Chapter 2:

He gulped in air. It was the feeling you get after holding your breath for too long underwater, or perhaps, like when a person had woken from dea... Gasping for breath, his heart beat wildly, not out of panic, but out of his overheating body. It caused him to wonder if it was possible to die of a heart attack as it felt as if it was going to burst through him, leaping out of his chest. Maybe I already am dead. Maybe this is limbo. He searched with his eyes desperately to make sense of this, but seeing nothing. Have I gone blind, or is it really pitch black here?

His mind felt blurry and numb, and utterly useless, but despite this, he still felt a strong urge to get out of where ever it is he was.He attempting to move his hands, and then arms or legs, but it was a losing battle. They seemed to be held down by cold, metal bonds. While another person would perhaps feel the grip of fear take hold, it didn't really scare him, as he waited for whatever would come. He had had been through so much, living in prisons and working as a dog for the insane system that controlled all of Japan. He expected the worst, received the worst, but because of this, he rarely feared the worst. He had accepted being a dog to not only the system, but in the world. The trash, the garbage, he had accepted it, because he had learned at a young age, that if he wanted to avoid pain...he had to. He hated Sibyl and everything it stood for, but what good would it do to fight it? He knew from experience fighting things bigger than you only brought pain and torture. With time to spare he sighed and closed his eyes; he couldn't see anyway.

A moment ago, he was sure he was dead. He was sure of it! He saw...what he saw was horrifying, yet strangely...gave him peace. It made sense to him then. Why his life was the way it was. Why the Sibyl system claimed many victims, their only crime being witnessing others' crimes and the distress, the suffering it caused themselves. Why he and others had been taken in even though not one of them had ever committed, or even planned on commiting, a crime.

But no. Perhaps they were right about him. Because knowing this, he could destroy everything. Kagari's mouth twisted into a dark smirk. All of Japan would crumble if this came out. People would fight-no, kill each other, if they knew they could get away with it. If they knew they were run by a machine. Man fighting man. They would show their true colors.

So, perhaps they were right. Because this thought made him amused, but not just amused. In fact, he wished that it would happen; that he would be able to witness it from heaven or hell or wherever he was when it did. Who am I kidding? I'm definitely headed for hell. He shuddered a little, judgment would be harsh, but awaiting judgment is always worse. Could this be limbo? His increasingly panicked thoughts in his head fell away as he heard the sound of an automatic door opening somewhere beyond the room he was in, "I wonder...is this what hell looks like?" He said to no one in particular, "I have to say I'm a bit unimpressed." Becoming more cognizant, he noticed that the thing he was lying on was actually a metal bed or table of some kind with a thin blanket or something soft thrown over-top; several metal bonds binding his limbs were built into it.

Just then, another door opened, blinding him with bright light as a dark figure at his feet stood above him, "And why is that?" It moved to a desk shaped blur to his left. Who is this? Was he really alive? Was this a dream? Was he dead? He blinked trying to remove the blur from his eyes and lifted his hand in front of his eyes, another dark blob. No matter how much he tried to focus, his eyes remained useless. He struggled to sit up on his elbows. "I guess I just expected more pain." He smiled, "You know...scary faces...pointy knives...fire?"

"I see." The voice was dull and monotone, "Is that what you wish?"

A nervous laugh slipped, "No, course not. I thought we could leave friends..." Who was this strange person? There was something about his voice that was unsettling. He tried blinking rapidly. If he could actually see his surrounding he might be able to make sense of them."I mean...you're a dark blob, I'm a dark blob. Surrounded...by...brightness. We're quite similar actually."

The blob stopped moving, "We didn't want to chance the fact that you would remember anything about this place. Your vision should return to normal in a few weeks."

"We?" Kagari frowned, "Who's we? Where am I?"

Before he had a chance to react, a pain like a knife ripping through him went tearing up his spine causing him to fall back into the unforgiving metal, he suddenly felt metal tongs grip his head, holding it still. "Wait! What are you doing!?" He tried to thrash around, but everytime he did, pain ripped through his body, this time through his heart, like a thousand needles shot into his chest, or a knife dived deep inside his heart and then dragged through it. He groaned, before screaming out in pain. It was almost unbearable and he felt himself flash in and out of consciousness. "I won't lie to you." The voice spoke, distantly in Kagari's oppressed mind, "This will hurt a lot. You may not even survive, but if you struggle, the suffering will be worse." Kagari tried once again to push away from the metal bars pushing into his skull. The pain following was so severe, he was sure his body was ripping in half as his vision faded completely and he lost consciousness. "A lot worse."