House of 9
First off, here's a list of whose still in the game.
Lawliet- The Mysterious Genius
Donnie- The Funny Druggie
TK-The Deaf Younger Brother
Nora- The Mother-hen
Maddie- The Broken Doll
Jane- The Beautiful Schizophrenic Mystery
IF YOU'RE CONFUSED:
That's a Good Thing as of now.
Re-read the chapters if you are lost in the story.
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It was silent.
Silence, in the moments of a miracle were beautiful, in the moment of tragedy and death, however, they were depressing.
Maddie held the knife close to her and shakily took a breath,
"I'm not stupid. I've solved this puzzle! I solved the unsolvable!"
Nora glanced at Donnie and swallowed when she saw Donnie was not looking back at her, but rather focusing on the knife in Maddie's hand.
"..Were never getting out of here. That's the answer. You have to kill yourself to get out. It's the only way!"
No one spoke again as Maddie began to cry, her hands shaking as she gripped the hilt harder. It was the same one Scarlett had used.
"..and if I go to hell for killing myself, then so be it...I know it'll be better than this!" Maddie screamed as she tore the sharp blade into her abdomen.
Her face went from one of pain to one of shock. She breathed in shakily again and looked down at the knife, plunged into her own flesh.
She coughed and crimson began to slowly seep from her lips.
She dropped to the floor within moments and that was the end of another.
Three.
Three left out of an original nine.
It was dark outside and the soft wind blowing through her hair seemed to wrap around her as though it was safe to let her guards down.
She knew however, this was just false hope.
False hope bubbling inside her, trying to make her forget all her worries and allow herself to feel free again. However, it seemed that everytime she did that, something awful would happen. She would get too careless to see things around her and become blind by her joy.
She could never be happy.
A hand suddenly clapped on her shoulder and she turned to see a certain red-head beside her. She smiled and turned from him to stare out at the moon-lit ocean once again.
"Hello stranger." He whispered in her ear as he leaned his head down to her shoulder.
She laughed softly and stepped back into his arms, leaning into his warm embrace. She shivered lightly beneath his arms and sighed.
"How is he?"
"L?"
"...Yes, I've been worried about him. Since Warwick...he's been acting more distant..."
"Yeah...yeah, I know. I caught him out in the rain earlier ya'know."
"Yes..I believe I could tell from his soaked clothing," She replied with a hint of wit in her voice.
Donnie chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, guess so. Anyhow..he was talking about some bells. Complaining about them really..saying they were distracting him and getting louder...then he got a little...-" Donnie stopped there to look out at the ocean as well.
"Got a little what?"
"...well...confused I guess. He was talkin' about how it might be a church or something.."
"A church?"
"Yeah, then he said sorry and that nothing he says makes much sense anymore...I think he's probably just a little depressed.."
"Depressed..yes, that must be it."
"Well, ya'know I'm a bit depressed too.."
Nora turned around at this and looked shocked into Donnie's own sly grin, "Wha..-What about?"
"Well, i'm kinda depressed that we haven't kissed in quite a number of hours, madame."
Nora relaxed and she rolled her eyes before playfully smacking his cheek. "You stop trying to worry me!"
"You stop hitting me." He replied with a grin as he leaned in, letting his lips smash against her own.
L sat on the edge of his bed, once again staring at the wall, hands deep inside his pockets and eyes wide. He slowly allowed his hands to emerge from their pockets and wrap arond his legs which were as usual brought up to his chest.
He sighed as he saw the shadow flicker across to wall when the door creaked open.
"What is it, Tavish?"
"Oh, you are as witty as ever I see."
L didn't reply but instead continued staring into the wall, as though it held some sort of underlying secret to the meaning of life.
"L...Ryuzaki...Projendino...Fanzine...Which would you like to be called today?"
"I would prefer my real name..."
"Oh, you really are no fun...Lawliet..."
"..."
In a swift movement, Tavish entered the room and quickly came to sit next to the great detective. Young and thin, the mastermind sat beside the genius.
Tavish sighed and looked over at L, a jar of jam in hand.
L turned to look for a moment before recognising the jar to be a simple jar of strawberry jam. It was Tavish's favorite.
Tavish sighed again and opened the lid before tilting the jar back and shaking it until a glob enter his mouth. He chewed it quickly, even though there was hardly a need to do so and then screwed the lib back on.
"How long do you plan on waiting to eat them?" L asked thoughtfully as he turned his head to the side to see the slightly young, yet slightly older man beside him.
Tavish turned his own head and then lied back on the bed, "Not very much longer..I'm not eating James..Scarlett, TK and Jane I will though. I've waited too long to eat James."
"Hm." L replied before shaking his head, "Cannibalism...it's not exactly something you just take up. Why have you started now?"
"Tastes delicious. Have you ever tried it, Lawliet?"
"...No, I haven't..."
"I suggest you try some."
"...I'll stick to my Coffee and sugar cubes..."
Tavish laughed wickedly and shook his head, "Like old times, eh Lawly?"
"...I prefer not to think of old times..."
"Aw..why? Because your mummy and daddy were killed by the 'masked men'? Because you were never allowed to even see your mother and father? Because they locked you in a attic and made sure you never saw them? Because your father beat you with a white mask on?
"No..that's not all either, is it? It's the bells. You still wake up when you pass out from sheer exhaustion, don't you? Wake up to the screaming of the children, and of the bells. Ringing over and over in your head."
L's eyes grew wider as he stared at the wall, heart beginning to race in his throat,
'..This is your new home, Lawliet. The Whammy House. It's a place for intellectually gifted children...'
The snow falling around him as he stood in silence in front of the Whammy House, his hand inside Warwick's.
'...What's that noise?...Who are you? Father? Are you my father? Wh-Why are hurting me? Why are you hurting me! WHY ARE YOU HURTING ME?'
The small latched down on the floor, opening and a man covered from head to toe in black, save for a small white mask on his face, emerging into the darkness of his room. Of the attic. On his sixth birthday, he came in and beat him. The following day...he died...by other masked men...
'Lawliet! I've told you not to climb ontop of the roof!'
Ontop of the roof in the pouring rain, looking down at the church beside the orphanage as a casket came out, being loaded into a hearse.
'It's the bells again Roger...it's the bells again...perhaps it's a wedding, or maybe a funeral...most likely it's a funeral..happy things don't really ever happen around the Whammy House.'
Telling one of the two old men who cared for him at the Orphanage, the only two who he felt he could even so much as talk to. Telling him of the bells..the bells that screamed in his head during the night...
'Lawliet! Lawliet, whatever is wrong with you child? Why did you run away from the orphanage? Why did you come to this church? Lawliet? Lawliet listen to me!'
Crying in the middle of the church when he decided he must know what was inside of it. The stained glass, the louds bells. The screaming...the screaming that came from his own lungs. Roger, trying to pry him away from inside the church.
"Yes...that's it, isn't it? The bells. The loud, haunting bells. You hear them as we speak, don't you?..."
L took in a shaky breath, his mouth agape and hands making their way to his ears.
"...Ring...Riiiing...RING...RIIIING.."
L shook his head and screamed
this church? Lawliet? Lawliet listen to me!'
Crying in the middle of the church when he decided he must know what was inside of it. The stained glass, the louds bells. The screaming...the screaming that came from his own lungs. Roger, trying to pry him away from inside the church.
"Yes...that's it, isn't it? The bells. The loud, haunting bells. You hear them as we speak, don't you?..."
L took in a shaky breath, his mouth agape and hands making their way to his ears.
"...Ring...Riiiing...RING...RIIIING.."
L shook his head and screamed as he fell to the ground in a sprawl, moving into fetal position he could see his life flash further before his eyes.
"If you can't solve the puzzle..you're only a loser."
L shook his head and grabbed Tavish by the shirt with one shaky weak arm,
"I solved the puzzle..."
"You didn't."
"I did..."
L brought him down closer and whispered only a few words in his ears before Tavish fell backwards, eyes wide and spirits crushed.
L took in a shallow breath before he gripped at his chest and felt the hollowness leave his body. He felt lighter than air.
"Feels like..an elephant's on my chest.." L whispered with a smile before slowly closing his eyes, and there was Warwick.
Nora turned as she heard the heart wrenching scream, she gasped and Donnie broke away from his grasp around her and moved quickly through the house.
Running up the stairs, down the hall and crashing into L's door with Nora hot on his trail.
He burst through and saw the body.
Nora screamed and put her hands to her eyes, "No! L!" She cried out as Donnie made his way to the body slowly.
His were half-closed, looking at the ceiling, emotionless, lifeless.
Donnie picked his head up and put his arm beneath him to pick him up bridal style.
He was gone.
"L...Lawliet?" Nora whispered as she felt her head buzz in a whirlpool.
Donnie shook his head remosefully and Nora felt her heart snap in two. She breathed in quickly, her eyes burning hot.
"Aw..don't I get an credit around her either?"
The infamous scottish accent dawned upon their ears, but this time, they heard it from one spot. Directly behind them.
This wasn't coming from a speaker.
"Tavish." Donnie growled as he turned to look at the man. Dark brown hair in a sort of Leonardo Dicaprio hair style, a small mustache and black trousers held up by dark leather suspenders, a white button up dress shirt underneath. He literally looked as though he came out of the ninteen forties.
"What did you do to him?" Nora whispered sharply at the smiling evil mind.
"I did nothing, I promise. He had a heart attack. Not my fault, lovey."
Nora's face contorted to one of rage as she then decided she would, for once, go with her gut. She felt that impulse, she needed to give in to it..she knew she needed to.
She charged at the man and grabbed him by the shoulders, however, within seconds she felt a hot pain within her own abdomen. She choked and felt the pain encase her entire body she screamed in agony and Donnie watched as the woman fell onto the floor.
He lied L down upon the bed and looked at her. Her skin already turning a deathly pale and her hair falling all around her body. He thought, perhaps just for a second, that he could faintly hear the sound of something..something distant..something far..
He opened his mouth slowly and choked on a sob, tears brimming his eyes.
"Aren't you proud little Donnie? You've won. You've won it all!"
Donnie shook his head and stepped slowly forward as he grabbed the woman on the floor, holding her close to his body.
"I'm not gonna be the winner of your sick little fucking game, doc. I hope you had fun playing, because now it's over."
Donnie took the large needle sticking from Nora and reered it back,
"No..you know what's even better?"
Tavish looked at him, wide-eyed and practically vibrating on the spot.
"Killing your ass first."
And In the darkness and bleakness of the room, Donnie single-handedly destroyed their captor. Destroying with it, a beautiful mind. The Game did not end with a scream, not did it end with a 'Bang'. It ended in a small Thank You.
"..I'v been waiting for this to happen..for a long time.."
Donnie pulled back the weapon and then set Nora down on the ground before also grabbing L and sitting him next to her.
"I know you don't want me to do this Nora.." Donnie whispered, "but I can't imagine a life without you..I know you will go to heaven and I will go to hell, but at least society will be protected from me.."
Donnie then stuck the weapon within his own body, and fell to the ground beside the woman he loved. Falling to the ground, blood spilling around his body in a pool.
Jose stood in the Great Room once again as he looked around the house. Death filled the air,
"Hello? Is anyone here?" A voice shouted beside him, a man dressed in a Uniform..
The Military was there, beside him once again as he slowly climbed up the stairs alone.
He looked around slowly, his eyes casting over every inch of the familiar house until he got the long hall of bedrooms.
A cartain overpowering smell, however, got to his nostrils. The smell of death.
He walked into the room to find five dead bodies..It was L, Nora, Donnie, a man he had never seen before, and Mio.
His breath hitched as Ricky came to his humble side.
"That's it.." Ricky whispered, "Look at what you've done! You didn't help at all! If you had stayed, this may of never happened!"
Jose took in a shaky breath and shook his head, "No Ricky..no."
"Yes, Jose, yes!"
Jose looked around the room in a frenzy, eyes rushing around the room. L, Nora, Donnie...they were dead?
And the others...they were all dead too then...
Small TK...goregous Jane...
They were all dead, and because of him. He was a man of the army for gods sake! He was supposed to be strong! Army strong!
Instead he left whenever he could..
Escaped death..
He felt his fingers along the cold steel. He fingered it and swallowed.
Now Ricky was gone..
Jose breathed heavily as he removed it from the holster and finally aimed it at himself.
And then? Then there was none.