AN: Chapter 5 is now up and ready to read! We are hoping people are enjoying this. We would know if you lovely readers would leave reviews. *wink wink nudge nudge*

Warning: Character death, detailed description of violence, nasty stuff.

Chapter 5

Ludwig, Gilbert, and Antonio weren't sure how to proceed. Standing in front of them were three transparent children – one was missing an eye, one most of his head, and all three were missing their tongues.

"How are we supposed to fight these Scheißes?" he growled. The children laughed.

"I think we should just run. I mean, you can't fight ghost, amigos," Antonio said.

"Nein! I do not run away from anything!" Ludwig snapped. Gilbert snickered to himself.

"Yeah, you aren't your boyfriend~," he taunted under his breath as he cracked his knuckles. Ludwig rounded on his brother.

"Would you stop that!? This is not the time for pissing each other off!" he snarled. The children began to move closer.

"Uh, guys? I think we ought to get going," Antonio said, tugging on both their arms. Gilbert stuck his tongue out at his brother teasingly before looking back at the children.

"I'm going to fight them. I'm awesome enough to beat them back to Hell," he gloated. Ludwig grunted.

"Not on your own, you're not," he said, picking up a loose floorboard. Antonio sighed and looked around for something to use as a weapon. This wouldn't end well, he could feel it.

Ludwig gave a shout and ran at the ghost children. Gilbert brought his fist down on the one missing her eye. His grin quickly fell when he hit nothing and fell right through her. He hit the floor with a grunt, rolling into the wall. He shook his head clear and looked up at the ghost girl staring back at him.

"...They're...real ghosts!" he cried, jumping out of the way as she reached for him with a disturbing grin. Ludwig growled and swung the board at the boy glaring up at him. It passed through him.

"Wihhhhhh youuu ihhhhhhhh meeeeee!?" the boy wailed. Ludwig backed up quickly as the boy reached for him. Antonio wasn't sure what to do. It was pointless to attack something they couldn't hit.

"Come on! It's not cowardly if we run! It's stupid if we don't!" he urged. Something grabbed his ankle and Antonio crashed to the floor. Ludwig heard the shout and turned to see a tall, bloody man with a hammer pulling Antion down the hallway.

"Antonio!" he shouted. Antonio struggled in the grip of the impossibly strong man dragging him across the floor. Gilbert rolled out of the reach of the ghosts and hurried down the hall after Antonio. Ludwig sprinted at Gilbert's side. How could a guy dragging someone else be so fast?

Antonio gave a wail of pain as the man brought his hammer down on his leg. He felt all the bones crack and give in. Antonio looked back and cried out. A bone was sticking out from the top half of his leg, the bottom half was practically hanging off.

Ludwig leapt forward, trying to catch Antonio but he fell short. Antonio screamed as he was dragged around a corner and out of sight.

"Gott verdammt!" Gilbert swore as he helped Ludwig up. "How can that bastard be so fast?!"

Ludwig swore vehemently.

"Antonio….he….Sohn von einem Weibchen!" he shouted, smacking his fists against a wall.

Antonio screamed himself horse as he was dragged away. He could feel the wood scraping off into his skin. He was brought down several flights of stairs, his head smacking against each step until he was dizzy. Then, everything was cold. Lights flickered above him as he was pulled through the dirt.

Antonio was suddenly lifted up and dropped, face up, onto a metal table. The room stunk of rotting meat, and when his vision cleared more, he could see hooks dangling from the ceiling. Some were…in use, while others swung empty. The floor, from what he could see of it, was covered in blood and organs. A bucket in the corner contained severed limbs.

"N-no…" he gasped.

The man who had kidnapped him tightened the leather straps around Antonio's wrists and ankles, effectively inhibiting much movement. He walked around and began searching through a box on the floor.

Antonio looked back down at his broken leg and felt bile rising in his throat. As much as he wanted to hope Ludwig and Gilbert would rescue him, he was positive his life was going to end here on this table in this horror of a room.

The man made a slight sound of triumph and walked back over to the table...holding a mallet. He looked down at Antonio, seeming to look him over for the best place to land the blow.

Though he knew it was fruitless, Antonio shook his head.

"No…please…no!" he pleaded, beginning to struggle. The man ignored him and lifted the mallet over his shoulder and swung it down on Antonio's left arm. The sickening sound of bones crunching and splintering under the incredible force filled the room.

Antonio screamed as his arm was pulverized.

"NOOOOOOOO!" he wailed, trying to pull his other arm free. The man lifted the mallet with a small grunt and walked around to the other side of the table, holding Antonio's arm steady and bringing the mallet down once again. The humorous split under the pressure and dislocated from both the scapula and ulna; both ends pushing taught against the skin.

Antonio shrieked and writhed in pain.

"STOP! Stop! Stop!" he begged. The man walked back over to the box on the floor and threw the mallet back, beginning to root around again. He pulled out a screwdriver, looked at it for a moment, then shook his head and put it back. He did this several more times before making a decision. He walked back to Antonio with a wrench and some nails. He placed the wrench down on the table and walked over to Antonio's right arm. He held one of the nails directly over the bulge of skin held up by the near compound fracture. He pressed the nail down slowly, just barely breaking the skin.

Antonio shook his head wildly from side to side.

"No, no no, no, no, no, no, no!" he sobbed. His body was constantly twitching now from the pain. The man continued to put pressure on the head of the nail till the shaft had slowly slipped through the skin and hit the bone. He reached forward and picked up the wrench, holding it over the nail as a makeshift hammer.

Antonio screamed louder, writhing and trying to twist away. Why couldn't it just end already? The man swung the wrench and the sound of bone splitting filled the room once more as the nail parted the humorous down the middle. Small splinters of bone pushed their way through Antonio's skin; blood slipping down onto the metal table.

Antonio wailed.

"PLEASE! Just KILL me! Please…I…can't…." he pleaded, tears cascading down his cheeks. The man walked over to the box once again and came back with a small pair of shears. He placed them on the table next to Antonio's head and picked up another nail; wasting no time in plunging it into the Spaniard's sternum.

Antonio gasped and wheezed, blood spurting out of his mouth. He really didn't want to know what those shears were for. He gagged and spat out some of the blood gathering in his mouth.

Suddenly, the man's hands were prying his mouth open and trying to grab his tongue. Antonio's eyes widened and he tried to move his tongue out of the way, but it was no use. He whimpered pathetically. Antonio was happy his friends weren't there to see how pitiful he was.

The man pulled Antonio's tongue out as far as possible and picked up the shears. With a good grip on the slippery organ, the man opened the shears and placed the blades around Antonio's tongue. With a final adjustment, the man squeezed the handle and the blades closed; cutting through the muscle like a piece of paper.

The pain was unimaginable. Antonio wanted to scream and cry, but he couldn't. All he could do was choke on his own blood. The last thought that passed through Antonio's mind, was that he hoped Lovino got out of this mess alive.

Yao walked cautiously down the hallways. Running off like that was incredibly foolish. Now he had no idea where he was or where Ivan was.

"Yao! Yaaooooo!" Ivan's voiced echoed throughout the halls. He had been searching for his lovely sunflower for far too long. Ivan was beginning to worry something had happened. His eyes widened. If Yao were hurt…or dead….Ivan shook his head. No, he couldn't let those thoughts enter his head until he was sure of what happened. "YAAAAAAAAOOOOOO!"

Yao's head snapped up when he heard his name. That was Ivan! He ran full speed down the hall toward the voice. Yao only hoped Ivan was searching for him and not calling out because he was in trouble.

"Ivan!" Yao rounded the corner and ran directly into the Russian, falling with an 'ofph'. Ivan's eyes widened and he smiled delightedly.

"Yao!" he exclaimed happily, picking the Chinese boy up and crushing him against his chest in a bear hug. "I am so glad to be seeing you! I was very worried, da!"

Yao blushed furiously but smiled and hugged back.

"I worried about you too, Ivan. Are you hurt?" he inquired, pulling back slightly to lock eyes with the cuddly Russian. Ivan gave a small shrug.

"Only little bit. Nothing to worry about," he replied, reluctantly setting Yao down. "What about you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Yao's smile fell and he looked Ivan over.

"Where are you hurt? Maybe I can help."

He gingerly slid his hands over Ivan's arms. Feeling the tight muscles under the coat, Yao blushed heavily. Ivan blushed at the feeling of Yao's tiny hands on his arms.

"My head. I was hit in the head. But, like I said, I am fine, da? But, you did not answer my question. Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, trying to see if there were any injuries on his precious china doll. Yao couldn't help but smile at Ivan's concern. He shook his head with a smile.

"No, I am not injured," he hung his head slightly, a strand of brown hair dropping into his face. "Duìbùqǐ, I should not have run away."

Ivan pulled Yao into another hug.

"I am just glad you are okay, moy solnishka. Just don't be running off again, da?" he replied, petting Yao's silky hair. Yao's pink blush raged red on his porcelain cheeks. Although he did not know much Russian, he knew enough to realize that Ivan had just called him something incredibly sweet and affectionate. Yao wrapped his arms around Ivan's middle and sighed to himself.

"I won't run away again..."

Ivan grinned.

"Yay! I am glad," he said. Ivan would have been quite content to stand there and hold Yao for the rest of their lives. Given that the rest of their lives might be a very short term however, if they stayed there, he decided they ought to get going. "Yao, I am thinking we ought to find the others, or somewhere to wait."

Yao was someone disappointed when Ivan pulled back but nodded.

"I agree. What about the infirmary? It seemed rather safe and there are chairs and beds to sit on."

Yao blushed gently at the innuendo that just passed his lips but decided to brush it off.

"But you have to let me look at your head when we get there," he scolded. Ivan chuckled and nodded.

"Of course. I do not wish to be worrying you," he agreed. Ivan took Yao's hand in his own and began leading him through the hall. Looking around, he realized he didn't know where they were in relation to the Infirmary. However, Ivan was not perturbed. He would find the Infirmary, and protect Yao until they got there.

Butterflies began to flutter in Yao's stomach at the electric zap that happened when Ivan linked their hands. He quickly caught up to walk next to Ivan, risking small glances at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you remember how we got to the infirmary, my friend?" he inquired, looking down a hallway. Ivan smiled down at Yao, leading them up a flight of stairs.

"Nope," he said cheerfully. "But I will find it. Trust me, da?"

Yao chuckled at the Russian's chipper mood and nodded.

"I always trust you, Ivan."

Ivan felt like his heart would literally pop out of his chest at that. His grin widened.

"I am glad," Ivan replied. At this point, all the bodies they passed didn't even phase him. Not that he'd been too bothered when they first arrived. However, he wasn't sure if Yao was afraid of them or not, so when they began passing multitudes of them, Ivan wrapped his arm around Yao's shoulders. Luckily, things were starting to look familiar, so he hoped they would find the Infirmary soon.

Yao's blush raged once more. But an incredible feeling of security soon overwhelmed him. He smiled and leaned into Ivan's side as they walked down hallway after hallway. Yao was too happy to not notice the bodies anymore or notice where they were going.

Ivan heard the flies as they rounded a corner. When he spotted the Science Lab, he knew where they were, and what was causing the flies.

"Yao, do not look," Ivan said, clasping a hand over Yao's eyes just in case. Turning the small corner he tried not to look at the spot where Kiku had died and tried even harder not to step in…the mess. Ivan quickly led them down the hall to the Infirmary.

Yao heard the flies and swallowed the bile raising in his throat. His hand clenched Ivan's coat tightly as a small whimper escaped his lips. There was one body that Ivan would keep from Yao's sight so fervently...

Ivan opened the Infirmary door and pulled Yao inside.

"It is okay, Yao-Yao. We are in the Infirmary," he said, removing his hand from Yao's eyes. Yao opened his eyes but stared at the ground sadly.

"...Xièxiè, Ivan," he whispered. Ivan tugged at the end of his scarf nervously. He didn't know how to comfort people, but he wanted to make Yao happy again. Ivan led Yao over to the bed and sat down.

"…Is comfortable, da?" he asked awkwardly. Yao blushed slightly and sat next to the Russian.

"Shì de, it is," he responded with a nod. He was surprised to see Ivan acting awkwardly. Usually he was a walking smile. Ivan remembered the reason they had come here in the first place.

"You wanted to check my head, da? Because you were worried," he said, pointing at his head. Yao chuckled with a nod and stood, walking around behind Ivan.

"Thank you for reminding me," he replied. "Where does it hurt?"

Ivan gestured to the back of his head.

"I am thinking someone hit me with something heavy when I was not looking," he said calmly, as though it were an everyday occurrence. Yao gingerly moved the fair hair aside and slid his fingertips across Ivan's scalp, feeling for a bump or cut.

Ivan closed his eyes and sighed. That felt wonderful.

"Yao's hands are so gentle," he commented, smiling happily. Yao froze for a moment, a blush raging on his cheeks.

"...T-Thank you..." he wasn't quite sure how to respond so he continued his exam. His fingertips soon ghosted over a spot that felt like a cut. He moved his fingers over it once more.

"Does that hurt, Ivan?"

Ivan winced slightly.

"Da, a little," he said. Yao hummed once.

"You have a small cut. Don't worry though, I shall treat it," he reassured in a gentle voice. Yao turned to the cabinets and began to search through the dusty bottles and jars. Soon enough, he found some cotton, alcohol and a small bandage. Relived that such things were at their disposal, Yao drenched a swab with the alcohol and found the cut once again.

"This might sting, Ivan," he warned. Ivan shrugged.

"I am tough. But thank you for the warning," he replied, sitting patiently. Yao was so caring. Yao smiled slightly at the Russian's bravery and began to dab at the cut. It almost looked like something resembling the head of a hammer! Yao's brow furrowed as he continued to clean the wound.

"It appears you were hit with a hammer," he stated, amazed that Ivan was only knocked unconscious from such a blow.

Ivan tensed slightly at the sting, but otherwise was unaffected.

"Da, probably. I do remember seeing a face before I blacked out. Then I woke up in a weird room and there were ghost children in there. The door was unlocked, luckily, and I got out," he explained with a smile. Yao unwrapped a bandage and placed it over the cut, giving it a ginger pat.

"Yes, you are very lucky, Ivan. I am quite amazed you did not sustain more injuries," he replied with a smile, sitting himself back down. Ivan grinned.

"I told you I was tough," he said with a laugh. "Thank you for bandaging that, though. You are very good at that, da."

Yao blushed slightly and tucked his hands inside his sleeves.

"You're welcome. And you are quite tough," he replied with a chuckle. 'But very sweet too...'

Ivan yawned and flopped backwards against the bed.

"I wonder what happened to Mr. Vargas. I am hoping he found the others," he said. Yao glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye. Ivan was really cute like that. Almost like a panda bear playing.

"As am I. How long do you think we should wait here for?"

Ivan hummed in thought, then shrugged.

"I do not know," he replied. A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face. Ivan reached out and pulled Yao down by his waist. "Until someone finds us? Maybe forever, da?"

Yao yelped in surprise, a red blush heavy on his cheeks.

"Ivan! W-What are you doing?!" he gasped, attempting to sit back up. Ivan didn't let go and kept Yao pinned to his chest.

"Relaxing. You should relax too, da?" he replied, smiling innocently. Yao's blush intensified at Ivan's smile.

"I-I do not need to lie on you to relax! Release me now!" he demanded. Ivan chuckled.

"Why?" he asked. "Am I not comfortable?"

Yao turned his head away, his brunette bangs hiding his face.

"I did not say that... I just do not need to lay on you..." he replied quietly. Ivan pouted.

"Aw," he mumbled, letting Yao go. Yao hurriedly sat up straight and righted his Tang jacket, stuffing his hands back into the sleeves. He peeked at Ivan through his bangs again and his heart sank at the sad look in the violet irises. He hadn't meant to hurt Ivan's feelings.

"...I apologize for my outburst," he finally stated. Ivan shook his head and sat up as well.

"No, I am sorry. I was not meaning to make you uncomfortable," he said, twisting the end of his scarf in his hands. Yao turned to look at his friend.

"I know you weren't. I forgive you," he replied with a smile, scooting a tad closer. It was exceedingly hard to stay mad at Ivan when he did such cute things. Ivan was instantly happy again.

"Yay!" he cheered, hugging Yao tightly. Yao blinked in surprise but then smiled, wrapping his thin arms around Ivan's middle.

Alfred groaned as his eyes creaked open. His head was killing him. He sat up and looked around; he was in, what seemed to be, a classroom but it didn't look like any of the others he had seen. He stood carefully and rubbed his head, feeling a good-sized bump.

"Ugh… Matty? Where are you, Mathew?!" he began to worry when he got no response. As Alfred looked around the unfamiliar room, he spotted a note on a desk and picked it up.

"Chasing Down the Hidden Past of the Cursed School – Over the course of several days, a series of incidents occurred in which multiple children disappeared one after another. The whereabouts of said children were eventually discovered through investigation. However, the findings were certainly worst case scenario. Three of the four missing children were found dead in a concealed room within the basement of Sunnyside Middle School. The fourth child was luckily found alive shaking in fear on the ground next to the bodies. Finishing off this nightmarish scene was an adult male instructor who seemed to be in a state of confusion. In his hands was a pair of bloody scissors. The surviving middle school student gave testimony against the instructor, Mr. Jungsai – who was later found to be the principle's own son. Mr. Jungsai was charged with multiple accounts of kidnapping, murder of minors, and desecration of the dead. After the charges were made, Mr. Jungsai was sentenced to life in prison. Many months after his incarceration he managed to escape and return to Sunnyside Middle School. It was there in the basement room that he took his own life by hanging'," he read. Alfred shuddered. 'How creepy,' he thought.

"To worry so much for another's well-being that it torments you to the core… It's an exquisite stigmata that afflicts the living and the dead alike." Alfred turned to look for the feminine voice and saw a girl with pale blonde hair and dead eyes. Alfred yelped in shock.

"W-Whoa! Who are you?"

Natalia blinked.

"I'm the spirit of a girl who died here," she responded, deadpan. Alfred's shoulders tensed slightly. This girl was a ghost.

"O-Oh… Sorry about that, I guess." He replied awkwardly. Natalia just stared at the blonde.

"Happiness and unhappiness are linked. Whenever one attempts to gain good fortune with little effort, there is always a risk." Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about, girl?"

Natalia's brow furrowed and her bangs cast a menacing shadow over her eyes.

"You and your friends have become trapped in this school because you preformed the Ever After charm… incorrectly!" she snapped. Alfred yelped at the girl's sudden outburst.

"What? No way! We did it just as we were told!" he defended. Natalia blinked, dead-eyed again.

"One of you chanted the phrase too many times. Or too few. The number of participants determines the number of repetitions that must be spoken. And Somebody did wrong, da?"

Alfred shook his head. There was no way any of them were that bad at math.

"Sorry, but we did it right." He replied. Natalia's expression remained unchanged.

"It may have been intentional too. One of your friends thought it idyjocki and did not bother to count. Or a misguided one didn't want the fun to end and knowingly wronged it in a vain attempt at a second chance, da?" Alfred gasped. This place was horrible! There was no way it could've been intentional! Natalia continued.

"Even if no-one did it purposely, a tendency not to take things seriously; some of your comrades seem to have that quality, da? They wouldn't think dire consequences would befall them. Hehe… Not one friend has come forward and admitted, am I wrong?" Alfred's jaw set. No chick was going to talk about his friends like that.

"Shut up, you bitch!"

Natalia's lips curled.

"Prabačenni. It seems I've proposed far too many likely scenarios. Perhaps it is just in my nature. Do you still hold your piece of the doll? Do not let it out of your sights. Regard it as a memento… of those who are dear to you." A wide and rather disturbing grin spread her pale lips. Alfred shuddered at the look.

"Uh… Excuse me, but I need to find my little cousin." He turned to leave the room. Natalia spoke up again.

"Such concern for your friends… and all the impulses that go with it. They spur the heart into action; truly a noble sentiment. That is all charms are, really; microsms of the soul… Whether it be love or hate, all you need to set them off is a truly strong emotion. The stronger the emotion, the more powerful the charm." Alfred froze, eyes wide. His body felt like it was on fire! He gripped his head tightly as a burning sensation rushed through it. He turned to look at the ghost girl to find her holding a large knife. Her grin spread as she raised it.

"We will not allow anyone to stand in our way. Those who do will suffer without mercy. Now go. Go to the one who occupies your thoughts… Though you probably won't make it in time… Hahahahahahh!"

Ludwig walked beside Gilbert as they searched the halls and rooms for Antonio. Ludwig was quite sure that they were going to be too late - if they found him at all. If the man that had taken Antonio had been so quick to smash his leg while abducting him, then he probably wouldn't take very long in killing him. It was a horrible thought.

Gilbert grumbled and cracked his knuckles as they walked.

"Grr, that bastard messed with the wrong guys. I'm so awesome I'll have him begging for mercy within a moment!"

Ludwig nodded, though he certainly wasn't as optimistic as his brother.

"Ja….We just have to find them first," he replied. Ludwig hated the fact that, though the scene of Antonio's abduction kept replaying in his head, Antonio himself was replaced by Feliciano. What if the Italian had met a similar fate? He grit his teeth. If that was true…Ludwig would destroy this places along with every damned ghost inside it.

Gilbert noticed his brother's thoughtfully glazed-over look and grinned. He only looked like that when he was thinking of that annoying little Italian.

"Thinking about a certain brunette, are we kleiner Bruder?" he giggled. It was so much fun to tease Ludwig. Ludwig growled.

"Actually, yes, I am. I am thinking about how that could have easily been Feliciano instead of Antonio! I am imagining all the horrible things that could be happening right now! Is that so amusing to you!?" he snarled, grabbing Gilbert by the front of his shirt. Gilbert raised an eyebrow and attempted to Ludwig's hands from his shirt.

"I'm simply teasing you, Ludwig. Your little crush is niedlich."

Ludwig pushed Gilbert away.

"You are such an arschloch!" he snapped, marching off down the hall. Gilbert was about to go after him when something struck him in the back of the head. He began to see double and reached out toward his brother's receding form.

"...L-Lud...wig..."

Then everything went black.

Ludwig took a moment to realize there were no footsteps echoing his own. He stopped and looked around. Gilbert was nowhere in sight.

"Gilbert?" he called. Nothing. "GILBERT!"

When he still received no response, Ludwig began to feel dread. Antonio had just been taken, and now Gilbert was missing.

"Verdammt!"

Ludwig back tracked and pushed open a door. It was void of any life. He went further back and checked another room. Again, it was empty save for the toppled chairs and desks. Growing more worried by the minute, Ludwig frantically searched for his brother.

Whether by miracle or pure luck, Ludwig eventually found his brother in a classroom on the floor below the one they'd been searching.

"Gilbert!" he shouted in shock. His brother was on the floor, bound by ropes and blindfolded with a scrap of cloth. Ludwig quickly noticed the rope extending from his brother. It wrapped around a stone bust, and looped up to secure a bucket above Gilbert's head.

Gilbert groaned and moved his head around.

"Ludwig...? What the...? Where am I?!" he demanded, feeling a blindfold on his face and his body bound. Ludwig saw the bust tremble slightly as Gilbert moved his head.

"Gilbert! Don't move!" he ordered, hurrying to his brother's side. "I will get you out!"

Ludwig was unsure, however, how to accomplish that task. The ropes were tied very tightly and he could see where they had been secured together. If he tugged at them incorrectly, the bust would fall off the desk, and whatever was in that bucket would fall on his brother.

"Gil…can you tell where the knot to these ropes are?" Ludwig asked. Gilbert moved his hands slowly, trying to feel where they connected.

"Uh... I think back here," he gently shook his right hand, his index finger pointing to a knot between his wrists. "What's going on, Ludwig?"

Ludwig grimaced as the bust moved closer to the edge.

"I said don't move!" he barked. Ludwig calmed himself. "Gil…the ropes binding you, they are connected to a bucket above your head. Every time you move it makes it far more likely to tip over. I don't know what's in there, but you have to not move."

Ludwig moved to Gilbert's other side and looked down at the knot. Of course, that was where the rope connecting to the bucket was. Whoever had done this was very intelligent. Ludwig looked up at the slightly swaying bucket. He would just have to untie the bucket from the rope, then. That seemed to be the only option he had.

Ludwig stood and began looking for a stable chair to use. Gilbert grumbled slightly at being talked to like that by his younger brother but stopped moving.

"What are you waiting for then? Cut the rope off me!"

Ludwig found one and brought it over.

"I would, normally, but I can't. Also, I didn't bring it to school. You know that's against the rules, bruder. The ropes are tied in a way that if even one comes loose from you, the bucket will fall. I'm untying the bucket from the rope, then I'll untie you," he explained. Ludwig carefully stepped up onto the chair. He paused for a moment, making sure the chair was holding his weight, and looked up at the bucket. Ludwig could definitely reach the bucket. It also wasn't tied in any especially tricky knots. He placed his hand on the underside of the bucket and used his free hand to untie the rope.

Once it slipped loose, Ludwig made to hold the bucket properly. His eyes widened as his hands were unable to find purchase on the slippery bucket and it fell, dumping nails, razors, tacks, and scissors onto Gilbert's face.

"GILBERT!" Ludwig cried out. Gilbert cried out in pain as the multiple blades penetrated his body.

"AGH!"

A pair of scissors fell and sliced across his neck, ripping through the arteries in his neck. Blood spurted from the wound, leaving splashes and trails along the floor. Ludwig jumped down from the chair and dropped down beside Gilbert. He ripped off the blindfold and began removing the contents of the bucket.

"Gilbert! No! Please! You can't…." he begged, untying the rope and pulling Gilbert's head onto his lap. Ludwig knew it was too late, the lack of life in his brother's red eyes told him so. "No…no…Gil…I was going to save you VERDAMMT!"

Translations: Scheißes = shits (German) [I don't know German, so this pluralization could be wrong), Amigos = friends (Spanish), Nein = No (German), Gott verdammt = god dammit (German), Sohn von einem Weibchen = Son of a bitch (German), niedlich = cute? (German), Prabačenni (ask the other author, she didn't tell me what it meant and google isn't helpful).