-- at least, not back at home...

The gnashing teeth. The deranged ramblings. The frothing foam. It all served as a very...very...real threat. Death; it's right there, just within the room.

He wants to eat me

The thought had barely registered in his mind before the whine of a speaker shuddered into existence, and soon calmed into the tones of...someone who didn't sound much older than Kenshin himself! This much more...pleasant-- hell, downright cheerful-- tone was more than enough to combat the chill that had been freezing the boy's core. The emptiness at his center returned, and the ice swirled within himself as he finally began to struggle. Fear combatted his apathy, indifference fought against instinct. Wrists rubbed at rope, ankles kicked at ground. His body fell from its sitting position over to the ground, where he stilled once again as his head collided with the floor.

Nothing clears the head like pain......the most straightforward thing he's thought since waking up here.

'Jabberwocky! Jabberwocky!' the cries rang out. The man was...bludgeoning himself on the ground...blood leaking from himself as he did so, spreading out along the floor and coating his face...The child stilled, his eyes stuck on the crazed scene before him. This was...one of those things one could only imagine, or read about in those books at the therapists...

...Chervotsky might have been on to something, maybe I'm legitimately insane now...No, I'd never realize it if I were. he debated inside himself as he dulled to the cries and screams around him-- only that 'Jabberwocky's calm tones breaching into his mind.

'You're all fucked to begin with'

And with these words Jabberwocky's monologue subsided.

With these words Kenshin shut his eyes.

With these words echoing in his mind the sweet music reached his ears, pulling him back from the darkness he was lulling himself into...

I suppose he means this to be eerie. he thought to himself, finding that he didn't hardly have the energy or will to push himself up-- and flopped back onto the ground on his side. But this is sweet. Bittersweet at best, but sweet nonetheless. A serenade, a song farewell......and with that, the child's mind was once more chasing far-off moments and long-ago memories, his eyes only half open...half perceiving the world around him.

The poor man that was trapped within their very same cell only slumped forward as he heard what they failed to. His ears had been trained to flee from that tune, and he whimpered more so at what was to come.

The man attempted to crawl and slither away in quick succession, failing miserably as the music would be able to reach the children in full length now. Even if they failed to notice it before, it was clear now that one single tune completely encompassed the hallway that was once busy and bustling with activity only mere seconds before.

It was violin music. Beautiful violin music. The kind music that would make children cry in public and move men’s hearts. The melody began to gather and swirl within the air, gradually coming closer and closer until finally, it filled the entire cell.

It was not the Hatter or even the Queen. No, the abomination that stood outside the door could hardly be considered as human at all. It was certainly shaped like one, but there were things that seemed just….off about it. It was too tall, with long arms, and dressed in a torn suit that must have once swooned any surrounding females. Pieces of straw and…were those rabbit ears? Yes, straw and rabbit ears found themselves both plastered and messily stapled directly onto its chest. Its hair was long and wild, becoming a living bush and hiding its ugly head. Its left arm was bloody; torn and mutilated flesh and bone hung loosely from overexposure to some hellish procedure. In its right arm was a shiny violin stick covered in crimson, and in one swift movement, the creature brought it down to its left arm and began to slice upon it violently.

The sound of music started up once more.

No doubt this sickening revelation would not go unheard. However, most haunting was its face, or lack thereof. It held upon its visage a pale white mask covered in a chalky substance and two pupil-less slits, and it’s neck jerked every second or so in small spasms. As it fixed its blank stare right back at the pathetic wooden door, a chilling sensation would sweep over the children. A feeling of cold dread and unforeseen killing intent…and then the thing began to move forward. In jerky movements which rattled its creaking limbs aloud, the damned creature slowly made its way over to the children, silent in its hunt.

A monster. A predator. Although it could not rival the Queen of Hearts, its robotic-like instinct could very well steal her kills unintentionally.

The cowering man looked up and screeched, his blind eyes being his only present salvation to the horror before them all.

“The Friagne,” he whispered pathetically.

Back in the “emergency room”, another creature was anxiously awaiting for its chance to strike. Positioned directly above Aiko, it was evident even in darkness that the monster had mass. It lacked intelligence yes, but made up for that particular factor in sheer size and a hunter’s prowess. Not as smart as the Friagne, but still a threat to the bound child.

Getting impatient for its prey to react to its presence, the creature slowly lowered itself down and hovered over the trapped teen. A black tongue as dark as coal slid out of….something, and began to lick and caress the child’s cheek and neck.