He turned his head. Redness. He knew what this was. He had seen it before; it had been explained to him before by Shania. She called it Malice. It was everything before him, twisting like waves in the haze of darkness around him.

"Where am I?" Was the only thing that escaped Johnny Garland's lips. But strangely no sound came out. Instinctively, his hand went to his throat. His voice! Where did his voice go? He turned away and saw a sickening sight before him.

In this nowhere stricken with Malice, Malice so thick he could cut it with a knife, Johnny could see the outlines of bodies on the ground, each mutilated in their own horrific way.

The closest to Johnny lay three feet away, the eyes of the man dangling from his socket, but eyeing Johnny with intent.

"…!" Johnny jumped back and felt his hand searching for his knife, but it wasn't there.

"What the hell is this?"

"You don't need it, Johnny," said a voice behind him.

Johnny gasped and turned around. He knew that voice. "Shania," he tried to breathe out.

It was Shania, but something wasn't right. In the place of her blue eyes, her bright blue eyes, deep red orbs devoid of emotion stared back at him. Johnny edged forward, something inside of him telling him that he shouldn't be afraid.

He nodded his head to the hoard of pale, nearly skinless bodies around him. "Did you…do this?"

Shania shook her head, her eyes barely visible among the haze of Malice. "I had you too, Johnny. We did it together…"

Johnny's throat tightened. "Why? I didn't…I never…"

All he did was blink and in seconds, Shania was in front of him, grasping his face tightly and pulling him forward. "I didn't realize it, Johnny! But I couldn't understand it back then…how could someone ever think that this was the ultimate form of existence? But Lady showed me…she showed me what I could do…what we could become…if we just give in and let it consume us…she showed me everything…"

"L-Lady…?"

Johnny tore away from Shania and searched the area. Where was she? It had to be her! She was doing this to Shania and she was doing something to him too…Lady…It didn't take long for a string of short pale hair to break out from the camouflage of Malice.

"Lady," he said softly, looking upon her strange form, his hands shaking. They had encountered her twice now. Briefly at Las Vegas, when Edna has been consumed by Malice and then for the first actual time at Chitzen Itza. It was strange. Johnny had no trouble facing her, because well, he never actually faced her. Killer was always in the way, defending her for reasons of his own that Johnny simply couldn't understand. It was easy to hate Killer, to want to defeat him. He murdered and killed without thinking about anyone, not even himself. He was a savage, a fucking dog…

But Lady…he couldn't see herself hurting her; especially not as she stood before him now. Her head was lowered; her light hair covering her face…why was she like that?

"Lady! Look at me! I'll…" He stammered, unable to see her fully. "I'll take you out!"

Still, she didn't respond. Not that he could be surprised at that. She didn't respond to anything aside from a few glances between her and Killer from what he could see. But still, something was wrong…

"L..Lady…" He cautiously approached her.

She wasn't alone. "Lady…?" Johnny stammered out, seeing those familiar boney fingers on the strange woman's neck. "Killer! Hey! Stop!"

Lady was listless, a lifeless doll against the serial killer's chest. He loomed over her as Johnny watched, his other hand trailing slowly down Lady's stomach. Johnny felt something twist inside him, watching Killer smile with his eyes lighting up horrifically like a demons, not unlike Shania's before him. Sickly, a red tongue dangled from Killer's mouth and slithered like a serpent around Lady's neck, tightening after running around her skin a few times. Lady remained unresponsive, her eyes now closed, but her mouth was curved. From pain?

"S…Stop…" Johnny breathed, putting his arm out to try and reach them. He couldn't explain it and he couldn't even comprehend it himself. But as much as he was supposed to despise Lady for what she was, he couldn't bear to see this. Not her! Not with him! How dare Killer think he could taint something like her? Something so pure…how could he…? "STOP IT!"

Killer only smiled. Could he even hear Johnny's screams? His tongue continued to spread over Lady's skin, reaching her breasts. It slipped in, wrapping itself around her right mound of flesh.

Johnny turned away, sickened. "Stop…" He cried, biting his lip.

Shania was behind him. "Why should we stop them?"

"He's hurting her! Can't you see it?" Johnny shouted, and through his rage, he felt the cold hilt of his dagger in his hand. "…" Where did it come from? Had it been here this whole time?

Before Shania could do anything, Johnny whipped around as fast as he could and threw the knife at Killer's face.

CRASH.

"What the-?"

The image of Lady and Killer disappeared in the blades of glass crumbling around him. A mirror? Johnny inhaled deeply, watching the mirror collapse and reveal nothing but darkness for miles. "How did…"

A lock of red hair fell in front of his eyes. "What?" This hair…

He felt his tongue stretched…his hands were not at his side, but around somebody's warm presence. "…" His bony hands wrapped around Lady's form, but she wasn't quite Lady anymore. White blonde hair was free from Shania's ponytail and Johnny slithered his tongue anxiously, tightening her breast. Shania mewed softly, closing her eyes in the same soft, yet pained expression as Lady.

"Boy…what are you doing?"

He ignored the prying, sudden voice. It didn't matter to him. Lady or Shania was his now. There was no one else who could interfere. And if anyone else would, he'd cut their throats out.

"Boy! BOY! WAKE UP!"

The visions around him began to haze once again. Johnny growled. Such an annoyance. Everything was starting to fade away around him. But that was fine, so long as he had Shania and Lady. That voice could call all he wanted, he wouldn't get through. Johnny would make sure, this was his reality. This is what he deserved-

"BOY!"

"GAH!" Johnny sputtered aloud, awaking in the Rio De Janiero hotel room, a red slap mark featured perfectly on his face. Frank loomed over him, apparently still keeping his ridiculous red ninja outfit as his sleeping wear.

"BOY IS SO LOUD IN HIS SLEEP!"

"SO YOU HIT ME?" Johnny cried back angrily. He never did really get Frank's form of common sense.

"Boy, you were going on in your sleep with grunting and the moaning…" Frank said, apparently ignoring Johnny's question. A slow smile graced Frank's lips. "Ahhh, to be that age again…Boy is growing up so fast."

"Grunting and moaning? You're crazy," Johnny smirked, yawning and slipping back down into his bed. Just what the hell was he dreaming about anyways? The dream had disappeared from his mind as soon as Frank had hit him. Whatever.

It wasn't like it was anything important…Johnny thought as he lowered back into sleep.

Besides, he had other things to worry about. After their trip to Chitzen Itza, Shania had begun to act a little strange. They all needed their rest.

After all, what if that dream were to ever become true…?

END OF CHAPTER ONE