(Second Opening Theme: Blood + Opening Theme-Tears of Heaven Performed By Takashi Hitomi)
Kristen, Eddie and Rachel made a mad dash down the hall as Zack gave chase; he dragged his blade along the ground as he gave a laugh; his voice bouncing off the walls as he had been quick to catch up to them.
"KEEP RUNNING!" She yelled to Eddie and Rachel, "DON'T STOP!"
Rachel ended up tripping on herself, and Zack stepped towards her. She rolled out of the way of his blade, before Kristen had been quick to help her up. She gave him a good kick pushing him back, though he only laughed again.
"KEEP MOVING! JUST A LITTLE FURTHER!" She yelled as she ran with Rachel and Eddie.
Kristen looked back to see Zack catching up to them as he licked his lips. Her look only softened a little before she kept her eyes forward.
"I can't let him kill them!" She thought, "This isn't just for survival! He lost his mind because of the drugs! This is for Zack's sake!"
"Look!" Eddie said as they turned the corner, "There's a door up ahead!"
Kristen and Rachel picked up their heads and there they saw it; the only door available to them in the seemingly large hall.
"Come on! Hurry!" She told them.
Rachel and Eddie nodded as they picked up the pace; Kristen had been the first to open the door as they practically jumped through the doorway. The room they stepped in had been a large room, with blood stains on the floor, and what looked to be bullet holes on the floor. They saw up on the ceiling there had been a pair of machine guns at each of the corners. In front of them, they saw bullet proof glass with a pair of double doors.
They didn't have time to think on why or what this room had been as they heard Zack coming towards them. The three of them ran towards the glass doors and tried to get it open.
"It's locked!" Eddie said.
"... We're trapped in here." Rachel said.
Kristen turned to the doorway as she saw Zack stepped inside. "...Rachel, Eddie…" She said as she drew her combat knife, "...Get behind me."
The two kids hid behind Kristen as Zack stepped towards them with his scythe in hand. He drew his blade towards her, and Kristen got herself ready; standing in the same stance Zack had shown her earlier.
"... Zack…" She said, "... I'm going to fulfill your request."
Zack's smile seemingly grew bigger. She didn't know whether it was because he was ready to take the kill, or how she remembered what he showed her on the previous floor. Both of them readied their weapons and prepared to fight when-
BANG!
Zack cried out in agony as he dropped the scythe and fell to his knees.
"Zack!" The three of them exclaimed.
"Hello~"
The three of them had been drawn to a voice; they turned and saw it was Cathy in person. Her crop whip had been in hand and she had a smile on her face.
"It's nice to see you all here!" Cathy said gleefully, "I'm very impressed that you made it this far! I'm so sorry that I cut the party short when it was getting to something good." She waved her crop whip, and that's when Kristen got a clear image of it; she saw buttons had been on the handle.
"This is the firing squad room!" Cathy explained, "So I shot you! Now take a good look! They're guns all around; all I have to do is push a button, and I can kill you all where your standing."
Cathy let out a giggle as her face turned red; Kristen couldn't help but shudder as she nuzzled her cheek onto her crop whip.
She soon turned back towards them, "It was so delightful… Seeing the falling out between Krissy and Zack! And that kiss~" She squealed a little, "Honestly I was surprised, especially from Zack! I thought Krissy would be the one to make the first move, but he blew away my expectations! You two are what I consider the ideal criminal! Especially Zack! The way you can't control your impulses, no matter how you fight them… It's just fantastic!"
"I don't give a damn what you think right now!" Kristen shouted to Cathy, "Where's Faith!?"
Cathy only chuckled as she pressed a button on the handle of the whip. The floor opened just beside her, opened up and something seemed to ascend from it; smoke covered the it. They saw it looked to be a large display case; but what shocked them was what had been inside it.
Or in this case… Who.
Faith had been inside the case, her hands tied up and she appeared to be standing on a platform; though what horrified them the most was the fact that a rope, tied into a noose had been wrapped around her neck, as it hung off a sturdy metal hook.
"Faith!" Kristen, Eddie and Rachel exclaimed.
"Gu-Guys!" Faith said fearfully, "Help me please!"
"You damn bitch!" Zack shouted as he held his scythe in his head. Despite his body shaking, he ran towards the glass and attempted to break it, though it proved to be unsuccessful.
"Aw Zack…" Cathy pouted, "... What's wrong? Did the drug make you feel uneasy? Did it make you go crazy? Plus, you're after the wrong person, you know?"
"I-" Zack started to say, "I'LL KILL YOU!"
The gun went off again, and this time, the bullet had gone through Zack's ankle, making him fall to his knees.
"Zack!" Kristen shouted.
"You're so silly Zack." Cathy said teasingly, "I already told you, you're going after the wrong person!"
"Hang on Zack!" Rachel said.
Her, Kristen and Eddie were about to run over to him but stopped as he yelled, "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
They could see his body still shaking from the drug; Kristen looked onto him with worry as she wondered what could be done.
"See?" Cathy said, "And here I thought the pain of being shot made you more rational, but just look at you! You just can't hold yourself back can't you?"
"You're a monster!" Kristen shouted.
"What do you want from them!?" Faith shouted from within her case.
"Well I'm glad you asked~!" Cathy said before she snapped her fingers. At the same time the room had gotten dark, a spotlight had appeared as the sound of a drumroll had been heard, before it shined to a gun on the floor.
"Congratulations Rachel Gardener!" Cathy said, "You'll be participating in my next punishment!"
"What do you mean?" Eddie asked as Rachel picked up the gun, "What are you gonna make her do?"
"Why that's simple!" Cathy replied, "All she and Zack have to do… Is kill each other!"
"What!?" Eddie and Kristen exclaimed as Rachel herself looked surprised.
"Whoever survives this, will be given a fantastic judgement! After Krissy's next and final punishment of course!" Cathy stated cheerfully before she gave a laugh. Kristen only looked more horrified as Eddie had a difficult time processing this.
There was no way! She was going to force a little girl to kill someone! Her previous punishments were insane, but this-This was too much given the situation. Her blood boiled at the very thought of what was going to happen.
"... What would be the meaning of that?" Rachel soon asked, taking everyone back.
Cathy had stopped laughing as she soon let out a sigh, "... Oh stop it. You really are a boring girl." She took a seat on the steps provided as she crossed her legs. "What's the point of trying if there's no meaning in it?" She soon said, "Do you expect anything to come out of it? Nothing is ever going to come from criminals deeds. So there's no search for a meaning. This is today's main event! Now… Put on an entertaining show for me!"
"Jesus, tell me I wasn't this crazy..." Eddie wondered aloud.
"This is strange…" Kristen thought to herself, "... None of what she's saying makes sense. In fact… Everything she said has been… Weird."
Zack soon started to step towards Rachel as she still looked to the gun in her hand. "ZACK WAI-!"
BANG! BANG!
Kristen stopped in her tracks as bullets had fired near her feet to prevent her from moving from her spot. Cathy wagged her finger as she clicked her tongue in an almost scolding manner.
"STOP!" Faith shouted, "PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!"
"Ah, ah, ah." Cathy said, with her thumb hovering over a certain button, "Don't try to interfere now~"
Faith shrank at this as her body shook. Zack held his scythe over to Rachel, as his hands shook; Kristen could tell he was doing everything he can to restrain himself from killing her right than and there. Still she couldn't help but feel helpless.
"Well!?" Zack said to Rachel, "If you're going to shoot than hurry the fuck up!"
Rachel said nothing as she soon held the gun up to Zack, taking Kristen and Eddie by surprise.
"Rachel no!" Kristen exclaimed.
"Don't!" Eddie yelled.
"Oh, what's this now?" Cathy pondered aloud, "Could it be that your too afraid to pull the trigger? You can't escape a boring girl with interesting qualities?"
"Be quiet." Rachel said to Cathy in an authoritative tone, as they were surprised at this; Cathy especially.
"Even if you don't shoot, I can't hold back!" Zack shouted, "So do it!"
"Rachel no!" Kristen shouted.
"Please don't do this!" Eddie yelled.
"Rachel!" Faith shouted.
"Just shoot me goddammit!" He yelled.
Rachel stood in silence as she contemplated on what she should. It wasn't a second later till they saw her lower the gun.
"It's alright." She told the group, "... I'm not going to shoot."
Kristen, Eddie, and Faith sighed with relief; though Zack on the other hand didn't look happy to hear this sort of news. "Really!?" He yelled, "You're not gonna!? Well, that's too fucking bad! Cuz I wanna kill so bad it hurts!"
"You can fight it!" Kristen yelled, "Don't give in!"
"Kind of hard to do that right now!" Zack told her, "Have you meet me!?"
"I'm sorry…" Rachel said, "... I guess I'm letting you kill me while I'm boring."
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT!" Zack shouted, "I'M GONNA FEEL LIKE SHIT AFTER THIS!" He soon grabbed her wrist, forcing her to point the gun towards his chest.
"I SAID IF YOU'RE GOING TO SHOOT ME THEN SHOOT ME!" Zack shouted, "YOU CAN'T MISS AT THIS RANGE!"
"ZACK!" Kristen, Eddie and Faith exclaimed.
Rachel shook her head, "You can ask all you want… But my answer will still be the same. I won't kill you… This is MY choice. I'm fine with being killed by you. But…" She looked over to Cathy, who still had a smile on her face, "... I won't let this woman turn out the way she wants it. Because, Kristen is right… You and I… Eddie, Faith and her… We're not tools."
She lowered the gun, and to everyone's shock, she took hold of his scythe, and held the blade towards her body. "To kill or be killed… To live or die for someone else's sake… They're OUR own choices."
Zack's body flinched; for a brief moment he saw several images pass by in his head. From him as a child, to the person that caused his heart in his chest to twist. The last and final image, had been of a young woman, with eyes pure red, that had been more clear than anything else in his life. The group had been taken back, when he began to laugh.
"Don't start saying such interesting things now!" He said, with a smile, "Damn it all! I can't hold it back any longer! Come on! At least let me see you smile! Right now! Let me see it!"
Rachel complied; despite her eyes looking dead, she gave him a smile, the only one she could muster. Zack let out a groan as this time an image of blood went through his head. His smile soon appeared again.
"... What a lousy smile." He commented, placing his hand over his chest, "... Your eyes are totally dead. But… If it ever turns into a real smile… It'll be awesome. Just imagining killing you like that… Is making me smile more than anyone else!" He soon readied his blade. Kristen's eyes widened in horror and with realization, as she reached out and shouted.
"So big-"
"Zack! Wait!"
"-I COULD KILL MYSELF!"
"STO-"
SLASH!
Everyone was put into shock when Zack created a huge gash in his stomach; blood stained the stone floor. He fell onto his back as the whole room went silent for a moment. Everyone in the room had currently processing what had just happened.
"Zack…" Kristen said softly as she walked; she soon started to run as she yelled, "ZACK!"
"ZACK!" Eddie and Rachel shouted, as they ran to his side.
"Oh God... " Faith said as she was now crying, "... Please no…"
Kristen slid on her knees before she started to shake him gently. "Zack, stay with me!" She said, before she looked to Rachel and Eddie, "Help me stop the bleeding!" Rachel and Eddie nodded; Placing the gun down, and tossing aside his shovel, they placed their hands on his stomach, not minding that they're hands had gotten dirty.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" They heard Cathy shout.
She made her way down the stairs, and opened the door, stepping towards them; at this Kristen abandoned her task and stood in front of Rachel, Eddie and Zack protectively.
"Ugh…" She groaned stepping towards them, "... Disgusting. I was wrong to call you an ideal criminal! Rachel Gardener is a failure as a criminal, and Isaac Foster was such a fool he killed himself to satisfy his own desires! I'm so disappointed in you! You put a damper in my judgement!"
"Back off bitch!" Kristen shouted as she held her knife; Cathy stopped as she looked to her, "I'm not letting you near them!"
Cathy seemed to lose her rage, as her smile returned, though it looked more unsettling than it did before. "Ah yes… That's right…" She said, "... I still have Krissy, and her final punishment…"
"For God's sake, a man is currently bleeding to death!" Eddie exclaimed, "Haven't you had eno-"
Eddie stopped when the guns fired again, making him fall back nearly hitting Rachel. "Hey!" Kristen said, "Leave them out of this!"
Cathy started to laugh hysterically as she looked over to Kristen; for a moment she retained herself as she held her crop whip casually in her hands. "Oh, little Krissy, look at you still trying to play a hero!" Cathy said teasingly, "And yet… Your a criminal… Just like everyone else in this room."
"Not everyone here's a criminal like you say Cathy." Kristen said, emphasising her name with disgust.
"Oh really?" Cathy said, before she pointed over to Faith, "You're little friend Faith here isn't all that innocent, you know? She's more sinful compared to you and that boring brat."
"What are you talking about?!" Kristen said.
Cathy chuckled and Faith looked to have a horrified look on her face. "Let's answer your question… With another question shall we?" Cathy said as she pointed over to Faith, "I've been watching you since the three of you gotten together on Zack's floor… And did you ever stop to think… Why she never mentioned her last name?"
Kristen only looked puzzled at this sort of thing as she looked to Faith who was now covered in her own tears.
"Her full name is Faith Bicari!" Cathy soon explained, "And her family name comes from the name of that of a Mafia leader himself, Adelbert Bicari!"
Kristen's eyes widened at this, as did Eddie's at this newfound information; Rachel on the other hand didn't look surprised.
"You have heard of him, haven't you?" Cathy said with a smile, "The most feared crime boss known to man. So feared in fact, that if someone even so much as look in his general direction, they'll be shot dead on the spot. And that's not even the best part! Your precious little friend, was assisting him in finding those that owed him money, and punished those that deny him! If anything, she's an even bigger criminal than that of her daddy!"
"Faith…?" Kristen said shocked.
Faith at this point began to cry as her body shook. "I'm… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Cathy only laughed at her expression, "Now, my dear Krissy… Let's discuss on what your punishment shall be…?"
Kristen's body shook with anger as she looked to Cathy still having her glare, "... What punishment?"
"Well, you should feel honored right now…" Cathy said, "... Because this time, I'm giving you the power! YOU get to decide who lives or dies!" She soon showed her, the crop whip she had in her hand, her thumb hovered over a button that looked to be in the color of pink.
Cathy told her, "This button right here, is connected to the platform in the case. If I press it, the floor will give and allowing our dear Faith to take her last breaths! That is, unless of course… If you think your more guilty than her… After all… You did kill someone."
Kristen had been taken back at this, while Rachel and Eddie appeared to be in shock. "Here's the deal, my dear Krissy!" Cathy said, "If you think you're more guilty than her, you can shoot yourself with your gun, and I'll let Faith go. But… If you think she's more guilty than you, than I'll just throw the switch and let her choke, allowing you to live! Choose wisely now~!"
At this Kristen had been at a loss, as she didn't know what to pick. She looked to the gun in her hand before she looked to Faith who had still been completely and utterly terrified. She soon looked over to Rachel, Zack and Eddie; Rachel and Eddie's eyes pleaded with her, as to not go through with the insane choice she had to make.
Much to their horror, Kristen cocked her gun, as her hand shook. Cathy watched with anticipation as she soon held the gun to her head but-
"Wait a minute…!" Kristen said as she took the gun away from her head, "...That's dumb."
Cathy's smile fell from her face, "... What?"
"The punishment…" She told her as she gave her a sneer, "... It's dumb! Even if I went through with it, you wouldn't let any of them get off this floor. Given the blood stains on the floor, I bet you did the same thing to the others that made it this far, didn't you?"
"No…" Cathy started to say before she shouted, "... NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO THINK THAT LIKE! YOU'RE A CRIMINAL, AND I'M THE JUDGE! I PASS JUDGEMENT ONTO CRIMINALS LIKE YOU!"
"You keep saying your a judge but your not!" Kristen told her, "I've seen judges ones that were half-assed at their job, mind you and they're not what you are! They don't just straight up decide who's guilty, they have someone do it for them! And they certainly don't execute people on the spot!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BITCH! YOU DON'T KNOW A GODDAMN THING!"
"I know a hell of a lot more than you! You're no judge or jury or executioner! You're just a crazy psychopathic murderer, that just has this OBSESSION with quote on quote PUNISHING whoever the hell comes to your floor, and playing with their heads and their lives like they're your toys or some shit! So you tell me! What the hell are you trying to pro-?!"
At this Kristen stopped herself as her eyes widened with realization, taking everyone back as she seemed to have lost her anger.
"Oh…" Kristen said, "... Oh, I don't believe this…"
"Kristen…?" Rachel said confused.
"What?" Cathy said.
Kristen only laughed softly as she slapped herself in the head, "Why didn't I see it before? The answers are written all over your face, it's been in the rooms on this floor, even the way you're behaving!"
Cathy growled, "What are you talking about!?"
She retained her look once more, as she looked Cathy in the eye.
"... This whole time…" Kristen started to say, "... All this time you've been here… You're trying to convince yourself you're not the bad guy… Aren't you…?"
At this, for the first time since they had gotten to that floor… She was completely quiet. Rachel, Faith and Eddie had been taken back when they saw the look Cathy had on her face.
She was shocked.
Speechless even!
She just had a horrified look on her face to the red eye woman before her right now; they could almost swear that her body had been shaking right now. They couldn't tell if it had been out of fear or anger.
BANG!
Kristen cried out when two bullets suddenly went through her leg, causing her to drop her gun and fall on her side.
"KRISTEN!" Eddie and Faith shouted.
"YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH!" Cathy shouted as she soon kicked and whipped at the wounded woman causing Kristen to cry out, and her old wounds to open, "DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ME! YOU'RE NOT IN CONTROL! I AM! I'M THE JUDGE YOUR THE CRIMINAL! THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT!"
Just than they heard the sound of a gun click; Cathy stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. Kristen groaned though had been put into shock. Rachel had been holding the gun, Cathy had provided for her earlier.
"Oh…?" Cathy said amused, "... And what do we have here…?"
"Get away from her." Rachel said, as her body hadn't been shaking, "I'm not letting you kill her."
"Do you think you can shoot me this time?" Cathy taunted, "Come on shoot me than! Get it over with and shoot me!"
"Rachel!" Kristen yelled, groaning a little, "Put the gun down now!"
This time she ignored what Kristen was telling her and just kept her eyes on Cathy. Though to be quite frank… She had ignored what Cathy was telling her to do. At this, she looked disappointed, "You can't pull the trigger after all… What a shame." Cathy said, "Well unfortunately for you, that gun isn't even loaded."
Rachel's eyes widened at this, as Kristen, Faith and Eddie looked shocked at this. "You gave her an unloaded weapon!?" Eddie shouted.
"Oh relax Eddie!" Cathy said, "It's not like a failure of a criminal like her could pull the trigger anyway. However…" She soon formed a gun with her fingers as she pointed it towards Rachel, "... I'm a bit impressed by the attitude it took to point that gun to me. Bang~"
The gun was suddenly shot out of Rachel's hand, catching everyone by surprise; She fell to her knees at this. "Rachel!" Eddie exclaimed as he ran to her side.
"You damn bitch…!" Kristen said, "You're gonna-AH!"
Kristen had been cut off when Cathy grabbed her by the hair before she tossed her to Zack's side. "Since you and Faith are still alive, I'll have to make you do with you both. I wonder what other sorts of punishments I can-"
Just than they heard the sound of a groan; Kristen's eyes widened when she saw Zack started to move as he groaned with agony. With her new and old ones bleeding, all Kristen could manage to do was crawl over to him. "Zack…?" She spoke softly, her eyes glimmering with hope; she shook him gently as to get him to open his eyes, "... Zack…? Can you hear me?"
"Would you look at that? So Zack is still alive!" Cathy said gleefully as she stepped towards her and Zack, "That's perfect! I still have my two ideal criminals! I can keep you two just like this, and punish you while your still full of life!"
Kristen took Zack into her arms as to protect him, before she was met with a heel to her head. Cathy began to laugh as she continued kick at her. Faith cried loudly, begging Cathy to stop, as Eddie shouted to Cathy, most likely threats.
Though Rachel, couldn't tell as a sudden ring went off in her head as she looked on with horror.
Several images passed by in her head, some didn't look to be clear, though only two had stood out. The first had that of a woman, possessing a smile and her world looking more alive than before, the second image she had seen had been a man covered with red, and holding a knife in his hands. Her vision had soon been clouded with red.
"No…" She said, as she stood, "... I won't let you kill them…"
She soon rummaged through her messenger bag; Faith and Eddie's eyes widened at what she had pulled out from the bag.
Cathy soon turned in Rachel's direction when she realized what she had been holding.
"BANG." The child said before she pulled the trigger.
The sound echoed through the room, making everyone jump. Cathy felt the bullet pierce her stomach as she found herself to be bleeding. Kristen just looked shocked at the fact that in the thirteen year old's hand, she had been holding a small pistol, as she bared no reaction as to what she just did.
"WHAT!?" Cathy shouted, before Kristen could say something, "YOU BRAT! THAT'S ONE HELL OF A WAY TO SHOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE!" Cathy soon smiled, "I LOVE IT! I'M GOING TO JUDGE YOU, YOU CRIMINAL! I'LL JUDGE YOU! I'LL JUDGE YOU! I'LL JUDGE YOU! YOU CAN KEEP THAT UNFAZED LOOK ON YOUR FACE AND I'LL JUDGE Y-!"
SLASH!
The whole group jumped when they saw Cathy's arm had been cut clean off. There they saw Zack standing there with his scythe in hand, as if nothing had happened.
"Shut the hell up." Zack said cheerful, as he had a smile on his face, "Don't look so happy about being shot! It made me wanna kill so damn bad, that it woke me right up!"
"No…" Cathy gagged as she looked to her missing limb, "... No way…"
"This IS real!" Zack yelled, "SO OPEN UP YOUR DAMN EYES!"
Cathy didn't let out a scream as the blade went through her body. In a split second, Cathy fell to the floor as she had been cut in half. Though despite this, she still made an effort to get to the switch.
"Y… You're… All… Criminals…" She gagged as she reached for the crop whip, "I… Have… To… Punish… You…"
Just as she was within reach, Eddie picked up off the floor, as he glared at her. "Next time you'll think twice before messing with my beloved Rachel again." He said in a threatening tone of voice.
Cathy could only give out a laugh before her eyes rolled back and she fell to the floor; her body was no longer moving as she had been no more. At this everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Rachel put her gun away. Without another word, Eddie found the button that released Faith, and let the case popped open. Rachel and Eddie soon helped her out of her binding, and got her out of the nose.
"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.
Faith only nodded silently as her eyes had been itchy from her tears, before she looked to Rachel noting her reaction from earlier.
"... How… How long did you know…?" She asked her softly.
"You dropped your profile earlier." Rachel explained, "... When we were on Eddie's floor… You tried to hide it didn't you?"
Faith nodded her head again, "I-I didn't want you to know… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
"Don't be…" Eddie said before he gave her a hug, "We're just glad your okay."
Zack gave out a sigh as he sat on the floor, his scythe fell to his side. "Damn…" He said, holding his stomach, "... It's gotten a lot quieter now."
"Zack!" Kristen exclaimed, as she stood. She limped over to his side, before she kneeled beside him, "Are you okay!?"
"Kris?" Zack said surprised before he noticed the wounds she had, "You look like shit, what the hell happened?"
"I look like shit!?" She exclaimed, "Says the guy who cut himself open a second ago! What the hell were you even thinking!? Why would you even do something like to yourself!? Do you even realize what could've happened!?"
Zack noticed that tears started to form in Kristen's eyes. He couldn't really care less of what she was saying at the moment, all he knew was she was being too noisy, and he wanted her to shut up just for now at least.
Luckily he knew just the trick.
He grabbed her by the neck of the shirt and pulled her to him; she looked to him with her red eyes wide now, still filled with tears.
"Shut the fuck up." He said, before he sealed it with a kiss, making Kristen squeak and freeze and her face turned red like before.
It was strange for her.
A serial killer, was actually kissing her… Again!
Any normal person in her position would just push him away, for assaulting them; though to her own shock, she found herself closing her eyes and relaxing as she had pulled him closer to her, being careful as to not aggravate his wounds as she couldn't stop the tears from flowing now.
(Second Ending Theme: Another Ending Theme-Anamnesis Performed By annabel (anNina))