May my little fish swim his heart's delight,
giving our guests quite the fright.
Matthew's bright violet eyes clouded with insanity as he stared at him, his usually relaxed smile pulling further in a sickening twist. His soft and well groomed hair frizzed and fringed at the edges. He wasn't the innocent young man Ivan had grown to love, he was tainted with the very thing he was trying to stop.
"The second that needle went in to my neck I knew something wasn't right about him. My own insanity had spread like a disease, and now my beautiful sunflower has wilted..."
The needles... The smile... The insanity...
Ivan snapped his eyes open as his consciousness returned, the same panic that he had felt before fading into darkness was restored. He felt like he was being crushed, as if the air surrounding him was caving in on him. His sight was blurry blue, and he couldn't make out anything. As he took a deep breath, his eyes widened and he desperately tried to cough. His lungs filled with water rather than cool relieving air. He felt his panic rise and he thrashed his limbs around in an effort to swim to the top of whatever body of water he was trapped in. It seemed as the more he fought, the further away from air he was. He wanted to cry out for help, but the surrounding liquid engulfed him. There were wires and tubes attached to his chest, back, head, and limbs, feeling like the coils of a snake. Fear exploded within him and he let out a muffled shriek. Precious air floated to the surface, abandoning him. He desperately tried to reach up and grasp the bubbles, but his limbs did not move anymore. Ivan swished his head around in an effort to see something if anything. His ears popped painfully and he let out a few more bubbles of air.
"Quickly get him some air! The doctor's pet is awake!" A voice seemingly far away hollered, distorted by the water surrounding him. Ivan's eyes stretched wide in terror and he thrashed around more. What did he mean!? What was this?! Where was he?! As the seconds ticked by he felt his lungs burn for fresh air.
More sounds came from the outside of his watery encasement, and more voices reached his ears. He had begun to panic, feeling his heart pound in terror. He had a bad feeling, a very, very, bad feeling.
Suddenly, his burning lungs swelled with oxygen and he gasped. Bubbles of air floating above him, becoming less important with his current supply of oxygen.
"His blood oxygen levels are returning to normal, someone get the doctor, he will be very pleased to see his pet awake again." The same voice from earlier called, followed by more hurried voices.
Ivan now with his returning strength began to thrash around again. He felt as though he was close to the surface, but something kept him from reaching the air above. Throwing his arm up to feel for the reason, Ivan felt his stomach drop. His fist made contact with a smooth and solid surface. Was that ice!? No, he didn't feel cold... He ran his fingers over it and came to the grim conclusion that it was in fact glass which kept him from the outside world. His whole body felt limb and he wanted to scream in frustration.
Ivan sunk back down to the bottom of his watery prison, feeling more glass beneath himself. What was this he was incased in? A tank of sorts?
"What is it Toris? I don't have time for games." A chillingly familiar voice asked.
Ivan felt every muscle in his body tense.
"M-Matthew..." The name rolled of his tongue with bitter remorse. Memories of the last time he had seen him flashed before his eyes. The blonde had surrendered to insanity, this was all his doing.
"He's awake at last! Thank you Toris, please leave us now." Matthew shoed the other man away and waited until they were alone to say anything more. There was a heavy "clunk" produced by what Ivan could only guess was a metal door.
He wanted to crawl away and stay as far as he could from Matthew. Though his current situation made it virtually impossible. Ivan did the first thing he thought would get him out of this, playing dead. He closed his eyes and parted his mouth, allowing all of his limbs to rest limply on the glass flooring. In his mind he begged with the slim chance that Matthew would fall for it and leave him be. But deep down he knew too well that the little blonde was brighter than he credited him.
"I know you're awake Ivan, your oxygen intake and heart-rate say you are." Matthew tapped the glass, causing the water around him to be disturbed. "Come on, don't be shy, I wont harm you."
Ivan silently cursed himself and opened one eye. Surprisingly, the water surrounding him had become much clearer, allowing him to see what was outside his prison. He almost jumped at the sight of his beloved Matthew leaning against the glass.
He wore a long white coat that bordered a fluffy grey sweater that Ivan had made him for their one year anniversary. His hair was messy and gnarled while he had an unsettling smile spread from ear to ear. Ivan couldn't tear his eyes from Matthew's own crazed ones. He felt his chest twist and constrict at the sight of him. He'd rather go through this hell for eternity than see Matthew in this condition. Ivan knew that he had done this to him, he had been weak enough to allow Matthew in, and his insanity had pulled the young man under with him. Unlike him, Ivan had learned how to conceive and control it. Matthew was practically swimming in his. How ironic...
"Come Ivan, I wish to see your pretty face~!" Matthew cooed, running his knuckles over the glass almost lovingly.
Ivan whimpered and tried to swim to the farthest corner of the tank, far from Matthew's maddened gaze. "N-nyet, leave me alone!" His mouth filled with water as he spoke, though with oxygen being forced into his lungs none of it dripped down.
Matthew frowned, feigning innocence. "It's alright, you don't have to be afraid..." He looked back and forth, looking almost exactly like his old self. The blonde lowered his voice even though they were most certainly alone. "I think I can get you out of here."
Ivan's eyes widened and he cautiously moved forward through the water. He inched forward so that he was still at a safe distance from the glass as a precaution. "M-Matvey? Is... Is that really you?" Hope glimmered in his eyes.
Matthew nodded his head and motioned for him to come closer. "Yes, but I can't help you unless you're up here."
Ivan frowned, but did as instructed, still not completely reassured. He wasn't going to immediately trust him, he knew what insanity could do to one's mind. One second they're reeling in their chair like a psycho, and the next they seem just as sane as the next person. Matthew still wore a lab coat and that set off a few red flags.
But his beautiful face... It had become soft and caring as it used to be...
Ivan damned his affections as he nudged forward so that he was practically leaning against the glass. "What are you going to do?" He asked, his eyes running along his lover's smooth cheekbones fondly. It had been so long since he was able to see him, he almost wanted to trust him completely. Not being able to tore at his heart, he felt guilty that he couldn't. They had trusted each other for years before and now that fragile bond was broken.
Matthew gave a shy smile and a blush formed on his cheeks. "I've missed you Ivan, it's been forever."
Ivan felt like wrapping his arms around him and never letting go for the rest of eternity. He wanted to hold hands, to feel his contact. Unconsciously he leaned forward to kiss him, not caring if water flowered into his mouth. His lips brushed the cold barrier between them and he felt a pang of sadness.
Matthew had done the same, they were so close, the closest they had ever been since his dramatic turn. He had his Matvey back.
They both backed up with a smile, Ivan resting his head against the glass. "Please, get me out of here..." He begged. "I want to feel your touch again."
Matthew turned his back, covering his mouth suddenly. A moment passed and Ivan glanced over in concern. He made quiet choking sounds as his shoulders moved up and down. Ivan's eyes widened and he quickly backed away. A few crazed giggles escaped Matthew's throat, eventually molding into full chuckles. He took his hand away from his mouth and allowed himself to chuckle madly.
"Oh yes Ivan~! I miss you too~" Matthew turned around to stare at him, his pupils constricted to tiny dots. "I miss you very, very much!" He slammed the glass with his hands, sending a shockwave through the water. "It's a shame that I cannot have you here with me, I had really hoped you would accept my offer."
Ivan shrunk to the furthest corner of the tank, feeling his chest tighten and his heart pound. He knew he couldn't trust Matthew, he knew it. The poor thing had gone too far to be able to come out sane again. He was foolish to believe that for even a second. "I didn't accept because you're insane Matvey! You've lost your head!"
"What do you mean Ivan? Am I not the same Matthew you fell in love with?" He pouted. "Am... Am I not good enough for you?" He scratched his nail across the glass, creating a painful sound.
Ivan winced and held his ears, failing to stop the terrible noise. "S-stop!"
Matthew lifted his finger from the glass with a satisfied smile. "Oh well, I guess I'm going to have find another use for you. " He shrugged indifferently. "I have plenty of experiments that I've been meaning to try."
Ivan's heart thudded faster in horror. He clawed desperately at the glass behind himself to no avail. The terrible scratching sound was a result.
"Well, I'll just have to try that later, right now I have to deal with another one of my subjects." Matthew waved with a sickening smile. "See you later Ivan~ Get some rest, I don't want you weak for testing."
Ivan stared blankly at him, feeling his mind crack. He was in silent anguish, barely noticing as Matthew slipped back out. When he finally realized, it was far too late. "Matvey! Wait! N-No! Don't do this! PLEASE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.
Nothing answered.
"Tap"
"Tap_Tap_Tap"
"Tap_Tap"
"Ivan~ Time to wake up! Lunch time!" Matthew cooed, glancing inside the tank. He held one hand behind his back, but by the red puddle behind him, it wasn't something good.
Ivan snapped one eye open, staring straight at Matthew. A terrifying smile spread across his lips, revealing a row of sharp misshapen teeth. He waited patiently as Matthew opened a small slide in his tank and dropped a chunk of flesh down into the water.
The second the meat made contact with the water, however, he attacked like a frenzied shark. Ripping the flesh to pieces, he devoured it quickly, spreading cloudy red throughout the surrounding water.
On the other side of the glass, Matthew watched with a fond smile. "Yes, eat your fill, there's more where that came from." He giggled. "I love my little goldfish very much~! Oh yes, yes I do!"
Ivan twisted his head around to stare at him with animalistic furiosity. "Maht-vhee." The broken word rumbled in his throat, though Matthew knew very well that he didn't understand what the name meant anymore. It must have just been a kink of his while he was still... 'human.'
"Good boy~" The blonde praised.
Ivan's eyes stared deep into him, tearing him limb from limb in his mind, -or what was left of it-.
Matthew hummed and left the room once again, abandoning Ivan to his lonesome.
Amidst the silence there was a dark chuckle, muffled by water.
Long fingers of blood swirled from Ivan's mouth, settling at the surface of the water. His eyelids slowly closed, hiding his piercing violet eyes from view once again.
"Goodnight..."
Ludwig sipped his coffee as he drove down the highway in his police vehicle, a bored frown on his face. Another call, how dreary. The orders rang in his head, annoying him to no end. He had to report to the abandoned hospital on the corner of town because of some stupid 'suspicious activity' going on close by. Not only were abandoned hospitals creepy, but a big call this early in the morning was just absurd. Don't freaky teenagers need sleep too?
He sighed and set his thermos down in the cup holder as he passed yet another car. As he hit higher speeds and his sirens blared, he felt his leg get soaked with smoldering coffee. Wincing, he gritted his teeth angrily.
"Scheiße!" He glanced over and struggled to get the thermos back into it's place. The coffee burned painfully, only angering him more. "Why today!? Why can't I just have another quiet morning!?" Ludwig grumbled, reaching over to open the glove department. He pulled out a tuft of paper napkins and struggled to keep the steering wheel steady. Cars honked as he turned a red-light erratically. He soaked up the coffee as best he could before throwing the napkins into the passenger seat in annoyance. This was not a good start for his day.
When he eventually pulled up to the premises, other police officers had already grouped up in the front. He glanced down at his navy-blue pants now stained with a huge coffee stain. A growl escaped his lips and he shook his head. "Damn it." He would have to clean them later.
Getting out of his vehicle, Ludwig made his way over to his fellow officers standing in front of the building.
"Hey, there's Beilschmidt! Come here Ludwig, we need you!" A familiar voice called.
Ludwig turned to the blonde man who had acknowledged his presence. "Ja, ja, I'm here. What is it we're doing?"
The officer instantly glanced down at his pants, a smile working it's way onto his face. He looked like he was desperately trying to keep from laughing. "Dude, what the hell happened to your pants!?" Too late, he and the others began to laugh anyway.
Ludwig's face burned red, but not in embarrassment. "It doesn't matter right now, I just want to get this over with!" He pushed past them to view what it was they were crowding around. "What is so bad that we all have to-"
Ludwig's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open in shock. A small twinge of fear wormed it's self inside him. The call was definitely not over nothing...
Lying before him was the crumpled and torn corpse of a young man, a puddle of watered down blood surrounding him. It was unlike any other body he had ever seen. The deep gashes tearing the soft flesh away couldn't have been formed by any human weapon, and he didn't know of any animal large enough to produce such a wound. He let out a soft gasp of air, leaning down to inspect it closer.
All of the officers behind him gagged when he turned the corpse over to view it's front.
Even he had a hard time keeping his breakfast down at the sight.
The young man's chest had been torn open, the heart and a few more organs removed. All over his pale skin were deep slashes cut in the shapes of hearts and flowers. Who or whatever murdered this man was really, really, sick.
"Hey Al, doesn't he look a bit like you?" Someone asked, pointing towards the corpse.
The blonde officer from before cringed. "Dude that's so uncool."
Ludwig glanced from him to the corpse, he did have some similarities. Both of them had blonde hair, their skin was about the same tone, features like his nose and chin were pretty similar, if this man was alive he would say they were pretty close to looking like siblings.
He shook his head and stood up. "Does anyone know who it is yet? Anyone reported missing or any identification?"
A few officers shook their head, but one offered a small white rectangle.
"It's scratched pretty bad, but the name is still visible enough."
Ludwig took the small item and turned it over to eye it carefully. The name "Dr. Williams" was printed on it's surface. He looked back up with a frown.
"A doctor...? Wasn't this place shut down two years ago for hazardous conditions?" He asked with a confused tilt of his head.
Alfred shrugged. "Rumors have been going around that someone still performed medical research here, but until now no one has ever believed it."
Ludwig thought for a moment, glancing back towards the corpse and to the name-tag. "What do you think did this?" He asked, pointing to the gaping hole in his chest.
Everyone fell silent, fear-stricken faces all looking away. A wave of dread spread throughout the whole group. Ludwig was still left unanswered and wondering. "It can't be that bad, who murdered this man?" He pressed, looking a bit frustrated. Did he work with a bunch of cowards all of a sudden?
Alfred suppressed a shiver. "The doctor was working on something... very inhuman. That's why he never went to any normal hospitals to do his work." He looked completely spooked.
Ludwig growled. "Are you dummkopfs really going to make me go in?"
No one answered for a long moment, until someone muttered "yes."
He threw the name-tag down onto the ground. "Cowards! The lot of you!" Turning around he walked through the broken front doors of the hospital with a frustrated huff. He didn't care how creepy it was, he was going to find the murderer and bring them down.
Ludwig took out his flashlight and clicked it on, waving it around to get a better view off the dark interior. He rested his hand on the gun holstered on his hip and continued to walk. It didn't seem like anything was wrong at all, everything seemed in order almost as if frozen in time. The halls were still clean with the occasional potted plant which as expected were wilted. He flashed his light into one of the rooms to survey it's condition. Just like the hall, it was clean and tidy. The bed was made neatly with a fresh scrub nicely folded on top.
Ludwig continued further, sighing in boredom. Even with what should be a thrilling task he was left bored again. He wouldn't put it past Alfred and the others to pull a stupid prank on him. For now he would just play along, he would get them back somehow.
"Who's going to go get him when that thing tears him limb from limb?" Gilbert turned to the others with an amused smile.
Alfred shook his head fearfully. "It ain't gonna be me! I rather like my limbs attached thank you!"
"Nah, it wont rip you apart, it'll probably gut you like a fish," Gilbert laughed, "then it'll tear your arms off."
Alfred frowned, clearly unamused. "Who says it's even that stupid rumor, maybe it's just some sick freak that likes to play doctor?"
"Either way, you're going in after him, I still have to carry on the family name." Gilbert shrugged.
"He's your brother!" The blonde pointed a fearful finger towards the doors where Ludwig had disappeared five minutes before.
"And he's your friend, so why not help him out? I'm sure he'd be indebted to you after you drag his ass out of there."
"Let's just give him a chance before we start calling him dead. He's the toughest guy I know, I'm sure he's got this." Alfred gave a nervous laugh. "Hero's save the day, not commit suicide."
"Ja, agreed."
Ludwig stood in one of the rooms, eyeing every detail closely. "There has to be a camera here somewhere, those idiots wouldn't pass up the chance to get me on youtube... again." He glanced from the bed to the floor, going over every tile with a sharp eye. Kneeling down, he flashed his light under the bed to check. Nothing.
"They're clever, but they lack the brain-cells. If I were an idiot, where would I hide a camera...?" He stood up again and left the room to search around more. "It all seems too precise, it must have taken them forever to set this all up."
Ludwig turned down the hall and flashed his light forward to make sure something wasn't hiding behind the corner. He narrowed his eyes, and flashed the light all the way at the end.
What lie against the far wall caused him to gasp in horror.
Another corpse lie slumped against the wall, it's chest also torn open with cryptic symbols cut into it's flesh. This too was of a doctor, except this one belonged to a female.
Ludwig slipped his gun from it's holster an held it up, slowly advancing on the corpse. His eyes skimmed the area, flashing back and forth to make sure nothing was creeping in the shadows. This was too real to be another one of Alfred's pranks, he wouldn't go this far.
He almost cringed at the terrible metallic odor coming from the corpse. "Mein gott!" Ludwig bent down to inspect the body, his eyes widening in shock.
The woman had been ripped open just like the last corpse, except this one looked to have been killed in a much messier way. He glanced down to the puddle beneath it. "Blood diluted in water..."
"MaTVeY~? Is THat yOU I sMelL?" An eerily echoing voice asked, coming from nowhere in particular.
Ludwig cocked his gun and instinctively glanced behind himself. The hall behind looked as it had when he passed through, no one had followed him.
His eyes flicked down the next hall in search of the person the voice was attached to. He gasped in shock.
The next hall was filled with shallow reddish water, the corpses of more people scattered about. He dry-heaved and quickly glanced away. Something was very sick about all of this.
Ludwig dared think back to the rumor Alfred had mentioned. "The doctor was working on something... very inhuman."
He shook his head to clear it. No, someone had to be playing a really really bad joke.
"... Then again-"
"mAtvEY" There was a chilling chuckle, "wHErE aRe YOu? YOu'Re noT hIdINg FrOM mE agAiN aRE yOu?" Something smashed overhead, sounding like the air-duct.
Ludwig crouched down and stared up at the roof uncertainly. He didn't dare make a noise.
There was another loud "thunk."
"HIDe anD SEek! HidE ANd sEeK!" A maddened cackle bounced all around the officer. The air-duct above his head made loud clunking noises, moving forward down the hall. He stood frozen in a mixture of horror and uncertainty. Small pieces of the ceiling fell in the path of the voice, stopping suddenly over the huge puddle of bloody water. "bOO~!" The ceiling cracked, long jagged lines stretching far in all directions. Ludwig took a few steps back, pointing his gun up at the source.
All at once, the ceiling gave way, large chunks splashing in the water, followed by something else. Ludwig shielded his eyes from the cloud of debris, hearing the huge splash coming from the water. "AhaHAhaHahAHA~! TheRE yOU ArE!" The voice called, sounding much louder and rugged out in the open.
Ludwig hesitantly moved his arm out of his face to view them, almost jumping in surprise. A tall figure stood ankle-deep in the water, their shoulders sagging and their short beige hair hiding their face. He narrowed his eyes and pointed the gun at the figure.
"Put you hands where I can see them!" His voice thundered angrily.
The figure moved mechanically, slowly motioning their head to look up at him. Faded amethyst eyes met blue and a twisted smile stretched across it's face from ear-to-ear. Ludwig gasped, horrified. Their teeth weren't human and it's eyes were slitted like a cat's. They tilted their head and lifted a malformed hand to their face. It couldn't even me described as a hand anymore, it was more like a webbed bear claw. "WhAT's wRoNG maTvEY? aRE yOu nOT haPpY tO SEe mE?"
Ludwig's grip on his gun shook as the 'creature' advanced on him, crawling on all fours in an unsettling manner. "S-Stay back!"
"WhERe ArE yOu? I... I cANnoT sEe YOur BEaUtiFuL FAce..." The creature blinked quickly and stopped walking. It raised it's hand to wave it in front of his own face. "Oh... MY eYes... T-tHEy dO NoT SeE..." He moved his head to glare at Ludwig. Even though he claimed to be blind, his eyes still focused on him as if he could still see the look of terror splayed out on the german's face. "i HUrt... You'VE bEEn GonE FOr sO LoNG..." It took a long ragged breath. "I thOUghT yOU hAd LEft mE FOrEveR."
He was frozen, his gun ready to blow the head off of this terrifying monster. But something stopped him, it spoke and looked as if it was human. Then he glanced to one of the corpses and he suppressed a shiver. What the fuck had he gotten himself into?
"LeTS pLAy a GaME~" The creature laughed, inching forward. "YeS! a gAME! I lOve GaMEs~!" He was so close that Ludwig swore he could feel the madness coming from it. "rUN."
A/N: Privet readers! This is a result of my horror movie spree mixed with an Amnesia marathon. I wondered about the water monster from Amnesia for a bit, and so I thought it fitting to make this! Please let me know if I should continue! :D
Translations:
Scheiße = Shit
Ja = Yes
Mein gott = My god
